[Jan Wylde (Hero) Lv. 40 (Exp 031/550)]
[Title: Son of Zeryph]
[Race: Low-Human]
[Class: (None)]
[Strength: 110]
[Agility: 85]
[Endurance: 80]
[Intelligence: 215]
[Wisdom: 225]
[Dexterity: 85]
[Charisma: 85]
[Luck: 100]
[HP: 3500]
[MP: 2000]
[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.4), Insight (Lv.2), Reflect (Lv.4), Heaven-Splitting Cleave (Lv.1), Throwing Projectile (Lv.2), Reader (Lv.1), Identify (Lv.1)]
"T-This can't be real…" Maria muttered.
"What?" Jan's stomach tightened. "Is something wrong with me?!"
Being a demi-hero herself, Sophia could also use [Identify], but she wasn’t nearly as adept as Maria, who spent most of her time in the guild identifying items and adventurers. Intrigued, she leaned in closer.
"What's wrong?" Sophia asked.
Maria opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking genuinely conflicted. Eventually, she sighed. "I-I don't want to talk about it."
"Please, Maria! Why won't you just tell me?! Am I dying?! Is something wrong with me?!" Jan's panic only grew.
Sophia glanced at him and let out a long sigh. "Is being this dumb one of his skills?"
"Hey!"
"On the contrary," Maria said, still looking detached, "Our clueless hero somehow has higher Intelligence and Wisdom than I do!"
Sophia froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahahaha, no way! The clueless hero is actually smarter than you!"
Maria shot her a glare. "That means he's smarter than you too, dummy!"
Sophia quickly retorted, "Well, whatever! At least I'm stronger!"
"Not by much," Maria countered. "His Strength is pretty close to yours, and his Dexterity is way above yours!"
"No way! My level is way higher!" Sophia protested, clearly frustrated. Jan looked back and forth between them, trying to follow the conversation.
"I did hear that heroes start with higher base stats at level 1. Maybe that explains it?"
"But that's cheating!" Sophia groaned, crossing her arms.
"I know, right?!" Maria agreed, glaring playfully at Jan.
"Guys, come on! At least tell me what I did wrong!" Jan pleaded, desperation written all over his face.
"You did nothing wrong, silly," Seeing his face, Maria chuckled softly, "It's alright—you're here to save the world, after all."
Sophia rolled her eyes at that, scoffing as she turned away.
"Anyway," Maria continued, her tone more serious, "Remember what I explained to you earlier about Stats?!"
"Y-yes."
"Yours are pretty high—especially Intelligence and Wisdom. You should probably consider learning magic since you have such good stats for it. Even your MP is impressive—especially for someone who hasn't even tapped into their magical potential yet. And now that you're level 40? You might be ready to choose a class!"
"MP? Magic? Class?!" The barrage of information made Jan's head spin, leaving him rubbing his temples.
Maria chuckled, a hint of sympathy in her voice. "Honestly, part of me doesn't want to explain it to you…"
"Whether you explain or not is your choice, but we're wasting time. We need to move!" Sophia cut in sharply.
"Right, right! I'll fill you in on everything I know as we head to the church," Maria said, relenting.
"A-Alright..." Jan muttered, still lost in thought as they started jogging down the street. Then, all of a sudden, he came to a halt. "Wait! Guys! Aren't we forgetting something?!"
The urgency in his voice made both sisters stop in their tracks. “What?!” they asked in unison.
"The Librarian!"
***
After knocking repeatedly on the library door—and stopping Sophia from breaking it down in frustration—the giant old man finally emerged, blinking in confusion at the chaos outside.
They learned that the Library was protected by a soundproofing spell, which had kept all outside noise from reaching inside. The Librarian had been blissfully unaware of the siege on the town, dozing peacefully until Sophia's kicks against the door finally stirred him!
Without wasting any more time, they quickly filled him in on the situation, and he agreed to join them on their way to the church.
Of course, Jan made sure to tuck his newly acquired book safely inside the Library before they left—he didn’t want to risk damaging such a valuable find.
As they made their way toward the church, the group encountered more townspeople—the knights had clearly missed a few during their initial sweep. With nearly thirty people now in tow, they pressed on, staying alert for any lurking threats.
Fortunately, there weren't any, and even when creatures did appear, they quickly retreated into the shadows, deterred by the constant glow of Maria's light spells.
True to her word, she used the time to explain the complexities of the system.
She explained to Jan how each stat translates to real-world effects.
For example, Intelligence (INT) affects magical power and the ability to learn skills—higher INT often leads to more potent spells.
Wisdom (WIS), on the other hand, is more about decision-making, magical defense, and insight. It also affects mana regeneration and resistance to mind-altering effects.
She also clarified the concept of MP, which stood for Mana Points—a resource calculated based on one's Intelligence (INT) and Wisdom (WIS), determining how much magic energy a person could wield.
"As for the Class... well, we'll cover that once we're inside," Maria said, before turning to address the townsfolk. "Everyone, we've arrived!"
They finally reached the church, now serving as a sanctuary for the civilians of Valkeries.
It was shielded by a large, visible magical barrier—a glowing, circular dome that knocked the breath out of Jan. Several knights stood guard at the entrance, their watchful eyes scanning the surroundings for any threats.
Beyond the shimmering barrier stood the church—tall, ancient, and solemn. Its weathered stone walls glowed with protective magic, casting soft, shifting light across the grounds.
Towering spires pierced the sky, and intricate carvings lined the facade, telling stories of forgotten heroes and legends. Faded stained-glass windows, cracked and dusted by time, caught the glow and scattered it in fractured colors across the cobblestones below.
The large wooden doors were reinforced with iron and scarred with deep scratches—remnants of past battles. They creaked open as the knights pushed them wide, welcoming the weary townsfolk into the sacred halls.
The moment they spotted the sisters, the knights at the entrance bowed in respect, letting the townsfolk stream past into the sanctuary.
"Lady Maria, Lady Sophia, we've been expecting you."
Maria nodded and asked, "What's the situation?"
"We've escorted most of the townsfolk safely inside. They're secure. Another troop is sweeping the town to eliminate any remaining monsters and rescue anyone still unaccounted for. Thanks to your efforts, I doubt many are left."
"Good. We ran into a few stragglers on the way while focusing on guiding the townsfolk."
"Worry not, Lady Maria. Our forces will handle it. For now, please head inside—everything you need has already been prepared."
With a final nod, Maria and Sophia stepped through the doors, Jan trailing a little behind them.
"Are you two famous or—"
Before Jan could finish his question, a series of notifications flashed before his eyes.
[You have entered Valkeries Church]
[The Church is protected by magical barrier shields]
[Magical barrier shields' condition: 73%]
[All debuffs will be removed]
[A healing buff has been applied: 2% of your HP will be recovered every 5 minutes.]
[The buff "Soothing Warmth" has been applied: stress, fear, and anxiety reduced by 80%]
"Wow!" he gasped, feeling the buff's warmth wash over him.
"You felt it, didn't you?" Maria said with a knowing smile.
"Y-Yeah, this place is incredible!"
"It's our dad's handiwork!" Sophia declared proudly.
Jan paused, blinking in surprise. "Your dad... This is his work?!" Then realization hit him, and he almost shouted, "Wait, your dad?!"
Maria chuckled. "Yes, Jan."
Jan's mouth dropped open. "Isn't your dad the innkeeper?! The hooded guy who's always behind the counter?"
"Yes, he is," Maria replied, "but he's also the High Priest."
"The chef is the Guild Master, the bartender is the High Priest, and the drunk is the Knight Commander? What is this town?" Jan muttered under his breath as he looked around in bewilderment.
Just as the knight outside had promised, the church had everything they needed. Inside, they found folding beds for rest, warm fires to ward off the cold, food and drink laid out on long tables, and priests busy tending to the injured.
They were clearly overwhelmed.
"It looks like there are a lot of people who need help. I'm going to assist the other priests, okay?"
Jan and Sophia nodded, and Maria quickly moved off to join the healers.
'Great,' Jan thought. 'Now I'm alone with the one person in town who hates me. Should I try to say something? No, she’s not exactly the chatty type. But I hate awkward silences… Should I just walk away? But that might be rude. But standing here doing nothing is worse. I’ve got to—'
"Hey," Sophia's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Y-Yes!" Jan replied, startled.
"Are you hungry?" she asked casually.
"Uh... What?" Jan blinked, caught off guard.
"I said I'm hungry. I'm inviting you to eat," Sophia replied, sounding slightly irritated.
"Oh, right. Yeah, sure..." Jan agreed, thinking to himself, 'Maybe she's not as cold as I thought.'
They walked over to one of the long tables. As they reached it, Jan realized just how hungry he was. He grabbed a plate and began piling on whatever looked good, unfamiliar with most of the dishes but eager to fill his stomach.
He realized just how much he still didn’t understand about this world—starting with the food he’d been eating for days. It was always delicious; Erza’s cooking was surprisingly good.
'I never properly thanked Erza for taking care of me... or Rollo... or even the girls' dad.'
He remembered Rollo’s words: “In this world, there might not be a tomorrow.” With chaos unfolding all around him, those words felt truer than ever. If things went south, he might never get the chance to say thank you.
He shook his head, trying to dispel those negative thoughts, just to notice Sophia speaking to him again.
"Hey, are you even listening?"
"I-I'm sorry, what were you saying?" He stammered, snapping back to the moment.
She let out yet another annoyed sigh. "I said," she repeated, stepping in—so close her shoulder nearly brushed his. "This church has a back door that leads to the other side of town."
Jan listened carefully, a bit puzzled at first, but then his eyes went wide with realization. "Wait, are you trying to—"
Before he could finish, Sophia clamped a hand over his mouth. "Shhh! Keep it down," she hissed, eyes darting to make sure no one overheard—especially Maria who, thankfully, was still busy treating the injured.
"Of course I'm leaving," Sophia whispered sharply.
"But it's dangerous outside! We should stay here where it's safe!"
"Who said you're coming with me? I just need you to distract Maria."
"You're going alone? No way, I'm not letting you do that!"
"Hey!" Sophia snapped. "Stop trying to play the hero!"
"I'm not playing anything! But I can't just sit back while my friends run off into danger!" Jan shot back, his voice firm.
Sophia's eyes widened at his words, then sighed deeply.
"Fine, then... join me!"