Chapter 208: The True Power of the Hero
The system interface appeared immediately right before his eyes.
The translucent blue panel cut through the night air, projecting lines of glowing information that only he could read.
Statistics completely different from the ones he managed to see during the audience with the king, or just a few moments ago in the luxurious restaurant.
[ CHARACTER STATUS ]
› Race: [Human]
› Level: 132 — Rank: SS
› Class: Hero
› Title: Warlock
› Strength: 4,670 | Magic: 14,233 | Agility: 3,820 | Psyche: 11,100 | Stamina: 10,609 | Luck: 100 |
William’s aura began to emanate with a heavy density.
The intense yellow light covered his body, illuminating the stones of the plaza and pushing the wind far away from him.
Although the release of that aura was not provoked solely because he took the silver ring off his finger.
On the contrary, by the very act of removing the ring he decided to manifest that powerful aura completely on purpose.
He did it in a direct and calculated manner to leave absolutely no doubt of his power’s true rank right in front of Ryan.
The pure pressure of his energy made the branches of the nearby trees vibrate.
Ryan analyzed his statistics with complete calm, keeping his eyes fixed right on the glowing screen.
Even if he is an SS-rank, his base stats continue being very similar to those of an SS-rank dragon or an Abyssal.
The sheer level of strength and magic marked an immense threat to any living being in this world.
Although, the specific specialization he possesses puts him even above the power of the SS-rank dragon Ivis.
Having that massive amount of combined Psyche and Magic turned him into a highly destructive monster.
’This guy... of course, it was completely obvious that he would be one too.’
Ryan evaluated inside his head, confirming his past suspicions without moving a single muscle.
’He is definitively stronger than the Abyssal I faced back in Ophelia’s throne room.’
Ryan let out an involuntary smile beneath the thick fabric of his scarf.
That small gesture of anticipation was completely invisible to the red-haired girl in front of him and to the SS-rank hero.
’His statistics... are incredibly similar to my own. If we were to fight right now, I wouldn’t be sure which one of us would end up dying.’
Ryan thought, feeling a sudden spark of pure excitement burning directly within his chest.
The simple idea of measuring his strength against someone of his exact same caliber accelerated his heart rate for a brief second.
But he also understood that initiating a fight right there in the middle of the town was not a viable option.
It was not the best decision to blow up the entire plaza and draw unwanted attention.
And for the moment, at least for this precise moment, William did not seem to have the slightest intention of starting a fight.
The blonde hero remained standing in his place with his arms completely relaxed, without making the slightest attempt to unsheathe a weapon or prepare an offensive spell.
But even without being entirely sure of that, what occurred to him was to put his true intentions to the test.
"I see, so that time at the King’s palace, you were hiding your true statistics as well, isn’t that right?" Ryan asked.
His voice sounded flat and cold, searching for any kind of reaction on the boy’s face.
But before William could answer his questioning, he was pulled by his clothes by the red-haired girl.
Priscilla tugged forcefully on the sleeve of his coat, drawing his immediate attention.
"Hey William... can you suppress that energy already?"
The girl’s breathing was heavy, showing a clear discomfort in the face of the strong yellow light.
"You know that my power activates if there is such an immense power this close by..." She said with a few drops of sweat running down her pale cheeks.
Ryan observed her with great curiosity from his defensive position.
He detailed exactly how the heavy presence of William’s aura was physically affecting her body.
’What sort of skill is that?’ Ryan thought, searching for a logical explanation to that adverse bodily reaction.
Then, William completely stopped emitting that bright energy.
He cut the flow of his mana instantly and then placed the ring back onto his pinky finger.
The dense pressure in the air of the plaza disappeared completely, leaving behind only the cold breeze.
"I am sorry, I think I let myself get carried away."
The hero apologized with a light smile, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.
He turned back toward Ryan and extended his hand, pointing directly at him with his index finger.
"But this boy is extremely distrustful."
"I can clearly see that, but... he has every reason to be." Priscilla responded, wiping the sweat from her face with the back of her hand.
"After all, we are the ones bothering him right in the middle of the street."
She brought her hands together in front of her chest and took a short step forward.
And she gave a slight bow, tilting her head toward the hooded fugitive.
"Please excuse us for that."
The apology sounded highly sincere, echoing with a soft tone of voice.
"Do not bow like that." William intervened, raising his hand to stop her immediately.
His face became serious and severe once again.
"It would be a major problem if anyone sees that kind of attitude from the saint."
"..."
She did not respond right away to the blonde hero’s harsh scolding.
She straightened up rapidly, leaving her back perfectly straight once again under the light of the streetlamp.
"You are absolutely right, I will be much more careful."
Ryan furrowed his brow at her affirmation, but he did not say anything in response.
That massive insistence on protecting the perfect public image of the church generated an enormous internal repulsion within him.
William crossed his arms over his chest and added, picking up their previous conversation.
"Regarding your question, yes. I was hiding my rank at that time; in fact, I had been hiding it from long before."
The blonde hero looked him straight in the eyes with a somber and heavy expression.
"And you must already know the exact reason for that, do you not? Ryan."
’Of course I know. Even though I still find it very hard to believe that this guy is telling the truth and is not simply being manipulated by the church...’
Believing in the words of a hero he had seen only once in his life was something extremely difficult to digest. Even so, answering that question would not make any real difference in his current situation.
Which is why Ryan let out a long sigh of pure annoyance beneath his scarf and decided to answer.
