[Amelia] The Level Zero Hero Chapter 169 (Patreon)

Noele blinked her eyes open, but she still saw darkness. Her thoughts were cogent, and she remembered being stabbed, so only a single thought crossed her mind.

“Am I… am I dead?” she asked apprehensively.

Her blood ran cold as she feared the worst. She placed a hand on her chest, before stumbling back. She could think clearly now. However, she was still reeling in shock from everything that just happened.

And she still didn’t even know if she was alive. “The last thing I remember was… Bucky… and falling—”

The blonde girl paused as she rubbed her temples, trying to recall what else happened. Her eyes snapped wide open when she remembered something else. A blue screen. An instinctual compulsion.

“The World System,” she whispered.

And the same blue screen flashed before her eyes.

[Class advancement available! Please choose one of the following Class advancements:

[Champion Spellsword] - A [Champion Spellsword] is a protector of justice— savior of the weak, and the light in the darkness. With blades or magic, they will defend those who cannot fend for themselves, and they will rise to any danger that threatens the weak. It is the first step down the path of heroism, and that is why a [Champion] is a precursor to something greater… something more…

Do you accept this Class?

There are no other Classes advancements available for you.]

The Noble Spellsword stared with wide eyes at the glowing message. An offer from the World System. The chance for her to receive an early Class advancement.

It had been a while since she had been given this offer— she was first given the chance to become a [Champion Spellsword] after she defeated the Monster of the Mist. After she slew Odell, the man responsible for killing her sister.

He had been empowered by the Void. And defeating him had not been an easy task. But she had won. Through her own efforts— through her own strength— she defeated him.

So when the World System came to her, offering her even more power, she had been reticent to accept that offer. After all, she didn’t want to rely on a power outside of her own. Because it would only limit her growth. She wouldn’t be able to grow stronger if she was always reliant on something else to fight for her.

Noele had to fight on her own. So her first instinct compelled her to cast aside the Class advancement once again. But then she paused as the screen flickered.

She hadn’t rejected it just yet, and for whatever reason, it vanished. Her eyes narrowed as in its stead, a crack opened up in the darkness. A rift that peered out of this black world. Noele’s eyes lit up as she thought she found an escape.

On the other side, Bucky flapped her wings in a panic. A powerful explosion ripped across the background, sending a shockwave over the frozen landscape. A giant pillar of smoke rose from the ground, and lying at the center of the crater was Garron.

Noele immediately reacted. She reached out as she took a step forward. “Garron! I’ll save you—”

She screamed, rushing forward to the rift. But when she reached it, she felt an invisible wall stopping her. Noele came to a halt, blinking a few times. Her arms dropped to her side, hanging limply as she saw Bucky clucking loudly.

The chicken was waving her wings, still in a panic. Like she was trying to wake Noele up.

And the realization sunk in as the blonde girl remained in the dark.

“Oh,” she said softly. “I’m still dying.”

—--

Nicholas sighed as he pulled himself out of the rubble. He had been taken by surprise when Garron punched him across the face. It didn’t hurt— however, it annoyed the Noble Knight, considering that his [Noble Charms] failed once again today.

It was irritating. He didn’t know the reason why it failed the first time around, but he had chalked it up to Noele having some sort of Skill that allowed her to resist it. But Garron was a B-ranked adventurer. Unless he had a powerful artifact protecting him, there was no reason for him to be able to resist the Noble Knight’s Skills.

Nicholas dusted himself off as he watched his fellow students of Ammon unleash their attacks on the Steel Tank. Garron certainly tried to block it, but he was immediately engulfed by a powerful explosion.

The blast itself even made Nicholas wince. But he shook his head a moment later. “That’s what you get for being such a fool…”

He strode forward as he reached for his rapier. Kale and Sienna appeared at his side. He turned to them with a smirk.

“Don’t you think you went a little overboard?” He stared at the pillar of smoke, rising where Garron once stood. “A mere B-ranked adventurer poses no threat to us.”

Kale snorted, waving a hand off dismissively. “I would’ve preferred to take my time with killing that fool.”

“Your methods are inefficient,” Sienna said as she nodded at Garron’s burnt body. “The longer we take to finish this mission, the more witnesses we will have to eliminate.”

“Then let us slaughter them all. I do not care.” Nicholas waved a hand dismissively, coming to a halt right before the small crater.

He paused for a moment, before looking down at the Steel Tank with a frown. He didn’t spot any artifacts or amulets that could have blocked his [Noble Charms]. Not any that he recognized, at the very least. His brows furrowed as he raised his head.

Nicholas heard a loud clucking coming from right ahead. He spotted the same chicken from before, frantically shaking Noele’s bleeding body. He chuckled at the sight.

“Why are they all trying so hard to save a dead girl?” he said as he drew his rapier.

“Beats me.” Kale shrugged, before pointing a thumb at the chicken. “Want me to kill it? It’s pretty annoying, and I’m getting hungry.”

Nicholas nodded. “Go ahead. Whatever it takes to shut that annoying squawking up.”

The chicken froze where it stood. Slowly, it turned to warily face the three S-ranks. It hesitated for a moment, before taking on a defensive stance. Kale just grinned.

“I’m going to enjoy ripping out your feathers—” the fat man started.

But he was quickly interrupted by a flash of light. “[Piercing Blast]!”

A beam of light shot up towards Kale, striking him directly in the head. He stumbled back, screaming in pain as half his face was burned right off. Nicholas blinked, and Sienna’s gaze snapped towards the crater beneath them.

“I-I’m not finished yet…” Garron panted as he rose to his feet.

He was bleeding and burnt. He looked like he was dead. But somehow, even after tanking the combined attacks of two S-ranks, he was still alive. He lifted his shortsword as he glared up at Nicholas.

“How the fuck are you still alive?” the Noble Knight asked in a rather ignoble tone.

Garron didn’t respond. He just heaved his half-destroyed shield up, taking on a battle-ready stance. He didn’t turn around, but he spoke to the chicken.

“Grab Noele and run,” he said as he hefted up his shortsword. “I’ll hold them off.”

Sienna’s brows snapped together as she raised her bow. She nocked an arrow into it, aiming at Garron. But a screaming voice stopped her.

“I’ll kill that bastard!” Kale screamed, staggering forward. He placed one hand on her shoulder as he pushed her back.

The burn marks on his face were slowly healing— the Void’s essence wisping off his skin, mixing with the smoke from the blast. He was, quite evidently, furious.

Sienna, however, didn’t back down. She shrugged his hand off as she looked back down at Garron.

“We have messed around enough,” she said simply. “We should not waste more time. Nicholas, let us put an end to this already.”

She glanced over at the Noble Knight. He just had a brow raised. He looked between his two teammates. He didn’t really know what to say, considering they weren’t actually his teammates. They were all simply fellow students of Ammon.

He had no authority over Kale. Even if they had pretended that was the case.

However, Sienna wasn’t looking to Nicholas for his authority. She wanted his support so that Kale would back down. Because then it would be two-against-one. But Nicholas knew that if he did back Sienna, he was never going to hear the end of it from Kale.

So the Noble Knight took a step back, opting to keep out of this mess. “I’ll deal with the chicken. You two figure out who gets the Steel Tank.”

Sienna glared at Nicholas, and Kale laughed. But the Noble Knight ignored them, turning to face the panicked chicken. It clucked in terror.

“Bawk bawk bawk!”

“Bucky…” Garron said weakly, glancing back at the chicken. “Why haven’t you run away yet?”

Nicholas shrugged as he strode forward. “Perhaps the chicken knows that it is futile to try to escape. You should learn from it and roll over and die.”

The Noble Knight chuckled, twirling his rapier at his side. But before he could reach Noele, he heard the crackling of thunder coming from above. He paused, slowly craning his neck to face the sky. He sensed it coming before it came.

“[Noble Step]!”

Nicholas moved fast. He teleported back towards Kale and Sienna. A moment later, a pillar of lightning came crashing down from the sky. It ripped apart the ground where the Noble Knight had been standing.

And he looked towards the source of this immense power. He clicked his tongue as he faced the bartender— the very same one he had killed just a few minutes ago.

“I should’ve known you can regenerate too,” Nicholas harrumphed as he eyed Arthur.

In response, Arthur screamed, clapping his hands together, and sending out a blast of ice in all directions.

Author's Notes:

What thonk?

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