"I'm the current leader of the Hero Agency, Sera Hill," the man said, studying Santiaga under his gaze.
"Hello, sir," Santiaga said, a blank expression on his face.
"You don't seem too excited to meet me. It's a very rare opportunity."
Of course, he was surprised. If the leader of the agency calls a hero in, it means that they are offered the title of Special Class Hero instantly, and they can receive a hefty pay along with other privileges when it comes to the market.
"Well, seeing as you have no response for me, I'll keep it brief. Join us as a Special Class Hero..."
"No, thank you."
Mister Sera's lips twitched as he stared at Santiaga's blank stare with confused eyes.
"You are fully aware of the benefits?" the man asked, whether to know if he was just a fool or not.
"Yes, I do."
The man rubbed his temples in frustration, waving his hand, gesturing for Santiaga to leave.
"Thank you very much for this opportunity." Santiaga bowed before leaving.
"...Why? Everyone is literally dying to get a spot in the agency," the man finally said aloud.
Santiaga turned around to look at him, a small smile forming on his face.
"I want to join the Hero Academy."
...
A while later, Santiaga was on the second floor, right above the floor for mundane people. He could see heroes in their shining armors, holding all sorts of enchanted weapons.
As he walked in the middle of the hall, he couldn't help but notice the cliques.
The ones who looked to be of high rank stuck together, while the lesser-ranked heroes stuck together.
Of course, he understood the psychology behind it. No one would want anyone to drag them down when hunting the demons.
During his time of digging up dirt about the heroes, he found out that more of them die than announced.
Their internal hierarchy was fucked.
"Attention, everyone!" A sudden familiar aura descended upon the large hall, making all the heroes look up to the man floating above them.
It was Sera Hill, the leader of the Hero Agency.
"What? Who is that?"
"No way, that's the leader of the agency, Sera Hill!"
"I've never seen him before. He looks even better in real life than in those commercials."
The entire hall of heroes immediately went into an uproar. A lot of them had never seen the enigmatic hero before, who was the leader of the agency they worked for.
His sudden, stunning appearance out of nowhere and the heavy pressure he exuded from his body made him look majestic.
In that moment, his mouth opened as he spoke:
"Heroes of Elarion. First of all, I want to thank you for your service to our little continent. Due to brave heroes like you, the demons are being pushed back at the border, and we are able to live in peace..." The man took a momentary pause, gazing at the faces of the future heroes all gathered in the hall.
"But also, it's the time of five years, the event that might shape or break each of you." He spread his arms, stepping on midair.
"The Hero Academy is now open to applicants. But there's a catch. Only about 100 of you will be picked out of the bunch." The man explained, looking at Santiaga, who leaned against the wall while listening with a relaxed expression.
The man scoffed subtly.
He didn't know if Santiaga knew this information beforehand and rejected his invitation promptly. This also led him to believe that the new hero had the backing of a higher force.
He tugged a strand of his red hair behind his ear and then smiled at the heroes.
"Applications are up. You can get a form from the counter," the man said before he floated down to their level.
Sera walked toward Santiaga, making the young man frown, squinting his eyes at the agency leader.
The man came face-to-face with Santiaga, making him look around.
"Who is that guy?"
"Isn't that a new hero? I saw him walk in."
"A relative of the agency leader?"
On the other side of the room, there was a group of four people observing the commotion.
In front of them was a woman with long, lustrous blonde hair. Her grey eyes stared at the unfolding scenario with stark coldness.
"Do you recognize him?" the woman asked, putting a band on her waist.
She was clad in golden armor that stood out from the crowd. She exuded a natural aura of confidence.
"Lady Emira, from the looks of it, the young man joined the agency today as a new hero," an archer beside her said, adjusting his hat.
"My lady doesn't have to feel threatened. A trained paladin of the church like you has little to no threats in the Academy Trials," an elderly man beside her said, walking to her side.
Emira raised a brow and looked behind her to see a shorter girl with curly brown hair and green eyes. Her skin was fair and flawless, and the leather attire she wore was light—for assassins.
"Rin, what do you think?" she asked the girl.
The girl looked up, hiding a silver dagger behind her.
"Well, you've studied almost every normal hero's styles and skills. A newbie is no match for you. B–but it won't hurt to be careful," Rin replied, stroking her hair.
...
"What are you doing?" Santiaga asked the man in front of him.
"I can't confront you? You're here on behalf of the church, right? What do they want?" Mister Sera asked, his cold eyes staring into Santiaga's.
"I'm completely new. I... don't work for the church." Santiaga clenched his fists.
'What's up with this old man? He's putting so many eyes on me,' he thought, glancing around.
He looked back at Sera, who had a confused expression on his face.
The man suddenly vanished, leaving a gust of wind where he was a moment ago.
Santiaga was stunned at first, but he immediately regained his composure and left the place.
...
Sera Hill appeared in front of his table in his office and rushed over to the table, picking up the landline phone.
"Hello, sir!"
"Santiaga Denero—what's his brand?" he asked, looking outside the glass windows with a cold gaze.
"Ah..."
"What is it?"
"W–well, I'm sorry, sir. I'm incompetent."
"What happened?" Sera asked, walking around the table and sitting down.
"I overreacted 'cause his mana potential was SSS. But the system can't detect the brand itself. It's like... he has no brand," she explained over the phone.
The elderly man suddenly smiled, cutting the call and turning around to face the outside world through the window.
"Well, am I going to witness the birth of a new brand?" he chuckled.
"Either that, or he's the joker of the church. Either way, this Academy Trial will be very interesting."