Journey to Become the Zenith

The Six Types of Heroes

His expression changed slightly.

Niklaus’s eyes rested on Videl for a moment before a faint trace of amusement appeared on his face. Whatever question had brought the young hero back to his secluded cave, there was something else he remembered first.

”So were you able to give that horn I gave you to give your childhood sweetheart?”

Videl’s expression softened almost immediately.

There was no hesitation in her answer.

”Yes.”

Victor.

Even hearing the words childhood sweetheart made something warm stir quietly inside her chest. She and Victor had known each other since they were children. Their relationship had survived years, countless dangers, and changes neither of them could have predicted.

And although Videl rarely spoke openly about it, her feelings for him ran deep.

She loved Victor.

She knew Victor loved her too.

That certainty was one of the few things in her life she never questioned.

Niklaus noticed the subtle change in her expression.

”I see, did he say anything about it?” Niklaus looked at Videl with curiosity as he too sat down.

Videl shook her head.

”He really didn’t say anything.”

She couldn’t help giving a small sigh.

Victor had always been like that.

Even when something mattered to him, he didn’t always show it immediately. Sometimes he would simply look at something, give that faint smile of his, and leave people wondering what was going through his mind.

Niklaus leaned back slightly.

”Hmm, well I guess that’s just like him. So young hero, you came back and wanted to ask a question, what is it?”

The first part was spoken so quietly that Videl couldn’t hear it clearly.

She didn’t bother asking him to repeat it.

Her expression slowly became serious.

The warmth she had shown when speaking about Victor disappeared, replaced by uncertainty.

”Actually, I’m feeling weird...”

Niklaus’s eyes sharpened.

Videl took a slow breath.

Then she began explaining.

She told him everything.

She spoke about what had happened after the battle with the Elder Lich. She explained how her experiences had gradually changed, how the events around her no longer seemed to follow the path she once believed was natural, and how the incidents she encountered had become strangely different from what she had expected.

She didn’t rush.

There was no point hiding anything from Niklaus.

If anyone could understand what was happening, it was probably him.

As Videl continued, Rika stood silently behind her.

The sword spirit’s dark eyes occasionally moved toward Niklaus, watching his expression carefully. She didn’t interrupt. She knew that Videl had come here because she genuinely needed answers.

Amura was equally quiet.

Her steel-colored eyes remained fixed on Niklaus.

The atmosphere inside the chamber gradually changed.

The treasures surrounding them were forgotten.

The faint glow of ancient artifacts continued illuminating the room, casting shifting reflections across the stone walls, but neither Videl nor the two sword spirits paid attention to them.

Niklaus listened.

He didn’t interrupt even once.

When Videl finally finished explaining everything, silence settled over the chamber.

Niklaus lowered his gaze.

’Hmm, so Anos was able to change Videl’s fate to such a degree that the young hero could actually feel the changes.’

The thought surprised even him.

Anos had already interfered with the natural flow of events far more deeply than Niklaus had originally expected.

Videl wasn’t merely experiencing unusual circumstances.

She was beginning to feel the distortion.

That was something entirely different.

Videl looked at him.

Her sapphire eyes were filled with uncertainty.

”What’s happening to me?”

Her voice was quieter than before.

There was almost a pleading quality to it.

For all her strength, Videl was still young compared with the ancient figures who understood the world’s deeper laws. She could fight. She could protect people. She could endure hardship.

But understanding destiny was another matter.

Niklaus looked at her for a long moment.

Seeing the current Natural-born Hero of this era standing before him like this made him release a tired sigh.

The difference between generations was becoming painfully obvious.

Once Anos had died, the quality of heroes seemed to have suffered a tremendous decline.

Niklaus didn’t say the thought aloud.

There was no reason to insult Videl when she had done nothing wrong.

Instead, he folded his hands together and considered his words carefully.

”I have a guess about what’s happening to you. I’m not really sure about it since there hasn’t been a case like yours before. Though my situation back then feels a bit similar but at the same time different. Well, in any case, I do have an assumption on what is happening to you. Do you want to hear it?”

Videl immediately nodded.

”Please, I trust your wisdom, Sir Niklaus.”

She lowered her head respectfully.

Niklaus watched her for a moment.

There was sincerity in those eyes.

She wasn’t asking because she wanted someone to reassure her. She genuinely wanted to understand.

That made his expression become slightly more serious.

”Fine, but before I give you my view on what’s happening to you, I first need to inform you about the truth about heroes. Since it seems that you, like most of the people in this world, have misconceptions about what a hero is.”

Videl slowly raised her head.

”The truth about heroes...”

She repeated the words quietly.

Niklaus nodded.

”First off, before I can explain to you what a hero is, I need to tell you about the different kinds of heroes.”

He paused.

The room seemed to grow quieter.

”To my knowledge, there are six types of heroes: the Transmigrator, the Reincarnated, the Summoned, the Chosen, the Prophesized, and the Natural.”

Videl listened carefully.

Her expression became increasingly focused.

Six types.

She had never heard anyone explain heroes this way before.

Niklaus continued.

”You and I are considered Natural Heroes.”

Videl’s eyes widened slightly.

She had expected him to explain what made her different, but hearing that she and Niklaus belonged to the same category still surprised her.

Niklaus noticed her reaction.

”I will explain what that is a bit later since I first need to explain about the other types of heroes.”

He leaned slightly forward.

”I won’t explain them in full detail, just a general outlook.”

Videl remained completely silent.

Rika and Amura exchanged a brief glance behind her.

Neither spirit spoke.

For the first time since entering the cave, Videl felt that she was finally approaching the answer she had been searching for.

The strange changes.

The altered path.

The feeling that something had interfered with the destiny she was supposed to follow. ℴℴ𝘮

Perhaps the truth about heroes would finally explain why everything around her had begun to feel so unfamiliar.

She tightened her fingers against her knee and waited for Niklaus to continue.