The sun has already set as two people scurry to the local church. Once there, they find Priest Maxwell praying in front of a statue.
When he catches sight of the two, he raises an eyebrow and looks at them. Ardan whispers "Maxwell we need the awakening room." Maxwell understands what Ardan really means and that is a room that no one can spy into, no matter how, because this room is protected by the gods.
Maxwell accompanies the two men to the room. Everyone in the room and he closes the door. Ardan exhales noticeably. "Ben you can talk again now. No one can listen here. Neither the nobles nor the king or any other spies."
"I don't get it dad. What's so bad about this hero system?" As he utters this word, his father and the priest flinch. The priest sighs and points to the chairs in the corner "No wonder you're so upset Ardan, but it was the right decision to bring him here right away. First of all, Ben this word is dangerous, because in every village or town there are magic circles. These serve only one purpose of espionage. These circles react to certain words like rebellion, names of forbidden substances or even the word hero system.
As soon as one of these words is spoken, an alarm is triggered and the owner of the circle is informed. They would send out the bloodhounds. `The Bloodhounds` is the name for the elite troops of the nobles. They are supposed to either crush the rebellion or confiscate illegal substances. It's much worse with the people who say the hero system because only people who have it or know about a person can say it.
The reason that the bloodhounds would kidnap you is because the hero system is powerful. They would destroy the whole village just for the chance to find a user of the hero system. Especially one who is not bound." The priest exhales as if he finds the whole thing difficult.
"But what is this hero system you say is so bad to use, but it can't be evil if it's called a hero, can it?" Ben asks the two men. Ardan replies," First, there are no heroes, only foolish Idealists , and second, no, the system is neither evil nor good, but the dangerous thing is the advantages it gives you. I'll let Maxwell explain it to you, he knows it better since he is a priest of the gods"
Ardan gives the old priest a meaningful look. He takes a deep breath and collects himself, "Listen carefully, because what I'm about to tell you can make or break your life. The hero system allows you to improve yourself. You know you can improve your skills, but you can also improve yourself. By killing creatures, you get experience points, which you need to increase your own level just like Skills.
The higher your level the stronger you become and I mean it the way I say it. You leave your mortal self behind. You age slower, your body gets stronger and faster. You even become smarter. You can acquire and retain knowledge better. Even your reserve of mana and stamina become more. You need less sleep and much more. Now you see why the hero system is so sought after."
Ben raises his hand and wants to ask a question but the priest shakes his head and continues. " as you already know everything has advantages and disadvantages and with the hero system it is that you have to bind yourself so no one can take advantage of you. A noble can capture you and give you a mark of his house and you would be obligated to serve that house until death.
Do you now understand why they would capture and enslave you. Synthri forbids slavery, but even the best noble house would not hesitate to enslave you. They would turn you into a walking army, my child.
If the high lords knew of your existence, the country would go to war, even the neighboring countries would go to war only because of you. In case its still not clear to you I will explain it to you in detail. You have the Jack of all Trades heart card, you are a limit breaker and in addition you have the hero system and you are not bounded to an entity. Your potential has no limits. With enough time, you could destroy the whole country. You would be the perfect soldier. A being born only to destroy."
`So I am nothing more than a weapon for noble houses. Born to kill. So much for my dream of becoming an adventurer and discovering Gaia.`
"Maxwell you said something about being unattached can you explain that more?" asks Ben. "Unbound means that you don't serve anyone. In other countries it is often the case that the people are bound to the higher classes in society, but there the obligations are kept simple and can be broken, but you would not be given a single loophole to free yourself.
The only way I see is to bind yourself under your rules but before you object now let me finish. You don't have to bind yourself to a particular noble house, you can bind yourself to one or more groups. That means you could join the church or join a guild. These are the only alternatives but choose wisely. If you join the church and serve the gods. You will become a paladin and the shield of the church. Not a good idea in my opinion. I once made the acquaintance of an old paladin and he told me that he is always on mission and has no rest and peace.
The guilds are no better but there at least you can choose your own tasks and pace." Depressed and close to tears, Ben looks at his father, but he just shakes his head. He can't make the decision for him.
After what feels like an eternity, he speaks tentatively "if I bind myself, I'll join the Adventurer's Guild, at least that way I can explore the world." Priest Maxwell nods and says "I almost thought so. We should activate the hero system tomorrow. Bring the revival card as well, then we can do everything at once." Ben wanted to ask Maxwell something else, but the old priest is somewhere else with his thoughts.
His father shakes him by the shoulders, "We should leave Maxwell alone. He has to prepare the rituals for tomorrow and he looks tired." Ben nods and they both leave the church as they go Maxwell is still sitting in his chair thinking
`What am I going to do with this child. I should wait for the 2nd awakening tomorrow and contact my superior in the hideout. We need a backup plan if the first obe fails. For over 8 years I have been watching over you and again I wonder if it would not be smarter to just kill you?` The old priest exhales heavily. He stands up and walks out of the room. Tomorrow let us see what will happen tomorrow.