Gilgamel sat on a park bench, reading a comic book. However, the word "comic" was unfamiliar in this world, and people used to refer to it as a storybook with pictures or picture books.
The book he was reading had a title that evoked nostalgia and amused him: "Hero Retires After Reborn."
The story in this picture book was exactly like its title. It told the tale of a hero reborn ten thousand years after successfully defeating the Demon King and his allies.
After being reborn, the former hero chose to live a peaceful life in a small remote village. His life passed safely and peacefully until a female knight accidentally arrived in the village in a state of severe injury.
After being rescued by the former hero, the female knight chose to remain in the village for a while.
Upon the arrival of the female knight, the peace in the hero's life was shattered. Shortly after her arrival, a fearsome dragon suddenly attacked the village, prompting the hero to intervene and defeat it. Following the dragon's defeat, it transforms into a little girl and chooses to live in the village with the hero.
As it turned out, another problem came after the loli dragon settled in the village. The demon race that should have been wiped out ten thousand years ago unexpectedly appeared again and came to the village.
The demon claimed he was the commander of the demon army and came to the village to invite the loli dragon to serve the demon king.
Unfortunately, his efforts were doomed to fail as the loli dragon refused to join the demon army. This refusal angered the demon, who then threatened to destroy the village and kill all of its inhabitants.
In the end, the confrontation between the two parties was unavoidable. However, the loli dragon was defeated by the powerful demon, leading the former hero to step in and defeat the demon quite easily.
At the same time, the arrival of this demon also serves as a reminder to the former hero and his companions that the demon king and his army have reemerged.
The remainder of the tale is entirely predictable, at least for Gilgamel.
If Gilgamel hadn't known the creator of this picture book, he would have thought that another transmigrator had appeared in this world.
"Not bad," Gilgamel thought as he closed the book, impressed by the content.
The picture books in this world were not ordinary, especially if a wizard created them. Every stroke contained mana, making the pictures more life-like and exciting.
Shopkeeper Finn mentioned that "Hero Retires After Reborn" is very popular among young wizards. It has high-quality artwork and a unique storyline. However, it was only available in Evernight City due to limited production.
This comic is expected to gain popularity and become available in other areas soon.
"It's time to meet him. After all, I still need members on my team," Gilgamel muttered and stood up from the bench.
Gilgamel had many acquaintances on the first floor, but only a few he could call friends.
Apart from their great personalities, they all had diverse talents; some were talented in magic, while others excelled in different areas. For example, Medelien was renowned for her exceptional cooking skills. In addition to Medelien, Gilgamel also had another friend who was a talented painter.
The person he wanted to meet this time was this talented painter.
Upon arriving at the Castle of Owl, he made his way directly to the Teleportation Room and stated his destination. Shortly after, he found himself standing in front of a door labelled "Collin - No. 102".
Gilgamel rudely knocked on the door and shouted, "Collin, open the door!"
"Come in!"
A calm response came from inside the room.
As Gilgamel entered the room, he was greeted by the serene image of an open courtyard filled with flowers and grass. In the centre, a gentle-faced, blond-haired young man dressed like an artist was sitting on a wooden bench, facing the sunset and drawing something on a white canvas.
Gilgamel was very impressed by the view and couldn't help but say, "Wow, you really look like a painter, Collin!"
"But I am!" Collin stopped his hand as he looked at his guest. He put down the brush he held before calmly asking, "Have you seen my new drawing book?"
Gilgamel laughed and replied, "I did. It turned out better than I thought. Congratulation~,"
"I'm glad you like it. It means our two years of effort in making this picture book were not in vain," Collin said, showing a genuine smile.
"Hey," Gilgamel shook his head and said, "You did all the hard work. All I did was give you some advice."
Collin walked up to Gilgamel, took a closer look, and frowned.
"What?" Gilgamel warily asked.
"Who are you? The Gilgamel I know has never been so humble!"
Collin's doubtful words instantly darkened Gilgamel's face. He irritably said, "What did you take me for? I have always been this humble, alright?"
He wasn't being modest, but the ideas he gave Collin for the storyline of "Hero Retires After Reborn" didn't solely come from his own imagination. Most of them were actually copied from mangas he read on the internet in his previous life. This made Gilgamel feel that he couldn't rightfully take credit for them.
Collin gazed intently at Gilgamel for a moment before he clucked his tongue and said, "Whatever... why are you here? I don't believe you came just to congratulate me."
Gilgamel pursed his lips and said, "You're making it sound like I'm the type of person who comes to you whenever I need something."
"Aren't you?" Collin tilted his head.
"Why are you all saying that? Honestly, it breaks my heart," Gilgamel said with a heartbroken expression while wiping his nonexistent tears with a white handkerchief.
"As a chaos talent, I spend most of my time meditating to raise my level. In addition, I have to practice magic spells strenuously and work to earn money to support my training. Unlike some people, my life is far from nice and comfortable..." As Gilgamesh spoke, he made sure to sneak a glance at someone from behind his handkerchief.
Collin was a wizard with an abstract talent. This talent allowed his level to increase steadily and rapidly, even without actively doing anything significant.
Because of this, Collin could draw every day in his room without concern that it would hinder his progress.
It's also worth mentioning that Collin is another individual like Gilgamel. In the five years he has lived in the organization, he has never attended a ranking battle.
As a result, he has never received any additional resources; however, his level could still reach a peak of 9. This further proves how beloved abstract talent is by mana.
This was also the main reason Gilgamel rarely saw Collin; whenever he saw Collin, his heart always burned with jealousy.
Furthermore, Collin always acted as if it was nothing, which added to Gilgamel's frustration.
"..." Collin disdainfully rolled his eyes and said, "You can only blame destiny for that."
Gilgamesh's expression turned sour upon hearing those words. He angrily stuffed his handkerchief back into his pocket, strode towards the lawn bench and sat on it.
"Have you heard the hottest news circulating on the first floor?"
"Even though I mostly stay indoors, I still need to eat at the cafeteria, so I naturally heard the news," Collin smiled and said, "Are you here to recruit me into your team?"
Instead of answering, Gilgamel threw another question: "Have you joined another team?"
Collin shook his head.
"I bet!" Gilgamel clicked his fingers. He laughed, saying: "Even though you are a rare species on the first floor, you are a NEET to the core. You also have a social phobia and have zero friends. Plus, you have never showcased your magical abilities. Therefore, it's understandable that none of the first-floor members would take the risk of recruiting you into their team."
The gentle smile on Collin's face froze instantly upon hearing these unpleasant remarks.
Gilgamel's laughter grew even louder when he saw the reaction. However, as soon as he noticed that his friend's expression had turned cold, he immediately stopped laughing and said, "Okay, I won't tease you anymore. Anyway... Besides you, I also recruited Medelien into my team."
"Medelien? That cook girl?" Collin exclaimed in surprise.
"What?" Gilgamel raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you also looking down on her like me?"
Collin choked by these words. He frantically explained: "Don't include me; only you looked down at her. I'm just a bit concerned because the three of us are The Trio Bottom. Neither of us has experience in battle. Can we even survive in the First Trial?"
The Battle Rankings changed annually, but two camps remained constant: the top five and the bottom three.
The former maintained their position as they consistently achieved good results, earning them the title "Top Five". In contrast, the latter never changed because they had never participated in the rankings, resulting in them being labelled "The Trio Bottom".
Gilgamel, Collin, and Medelien are that "The Trio Bottom."
However, none of them cared about the nickname; instead, they were preoccupied with their own affairs.
Gilgamel was busy with appraisals, Collin was occupied drawing comics, and Medelien was engrossed in selling food. None of them had time to worry about a bad nickname.
Gilgamel chuckled and said, "Just because we are consistently at the bottom doesn't imply we are powerless. I am personally confident in my abilities; you should be too."
Gilgamel's words left Collin in silence for a while. It was unclear what was going through his mind.
Seeing this, Gilgamel reassured him: "Don't worry too much. I will recruit two strong members to fill the two vacant spots."
Collin shrugged and said, "It's up to you. As a beggar, I can't be picky."