"Have a seat; I'll take a look at your injuries," Miss All Monday instructed.
I followed her instructions and sat down in one of the chairs. She immediately began examining my broken arm.
"That's strange," she said, looking at me with a curious expression. "It looks almost infected, as if it's been broken for days. Maybe one of the monsters had an aging skill. What kind of monsters were you fighting?"
"They looked like goblins."
"Oh, I see. Hold on a sec."
She hovered her hands over mine, and immediately a green light emanated from her palms. I could feel the pain slowly numbing. I was in awe of the whole process. Maybe I had a stupid look on my face because she kept giggling at me.
"You recognize me, don't you?"
Her question caught me off guard. I could have easily lied, but I decided against it.
"You're the same healer who gave me the mana injection."
"Yes, I am. I told my agency that this flimsy mask wouldn't do much to hide my appearance, but they insisted. I hope it isn't making you uncomfortable."
"Thank you. Because of you, I managed to awaken and was able to fight off those monsters."
"Really?!" Her face lit up. "What system did you get?"
"It's called the Blacksmith system."
"Blacksmith system? I've never heard of it. But don't worry; a lot of niche systems have been popping up lately. If you managed to kill actual monsters during your first awakening, it means you have a decent future ahead of you, so don't give up, okay?"
She rested her hand on my head.
"Um, about your parents… what happened?"
"With my injuries, I couldn't save my dad. My mom died a while back."
"Oh, do you have any relatives you can stay with?"
"Not that I know of."
I guess I am finally free of that man. But I have no idea what I want to do now. Should I continue going to school or maybe get a job? I'm an orphan now, after all; I'll have to find some way to take care of myself.
"Hey, do you want to come home with me?"
"Huh?"
The question caught me completely off guard, and I had no idea how to answer it. She then took off her mask and held my hand.
"I understand how you feel. Not having parents is hard. I lost my parents at a young age too. This world gives, and it takes. Today you lost your father, but you also gained something. Use that gift to build a life for yourself."
I guess she's right. With my new system, I have tons of opportunities ahead of me. Most people would kill for this chance. But until I can stand on my own, the smart thing to do is accept her help.
"Thank you, Miss All Monday."
"Pftt!" She burst out laughing. "Call me Alliah; my hero name is too embarrassing. By the way, I forgot to ask you your name."
"It's Liam."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Liam. When we're done closing the dungeon, we can go home. Is that okay?"
I nodded.
For the next hour, I waited with Alliah until the heroes finally cleared the dungeon. After that, she brought me to where I lived.
I don't know what I expected, but I was mind-blown when I saw the penthouse she called home. It was the type of building you only saw on TV and read about in magazines. Heroes do make a lot of money, don't they?
"Here's the deal," she said as we entered her penthouse. "You basically have two choices in front of you: either you go to an orphanage or you enroll in a hero academy. Which is it?"
"The hero academy, I guess."
"Perfect! Great choice. But you won't just attend any run-of-the-mill hero academy. I want you to be enrolled in the best hero academy of all time: 'The Limitless Hero Academy.'"
The Limitless Hero Academy? The academy built by the number one hero himself—the man they say holds the most powerful system in the world, 'The Limitless System.'
"I'll personally oversee your training starting tomorrow."
My what?
"You're going to need a lot of development if you're going to be accepted into such a prestigious academy."
"What about my regular school?"
"What about it? Grades don't matter at this stage in the game. Though once you're accepted, it's a different matter."
Thank God. If it came down to grades, I'd have no chance of getting in.
"About your Blacksmith system, what does it do anyway? Do you have a skill?"
I pulled out the knife I'd tucked underneath my clothes. "The only skill I have allows me to enhance the properties of my weapon."
"Huh." She rested her hand on her chin, as if deep in thought. "So you'll need a weapon then. Hold on a second."
She ran off into one of the rooms and came back a while later holding something.
"Here!" she said as she tossed what she was holding to me.
I caught it and then…
[DING!]
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED A PREMIUM GRADE BLADE.]
[OPENING WEAPON'S STATS]
WEAPON TYPE: KATANA
LEVEL: PREMIUM GRADE
SHARPNESS: 35
DURABILTIY: 50
WEIGHT: 45
[THE WEAPON IS ELIGIBLE FOR REGISTRATION. WOULD YOU LIKE TO REGISTER IT] [Y/N]
[NOTE! REGISTERED ITEMS CAN BE STORED IN INVENTORY]
"Yes"
[GIVE YOUR WEAPON A NAME]
What should I name it?
Hah! Funnily enough, I'm reminded of what Mrs. Francis said: that 'I have no future to give thought to.' When she said that, I desperately wanted to give her the…
"Middle Finger!"
That's what I'll name it—'The Middle Finger.' If anyone stands in my way, all I'll have to do is give them the middle finger.
[CONGRATULATIONS! THE MIDDLE FINGER HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY REGISTERED.]
"Thank you, Alliah."
"It's no big deal. I got this thing a while back, but I've never had the chance to use it. It's a good weapon; it deserves better than to stay cooped up in a box."
It really was a beautiful katana. It had a red hilt with a spiraling black snake wrapped around it. The blade was sharp and clean, as if it had never been used before.
"I'm sure you must be tired. I'll show you to where you'll be sleeping for the night."