Amelia the Level Zero Hero

Amelia was cooking.

It was a simple meal— nothing too extravagant or special. After all, there were very few customers at her restaurant today. Most stayed at home, hearing the news about the siege of Astral.

It was like a day of mourning. Except, the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom had yet to fall. But everyone in Wolfwater had already resigned themselves to this fate— to be nothing more than serfs of the Kingdom of Kal.

So it made sense that there were very few customers who were coming to Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant today. And because of the lack of labor needed to serve the sparse customers that were there, Edlyn was given a day off by Amelia.

Unfortunately, Edlyn didn’t have the mental capacity to treat herself to a day out. So she just sat at the bar, taking a puff out of her pipe as she watched Justyn march past her into the kitchen.

Harlan glanced back from the table he was serving. It was Dorien who was being served there. The two men exchanged a glance, before sighing as they expected what came next.

Edlyn knew it was coming too. She pursed her lips as she bit down onto her pipe. And a moment later, she heard the arguing voices coming out from the kitchen.

“—how could you just stand by and…”

“Why can’t you just let me cook?!”

It was an argument between Amelia and Justyn. The thirteenth one that broke out today. And just like all the previous arguments, Justyn eventually stormed out of the kitchen, cursing under his breath.

Edlyn closed her eyes as she heard his footsteps disappear, followed by the slamming of the front double doors of the restaurant.

Justyn would return. Maybe in ten minutes. Or an hour. It was contingent entirely on how long it would take him to cool down.

However, unlike previous times, Amelia finally stepped out of the kitchen, clearly annoyed by all the interruptions she had received today. Untying her apron, she tossed it to the side and glared at the front double doors of the restaurant.

“Can you believe the audacity of that guy? I gave him food, shelter, and even offered him a job. But all he ever does is complain!”

Amelia crossed her arms across her chest. Edlyn bit her lower lip when she heard that. Other than Dorien, the only other customers in the restaurant were Nicole, and another pair of regulars who had seen much of the insane antics that occurred in the restaurant over the last few months. Nolan had been here with his wife earlier, but had to leave to carry out some farm work.

One of the two regulars raised a hand. “To be fair, Justyn is right.”

“I don’t think any of us wants to live under Kallistus Kal’s thumb.” The other regular nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to pay my taxes either,” Amelia snorted. “Unfortunately, we can’t all get what we want.”

“But that’s not—” the regulars protested.

And Amelia glared daggers their way. “I’m going to poison your food if you guys keep complaining.”

They froze, before nodding stiffly. Edlyn just stared at this scene, completely numb. Because the [Royal Chef] dared not to speak, even if she felt the urge to pipe up.

However, someone else decided to speak up. And it wasn’t who Edlyn expected to speak. It was Dorien— the [Druid] who had no true affiliation with the Astrad Kingdom.

“Look, I don’t really care about this whole war either. I’m not a citizen of the Astrad Kingdom, and I actually hated their previous king quite a lot for destroying the natural habitat of many sacred monsters. But surely you must empathize with the plight of this country’s people, right?” Dorien shook his head.

“That’s why I left both Arthur and Jax to deal with it,” Amelia said dismissively.

“I understand Jax because he’s a high-ranked adventurer,” Dorien said as he placed a hand on his chin. “But isn’t Arthur just a bartender?”

“And I’m just a chef,” Amelia scoffed. “But that doesn’t stop anyone from bothering me about being a hero and saving the day.”

Dorien paused when he heard that. “Fair enough,” he acquiesced.

With a heavy sigh, Amelia drew back into the kitchen, shaking her head. As she did, she mumbled under her breath. All the while, Edlyn just watched.

“Seriously, why can’t you guys ever let me cook. Just let me cook…”

And the [Royal Chef] knew she had to do something about this.

—--

“[Greater Blooming Deathhowl]!” Jax yelled, unleashing his most powerful Skill once again into the pit where Kallistus Kal had been standing.

It was an even stronger version of the Forsaken Archer’s [Superior Blooming Deathhowl] which he learned from training with Arthur. It was as powerful as any attack by an SSS-ranked threat. In fact, Jax liked to believe that it was even more powerful than that.

A powerful explosion erupted. One that shook the Astra Palace. The blast attracted the attention of all the soldiers from both sides fighting across the city. And even if they were all just watching from a distance, this sight shifted the tides of battle.

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Because, together with Arthur, Jax had blasted the [Hero King] repeatedly with their strongest attacks for the last half an hour. Seeing this, the soldiers from the Kingdom of Kal wavered, whilst the forces of the Astrad Kingdom rallied— a sense of hope that victory was possible instilled amongst the defending troops.

Even the two watching [Knights of the Astral Order] seemed hopeful for their chances of defeating the [Hero King] now. And it was not just them either.

King Jalen himself stood atop the highest tower of his palace, praying quietly to the World System as he watched the battle unfold.

But neither Jax nor Arthur were so foolish to think that this were enough. Right now, they were well aware that all they were doing was stalling Kallistus Kal.

“Arthur!” Jax called out. “Blast him with everything you’ve got!”

The former Lich King was bent over, panting in exhaustion. But he caught himself when he heard the elf’s voice. Looking up, Arthur steeled himself and stepped forward to the edge of the pit.

“Right—” he started as electricity crackled on the top of his fingers.

But before Arthur could unleash his next attack, Jax’s eyes flickered. The elf exploded into the air as his [Battle Precognition]— a Skill that warned him when his life was at threat— screamed at him to move.

“[Hurricane Jump].”

Jax was already a hundred feet in the air when he could finally turn around and watch as the ground beneath where he had been standing collapsed. A blast of purple light shot into the air as Kallistus Kal emerged from the ground.

The [Hero King]’s melted face was regenerating. But for a moment, his visage was nothing more than a skull glaring up at the elf.

We actually damaged him, Jax thought as a small smirk spread across his lips. However, it quickly vanished as Kallistus Kal looked up and raised a hand.

“Shit—” the elf cursed, trying to move out of the way.

But Arthur called out, interrupting the [Hero King] with a blast of lightning. “No!”

There was a flash of light that briefly blinded Jax. However, as the smoke dissipated, Kallistus Kal remained standing, ignoring Arthur’s attacks. Even as the former Lich King sent a flurry of ice spikes at the [Hero King].

Kallistus Kal blocked the projectiles with the dull side of his broadsword as his gaze was fixed only on Jax as the elf landed atop one of the spires of the Astra Palace. Then raising his broadsword, Kallistus Kal conjured up tens of thousands of copies of his weapon. Each blade shone with a purple light, hovering above him and filling the sky like stars.

Jax’s eyes grew wide when he saw the scintillating projectiles. Kallistus Kal was adamant about finishing off the elf.

Which meant that the [Hero King] must have spent that time observing them both, and he must have concluded that dealing with the Forsaken Archer first would have been the optimal move. After all, once Jax died… he couldn’t come back, unlike Arthur.

That made a sense of exhilaration wash over the Forsaken Archer. A sense of terror, and yet an excitement too. He gritted his teeth as he raised his bow.

“[Forest Of Arrows]!” the elf shouted, unleashing hundreds of arrows with each passing second.

At the same time, Kallistus Kal launched the volley of swords into the air. Jax watched as his arrows clashed with the approaching swords. And his attack— was completely overwhelmed.

A bead of sweat slid down the back of the elf’s neck as the tens of thousands of blades continued flying his way unimpeded.

“You’ve got to be—” Jax caught himself, before his gaze landed at the broken roots and branches lying on the ground behind the [Hero King] that had failed to apprehend him.

[Nature Hike]. The elf focused, before immediately appearing behind Kallistus Kal as the volley of swords whizzed through the air and cleared the clouds above. It happened in an instant. It was a teleportation Skill that allowed the Forsaken Archer to move to any area with trees or bushes growing that he could see.

However, the moment Jax appeared, the [Hero King] was already slashing back for the elf’s neck. But Arthur clapped his hands, freezing Kallistus Kal for only a second. However, it was enough time for the Forsaken Archer to leap out of the way as the [Hero King] broke out and swung to the ground, cleaving the earth open.

Then Kallistus Kal dashed forward, giving chase to Jax before he could create more distance between them. This time, the [Hero King] swung down with far more intensity than before, his blade glowing purple as the impact struck down.

Fortunately, Jax was able to narrowly avoid the attack as he could finally use [Hurricane Jump] again. But the shockwave from the blast sent the elf flying back into and crashing through a group of houses.

Even though all of Jax’s Skills had improved since even the last time he dueled with Amelia, he was being utterly overwhelmed by the [Hero King]. The elf could hardly even comprehend it. He knew that this battle would be one-sided for Kallistus Kal. But Jax thought that it would have been a little bit… closer.

And yet, Jax felt no fear. He accepted the challenge. Because he knew that if he couldn’t even defeat Kallistus Kal here, he forever stood no chance against Amelia.

This power… it is nothing compared to what Amelia is capable of! he thought as his heart hammered wildly in his chest, embracing the overwhelming odds against him. There are far greater heights I will conquer!

The Forsaken Archer’s [Battle Precognition] immediately alerted him of the [Hero King]’s pursuit. Looking up just in time, the elf spotted Kallistus Kal charging through the clearing smoke and dust. Raising his bow, Jax loosed an [Undying Sprout Tempest].

All at once, thousands of giant roots sprouted out to entangle the [Hero King], barely slowing him down as Jax tried to leap away again. But with a single swing of Kallistus Kal’s broadsword, he broke through the regenerating trap, charging for the elf once again.

“Kallistus Kal!” a voice screamed as the [Hero King] didn’t let up his pursuit. In the distance, Jax watched Arthur give chase to them. “Face me, you coward!”

A blast of lightning shot out, barely fazing Kallistus Kal from behind. At the same time, the [Hero King] swung for Jax and missed once again, but the sheer force from the swing knocked Jax back again. The elf cursed as he used the momentum from being pushed away to continue running from his pursuer.

It was an incessant chase— with Kallistus Kal chasing Jax, and Arthur chasing the [Hero King]. But unfortunately for Jax, it was a chase where only if Jax made a mistake, he’d lose his life.

And as he tried to sprint away from the [Hero King] after dodging another flurry of slashes, the elf made the mistake of overrelying on his [Battle Precognition] as Kallistus Kal reached out with a gauntleted fist.

It was a simple grab. One that Jax couldn’t see coming because his [Battle Precognition] didn’t warn him of it as it was a non-lethal attack.

The [Hero King] slammed Jax to the ground as the earth shook. The elf felt dozens of his bones shattering from the impact, before Kallistus Kal raised his sword.

Jax’s heart jumped as he saw the blade swing down— the realization that his life could finally come to an end washing over him. The elf shuddered violently, but he didn’t turn away from his impending death. Because he knew that if he couldn’t even overcome this, he didn’t deserve to defeat Amelia. He didn’t deserve to become the strongest in all of Vacuos.

So he faced the descending broadsword with a defiant glare—

Only to suddenly find himself standing atop some rubble with his heart racing. But his body was still intact.

Blinking a few times, Jax watched as Kallistus Kal swung down at Arthur, decapitating the former Lich King.

“…what?“ the elf tried to process what was going on.

Even Kallistus Kal was puzzled by this, his head snapping up with a frown.

“What is this?” the [Hero King] asked as he narrowed his eyes.

And a booming voice thundered from above as a colossal figure descended upon the elf.

“[Spatial Swap]. It allows me to swap the positions of two objects or person instantaneously.”

Jax’s eyes went wide as the [Hero King]’s brows snapped together.

“You—” Kallistus Kal started.

Only for a massive stone arm to slam into him and cut him off. A Greater Earth Elemental struck the [Hero King] from behind, sending him flying back.

All the while, Jax just stared with a wild grin between the giant stone golem and the descending figure.

“I see you’ve finally decided to join the fun, Grat-ra’zun!” Jax laughed wildly as the Elder Dragon landed next to him.

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