Alice

Nora was about to register for his hero identification certificate when he suddenly thought of someone and stopped.

He was only getting the certificate to avoid being mistaken for an unregistered awakened individual.

A hero is not something that can be defined by a mere piece of paper.

"Maybe I should meet her first. She's already an E-rank hero now. It'll be much more convenient if I ask for her help."

The person he was referring to was a very close 'friend' of his.

Though they called each other friends, their relationship was somewhat complicated and unclear.

In his mind, an image appeared—of a young girl with long, neatly tied-up red hair.

Her amber eyes shimmered brilliantly even in the dark.

Without hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Beep… beep…"

The call connected, and a sweet voice answered from the other end:

"Hello, Nora? What's up?"

Hearing her voice, Nora suddenly felt an unexpected sense of peace, yet, without warning, tears began streaming down his face.

Noticing this strange reaction, he thought to himself:

"Something bad must be coming in the future. This time, I will protect everyone… including her."

As that thought settled, his eyes became even more determined than before—because now, there was one more person he wanted to protect.

"Alice, I have some great news! I've just awakened my bloodline. Now, I finally have the strength of an F-rank hero!"

Alice was surprised and genuinely happy for him. She replied:

"That's amazing! Congratulations! I'm free right now, so let me take you to register for your hero license. With me there, your evaluation process will be much faster."

"Alright, thank you so much."

With that, she hung up and immediately set off for Nora's house.

She and Nora had been friends for a long time. In fact, the reason they met in the first place was due to their somewhat similar circumstances.

When Nora was a child, his parents passed away early. Feeling lost, he sought out others with similar circumstances to befriend.

One day, he arrived at an orphanage and met her. The two, having shared life experiences, quickly formed a bond.

Years had passed since then, and their relationship had only grown closer.

.....

About thirty minutes later, Alice arrived at his doorstep. She repeatedly rang the doorbell to call him down.

Hearing the nonstop ringing, Nora sighed helplessly, opened the door, and said:

"I told you, just ring it once."

"Hehe, but it's not like you're actually annoyed, right?"

Dressed in a striking red outfit, Alice giggled before grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

"Come on, let's hurry and get your hero certification registered. If your talent is good, we'll be able to take on missions together in no time!"

Hearing this, Nora immediately responded:

"Don't worry. I'll catch up to you soon enough."

Alice was surprised by his confidence but also delighted—it meant his talent was exceptional.

She ran up to him, patted his shoulder, and asked with a grin,

"So, have you sensed it yet? What element do you belong to?"

"Element? You can actually sense that?"

Nora looked confused. His confidence earlier came from possessing the Reincarnation Divine Art, not because he had sensed anything.

Humanity's understanding of superheroes was still vague, with much information yet to be revealed to the public.

It was only natural that he didn't know sensing elements was possible.

And as for memories of his past life—aside from a few crucial things, he remembered nothing.

Alice, hearing his clueless response, was momentarily stunned. His earlier confidence had made her think he had truly awakened to an element.

But now, it seemed that confidence came from sheer ignorance.

However, she didn't rush to discourage him. Instead, she spoke gently:

"You don't need to worry too much. Even if you can't sense an element, the fact that you've become a hero at all is already an incredibly rare occurrence."

This wasn't just empty consolation—it was the truth. Becoming a hero was a one-in-a-hundred-thousand chance.

Each one of them bore a fate and luck that ordinary people couldn't compare to.

Even though many perished early while carrying out missions, their overall fortune was still far greater than that of regular people.

Of course, Nora could hear the comforting tone in her words, and he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions—

A part of him wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

Cry—because she had misunderstood his abilities.

Laugh—because she genuinely cared about how he felt.

"Don't worry." he said with unwavering confidence. 

"Even if I can't sense any element, my talent is absolutely the greatest among all heroes. I can't explain it to you in detail, but I promise you, it's the truth."

His determined gaze locked onto hers, full of conviction.

Alice could see just how serious he was. She grinned and playfully threw her arms around his neck:

"Hehe, I knew you wouldn't be ordinary! But catching up to me won't be easy, you know? I have one of the highest talents in the world."

"I'll do my best. Just watch me." Nora chuckled in response.

The Reincarnation Divine Art was a completely different path to power compared to the others, granting him many unique advantages.

In truth, the highest talent in the world belonged to someone even beyond Alice's level—The previous winner.

The two of them then set off toward the Hero Association, where Nora would get his certification and undergo testing to determine if he was strong enough to take on missions.

"We're taking the bus?" Nora asked.

"Of course! What, were you expecting me to drive you in a car? I don't even have my license yet."

"That's not what I meant. I was just—"

Before he could finish, Alice smirked mischievously and interrupted:

"Or… would you prefer that I carry you princess-style and sprint straight to the Hero Association? That would be quite the spectacle."

Nora's face instantly flushed red. He waved his hands frantically and shook his head.

"No, no, no! The bus is absolutely the best choice!"