Part-time Boss
Chapter 57 - 57 57 The Path of a Hero

57: Chapter 57: The Path of a Hero 57: Chapter 57: The Path of a Hero Mo Fei’s vision was engulfed in darkness, followed by the sound of a biting wind.

Then, white snowflakes floated before his eyes, revealing a scene of snowy mountains, as a deep baritone voice provided narration.

“Child, when you were born, the snow and wind of Altland softly whispered your name—Aidan.

I proudly watched you grow day by day into a strong Altlander, and you must remember, we have always ruled this kingdom with courage and strength.

I also believe you will use your great power wisely…”

The scene shifted to reveal a huge city nestled among the mountains, covered in white snow, with thick walls and towering spires.

The view then moved through the spacious and deserted streets, across the castle’s walls, and finally rested upon a young boy.

The child bore a slight resemblance to Mo Fei, dressed in rather fine garments, still brimming with youthful innocence.

“At the age of seven, you were still a mischievous child, very fond of playing.

Every day you would—”

1.

Play in the forest.

2.

Go horseback riding in the stables.

3.

Play war games with friends.

4.

Listen to the elderly recount ancient tales.

5.

Daydream endlessly.

Mo Fei knew this was the moment for benefits that only heroes with a background received, able to gain some starting skills, novice equipment, and if lucky, an additional specialization.

The more formidable the background setting, the better the options would appear.

Generally, these options were interconnected, and sometimes, making consecutive correct choices could unlock hidden options.

Since his character was intended to take the melee combat route, he decisively chose the third option, “Play war games with friends.”

In the animation, a scene appeared of a young Aidan brandishing a wooden sword and brawling with a group of children.

After a chaotic fight, only Aidan stood alone.

“You always managed to defeat your opponents in games, and over time, you gradually mastered some swordsmanship techniques.”

System prompt: You have gained the expertise ‘Swordsmanship Specialization’ (Swordsmanship proficiency growth +100%).

As the scene changed, the young boy grew into a teenager.

“At the age of ten, the King decided to find you a tutor to teach you diligently—”

1.

You learn swordsmanship from the Kingdom’s Knight Commander.

2.

You learn archery from a famous Hunter.

3.

You study magic with the Court Mage.

4.

You learn statecraft from a Court Minister.

5.

You are severely mischievous, unwilling to learn anything.

Mo Fei, looking at these options, couldn’t help but be curious about what would happen if he chose the fifth option.

Generally, there wouldn’t be an option without any reward; thus the fifth option was either really bad or exceptionally good.

Nevertheless, Mo Fei didn’t want to take the risk and decisively chose the first option, to learn swordsmanship from the Kingdom’s Knight Commander.

In the animation, a muscular knight in armor appeared, with the teenager wielding a long sword and earnestly practicing under the knight’s guidance.

As the scenes flashed by, the boy grew taller, his frame becoming more solid.

“Your swordsmanship became increasingly refined, earning high praise even from the Knight Commander.”

System prompt: Your swordsmanship proficiency has increased by 1000 points, and your swordsmanship level has advanced to ‘Apprentice level.’ With your ‘Swordsmanship Specialization,’ you receive an additional 1000 proficiency points, raising your swordsmanship level to ‘Expert level.’

“When you turned twelve, the King decided it was time for you to start more rigorous training—”

1.

You begin actual combat training in swordsmanship.

2 (Unselectable).

You pore over ancient scrolls in the library.

3.

You serve by the King’s side, attending to him.

4.

You follow a mysterious elder, praying to the deity daily.

5.

You remain unruly, roaming the streets every day.

After hesitating for a moment, Mo Fei still chose the first option.

The other options were also tempting, but the problem with spreading points too thin scared him.

It was better to concentrate on one field and go all-in.

“After a period of training, you learned some more advanced combat techniques.

During the harsh practical training, you unwittingly manifested an extraordinary combat technique, leaving people astonished by your performance.” In the animation, the teenager executed a sharp sword move, graceful and swift.

Suddenly, a gale formed around his body, and with a swing of his sword, he released a blade of sword energy.

System prompt: You have learned the skills ‘Ready Stance’ (Basic combat technique), ‘Thrust’ (Basic combat technique), ‘Stormblade’ (Elemental combat skill).

Mo Fei was thrilled inside.

It seemed like his purchase of the Storm God bloodline was a smart move, otherwise he definitely wouldn’t have randomly acquired an elemental combat skill here.

Elemental skills like these were generally only accessible to spellblades, and the name Stormblade clearly had some connection to his identity as Stormborn.

“`

[When you were fifteen, something happened that left a deep impression on you——]

1, You personally slew an Ogre.

2, You successfully tamed a fierce wild horse.

3, You found a treasure chest in a cave.

4 (Not selectable) You received a response from the Deity while praying in the church.

5, You had a terrifying nightmare.

Huh, how should I choose this time?

The previous choices had clear traces to follow, and I could guess what rewards I would get, but this time it seems rather ambiguous.

Slain Ogres should yield Prestige or experience points.

Taming a wild horse would likely grant me an exceptional mount.

Mostly Gold Coins or equipment would be found in a treasure chest.

The fifth one is really hard to understand, could it trigger a special quest?

Mo Fei hesitated for quite a while, but in the end, decided to go with his gut feeling.

This choice was the most conservative and the safest.

Mo Fei chose number one.

In the scene, Prince Aidan swung his long sword, slaying an Ogre, and stood atop the Ogre’s corpse, with cheering soldiers around him, and an elder wearing a crown looked on contentedly in the distance, his face full of smiles.

[You personally slew an Ogre, gaining 100 Prestige points; the King was very pleased, the King’s favorability towards you +10.]

Not a bad reward, Prestige points can increase the number of troops led, and the King’s favorability is very useful.

Having a high favorability could mean receiving better territories when the time comes to grant land, and if favorability is extremely high, one might even inherit the throne.

[When you turned eighteen, the King officially let you start involving yourself in Kingdom affairs, you chose to become——]

1, a Northwind Knight, fighting the enemy on the battlefield.

2, a civil servant in charge of managing a village.

3, a magic scholar (Not selectable), leave to study in Dalaran.

4, a court Merchant, operating a business and earning wealth for the Kingdom.

5, a Brigand leader (Not selectable), your mutual hatred with the King leads you to leave the capital and join the local Brigand organization.

(Your hero rank is automatically converted to an equivalent BOSS rank, and triggers the ‘Usurping the Throne’ story quest).

Huh, it turns out you can start the game by rebelling against the country and even get a free story quest.

This is the first Mo Fei has heard of this; if he could complete the quest successfully, it might actually be a shortcut to becoming the King.

But the difficulty of completing this quest is not ordinary high.

Brigand organizations are considered lower-end monster forces; level ten plus Adventurers can easily farm Brigands to level up, players around level twenty especially like to farm Brigand instances, as they offer a moderate challenge and drop various skill books.

From this, it’s not hard to see how weak Brigand’s combat strength really is.

Thinking of taking a bunch of Mountain bandits, thugs, and Brigands to directly confront the Northwind Knight Order and Highland Swordsmen, and seizing the throne is almost as challenging as leading a group of peasants unable to level up or change equipment to overthrow a regime.

Having thought this through, he couldn’t help but remember the Ancient Dragon Rock Statue in his possession; considering this, the quest triggered by that item probably won’t be any easier.

Another unexpected point was that the hero template could directly morph into a BOSS template.

This was indeed quite surprising.

If it’s possible at the start, could it be that similar dark plot quests could be triggered at higher levels?

If so, after tiring of playing the hero template, it would be intriguing to switch to a BOSS template to play.

However, it seems that this question won’t be answered in the short term, this option is not selectable for him, Mo Fei guesses it must be related to the previous choices.

If one would choose all the options marked ‘incorrigibly bad,’ then that dark path could likely be chosen later.

Of course, even if he could choose, he wouldn’t.

Why would a perfectly good Prince turn into a Brigand leader, unless his brains were scrambled?

Mo Fei decisively chose the first option, to become a Northwind Knight.

In the scene, Prince Aidan is on horseback, sword in hand, battling with enemies, with a voice-over continuing.

[You have become a Northwind Knight, battling alongside your kin in various campaigns.

Through countless battles, you’ve earned numerous achievements and finally gained the title of a hero.

Now twenty years old, as the hero Prince of Altland, your journey is just beginning.]

PS: I intended to release three chapters today, but I got a bit stuck with my writing.

So it will just be two today, and three tomorrow.

“`

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