After regaining his past memories, Himaru finally understood the origins of his relationship with Touma and Frienma in the game "Arcane Horizons."
He smiled faintly, reminiscing about the thrilling adventures and funny moments they had shared together in that virtual world.
Himaru gave Touma and Frienma time to reminisce and rekindle their friendship after this heartwarming reunion.
He watched them engrossed in storytelling and laughter together.
Touma seemed very enthusiastic in telling Frienma various things, while Frienma occasionally gave brief responses, yet still with her typical blank expression.
While listening to the conversation of his two subordinates, Himaru asked for their permission to briefly shift his attention to the system panel, which appeared different after Frienma's summoning.
He was curious about the new changes that might have appeared there.
"Touma, Frienma, may I take a look at the system panel for a moment? There's something I want to check," Himaru said politely, breaking the engrossment of their conversation.
"Of course, Himaru-sama. No problem at all," Touma replied with a wide smile.
She nodded, allowing Himaru to look at the system panel, her golden eyes sparkling with understanding.
"Please," Frienma also gave a brief permission, albeit in her usual flat tone.
Himaru nodded gratefully, then focused his mind on the system. "System, display Frienma's status panel and my status," he commanded inwardly.
In the next moment, two transparent panels appeared before him, filling his vision with rows of numbers and information.
Frienma's status panel immediately caught his attention, displaying truly astonishing data:
[Name: Frienma Weissdom]
[Race: Elf]
[Age: 235]
[Level: 100]
[Job: Mage]
[Vitality: 1284]
[Intelligence: 2988]
[Sense: 1555]
[Quirk: Great Sage (Lv.1)]
[Remaining Points: 0]
"Level 100 again?! And intelligence almost 3000?! Are all the subordinates I'm going to summon later all at level 100?!" Himaru was shocked to see Frienma's status.
He realized that his new subordinate seemed to be an incredibly powerful super mage.
Level 100 was the maximum level that NPCs could reach in the game Arcane Horizons, Frienma and Touma had managed to reach it when they were still my NPC subordinates in the game.
The intelligence stat of almost 3000 also indicated that her magic power must be immense.
Then, his own status panel appeared:
[Name: Yūsha Himaru]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 13]
[Level: 40]
[Job: None]
[Vitality: 645]
[Intelligence: 645]
[Sense: 665]
[Quirk: Dungeon Master (Max), Mental Barrier (Lv.2), Blood Shifter (Lv.2), Intuition Eyes (Lv.1), Great Sage (Lv.1)]
[Remaining Points: 0]
Himaru looked again at his status panel, especially at the list of Quirks that had increased with Frienma's arrival. He counted, and it turned out he now had five Quirks! Dungeon Master (Max), Mental Barrier (Lv.2), Blood Shifter (Lv.2), Intuition Eyes (Lv.1), and the latest, Great Sage (Lv.1).
His focus turned to the new Quirk he had obtained: Great Sage (Lv.1).
"Is this really that 'Great Sage' Quirk?" The question swirled in his mind, filling his head with a big question mark.
Wasn't "Great Sage" the most iconic skill of Rimuru Tempest, the Slime Demon Lord from the anime "Tensura"? An OP skill that allowed Rimuru to analyze everything, predict the future, and even evolve into the strongest creature.
"Does this Quirk have functions similar to Rimuru's 'Great Sage' skill?" Himaru grew even more curious to test the capabilities of his new Quirk.
If it was true, he felt that with this Quirk alone, his potential would increase drastically.
How could it not? This was an OP skill that allowed Rimuru to successfully evolve into a Demon Lord species in a very short time.
"Even if this Quirk only has half the ability of Rimuru's 'Great Sage' skill, that's already amazing," he thought with high optimism.
Himaru realized that his "Great Sage" was currently still at level 1.
This meant there was still plenty of room for development of this Quirk.
Although he doubted he could turn into a Demon Lord species like Rimuru, the potential to develop the "Great Sage" Quirk by leveling it up by dungeon crawling was enough to excite him.
After being intrigued by the potential of his new Quirk, Himaru slightly shifted his gaze to his two subordinates who were still engrossed in chatting, reminiscing about their past.
He smiled seeing the closeness that was woven between Touma and Frienma.
However, his curiosity reappeared, this time related to his "Intuition Eyes" Quirk which had just reached level 1.
"I'll try using 'Intuition Eyes' to observe them both," Himaru decided in his heart, determined to test the true function of the Quirk.
He wanted to prove whether Intuition Eyes was really able to read other people's emotions and feelings, as he imagined.
In addition, he felt that understanding more deeply about his subordinates' feelings would be a valuable asset in building a strong bond and a solid team.
As a leader, he wanted to not only command, but also understand and care for the people he led.
When Himaru activated the "Intuition Eyes" Quirk, his eyes emitted a faint blue light.
He focused his gaze alternately on Touma and Frienma.
Instantly, the world around him changed, as he expected, colorful auras began to radiate from the bodies of his two subordinates, like thin layers of energy enveloping them.
The dominant color radiating from Touma's body was pink.
Information from Intuition Eyes immediately appeared in his mind, explaining that the color pink signified feelings of affection or romantic love.
"I knew it," Himaru smiled faintly, "Touma does harbor feelings that are more than just subordinate loyalty." Those feelings were clearly radiating, undeniable.
The number 96 appeared above Touma's head, floating in the air.
"96 points? That high?" Himaru gasped inwardly, surprised by the intensity of Touma's feelings.
Information from Intuition Eyes explained that the number 96 points indicated a very high level of affection, even approaching obsession, "an affection level that's reached the point of not being able to live without me?" Himaru felt a little touched and moved by Touma's deep feelings for him.
However, an even bigger surprise came from Frienma.
The color radiating from the elf's body turned out to be pink as well.
And the number floating above her head was 99 points!
"99 points?! Almost maximum?!" Himaru was completely stunned, speechless.
He rubbed his eyes, making sure his vision was not mistaken.
The number 99 was clearly displayed, in stark contrast to Frienma's blank expression that never changed.
Frienma's level of affection, which almost reached the maximum limit, was very contradictory to her attitude and expression, which were always calm, almost emotionless.
"How could Frienma, who is always cold and expressionless, harbor such deep feelings for me?" Himaru wondered in his heart, his brain filled with confusion.
This was truly beyond reason.
"Is this indeed a characteristic of the elf race? Good at hiding feelings behind expressionless faces? Or is Frienma really a very skilled actress, able to hide emotional turmoil behind a mask of composure?" Himaru shook his head, his mind racing with various speculations.
"If it's the latter, Frienma really deserves an Oscar for her acting ability," Himaru muttered amused, slightly amused by his silly thought.
He imagined Frienma accepting an Oscar trophy with a blank face, but behind it maybe her heart was blooming.
After his curiosity was satisfied by seeing the function of "Intuition Eyes" on his two subordinates, Himaru finally deactivated the system panel and approached them.
He felt he had tested his new Quirk enough for now.
"How about we go together to see dungeon floor 3?" Himaru asked invitingly.
He felt it was time to continue their adventure and ascend to the next dungeon floor.
"I'll come, Himaru-sama!" Touma replied with enthusiasm and excitement, although she always appeared cool in front of others, she always showed the opposite expression for anything ordered by Himaru.
"Me too," Frienma replied briefly with a nod, maintaining her calm expression.
She didn't talk much, but her attitude seemed to indicate that she was always ready to carry out Himaru's orders.
"Alright, if you want to come, now accept my party invitation," Himaru said while sending party invitations to both of them.
He opened the party menu and sent invitations to Touma's and Frienma's names.
Touma and Frienma immediately accepted Himaru's party invitation.
A party system was formed, connecting the three of them into one adventure group.
Their three names appeared in the top right corner of Himaru's view screen, indicating that they were now one team.
After making sure the three of them were in one party, Himaru intended to ask the System to move them to dungeon floor 3.
He was impatient to see what challenges awaited them on the next floor.
However, when he gave the command, the System's reaction was slightly different from usual.
Usually, they would be transferred directly to dungeon floor 3 without special notice.
But this time, a special notification appeared in front of them.
The notification read: "For players, in order to enter dungeon floor 3 in party mode, first determine who the party leader is. After that you can enter dungeon floor 3."
Seeing the notification, the three of them looked at each other.
They were a little confused by this new notification.
"Party leader? Is there a need for a party leader for everything?" Himaru thought in surprise. Usually they directly entered the dungeon without needing to choose a leader.
After a brief discussion, they agreed that Himaru would be the party leader this time.
After all, Himaru was the one who summoned them, and he was also the most experienced in dungeons.
After the party leader was chosen, the three party members disappeared from the dungeon safe zone, heading towards the mysterious dungeon floor 3.
They felt a sensation of being pulled and dizzy for a moment, then their vision changed.
When they first entered dungeon floor 3, they were not teleported to a random location as usual.
They found themselves in a room that looked like a throne room inside a magnificent castle.
The room was luxuriously decorated, with thick red carpets, sturdy stone pillars, and wall paintings depicting battle scenes.
Himaru automatically sat on a luxurious throne located at the end of the room, while Touma and Frienma stood to his right and left, like loyal guards.
The throne was made of gold and gemstones, looking very glittery under the torchlight illuminating the room.
Below the throne, a soldier dressed in uniform knelt on one knee, facing Himaru. The soldier wore full armor with a helmet, spear in his right hand.
At that moment, the three of them could not move their bodies.
The atmosphere felt stiff and tense, like an opening scene in a game.
Dramatic background music began to play, adding to the theatrical impression of this situation.
The soldier began to speak in a respectful tone, reporting that their kingdom was under attack by powerful enemies.
He begged His Majesty (Himaru) to immediately leave the room and lead the troops to face the attack.
His tone was full of panic and urgency.
After the soldier finished delivering his report, their three bodies moved automatically, leaving the luxurious throne room.
They walked out of the room with steady steps, led by Himaru sitting on the throne which suddenly moved on its own.
As they exited the room, an extraordinary and surprising sight greeted them.
Before them stretched a large army gathered like ants beneath the palace, ready for battle.
Thousands of soldiers armed to the teeth with various weapons and armor filled the palace courtyard.
Kingdom flags fluttered above their heads, adding to the majestic and intimidating impression.
Then a notification was seen floating in the sky above the group of soldiers, saying "[Welcome to Total War Empire]".
At this point, Himaru and the two women by his side were finally able to move their bodies again, the previous stiff and tense state disappeared, replaced by a thrilling war atmosphere.
Himaru was stunned by the scene before him.
This dungeon level 3 was truly different from what he had imagined, he thought he would face powerful monsters in a dark room, but what he saw now was a vast battlefield with thousands of soldiers.
All that was on Himaru's mind at this moment was one big question: "Is this seriously a dungeon? Are we going to play Total War now?" He felt very surprised and confused by the situation he was facing.
This dungeon felt more like a war strategy game than a regular battle dungeon.
"This is really beyond expectations," Himaru muttered inwardly, still not believing what he was seeing.