So they're like solitary hunters? The ultimate hunters, able to catch anything that they put their mind to. Too wild and free to be held down by others and yet…at the same time one of the loneliest heroes to exist," replied Issei sadly as images of a lone figure hunting in the woods and running in footraces faded out of his mind.
The old man nearly jumped for joy as he eyed the card beneath Issei's hand and watched as it glowed softly, the man then quickly drew the boy's attention to the next card before Issei noticed the light. The boy looked down and saw what appeared to be a cloaked old man holding a book of some kind and giving off a very wise aura.
"Next we have the Caster class, embodying the best magic users that have ever existed. They can do spells that most mages today could only dream of and then some, definitely not one to be looked down upon for its lack of physical strength," explained the man, cheerfully.
"Magic is real!" cried the boy in wonder.
His companion nodded in amusement, "that's right and speaking from personal experience it is very useful. Wouldn't you want to use it too?"
"Of course then I could do my own magic show!" as his thoughts were filled with childish wonder at the possibilities.
However, his thoughts soon turned into something…odd. He felt his body growing hot and yet it was comforting, almost like the sun. Next images of a large building, almost like a palace, filled his head and he saw a group of angry men rushing towards him before the images shattered and were replaced by an ornate mirror hovering in front of him.
"OI BOY!" shouted a male voice snapping Issei back to the present as the man watched him with an intrigued expression.
"Sorry I zoned out for a second," apologized the boy.
His companion just waved him off and pointed to the next card, causing Issei to freeze as he followed the man's gaze and examined the card. Issei frowned as he saw the picture of what could only be described as a monstrosity or mad beast on the card.
"W-what is that?" he asked, fearfully.
"Now, now, don't be so quick to judge," berated the old man with a smile. "This is the Berserker class, heroes that have gone mad with grief, rage or bloodlust. They are one of the strongest but at the cost of their sanity."
"Heroes that have lost their loved ones? I know how that feels," replied Issei as he stared at the card with sympathy.
"So you can understand why they did what they did?" questioned the man in surprise.
The boy just nodded with a weary look in his eyes that didn't belong on a child's face, "yeah, honestly I probably would have done the same."
The boy's eyes widened however as he saw the card glow and a stone axe-sword seemed to appear in his hand before fading away. Alarmed Issei quickly looked up at the old man who just smiled and continued on to the final card which showed a man with a skull mask performing a midair back flip.
"And finally we come to the last one, the Assassin class. Now I know what you are thinking, 'how could an assassin ever be a hero?' Well have you ever seen the Ninja Turtles? They are assassins and yet people still consider them to be heroes," he quickly explained, seeing Issei's horrified expression.
Issei was silent as he just picked up the card and stared at it, clearly conflicted about the choice until finally he placed it down on the table and looked up at the man with a serious expression that completely contrasted his childish face.
"No one respects life more than someone who has to take it away, if I had to do it I would never enjoy it but at least I could make it painless," he decided as the card gave off a soft glow and as Issei looked back at the old man his eyes widened. For just an instant he could have sworn he saw a giant ornate guillotine behind the old man, blinking Issei frowned and the image faded away as he let go of the assassin card.
The man just laughed before he picked up all seven cards and examined them with growing excitement, "incredible in all the worlds I've been to no one has been compatible with more than one let alone all seven, not even your counterpart's boy."
"Huh?" came Issei's reply to this apparently madman's ravings.
The man just smiled as he handed the seven cards to Issei, whom nearly dropped them as all seven began glowing at his touch. "Alright boy listen carefully, these cards will help you become strong enough to be a hero, now you just need to pick one. So which will it be, what kind of hero do you want to become?" he asked, eagerly.
Issei just looked at the seven cards and frowned as he examined them, the two of them were silent for a solid ten minutes until the boy looked up at the man, "so these cards will help me become stronger?"
Seeing the man nod Issei continued, "And I can pick any one of them? And you'll give me the one I pick?"
"That's right," replied the man, looking even more curious then before.
Issei just put all seven cards on the table and stared at his companion with a determined expression, "then I pick all of them!" he announced.
The man's face became a textbook expression of shock before he suddenly burst out laughing, "Well aren't you the greedy one. I can't believe it, a child managing to shock me! Me! The master of Kaleidoscope! Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg!"
The newly named Zelretch finally stopped laughing as he handed the cards back to Issei, "looks like I've found a new world to be my playground after all, congratulations Issei Hyoudou come and claim your prizes."
Issei grinned happily as he examined the cards and ran off to show his friend Irina, Zelretch smiled as he watched him go, "I have high hopes for you Issei Hyoudou, and I can't wait to see how you evolve this time around."