He felt a shiver run down his spine and almost retreated his eyes from the lenses.
For some unknown reason, she chose not to react harshly to his gaze.
And it seemed that the lady had already moved her attention somewhere else.
A master-level sense of perception. Ferris couldn't help but acknowledge her abilities.
She's definitely someone I can't beat. Ferris thought of ways to avoid her, especially after that kiss she sent to him.
After inspecting the three figures again, he decided to look at random places before trying to find the shopping mall and the rest of the tourist attractions.
As expected, from here up there he could actually see some people.
He quietly observed random individuals that were either engaged in combat or simply wandering around.
It was hard to tell which was a hero and which was a villain. But the general idea to differentiate them was whether they held weapons or not.
Hero examinations didn't allow the carrying of weapons, but it seemed the villains were more lenient, because the first villain Ferris encountered held his long sword.
At that instant, Ferris paused himself.
. . .
I have their emblem in my pocket, and I have a sword... He chuckled inwardly.
But it was likely for other heroes to also steal weapons, so he didn't worry about his appearance more than he needed to.
All he needed to focus on was hiding the emblem he took.
After observing the heroes and villains, he decided to zoom in as far as he could into the horizon.
There, he saw the ends of the crimson clouds touching the earth. After this revelation, he circled the observation deck to find out that they were all stuck in a dome-shaped structure.
After not finding anything else important, he tried finding the water park, which was easy to find because of its contrast against the urban landscape.
To his surprise, the water park seemed to be in perfect condition. But it was really hard to tell because of the distance.
The mall should be on its left... Ferris remembered the cartoonish map.
After a while of searching, he found it.
He tried internally mapping the streets that lead to it to memorize its location.
After that, he tried finding the museum, but it proved to be impossible because, unlike the mall and the water park, its architecture might have been monotone and its height must've been short.
Finding nothing to be any more important, he was about to retreat his eyes from the binoculars, but something suddenly prevented him from doing that.
There was a bright flash in the corner of his eyes.
He quickly moved the binoculars to the general direction of the flash and found his gaze on what looked like a park.
And in the park, he saw a large group of people with a leader at the front.
There was also another, even smaller group of people that opposed them.
Because of the distance, he could only make out the silhouettes of the people, but it was clear to him that they were eager to fight.
I wonder who'll make the first move. Ferris focused on the leader of the first group he saw.
The leader seemed to be arguing with someone near them, but it seemed that the one who started the argument was quickly shut down.
After that, the leader turned to the opposing group and did a quick gesture.
It was now clear where the source of that bright flash came from.
As dozens of slim shards of light burst from their hands, the shards twisting through the air and making unpredictable patterns before shredding people to pieces.
A devastating blessing—that was the only way Ferris could describe that slaughter.
Not even 10 seconds had elapsed, and already the opposing force started withdrawing frantically.
I can't tell if they're heroes or not. Ferris couldn't zoom in any further with his binoculars, and it was also hard to tell which group carried more weapons.
After a few more seconds, the battle was already over.
He continued observing the leader, who was now pointing in a specific direction.
Following where they pointed, Ferris found out that it directly led to the mall.
Before the group could set off, another smaller group appeared from one of the street corners.
Ferris watched their actions carefully. How the leader would react would tell him which allegiance they followed.
Surprisingly, the two groups merged into one after the leader approached the smaller group and negotiated with them.
This could only mean one thing, these were definitely heroes!
There would be no reason for villains to group each other up to this degree.
It looks like they're finally making their way to the mall. Ferris dropped his binoculars and made his way down the building.
But before he'd go outside once more, he paid his last respects for the dead hero.
He carefully traced the path where he thought it would lead him to the mall, all the while trying to stay sharp to avoid any more battles.
Although it was good for him that he could train his essence through battles, it was pointless for him to fight weaker opponents.
Because the only result of that would have been a waste of valuable essence.
Unfortunately, he got lost halfway to the mall but thanks to his senses, it was easy to find a large gathering of essence. All he had to do now was follow the road that led closest to the essence.
"I made it." Ferris sighed a sense of relief since he didn't encounter any incidents.
He looked at the abandoned mall. Despite its rundown appearance, he could vaguely feel its forgotten opulence.
He then looked at the two people guarding the entrance who were staring at him, but they didn't move an inch.
Approaching the two men, he was asked to stop a few meters away from them.
"Stop right there, are you one of them?" the man asked.
Them?
He probably meant the villains.
After a second of eye contact, Ferris dropped his guard and simply said no to them.
But of course, that wasn't enough.
"We need more proof. Do you have a picture of your hero application?" He extended his hand.
Although the man had his arms crossed, Ferris could tell that if he said something suspicious, they would attack him without hesitation.
"I do..." Ferris took out his phone and entered his gallery. He scrolled down until he was looking at photos from 2 years ago.
I remember how Ferris was so happy back then before his first hero exam. For a single moment, Felix was the one reminiscing about himself.
I took 10 photos? Ferris was surprised by the number of pictures of his hero application.
He handed his phone over.
"Hmm." The man inspected the picture. "You look younger here. Are you sure this is you?"
Comparing the photos of Ferris from 2 years ago to now, it was as if it were two different people.
The one standing at the present had much more defined look, while the one in the photo seemed average at best.
"I'm on my 3rd attempt. I haven't updated my photo ever since, sir." Ferris emphasized the "sir," hoping that it would make a difference in the response he'd get.
"I see," the guard rubbed his chin, "but where did you get that sword?"
. . .
"I got it from the dead..." Ferris told the truth, but not the whole truth.
The guard looked at the picture again and saw that Ferris had no documented blessing. Knowing that this was his third attempt, it felt like looking at a helpless baby trying to crawl.
"Alright, you can enter," the guard said, with a bit of pity in his tone.
After taking back his phone, the second guard suddenly stopped him.
"Wait... One more thing, just to make sure you're not a villain."
Ferris locked his eyes with the other guard.
"How many of the first version of the firefly keychain were produced?—
"Only 1000 were produced since it was her debut as a hero. I actually have the 500th keychain." Ferris nodded with an insightful gaze.
The guard also nodded with an insightful gaze. "Damn, you're lucky. I only got the 894th."
Ferris nodded.
The guard nodded.
And the other person felt left out.