Heiter didn't have a massive collection of books, but every single one was a masterpiece. As a devout and powerful priest who had even become a bishop of the Holy City, his collection was naturally top-tier.
Zenith flipped through books left and right in Heiter's study. It wasn't until Frieren and Fern walked in that he finally sat down obediently in his chair.
"I thought I'd never get the chance to teach you again. I didn't expect you to not have aged a single bit," Frieren said.
Frieren opened the book on plant magic, preparing to start from the most basic introduction. She hadn't taught Fern anything from Zenith's two books, as they weren't hers to share.
Now that she had Zenith's approval, it was only natural to pass down this excellent knowledge.
Zenith wasn't angry at Frieren's words. That was just how elves were. In the blink of an eye, a friend from the past could already have died of old age. Parting was the norm; everything and everyone was destined to be nothing more than a passing traveler in their long lives.
"Well, everyone's constitution is different. I just happen to be the type who lives a little longer."
Zenith held out his right hand, leaving a tiny gap between his index finger and thumb. "Anyway, let's test the waters with one chapter first. Let me see what this plant magic is all about."
Frieren began her lecture. Fern frantically took notes, while Zenith slept like a log.
The difference between a good student and a bad one was glaringly obvious. In the face of a genius like Fern, even classically trained mages would pale in comparison, let alone an amateur like Zenith.
A piece of chalk smacked Zenith in the head, followed by a pebble, a small pumpkin, and a rock-hard piece of stale bread. It wasn't until a literal clay pot was slammed onto his head that Zenith finally wiped his mouth and lazily sat up straight.
"Is class over? Teacher, I need to go to the bathroom."
In the guest room, Serie, who was studying the amulets and the Nether Star, couldn't help but twitch her ears. *That was too close. If Zenith had asked me to teach him magic back then, I'd be the one suffering right now.*
*Thank you, Frieren. I was too harsh on you in the past!*
Studying was just like that. If you only lectured a bad student, he might actually absorb a little bit. But if you put a slacker who permanently sat next to the trash can in the same class as the top student, there could only be one result.
Little Fern's mouth hung wide open, her beautiful purple eyes filled with astonishment. Her entire worldview had been shattered. *So this is what classes can be like. How interesting.*
"Ahem, I was just dreaming about my school days. Don't mind me. Let's continue, I'll listen properly this time."
Activating the Scroll of Eternal Wisdom, Zenith struggled through the rest of the day's lesson before swiftly fleeing the study. "Serie, let's go catch—I mean, find the other kids."
Zenith hated that he couldn't just smack a skill book against his body to instantly learn all its contents. If only he had Doraemon's Memory Bread.
He needed to find something else to distract himself. His brain was currently overflowing with knowledge, and he honestly wasn't used to it yet.
Eisen the warrior, the strongest fighter in Himmel's party, was currently watching a red-haired brat train his body.
Turning his head to see Zenith and Serie appear out of thin air—especially upon seeing Zenith—Eisen's throat bobbed subconsciously.
"It really has been a long time. My stomach missed you even more than I did."
The red-haired brat was Stark, Eisen's disciple. He was an outstanding, genius warrior, though his personality was a bit strange.
It was hard to describe. He was both cowardly and brave. Very few people could embody both traits at once, but Stark was one of them. Even when he was trembling in fear, he would still step forward.
Stark was doing push-ups with a massive boulder on his back. Hearing the voices, he looked up at the group, but his movements never stopped.
"Master, are they your friends?"
"They're old friends, Stark. Also, you're in for a treat today."
Not just today, but for many days to come, they were all in for a treat. After Zenith and Serie took a lap around the world, they prepared to drag a whole bunch of people back to Heiter's little nest.
Actually, the biggest surprise was at Orcini's place. The cursed berserker's disciple turned out to be Mia's child, Tolkien's godchild.
By sheer coincidence, Mia and Tolkien had run into Orcini, who had achieved fame and success after the Demon King's defeat, and they quickly became friends.
That was already thirty years after they had defeated the Shadow Dragon and parted ways with Zenith. Mia's child was already a beautiful young woman, having inherited the Netherite sword that Zenith had gifted them back then.
As for now, she was already a great warrior capable of holding her own.
"I knew it would be a long time before we met again, but eighty years is way too long." Mia was already very old, but her spirit and energy were still as vibrant as ever.
"It's like how we knew you were strong, but we could never have imagined you were *that* strong."
Back then, Zenith slaying the Shadow Dragon with a single strike had given them a massive shock. That was a dragon—a powerful monster capable of destroying a town all on its own—yet it was killed in one hit.
"Thanks to the things you left behind, we managed to carve out a bit of a name for ourselves."
The dragon-slaying adventuring party was quite famous during that era. The team members had perfect synergy and outstanding strength, successfully subjugating more dragons than one could count on both hands.
Claire chuckled, sounding surprisingly grandfatherly. "More than that, I want to know if that Pokémon game was ever fully translated into the continent's common tongue."
Zenith had almost forgotten that these guys were internet-addicted teens back then. That problem had already been solved; the SPW Foundation's first priority when operating here was naturally deciphering and translating the language.
Once the font library was established, everything else was easy to handle. Zenith nodded repeatedly. "No problem. I'll bring it over to you in a couple of days."
Claire's child hadn't inherited his father's mantle to become a mage, but instead chose to run a tavern.
Mia's daughter, however, completely inherited her mother's personality. Shouldering the Netherite sword, she prepared to challenge Zenith for some pointers.
"Mother always said you were incredible. She's too old to fight now, so as her daughter, I'll demonstrate this Dragon Severing Flash. Let's see how much of your essence I've managed to capture."
It was a sword technique Mia had comprehended from watching Zenith's posture when he one-shot the dragon, named after the feat of dragon-slaying. The name was given by the people, not coined by themselves, making it all the more fitting.
The purple-gold enchanted halo of the Netherite sword traced an arc in midair before slashing down viciously. A four-colored pillar of light shot into the sky—mana, sword aura, enchantment power, and Nether energy all blended together with unparalleled destructive force.
*Wait, a Netherite sword can be used like this? Isn't this thing only good for basic auto-attacks?*
Zenith didn't raise a shield, instead just lifting his hand to block. Relying solely on his eyesight, he knew that although the attack lacked follow-up momentum, this single strike already possessed half the power of South Hero.
If it were Mia in her prime, she might have actually had what it takes to exchange a few blows with South Hero.
"Very nice. Killing a dragon with this strike wouldn't be a problem at all."
"Thank you." Mia's kid knew her own limits. The power was there, but her adaptability was lacking. If she missed her one strike, she'd be a lamb to the slaughter. She still needed more practice.
With the minor interlude over, the next step was happily heading over to Heiter's house.
Counting the old fogeys from the past era, Zenith had dragged along a total of ten people. Aside from Stark, the only ones who could be called "kids" were the priest Sein and Gorilla Warrior, both of whom had briefly crossed paths with Heiter.
It was as if he had a hoarding addiction; Zenith just couldn't resist meeting the characters who appeared in the original story. It wasn't that he necessarily wanted to do anything to them—he just thought it was fun.
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