The weeks went by fast.

Katherine finally left home for school after Nicholas paid all her fees.

Nicholas received the honorary award from the president of the Hero Association. Thanks to that, he’d also managed to farm some extra charm points.

And a few days after the award ceremony, he had his sisters move to a new location.

He didn’t want the Association having any tabs on them or the situation repeating itself anymore. Katie going to the Hero Academy was still a big risk, but after witnessing what had happened to Ronald, the other councillors had to think twice before approaching or even doing anything to her.

There weren’t many crimes within the city anymore, and the number of impures emerging had dropped drastically.

It made people wonder if Ronald and the other councillors had been responsible for the sudden rise in impures across the city.

Things seemed to have slowed down considerably, and it made things a lot easier for the heroes in the city, even allowing them some break.

And now, the Hero Convention had finally come, and Nicholas was on his way there.

"Supervisor Selena! You never told me you were the supervisor for Phantom as well! My goodness! I’ve been following Peach Fairy, and I’ve been watching all the streams. Bro is so goated. Can’t believe I’ll finally meet him in person!"

"For real! Did you see the fight with the Zombie King? Like damn!"

"And did you hear his speech during his award? Bro is basically the best hero out there!"

Selena scoffed at their words.

’Yeah, of course his speech was great. I know how long it took me to stop him from saying something stupid. We must’ve gone through that speech a thousand times.’ Selena gritted her teeth at the thought.

It was always a headache whenever she had to deal with Nicholas. ’Dana will pay for this.’ Dana’s mischievous smile flashed through her mind.

"I know, I know, I’m awesome... You all don’t have to tell me. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t get to see Phantom in action," Julie beamed as she walked up to the group, her hands on her waist, her chest puffed out proudly.

"For real! Peach Fairy, you’re so awesome!"

"Nah, she only hides behind the camera... She doesn’t even help at all. Last time, she ran away even before the fight started."

Julie’s expression sank. Her brows twitched, red slowly rising from her neck to the rest of her face.

"Shut the fuck up, you brat! If you think it’s easy to put your life in danger just to keep the people entertained, then you should go try it out!" Julie burst out in retaliation.

Selena, seeing the scene, let out a sigh of exasperation as she pulled out her cigarette, slipping it into her mouth. ’That brat always has people talking about him even when he’s not there... Speaking of which, where’s he?’

Selena’s gaze moved to the road. They’d already been waiting for minutes, and he had yet to arrive. Several cabs had already driven past them, and he still wasn’t in sight.

From a distance, she soon caught sight of a sleek black car racing ahead.

’Wow, that’s the McLaren Senna. You don’t see those driving around recklessly... Could be a highly paid professional rac—’ Selena’s thought was followed by a violent choke on her cigarette as she noticed the figure sitting in the car through the open window.

The X-shaped glasses caught the rays of the sun, his calm expression never changing as he casually twirled the steering wheel.

He smashed the gear, pulling the paddle back. The engine of the car roared, tyres screeched in resistance as the car drifted across the road, finally pulling to a stop, the breeze blowing over their faces as it came to a halt in front of them.

The sleek, wing-shaped door slowly lifted as he stepped out, bringing his full frame into view.

Everyone paused to look in his direction as he made his appearance.

Nicholas casually walked up to Selena.

"Good morning, Supervisor Selena. This is where we’ll be holding the convention?" Nicholas said, glancing up at the building right in front of him.

"What sort of hero pulls up in a luxury car?!" Selena burst out, shock written all over her face.

"Rich ones." Nicholas shrugged.

Selena took a deep, calming breath.

"Whatever, that’s not why we’re here... This is the Grand Arena, where the convention will be held," Selena said, gesturing toward the building behind them.

Its architecture was similar to that of the Association building. It was round, dome-like shape, and spanned over a couple hundred square meters—about ten times larger than an average football stadium.

Its grandeur and architecture were nothing to scoff at.

"We’ll be staying within the Arena for a few days. It has rooms for all the participants, as well as dining halls, training facilities, and everything else they’ll need during the convention. We can explore when we get inside," Selena said as they all looked at the building, allured by its grand opulence.

But Nicholas didn’t fail to catch the gaze of the young-looking man peeping at him from the corner of his eye. As he noticed Nicholas glancing at him, he immediately turned his head away.

Selena noticed the awkward exchange and quickly turned back to Nicholas.

"Sorry for the late introduction. These two are heroes who are also under my supervision. They were appointed to take part in the tournament as well."

"This is Light. He’ll be taking part in the race," she said, pointing toward the hero who had been peeping at him earlier. He looked to be in his teens. If Nicholas was to take a guess, he was possibly the same age as the original Nicholas.

He wore a sleek white bodysuit streaked with glowing gold lines that ran across his arms and legs. A transparent amber visor rested over his eyes, while lightweight boots completed the streamlined look, making him resemble a professional racer more than a traditional hero.

"And this is Thinker," she said, gesturing toward her left. He looked much older than Light and much more composed.

He was wearing a long charcoal-gray coat over a fitted black suit lined with faint blue circuitry. His face was hidden behind a sleek metallic full-face mask with glowing blue eye slits, making him look less like a person and more like an advanced combat android.

"He’ll be participating in the mind game."

"And then there’s me! The star streamer of the tournament. The Association has recognised my expertise and invited me to stream the entire tournament!"

Selena glanced at her for a second.

"I guess you don’t need any introduction from her."

"Of course, she makes so much noise, it haunts me in my dreams." Nicholas said as he looked ahead.

"What!? I’m an adorable fairy! Without me, the world wouldn’t know your name!" Julie retorted.

Selena looked toward Nicholas.

"For once, I’d actually agree with you on that."

"What? You too?!" Julie yelled.

"Yup, I couldn’t agree more," Thinker said from the side. Julie glared at him.

"You better keep your mouth shut, you mask freak!"

"Short people are the loudest."

’I thought they were done quarrelling,’ Selena sighed.

’And she just had to increase the noise.’ Nicholas dug a hand into his ear as though cleaning it.

Nicholas and Selena locked gazes in understanding as they turned toward the Arena.

"We’ll be going inside... You guys should join us as soon as you’re done."

"Wait for me!" Julie quickly abandoned the two as she caught up with them.

Light turned to Thinker.

"Did you see how he came in?! He’s so awesome! Although Supervisor Selena scolded him, though."

"That was a cool entrance, can’t lie. Supervisor Selena’s just jealous," Thinker said with a shrug as he quickly followed the two.

As they entered the building, a robotic voice chimed from the background.

"Welcome to the Grand Arena."

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A/N: While you all might’ve already noticed, I used our real life countries, since I felt that would be the best way to potray this arc. I want to have your thoughts on that.

Also guys do some reviews, it’ll be fun to read you all comments and it’s quite boring without it. I would really appreciate your review! Goldentickets as well!

You could consider joining the discord as well, if you use it. Thank you and happy reading from your shameless author!

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