Editor : Amethyst00



“You can stay here for tonight.”

The man who had attacked Leo and Aru, Agon, led them to an old, worn-down house.

This place was at the southern edge of Raysar—

A section of the great refugee city known as the “Cursed Quarter.”

Even Raysar’s central government had declared it a restricted zone.

The residents had long since fled, and rumors even spread that monsters roamed the area.

Because of that, the district was overflowing with empty houses. This one was just another among them.

“I’ll come back in the morning,” Agon said before leaving the house.

They had avoided a fight thanks to invoking Aaron's name,

but Agon still wasn’t letting down his guard toward Leo and Aru.

Leo laid Aru down on one side of the room, then turned toward the window.

Outside, a crimson moon burned in the sky.

‘That damned moon… still feels unsettling, no matter how many times I see it.’

If the gray sky symbolized the days of the Age of Calamity, then that ominous red moon symbolized its nights.

Fifteen years had passed since he’d last seen it, yet it was as eerie and foreboding as ever.

‘Alright, then.’

Leo stepped outside.

Using an aura step, he moved lightly, leaping onto the roof, and sprinted toward the southern wall of Raysar.

Since the area was outside the central government’s control, there were no guards—just as he remembered.

Upon reaching the wall, Leo stretched his hand toward the city’s outskirts.

Thump—

As if hitting an invisible barrier, his hand stopped midair.

“So, the only place I can move within this world is Raysar?”

Leo recalled what he had learned in Hero Studies class.

‘Even if it looks real, a Hero’s World is still an imitation. That’s why the range of activity inside it is limited like this.’

If this Hero’s World had already been conquered several times before, there’d be no need for such checks.

But Leo and Aru were the first to ever enter it.

When you don’t know how to conquer a Hero’s World, the first step is always to figure out the boundaries you can move in.

Leo tried contacting the outside world again.

“This is Kyle. Please respond.”

Still, no answer.

Narrowing his eyes, Leo stared into the air.

[Mission Objective: Find Aaron in Raysar.]

‘The objective hasn’t changed.’

During the midterm exam, the mission objective hadn’t appeared until he defeated Chubarn.

‘Then this isn’t a rampage-type world. But why can’t the outside control it?’

Leo thought back to what happened before entering.

‘When I touched Aaron’s page, it reacted.’

A hypothesis came to mind.

‘The keys known to open a Hero’s World are either the hero himself or an object deeply connected to him. These keys also serve as means of control. But what if there’s another kind of key— say, a person deeply connected to the hero?’

If such a rule existed, it would’ve been discovered long ago.

But Leo had always shown strange deviations each time he conquered a Hero’s World.

In Albi’s world, where there shouldn’t have been any conquest rewards, he had earned two—and neither were connected to Albi himself.

‘If Aaron’s world opened because of me, then it makes sense why the outside can’t control it.’

That would mean the control mechanism wasn’t external—but internal.

Of course, it could just be conjecture.

But still…

Leo looked down at his hand.

‘Was my reincarnation with all my memories really just coincidence?’

There had been many great heroes even during the Age of Calamity.

The world teetered on the brink of annihilation, and countless heroes gathered their strength to save it.

Yet every one of them met a miserable end, and ultimately, all fell into despair—

to the point where calling someone a “savior” was seen as foolish.

Lysinas, Kyle, Luna, Aaron, Dweno—

they had achieved the impossible feat at last.

That’s why the gods praised them as the Great Heroes.

They alone had done what none else could.

‘If my rebirth with memories wasn’t by chance…’

Kyle—the final hero of the Age of Calamity and the first hero of this new age, hadn’t accomplished his feat alone.

It had been possible only because he inherited the power of his companions.

If the Hero Record was arranged to allow the rebirth of those Great Heroes in the future—

‘Then if I can inherit their powers once again…’

Leo clenched his fist tightly.

‘Then even the complete subjugation of Erebos might not be impossible.’

bl

“Ugh…”

Aru groaned, clutching her pounding head.

Her mind was hazy, but she recalled the last moments before she lost consciousness.

Instantly, her ears and tail perked as she scanned her surroundings.

“Huh?”

It was an unfamiliar house, but there didn’t seem to be any immediate danger.

Tilting her head, Aru spotted Leo sleeping nearby and rushed to him.

“Wake up! Black Rabbit!”

“Ah, you’re up?”

“What happened last night? Who was that man?”

“There was a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Yeah. He thought we were intruders. But we talked it out.”

“I see…”

“Anyway, are you okay? That guy was pretty strong.”

“My body’s sturdy enough!”

Aru grinned, flexing her arm as if to prove her point.

‘She must’ve taken quite a hit, though.’

Even for a beastkin known for resilience, Agon was an extraordinary powerhouse.

Agon, the man from last night was one of the renowned heroes who had fought since before the Age of Calamity.

After Erebos began to stir and the Age of Calamity descended, he gained even greater fame by slaying countless demons.

Even as recently as six years ago in this timeline, the skies above his battlefields were a clear blue. Hence his title, “Guardian of the Azure Sky.”

Yet even that hero couldn’t stop the advance of Erebos and Tartaros.

‘And after that defeat, he drifted to Raysar and settled here.’

Though he had left the frontlines, his strength hadn’t faded.

That Aru had survived his attack—and healed already—was nothing short of remarkable.

“Hooh.”

Leo let out an impressed sound. Aru puffed up proudly.

“What? Admiring my beautiful form, are you?”

“I was just thinking how useful you’d be as a shield.”

“Who are you calling a shield, you rude little rabbit!?”

Eyes blazing, Aru lunged at Leo.

He held her back by the forehead when—

Bang—

The door swung open, and Agon entered.

Aru instantly tensed.

Even if it was a misunderstanding, the memory of being suddenly attacked was still fresh.

Seeing her stiff posture, Agon looked surprised.

“Already recovered? Did you use a potion?”

“Natural regeneration.”

“Impressive.”

Agon nodded in genuine admiration, then studied the two carefully.

His expression hardened.

“You’re younger than I thought.”

After a short pause, his face returned to its usual stoicism.

“Follow me. I’ll treat you to breakfast as an apology for last night.”

With that, he turned and left.

Aru narrowed her eyes.

“He thinks he can make up for what he did with just breakfast? It’s lucky it was me. If it were that weakling wolf, he’d still be groaning in bed!”

“You mean that ‘frail wolf’ you seemed to get along with yesterday?”

“We are not close!”

She glared at Leo, crossing her arms with a huff.

“Offering food after an attack—it’s suspicious. We should just leave.”

“He doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

“Black Rabbit, you’re too soft. You can’t judge people by appearances. Someone acting friendly could—”

Grrrgle—

Her stomach growled loudly mid-sentence, and her face turned bright red.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t eaten since yesterday.

“…Let’s eat first.”

“But still—”

“We’re inside a Hero’s World. We don’t know what might happen, so we need to keep our strength up.”

“Urgh…”

Unable to argue, Aru’s ears drooped.

Leo chuckled.

“Don’t worry. That man seems to know Aaron.”

“What? Really?”

‘Not just know him—he was Aaron’s teacher.’

Leo followed behind Agon, recalling what he knew.

A man who had taken in the orphaned Aaron, and taught him the ideals of what it meant to be a hero. A father figure.

The reason the [Brave] of today existed was because of this noble man.

Originally, Kyle’s party had intended to recruit Agon, not Aaron.

‘When we met him back then, his spirit was already broken.’

By the time Kyle’s group reached Raysar, the man once known as the Guardian of the Azure Sky was gone.

Compared to then, this Agon still seemed intact.

As for the reason— even Aaron hadn’t known. It remained a mystery.

bl

Following Agon, they arrived at a large open clearing.

Aru’s jaw dropped.

“W-What is this!?”

Children were eating there—

Humans, beastkin, dwarves, elves— all of different races and ages, yet all much younger and thinner than Leo and Aru.

“Agon, sir! Breakfast’s ready!”

The eldest-looking one, an elf girl— no older than twelve or thirteen—beamed brightly as she ran over.

“And who are the brother and sister over there?”

“Guests. I’ve already eaten, so give these two some food.”

The elf girl nodded obediently.

“Brother, sister—this way, please! I’ll serve you breakfast.”

Her mature, polite tone didn’t match her age.

Watching her, Aru lowered her head slightly— then suddenly burst into tears and shouted,

“Mister! I was wrong about you! You’re a good man!”

Her tearful voice startled even the battle-hardened Agon.

Leo just chuckled softly and looked around at the children— and then froze.

In the corner, sitting quietly, was a black-haired girl.

‘No way…’

Leo’s eyes fixed on her.

Sensing his gaze, the girl looked up, tilting her head curiously.

She didn’t recognize Leo— but Leo knew her very well.

No—more than that.

Leo rubbed the back of his right hand.

The Elemental Lord he had once made a contract with—

‘Shadow Elemental, Elsie.’