Editor : Amethyst00



The moment Leo realized he had entered the Hero's World, his eyes snapped open.

Leo looked around.

'A makeshift tent.'

The place where Leo had opened his eyes was inside a tent typically used in the battlefield.

Leo got up from the bedding on one side of the fairly spacious tent and walked over to a small mirror nearby.

Snow-white hair and crimson eyes.

'This isn't a possession-type world. No, would that even apply the same way here in the first place?'

His face tightened as he recalled the message he had just seen.

'The Legion Record, and the world of Sillatna.'

Anyone could tell what that meant.

'Those Tartaros bastards had a Record System too.'

The Hero Record had once saved the world when it awakened.

But if Tartaros also possessed something like it too?

'Not only they could inherit the strength of powerful old demons, but also the power of Legion Commanders.'

The fragile balance that had barely held could collapse in an instant.

Leo's mind began to race.

'Could it be such relic existed long ago? No, that impossible. If such power existed from the start, the Lich King wouldn't have struggled so much to raise new commanders.'

Leo ponder.

'The Lich King possesses a fragment of Erebos. Maybe he use the fragment's power to create this…?'

'No. Even Erebos wouldn’t be able to create something like this.'

The gods referred the Hero Record as the the Record System.

Erebos was an existence on par with the gods.

In that case, it wasn't strange for him to possess knowledge about the Record System.

But possessing knowledge and actual implementation were two very different things.

The Hero Records are the very essence of the gods, created by pouring in all of their divine power.

'No matter how powerful he is, it's impossible for him alone to recreate something made by the combined power of all the gods. Besides, the Lich King only has a fragment of Erebos' power.'

With that in mind, Leo arrived at one guess.

'Did they modify an existing Hero Record?'

The Hero Record had been tainted during the process of sealing Erebos' fragment.

Although many Hero's worlds remained untouched, some had been corrupted by Erebos' power.

This page was likely one of them.

Leo organized the information he had gained from the message.

'The ruler of the world is Sillatna. The time is the prologue. The location: Forest of Monsters.'

The Forest of Monsters was originally the land of the elves.

And it was also Luna's homeland.

When it comes to Sillatna and the Forest of Monsters, only one person came to mind.

"Luna."

[System Error: An unauthorized entity has invaded the world.]

A new message appeared before his eyes.

'Unauthorized entity? Are they talking about me?'

Leo pondered.

"If this world is implemented the same way as the Hero Records… I should have entered it as a demon, beast, or monster from Tartaros."

Leo glanced around the tent.

What surrounded him were items used by elves from 5,000 years ago.

To anyone, Leo appeared to have entered the hero world as Luna, as usual.

Fsshh—

Leo stepped outside the tent.

The ash-gray sky, symbolizing the Age of Calamity, loomed overhead.

Elves bustled about in large numbers around him.

Leo muttered as he took in the sight.

'As I thought, this was originally Luna's world. So, what I supposed to do then? Prevent the Tartaros bastards from conquering this world?'

"Ah, you're awake, Lady Luna!"

"Luna?"

An elf youth, holding a spear in one hand and a shining shield in the other, called out to Luna.

Leo instinctively looked around searching for Luna.

In the hero's world, Luna retained memories from the past world.

Would the Luna of this world remember what had happened outside?

'What should I say to her?'

Leo recalled the moment he had parted ways with Luna.

At that time, Luna wasn't a being manifested through the Hero Record, but a spirit.

'Would she remember that?'

Just as Leo's eyes wavered slightly, the elf youth who had called out to Luna approached.

"Lady Luna! There's movement from the Monster Queen in the heart of the forest!"

Leo paused at those words.

"Luna?"

"Yes?"

"You're calling me Luna?"

"……"

The elf youth covered his face with his hand at Leo's question.

"Lady Luna, today is the crucial battle that could determine the reclamation of the forest! Yet you were drinking heavily even until the night before the battle?"

Seeing the elf youth's tearful expression, Leo glanced at the shield in his hand and saw his reflection.

No matter how he looked, it was the face of Leo Plov.

"What's going on?"

"Lord Akint… it's regarding Lady Luna…"

At that moment, a voice was heard.

Leo turned toward it.

A familiar figure was approaching.

Akint Lubecia.

Luna's magic teacher and benefactor.

He was also the one Leo had possessed in previous Luna's world.

"Luna, have you been drinking again?"

Akint asked with a deep sigh.

Seeing this, Leo thought.

'Looks like… people in this world see me as Luna.'

At the same time, he realized exactly when this was.

'Just before Luna joins the subjugation force.'

The moment when he and Lysinas had come to recruit Luna after defeating Jörmungandr.

It was when the elves united and marched into the Forest of Monsters to reclaim their stolen homeland.

'The elves lost this battle.'

Leo looked at Akint.

'And this man also died here.'

bl

Whoooosh! Fwoooom—!

Rhys looked up at the Gigantes slamming down a massive fireball at him.

"What are you doing! That's Hellfire! Dodge it!"

Abad shouted urgently.

Rhys replied while glancing back at him.

"Abad, prepare your spell."

Leaving those brief words, Rhys raised his sword against the blazing Gigantes.

Fwooom! Clanggg—!

Rhys's flame aura clashed with the Hellfire, the most destructive of fire spells, and astonishingly, it managed to overpower it and engulfing the Gigantes' arm.

Roooaaaar!

The Gigantes let out a scream of pain while clutching its now-ashened arm,

"He even took out the defensive magic in one strike?"

Abad, impressed, unleashed the spell he had been preparing.

A storm erupted as he released dozens of wind spells at once, stored without incantation.

The terrifying part: the storm's wind was sharp as blades.

Ssssshhhkkk!

ROOOOOAARR!

The combined explosion of Abad's massive spell was beyond imagination.

Thud, splatter—!

Chunks of flesh and blood from the Gigantes rained down like a storm.

Boom—! Splat—!

The Gigantes' head plummeted into a pool of blood, oozing with blood.

Though its body was shredded, the Gigantes still clung to life.

As Rhys approached to finish it off with a cold expression—

"Pathetic."

A chilling voice cut through the air.

Rhys stopped in his tracks.

"You gained the body of a powerful monster as a raid reward, and yet you were defeated by a mere rookie who hasn't even become a hero?"

"A skeleton?"

A skeleton emerged beside the Gigantes, glowing as it transformed into a dwarf.

Abad scowled as he recognized the face.

"The Saint of Regeneration?"

The Saint of Regeneration was once hailed as the strongest healer in hero history.

Known for healing any wound as long as there was life.

Zorua used that power to restore the Gigantes.

RUMBLE—!

The Gigantes swiftly returned to its original form and rose again.

Seeing this, Rhys spoke.

"You're the Hero Slayer, aren't you?"

Zorua glanced at him.

"Rhys Zerdinger. And…"

KRAKKA-BOOM!

A gust of wind tore Zorua apart.

"No chanting?"

Greed flickered in Zorua's eyes.

"As expected of Lewellin's successor. Impressive ability. I'd love to hunt you now, but…"

His gaze shifted upward.

"There's something I need to take care of first."

Zorua's killing intent turned to the sky.

"Reina Zerdinger. I'll make you regret giving birth to Leo Plov."

'He's after my aunt!'

Realizing Zorua's target, Rhys prepared to strike, but—

KRAKKA-KRASH!

The Gigantes' massive arm came down on him.

WHACK—!

Rhys's sword cleaved the arm clean off.

FSSHHH—!

Blood gushed like a fountain, instantly vaporized by Rhys's flames.

He set his sights on Zorua.

But that brief moment was enough for Zorua to soar into the sky.

"Ulta!"

Rhys shouted urgently.

His aura-laced voice echoed across the entire Plov territory.

Ulta flinched at the call, sensed Zorua's presence, and tried to move—

But Zorua, moving like lightning, snatched Reina off her Pegasus first.

"Lady Reina!"

"Aunt!"

Ulta and Celia rushed to help Reina.

But Zorua vanished with magic first.

"Hero candidates? They're no match for me."

Zorua sneered after teleporting a distance away.

He now had the form of a beastkin.

"Looks like you're enjoying this—bragging about beating kids way weaker than you. You must've gotten humiliated by Leo, huh?"

Bound by the neck, Reina mocked him.

Zorua's gaze turned cold.

"Are you really too stupid to realize why I'm here? Leo Plov is dead."

"Really? Seeing you messed-up faced of yours, its certainly doesn't seem like it?"

Reina sneered again.

"The fact you dragged me here just to vent your anger on me who you previously ignored, right?"

"You bitch…!"

Zorua's face twisted, then curled into a smirk.

"Fine. If Leo Plov's still alive, throwing him your mangled corpse might do the trick. That'd mess with his head."

Zorua radiated dark intent.

"Do it."

"What?"

"He won't be shaken that easily."

Seeing Reina smile calmly, Zorua's face stiffened.

"You'll never beat my son."

Reina's unwavering demeanor enraged Zorua beyond measure.

"I'll make you regret ever opening that mouth!"

ROOOOOAAAR—!

A terrifying energy erupted from Zorua, but Reina smiled.

'This… might be it.'

She didn't think she'd survive.

But—

No matter how much pain she endured, she would still smile.

'Because Leo will be okay.'

She had no doubt that her son wouldn't waver.

'Sorry, Dade.'

As she offered her final apology to her husband and closed her eyes—

["Shall I help you?"]

'Huh?'

["I asked if you need help."]

'Who are you?'

["I am Ishtar, The Fire Elemental Lord of Purification."]