Chapter 386

"Alright, then. Let's head to the Elven Forest first and meet Luna. It's the closest to Godthrone," Lysinas said.

Leo nodded. "And then we go to Raysar to meet Agon?"

"Exactly." Lysinas glanced at the map again before adding, "After that, we'll meet Dweno last."

With their route decided, Lysinas stretched. "Well, that settles our plans. Shall we rest for the night?"

She rolled up the map and stood. "Kyle, are you planning to keep drinking?"

"No, I should rest too."

The two left the tavern's common room and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Walking down the hallway, they parted ways at their respective rooms.

Just before entering her own, Lysinas turned back with a smile. "Looking forward to working with you, Kyle."

With that, she disappeared inside.

"Lysinas."

"Hm?"

She peeked her head out, tilting it in curiosity as Leo met her gaze.

"You're not a fool."

Lysinas' eyes widened slightly.

At this time, she was mocked as the Fool. She chased impossible ideals and clung to a hopeless dream, an ignorant lizard who spoke only of unreachable goals. Even Kyle had seen her that way back then.

And yet, she had persistently worked to recruit him, refusing to give up, dragging him out of the darkness he had let consume him. When he had taken her hand, it had been the beginning of their journey to save the world—but more than that, it had been the start of his salvation.

If it weren't for her, I would have rotted away like that forever.

He would have remained in the shadows, watching the world's destruction unfold without a shred of hope.

Now, he knew better. The wise queen who had truly sought to save the world—he could only imagine how painful it must have been for her back when she was scorned as a fool.

"You're the wisest person I know," he said.

Lysinas chuckled. "You sure are quick to start praising me now that we're in the same party."

She studied his face, then smiled softly. "Well, it's a good change. Your eyes today… They're looking toward hope. That's a good sign."

With a final smile, she stepped back inside her room.

Leo closed his own door and let out a bitter chuckle. "Looking forward to working together, huh…"

He trudged to the bed and sat down, his gaze drifting to the window.

That alone isn't enough.

They had faced countless battles together.

Leo looked down at his hands. The Great Heroes had all been each other's saviors, saving each other's lives over and over again.

If even one of us had been missing… we never could have done it.

He had met Aaron, Luna and Dweno. He had told himself he was used to seeing his comrades fall time and time again.

But I guess I'm not.

The overwhelming joy of being able to grasp the hand that had once pulled him from the abyss was crushing under the weight of knowing that this time, he would never truly be able to stand alongside them again.

Unbidden, memories of his comrades came rushing back.

The very beginning.

Had it been because he had returned to the start?

For some reason, he missed those who had gone ahead even more than usual today.

Luna, Aaron, Dweno—he shook his head and slapped his cheek lightly, then took a deep breath.

Now isn't the time to get lost in thought. First, I need to understand what's going on.

Nothing about this situation made sense.

I entered Rodia's world.

Rodia's world wasn't a Hero Dungeon. It was a proper, stabilized world. Moreover, Leo could leave whenever he wanted.

Yet, somehow, he had ended up in Lysinas' World.

What the hell is going on?

Narrowing his eyes, Leo attempted to close the Hero World. Nothing happened. No message appeared.

He knew exactly what this meant.

A Hero Dungeon.

A Hero Record had run wild inside a Hero World.

Leo frowned.

Tap, tap.

A light knocking came from the window.

Turning his head, he saw Rodia outside.

Leo stood and opened the window, allowing her to step in.

Rodia hesitated before speaking. "You're… the future Kyle, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

At his confirmation, she let out a sigh of relief and entered the room. "You startled me. This world follows a possession-type system, but since you came in as yourself, I thought maybe you were originally from here."

Hearing that, Leo nodded. "Hero Dungeons sometimes have these kinds of errors."

A Hero World normally had a fixed number of allowed entrants. But Hero Dungeons…

Hero Dungeons themselves are created from a breakdown in stability.

"Hero Dungeon?"

The unfamiliar term made Rodia furrow her brows in confusion.

Leo studied her for a moment before realizing something. "You don't know."

The Heroes of Dawn had sealed Erebos within the Hero Record and divided it, cutting off all access to the outside world. Because of that, they had never experienced the aftereffects of splitting the Hero Record—Hero Dungeons.

For thousands of years, challengers had entered the Hero World and met them, but none had stayed long enough to discuss the issues that had arisen in the present era.

After listening to Leo's brief explanation, Rodia looked troubled. "I never even imagined something like that was happening."

"The heroes of today are handling it well. You don't have to worry too much."

"I see."

"Now, back to the main question… Why are we both here?" Leo frowned. "I've never seen Lysinas' Hero Record in the present. That makes me wonder…"

His expression grew serious.

"Was it ever possible to open a Hero Record inside a Hero World when they were still intact?"

Rodia shook her head without hesitation. "No. That has never happened before. When Hero Records were first discovered and people realized they led to the Hero World, mages and scholars across the continent ran countless experiments. The strongest warriors and summoners were gathered to test the Record's possibilities."

Leo recalled learning about this in his history lessons at Lumene.

"If opening a Hero Record inside a Hero World had been possible, it would have led to infinite possibilities. Scholars tested it again and again, but not once did it work."

Leo fell silent, considering her words and mulling over the possibilities. "The difference between then and now… is the state of the Hero Record itself. And the fact that I, its owner, exist."

A theory took shape in his mind.

It happened because of me.

The Hero Record was unstable.

It had been created with divine power, but it had also been used to imprison the Primordial Evil—a force that stood as the very antithesis of divinity.

And in the process of sealing Erebos, the original Hero Record had been shattered.

The fragments had scattered, and only after painstakingly piecing them back together had it become what it was now.

"The functions still work, but proper operation is impossible. And now, the owner of the Hero Record—me—has reincarnated in the present world."

"So you're saying something that should have been impossible happened because of you, Kyle?" Rodia let out a deep sigh.

Leo watched her and said, "No, actually, this might be a good thing."

"What?" She frowned in confusion.

"Rodia, earlier you said that the record we're in—Lysinas' record—is the first Hero World you entered, right?"

"Yes."

"When I looked into history, I found that you failed to clear your first Hero World."

"…Yes. I attempted this page several more times afterward, but I failed every time."

Leo nodded. "Right. And after that, you went straight to your final chapter to block Erebos' fragment. Originally, you shouldn't have been able to enter a Hero World anymore."

"That's… Wait a moment." Her eyes widened in realization.

Leo gave her a knowing smile. "That's right, Rodia. You're currently inside a Hero World. Do you understand what that means?"

"If I clear it… it means I'll inherit Lysinas' power. That means…" She trailed off as the weight of the revelation settled.

"Yes. It means your strength, which has been stagnant for thousands of years, can finally evolve."

With each loop, Erebos' flames only grew stronger, while the Heroes of Dawn remained stuck in place. That was why their time was running out after enduring for 3,000 years. But if Rodia cleared Lysinas' world and received the completion reward, she could take a step forward.

"Of course, clearing it won't be easy," Leo said as both he and Rodia turned to the message floating before them.

[Clear Objective: …]

Hero Dungeons did not display objectives outright. Like solving a puzzle, they had to be discovered first. Only once the goal was recognized would the system update the message.

But neither Leo nor Rodia needed to search for it.

Rodia had challenged this record multiple times, and Leo—he was the one who had achieved this greatest feat.

Rodia opened her mouth, barely whispering the name, "The King of Gluttony… Jörmungandr."

[Clear Objective: Defeat the King of Gluttony.]

The objective updated instantly.

Lysinas and Kyle. The first great battle recorded in their pages.

Even now, after slaying Erebos, Leo could say with certainty—his battle against Jörmungandr had been one of the most harrowing fights of his life.

Rodia swallowed hard as she stared at the notification. Leo, meanwhile, simply gazed at the words before him.

Jörmungandr, the King of Gluttony.

The Lich King, Hell Kaiser, was the Supreme Commander of Tartaros, a being who stood leagues above the other generals in strength. The Queen of Monsters Sillatna and the Giant King Giath were often grouped with him as the Three Generals, but that was only because they were the few surviving generals after the Age of Calamity. In terms of raw power, both of them were considered a tier below Hell Kaiser.

Hell Kaiser was the absolute ruler of Tartaros, the master of death, a sinister and terrifying force that commanded an unending army.

Yet, in a different way, Jörmungandr was even more dangerous than Hell Kaiser.

"A general's greatest threat is their army," Leo muttered.

The legions they led were an overwhelming force.

"But Jörmungandr is different," he said, recalling the monstrosity. "He doesn't lead an army."

Despite holding the title of general, Jörmungandr had no legion. No, rather—he devoured his own.

"Tartaros is home to countless abominations. But among them, he was the most horrifying of all."

There was a reason Jörmungandr was called the King of Gluttony.

He consumed everything. Like a ravenous beast cursed with eternal hunger, he devoured anything in sight. A monster that swallowed all and spread darkness in its wake.

"A general without need for a legion… No, a monster that could be called an army all on its own," Rodia said, her voice trembling.

She had failed over and over again for one reason—Jörmungandr was one of the strongest demons to ever exist.

The sheer terror of that power, the countless times she had fallen before it, all flashed through her mind.

"Can we do this?" she asked.

Leo looked down at his hand. "We must… because it's the only way forward."