Chapter 7: The Mission is a Hero!

"Sure enough, my body feels much lighter."

Holding his weapon with both hands, Nick kicked off the ground forcefully and swung his sword at Rich in a diagonal slash.

Although his stance was still clumsy, the story would inevitably change with overwhelming strength and agility.

Dust rose in the wake of the sword's wind pressure as it swung close to the ground, and the sharp sound of it slicing through the air echoed clearly.

After dispersing the magic power Rich had gathered, he launched another bolt of lightning, but Nick easily dodged it. The occasional grazing attacks seemed to have no effect, and he pressed forward.

Seeing Rich use a flying spell to retreat to a distance to avoid a powerful sword swing, Nick’s lips curled into a slight smile.

"Have you almost used up all your mana?"

"…."

Pierced to the core, Rich let out a groan and glanced around.

The wild boars, whose minds had been freed, had either fled or died. The dryads and golems were quietly watching this side.

"An immortal body and an unknown language. Could you be a fragment of Chaos? You’ve been too isolated in your laboratory, lagging behind the world’s information."

"This is just showing off until the end…."

"Kukuku. If I had known, I should have tempted you with something else. A fragment of Chaos is, after all…."

"Explanation guy, out!"

Interrupting Rich’s attempt to speak, Nick swung his sword with a look of annoyance.

Crack!

Rich’s body, drained of magic power, crumbled away, a far cry from his initial grandeur. The murky magic power that had been in his body scattered in all directions, and then...

"…At the very least, I will take one companion on my journey."

In a final desperate attempt, the dark red mana that had been writhing gathered in one place, emitting an even more malevolent aura as it enveloped Ein.

"A technique that twists and entangles the soul of the opponent. An incurable dark art created by this body! Die!"

"Aaaaaah!"

The attack was faster and more sudden than ever, leaving no room to dodge. Ein shut his eyes tightly as he was hit by the dark red magic.

But when nothing happened, Ein cautiously opened his eyes again.

"Aaaaaah… Huh?"

On the contrary, it was Rich who was shocked.

"…What, why is there no reaction? Why!"

"Well, I don’t know…."

"It can’t be… This is, this is something I created… something that defies the laws of the world…."

Rich screamed in disbelief and soon collapsed, turning into a pile of bone dust. All that remained were a half-broken staff, a robe, and a sinister black fragment.

Nick tilted his head and looked at Ein, who could only shrug with a bewildered expression.

"It must be because he was about to die, so he lost his power."

"Is that so? But, I spent almost a few thousand won on feathers, and all I got was this junk?"

"…It’s definitely less than expected."

If he had gone through all that trouble and only got something like that, Nick would have been disheartened too. With a gloomy face, Nick grumbled, and Ein, feeling uneasy, cautiously approached.

"My rare item… my money… this can’t be…."

"Calm down, Mr. Nick. You’ve definitely grown from this experience."

"Huh? You’re right? My stats went crazy!!!"

Despite his tattered and battered appearance, Nick was jumping around excitedly.

Startled by his appearance, Ein stopped him.

"Don’t jump around like that! We need to heal you first!"

"That’s true, but it’s not that painful. My sensitivity is maxed out, and I just changed my class… Oh right, I got a new job!"

"You mean you’ve decided on a new job?"

"No, it was just decided for me."

While Ein was tilting his head in confusion, the wolf therianthrope, golem, and dryad, having finished their preparations, approached.

They all exuded a strong aura, indicating that their injuries had mostly healed. The wolf therianthrope, with his arms crossed, sniffed the air, as if smelling Nick.

While Ein was thinking about touching his nose, the wolf therianthrope stared at Nick and muttered.

"…They say that one’s fate is determined by the path they walk. It’s a kind of revelation or mission."

"Right, here they don’t call it a job, but a mission."

With an awkward laugh, Mr. Mohajin, the wolf therianthrope, stepped back, and the golem, Iph, put on a neat outfit. Both Nick and Ein were slightly shocked to see a golem wearing clothes, but Iph approached and spoke in a gentle tone.

"It’s an honor to see a fragment of Chaos. If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell us your mission?"

"Uh…? It’s a bit embarrassing to say."

Nick’s cheeks turned slightly red as he laughed. Ein, who was also curious, pretended not to care but perked up his ears.

After a few moments of hesitation, Nick rolled his eyes and continued.

"Hero."

"Hero…! That’s amazing! So cool!"

Nick’s face was a mix of embarrassment and pride, but Ein genuinely thought the title suited him.

Just thinking about his actions earlier, from standing in front to protect him, he truly embodied the qualities of a hero.

The wolf therianthrope, looking somewhat relieved, nodded to the others and let out a low, satisfied growl.

"Even a fragment of Chaos can have such a disposition? It fits quite well."

Gradually getting used to the compliments, Nick spoke excitedly.

"This is probably a hidden mission. I checked the inventory, homepage, and forums, but I haven’t seen the mission ‘Hero’ yet. It might be because the open beta hasn’t been out for long…."

"Inventory…? Homepage…? What are those…?"

"There are such things."

When the therianthrope asked, Ein lightly poked his side, adding that it might be dangerous to know too much about the divine realm.

"Your stats went crazy just now, right? They’ve returned now, but I haven’t checked the skill descriptions yet. Wait and see."

Nick hummed a tune, made a few gestures, and checked his skill window.

To the others, it just looked like he was waving his hands in the air, but Ein watched with a pleased expression as Nick happily explained.

"Passive: Stronger Against Stronger. Stats increase proportionally when facing strong enemies or mysterious dangers, but decrease when facing weaker enemies or maintaining peace for a long time… What’s this? Passive: Knight of Justice. Looks cool on a white horse. What…? Stats decrease for a certain time if you deliberately ignore or commit injustice. Stats increase proportionally with those who truly believe you are a hero, but spread infamy and…."

Nick’s face grew darker as he read on. After a while, he nodded with a very calm expression.

"This is a terrible character."

Although it was a word Ein had never heard before, he was sure it wasn’t a good thing from Nick’s expression.

***

"I’m going to delete my character… But, it’s also a hassle to delete… Damn, I should have read the terms and conditions carefully. It’s like a personal information agreement…."

"Are you really okay…?"

Nick had been muttering the same thing with a gloomy face, and Ein was trying his best to comfort him.

"How cool is it? It’s like something out of a fairy tale…!"

"I’m a solo player. This is a job for masochists who love suffering."

"Is a hero a masochist…?"

Why does he hate being a hero so much? He helped so bravely earlier. Ein couldn’t understand why Nick was acting this way.

Meanwhile, the wolf therianthrope and his group seemed to have finished all their healing and preparations and called the two over.

The dryads and golems who had come to support had returned to the earth, and the others were fully recovered.

'Looking at them now, they’re not a common combination.'

On the offensive side, the therianthrope was of the Arang race, known for their unparalleled prowess. The scars on his face indicated a high rank among them.

Dryads, who live in deep forests, rarely leave their own woods, and the golem race was one Ein had never seen before.

A race that doesn’t age unless their core is destroyed and can repair any injury as long as the elements that make up their body are present.

But together, they formed a good combination of offense, support, and defense. Their camaraderie also seemed strong.

Noticing his envious gaze, the dryad, Sahabati, tapped on the tree bark and gently patted Ein’s head with a soft smile.

"Good children, we would like to treat you, but we must leave now."

"Ah, yes! Thank you for your hard work. But, some of your companions are missing…."

Weren’t there more of them when they were in danger? As Ein looked around, the wolf therianthrope let out a low, unfriendly growl.

"They were just porters, and we can find them later. They left a strong scent of blood. Humans, it seems, are quite good at running away early."

"Ahaha…."

Ein scratched his ear, feeling embarrassed. It was always awkward to hear such comments.

The wolf therianthrope seemed to understand his reaction and cleared his throat.

"I know not all humans are like that."

"Maybe they’re just trying to survive…."

Humans, among the many intelligent races in the world, have a relatively short lifespan.

While some heroes and great mages can surpass their limits, most don’t live past 100 years.

In contrast, the therianthrope in front of Ein could live up to 200 years, and elves and dwarves even longer.

A biologist who once tried to measure the average lifespan of all races in the world gave up and fell into a slump due to the fragility of humans.

Thus, humans try to live as passionately, cowardly, and efficiently as possible within their short lifespans… some argue.

"We’re not idle either. The hero doesn’t look too good, so let’s postpone the formal introductions. We’ll introduce ourselves properly when we meet again."

"Come to think of it, I know your names, but I don’t know yours. Why not introduce yourselves?"

"I don’t want to introduce myself after showing a clumsy side."

"Cute…."

Despite his solemn tone, it was clear he was embarrassed. Ein couldn’t help but say it was cute, and the wolf therianthrope momentarily went wild, shouting, "I’m the queen of the Arang race!!"

Iph and Sahabati also seemed to agree, as they let out light laughter. The wolf therianthrope declared he would reveal his name when he could make a strong impression.

"I’ll tell you my name when you can remember it clearly and strongly. Remember that!"

"Of course. I’ll remember and look forward to it. Mr. Nick! They’re leaving."

"Okay, thanks."

"Show some proper respect!!"

"Why should I be the one to feel regretful? It smells like a follow-up quest. We’ll meet again."

Even though Ein didn’t know what a follow-up quest was, it wasn’t entirely wrong, which made it even more frustrating. As Ein held his head, Iph laughed heartily and said formally.

"You’re right. There’s no need to say a hasty goodbye. Even birds in the sky touch the ground. As long as we stand on the earth, we will meet again. Don’t be too sad."

"Th… That’s quite a way to put it."

Ein bowed to the three, and they finished their goodbyes, discussed something, and left quickly using a magic scroll.

Meanwhile, Nick was still checking his skill window, and Ein, feeling relieved, sat down to recover his stamina. Suddenly, Nick looked up and scanned the area.

"Ein! Where are they? The dog, the tree, and the rock!"

"Please stop with the nicknames. They’ve already left."

"Aaah! I should have asked them to spread my name. That would make me stronger!"

"Um… Should I keep calling you ‘Hero’ and believing in you?"

"Really? You will? I’m fine with that."

"Hero!"

Although he had asked, Nick seemed embarrassed to be called a hero, blushing and letting out a low groan.

"Wow, this… It’s not easy to hear. My stats did increase a bit. Please keep doing that in the future."

Ein continued to test the hero’s request, checking if the volume of the voice made a difference or if calling him multiple times had a greater effect.

There was a slight difference when the voice was louder, but calling him multiple times by one person had no effect. The hero looked a bit disappointed.

"That’s a shame. I was thinking of buying hundreds of recording stones and playing them all at once."

"Ugh… Return the hero."

After watching Nick for a moment, Ein chuckled and asked.

"Anyway, are you heading back to the mercenary guild now?"

"Yeah. I’ve already gathered everything I needed. I’m a bit disappointed with the items, though. I went through all that trouble and got this?"

While chatting, they finished their late preparations and were about to leave when many footsteps approached from a distance.

"Hero, wait…."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I hear something."

"What sound?"

As Ein, with a tense expression, looked in that direction, a group of people, more than a dozen, stopped and murmured upon seeing the two.

Some of them wore silver badges, indicating they were B-rank mercenaries.

"Did you happen to see a lich around here?"

"…."

They were probably the ones who had let the lich escape. Ein, who didn’t see them in a good light, replied curtly.

"You let it get away and almost caused a disaster. We just killed it and are on our way back."

"What’s with that look?"

The man who spoke first approached with a stern face. Ein, not wanting to look down on them, returned a cold expression.

"Seeing a mercenary who failed to complete a mission and almost caused civilian casualties."

"How dare you, do you know who I am…."

"Who are you?"

"Don’t you know? I’ll tell you now."

As he finished speaking, a rough aura from the man enveloped Ein.

"…I am not someone to be treated lightly by insignificant beings like you. I am the immortal fragment that remains until the end. The spark that ignites all possibilities."

I am one of the fragments of Chaos.

At the low, final sentence, Ein flinched, and the hero’s eyes narrowed.