Chapter 9: The Start of the Adventure!

"Take this as well."

"How am I supposed to carry this?"

The vice-guild leader put down a load almost as big as his own body.

Inside were all kinds of food, enough to last two people a month comfortably.

The problem was that the owner of the load, Ain, couldn't possibly carry it. However, the vice-guild leader didn't seem willing to back down.

"It's just a week's worth of food."

After some back and forth, they finally decided to put the food into the hero's inventory, a magical item.

"This looks like a regular bag, but anything can fit inside. Sir Hero, you really have some amazing things."

"It's nothing. It's strange not to have an inventory."

"At least the luggage problem is lessened... Are you ready? You didn't forget anything at the inn, did you?"

"I haven't been here long. I should be asking you."

"I haven't forgotten anything either!"

"But you must have forgotten something?"

The last voice came from behind.

There, leaning against the wall with a sly smile, was the guild leader.

Ain started to sweat coldly on his face and back. Whenever he smiled like that, it never ended well.

"Was it a double life of a mermaid and a dragon? That book."

"I returned it! How did you know about it in the first place?"

"It's still in the drawer?"

"What? Is it a sequel? Sir Hero, I'll be right back."

Ain, looking flustered, made to leave. The guild leader, with a playful grin, beckoned him closer.

"Just kidding. You forgot to say goodbye. We might not meet again."

"...Oh, really."

Ain sighed deeply. If he had just done this from the start, he wouldn't have had to tease him. In a way, he was less honest with his emotions than the vice-guild leader.

"..."

Finally, Ain looked back and forth between the guild leader and the vice-guild leader.

Even in a small town, being the leader of a mercenary guild meant having considerable skill. Especially these two.

As kingdom-affiliated mercenaries, they often took on difficult and important missions due to their exceptional skills.

Among them, national-level missions to eliminate disaster-level monsters often resulted in fatalities. Recently, such incidents were becoming more frequent.

Knowing this, Ain couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, wondering if this might be the last time.

"...It feels like a final farewell..."

Seeing Ain's sad face, they smiled and hugged him, finding him endearing.

"Oh, you crybaby. What are we going to do with two country bumpkins? We'll scratch our bellies and meet again, so don't worry. Just say goodbye and go quickly."

"I don't want to be forced. I'll just leave with some lingering thoughts."

"Gart, look at this kid. He's not even saying goodbye. After all the trouble we went through to raise him..."

"He was older than us when we met him."

"You need to read the room a bit better."

Seeing the bickering duo, Ain smiled and, in the end, didn't say goodbye, running to where the hero was.

"I kept you waiting! I'm sorry."

"It's fine. It was touching. I always watch the trailer to the end. Oh, wait!"

Nick, who was speaking, suddenly grabbed Ain's face and looked at him seriously.

"Don't turn around at the last moment with a wistful, teary-eyed look and say goodbye."

"What?"

"It's an irreversible death flag. It's a typical story line that gamers can sense. The moment you do that, the guild leader and vice-guild leader will say, 'Now we can go in peace,' and soon this place will be a sea of fire. Major disasters always start from small towns."

The mixed words and ominous sentences felt like a prophecy from a deranged priest.

"Ah, I understand."

"Good... Just go like this, no problem."

Ain, with his body stiff, forced himself to move and take a step.

Through his small, pointed ears, he could clearly hear the vice-guild leader's voice blessing him.

After walking a bit, when the guild was almost out of sight, Ain stopped.

"Is this far enough?"

"Can you see the guild leader or vice-guild leader translucently from the sky?"

"...No...?"

"Good. That's enough."

After starting his journey for less than an hour, Ain felt completely drained and plopped down on the ground.

"Are they safe now? Sir Hero. I... did it!"

"You really have a soft heart."

"Because those two are so important... I'm grateful for the important prophecy they gave me."

"Prophecy?"

"Yes! They gave me a prophecy."

Nick's face became complicated, as if he had just realized that the candy he took from a child was actually the child's only meal.

"That was half a joke... But don't ask for it lightly."

"Okay!"

Usually, he seemed so nonchalant and casual, but the power to change fate shouldn't be taken lightly. Ain thought this and was once again moved by Nick's effort for him.

Nick smiled awkwardly and looked up at the sky.

"And if it's a prophecy... it's not me, but someone higher up."

"What?!"

The symbol of immortality that exists until the very end, chaos, which can cause any possibility, belongs to the highest level among divine beings.

The idea that there was a higher level than that was unimaginable to Ain.

"Who... who are they?"

"GM and developers."

"GM? Developers?"

"Yes. To put it bluntly, if one of them decides to quit and causes a fuss, they could destroy or mess up this world."

'One of them.' Could there be several beings with such power to control the world? Ain felt a chill and made a mental note that quitting was like falling into temptation, and sincerely hoped they wouldn't fall into it.

In ancient legends, there are frequent records of high-ranking angels who fell and destroyed a country after failing to resist the devil's temptation.

"GM... It sounds like an abbreviation."

"Yes, it is. What kind of abbreviation...?"

"Grand Master?"

"Hmm..."

Ain knew many strong words starting with G: Gig, Grand, General...

"Or... Genocide?!"

"Don't worry, it's not that. I shouldn't have said anything."

Nick didn't say anything more, saying, "There are things in the world you don't need to know."

Ain, fearing that he might be punished for knowing too much, also wanted to know someday.

If he knew, he could change many things in this world.

"Will there ever be a day when I fight a GM or developer?"

At this, Nick shook his head vigorously.

"No. Then I'm done for. I'll be banned from the capsule IP. Not just the IP, but my iris data will be banned, leading to a lifetime ban."

Ain nodded vigorously, feeling very scared.

"Anyway, as long as they don't fall, they won't manifest and cause trouble. So, Sir Hero, you remain one of the most noble beings in this world."

"...Saying I'm noble makes me feel itchy."

"Get used to it. You're a hero now."

"Rotten character..."

"Now, I can tell from your tone. Sir Hero, go quickly to protect someone!"

"Wait, I have to go to a zoom class soon. I need to protect myself first!"

***

As Nick and Ain left the guild, they gradually became smaller and disappeared from sight. The guild leader and vice-guild leader then started their conversation.

"I'm worried now that we've sent them off."

"He'll do fine. It's our turn to do our job."

"Right... When did you say we should be there?"

"A week is left."

"Tsk. I've already asked Slau to take over, so let's leave immediately. The countryside is nice, but it's a hassle to be called away."

His tone was full of annoyance, but there was also a hint of tension.

The guild leader, Feris, rummaged through his pocket and unfolded a crumpled piece of paper.

It read that a legion of Death Knights had appeared in the ruins of the fallen empire, and they were being hired to come to the capital's royal palace. At the bottom was the king's seal.

In other words, it was a national request.

"I wanted to die in the countryside in my old age, but here we are."

"It's the effect of the open beta. There are ominous movements all over the continent, and sealed monsters are awakening."

"What did the prophecy say? A mission quest? Main scenario? I don't know, but I guess we just need to kill them all."

"Not a wrong statement."

"...I wanted to kill that PC next to Ain too. He'll come back to life, though."

Gart laughed at the cold remark.

"Probably not the fault of the PCs. And to eliminate the events happening all over the continent, not just the monsters, their power is necessary."

"Are we relics now?"

S-rank mercenary, Feris of the purple lineage.

A+ rank mercenary, Gart the Penetrator.

They were living legends who played a leading role in the annihilation of the 'Sect Herdoa,' which once swept the continent.

Even now, they had formidable skills that could put them back into action immediately. However, it was inevitable that their bodies would eventually rust and weaken.

They couldn't take risks with their single life, and their talent had limits, so there was a point where they couldn't get any stronger.

But the fragments of chaos don't die, allowing them to take any risks and grow endlessly without knowing their limits.

Despite trying not to, envy and jealousy were inevitable.

"The generational shift will happen someday."

"I won't give it up easily."

"I agree, but..."

Clank. Gart picked up the battle axe leaning in the corner of the guild.

Feris, with a black sword slung over his shoulder, crumpled the paper and put it back in his pocket, heading towards the stables.

"We didn't get to hear the final goodbye."