1.
Hero.
An individual of outstanding wisdom and talent, surpassing others in both martial prowess and courage.
Or, someone who accomplishes feats that are impossible for ordinary people, garnering fervent admiration from the masses.
And now, here.
Before a man who once deeply dreamt of becoming a hero, who chose the path of a mercenary yet never lost his integrity, a new hero has appeared.
“Please step aside.”
“Ah…!.”
The hero’s name is Yellow Dragon.
Five years ago, he appeared like a comet and within just three months became one of the top ten powers.
Though he rarely showed himself, as if he only accepted named commissions, whenever he did appear, the major problems troubling the people would vanish without a trace. Thus, some began to exclaim:
“Hero…!!”
In a moment where Mud unknowingly felt the chilling thrill that he once experienced during a certain <Warrior>‘s dispatch ceremony, he stifled a sob,
“Ao shi…!! Just run already!!”
“…Huh?”
“If you don’t, we’ll both die, Mr. Please come to your senses and escape!!”
“…Eh?”
The quiet murmuring of the hero reached Mud’s ears.
“It’s tough…tough…tough…tough…tough…too tough, I’m dying for real…!!”
“Hiiik…!!”
Realizing the insane whispers meant only for him, Mud’s senses snapped.
“G, thank you…!!”
“Shit, just go already…!!”
“Yes, yes sir!”
Mud, who had just bowed awkwardly, stood up and hurriedly fled.
Mud thought,
‘Heroes aren’t much different from us.’
They get tired just like us,
They feel fear just like us,
And they… also swear.
But still,
“Are you <Eclipse>?”
“One-sik.”
“…What?”
“Do you know Kimchi?”
“…Huh?”
Because they always stand against injustice and uphold their will—they are called heroes.
Drip.
His chest swelled with emotion, and tears flowed.
If he survives this time thanks to <Yellow Dragon> lord, he would transform this moment into the prelude of an epic hero tale.
Therefore, now is the time to announce the arrival of a new hero.
Clutching the breathless crowd, Mud shouted,
“Don’t be afraid, everyone, and wait! The strongest of the Top Ten Powers, <Yellow Dragon> Lord, has come to protect us! That’s right…!!”
Gasping for breath,
A burning throat,
Sweat streaming profusely.
In that brief moment,
Mud gathered all his strength and shouted again, focusing intensely and forgetting everything else.
“A new hero has arrived!!!”
It may be an imposing title for some, but certainly, you would accept it, wouldn’t you?
Thus, Mud continued to shout for you.
“A new hero has appeared!!!”
So that after this event concludes,
Everyone will know your name.
2.
Elsewhere.
‘Huh… that crazy guy, why is he like that?’
Nahan, who had suddenly become a hero in the blink of an eye, muttered quietly to himself as he looked at Mud, now about 20 meters away.
“If only you’d use that voice to run faster.”
“I want to escape a bit more stylishly.”
In front of Nahan hovered a red-colored system window.
【Attention.】
【<Black Wolf> No.4. <Luna(S-)> is wearing <Han’s>(S-) mask.】
【A concealed master of daggers has reemerged for <Luna(S-)'s dream.】
【*Luna’s Dream: The death of <yellow Dragon>.】Luna approached Nahan, her blade edge upright.
“Daydreaming again? All that nonsense from earlier—you’ve been stalling, haven’t you?”
“If you’d let it pass, wouldn’t you have?”
A hint of regret flickered within the expression hidden behind the mask.
“I tried. But both the fleeing brother and the brilliant brother have a nice smell. However, this time there’s nothing I can do.”
Behind the sincere voice of regret, a chilling undertone followed.
“It’s the Commander’s order, you see.”
An emerald glow curved into a frown and leaked out from under the mask, revealing no trace of doubt—only absolute loyalty to the warped ideals she believed in.
‘Side quest condition No.2: Don’t expose that <Black Wolf> is <Yellow Dragon>.’
Anyway, the most crucial part of the plan Nahan set with Dalan was just buying time.
Now that his stamina had been partially restored thanks to Iaso’s ring, Nahan feigned indifference as he adjusted his stance and asked Luna.
“Commander’s orders? So, after all the talk about swarming, you’re an organization?”
“Hmm. No need to call it that. We’ve all been saved and are merely following what has been shown to us.”
“…Is that so.”
“That’s right.”
The information Luna brought up was vaguely mentioned in the original story and setting guide.
However, to fully grasp it would require the memories of <Black Wolf>, which only returned when certain events unfolded.
‘Right now, survival, completing the side quest, and finishing the Emperor’s named commission are the top priorities.’
Nahan decided to think about it later.
After all, if he died here, everything would be meaningless.
And now,
Isn’t there something really curious?
Checking something out of the corner of his eye, Nahan turned back to Luna and asked,
“Why did you unleash a massacre here in the middle of the city?”
Didn’t I just tell you to clean up the <Black Wolf> base and then come back?
“Hmm… can I tell you? We’re not doing anything bad, after all.”
No, that’s really a bad thing.
Suppressing her twitching lips, Luna picked up Loren’s fallen head and answered,
“Cleanup, and repairs.”
“…What?”
Excuse me?
“The kids were all <Eclipse>… No, actually, Brother wouldn’t have understood. Anyway, they were all useless things feeding off innocent people.”
Eh?
“<Street Rats> and <Fanatics>. All the ones we’ve killed so far were tied to that in some way. We were just monitoring and collecting data until the Commander gave the ‘Cleanup’ order.”
“…Hmm, what if he really meant just cleaning up?”
“Ha ha! What nonsense, it’s hilarious! ‘Cleanup’ has always been the Commander’s code word! Besides, why would we clean a temporary base we were just going to abandon?!”
Uh-oh?
“Anyway, Brother, you’ll understand. We used to isolate targets carefully and act on orders, but we’ve been a bit touchy lately due to an error.”
“…Error?”
“We tried to uproot something but left them alone since it wasn’t sure. Anyway, we managed to track them all down.”
Did I only mean actual cleaning?
‘Hold on. So…’
Could it be that all the bad endings I thought were avoided… you guys did it?
As if reading Nahan’s thoughts, Luna sighed and added,
“Come to think of it, the Commander started saying ‘Cleanup’ every chance He got about a month ago.”
That’s right.
It was me.
‘My job is to prevent bad endings.’
Sighing quietly in that very moment, Nahan reconfirmed his situation.
{i}{Bam.}{/i}
Luna, dropping Loren’s head, asked,
“Done?”
“Done? What do you mean?”
“Will you die without any regrets?”
{i}{Squelch.}{/i}
A carefree foot stepped onto the pool of blood Loren had spilled.
‘…That’s why you told me.’
Whatever information she gives, she’ll eventually be silenced once she dies.
‘Dalan?’
Quickly turning his gaze to check on Dalan, it seemed like the communication wasn’t going so well on his end either since he appeared to be struggling.
‘The worst-case scenario we anticipated.’
Initially, the plan was to buy time while Nahan distracted Luna, and have Dalan retreat while being informed by Laktea about <Black Wolf>‘s retreat using <Black Wolf>‘s intentions as an excuse.
“Ugh, it’s so frustrating! You, didn’t hear what I just said!?”
“Cleanup. That’s first—!!”
Kwaang!!!
“Damn it, I’m about to lose my mind with frustration!!”
Dalar’s struggle seemed to be due to his awareness of the onlookers, as he couldn’t properly convey his message.
Ultimately, Nahan re-checked the side quest information again.
—「Side Quest Activated!」—
◆ New Hero.
:<Warrior> embarks on an <Expedition>, increasing public anxiety. The Babylonian Empire needs a new hero.
◆ Quest Conditions.
1. Drive away the <Black Wolf>.
2. Conceal that <Black Wolf> is <Yellow Dragon>.
3. Survive.
◆ Reward.
:<Eclipse>‘s attention.
◆ Failure & Refusal.
:<Yellow Dragon>‘s demise.
‘As expected, among these three conditions, the second is the most dangerous.’
Determined to do something, Nahan grasped his large sword with one hand and slowly approached Luna.
ATTENTION:
<Black Wolf - Vice Commander> – <Laktea Babylon(S+)> is suspicious of your identity.
Now, tackle the riskiest condition number two first.
{i} {Grind grind grind…}{/i}
The dry sound of the sword scraping against the ground made Luna unknowingly tense up.
‘Yellow Dragon, right?’
This person,
is stronger than imagined.
The golden strike that barely grazed my neck moments ago was at the very least on par with me even when I hadn’t fully released my limitations.
No, perhaps…
‘…She might be as strong as Sis Laktea.’
Up until now, while maintaining a casual conversation, in truth, Luna was one of the most tense moments of her life.
‘I cannot guarantee victory without removing the restrictions.’
However, without the Commander here, she couldn’t free herself entirely.
So she revealed some information while waiting for Laktea to join.
“…”
Laktea, leaning against the chimney, just stared vacantly at <Yellow Dragon>.
Luna didn’t know.
That she had already recognized <Yellow Dragon> as an existence higher than herself.
And because of this, she felt even more fear.
If I were to die right now against <Yellow Dragon>, without Sis Laktea’s help,
‘…I might never see the Commander again.’
Just when those green eyes, filled with yearning, were about to beg the golden ones watching her from above,
“One eye closed.”
“!!”
The golden figure drew closer.
Clang, clang, clang.
The chilling sound of cold armor interlocking was accompanied by a suffocating pressure enveloping Luna.
“…If you get any closer, I’ll kill you.”
“Tsk. Focus on my words.”
“I said I’ll kill you.”
Even under the oppressive atmosphere that might have already crushed an ordinary person, the man approached silently.
Clang, clang, clang.
The sweeter the scent became, the more dazzling the light turned, and the more the scars that had once covered his face itched after disappearing.
“…I don’t like it.”
{i}”Whoosh.”{/i}
The faintly pink lips behind the mask curled up slightly in a smirk.
If someone saw it, they might misunderstand, but Luna wasn’t smiling out of pleasure.
{- Smile brightly, that’s how you survive.
– Right, try smiling a bit wider.
– Brighter, until your mouth tears open.}
{That’s how you survive.}
Since she had to survive,
{i}- Don’t shake, that’s how you survive.
– Cry behind that mask when it gets too hard.
– Try, and keep trying.
– One day, you’ll be able to smile even while wearing a mask.}
Because memories of having to smile brightly enough to satisfy someone until she wouldn’t die came rushing back.
She couldn’t help but smile under the oppressive aura emitting from Yellow Dragon.
“I, I..!!”
Just as Luna, whose breathing became increasingly difficult, was unknowingly stepping backward,
{i}”Clang!”{/i}
The golden figure disappeared right before her eyes.
‘An ambush!!’
Hastily channeling mana, Luna swung her hand towards a blind spot,
{i}Psshh!{/i}
But she only sliced through empty air. She couldn’t cut down Yellow Dragon.
Mental warfare through emitted killing intent,
All strategies were nullified by unexpected ambush,
And even counterattacks were anticipated,
‘I’ve lost.’
A blade will fly from an unforeseen direction at any moment, and I’ll die within a second.
{i}Whoosh{/i}
Closing her eyes, Luna braced for the inevitable.
{- Let’s live on, Luna. Do it so that no one like us will appear again.}
Sorry, Commander.
I might not be able to keep the promise.
‘Don’t want to die without at least shaking hands with the Commander one last time.’
Is it because death is drawing close?
‘What? Where is Yellow Dragon?’
Despite feeling unusually slow, she clenched her eyes tight again upon realizing the lingering presence of death.
And then, she heard Yellow Dragon’s voice.
“I want to live.”
…From below.
“?”
Lowering her head instinctively in the direction of the voice, Luna saw Yellow Dragon lying prone on the ground, his head slightly raised, pleading.
“Please spare me.”
“?”
“Just let me live.”
Seeing Yellow Dragon, who had suddenly changed his demeanor and lay prostrate, Luna thought,
…What is this guy?
“Don’t you feel offended by the rude talk? In that case, I apologize. Please save me, Luna.”
…What the hell is this guy?
Confused, Luna watched as Nahan, inside the helmet, smiled faintly upon reading the floating status window that had appeared.
【<Black Wolf - Vice Commander> – <Laktea Babylon(S+)> has dropped her suspicions.】
He did it!
He gained a turn!
3.
【<Black Wolf - Vice Commander> – <Laktea Babylon(S+)> has dropped her suspicions.】
“…The Commander would never…”
The cold golden eyes shifted away from me as the status window appeared.
‘As expected, Laktea is the most dangerous.’
Right now, while impersonating Yellow Dragon, no one suspected my true identity. But from the moment I arrived, Lekteahad kept her gaze fixed on me.
I escaped suspicion this time because of actions that Black Wolf would never have done.
‘I need to be more careful in front of Laktea.’
As I added this new awareness to my mind, I stood up again.
“…What kind of trickery is this?”
“I just tried a little joke because the atmosphere was too tense.”
“Hah! You… Dare to toy with me, I’ll kill you this time!!”
Luna quickly distanced herself as she became wary of me, but having seen her attitude just moments ago, I understood something.
‘She was terrified because she thought I was Yellow Dragon.’
<Black Wolf>, or <Yellow Dragon>.
To be honest, right now I am clearly weaker than those two.
With a few skills and artifacts, I can manage some combat, but I’m still just a regular person who has been reincarnated into a novel.
Even with powerful skills and transcendental artifacts, overall, I’m probably somewhere between C and B rank.
The gap between someone who’s spent their entire life in this world versus someone who’s spent their entire life in the Republic of Korea is a significant disadvantage, especially in combat.
But precisely because of that,
While the ‘local’ people in this world dedicate themselves to swordsmanship and magic, there is one ability that I, who came from ‘there’, have dedicated myself to for my entire life…
【Announcement – <Acting> begins!】
【Phase 1 – <Analysis> has been completed successfully.】
【Character – Understanding of <Yellow Dragon> is skyrocketing exponentially!】
.
.
.
“This time, I really hope it succeeds.”
Otherwise, if I get scared and fail again,
“I will really die.”
As I immerse myself in acting and brandish the large sword,
“Damn…!! What the hell are you…?!!”
Luna’s hand began to tremble.
