Chapter 379

379.

“Great God of Shadows, might I inquire the reason for your search for me?”

There was no longer any trace of hesitation in gauging Leo.

From the moment of meeting Leo directly, Kirin’s demeanor had transformed completely.

With her knees bent, Kirin raised her gaze toward Leo, her hands pressed together in reverence, just like someone praying to a deity.

Leaning back in his chair, Leo, who rested his chin on his hand, clicked his tongue.

“I’m no god.”

“No, to us, you are like a god. The one who saved all shadows is the absolute light.”

By appearances alone, Leo was merely a sixteen-year-old boy.

Of course, considering his deeds, it was astonishing.

Not only did he become the Student Council President of Lumeran in his first year of school, but he also proved he possessed the strength befitting his position in his second year.

The Hero Record he had accomplished was no trivial matter.

Leo had officially conquered the realms of Luna and Dwenno.

Unofficially, during the summer break of his first year, he also took part in the Azonia admission test and managed to conquer Aron’s world.

While heroes acclaimed by the gods toiled all their lives, they might not even get an opportunity to conquer the Great Hero’s World, yet Leo had already taken down three of them.

That wasn’t the end.

Even the Comet Wizard Seirun, one of the Heroes of the Cataclysm, acknowledged him.

The general populace no longer viewed Leo merely as a Hero Candidate.

They firmly believed that it wouldn’t be long before Leo would earn a place in the Hero Record and become a true hero.

All of this was “publicly” known information.

But there was another undisclosed Hero Record within the world.

The Owner of the Book of Shadows and the Master of the Shan Empire.

‘Even that alone is impressive…’

Kirin smiled as she looked up at Leo.

As the Shadow Lord who spent a long time eliminating traitors and demons in the dark, her existence was kept secret from the world.

But Kirin possessed an experience and power so overwhelming that even heroes inscribed in the Hero Record would pale in comparison.

Watching Leo’s performance in the arena through recordings, she was already impressed enough to consider him worthy of ruling Shan.

But meeting him in person revealed a side of Leo that the recordings couldn’t convey.

Most prominently, the abyss of darkness nested within Leo’s crimson eyes, which even she, the Shadow Lord, couldn’t fathom.

The incomprehensible existence who held both the brilliance of a hero and an unfathomable darkness as a shadow—such a mysterious being.

‘What else would you call someone like this other than a god?’

Leo sighed after noticing something in the way Kirin looked at him.

‘Not in Anas’s meaning, but her admiration feels quite intense.’

The daughter of the Northern Shadow Lord, Anas, had followed Leo since the moment she first saw him.

It was a result of Anas’s beliefs—to become a servant of a noble hero who could step into the dirty parts of the world to save it.

An ideal and belief that Anas had long upheld as a shadow, and Leo matched perfectly, so she chose to follow him.

Anas believed Leo to be the great hero destined to rid the world of evil.

But Kirin looked at Leo solely as a shadow.

Leo understood the beliefs on which she stood.

‘Eliminate all that threatens the world from the depths of the shadow.’

She wouldn’t follow a hero like the other shadows do.

She lived by her own set of beliefs.

The arrival of the Book of Shadows allowed such beliefs to be recognized.

Shadows had gained a status equal to heroes.

It was apparent that Kirin regarded Leo, the ultimate shadow who made this possible, as a deity.

‘You can tell by her eyes.’

Leo recognized those eyes.

An emotion that seemed lost in the current era.

A long time ago, back in the Era of Catastrophe and the Age of Gods, this emotion could be seen.

‘The Elf Pureblood Society had eyes similar to hers.’

What flickered within Kirin’s gaze transcended mere faith—it bordered on fanaticism.

‘Communication might not be too effective with her. Well, however, it won’t harm me much either.’

Recognizing that communication would be futile with this kind of person, Leo decided to simply let it be.

“We’ve come to explore the underground labyrinth.”

“Granting access isn’t difficult, but I assume you won’t find what you seek. There is no Hero Dungeon here.”

“I know. What I’m after is the treasure the Dragon of the Cataclysm, Rodia, left behind.”

“The Dragon of the Cataclysm?”

Chen Sia, who had been listening by Leo’s side, widened her eyes.

“The Dragon of the Cataclysm. Treasure belonging to Rodia-sama… Beyond the seal at the end of this maze lies a powerful dark force, which we’ve managed carefully due to it being dangerous, but I never once thought that the seal was to protect Rodia-sama’s treasure.”

“A dark force, you say?”

“Yes.”

At Kirin’s answer, Leo fell into thought.

‘Rael told me that Rodia left things related to Rissinas here in this vault. And there’s a dark force sensed from there?’

Rissinas of the Wisdom, the leader of the Great Heroes, and the great dragon who guided the world to salvation.

Every Great Hero is extraordinary, but Rissinas stands out even more.

If Leo had to pick the most noble being in this world, there would be no hesitation in selecting Rissinas.

It wasn’t because she aimed to save the world.

‘The Era of Catastrophe was a time when everything was plummeting.’

An era where everyone was endlessly descending into depravity.

An era where purity was lost, and everything became grotesque.

Conscience and humanity were the subjects of ridicule.

And yet, there were those who shone brightly.

Luna, Aron, and Dwenno were among them.

Losing no light, they must have joined the hunting party without hesitation.

But even they couldn’t bring themselves to think about saving the world.

No, the state of the world at that time was so filthy that even they turned their backs on it.

Rissinas carried all that and attempted to save the world.

She didn’t hesitate to save even those who had become corrupted.

She smiled and said that they would remember their original selves if they saw the light and hope.

If Kyle was the Hero of the Beginning who ended the Era of Catastrophe and paved the way for a new era, then Rissinas was the starting point of salvation, leading the world with light.

The wisest, purest, and most compassionate until the end, Rissinas, but even she harbored a dislike for something.

Only Leo knew about Rissinas’s complex.

‘Darkness.’

Rissinas was a black dragon.

And black dragons were dragons that sustained themselves on darkness.

During the Age of Catastrophe, dragons were the first to fall into depravity.

So many dragons abandoned the world after falling endlessly into corruption.

One can’t blame them.

What they did during the Age of Gods was what Kyle did and what the shadows continue to do now.

The race most familiar with darkness, aside from demons, were the dragons.

The black dragons that swallowed the demons of Tartarus and grew their power.

Hence, Rissinas truly hated the darkness she harbored within herself.

The long journey of defeating Tartarus and Erebos.

During that time, Rissinas achieved tremendous feats as both a wizard and a summoner.

She is remembered by people today as the strongest summoner in history.

Indeed, the basic principles of necromancy, familiar summoning, and spirit magic used in this era were all created by Rissinas.

Rissinas was often underrated in terms of her accomplishments with magic.

Had it not been for Luna, Rissinas would have been celebrated as the greatest magician in the history of magic.

Reinterpreting the curses of the demons of Tartarus, she not only developed Dragon Incantation Magic but also established the existing framework for it.

‘Rissinas’s biggest feat must be making the unique magic of each dragon accessible to all dragons.’

Originally, the unique magic of a fire dragon could only be used by fire dragons, but in today’s era, fire dragons use the unique magics of water dragons.

‘The primary reason dragons are called the strongest race is because of this influence.’

They were already a powerful race, but the status of dragons in the present day far surpasses their standing during the Age of Gods.

However, the unique magic Rissinas never passed on was that of the black dragons.

It was a magic even her comrade, Leo, didn’t know of.

Rissinas believed that if she had embraced her identity as a black dragon, she wouldn’t have been able to save the world.

‘It’s a fact too.’

If Rissinas had ruthlessly cut down those she deemed unworthy, the world wouldn’t have been saved.

She could save the world because she was capable of embracing its ugly sides.

And the role that fulfilled what Rissinas could not was Kyle.

‘Because I was the most suitable candidate.’

Even those who had become disgracefully stained couldn’t be carried beyond a certain point.

Eliminating them was Kyle’s job.

‘He fretted unnecessarily often.’

Leo bitterly smiled recalling old events and pondered deeply.

‘If it’s the dark force related to Rissinas… perhaps it is the unique magic of the black dragons she never told me about.’

A magic she hadn’t disclosed even to herself.

However, the unique magic might have been passed down to Rodia, who conquered Rissinas’ realm.

Considering the properties of the Hero Record, Leo could likely inherit any Rissinas’s power that he wasn’t aware of.

Just as Leo was reaching that conclusion,

Swish-

A beastman appeared from the shadows.

Calmly, Leo, Chen Sia, and Kirin observed the man.

“Master.”

“What is it?”

“There’s been a report of a possible Hero Dungeon outbreak in the Forest of Monsters.”

Hearing this, Leo’s eyes twitched.

*

Creak-Creak-

In the dark night of Guardstron.

Kyle, his whole body covered in bl**d, returned home to find Rissinas sitting on the barren garden’s bench.

As Kyle approached, Rissinas stood up.

“Welcome back, Kyle.”

“What are you doing out here? It’s late.”

“I heard from Dwenno. That you….”

Rissinas clenched her teeth.

“…Went to exterminate the traitors. I was waiting because I was worried.”

“Worried? Fighting those pathetic traitors is nothing compared to facing the monsters from Tartarus. So, no need to worry.”

“That’s not what I’m concerned about.”

Reaching out, Rissinas attempted to grab Kyle before he could pass her and enter the house.

Kyle sidestepped her outstretched hand.

Rissinas’ hand sliced through the air.

Watching her fluster, Kyle shook his head.

“Your hands shouldn’t touch something so filthy.”

Kyle didn’t want Rissinas’ body to get stained with the bl**d of traitors.

The bl**d of useless trash unworthy of compassion on an already foolish person who had embraced the entirety of the world.

The statement caused Rissinas to furrow her brows.

And with a sigh, she reached out forcibly grabbing Kyle’s hand.

“Absolutely not dirty. You?”

She gripped Kyle’s scarred and bloodied hand, smiling with compassion.

“For me, for your friends, for the world. Your hands dipped in darkness are absolutely not dirty.”

Her gentle yet firm tone made Kyle smirk bitterly.

“Rather, I’m worried. I’m afraid your purity will be tainted if you keep doing this.”

“If I get contaminated so easily, it would’ve happened already.”

Kyle chuckled.

Watching her worried expression, he unconsciously extended his hand to pat her head.

This made Rissinas flinch.

“Ah, you don’t like your head being touched?”

“No! It’s fine!”

“Unlike before when I touched Luna’s head with bloodstained hands, causing her to go berserk?”

“That’s because she’s picky!”

“You’d probably feel the same way.”

Kyle opened the door.

“I’ll wait inside. After you wash up….”

“It’s too late. What are you waiting for? Go wash up.”

“Exactly. It’s not about waiting for something specific, but since it is late, I thought I’d stay over at your place. That’s what I meant.”

“You’ll be uncomfortable being with me all the time. You already could’ve used the teleportation magic to head home. Stop worrying about me too much. Just relax and rest well tonight – you must be tired.”

Today, Rissinas had fought off the demon clans that attacked Guardstron earlier.

Kyle, showing consideration to his friend, entered the house and closed the door.

As Rissinas watched the annoyingly closed door, she grabbed her hair in frustration.

“Idiot! Why flinch and tense up like that?”

While Kyle frequently patted Luna’s head, he had never once touched Rissinas’s.

The reason was simple.

Rissinas was more the leader to Kyle than a friend or companion.

Strict Kyle respects Rissinas as a leader despite teasingly calling her a lizard or worse during disagreements.

For Rissinas, it was an absurd and irritating form of respect.

So there were moments when she envied the brotherly relationship between Kyle and Luna.

And today, for the very first time, he reached out to pat her head, but she missed the chance due to unnecessary tension.

Cursing herself, Rissinas gritted her teeth while looking at the closed door.

The noble dragon that she was, she despised vulgar language.

But during times like these, there was one word that unconsciously slipped out of her mouth.

“Really, such a dummy.”