Chapter 386

386.

“Alright, let’s head to the Elf’s Forest first and meet Luna. It’s the closest place to Guardstron.”

Lissinas said.

“Right. Then we’ll head to Leisar and meet Agon, correct?”

“That’s the plan.”

At Leo’s words, Lissinas nodded while glancing at the map.

“Finally, we should go meet Dwenno.”

They planned the order and route to meet their companions.

“Well then, since we’ve discussed everything, let’s call it a day?”

Lissinas put away the map and stood up.

“Kyle, are you planning to stay up longer?”

“I should rest tonight too.”

As Leo and Lissinas stood, they ascended to the second floor.

They parted ways in the second-floor hallway, heading to their respective rooms.

Before entering his room, Lissinas turned to Leo and smiled as he said,

“Please take care of things from here on, Kyle.”

After saying that, Lissinas stepped into his room.

“Lissinas.”

“Yeah?”

Leo called out to Lissinas, who poked his head out of the room with a puzzled look.

“You’re not a foolish one.”

Lissinas’ eyes widened at the unexpected words.

At that time, Lissinas was mocked as a foolish person. Chasing ridiculous hopes and proclaiming impossible ideals, he was seen as a foolish lizard.

Kyle was similarly regarded during that period.

Despite all this, Lissinas persistently worked to recruit Kyle into the party, never giving up. He pulled Kyle out of the darkness.

The moment Lissinas reached out his hand was not only the start of saving the world but also the beginning of saving himself.

‘If it weren’t for the guy, I would’ve stayed corrupted forever.’

He would’ve been forced to watch the world’s destruction without any hope.

By now, he understands. The once mockingly called “foolish” king, who sincerely wanted to save the world, how much it must’ve hurt his heart.

“You’re wiser than anyone.”

“Suddenly flattering me now that we’re in the same party?”

Lissinas chuckled.

“Still, it’s a good attitude. Your eyes today definitely look towards hope, unlike yesterday.”

The wise dragon looked into Leo’s eyes as he spoke.

“That’s definitely a positive sign.”

Smiling faintly, Lissinas stepped back into his room. Watching that, Leo entered his own room and let out an ambiguous smile.

“You’ve worked hard…”

Thud, thud… – approaching the bed, Leo sat down heavily and gazed out the window.

‘Just saying “worked hard” isn’t enough.’

They had together overcome endless d*ath traps.

Leo looked down at his hands.

Great Heroes are debts to each other.

They’ve saved each other’s lives countless times.

‘If even one of us was missing… we definitely couldn’t have done it.’

He met Aron, Luna and Dwenno.

He thought he had become accustomed to meeting comrades he could no longer see.

‘It’s not like that.’

On the one hand, he was infinitely happy to hold the hand that had pulled him out of the darkness long ago. On the other hand, the fact that they could never be together again weighed heavily on his heart.

The visages of his comrades came to his mind.

Was it because they had returned to the starting point?

Today, he missed the comrades who left earlier than ever.

Recalling Luna, Aron, and Dwenno, Leo slapped his cheeks lightly.

He took a deep breath.

‘It’s not a time to be lost in nostalgia. Situation check comes first.’

The current situation was completely unexpected.

‘I am definitely in Rodia’s world.’

Rodia’s world is not a Hero Dungeon but an officially opened world.

In fact, if Leo wished, he could leave anytime.

But he was currently in Lissinas’ world.

‘What exactly is going on?’

Leo narrowed his eyes and tried closing the Hero’s World mentally.

But no message appeared.

He was all too familiar with this phenomenon.

‘Hero Dungeon.’

A runaway Hero Record within the confines of the Hero’s World.

As Leo frowned, there was a knock-knock on the window.

Turning his head, he saw Rodia there.

Approaching, Leo opened the window as Rodia cautiously asked,

“Is this… the future Kyle?”

“That’s right.”

Relieved, Rodia sighed and stepped inside the room.

“I was surprised. This world is definitely an inhabitance-type world, but because I entered in my original form, I thought Kyle was too.”

Upon hearing Rodia’s words, Leo replied,

“Occasionally, such errors happen in the Hero Dungeon.”

The Hero’s World originally has an established limit for how many can enter.

However, in the case of the Hero Dungeon, there can be situations where the personnel limit disappears.

‘Considering the Hero Dungeon is created due to an out-of-control runaway.’

“Hero Dungeon?”

To the unfamiliar word, Rodia slightly appeared startled.

Seeing Rodia’s expression, Leo hesitated then nodded.

“You wouldn’t know about it.”

The Heroes of the Cataclysm sealed Erebus inside the Hero Record and completely sealed the entrance after splitting it among themselves. Therefore, those who entered their world over the millennia to confront them wouldn’t have had time to discuss the various issues arising in the present era.

After briefly hearing about the Hero Dungeon from Leo, Rodia looked troubled.

“I couldn’t have imagined such things were happening.”

“Thanks to the efforts of the heroes of the later generation, you don’t need to worry too much about this issue.”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s get back to the main topic. Why are you here with me? I’ve never seen Lissinas’s Hero Record in the present time. Hence, my question.”

Leo’s expression turned serious.

“Could the Hero Record be opened inside the Hero’s World when it was still intact?”

“No, it wasn’t possible.”

Rodia firmly shook her head.

“When it was discovered that through the Hero Record, one could overcome the trials the past heroes faced and obtain rewards, the world’s renowned wizards and scholars tested the Hero Record’s possibilities. In that process, many strong warriors and excellent summoners were deployed.”

This fact Leo also learned during history classes in Lumeran.

“In the Hero’s World, opening the Hero Record is the beginning of another infinite possibility. Hence, many experiments related to this were conducted, but there has never been a single instance where the Hero Record opened within the Hero’s World.”

At that, Leo reflected deeply.

“It all boils down to two points: the condition of the Hero Record and whether its owner exists or not.”

Leo formulated a hypothesis.

‘It’s because of me that something impossible has occurred.’

The Hero Record is in an unstable state.

Created with divine power, yet it contains Erebus, the primal evil, the archenemy of the divine.

And it was reassembled from the scattered pages after the Hero Record was destroyed through the process of restoring it.

“Even though it’s currently functional, proper operation isn’t feasible. Amidst all this, I, the owner of the Hero Record, have reincarnated in the present.”

“A special point—Kyle—that has caused something impossible to happen.”

“Correct.”

“Things are getting complicated.”

Rodia sighed.

“No, it might be a good thing instead.”

“Hmm?”

“Rodia, didn’t you clearly say before that this record we’re currently in is the first Hero World?”

“Yes.”

“Based on the history books I read, you failed to conquer the first Hero World.”

“Yes. After that, I attempted to conquer this page several times but failed every time.”

“Yes, and you entered the final chapter to stop the pieces of Erebus. Originally, you should’ve been incapable of entering the Hero’s World further.”

“Ah… wait a minute.”

Rodia’s eyes widened in surprise as she answered.

“Right, Rodia. You’re currently inside the ‘Hero’s World’. Do you understand what that implies now?”

“If I were to clear this… it means inheriting Mr. Lissinas’ power. Which implies…”

“Correct. It means your power, which has stagnated for thousands of years, can evolve.”

As the loop repeats, Erebus’ flames grow stronger.

Conversely, the Heroes of the Cataclysm remain stationary.

The reason time is running out for the Heroes of the Cataclysm, who have endured for 3000 years, is due to this.

But if Rodia clears Lissinas’ world here and obtains the reward, she could take a step forward.

“Of course, it won’t be an easy conquest.”

Leo and Rodia looked at the message that floated before their eyes.

[Objective: -]

The Hero Dungeon lacks an objective.

Like solving a puzzle,

The objective must be found.

And when the objective is recognized, a new message appears.

But Leo and Rodia don’t need to find the objective.

Rodia has already challenged this record multiple times.

And Leo—well, he’s the person who achieved this record firsthand.

Rodia moved her lips:

“King of Gluttony… Jormungand.”

[Objective: Defeat the King of Gluttony.]

The objective has been updated.

The first grand achievement created by Lissinas and Kyle on their very own pages.

Even now, after achieving the conquest of Erebus, Leo could still confidently say that the battle against the King of Gluttony Jormungand stands at the forefront of countless achievements and trials.

One of the most brutal fights of all.

Rodia swallowed a dry lump in her throat.

Leo stared intently at the objective.

King of Gluttony Jormungand.

Demon King Hel Kaiser is the Commander of Tartarus.

He possesses a formidable power that far exceeds other Legion Commanders.

Even though Demon Queen Silatuna, Giant King Gias, and he are collectively named as the Three Great Legion Commanders, it’s only because they’re the only Legion Commanders left after the Era of Catastrophe.

Power-wise, Demon Queen Silatuna and Giant King Gias are considered a step below Hel Kaiser.

Truly, the ruler of Tartarus who induces terror, governing d*ath and unparalleled malevolence, commanding an endless legion— the most heinous of threats.

But the King of Gluttony Jormungand is more dangerous than Hel Kaiser in another sense.

“The true terror of a legion commander lies in the legion they command.”

The demonic army led by the Legion Commanders is overwhelming.

“But Jormungand is different.”

Leo recalled Jormungand.

“He doesn’t lead any legion.”

Even though he holds the title of Legion Commander among demons, he doesn’t have a legion.

Rather, he’s devoured his own legion.

“Tartarus hosted countless monstrous forms, but among them, he was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying.”

The reason Jormungand is called the King of Gluttony:

He devours everything.

Like a starving ghost.

A monster that devours everything in sight.

A monster that swallows everything and spreads darkness everywhere.

“A monster that doesn’t need a legion even as a Legion Commander, or rather, a monster that can be called an entire legion on his own.”

Rodia said tremulously.

The reason for repeated failures.

It’s because Jormungand, the King of Gluttony, was the strongest among the demons.

Recalling the repeated failures before this terrifying power, Rodia asked,

“Can we do it?”

“We have to.”

Leo, looking at his palm, stated,

“Because it’s the only way.”