A long-lost memory surfaced over my pitch-black vision.
Yes…….
The final subjugation war in the southern continent.
Day 21.
Inside a makeshift barracks on a blood-soaked battlefield.
“Hero.”
“What is it, Eliya.”
Eliya, who entered while pushing aside the tent flap, flinched at my response.
“…What’s gotten into you? You actually called me by my full name.”
“Ah.”
“……”
“Right. I must not be all there.”
“…In this case, I think it's more accurate to say you're usually not all there and have briefly returned to your senses……”
Shrug—
“Well, let's just gloss over that. Why did you call for me?”
“I've come to report that the command headquarters has finished calculating the scale of the battle.”
As I nodded, Eliya flipped through a paper and recited a chart filled with numbers.
“Enemy forces—.”
Two Count-level killed.
Five Baron-level killed.
Subjugation of 9 Magical Beast species complete.
“Allied forces—.”
32 Rankers dead.
Over 800 other 1-star to 5-star Heroes dead.
Two magic brigades and two divisions of the Crusader army annihilated.
“…A lot of them died.”
It had been quite some time since I started roaming battlefields, so I was more than accustomed to death, to the point of being sick of it.
But I couldn't help the feeling of emptiness that washed over me whenever so many lives were concluded with just a few numbers.
“……”
“……”
Heave—
To break the awkward silence that had fallen, I stood up from my seat.
“Let's go.”
“…Yes.”
I hadn't said our destination, but Eliya nodded as if she understood.
The reason was simple.
The calculation of the casualties meant that the ‘joint funeral’ for those who died on the battlefield was also ready.
That was the main point, more so than the battle report.
.
.
.
Swaaaa—
The background changed, and a downpour of rain obstructed my vision.
“It's... raining.”
“So it is.”
“Just a moment, Hero. Let me cast a barrier spell…”
“…Let's just go.”
“What? But the rain—.”
“What's the big deal if we get wet? It's not like it'll kill us.”
“……”
“Besides, that's not your specialty anyway. Don't bother yourself over it.”
“Wait! Her…”
Leaving her behind, I stepped out into the rain first.
Trudge- trudge-
I arrived at the makeshift funeral site.
It seemed to have already started, the grounds damp and gloomy.
I scanned the rows of people and stood in an empty spot at the end of a corner.
“……”
Swaaaa—
Watching the scene, I suddenly felt like I understood why it always rained on the day of a joint funeral, like a cliché in a movie.
…It was probably because the rain alone could say so much.
An unspeakable desperation.
A solemnity so great that the ceremony had to proceed despite the downpour.
The ambiguity between tears and rain.
The occasional stifled sobs that escaped.
The darkness.
The storm clouds.
And so on.
There was a reason it was always depicted that way, despite being a cliché.
Because the rain contained something that was difficult to explain with words.
“……”
Because that atmosphere, which couldn't be fully expressed in words, was amplified in the rain.
“You may now offer your flowers.”
“……”
Following the order of service, a procession to offer flowers formed, and my turn, at the very end, came.
It seemed I was the last.
Trudge- trudge-
I saw a few familiar names on the large tombstone.
Various thoughts crossed my mind.
‘Why do we offer flowers? Did these people go to heaven? Is there a heaven? Why did they die? Why did I live? Was it just luck? Does this offer any comfort? What does it even mean to honor the dead?’
But I soon stopped thinking, realizing it was all meaningless.
This formality of honoring the dead.
In essence, it was for the comfort of the living.
I simply placed the white chrysanthemum down and returned to my spot.
I could see the words in the center of the tombstone.
[Tomb of Heroes]
The way they were all lumped together under the common noun ‘heroes’ didn't sit right with me.
But it wasn't as if saying something now would change it.
The only thing I could do was not forget the end I remembered for each of them.
That was about it.
“All—a moment of silence.”
Following the instructions of the person in charge of the service.
People bowed their heads.
I was about to follow them and bow my head when.
Tuk—
Someone placed a wide waterproof sheet over my head.
“…People will blame me if they see this.”
“……”
“For not taking care of my assigned Hero.”
“…Right.”
It was Eliya.
I had wondered where she'd gone; it seemed she had gone to find something to use as a raincoat.
The moment of silence ended shortly after.
As I lifted the front of the sheet to thank her, she tilted her head and glared at me.
She seemed to have something to say, so I tilted my head as well and asked.
“What.”
“…I heard you charged in alone again during the ‘Baron Argos’ raid.”
“Ah.”
So that was it.
It seemed someone had snitched again.
“You heard?”
I shrugged, wondering what excuse to use this time, when her sharp whisper pierced my ear.
“Are you crazy, Hero? Others with 5-star Hero medals are desperate to hang back, and a mere 3-star like you charges a Baron alone!!!”
“Hey… even so, I worked hard for that medal. Calling it a 'mere 3-star'…”
“What else is it if not a mere 3-star! You think the term 'Bronze-Silver-Gold' exists for no reason?”
“……”
Seeing her pour it all out without pause, it looked like she had been waiting for the funeral to end.
“They say you're not even considered a real Hero until you're past Bronze, Silver, and Gold. How can you be so reckless?”
“Well… it was Argos. I couldn't help myself.”
Haaa—
“…No wonder. I was wondering why you were bedridden for over three days with that amazing healing power of yours.”
Eliya, letting out a deep sigh, furrowed her brows again and chided me in a low voice.
“What I ask of you every time. It’s not… something else, is it, Hero?”
“……”
“Just one thing. ‘Come back safe.’ Is that one thing so hard to do?”
It was true. That was the only thing she ever asked of me.
A request she would utter like a greeting every time I participated in a large battle like a subjugation war.
‘Please come back safe, Hero.’
But that was.
From the perspective of the one who had to keep the promise, it wasn't such an easy request.
“We'll see later. I'm holding back now because we're at a ceremony, but once we get back to the barracks…”
And so.
Eliya's endless nagging.
Her face.
The scene from that time, remembered with all five senses, began to fade, and my vision gradually darkened.
***
‘…This is absurd.’
Eliya thought.
‘This human is insane.’
He wasn't just brave or reckless; a part of his brain was surely broken.
<Second Gateway Core Summary List: Seo U-jin>
■ Oral administration of Black Olive.
■ 32 Black Frenzy Hounds killed.
■ 1 Cyclops killed.
- [Strikes: 1,492]
- [Hits Taken: 1]
- [Dodges: 295]
- [Final Cause of Death: Exsanguination]
- [Combat Time: 4 hours, 22 minutes, 58 seconds]
■ Small intestine rupture, internal bleeding, exhaustion, etc. comprehensive physical damage occurred.
■ Total Sponsorship: 620 Coin
■ Interested Constellations (★) 101/101 (Full Capacity).
‘Is this even possible….’
The summary list for Seo U-jin's Second Gateway made Eliya gasp in astonishment.
No, that was just the most she could express outwardly; the degree of shock she felt inwardly was even greater.
The reason was simple.
Every single item inscribed on the summary list was ‘absurd’.
It would have been surprising if an ordinary Plane Transcendent had achieved even one of them, let alone all of them being accomplished by a single person.
Within the bounds of Eliya's common sense and knowledge, it was absolutely impossible.
She had never heard of a Plane Transcendent who had achieved such results before.
[……]
Of course, as the summary list also noted, these were not achievements made without a price.
This time, too, U-jin had crossed the Boundary of the Gate in a blood-soaked state.
What’s more.
This time his condition was incomparably more critical than after the First Gate, as it was truly his own blood he was covered in.
[1-Star Healing Magic is now active.]
[Natural recovery speed is greatly increased.]
Of course, Eliya hadn't just left him in that state.
As soon as she confirmed U-jin's condition upon his arrival, she had spent 10 Coin to transmit and activate a Memorize Paper embedded with 1-star healing magic.
Normally, procedure required U-jin's consent, but the situation was so urgent that she had no choice.
She had to do at least this much to be able to wait for his recovery with peace of mind.
‘But still……’
Eliya shook her head as she checked the summary list once more.
No matter how she looked at it, this was not a performance that a Plane Transcendent who had merely passed the Second Gateway could display.
These were achievements that seemed impossible for even an official Hero Candidate who had passed through the entire Gateway Zone to accomplish alone.
No, honestly, it was to the point where she didn't think even the currently active Bronze-ranked Heroes with 1-star medals could accomplish all of this.
It was such a monstrous result that she thought most would probably shake their heads and refuse if they were requested to achieve the same feat on a mission.
[……]
Among all the items, what particularly caught her eye was the fact that U-jin had received ‘Interest’ from every Constellation.
A Constellation's ‘Interest’ might sound like something trivial, like a ‘favorite’ button, but in reality, it wasn't such a light matter.
On the contrary.
Considering its influence alone, it was no exaggeration to say it was the most important factor of all in the Gateway Zone.
The reason was simple.
No matter how amazing the sponsorship one received, Coins and Traits lost much of their significance the moment one left the Gateway Zone.
Of course, the Coins and sponsorships obtained in the Gateway Zone didn't just disappear, but because the Upper Plane was overflowing with Heroes who had Coins and Traits, their relative ‘scarcity’ diminished.
That was precisely why the Constellations desperately observed the Gateway Zone to form Exclusive Contracts.
No matter how much money they spent here, it was far cheaper than forming a good relationship with a Hero already active in the Upper Plane.
But the case of ‘Interest’ was different.
It was the only indicator by which other Constellations who couldn't observe the Gateway Zone could gauge the potential of a ‘new Hero Candidate’.
Therefore, ‘Interest’ left by a Constellation would always follow a Hero like a tag throughout their career.
Furthermore, according to The Order's rules, there was a limit to the number of ‘interests’ a single Constellation could bestow.
The value of that Marking could be said to be comparable to an ‘Exclusive Contract’.
Considering that the mission fees a Hero Candidate received were significantly influenced by their ‘Interest count’, that was by no means an exaggeration.
[…It looks like he'll be out for a while.]
Eliya, who had been observing U-jin's condition for a moment, suddenly turned around.
Simultaneously.
Paat—
Her form vanished.
The reason was simple.
As her body left the magic circle, the materialization spell that was active at the Boundary of the Gate was canceled.
“Since the General Head Priest is away…”
Tap tap tap tap-!
“The Head Priest's office… the Head Priest's office…”
Leaving her own priest's office, Eliya strode down the white corridor at a pace that was practically a run.
She stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall.
And.
Huuu……
Knock knock—
After composing her ragged breaths, she knocked on the plainly decorated door.
Soon, a deep voice came from beyond.
—Who is it?
“This is Eliya von Deina Merculurt from the Southern Monastery, selected as an Acolyte Priest for this Gateway Zone.”
A brief silence followed.
—Come in.
As soon as permission was granted, Eliya opened the door as if she had been waiting.
Inside was a man with an impressive beard flowing down from his sideburns.
She bowed her head toward the Head Priest.
“Merculurt, what is your business?”
A voice that wasn't sharp, but subtly heavy.
“It should be guidance time right now. Is the guidance already over?”
At the implicit criticism that followed, Eliya was certain she had just made a bad impression.
It wasn't strange.
Bursting into the Head Priest's office without any notice and leaving her post during her assigned duty time were certainly not desirable actions.
However, despite the Head Priest's attitude, Eliya continued her words without faltering.
“It's nothing else. I've come to make a request due to a special occurrence.”
“…A request?”
That is.
“The Plane Transcendent I am in charge of, Seo U-jin, has met the special requirement of an All-Marking. I have come to request the issuance of the <The Chosen One> Trait.”
The words requesting the issuance of a ‘Trait of The Order’ that hadn't been issued even once in the last 100 years.