Chapter 60. Elemencia
Among the countless dimensions.
A world of high status where noble souls gather to blossom life.
As a result, the level of the world and its creatures is overwhelmingly high.
A place where wondrous and mysterious powers like magic or superpowers flow as part of daily life.
The otherworld where Kang Geon once set foot.
Planet, Elemencia.
After Kang Geon left Elemencia.
It was swept into a vortex of rapid change.
The once vibrant planet, filled with life, had now become a bleak land dominated by death and chaos.
With all nations collapsed, it had transformed into a lawless, barbaric world overrun by disorder.
The root of this tragedy began with ten heroes.
Not long after Kang Geon had returned to Earth.
Out of the many heroes, ten of them, consumed by ambition, betrayed humanity.
These traitorous individuals were soon referred to as “Fallen Heroes” by the world.
The Fallen Heroes sought the souls of humans living in Elemencia.
Their desire was to absorb the noble souls, elevate the level of their own souls, and eventually transform into transcendent beings.
In other words, they wanted to become gods.
And for that purpose, they formed alliances with highly intelligent monsters.
Not only did they lure in Demon Kings and Devil Kings, but they also enlisted even the legendary SS-class monsters, whose existence was unknown to the world, as their allies.
Originally, SS-class monsters had either been sealed away by sealing magicians after being subdued by the First Hero and the Great Sage or were quietly living in hiding to avoid human detection.
However.
The monsters that had been in hiding were coaxed into alliances by the Fallen Heroes, and one of the Fallen Heroes went so far as to release all the sealed monsters.
Before the SS-class monsters could make their presence known to the world.
The Fallen Heroes, fearing the activation of large-scale sealing magic, assassinated all the sealing magicians existing in the world.
The sealing magicians, who had dedicated their lives to sealing magic, were all highly skilled.
Even if they were facing SS-class monsters.
If a hundred or so sealing magicians were gathered, they could still manage to seal the monsters, as even the First Hero and the Great Sage had subdued them during moments of weakness.
Thus began the War Between Humans and Monsters.
Although the forces of the Fallen Heroes were catastrophic.
The human side’s strength was also formidable enough to match them.
The First Hero and Great Sage, who had been in seclusion.
An SS-class monster that was friendly to humans.
The non-Fallen Heroes.
Hidden strong individuals whose names were not revealed to the world.
Those who held the title of heroes.
The highest-level adventurers.
The royal or noble families of each nation.
Knights, nobles, and magicians…
Those who were revered as the strong.
Not a single one of these renowned individuals hesitated to join the war.
Even the most fearful had no choice but to stay and fight.
Because if they failed to stop the Fallen Heroes.
The world would eventually perish, and they would lose their lives anyway.
It was a battle they couldn’t retreat from, even if they wanted to.
And.
The war didn’t last as long as one might have expected.
The First Hero and the Great Sage.
These two ultimately perished together with several SS-class monsters and a few Fallen Heroes, bringing the war to an end.
The remaining Fallen Heroes were subsequently executed by the other heroes.
Thus, the war came to a close.
And humanity could raise the banner of victory.
However, the cost of raising that banner was far too great.
Every nation had been destroyed.
The world had become a lawless wasteland.
Although many had survived.
Most of them were ordinary people who had not participated in the war, or those who had stayed in relatively safe areas behind the frontlines.
A large number of those who had been the main forces in the war had lost their lives.
The Great Sage and First Hero.
Heroes and sages.
Royal families, heroes, top-tier adventurers, knight captains, nobles, and nameless strong individuals from various nations.
Those who could exert a strong influence on ordinary people—most of the strong ones—had all perished.
Among the surviving heroes, only five remained.
People sought to rely on these heroes, hoping one of them would rebuild the nations.
But contrary to their wishes.
The heroes had no intention of rebuilding the nations, nor did they care about taking care of the people left behind.
And shortly after the war ended, all five heroes disappeared without a trace.
During this chaotic era, the only entity that made an effort to maintain order was the Adventurer’s Guild.
The Adventurer’s Guild, the sole surviving organization, also operated a Mercenary Guild, barely holding together the remnants of the shattered society.
Former nobles, knights.
Those who had once belonged to various nations all joined the guild, contributing to the establishment of a new order.
Rising from despair, they worked to pioneer a new Elemencia.
***
There were still countless monsters in Elemencia.
S-class monsters.
Several Demon Kings and Devil Kings were still alive.
Not all S-class monsters had participated in the war.
「Siiii~ Siiiiii~ The weather’s nice and clear today.」
A massive monster was humming a tune, wandering aimlessly across the desolate land.
A creature with the face of a dog and the body of a spider.
This monster, so gentle in nature that it was called the Demon King of Peace, was “Hekhekshilshiiik”.
It was the same species as the monster Kang Geon had called Dog Spider.
「What should I do for fun today, Siiiii.」
Hekhekshilshiiik.
In short, Hekshil, had not been in Elemencia for very long.
It had arrived just when the war between humans and monsters was taking place.
Hekshil had occasionally interfered in the war, using its threads to immobilize both monsters and humans before running away, yelling at them to stop fighting.
Because of this behavior, it earned the nickname Demon King of Peace.
「Siiiiii. But this world is boring without any of my kind around. I shouldn’t have crossed that black portal. I want to go back.」
For the record, Hekshil was also from the Ancient Labyrinth.
「Siii? What’s that···.」
Hekshil halted its steps.
In the distance, a familiar figure of a human woman came into view.
「To think I’d see Elise in a place like this! Siii!」
Elise.
One of the five heroes who had survived the war.
She was a woman whom the world referred to as the Warrior of Devotion.
Hekshil had encountered her several times during the war.
Elise was walking listlessly, muttering to herself.
“As expected… The transcendent being who always gave me missions was indeed the Great Sage…”
Elise, the Warrior of Devotion.
Ever since she was young, Elise had been able to see translucent letters before her eyes.
She had considered that ability a divine blessing.
She thought it was a mission given to her by a transcendent being.
The letters always gave her various tasks.
And whenever she completed those tasks, she gained new magic.
It was thanks to that ability that she had been able to become a hero.
Then, one day.
For some reason.
She had come to vaguely realize who the being was that had bestowed her with this ability.
It wasn’t a certainty, just a hunch.
But she thought it might have been the Great Sage who had granted her this power.
The Great Sage was a human who could rightfully be called a god.
Like the First Hero, he was a transcendent being, so bestowing such special powers on someone was not impossible.
After the war between humans and monsters, Elise was about half certain that the one who had given her the power was the Great Sage.
When the Great Sage died.
The ability that had given her tasks also disappeared.
And today, she had finally confirmed it.
At the hut where the Great Sage had lived in seclusion.
When Elise had found the place, she saw the Great Sage’s desk.
On the desk was a journal that recorded the management of a few heroes, including Elise.
After seeing that.
Elise was convinced that her ability had been the Great Sage’s magic.
“The fact that I grew stronger was thanks to the Great Sage, and it was also the Great Sage who made me a hero…”
She didn’t feel any unpleasantness at having had her life controlled.
After all, she had never been toyed with because of her ability.
If anything, it had always been helpful.
“…I wonder why he felt the need to hide his identity all this time. Anyway, the beings who protected this world were indeed the Great Sage and the First Hero.”
This fact, too, had been discovered by reading another journal.
The many religions that existed in Elemencia.
The gods they worshipped were all fictional.
The true gods and transcendent beings who had protected Elemencia were the Great Sage and the First Hero.
“So now this world no longer has a god-like being protecting us…?”
Most of the strong ones had also died.
Even though five heroes remained, they were all in a powerless state.
If foreign invaders or.
If a monster rampage were to occur, wouldn’t the world face imminent destruction?
As all sorts of thoughts raced through Elise’s mind.
「Siii! It’s been a while! Elise!」
Hekshil hurriedly approached Elise, moving its eight legs rapidly.
Instinctively taking a combat stance, Elise.
Upon confirming it was Hekshil, sighed and lowered her guard.
Despite its imposing size, she knew that Hekshil was a harmless monster.
“It has been a while, Demon King of Peace.”
「It hasn’t been that long! But your shoulders look so slumped, like they’re about to touch the ground. What’s going on?」
“It’s just that I haven’t been feeling well recently.”
「You’re not feeling well? How about I wrap you up tightly in my thread?」
“When your thread touches me, my power gets sealed, and I end up drained.”
「It’s a case of fighting fire with fire!」
“…I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to pass.”
「That’s too bad. Sii.」
Hekshil, who had been sneakily releasing thread, retracted it again.
Then, gazing at Elise’s hand, it asked.
「Sii? What’s that letter? Is it a love letter? Are you going to confess to someone?」
“Huh? What letter?”
「The paper you’re holding in your hand!」
“What are you talking about? I’m not holding anything in my···.”
Elise glanced down.
And then she saw the letter in her hand.
“What? What’s this? Why do I have this letter in my hand?”
「Sii? Do you have memory problems?」
“No, seriously, I don’t remember picking up any paper. I’m sure I was empty-handed until just now.”
「Sounds like a serious case. Sii.」
Hekshil looked at Elise with pity.
But then, detecting a strange aura and scent coming from the letter, it flared its nostrils.
「Sii? Hold on, sniff! Sniff!」
“Why are you suddenly coming closer? You’re making me uncomfortable.”
「Siiiii! I can feel the presence of my homeland from that letter!!!」
“Your homeland’s presence?”
「It’s the Ancient Labyrinth!」
“And where exactly is that…?”
Ignoring the cryptic words of Hekshil, Elise cautiously opened the letter and began to check its contents.
====================
Somebody help me!
Labyrinth Explorer Kang Geon is asking for help!
If you wish to become Kang Geon’s assistant and offer your aid, immediately put this letter in your mouth and swallow it!
※If you do not eat the letter within 3 hours of opening it, the letter will disappear, and Kang Geon’s request for assistance will be canceled!
====================
“…Kang Geon? Isn’t that Gauntlet’s real name?”
The letter contained a familiar name.
Gauntlet.
His real name was Kang Geon, a man who had drifted in from another world.
There was a time when Elise had tried to recruit Kang Geon as an ally.
However, every recruitment attempt had ended in failure.
Kang Geon had consistently refused, saying he preferred traveling alone.
Thinking of Kang Geon, Elise wondered.
If Kang Geon hadn’t returned to his original world, how would Elemencia be now?
Would the war have ended without any casualties?
Kang Geon was someone with enough power to take down even S-class monsters with a single blow.
Moreover, the Great Sage had once personally said.
That not even the combined might of the First Hero and the Great Sage could defeat him.
‘I’m pretty sure he was weaker than me when we first met.’
At some point, Kang Geon had grown to an unbelievable degree.
To a level beyond what even a hero like herself could dare to challenge.
If Kang Geon had been around during the war against humans and monsters.
He would have been powerful enough to single-handedly annihilate all the Fallen Heroes and SS-class monsters.
‘It’s a shame. If only Gauntlet had returned a little later, the fate of our world might have been different.’
Elise briefly entertained that thought but soon shook it off.
She knew it was a meaningless “what if.”
“…More importantly, why does this letter have Gauntlet’s real name on it?”
「Siii? Gauntlet?」
“It’s the name of an acquaintance.”
「Then this letter must be from that acquaintance!」
“That can’t be. Gauntlet returned to his own world.”
「Maybe he sent it from there!」
“That’s impossible··· wait, hold on a second.”
Suddenly, Elise remembered something she had forgotten.
“Now that I think about it, didn’t the Dimensional Magician say they were going to make a support request to Gauntlet and then crossed over through a portal…?”
For some reason, they never returned, though.
Swallowing her words, Elise slowly raised the letter.
At first, she thought it was just a prank letter from someone who had stolen Gauntlet’s name.
The letter must have used some kind of magic to deliver itself into her hands.
But now that she had recalled the Dimensional Magician.
There was a chance that this letter was truly from Gauntlet.
If the Dimensional Magician had crossed over to meet Gauntlet, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to send a letter from another dimension.
‘There doesn’t seem to be any poison on it… It probably wouldn’t hurt to try eating it.’
After some hesitation, Elise crumpled the letter and stuffed it into her mouth.
「Sii?! Why are you eating that? Is it some kind of tradition here to eat letters upon receiving them? Or do you just enjoy eating paper?」
Ignoring Hekshil’s confused reaction beside her.
—Munch munch.
She chewed the letter.
—Gulp.
And swallowed.
In that instant.
Paaaah!
Before Elise’s eyes.
Square-shaped letters appeared along with a floating screen.
The letters were slightly different from the ones she had been seeing her entire life.
And on the screen above the letters.
The familiar face of a man appeared.
Elise stared blankly at the screen for a while, blinking slowly before letting out a voice.
“Gauntlet?”
Upon recognizing that voice, the letters floated up softly.
【005】—Gauntlet?
【Yumi】—Huh? How does she know the name Geon used in another world?
【Pururu】—You can ask that later. First, 005 rookie, give us a greeting.
【Mysticism】—Say hello!
【Mysticism】—😠
【Rizenova】—Give a proper greeting.
Elise couldn’t comprehend what was happening for quite some time.