Chapter 61. Warrior of Devotion
The arrival of a new assistant was nothing short of a miracle.
I couldn’t believe someone actually trusted the content of the letter.
Who would have thought someone would swallow a letter whole?
However, unfortunately, it was highly likely that this new assistant and I were strangers.
While the person who received the support request was someone I had a connection with, that connection was extremely broad.
And then, another miracle happened.
【005】─Gauntlet?
The assistant, assigned the number 005, called me Gauntlet.
Gauntlet was the name I used in the other world.
In other words, you could call it my second name.
Seeing that 005 knew my name…
It meant he wasn’t just a passing acquaintance, but someone I had, at the very least, exchanged names with.
Also, he remembered my name as soon as he saw me.
This meant that we had a relatively deep connection.
‘He’s definitely not a gaming friend.’
I used the nickname “Gauntlet” in many games.
But I didn’t think this assistant was one of my gaming buddies.
After all, you can’t make eye contact with someone you only know through a screen.
‘It seems more likely that it’s someone I met in the other world.’
The other world I was once a part of.
The planet Elemencia.
Wasn’t it possible that Assistant 005 was from Elemencia?
Just as I was thinking that—
【005】─Kang Geon! It’s me, Elise!
005 revealed their identity.
This time, instead of using the name Gauntlet, they called me by my real name, Kang Geon.
【Pururu】─This woman won’t greet us till the very end.
【Rizenova】─Pururu, you should give her some mental education.
【Mysticism】─😡
【Yumi】─Stop trying to intimidate the newcomer.
【Yumi】─If you treat her like that from the start, she’s going to feel uncomfortable. What will you do if she leaves the stream because of your attitudes? That’ll end up hurting Geon too, don’t you understand?
【Pururu】─ㅇ? I was just joking…
【Rizenova】─Hmm. It seems Yumi can’t tell the difference between a joke and being serious.
【Mysticism】─ Too serious.
【Yumi】─Ah.
【Yumi】─I was just joking too. ㅎ
【Pururu】─ㅋ
I decided to ignore the chat from the other assistants for the time being.
In any case—
Elise.
It was a pretty common name in the other world.
However, there was only one Elise who knew both my real name and was familiar with me.
“Could you be… Warrior of Devotion, Elise?”
【005】─Yep! That’s right!
【Pururu】─Warrior?
【Yumi】─Huh? A warrior?
【Mysticism】─😮
【Rizenova】─Impressive, are they someone remarkable?
It was astonishing.
I never expected Elise to be one of the ten people who received the letter.
【005】─I saw that your letter said you needed help. When I saw that swallowing the letter would allow me to help you, I didn’t hesitate. As soon as I ate it, a square screen showing your face popped up.
【005】─Where are you right now? Are you trapped somewhere?
【005】─Is it a dangerous situation? Has your sealed power not returned yet?
【005】─Tell me where you are if it’s a place I can come. I’ll head there immediately.
【Pururu】─No spamming.
Elise’s chat came flooding in non-stop.
It seemed I needed to slowly explain the situation I was in.
“Dan-bi… no, Ruru.”
【Pururu】─ㅇㅇ?
“Explain my current situation, and everything about this labyrinth… pretty much anything the new assistant might be curious about. Just explain everything for me.”
【Pururu】─Me?
“Yeah. You’re the guide for new assistants, right?”
【Pururu】─Since when?
“Since always.”
【Pururu】─Hmm. I don’t remember that.
【Pururu】─Alright then.
【Pururu】─Time for newbie training.
【Mysticism】─😃
“Elise, you can listen to this guy named Pururu. He’ll explain everything to you kindly.”
【005】─Ah, got it. Since you have time to explain, I guess you’re not in immediate danger, right?
【Pururu】─You said your name was Elise, right? Elise, answer me.
【005】─Huh?
【Pururu】─Your response must be “Ack.” Now, answer again.
【005】─Ack.
【Pururu】─Good. Now, I’ll start explaining.
【005】─Ack.
And so, Pururu’s explanation began.
***
How I came to be in the labyrinth.
The place known as the Ancient Labyrinth.
The roles of the explorer and the assistant.
And more.
We explained to Elise all the things we knew.
Or rather, Pururu explained.
Surprisingly, she was quite kind when explaining.
She was like a tsundere or something.
In any case—
Elise was quick to understand.
Well, it was natural for her to believe quickly.
She wasn’t like humans from Earth.
She was someone who had spent her life fighting monsters.
In Elemencia, powers like magic and superhuman abilities existed.
【Bubble Bubble】─Ancient Labyrinth, huh…
Elise had already changed her nickname to “Bubble Bubble.”
She really was quick to adapt.
She even tried to change her entrance text three times but eventually gave up because it didn’t work.
【Bubble Bubble】─I believe most of what you’ve said, but I still find it hard to believe the monster rankings. You’re saying that every monster in the Ancient Labyrinth is at least S-rank? Not including the summons?
【Bubble Bubble】─And you’ve seen an SSS-rank monster?
“Yeah. Though, technically, it was nerfed to S-rank.”
By the way, the danger rankings I used were the same as the ones from Elemencia.
My criteria had been set based on Elemencia’s standards in the first place.
【Bubble Bubble】─What kind of labyrinth is this? It’s unbelievable.
“I was shocked at first, too.”
Elise—
No, Bubble Bubble’s chat went silent for a while.
It seemed she was processing her thoughts.
After some time passed, Bubble Bubble’s chat appeared again.
【Bubble Bubble】─I’ll believe you for now. You wouldn’t lie, Gauntlet.
【Pururu】─Mmm. Smells like a fresh newbie.
【Yumi】─?
【Mysticism】─Pururu, you pervert.
【Bubble Bubble】─Wait, you’re not saying there are monsters stronger than SSS-rank, right? If even the weakest monsters are S-rank, then it wouldn’t be strange if something higher than SSS-rank existed.
“I’ve never seen a monster ranked higher than SSS-rank.”
【Bubble Bubble】─Really? Well, let’s hope you never do.
As I chatted with Bubble Bubble, I manipulated Iris’ screen to show the second group.
I had already finished explaining Iris.
【Bubble Bubble】─What? Is that a Demon King Jellyfish? They have jellyfish there too? Wow.
【Pururu】─It’s a monster Gaon tamed. ㅋ
【Yumi】─And that hedgehog next to it is an S-rank monster too. It’s called the Hedgehog Summoner.
【Bubble Bubble】─That hedgehog is S-rank? It doesn’t look like it.
【Yumi】─The hedgehog itself is weak, but the summoned spirits next to it are powerful.
【Bubble Bubble】─Ahh. So those black things are spirits.
【Mysticism】─That snake over there is also S-rank!
【Bubble Bubble】─Oh wow! Three S-rank monsters in one place…
【Rizenova】─Gauntlet is using his severed arm to tame them right now.
【Bubble Bubble】─Whoa!
【Pururu】─ㅋㅋㅋ Man, this is so wild.
【Yumi】─It really is something.
【Mysticism】─Once all the monsters Gaon tamed return, I’ll introduce them one by one later!
For a while, the assistants took turns explaining everything to Bubble Bubble, covering anything they hadn’t mentioned before.
They treated her like a child.
It seemed they found the new assistant quite endearing.
【Bubble Bubble】─Oh. So, I can send messages without speaking aloud. There’s something like a keyboard here.
【Pururu】─Wait, were you using voice recognition for the chat? ㅋㅋ
【Yumi】─It’s kind of amazing to be chatting with someone from another world like this. ㅎㅎ
【Mysticism】─Otherworlders are so fascinating!
【Rizenova】─I’m from a different world too, you know…
【Mysticism】─😠
【Mysticism】─But you’re not a hero. You’re not even human.
【Rizenova】─I am human…
As I pulled a notebook from the box, I called out to Elise.
“Elise.”
【Bubble Bubble】─Yeah?
“How’s Elemencia these days?”
【Bubble Bubble】─Elemencia?
It was just a formal question.
Like asking how someone had been.
I expected a response along the lines of, “Our world is peaceful.”
But instead—
【Bubble Bubble】─It’s almost destroyed.
【Pururu】─?
【Rizenova】─?
【Yumi】─?
【Mysticism】─?
“What?”
A strange response that made me doubt my ears came back.
***
Elise explained.
The Fallen Heroes had sided with the monsters.
A war between humans and monsters broke out.
While humanity won the war, all the nations of Elemencia fell, and most of the prominent figures perished.
Even the First Hero and the Great Sage had met their end.
“They… died?”
【Bubble Bubble】─That’s how strong the SS-rank monsters were. One of them helped humanity, but even so, we were outnumbered. More SS-rank monsters sided with the Fallen Heroes.
In a way, it was a miracle they had managed to hold out as well as they did.
After all, the First Hero and the Great Sage were both SS-rank as well.
‘Even so, it’s a bitter feeling.’
Hearing about the deaths of people I knew—
And the downfall of the world I had once been a part of.
After hearing that story, I felt strangely melancholic.
“If only I’d returned a little later…”
【Bubble Bubble】─Yeah, that might have helped.
【Bubble Bubble】─Honestly, I had the same thought. If you had stayed in our world, you probably could have wiped out the Fallen Heroes and SS-rank monsters without any damage. That’s what I thought.
【Bubble Bubble】─But it’s a meaningless “what if.”
【Bubble Bubble】─Who could have predicted that the Fallen Heroes would betray humanity? We didn’t know, so of course, you couldn’t have known either.
【Bubble Bubble】─So, you don’t need to feel guilty about it.
Seeing my expression, Elise rapidly sent messages to comfort me.
Even though it was she who should be the one receiving comfort.
She truly lived up to the title of the Warrior of Devotion.
As I sorted out my tangled thoughts and calmed my uneasy and frustrated heart, I asked—
“All the Fallen Heroes and SS-rank monsters are dead, right?”
【Bubble Bubble】─The SS-rank monsters are definitely all dead. Whether they sided with humanity or the Fallen Heroes, they’re all gone.
【Bubble Bubble】─As for the Fallen Heroes, they’re said to be dead, but… I think some might still be alive. They could be hiding somewhere, waiting to recover their strength.
“You think there are Fallen Heroes still alive?”
【Bubble Bubble】─It’s just my guess for now. No one has seen some of them die firsthand. The other surviving heroes haven’t seen it either.
“…If no one witnessed their deaths, it makes sense to be suspicious.”
【Bubble Bubble】─Yeah. That’s why I’m traveling all over the world right now, searching for traces of the Fallen Heroes.
【Pururu】─What will you do if you find them?
【Bubble Bubble】─Kill them, of course. Only by ending them for good can Elemencia truly be revived.
Even though the world was almost destroyed—
Elise was still walking the path of a hero.
At first, she probably helped others just to get stronger through her duties.
But after living that life for so long, a natural sense of duty to protect the weak from evil must have formed within her.
And she hadn’t given up on that sense of duty.
She was still moving forward for the future of Elemencia.
***
After finishing my conversation with Elise—
I opened my notebook and began drawing.
To keep myself calm.
【Pururu】─Geon, what are you drawing all of a sudden?
“An encyclopedia.”
【Pururu】─Is there a new monster to draw?
“Not a monster encyclopedia. It’s for the assistants.”
【Pururu】─?
【Yumi】─An encyclopedia of assistants?
【Mysticism】─🧐
【Rizenova】─Now that you mention it, Gauntlet once drew me. So, that was for this assistant encyclopedia, huh?
【Pururu】─You weren’t even an assistant back then.
【Pururu】─And why are we making an encyclopedia? We’re not monsters. ㅅㅂ
【Yumi】─Hey! Watch your language!
【Pururu】─That wasn’t cursing. It’s watermelon.
The tip of my brush was working on Elise’s portrait.
‘Hmm… Was this how she looked? I can’t quite remember her face…’
I continued to move my hand across the page.
Her appearance had faded from memory, but little by little, the fragments of my recollection gathered on the paper.
Like that—
Her faint impression came to life through the brush.
The shadow of the past now graced the blank page of the present.
■Bubble Bubble (Elise)
─Danger Level: S-rank.
─Special Note: Warrior of Devotion