The sun rose high into the sky. As the surroundings grew brighter, the horrors of the battlefield became more vividly apparent. The smell of blood still hung heavy in the air.
Soldiers who had taken a brief rest began to stir one by one, among them Rex, an Orc who had lost an arm.
Rex’s wound had been cauterized to stop the bleeding. It was an unavoidable choice in this battlefield where proper disinfectants were unavailable.
In the previous battle, only five soldiers had survived.
All night, the Sword Saint had kept watch to ensure the soldiers could rest peacefully. No fool dared to challenge such a powerful continental authority.
Rex and the soldiers gathered fragments of the broken carriage to construct a crude cart, onto which they began to carefully place the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Rex pulled arrows one by one from the body of Herion, gritting his teeth, while quietly tearing off pieces of his own clothing to cover Valder’s face, which had melted away from poison.
Out of thirty soldiers, only five remained, and even they were in poor condition.
There was the Orc who had lost an arm, a soldier who had cut off his poison-infected leg, and another who had suffered severe burns all over his body.
“You’ve all sustained serious injuries, so it’s going to be hard for you to continue fighting as soldiers. I’ll make sure to report your deeds well to the higher-ups. After all, you’re the unit that uncovered vital clues about the Grand Marshal.”
As the Sword Saint spoke, she watched the soldiers’ expressions while looking at the neatly stacked bodies on the cart.
“What are you talking about?” Rex asked, opening his mouth as clenched teeth that had cracked from his forceful bite.
“We owe the lives of these comrades to our backs. If we retire now, how will we honor their sacrifice? At the very least, I’ll not step down until I’ve seen the Grand Marshal dead.”
Blood ran from Rex’s lips between his words, and his eyes, looking at Herion and Valder, seemed ready to overflow with tears at any moment.
On his massive Orc shoulders rested the spirits of over twenty comrades. His eyes burned with rage, while his trembling arms and legs betrayed his frustration over his own powerlessness.
Rex’s body shook as he realized he could not protect subordinates who had trusted and followed him.
It wasn’t Rex who had saved the Boy with White Hair but the Sword Saint who had appeared on the battlefield at the right moment. All Rex had accomplished was securing a narrow victory in the desperate fight against the massive mutant creature, a battle that had cost him one of his own arms.
“I’m weak.”
He had never felt this truth so acutely before.
“…I’m really, utterly weak.”
It was an excruciating five minutes spent fully realizing this fact.
The anger that had filled Rex’s eyes was now shaken by the disappointment towards his own incompetence.
“The moment you realize you’re weak is also the moment you can start to become stronger,” the Sword Saint said as she nodded, then slowly reached into her coat to pull out a short dagger and place it upon the neatly arranged bodies.
“This is a dagger blessed by the Holy Maiden, it will guide the souls of the fallen to Astellara.”
It was a ceremonial dagger in the shape of a cross, its blade too blunt to serve any practical combat purpose, more an ornament than a weapon.
“May Astellara protect you all.”
I was observing the scene when I saw people paying their respects before a white robe adorned with a cross-shaped ceremonial dagger, prompting me to bow my head as well.
The battlefield had been too chaotic for me to clearly understand everything they had done, but one thing was certain – after we began our intense standoff with the Grand Marshal, no poisoned arrows or attacks from other mutants had come near me.
It was probably thanks to them throwing their lives into battles with the mutants.
Had the Grand Marshal’s mutants intervened in my battle with their commander, I would have undoubtedly met the same fate as they.
“They could have abandoned you.”
The moment they realized that the Grand Marshal’s target was me, they could have made a quick decision and fled, saving most of the soldiers’ lives.
They had no obligation to protect me. To them, I was just an unknown Mage who happened to be heading to the same destination and was hitching a ride on their carriage.
But they had picked up their swords, roaring bravely as they charged toward the mutants.
These honorable soldiers had thrown their lives away without a moment’s hesitation for the sake of an unknown Mage, fully aware that their courage would likely lead to their deaths.
…A heavy weight pressed down on my shoulders from the complex emotions welling up inside me.
People died, got injured… and changed.
This was reality. The smell from the cart filled with bodies seemed to constantly remind me of that fact.
“Boy, we should be moving along.”
The Sword Saint waited quietly for me to finish my respects before speaking.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes, I have many matters to attend to ahead of time. It seems I won’t be able to escort you all the way to the capital, I apologize.”
“Even though you were so busy, thank you for guarding us and allowing us to rest, even if only for a short while.”
“Offer your thanks to him. Thanks to him delaying the fight, we were able to save five of you.”
After finishing her statement, the Sword Saint grabbed me and lifted me up in the air like a doll, making my dried-up legs and arms flail about.
“…Thank you, Mage sir. I have one final request.”
Rex looked up at me with reddened eyes as he carefully spoke.
“Please, make sure our sacrifices are not in vain by surviving as long as possible. Live long enough to fully utilize your talent to its limit.”
The red hand gripping the cart handle trembled. There were complicated emotions weighing down on his back that couldn’t be expressed in a single word.
“Become so remarkable a Mage that we can proudly tell our fallen comrades we protected someone capable of turning the world upside down.”
“…”
I couldn’t look Rex straight in his red eyes.
I couldn’t confess to him that I wasn’t the exceptionally talented Mage he thought I was.
“…We’ll depart as well.”
Without waiting for my response, Rex bowed once more to the Sword Saint, took hold of the cart filled with bodies, and slowly started moving toward the capital.
The cart creaked as it slowly and pitifully moved out of the desolated forest covered in ash and blood.
I could only stand there blankly watching as they disappeared down the road in the distance.
“…”
It was the first time I’d seen a person’s corpse up close like this.
I did see one when I first arrived here, but at that time, it hadn’t felt real.
But now…
Despite not knowing these people well, a deep sorrow welled up in my chest. It was nauseating and uncomfortable.
Was I irritated? Angry? I didn’t know exactly what this confusing emotion was.
“Boy?”
I entered my favorite game and cast magic following the unique build I had carefully devised inside the game.
When my blossoming ability activated, it was pure joy—like donning an unbelievably vivid VR device and gaming in a way that felt impossibly real.
When the continuous time of blossoming ended, and I woke up in the tent, I was surprised—by the sensation of pain from my broken arm.
However, even then, it still didn’t fully register as reality.
Was it because everything around me looked exactly like the game models? Perhaps, without realizing it, I was perceiving everything that was happening as an illusion.
I still harbored this unreasonable expectation deep within—that if my character were to die, I would wake up in my cramped one-room apartment and continue my ordinary day.
But that pathetic and naive hope completely disappeared as I confirmed with my own eyes the bodies of the soldiers who had spent the day with me—they who had willingly sacrificed their lives to protect me.
The unyielding determination still lingered in their dead eyes that hadn’t lost their gaze. Their hands still gripped shields and swords they couldn’t let go of, and their necks still bore the signs of battle.
The reality that they had fought fiercely in the forest to protect me against the mutants, and that they had lost their lives as a result of that fierce battle—this was the cruel reality.
‘This is reality.’
A world where people die suddenly,
where people swing their swords and thrust their spears towards monsters to protect each other—a horribly wretched reality.
“…What’s the boy’s name?”
If I couldn’t come to grips with this reality, I would have introduced myself with the laughable character nickname ‘One Hit.’
I thought of this world as ‘a game.’
But now it’s different.
This is the damned reality, and the Boy with White Hair here isn’t some character but ‘me.’
“My surname is Kyung, and my name is Bin.”
Kyungbin. I told the Sword Saint my real name. I’m not sure what meaning it holds, but…
“Mr. Kyungbin. Calling your full name makes me feel like I’m addressing a noble.”
I must live in reality. More specifically, in an extremely harsh and dangerous reality.
“Please, just call me Bin.”
I had to fully integrate into this world.
Because it was a harsh world where one couldn’t survive with a comfortable and clumsy mindset.
Thirty years ago, this continent was divided into four factions.
The vast empire built by humans stood at the center, with the elves to the west, the orcs to the east, and the dwarves occupying the northern territory.
Though the daily issues surrounding minor territorial disputes and trade never ceased among these four groups, the emergence of the marauders and the survival crisis of the continent forced the leaders of each race to consolidate their territories and form a massive coalition nation.
After lengthy discussions, the kings of each race agreed to crown the human king as the emperor of the coalition nation.
This was because the queen of the elves had an overbearing and arrogant nature, the king of the dwarves lacked any sense of gravity, and the Grand Chief of the orcs knew next to nothing about politics beyond military affairs.
Moreover, the human empire held an overwhelmingly large territory at the center of the continent, and the sheer population of humans far exceeded that of the combined other races, granting them superior military power.
The capital of this coalition nation, ‘Essterdam,’ located at its very center, features a colossal castle with an area covering 120 square kilometers alone.
…120 square kilometers? And that doesn’t include the castle walls, just the building alone.
Gangnam district is about 40 square kilometers. The castle is said to be 120 square kilometers in size.
Looking at this part of the setting book, I thought things like ‘He’s just talking nonsense, isn’t he?’ ‘Does this game developer even know how large 120 square kilometers is?’
Given that the setting book writer was probably a liberal arts person, I thought ‘Well, that’s expected for a liberal arts person,’ chuckling and scratching around my stomach while sitting in a corner reading the text.
But that insane castle…
It’s right here in front of my eyes now.
‘…What is this really?’
At first glance, the castle looked more like a massive mountain range than a building.
The height of the castle walls alone was astronomical, surpassing that of any ordinary mountain with ease. The main gate was so colossal that even dragons could pass through without difficulty.
And we had arrived at the main gate of this insane castle two minutes after parting ways with Rex.
You’re probably wondering how we managed to cover the distance usually taking three days of continuous carriage travel in just two minutes?
…The Sword Saint simply carried me and ran through the air… at an incredibly fast speed.
And what I mean is, really insanely fast.
When I asked why we were running through the air, the Sword Saint replied it was to avoid harming animals like deer and damaging the trees if they ran on the ground.
But my question was ‘Why can you, who doesn’t use magic, run through the air as a human?’
…For this person, the sky might simply be a place to run.
Maybe it’s me who’s wrong for expecting common sense from a monster that can single-handedly change the tides of war.
“Welcome back!”
“Who is the person you’ve brought with you?”
As the Sword Saint lightly leaped over the outer walls of the castle and reached the massive front gate, the royal guards greeted her loudly without a trace of surprise upon seeing someone suddenly drop from the sky.
Probably because it wasn’t something that happened just once or twice.
“I am escorting this youth. I would like to introduce him immediately to the representatives of each race. Could you convene a meeting for me? They will comply promptly if they know it’s at my request, since I also need to report on the Grand Marshal.”
“…Sir, right away?”
The guards frowned and repeated her words, unsure if they had heard correctly.
“If you inform the emperor that I’ve found a Mage worthy to join my party, the meeting will be convened quickly.”
“…Pardon me?!”
…
I frowned while staring at the Sword Saint who was casually spouting nonsense.
What did this guy just say?
The event to join the Sword Saint’s party is a late-game event in the game that kicks off only when the character is at least level 90.
An event where you go with the Sword Saint to defeat the Demon King and Devil before the final game ending.
So why is it happening now, for me at level 1, a nobody Mage?
“Yes, we’ll report this fact immediately!”
The guards alternated their gaze between me and the Sword Saint and then, as if suddenly realizing, hurriedly started running through the castle gate.
I… could only blankly stare at the Sword Saint’s face.
With the rapid changes, my brain couldn’t keep up with everything happening.
“I know this might be burdensome, but I believe you are the most talented Mage who has ever lived. I’m certain.”
…It’s burdensome.
It’s overwhelmingly burdensome, you lunatic.
And you’re not even a Mage! How can someone who can’t use magic be so certain?
“The Grand Marshal you fought, Maltiel, is quite powerful even among Grand Marshals. Not even 7th Circle Mages could last five minutes against him. And yet, you, a Mage who confronted such a formidable opponent on equal footing? You’re not even a 7th Circle Mage but a 4th Circle one?”
“…”
“Just imagine. When you grow to become a 5th Circle Mage, what could be accomplished. As your training accumulates and you reach beyond 7th Circle, 8th Circle, what possibilities open up at the 9th Circle? You’re young, so perhaps you can even be the first Mage to break through the 10th Circle barrier.”
Hm.
Yeah, you’d be able to use an incredibly strong blossoming ability.
You’d be really strong during those five minutes.
For those five minutes, that is.
“…”
“Madman.”
I unintentionally blurted out the word processing in my slightly frazzled brain.
“If you still lack self-confidence, just trust my judgment. I’m impeccable at judging people.”
And yet this crazy fellow is happily tapping my shoulder with a smile as if he doesn’t hear my cursing.
“Damn brat.”
Realizing it’s futile to reason with this common sense-defying madman, I dismissed his lunacy as “Damn brat” and sighed, pressing my temples with both hands.
…It might be better to stop thinking about it.
Because there’s no way my brain can comprehend this insane situation.
