Chapter 38

It wasn't just Selina's voice that was completely unintelligible; even the messages that appeared one after another through the Eye that Seeks Truth were garbled.

■ ■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■.

...

■■ ■■. ■■ ■■.

But it was an intended consequence. I could roughly understand the content without even seeing it.

'Abnormality in high-speed regeneration ability due to light-attribute curse, etc.'

And.

'Problem occurred, magic runaway.'

I felt something draining from my body.

Magic.

The magic that violently surged and left my body was the source that allowed me to transcend human limits and exist as a hero.

If I were to look at my stats now, they would probably have reverted to their original state.

High-speed regeneration ability was vulnerable to light and dark attribute curses.

Thus, severe side effects occurred, but it was possible to use this in an unexpected way.

Actually, I didn't want to use this method.

However, there was no other way.

It would be much better to start over from scratch than to die.

The drained magic gathered into a single point.

And when the magic coalesced to the limit that could be contained in that tiny space—

CRASH!

The magic swirled with unparalleled intensity.

My clothes, torn to shreds by Balta, and my unkempt hair, grown messy since I came to this world, wildly scattered.

Even when it was difficult to properly keep my eyes open, the vortex of magic shone more beautifully and brilliantly than any gem in the world.

Though it was currently gathering around a point, if left alone, it would lose its center and disperse into the atmosphere.

So, before that massive amount of magic could scatter.

I pushed it away with my hand.

"…■■■!"

Balta's expression, shouting something unintelligible, was etched with extreme urgency.

CRASH!

A crimson aura swirled around Balta's axe.

As if resisting the storm of magic, the aura enveloping the massive axe also became a swirling storm.

The two forces collided.

And…

…….

….

….

"…Huh?"

When I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling.

I tried to get up, but I could barely move a finger.

Forcing myself up, I looked around and first saw the battlefield, ravaged by the aftermath of the fight.

The floor was littered with scars, as if torn apart by a giant axe or sword, covering the surrounding ground and building walls.

And on the opposite side, there was Balta.

I approached him.

Taking a step felt like walking with heavy weights tied to my ankles, but I slowly moved forward, one step at a time.

Balta's shoulders, slumped against the debris of the building, rose and fell slightly.

The distance that seemed as far as a thousand leagues soon grew close as I walked.

Balta was covered in blood.

And his lower body was missing.

If he hadn't been a Level 3 hero, he would have long since drawn his last breath.

"......"

I had a mountain of things I wanted to say.

But now that I was in this situation, my mind went blank, and no words came out.

Balta slowly lifted his head.

Our eyes met.

He mouthed something as if he wanted to speak, but no sound came out.

Balta took a deep breath.

I knew instinctively.

That was Balta's last breath.

I opened my mouth.

"…I'm sorry."

Why those words came out.

I didn't even understand myself.

Balta's lips formed a small arc.

"……. ……. ………."

Balta murmured something.

The weak mumbling, uttered as he was dying, couldn't reach me and crumbled in the air.

What his last words to me were.

I would never know, not even for a lifetime.

***

CRASH!

With a thunderous roar, the earth and sky shook again.

A massive blaze erupted from about 200 meters away.

Unit 917's airship, which had been precariously lodged in the ceiling of the ruins after colliding with it, finally gave way and crashed.

If the crew had any sense, they would have evacuated safely, so I wasn't worried about additional casualties.

What I was most worried about was me.

"I'm losing my mind."

I lay on the floor, looking up at the ceiling.

Through the gaping hole, the night sky was visible.

Magic, having escaped the ruins and surged forth, was creating a small aurora in the night sky.

Selina's face suddenly intruded between the beautiful backdrop.

"Ryan."

"…You're alive?"

"Yes. I tried to run away, but I still flew 50 meters from the impact. Wow, I seriously thought you were trying to kill me too, you know."

She said lightly, brushing her hair behind her ear, but wounds from her face and all over her body were noticeable everywhere.

Indeed, she must have physically endured an explosion of that magnitude at close range.

It would have been stranger if she had appeared unharmed without a single scratch.

"What about the other members?"

"Lilisa is looking after them. Thankfully, no one died. There are some critical cases, but the crew members are also working hard, so there won't be any casualties from lack of treatment."

"That's a relief."

A Level 3 hero from Odin.

Despite clashing with an entity no less than a massive disaster that should never be encountered in Stage 1, everyone survived without a single fatality.

It was a miraculous feat.

Of course, in exchange for causing that miracle, my stats had reverted to those of the primordial village.

Since I had fulfilled my role as a field commander, even though I had some lingering regret, the feeling of relief was greater.

At least Selina, who would sacrifice an immensely valuable airship and throw herself into certain death to save her unit members, wouldn't abandon me.

"Oh, speaking of which, Ryan. Congratulations."

"…Congratulations? Suddenly? For what? For surviving?"

"Hmm… that is something to congratulate, isn't it? But there's something bigger."

Selina smiled slightly.

Her voice was clearly more animated compared to a moment ago.

It was like a mother's smile looking at her proud child.

She opened her mouth, lightly twirling a finger through her side hair as if dancing to a rhythm.

"Named downed."

"…Ah."

Come to think of it, there was such a thing.

War, by its very system, inevitably gives birth to 'heroes.'

These weren't soldiers designated as heroes by the growth system, but beings who displayed unique actions that others dared not perform.

Such individuals were collectively called heroes… or sometimes 'Named.'

As the former term overlapped in meaning, the latter was usually preferred.

The criterion for becoming a Named was 'kill.'

Either one had killed a large number of enemy soldiers, enough to be called a butcher, or had killed many powerful heroes.

In such cases, they were referred to as a Named.

Naturally, a Named from an enemy nation could be seen as someone who had killed an enormous number of allied soldiers.

To shoot down such a Named.

On the battlefield, that alone was an honor.

"But you're only a Level 3 hero, and they're giving you credit for downing a Named?"

"He wasn't a normal Level 3. All of Odin's Level 3s and above are Named."

"…Really?"

No wonder.

When I sent the lower-ranking kids to the battlefield to train, they all recognized the names and trembled.

So that was the reason.

I nodded my head.

Meanwhile, Selina, exhilarated, didn't stop her enthusiastic chatter in an overly excited voice.

"Many mages will focus on Ryan's actions. Oh, they might even award you a medal. After all, it's a very unusual event."

"Unusual?"

"Of course! Don't you know? Ryan. Since the war between the Alliance and the White Hero began, many war heroes have been born. And as many heroes as were born, died. Every day, new Named arise, and every day, existing Named fall. This is war. But!"

"......"

Her intensity inadvertently startled me.

Was this her original personality?

I even worried that she might have hit her head when she flew off due to the explosion and changed strangely.

But as if my worries were meaningless, Selina, in her excitement, screamed when her wounds burst open.

At this point, she should have stopped.

Selina, however, was still smiling brightly, even as tears welled up in her eyes.

"The 'first' title is precious."

"First?"

"Yes. Since the war between the White Hero and the Alliance began, not a single 'soldier' has ever downed a Named. Downing a Named was the exclusive domain of mages. As a soldier, Ryan. You are the first. This is truly a tremendous honor."

"......"

"Ryan. As your commander, I'm proud of you."

Listening to her words, it seemed.

I had done something truly extraordinary.

***

Actually, I had one concern.

Unit 917's airship was broken, and we had a mountain of injured people who needed professional medical treatment immediately.

However, just because Balta had stopped breathing didn't mean that his prior arrangements were nullified.

Communications in the area were still cut off, so there was no way to call for support.

Injuries weren't the only problem.

Considering the White Hero players flocking to this location to see Odin's hero, we needed to leave this spot immediately, but we had no means to do so.

However, unlike me, who was more than just worried, Selina was simply smiling.

She had the crew members attend to the injured, then she took the lead and walked somewhere.

As I was also injured, I was carried on the back of a sturdy crew member and followed behind Selina.

How long did we walk like that?

"How about it? Our new airship."

"......"

I was speechless.

Odin's ultra-compact airship.

It was proudly displaying its magnificent form before my eyes.