Translator: Dreamscribe

The axe blade digs in deeply.

The blade that pierced through the armor reached the hollow chest of the Death Knight.

Garsha charged forward at full speed, brushing past the Death Knight, and at the same time, the Northern Grand Duke swung her two-handed axe with all her strength, advancing alongside Garsha.

Clang!

The sound of metal shattering rang out.

The Northern Grand Duke and Garsha continued forward past the Death Knight before finally coming to a stop.

The moment they slowly turned around, everything froze.

Clatter! Halt!

The Skeletons attacking the players froze in place as if turned to stone. They became stiff with their bone swords raised and bone spears thrust forward.

Wobble!

The Death Knight staggered and lost his balance.

Whoosh!

While keeping a close eye on the Death Knight, the Northern Grand Duke forcefully swung her two-handed axe to the ground. The violet aura swirling around the axe scattered and vanished in an instant.

[Ugh!]

Crack!

Cracks formed in the torn armor, and in a flash, it shattered into pieces that clattered down to the floor. He tried to stop it by grabbing at it, but it only crumbled further.

[By these worms, I...!]

The Death Knight gripped his sword and attempted to swing it with the last of his strength, but his legs had already collapsed, and he ultimately fell to his knees.

Thunk!

Even the hand bones clutching the sword crumbled, and the sword fell, stuck into the ground.

[Uh, uhh....]

The Death Knight's red glowing eyes flickered like candlelight, and his jaw began to tremble. His head tilted upward as his jaw opened wide, nearly dislocating.

[Kuaaargh!]

With a scream, as if vomiting up everything he had devoured, a massive current burst from his gaping mouth and surged toward the sky. Like rising storm clouds, the current was filled with a dense darkness.

The Death Knight, in a final frenzy, tried to unleash thorns toward the players.

Flash!

However, a beam of light burst from the Death Knight’s chest, and his body collapsed instantly.

[...I will return. As long as Erosion exists, I am immortal! No matter how much you resist, you cannot defy fate!]

Crumble!

With that final cry, the Death Knight completely disintegrated, and the nightmare that seemed never-ending vanished like a dream from which one had awakened.

All the players lowered their weapons and calmly watched the scene.

A faint light flickered where the Death Knight had been. That light slowly floated into the air and spread warmly, as if blessing the players.

It blazed brilliantly, illuminating the surroundings.

At the same time, the Skeletons that had filled the area turned to dust and scattered in the wind. The terrible nightmare that had cruelly stained the night was now completely gone.

The players looked up at the sky with smiles on their faces. As if waiting for something, as if promised, they looked up toward the sky.

Was it in response to that expectation?

The brilliantly shining light began to split into several rays.

“Huh?”

“Ah....”

Pouring down from the sky, the light approached the players. But it did not reach all of them. It gently approached only those who held the Heart Gem, settling in their arms as if embracing them.

Flash!

Their vision brightened.

In that moment, the backs of the people of Gron Village, whom they had bid farewell to, seemed to briefly flash by. The eyes of the players who witnessed this scene trembled.

“Ha....”

“Sigh.”

They exhaled deeply as they gazed at the vanishing silhouettes like a mirage.

The same was true for the Northern Grand Duke.

Hans turned his head slightly to look at her, then disappeared into the light. The illusion she had seen before delivering the final blow to the Death Knight had not been a lie.

Hans, fading into the light, was still smiling.

Like a fool.

“Huh?”

“Wow!”

Exclamations of awe rose among the players. As if something had filled the Heart Gem, a beautiful light now dwelled within it.

The Northern Grand Duke took out the Heart Gem she had kept inside her armor.

A light was clearly embedded within the pink gem. It shimmered beautifully, as if this was its true form all along.

[Hans] Eternal Heart

Hans’s heart and soul dwell within the gem.

Remembering the radiant memories, he shall always remain by your side. Forever.

The Northern Grand Duke gripped the Heart Gem tightly. A single tear fell along her jawline, but she didn’t even think to wipe it away. Her tear sparkled beautifully as it reflected the gem’s light.

The Northern Grand Duke exhaled deeply. Then, she raised her head and looked forward. All the players were looking at her.

Each player's expression was different.

Some were forcing smiles while holding back tears, others burst into sobs as if unable to contain their grief. Some trembled slightly, barely suppressing the overwhelming emotions surging through them.

There was something she had to say to all of them.

It was the declaration everyone most wanted to hear.

“We…”

The Northern Grand Duke raised the hand clutching the Heart Gem high into the air.

“We won!”

With that cry.

“Waaahhh!”

“We won!”

“Uaaah! We protected Lunatie!”

Cheers spread like waves. The beastkin also looked up at the sky and cried out loudly. Emotions they had held back, hearts on the verge of bursting, exploded upward in a surge of joy.

"Huaaargh!"

When UruBear burst into tears, a rabbit beastkin gently patted him with its front paw. Haebyul buried her face into Mia’s arms and rubbed her face wildly.

“Haha! That was insane!”

“Your swordsmanship was art, where’d you learn it?”

“I’m an honorary guard from Evanth Village.”

“Wow, you passed basic swordsmanship? You’re insanely skilled.”

Players who had grown close laughed and chatted with one another.

Then it happened.

A reward window appeared.

[Quest completed.]

*Lunatie Contribution Points +200

*Race Change Voucher x1

*Large amount of experience points

*[Beastkin] Race Unlocked

The beastkin fully acknowledged the heroes and accepted them as family. As a result, you may now dwell in the body of a beastkin. However, 300 Lunatie Contribution Points are required for the race change.

The players’ eyes widened at the rewards.

“Woooow! We can choose to be Beastkin?"

“Hell yeah! I'm going to be a tiger beastkin!”

The ultimate love for beastkin is becoming one yourself.

Beastkin enthusiasts were even happier than when they defeated the Death Knight. They received 200 Lunatie Contribution Points as a reward, but they would need to put in more effort in Lunatie to gain the remaining 100 points.

“Huh? Then if we earn the heart of Elvens too…”

“Could we choose Dark Elf too?”

“Whoa, what a god-tier game. How much did they plan all this?”

Some players were already preparing to head to Elvens.

The Northern Grand Duke quietly immersed herself in the lingering emotions.

At first, she thought this was just a fun game.

A place where she could escape her complicated reality and become absorbed. But now, this place had become her other reality.

Those laughing and chatting players were no different. She looked at them, then descended from atop Garsha.

Dawn was breaking.

“Oh! The sun’s rising!”

“Damn! We get to see the sunrise here too.”

“Shall we come here for the New Year’s sunrise next time?”

“Among all the open areas, this one is the highest.”

“I’m spending all my anniversaries in Arsilan.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

The slowly rising sun in the distance illuminated Lunatie, driving away the darkness. Garsha and the beastkin returned to their original forms.

“Hero, will you remain here?”

The Northern Grand Duke met Garsha’s gaze, then gently smiled and shook her head. Garsha nodded in understanding, and gave her a warm smile.

Amid the cheers of victory, the Northern Grand Duke descended the mountain. Her guild members and many players followed behind her.

The place she headed to was the ruined Gron Village. Everything had burned down and collapsed, leaving only wreckage behind. In the midst of the ruins of Gron Village, one person stood alone.

“Leon?”

It was Leon.

He greeted the approaching Northern Grand Duke and players. Leon’s condition was far from normal. His body, partially visible through his robe, was wrapped in bandages soaked with blood.

"I apologize. It seems I was late."

"You look like you've been busy too."

“Yes, in many ways.”

The Northern Grand Duke stood beside Leon. After standing there quietly for a moment, Leon softly parted his lips.

“Are you planning to build a grave here?”

“No, I’m going to rebuild the village.”

At her words, the nearby players let out a cheer.

“Bigger than Evanth!”

“Damn! This is what romance is all about!"

“I want to stay here too!”

"Village construction content, let's go!"

The Northern Grand Duke examined the wreckage, then picked up a relatively intact wooden pillar and stuck it into the ground. The players planted their flags beside it.

The Northern Grand Duke and the players smiled as they looked at the flags fluttering in the wind.

“And there’s no need for a grave.”

The Northern Grand Duke took out the Heart Gem. It still shone beautifully in her hand. Leon’s eyes trembled slightly when he saw it.

“That is… I see.”

“Do you know what this is?”

In response to her question, Leon nodded. He took something out from his robes. Unlike hers, it was an empty Heart Gem.

“There’s a legend that if you bring the Crystal of Heart and Soul to Ella-nim’s Grand Temple, a miracle will occur.”

“What?”

“It’s only a legend, of course…”

The Northern Grand Duke grabbed Leon by the shoulders.

“Where is the Grand Temple?”

Instead of answering, Leon turned his head and looked off into the distance. The Northern Grand Duke and the players followed his gaze. In the distance, they could see the Magic Barrier.

"It was consumed by the Erosion."

A fierce smile appeared on the Northern Grand Duke's lips.

Clutching the Heart Gem tightly, she looked around at the players.

“We’re going to build the village even bigger! So when they return, they’ll be completely surprised!”

The Northern Grand Duke shouted loudly.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Fuck yeah!"

“Yeah! This is it! We can’t end it like this!”

“Wooooah! For Gron!”

The cheers echoed and spread.

If there was even a sliver of hope buried in the Erosion, then it was worth heading there. The players eagerly began clearing the ruins.

“Then, I’ll head to Lunatie. I need to investigate the traces.”

Leon turned his back and began walking toward Lunatie. The Northern Grand Duke watched him and called out briefly.

“Leon, that gem…”

But she swallowed her words.

The gem Leon had shown looked as if thousands, tens of thousands of gems had been layered together. She couldn’t bring herself to ask about it. Leon turned his head, looked at her, and simply smiled faintly.

That smile looked especially sorrowful.

* * *