Translator: Dreamscribe

Leon had never been forgotten even once.

Stories about Leon were consistently posted even within Arsilan Worlds, and after he became the Holy Sword, they increased even more. Fan art and secondary creations were pouring out.

‘52nd volunteer activity for Leon nim’s resurrection.’

‘Currently in the middle of the 10,000x prayer for Leon nim’s resurrection.’

‘Currently donating for Leon nim’s resurrection.’

Such posts were all too natural.

There was also a strategic layer, suggesting that if the heroes did "good deeds" in reality and influenced others, FS Games might consider the matter positively.

After the update live stream hosted by Lee Jinwoo, FS Games never once mentioned Leon. Even in the update broadcast, Lee Jinwoo had never directly mentioned Leon’s name. Though it hadn’t been posted on Arsilan Worlds, quite a few people felt disappointed by that.

The moment Leon was witnessed in the Land of Erosion, such feelings disappeared. Even the Creator God, Lee Jinwoo, must have been saddened by Leon’s nobility and respected his decision.

The vanguard party saw him.

When they knelt before powerful enemies, were annihilated repeatedly, and felt walls blocking them, he quietly appeared by their side. He didn't speak to them gently as always. Instead, he showed them directly.

How to evade the Twin-Headed Ogre’s overwhelming attacks, hidden patterns, and weak points.

How to nullify the Lich’s Dark Magic, the traps that would inevitably kill if one didn’t know them.

And how to face countless enemy forces.

Leon was still the teacher of the heroes.

“Ah…”

“Leon nim…”

It wasn’t that he dodged everything perfectly. He showed that even with traps that looked like instant death, one could dodge by sacrificing a shoulder or a leg. Even when his shoulder was pierced through, he calmly continued with the next strategy.

And that wasn’t the end.

The Lich, soaked in Erosion, used corrupted magic.

It was an extremely dizzying pattern. Avoiding it seemed impossible and they expected another total wipe. Once again, Leon appeared beside them.

At the moment the magic rained down, he looked toward the heroes, nodded, and ran forward. The heroes also ran forward. Chasing after him, they found themselves dodging the magic and running side by side.

“Leon nim is fighting with us!”

“If we fail again this time, it would be blasphemy!"

“We’ll slice that Lich’s throat, and slice it again!”

In the Land of Erosion, boss-level monsters like the Lich would regenerate after some time. To witness everything about Leon, many parties killed the monster again and again. Only after killing it perfectly without taking any damage did Leon appear at the monster's death spot, giving the heroes a thumbs up.

‘Excellent, heroes.’

That’s what he seemed to say.

“Hic…”

“…Ah…”

The heroes could only lift their thumbs with trembling hands. For multiple raid teams including the advance teams, that became the “Perfect Clear” title.

On Arsilan Worlds, such scenes of Leon began to be edited and posted.

Title: We have always been together.

It’s not just a formal words!

We were together in the past, in the present. So, the future will be the same, right?

The Creator God had it all planned.

I was foolish.

Anonymous 1: We’ve only been receiving help until now… now we should get a chance to repay it.

Anonymous 2: Something big is coming soon.

Anonymous 3: Something really big seems to be coming? I’m so happy.

Anonymous 4: All of this must be the Creator God’s arrangement. Hahaha.

“…So that’s what happened.”

“Hm.”

Helby took a sip of tea and looked at Jinwoo.

Jinwoo was currently talking with Helby at the Platinum Coin Shop.

The half-destroyed Platinum Coin Shop had been restored enough to resume business. While restoring it, they expanded it too, so even with many heroes visiting, it could handle them easily.

Jinwoo explained what was currently happening in a way that Helby could understand.

Helby nodded and organized the situation.

“Leon created the Holy Sword with his soul in front of the heroes to block the Erosion that was trying to destroy Arsilan, and he shared the Holy Sword with everyone, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“And when strong monsters appeared in the Land of Erosion, Leon showed up and revealed strategies, and even stood beside the heroes as if fighting together to help them?”

Jinwoo nodded.

“Yeah, it had to be made clear. But even that was something I put in before the invasion event...”

Reclaiming the Magic Stone Mine, which had been overtaken by the Core of Erosion, took priority, so he hastily threw everything together.

“And you even added praise that only appears when players complete the strategy perfectly?”

“Sort of like an Easter egg, I guess.”

The heart of a game developer briefly revealed itself.

Helby shook her head lightly.

“You brought this upon yourself.”

It was a straightforward evaluation from Helby’s sensible perspective.

In the company, everyone looked at him and said things like, “As expected of a genius..., how could you come up with such a scenario…!”, “There was a reason it was kept confidential!”, and “I cried all day.”

With this level of buildup, could it really just end like that?

Wouldn’t something huge come?

A massive event! A dramatic production!

Wouldn’t something incredible show up?

Such expectations were growing across all of Arsilan Saga.

But the truth was, all of it had been the by-product of pushing things in solely for the Erosion Subjugation. It should have ended up like dog food or a jumbled mess, but it turned into a high-class dish.

“What about the next scenario? Couldn’t Tia work on it?”

"The thing is...."

Tia looked so satisfied, it was like she had become a sage.

She didn't write scenarios and went around smiling as if she were in a flower garden. Her writing motivation had dropped. The lazy writer's true nature of absolutely not moving unless the deadline was right around the corner was revealed.

“You’re saying all this now because you’re confident you can take back the Lost Land, right?”

At Helby’s words, Jinwoo’s eyes wavered briefly. He took a long breath and leaned back against the chair.

He had run forward with only a single goal.

He had given it everything.

Without even realizing it, Jinwoo had begun to look beyond that goal. With Helby’s words, he realized why he had been so troubled.

“Yeah, this must be a trial for the Archmage.”

She was giving trials to the heroes.

Her trials had been well received.

Because they reflected the heroes’ own stories. Deep scars engraved in the unconscious, events that shook their soul, things that must be overcome to move forward.

While blending in the traits of the class they wanted to transition into, she added trials like “Compliment a party member 20 times during party hunts.” A task that was easy for other heroes, but incredibly difficult for the one receiving the trial.

Though Helby didn’t understand it, the heroes were able to face their trials head-on because they considered it a game.

A hero who only thought of themselves began to be more considerate of others. A hero who lacked confidence and was timid realized that others were not so different from them.

What could not be overcome had to be accepted. But what could be overcome by one’s own strength, that was what was called a trial.

The souls of heroes who completed their first job advancement became stronger. Heroes who overcame deep trauma even acquired powerful personal traits.

‘Hmm, should I add Leon’s appearance to the trials?’

That thought crossed Helby’s mind! The idea thrilled her so much her tail trembled.

She already didn’t like the overly proud expressions of the heroes who passed the trials, so maybe it would be better to make them shed tears instead.

She truly was a Magic Dragon.

“You look like you’re enjoying this?”

“I just never imagined the day would come when that Archmage would come to me for advice.”

Helby spoke while hiding her true thoughts.

Jinwoo looked at Helby.

She was covered with gifts given to her by the heroes, and in one corner of the room, there was a pile of presents stacked high. A ribbon tied to the end of her tail was visible.

“Why don’t you write it yourself?”

“Me?”

“Yes, at this point, I think it’s okay for you to tell the story you want. Maybe that will even match with what the heroes want?”

What he wanted.

What he wanted was crystal clear.

A hundred-year wish.

He had believed that it would never come true. But, was that still the case now?

“…By the way, is Leon’s body being stored properly?”

When Jinwoo nodded, Helby looked relieved. Then she quickly composed her expression. Helby was strangely kind, yet a bit more irritable than usual.

“Seeing that stupid face of yours makes me want to puke. Now get lost.”

“Ah.”

Jinwoo was currently a Priest.

Helby wore an expression of sincere disgust.

‘Hmm…’

Using Leon’s body would be perfect to win Helby’s favor, but still, he really didn’t want to reenlist.

To him, Leon’s body was like a military re-enlistment notice. If it was a trial, he wanted to refuse it with all his might.

Honestly, this was something that deserved understanding.

Truly.

* * *