*Siwoo POV

“Phew…”

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”

“It’s not that. Just…”

Looking around, the sight of fresh blood was everywhere.

Of course, it’s not human blood.

The ones bleeding are the monsters.

The people laughing and chatting during the meeting were now slaughtering the monsters as if they had never done so before.

“Everyone is amazing.”

I exclaimed, seeing them avoid attacks so skillfully. It made me wonder if they really didn’t have detection-related abilities.

They probably don’t have abilities like my Intuition, yet they easily dodged attacks coming from behind, making me suddenly feel a sense of inferiority.

Everyone can dodge well, even without their abilities.

Was I perhaps unnecessary?

I thought I would protect Arte, but maybe that was arrogant of me.

Seeing the people easily handle the enemies that gave me a harder time than expected, such thoughts came to mind.

So, without realizing it, I blurted out my thoughts.

“That’s a pointless worry, friend.”

“Ah. Hello.”

“Dad, why are you here again? Not working?”

“This dad is a more expensive existence than you think, daughter. Let others handle tasks like that.”

“Old geezer…”

“Hey now.”

They’re always fighting, aren’t they?

I blankly watched the two about to argue, but then Lionel seemed to remember something and grabbed my shoulder.

“Everyone has those thoughts when they first come here. But kid, that’s arrogance.”

“Arrogance?”

“Those people have lived on this battlefield for a long time, unlike you.”

“…”

“So there’s no need for you to feel inferior.”

I know.

I’m just a student at best, and they have spent a long time on this battlefield.

It’s only natural for them to be stronger than me, and if I were stronger than them, it could be unfair to those people.

But I couldn’t accept it.

Even if it meant making the whole world my enemy, I had to be able to protect Arte.

That was my promise and resolution.

So, seeing their overwhelming performance, I couldn’t acknowledge the fact that I was weaker than them.

“Doesn’t seem like you’re willing to listen?”

“Because I made a resolution.”

“Resolution?”

The executive of the Übermensch who displayed overwhelming power.

The one who controlled the wind would have been easily subdued by them if she were here.

Come to think of it, it’s only natural.

If they had the power to defeat those people, they wouldn’t have been hiding.

So it was obvious that I, who nearly died to a single villain, was still weak compared to them.

It’s obvious, but…

“No matter what happens, there’s someone I want to protect.”

Despite that, Siwoo made up his mind to protect Arte.

So, the inferiority I felt was due to my own weakness and laziness.

This should be enough. If I steadily get stronger, I should be able to protect Arte.

I became ashamed of myself for thinking that way.

Being steady wasn’t enough.

Arte said that if the Author gets serious, the world might be destroyed.

It was Arte herself who said that, not anyone else.

So I thought I believed her, but…

Deep down, I couldn’t believe it, thinking it was an absurd story.

If I truly believed her words, I would have worked even harder.

I would have trained harder to stop the existence tormenting Arte that might destroy the world.

“Is today’s schedule over with this?”

“Yeah. From now on, it’s break time.”

“Got it.”

Siwoo decided to cast off his laziness.

If there really is an existence that can destroy the world and torment Arte…

Then, he had to become someone who could turn the world into an enemy.

Only then could he free Arte from that existence.

***

“He always tells me I’m crazy, but he doesn’t realize he’s not normal either.”

“…”

Lionel watched Siwoo’s back as he headed towards the quarters with a determined expression.

It was as his daughter said.

He’s not in his right mind.

“Saying that’s not enough…”

If he told this to people who didn’t hear those words, they would surely mock him and tell him to stop talking nonsense.

Because no one at that age has ever achieved as much as he has.

The genius of the century.

An untouchable existence among his peers.

In Lionel’s eyes, Siwoo and his colleagues were such children.

In fact, Lionel and the main force were preparing to evacuate them just before the monsters’ ambush started.

Why?

It was a welcoming ceremony.

No matter how short-staffed the front lines are, they don’t assign missions to new recruits alone. They’re not crazy.

There’s no way they would take such a dangerous action that might cost precious lives like flies.

The reason they were separated was to assess their abilities.

To gauge the combat capabilities of the only available tracking ability user.

That’s why they were preparing to go support them…

And when they realized there was no need, everyone was shocked.

Considering that most people entering the battlefield for the first time are busy running away in panic and fear, these guys’ skills were already proven.

They’re just students at best.

Four newcomers who had just set foot on the battlefield for the first time were slowly but surely slaughtering a horde of monsters, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

“Is your friend thinking of slaying even the gods?”

“I don’t know.”

Lionel was amazed to see the guy, who seemed like he would run wild once he got used to the battlefield, making some kind of resolution while saying he lacked.

“Still, he’s a romantic fellow.”

Having someone he wants to protect.

No matter how much Lionel thought about it, only one person came to mind.

“Is it that girl? The sharp-looking one with black hair.”

“Arte? That’s right.”

“As expected.”

Lionel clicked his tongue in regret.

“Why isn’t my daughter catching a guy like that? Daughter, even now…”

“Are you crazy? Why would I date a guy like that? I’m way too good for him.”

“Yeah, yeah. I didn’t expect much anyway.”

He had hoped a little that he might become his son-in-law, like the protagonist in the novels he’s been enjoying lately.

But seeing his daughter’s reaction, it’s a no-go.

When will he be able to see his grandchildren?

With her easygoing personality, he felt his future was already bleak, as if he might not even live to see his grandchildren.

“You’re not thinking something weird again, are you?”

“My, my. What do you take your dad for?”

“A dad who reads weird novels.”

“Weird, you say! You just don’t know the charm…”

***

A city dyed completely in shades of gray.

Among the collapsed buildings, a girl and a huge dog were walking.

“It’s noisy.”

“The sounds are filled with screams and groans, Annie. There must have been a battle.”

“Battle…”

“Grrrr…”

The dog the girl was petting was openly showing discomfort as it glared at the place where the noise was coming from.

While monsters sometimes fight here, it’s rare for them to roam around in groups like this.

And there’s only one case where monsters show such discomfort.

“The Association bastards?”

“Seems like it, Annie. They might be chasing us.”

“I see. As expected, Mir is smart.”

The Association.

That detestable name made her teeth grind.

They keep getting in their way.

Both when the Übermensch were around and now.

They always keep us on the ground.

“We haven’t been able to reduce people since then…”

“It’s because of that guy back then, Annie. We should have found and killed him quickly.”

“…”

The Association bastards were always troublesome.

Now that we’ve gained power, ambushing and killing a few gathered heroes right after a battle was easy.

So they killed them.

But was that a mistake?

Realizing her existence, they started sticking together in large groups without considering time delays.

They might be able to kill one or two…

But at that moment, they’d be surrounded and captured by the others.

That mustn’t happen.

Because they can’t die until they achieve equality for all.

“What should we do…”

How can they sow confusion among those guys?

Hiding in the front lines to get stronger was good, but…

They can’t even leave because of it.

They almost got caught even while sneaking in. Going out with such a large companion is nearly impossible.

“What should we do…”

What’s the way to blend in among those guys and escape?

The girl pondered for a long time as she walked.

“Grrr!”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Grrr!”

And the moment she was about to enter a building…

The monster that had been with her all along began to refuse to enter.

“You’re scared? Why?”

“This place is dangerous, L…”

Other monsters would have sensed this ominous mana and instinctively avoided it.

Even the monster that had been sticking close to the girl did so.

But the girl didn’t.

Because curiosity took precedence over instinct.

“What is in there…”

Curiosity kills the cat.

Was there such a saying?

The girl decided to dismiss it as nonsense.

Because the key to escaping this place was there.

“Found it. The way.”

Inside the building where the giant spider’s corpse was slowly rotting…

An uncountable number of cocoons were scattered, making entering difficult.