2.
Before the Despair's Gorge was formed, the past Serumas was quite a peaceful village.
It seemed almost absurd to think that a Demon King lived nearby, given how peaceful the village appeared.
The villagers seemed blissfully happy as they strolled through the streets, and the atmosphere was filled with peace. No one appeared to have a care in the world.
The hero party, seeing this, had already realized that Helena was not an evil being, but they were still taken aback by how a village nearby could exude such an atmosphere.
It was a more peaceful place than any village they'd ever visited.
It was no surprise they were taken aback.
“It’s truly a beautiful sight,” one of them said.
“Wow, that’s right. Even in the royal capital, it’s rare to see people so happy, this is incredible.”
“...It’s been said that she’s the Demon King, but somehow, she appears more like a wise ruler than anyone else. Should we really fight against her?”
“...A difficult decision.”
“Hmmm.”
As the hero party exchanged similar thoughts, Seong's curiosity only grew.
Why did this party of heroes, who had such a mindset, decide to take up arms against Helena?
What was the reason behind it?
While he pondered this, Plang suddenly pointed with his finger as if he had seen something outrageous.
Where he pointed, where the Despair's Gorge should have been, there was something else entirely.
“...Wow.”
A huge mountain stood in place of the gorge.
It wasn’t just any mountain—it was, in fact, a massive black fortress that could easily be mistaken for a mountain.
It was so massive that one would need to tilt their head far back to see its peak, even from the village.
The overwhelming size gave off an immense sense of intimidation.
But what was even more astonishing was this:
“...Is it really possible to create a defensive shield that large?”
“....”
“....”
“....”
“Wow.”
There was no one who could answer Plang’s question.
They could only fall silent and marvel.
Unlike the rest of the party, Seong was amazed for a different reason.
Could they really have moved an entire fortress of that size into another dimension?
Shouldn’t they be reconsidering going there right now?
As Seong thought this, Hindel, gazing up at the fortress, quietly spoke.
“That is the Dark Castle.”
“...Hoo, it looks impossible to even approach.”
“...But the gods will bless us for this journey.”
“...It’s going to be difficult.”
Aside from Hindel, the others seemed to lose some of their determination.
Anyone would feel that way after seeing such a monumental structure.
Seong certainly did.
He knew what would happen to that Dark Castle in the future, and how a massive gorge would form there soon after.
But now, there was no turning back.
Seeing everyone’s reactions, Hindel spoke quietly.
“Let’s head to the inn for now. It’s getting late, so we should settle in first. It would be best to rest today and regain our strength.”
“I agree! Rest is essential! You can trust the words of this wise man!”
“I too agree. We’ve all likely grown weary, even if we didn’t realize it.”
“I agree.”
“I’m on board too.”
With Seong’s agreement, they made their way to the inn. It wasn’t the best in the village, but it was decent enough.
The sun was just beginning to set, so they hadn’t prepared much yet.
It was time for dinner, and they all ordered their meals in the inn’s dining area.
Nutrition was essential for rest.
However, Seong felt a bit unsatisfied.
“Hmmm, is this how today ends?”
Although he had gone to lunch earlier, it felt a little disappointing to log off now.
Since he had returned to the past, it seemed such a waste to end the first day like this.
Should he at least wander around the village?
Or maybe gather some information?
As Seong pondered these thoughts, Hindel noticed his troubled expression and looked at him with concern.
“Is there something bothering you?”
He must have asked because Seong looked so troubled.
Seong nodded slightly, reassuring Hindel that he was fine.
In truth, he was fine.
So Seong honestly spoke up.
“My body still feels a bit stiff, so I was just wishing for more time to stretch.”
“Ah! I see.”
“Ah, yes, Seong-nim joined us later, so you still have plenty of energy left.”
“I can totally relate.”
“Same here.”
As each party member expressed their understanding, Seong saw it as an opportunity and decided to speak up.
He wanted to suggest that he would go and explore the area nearby.
After all, he was curious about the monsters from the past and how they might be in this version of the game.
It could be a great opportunity to hunt monsters that roamed freely, without other players around.
It was tempting.
Though he wasn’t sure about the rewards, he was eager to try.
Just as he was about to ask for permission to leave, Hindel proposed something else.
“Then, how about a spar with me?”
“Pardon?”
A spar with a hero?
Hunting monsters from the past and battling a hero from the past.
It was clear without saying that the latter was far more valuable.
Although Seong wasn’t particularly aggressive, how could he resist?
A duel with a hero, adjusted to his own level—this would be an excellent opportunity to gauge his own strength.
He had no reason to refuse.
‘This is a great chance to understand how strong I really am.’
Until now, Seong had only an inkling of his own power.
He knew that people were enthusiastic about his videos, and even his friends asked him for autographs. His reputation had grown considerably.
He had shattered the past fortress that had never been breached, but that victory had been achieved with the help of summoned creatures.
Now, he wondered how far his personal skill could take him, without relying on anything else.
This was the perfect opportunity to test out the abilities he had gained from the ghosts' memories and experiences.
He didn’t have many attack magic skills, and he had realized how significant the lack of swordsmanship was when he fought the gatekeeper before entering this place. But still, he wanted to test his personal capability.
‘It’s a good opportunity to go all out in a safe situation.’
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How many times had Seong really fought at full strength?
Only once, against Crescentra.
And even then, it wasn’t just him—it was with his summoned creatures.
Fighting at full strength was an experience that would be vital to his growth.
It would be a waste to let this chance slip by.
Plus, this would be a perfect opportunity to understand Hindel’s true strength as a hero.
After calculating everything, Seong nodded in agreement.
“Alright. It’s only natural for us to assess each other’s strength before we face whatever comes next.”
“Ah...! Thank you for agreeing! I’ll be learning a lot from this.”
“Hehe, a duel between the two of you... I’m really looking forward to this!”
“...I’ll assist to make sure neither of you gets hurt too badly.”
“...I’m excited.”
The news of the duel seemed to energize everyone, and their excitement was palpable.
Even Layaden, who normally only spoke two words, said more than usual in anticipation.
With everyone eagerly looking forward to the duel, they finished their meal and got up.
It was clear that the group was eager to start the fight immediately.
They had initially considered doing it in the village, but after realizing they both knew the level of each other’s strength, they decided to move.
They found a large open area several kilometers away from the village, where the ground was firm and solid.
Hindel carefully assessed the terrain, while Seong also surveyed the surroundings.
Then Seong looked at the ground beneath his feet for a moment and nodded.
‘I can go all out here.’
As he surveyed the area, numerous system messages flashed in his mind, and he nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing that Seong was ready, Hindel asked, looking slightly unsure.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, of course.”
Once the readiness was confirmed, Hindel turned to Plang.
“Plang?”
“Yep, yep~”
Plang, who was to signal the start of the duel, got ready to activate the alchemical device he had prepared.
As tension built up, and both of them prepared, Plang activated his creation.
He infused mana into a trumpet-like device, causing a small explosion to echo through the air.
Boom!
At that cue, Hindel moved first.
Drawing his sword, he swiftly positioned himself, his feet moving so fast they were barely visible.
As his feet slammed into the ground, Hindel left clear footprints behind, his speed overwhelmingly fast.
Seong could barely follow the movement with his eyes.
However, if he could track it visually, it meant he could likely respond to it.
Seong unsheathed his sword, the one he had already confirmed with Hindel earlier.
He had worried that Hindel might recognize the sword, but when he asked, Hindel had only praised it as a good blade and didn’t seem to recognize it.
As Seong drew his sword, the three others who were watching were shocked.
“You’re drawing your sword against Hindel-nim!?”
“...You seem to have quite an understanding of swordsmanship.”
“...A strong one.”
They were surprised, but they didn’t seem overly concerned.
They assumed Seong must have a good reason for drawing his sword.
Hindel also seemed to think the same.
He infused his sword with an aura, the blue light swirling around the blade.
It was a flash of light reminiscent of someone wielding a crystal-clear sword, and Seong smiled slightly at the thought.
Hindel, noticing Seong’s smile, swung his sword, the aura still flickering around the blade.
A faint tremor from the sword filled the air, and the sound of the slash was nearly inaudible as the sword cut through the air toward Seong.
Shing———!
With a flash of light, Hindel’s strike followed, but Seong reached out with his sword hand and swung it, hiding his other hand behind his back as if to conceal it.
At that moment, the aura that had wrapped around Hindel’s sword vanished, only to wrap around Seong’s blade and attack Hindel.
Boom—!
The intense light surged, hitting Hindel like a powerful wave.
In the midst of this crashing light, Hindel swung his sword repeatedly, cutting through the waves, and when he finally dissipated the last of them, a teal spear flew toward him.
He was too slow to dodge.
He had to block it with his sword.
Hindel, making a split-second decision, swung his sword to deflect the sharp spear of teal light.
But the spear passed right through his sword like an illusion, striking him in the chest.
[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『One Strike!』 activates!]
[Dark damage is applied.]
[Hero Hindel resists partially.]
[Hero Hindel loses full sight and sensation for 2 seconds.]
Even Crescentra had taken 3 seconds to resist this dark damage.
Could it be that heroes were truly different?
Seong, sensing the moment, charged toward Hindel, swinging his sword with glee.
He unleashed a fluid sword technique learned from the memories of a knight in the Crystal Palace.
To maximize his power, Seong started with his footwork, adding rotational force and delivering a strike far stronger than usual, aiming for Hindel’s upper right side, then diagonally down.
However, as Seong swung his sword, a blue aura spread from Hindel’s blade, forming a thin shield like a barrier, blocking Seong’s powerful strike.
Clang—!
He blocked it.
So, this was the power of a hero?