3.
The Hero Hindel’s Seasonal Skill, Galactic Collapse.
None of the three companions had ever seen this technique in use.
Hindel himself had said it was too dangerous.
He had never used it while with them.
However, he had mentioned it before.
He had told them that if he ever used it, they should quickly flee to avoid getting caught up in it.
Having heard Hindel’s words, they all knew very well what that phenomenon meant.
Though it was hard to understand why Hindel would use such a dangerous technique in a sparring match, the three were soon caught up in the panic as they realized they were about to be involved in it.
“Are, are you kidding!? Hindel is completely losing his mind!”
“Seong, maybe, but if we get caught in this, we’ll all die! We need to run! Right now!”
“... We need to escape and prepare ourselves!”
For a moment, panic overtook them.
Flam, Adeline, and Riaden were all in a state of confusion, but they quickly sprang into action.
Even after a significant distance was put between them and the epicenter, they still felt uneasy. Flam, the Sage, and Adeline, the Saintess, conjured multiple layers of defensive barriers.
Yet it still didn’t seem enough, so using Riaden’s elemental magic, the Elf Archer, they surrounded themselves with trees and earth barriers.
Could Hindel really be trying to kill Seong?
Seeing Hindel in such an uncharacteristic state, all three shuddered.
As they braced themselves for the impact, an incredibly intense heat followed by a powerful shockwave spread, shattering most of the barriers they had created.
They were fortunate to be a distance away, but seeing the area turned to ash, all three’s faces paled in horror.
Was the Galactic Collapse supposed to have such an effect?
It seemed a bit off.
“Is... this destruction caused by heat...? Is this really the Galactic Collapse?”
“...It certainly feels strange. But I don’t think there’s another skill with this much power... What do you think?”
“...This isn’t Hindel’s skill.”
“Huh? Then, what is this skill...?”
“Could it be...?”
At Riaden’s words, both Flam and Adeline were stunned.
Riaden herself seemed shaken, her eyes trembling uncontrollably.
The three of them, realizing something was wrong, rushed to the explosion’s epicenter.
There, they found a perfectly fine Seong and a collapsed Hindel, who had exhausted all his energy.
What on earth had happened here?
Seong, seeing the three, smiled brightly, as if everything had worked out perfectly.
“I don’t have any healing skills, so I’ll leave it to you.”
Upon hearing Seong’s words, the three looked around without realizing it.
The explosion, which had devastated everything for hundreds of meters, still didn’t match Seong’s appearance. It caused a sense of cognitive dissonance.
But that was only for a moment.
When Hindel, still collapsed, coughed in pain, blood began to trickle from his mouth.
Clearly gravely injured, Seong scratched his cheek awkwardly, while the others rushed to act.
“Hindel!”
“I... I’ll heal him!”
“Quickly!”
“Let’s return to the village first!”
At Flam’s words, everyone agreed.
Then, Adeline, the most experienced in this situation, shouted.
“I’ll heal on the way. You need to carry both me and Hindel.”
“I’ll... carry Hindel.”
“I’ll carry Adeline! Seong, you come too!”
As they all hurried to lift each other, Seong, with no need for such haste, flattened the remaining blood swords to make a stretcher, lifting the group.
“I think this will be faster.”
Adeline nodded, and they quickly made their way back to the village of Sermas.
Without stopping anywhere else, Seong immediately rushed everyone to the inn.
Adeline hastily used healing magic and divine spells to restore their energy.
However, Hindel’s injuries were severe, and his condition seemed quite grave.
His expression was like someone possessed, trapped in a nightmare.
They had fully healed the external wounds.
Adeline shared a bit of her divine energy to restore some of his strength.
Yet Hindel still seemed to be sweating coldly, struggling as if he were fighting something in his dreams.
How badly had he been hurt?
Looking at Hindel, Seong couldn’t help but wonder.
‘Is he going to develop a fear of dark magic after this?’
He knew it was a reenactment of a past battle.
And he also knew the butterfly effect wasn’t something to worry about.
But still, seeing Hindel in such a state made him anxious.
It looked pretty serious.
But what was even more frightening was the fact that...
‘Why does it seem like everyone is looking at this as if it was to be expected?’
Hindel’s companions—Flam, Adeline, and Riaden—though they felt bad for Hindel, did not blame Seong at all.
Rather, their expressions seemed to question why Hindel had gone so far.
Hindel fought against his nightmares, but before long, he regained consciousness.
“Ugh, where... where am I...?”
It seemed like he didn’t even realize he had collapsed, looking around in confusion.
Then, suddenly realizing something, he stared blankly into space, his face expressing a slight sense of futility.
Then, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
But it wasn’t a humorous smile—it was one filled with bitterness and self-mockery.
‘Did I go too far?’
Seeing Hindel just waking up, Seong felt a twinge of guilt.
By the end, Hindel had fallen apart.
Maybe he should’ve gone a bit easier on him?
But then again, it was Hindel who had used the powerful skill first.
If things had gone wrong, it might have been Seong who was in trouble.
It might have been arrogant to think he should’ve toned it down.
It was unavoidable.
There were others who witnessed the battle.
Wasn’t it a case of self-defense?
Whose fault was it?
As Seong- pondered, Hindel, still in a weakened state, raised his body and knelt before Seong, bowing his head.
“Huh?”
“I... I truly apologize to you, Seong. I’m sorry.”
“Huh???”
Seong was taken aback by Hindel’s behavior, but the other three companions nodded as if it was only natural.
Seong was the only one who was confused.
Though Hindel had done something wrong, it was all too sudden.
“I... acted disgracefully. I was overcome with fear and impatience from the very beginning.”
“Ah...”
That was an apology for Hindel’s behavior from earlier.
And then...
“Because of that, I failed to show you a proper side of myself. I am truly sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. That could happen. After all, the stronger someone is, the less experience they have with such things. Maybe it was just that?”
“...Ah?”
Seong had said it just offhand.
Over the years, he had seen that the more outwardly strong someone was, the more they seemed to be gripped by fear when they became ghosts.
That’s what he had in mind when he said it.
But upon hearing those words, Hindel seemed to realize something and returned to the same focused, determined look in his eyes that he had shown earlier.
The fear and hesitation he had displayed since the middle of the sparring match disappeared completely.
“...To think you would give me such a revelation even when I behaved disgracefully. Thank you. Truly, you have a great and deep generosity.”
“...Ah... it’s nothing.”
“Ah, Seong is truly amazing. Most people couldn’t do that.”
“That’s right. Even I would have had trouble. Honestly, what Hindel did was disgraceful. It’s completely right that you’re offering an apology.”
“...Such generosity.”
Everyone praised him, and Seong couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
It wasn’t like he had done something grand.
“...Well then, since Hindel needs to rest, I’ll be heading back now.”
“Ah, you’ve worked hard, so go rest quickly.”
“Thanks... for not killing Hindel.”
“That’s right. Go in and rest well. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“...Good night.”
Each of them chimed in with their goodbyes, and Seong, feeling bewildered, left the room.
As Seong stepped out, still unsure about everything, the remaining group all turned their gaze to Hindel.
This time, there was no mistaking it—his actions had been reckless and rude.
It was the first time they had seen Hindel lose his composure like that.
“So, Hindel? What’s the deal?”
“I’m curious too.”
“...Me too.”
They were all asking why, but they were essentially asking if he had been that afraid.
Hindel, hearing their words, gave a self-deprecating smile before bowing his head.
He was ashamed.
“I used the Galactic Collapse, and I’ve truly disqualified myself as a hero. I’m ashamed.”
“...But you were pushed to that point, right?”
“...I think so too.”
“...Me too.”
“Yes, the pressure was irresistible. No, it was the first time I’ve ever felt the threat of death so clearly. At that moment, it wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to say I was already dead.”
“...It... was that serious?”
Flam asked, and Hindel nodded without hesitation.
Then, in a calm voice, he added.
“Death is not something you can overcome. You simply have to accept it. I believe Seong was showing me that very thing in this sparring match, with that kind of power.”
If Seong had heard that, he would have politely asked, “What do you mean by that?”
Unfortunately, Seong wasn’t in the room, and everyone present held Seong in high regard.
“Kyaa!!! As expected, it’s Seong!”
“...I truly think he’s amazing.”
“...A hero.”
Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.
“I agree. Someone like him, who’s more than just a title of ‘hero,’ is the true hero.”
5.
Seong, who had unknowingly become a hero, had no idea of it.
How could he?
He returned to his inn room, exhaled a long breath, and sat down on the bed.
The cheap medieval bed, stuffed with straw underneath, felt familiar.
It had some charm, but right now, Seong didn’t have the luxury to care about that.
‘At least I’m lucky.’
It was a relief that Hindel had accepted things so easily.
If things had gone a little wrong, they might have ended up going back to square one as per the quest.
The battle itself had been a bit of a close call.
Seong’s precise strike at Hindel had hit just as planned.
There were even some parts where things went better than intended.
That’s how they won.
Anyway, they won.
‘Shall I check the loot?’
He had gotten three things in total.
Two titles and a unique-grade random skill book.
The unique-grade random skill book would come last.
First, let’s check the titles.
Seong opened the title for "Recognized by the Hero."
『Recognized by the Hero』
→ Unique
→ A title given to users recognized by a hero.
→ Increases attack by +5% when attacking.
→ Increases attack speed by +10% when using swordsmanship skills.
‘Oh?’
This was a swordsmanship-related title that increased attack power when using sword skills.
There was also an option to increase attack power in general, but since Seong didn’t have any swordsmanship skills right now, it felt a bit lacking.
Maybe he would need to learn swordsmanship skills later.
It was still a pretty good title, though.
Now, onto the next one.
‘The Most Terrible?’
The title sounded ominous from the start.
That only made Seong more curious.
What kind of title was it?
『The Most Terrible』
→ Legendary+
→ A title given to the user who defeats the hero for the first time in Eternal World.
→ Slightly upgraded from the base grade due to being the first to achieve this feat.
→ Reduces 33% of the damage taken from divine or weakness attributes and returns the reduced damage to the attacker.
→ Once per day, allows the use of "Destruction of Salvation."
→ "Destruction of Salvation" reverses all healing, buffs, or beneficial effects applied to the enemy.
‘What is this...’
Seong had hoped for something big, but this was far beyond his expectations.