Thud-thud-thud-thud.
"Damn it..."
Two orcs charged toward us. Reinforcements? Doesn't matter. It's a problem either way.
Redan stood frozen, spear in hand, despair carved into his face. Tiva, her quiver nearly empty, hesitated she knew the arrows left wouldn't be enough. The orc in front of her had already grabbed a weapon from the one Redan had nearly finished off.
'Damn it, how did it come to this? I can't just run and leave Lenia behind.'
"Redan! Hit them with [Tornado]! And Tiva, shoot that orc—don't stop!"
"Hah? You want me to pull that off without the runemaster's buffs?"
"And I've barely got any arrows left."
"I said do it!"
"Tch. Fine. Whatever. I just want to live."
Redan spun his spear, and Tiva, gritting her teeth, aimed at the orc's head once more.
Whoossh
Redan summoned the [Tornado], a whirlwind forming around his spear,
but it barely slowed the orcs.
'Ugh, if I could just finish off the one in front of me... this would be easier.'
I poured Shu into my sword, gripping it tightly, aiming for the orc's legs. One was already wounded. If I could cripple it...
The two charging orcs were almost on Redan now, leaves and dust swirling around them, dragged into his weak whirlwind.
"Redan, now!"
Whooosh
As Redan unleashed his [Tornado], I hurled the spines I'd gatheredーHedgehog Ferrum from a hunt at the start of Silver-tier.
'Those things cost me a fortune, but l'll pay any price to get out of this.'
Srat srat srat
As expected, most of the spines barely scratched their skin, but a few found their mark, embedding in their eyes.
"Redan! Go for their heads!"
I was close to finishing off the orc in front of me. Redan adjusted, spear aimed at the heads of the two blinded beasts. Meanwhile, Tiva, out of arrows, threw rocks to keep the third orc distracted.
Just as the tide seemed to turn, I felt it—the cold grip of fate closing in. The orc in front of me, its last act of desperation, hurled its war axe directly toward Wedge.
"NO!"
Lenia was already moving, rushing to intercept. Her eyes wide with fear.
No time to think. I channeled the last of my Shu into my legs, propelling myself toward her. Desperation fueled every step.
Thud!
The war axe struck. Searing pain shot through my back, but I didn't care. I had shielded Lenia. I collapsed into her arms. Her eyes filled with terror, disbelief as she watched the blood pool beneath me.
"N-no... Ken!!"
"Stu... pid... You... owe... me... one... more..."
Lenia's voice wavered, panic overriding her composure as she fumbled with her [Healing] skill, her energy nearly depleted.
"Ken! Please, stay with me! Heal, heal, heal!"
It was useless. Her Shu was drained. My vision blurred, the world growing distant, my strength slipping away.
'Cold... So cold... Is this what you felt, Mom? This pain... I hate it.'
"KEN!"
***
"We can't wait any longer. He must act before the demon invasion spreads, before they take more borderlands."
"But, Your Majesty... He's not ready for extermination."
Bang!
"How long have we been at this!? My head throbs from the thought of that useless [Hero]!"
"His power isn't absent, Your Majesty, just locked. He needs the souls of the Elemental Kings—"
"Souls of the Kings are myths! No [Hero] I've ever summoned has seen those cursed spirits!"
"..."
"Take him to the front lines. Let him face the extermination."
"But Your Majesty, he's not strong enough."
"He'll get stronger faster on the battlefield!"
"...Yes, Your Majesty. I'll prepare him."
Darwin left the chamber. King Grim scowled, frustration etched deep in his features.
"Summon the witches who aided in the summoning ritual. Now!"
***
Thud!
"Aakhh, damn... I'm hit..."
Redan was barely holding on against the two orcs. Tiva, still dodging and weaving, accidentally crashed into him.
"Watch it, you idiot!"
"Ugh..."
Backed into a corner, they tried another assault, but it did nothing. The orcs barely flinched.
"Hey, Tiva, we've got to run."
"Huh? What about the others?"
"Forget them! You want to die here too?"
Tiva hesitated but eventually nodded. She fired her last arrows at the orcs, each one detonating just before impact.
Smoke and fire briefly obscured the orcs' vision, giving Redan and Tiva the chance they needed to flee, leaving the rest of us behind.
Lenia's sobs, Wedge's groans—they were like a beacon for the orcs, drawing them closer.
"Damn it! They just left me to die!"
The orcs closed in, Wedge still trying to slow them down with the last of his strength. But they kept coming. When they were too close, Wedge tried crawling away, panting, gasping for air.
"Hah... hah... I'm... going to... make it..."
But his final words were cut short as an axe split his skull. His eyes glazed over, life snuffed out.
***
'Darkness... am I alone? Where... am I?"
"Ken..."
'Who is that?'
"Ken...
'That voice...'
"Ken, open your eyes."
Slowly, I did. A meadow stretched out before me, wide and endless. Flowers swayed in the breeze, and the sky was a perfect, endless blue.
"Ken... is that really you?"
I turned toward the voice. There she was. The woman I knew so well. Her smile, so full of warmth, brought peace even in the darkest of times. Her voice was like a song I'd never forget.
"...Mom?"
Tears welled up before I could stop them. I ran to her, arms outstretched, desperate for her embrace. But just before I reached her, an invisible wall stopped me cold.
"No... no... Mom..."
"It's okay, Ken. It's okay."
Her smile never faltered, her calm unwavering. We talked for a while.
"How did you get here?"
"Haha... You wouldn't believe it, Mom. I was transported to another world. They made me a [Hero]. I've been fighting alongside my friends..."
| told her everything, almost everything. I didn't mention how Dad had kicked me out. I didn't talk about school.
"...And then the orc's axe struck me, and I ended up here."
Mom didn't say a word, just bowed her head.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you..."
"N-no, Mom, it's fine. Really. I'm okay. And...and I got to see you again. That's enough for me."
"No, Ken... you don't belong here."
Suddenly, a force tugged at me, pulling me away. Her voice faded, the distance between us growing.
"Take care of yourself, my son..."
***
The three orcs approached Lenia, her tear-streaked face lifting to meet them, resignation in her eyes.
Zrash! Zrash! Zrash!
Their heads rolled to the ground.
Flames crackled in the air, blazing behind their lifeless bodies.