The entire continent was shrouded in thick darkness.
Darkness meant screams, despair, war, and chaos.
In such a situation, stepping out into the world was no easy task.
It was even more difficult for those who had remained hidden and hunched over for 1,000 years without budging.
“It is time.”
However, it was now time to rise.
The time had come to face the continent’s crisis head-on.
“Preparation for the island’s movement was completed last night.”
Arilleia, the mysterious island veiled from the world.
Inside the Sacred Beast, a giant tree that could be seen from anywhere on the island and was practically synonymous with the island itself.
The Most Noble Elf, Isidore, turned her gaze toward Regarda, who sat across from her.
Their thousand-year mission was to hide the dragon, treat the dragon, and eventually allow the dragon to manifest in the world once more.
That mission, which had seemed so impossible that a lifetime of devotion wouldn’t be enough, had finally been accomplished.
If so, they now had to move toward the world.
Arilleia’s mission was over, but Freya’s mission and Regarda’s mission remained.
“It is possible at any time.”
At Isidore’s question, Regarda nodded tacitly, as was his way.
Regarda was ready to step out into the world whenever necessary.
It was Freya who needed preparation, not Regarda.
“I hear that Master Pavlenko has still not returned.”
He was the last magician of this world who had fulfilled Arilleia’s thousand-year mission.
He was the hero who had released the shackles of everyone living in Arilleia and granted them freedom.
Rumors that he had died had been rampant across the continent for one year.
They had even reached Arilleia, which had almost no contact with the outside world.
However, Arilleia knew the truth.
“What do you intend to do about this?”
“I intend to do nothing.”
“That means you do not intend to announce the fact that Master Pavlenko is alive.”
They knew that Hio Pavlenko was alive.
For some reason, he could not be found anywhere in this world, but they knew with certainty that he lived.
“We will not announce it. Not only will people not believe it, but in a situation where we do not know what kind of accident occurred, it would only add to the confusion.”
“I feel the same way.”
Isidore nodded softly and looked toward Regarda’s side.
Sitting there with a dignified air was a girl with light green hair, swinging her short legs that didn’t reach the floor in a rhythmic motion.
“Lady Freya.”
“Yes!”
At Isidore’s call, Freya closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate.
Then, she spoke with her own voice instead of using a text artifact.
She had perfectly adapted to controlling the power of the Dragon Tongue.
“Uncle Hio is still alive!”
This was the reason Isidore and Regarda were certain of Hio’s survival.
“The contract magic is working well.”
It was the Dragon Summoning Magic contract that Hio had placed directly on Freya.
If one party dies, the contract magic naturally loses its power.
However, the bond connected between Freya and Hio still maintained its strength.
Therefore, no matter the circumstances, they were certain Hio was alive.
“And I also agree with not letting people know about Uncle Hio!”
“Hmm… I did not expect Lady Freya to agree as well. May I ask the reason?”
At Isidore’s kind question, Freya placed both hands on her hips while still seated.
She stopped her dangling legs and replied with a bright smile.
“Because Uncle Hio is a great magician! He’ll be back soon!”
“I see.”
“Freya is right. A magician is not the kind of person to sit idly by during a continental crisis. What we need to worry about is the movement route.”
“That is correct. First, starting from the southern region of the Empire, we plan to clear the released Abyss Monsters and head up to the capital.”
“Did the Emperor of the Empire permit it?”
“Yes. It seems Hio Pavlenko left a separate word. Thanks to that, we were able to gain trust without many complicated processes.”
“I see.”
Regarda nodded briefly and moved his golden-yellow eyes to look at Freya.
“Freya.”
“Yes!”
“Steel your heart.”
A faint smile appeared on Freya’s face at Regarda’s words.
It wasn’t just a purely innocent smile like before, but a soft one based on strong confidence.
“Don’t worry.”
Freya’s eyes curved gently.
A massive amount of magic power poured out, dominating the space and pressing down quietly.
It was the power of a dragon, perfectly controlled by her small body.
“I am also ready to begin my mission.”
This was the interior of the giant Sacred Beast.
Specifically, it was Isidore’s room near the top.
Freya climbed down from her chair and walked toward a wall blocked by the tree.
As if sensing her will, the Sacred Beast moved on its own, clearing away the wood from the wall Freya was heading toward.
The blue sky was revealed.
A cool, refreshing breeze blew in.
Her light green hair and the hem of her clothes fluttered at the edge.
At a glance, it looked precarious, but only a pleasant smile hung on Freya’s lips.
“Yes. It is about time we lightened the magician’s burden.”
Freya’s small body began to tilt forward.
The top of the tree called the Sacred Beast was at a height that was dizzying to look at.
Even though she was about to fall from such a place, Regarda did not stop Freya.
Instead, he simply stood up calmly and walked slowly toward the open wall.
“Go. Go and make it clearly known to the continent fallen into despair.”
Freya finally plummeted downward.
A strong gale began to blow.
Freya, who had her eyes closed while feeling the wind, suddenly snapped them open.
The pupils in her light green eyes split vertically.
Those were the eyes of a dragon.
They were the supreme eyes that reigned over all living things.
A pair of massive wings spread wide from her back, and her entire body was covered in sparkling scales as a dragon was revealed.
The Green Dragon that governed the wind.
“That the protector has returned to this world.”
The giant Sacred Beast soared high into the sky.
Next to it, a dragon glided freely.
Under the blue sky, tens of thousands of Arilleia’s army stood in formation.
“Waaaaaaa!”
Their cheers shook the heavens.
The dragon’s roar made the earth vibrate.
Simultaneously, the dark clouds that had been covering the entire region of Arilleia cleared.
The rain stopped and the waves lost their strength, making the sea grow calm.
The Cursed Waters that had lasted for 1,000 years disappeared, and the true appearance of Arilleia began to be revealed.
Tens of thousands of Elves, a dragon, and a Dragon Knight moved toward the continent.
***
It was quiet.
He had not said a single word for over one day.
Kreutzvalt had appeared the moment Hio was about to move, following the traces left by the mysterious magician.
Even though a full day had passed since his suspicion became a certainty, Hio had not uttered a single word from his mouth.
Naturally, Kreutzvalt had gone back.
‘…No, could one really say he had gone back?’
‘Could it be said he had returned when the Abyss, which filled the surroundings, served as his eyes and ears and stayed by his side?’
The sensation of the Abyss touching his skin was horrifyingly disgusting.
He wanted to cast ‘Celestial’ right now and burn away all the energy, but he barely managed to endure it.
[Hidden Trait: Violence is Forbidden! (Patience: 931/1,000)]
Hio had seen him off as usual, pulled out the map artifact that showed the location of Tetradia as if nothing were wrong, and then moved in that direction.
One day had passed since then.
Even so, he had moved without even a single mutter.
Before this, he would have engaged in useless chatter with Theodore or muttered many things to himself while walking.
While it might seem strange to Kreutzvalt—who would be watching all of this—that he hadn’t said a word since parting ways, Hio was certain it wouldn’t matter.
Kreutzvalt must have known from the beginning that Hio suspected him.
Yet, what was the reason he shamelessly acted the part of a teacher and gave lessons?
It was because he knew it didn’t matter whether Hio suspected him or not.
‘What could Hio do?’
‘What could he do other than die if he didn’t follow Kreutzvalt’s intentions?’
It was an action born from that confidence, and it was also the truth.
There was a vast difference between Kreutzvalt’s power and Hio’s.
Only then did Hio understand why the mysterious magician had left such faint traces that only Hio could barely recognize them.
It was to avoid being caught by Kreutzvalt.
Well, Kreutzvalt probably realized long ago that such traces were left for Hio, but it was to ensure he didn’t realize the content.
“……It doesn’t matter what it is.”
Hio’s mouth finally opened after exactly one day.
It was currently night—the night when the Watchers and Strange Entities were active.
Theodore lightly tapped Hio on the shoulder.
It was a warning to be careful.
The presence of a Watcher could be clearly felt nearby.
“I said it doesn’t matter.”
Normally, he should have quickly backed away to avoid the Watcher, but Hio did not.
Instead, he stepped forward and moved his feet.
It didn’t take long for the Watcher’s Eye floating in the sky to discover Hio and Theodore.
The dark Abyss split apart, and the eyes of Hio and the Watcher met.
It was a bizarre hallucination where it seemed only the space between them brightened.
Immediately after: “Kieeeeeeeeek!”
The nearby Strange Entities—no, every Strange Entity existing at the World’s End—discovered Hio at the same time.
They had seen Hio through the Watcher’s Eye and pinpointed his location.
“Eeeeeeeeng!”
From the fastest, palm-sized Strange Entities that resembled wasps.
Thump—
To the ultra-giant Strange Entities whose heads were even higher than the Watcher’s Eye, making the ground shake with every step.
All the Strange Entities of the world began to charge toward Hio.
‘As I thought.’
Even in the midst of this, Hio’s gaze was fixed on the Watcher’s Eye.
‘It cannot speak.’
The Watcher’s Eye could not speak.
It could not carry its will through the air to deliver it, nor did it make any expression of its intent.
The fact he could learn from this was that the Watcher’s Eye he had encountered inside the Abyss Gate previously must have been the same.
The voice of the Abyss that he had heard was not made by the Watcher, but was the voice of Kreutzvalt.
Thinking so, he raised his staff and drew a long horizontal line.
“Eeeeeeeng!”
Hundreds of the wasp-type Strange Entities that were the first to charge were blown apart by ten or so Explosions.
Boom—!
Boom!
Starting with that, all kinds of Strange Entities began to swarm in endlessly.
There was only one reason Hio had invited this battle during the long night.
It was because that was the only way he could survive.
Only by experiencing a crisis of death and growing would the probability of surviving against Kreutzvalt when he finally reached Tetradia increase by even a fingernail’s worth.
And by continuing the battle all night like this, he could take a justified rest during the day tomorrow.
This meant he could delay the walk toward Tetradia even a little bit.
‘Could he be discovered by the Master of the Abyss, whom even Kreutzvalt said to avoid if caught by a Watcher?’
That was nonsense from the start.
Such a thing was merely an illusion created by Kreutzvalt.
Since he was the true Master of the Abyss, there was no way there could be another master besides him.
Thump—
The distance to the ultra-giant Strange Entity closed.
It was an unbelievable sight, as if an entire island were moving.
He slammed dozens of Explosions mixed with the Abyss into that massive body as it approached, pushing other creatures aside.
Even so, they didn’t reach the torso, so the explosions only burst repeatedly against the legs.
Booooooom—!
Before the aftermath of the explosions could fade, he detonated a reinforced Flare under the giant Strange Entity’s feet and sliced its ankle with a maximized Frost Ray.
Despite pouring out all kinds of magic like that, the giant’s fist was already covering the area and falling over Hio’s head.
He immediately used Blink seven times in a row to retreat and created over five layers of barriers around his body, but—
Thud—!
The giant’s fist hit the earth, and the ground exploded as if it were bursting along with a bizarre roar of being crushed.
The barriers were shattered mercilessly, and Hio’s body was swept away by the aftermath and flung far away.
Even through that aftermath, dozens of Strange Entities were already charging at him.
‘This is a crisis.’
It was a real crisis, the first one he had faced in a long time.
“Haha…”
But for some reason, he felt like laughing.
Because this kind of crisis was the only hole through which he could survive.
He hadn’t even finished learning all the magic of the 6th Circle yet, but he had to gain new enlightenment even faster.
Only by reaching the 7th Circle would he at least be able to struggle against Kreutzvalt.
It was said that enlightenment is something you can gain in a life-threatening crisis.
Hio stood up once again.
In the midst of that, he momentarily froze at a memory that suddenly surfaced.
‘I hope you have crossed the wall by the time you arrive at Tetradia.’
The voice Kreutzvalt had given him while wearing the mask of a teacher when he left the Safe Zone.
‘I truly hope so, my disciple.’
At the same time, a very unpleasant sensation took over his entire body.
The disgusting thought that perhaps even the struggle he was currently making was part of the plan set by Kreutzvalt.
It was a terrible feeling, as if he were being played with in the palm of his hand.
[Hidden Trait: Violence is Forbidden! (Patience: 945/1,000)]