I saved the world.
I killed the Emperor for the sake of avenging my comrades, and slaughtered every Demon who conspired with him.
It wasn’t an easy journey, but I accomplished it in the end.
Haa…….
As I lay dying, the faces of my family flickered before my eyes.
How much I had regretted everything until now.
If I’d known it would end like this, I would have at least left behind a drawing or two.
Even the faces that flickered through my tears were growing faint.
Only the name I’d cried out countless times lingered on my lips.
But… was it just my imagination?
My body felt light, and my vision faded to white.
When I barely opened my eyes, all I saw was a blinding white flash.
“Swordmaster Sid. Are you conscious?”
“Huh?”
Startled by the unfamiliar voice, I sat up.
My stomach.
The wound I’d received from the Demon was gone.
The injury that had led to my death was completely healed.
“Mr. Sid? Are you awake?”
“Who are you! Who are you!”
“You’re awake. Then let’s proceed with the verification process. Emperor slayer. Demon hunter. And the Only Swordmaster of Hille A. Is that correct?”
“That’s correct… But who are you? Where am I?”
“I apologize for the late introduction. I am the Valkyrie in charge of you, Mr. Sid. The gods have watched your journey. They have acknowledged you and wish to grant you a fitting reward. Do you understand?”
“Valkyrie? You mean, the Messenger of the Gods?”
“That’s right. You have been invited to Valhalla. Congratulations.”
A mysterious voice.
The Valkyrie spoke.
O……..
To die and immediately end up in a place like this—what was going on?
Valkyrie.
Messenger of the Gods.
Valhalla.
‘Was it that story?’
‘The battlefield said to be reserved for only the greatest warriors?’
I gradually came to understand that I had been invited.
“Mr. Sid? Mr. Sid.”
“Ah, yes! I’m listening. So, I’m dead…”
“I believe I’ve given you the basic introduction. Now, let me tell you about your reward.”
“What? Reward? I wasn’t expecting anything like that…”
“No. You deserve a reward. Let me explain. In Valhalla, many battles are fought repeatedly. Only the final victor in those battles will have their wish granted. That is the reward offered to you.”
“A wish? What kind of wish?”
“Anything is possible. You could claim a seat beside the radiant gods. You could even revive people you know.”
The Valkyrie cut me off.
She seemed like a rather cold Valkyrie.
‘But…….’
I recalled the wish that lingered on my lips.
My family.
My village, burned to ashes.
The comrades who died for my sake flashed through my mind.
If I had a wish—
“Mr. Sid? Have you made your decision?”
“No. Please, give me a moment to think…”
“Most people wish for their families to be returned. Will that be enough for you?”
“What? Of course! But is that really possible? Can I really meet my family again?”
“Very well. Then I will send you into the battlefield. May fortune be with you.”
“What? That’s it?”
Pop!
As I stood there bewildered, everything around me turned pitch black.
Really, what was the rush?
That Valkyrie was truly without mercy.
Pang!
‘Hmm?’
A sudden explosion sounded, and I looked around.
Behind me hung a red curtain.
Above, a dazzling light shone down on me.
“Oh! Something came out! Is this good?”
A voice, likely a child’s, spoke.
But it wasn’t a child.
There was a thin transparent barrier between us, and eyes were peering down at me.
A giant’s child was looking at me.
“Come on. Does that look good? Look at the number of stars. Only two!”
Another voice followed.
There were two giants.
Both giants were peering down at me.
“Really? Is that bad?”
“Whatever. Let’s open the rest of the cards. You always get at least a 4-star in the starter support pack, right? We’ll build the party after that. Just toss this one.”
Pop!
With the giant’s words, the light disappeared.
[★Odongnamu Shield]
Thud!
And something fell.
A round shield, finished in steel.
‘Did it fall from above?’ As I wondered, other items tumbled down as well.
[★Goblin Scimitar]
[☆ Healing Potion]
[☆ Healing Potion]
Strange text appeared between the giants and me.
‘Was it information about the items that had just dropped?’
Calmly, I gripped my sword and glared at the giants.
Giants often let their guard down, so I had to wait for an opening to attack.
Pang!
At that moment, another explosion echoed.
[★★ Apprentice Mage]
This time, a red-haired girl descended.
The floating text in the air seemed to show information about both items and people.
“I don’t want to… I don’t want to die…! I don’t want to die!”
The Apprentice Mage bit her nails, trembling.
Ah, so that’s how it was?
I finally understood this battlefield.
I quickly grabbed the shield and scimitar from the ground.
Random summons, random chaos.
It was just like the arena I’d seen in the Empire.
No matter what happened, I was confident I could win.
Pang!
But then, another explosion rang out.
Next to me, a priestess with closed eyes descended.
<★High Priestess of the Silver Flash>
“Wow! Gold! Legendary card! This is a good one, right? Isn’t it?”
“4-star came out. But the 10-card guarantee is a supporter character? Haa, this one’s not fully researched yet. Hard to use without a Paladin.”
“Really? Isn’t Paladin the first one you get?”
“That? That’s just your typical Wandering Swordsman. Keep opening the rest. If Paladin comes out, we can build the team around that.”
The mysterious giants conversed.
‘Did the battle not start yet?’
If so, I had time to prepare a strategy.
I quickly greeted the Apprentice Mage and the priestess.
“It’s an honor to meet you like this. Looks like we have to face those giants. Could we gather for a moment? Let’s prepare a strategy.”
I spoke to the two of them.
“Huh?”
But the Apprentice Mage just looked confused.
The priestess, with her hands neatly folded, frowned at me.
“A newbie… are you?”
“Yes? Ah, yes, I’m new. Please take care of me.”
“Looks like we got caught in the starter support pack. Seven cards opened, and it’s just you and me and the others? Hah. We’ll just suffer and get tossed aside later. Really unlucky.”
The priestess muttered, turning her head.
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
I tried to ask her, but the priestess didn’t answer.
Religious types were always like this.
Pang!
[★★★ Dwarf Shieldbearer]
[☆ Healing Potion]
[★★★ Sage’s White Staff]
Tutuk!
A Dwarf, a staff, and a potion fell down in turn.
From the moment he landed, the Dwarf Shieldbearer was staring at the giants outside.
Good.
‘So this was the atmosphere?’
Seemed like no one was in the mood for talking.
I was the only one preparing with weapons in hand.
“What is this nonsense lineup. If only a Dwarf Paladin came out! So close!”
The grumbling giant spoke.
If I was going to strike first, it would be that one.
He was protecting his eyes with glasses, so I’d have to target his neck and finish him quickly.
I gripped my sword and glared at him.
“Did we lose already? And why is that guy holding items? We haven’t even given them out yet.”
“Oh, that? It’s like an Easter egg. Some characters just grab whatever gear they can. Anyway, let’s see… In the beginning, you can only use a 3-person party, right? Gotta use the 4-star High Priestess, and since we got a good staff, she can have that.”
“The shield and Shieldbearer are for tanking. Just use them for now and swap later. Ever since the last nerf, the Shieldbearer meta is dead.”
“Ugh?”
The shield in my hand moved on its own.
Clack!
It landed in the Dwarf’s hand.
The Dwarf Shieldbearer looked at me, tilting his head.
“Are you… new?”
“I am… but what is this? What on earth is going on…?”
“Really your first time, huh? Well, you’ll get used to it. Everyone learns this way.”
“Learn? Learn what?”
“Learn about this world.”
The Dwarf muttered briefly and turned his gaze.
Now that I thought about it, my comrades had said so.
Valhalla numbs warriors’ senses with endless war.
These people seemed dulled by repeated battles.
But I would not become like them.
I gripped my sword and shouted at the giants.
“If you’re done, come down here! I’ll take you on myself!”
“Huh? What’s the swordsman doing with his sword? Cute!”
“You call that cute? Want to see my limited-edition Swimsuit King Arthur?”
“Whatever, man.”
“Anyway, let’s see. For the last slot, let’s put in the Apprentice Mage. No ranged DPS, so we’ll use whatever we have.”
***
Pop!
As the glasses-wearing giant spoke, a flash of light fell.
The priestess with closed eyes.
The Dwarf with his shield.
And the trembling Apprentice Mage were all chosen.
“Eek! No! You always die in the First Strike! I don’t want to! Nooo!”
The Apprentice Mage shrieked in terror.
I grimaced at the sight.
I thought only warriors came to Valhalla.
‘Why had a child like this ended up here?’
“Huh? What are you doing! Get back to your place!”
The silent Dwarf shouted.
I sighed and stepped in front of the girl.
“This child is not a warrior.”
“What? No, it’s pointless—just get back!”
“If it’s a fight you want, then let me be the first.”
I replied, reciting briefly.
If there was to be a battle, I would be the first in line.
The giants stared blankly at me.
“Huh? The Wandering Swordsman is saying something. Apparently, the swordsman is recommended for this party. Says he can use the scimitar too?”
“Come on, don’t believe that. All those operator tips are crap.”
“But can’t we at least try? I like these kinds of characters. It’s like that Goblin lover.”
“Hmm… Goblin Slayer. Wild Dog Hunter. Indomitable Swordsman. The traits aren’t bad. Let’s try it. In the end, you’ll only care about performance anyway.”
The two giants conversed.
I couldn’t understand a word they said.
The giants in my world at least sang weird songs like “Pi! Pai! Po! Pum!” but they never spoke in incomprehensible tongues like this.
Ding ding ding!
Suddenly, the potions on the ground floated up.
Ah.
‘Would they vanish if I didn’t grab them?’
But the potions floated into the air and stayed there.
Ding ding ding ding!
Then, ten more potions appeared.
Thirteen bottles of potion floated in the air.
I had no idea what was happening.
Pop!
The light that had been above the Apprentice Mage moved over to me.
The Apprentice Mage looked at me, her eyes rimmed red.
With a complicated expression, she muttered something strange.
“Thank you, thank you! You saved my life, mister!”
“So I just press this? Deploy?”
“Yep. Press this and you can do something else. There’s nothing to control early on. Here, the potions recharge ten every thirty minutes, and you can buy more with gold if needed.”
“Really? Do I have to keep pressing it?”
“No. If HP drops below 50%, they auto-drink. As long as you don’t get one-shotted, you’ll keep healing. Don’t worry.”
“Oh! It’s starting! The animations are pretty good!”
The two giants continued talking.
Thud!
At the same time, the priestess slammed her staff down.
Then, twirling the staff, she shouted at the giants.
“With light! I will vanquish the darkness!”
With light, vanquish darkness?
‘Was this really the same proud woman from before?’
Thump thump!
“My shield! Will protect you all!”
The Dwarf banged his shield and shouted.
The incomprehensible situation showed no signs of ending.
“Ah. The chicken’s here. Hand me the cards.”
“Huh? You don’t need to be here?”
“Excuse me, have you never seen auto-battle before? You don’t even need to press the potions.”
“Then I’ll go wash my hands too. Chicken! Chicken!”
The giants disappeared beyond the transparent barrier.
Thunk!
Then I fell into an unfamiliar place.
A cute, green hill rose up in a charming meadow.
“Kikikik!”
“Kukukuk!”
“Kekekek!”
Three Goblins appeared before me.
Whew, alright.
My mind was a mess, but I gripped the scimitar.
I’d think after the battle was over.
“Hyaaah!!!”