I used all the tickets I had to enter the Advanced Arena.
[You do not have any Arena tickets.]
Unfortunately, since I had no tickets left, I couldn’t use the Advanced Arena.
Still, I had managed to secure consecutive victories in the Intermediate Arena, earning many relics and Dragon Heart Fragments.
‘…It’s a bit of a shame.’
The opponents I met in the beginning had wagered many fragments, claiming they would take mine.
However, as news of my constant winning streak spread, the number of Dragon Heart Fragments they put up as bets decreased significantly.
Even so, I had grown much stronger compared to before I entered the Intermediate Arena.
‘This much isn’t bad.’
I consistently cleared the Labyrinth to replenish my Dragon Heart Fragments, and I also secured Stones of Achievement by dispatching the Golden Tower across the world.
By explosively growing the Dragon Heart in that manner, I had reached a point where I no longer fainted after using Nature Magic once.
Since the most urgent fire was extinguished, it was time to put out the next one.
“SSS-rank Guardian training.”
While contemplating various approaches, a certain person suddenly came to mind—the Tower Master who led the Golden Tower.
Yoo Seolha.
If I trained Yoo Seolha, who possessed the talent of an Archmage, wouldn’t I be able to achieve high efficiency with a relatively small investment? That was my thought.
‘Yoo Seolha needs time.’
And time was something I could provide.
I could even offer an environment perfect for mastering magic. Therefore, I instructed her to hand over all her duties to the Vice Tower Master.
“Shall we go?”
When I arrived at the Tower Master’s office in the Golden Tower, I saw Yoo Seolha ready to depart. She was wearing a Golden Robe and a wide-brimmed hat, holding a wooden stave.
“You look like a real Mage.”
“I am a real Mage.”
“That’s true.”
“Anyway, what are you planning to do?”
“I’m going to take you to the Room of Time. When one day passes in reality, approximately half a year passes in there.”
“Pardon? Is such a thing even possible… Well, I suppose it could be.”
I snapped my fingers at Yoo Seolha’s quick acceptance.
Wuuung!
A special portal leading to the Dragon Lair was created.
“Go in.”
“Yes.”
After watching Yoo Seolha enter first, I followed her to the Dragon Lair.
First, I took her to the warehouse. It was filled with everything from Magic Stones to equipment created by dwarves and potions made by witches.
“Use anything you need.”
“Wow… what is all this?”
“Supplies from the Golden Tower, things I’ve obtained, and so on. I collected them from all over.”
Next, I took her to my private training ground. It had spaces for magic research, a training hall for combat, and a library where one could obtain skillbooks.
“…This is insane. Can I really use all of this?”
“Yeah.”
“Why are you doing this for me…?”
“To make you stronger. I’ll need your strength for the disaster that will strike soon.”
“Ah… getting stronger. That’s something I really love.”
Yoo Seolha’s eyes sparkled. Seeing her as genuinely happy as a child receiving a gift, I brought out the final trump card I had saved.
“You’re hungry, right?”
“Do I get food too?”
“Come over here and tell me what you want to eat.”
Yoo Seolha pressed the button I pointed to, carefully looked at the menu, and then mentioned a hamburger.
A moment later, there was a flash of light, and a hamburger appeared. Steam was rising from the patty.
“Wow.”
“Try it.”
Yoo Seolha grabbed the hamburger with both hands and took a large bite. After chewing for a bit, her eyes grew even wider.
“…Incredible. Can’t I just live here for the rest of my life?”
“If you reach the level of skill I want, I’ll give you the authority to come and go.”
“How strong do I have to be?”
“SSS Rank. Strong enough to beat down the current Twelve Constellations.”
“…Well, I’ll give it a shot. I was getting bored just working all the time anyway. Ah, this is going to be so much fun.”
“Then eat and start whenever you’re ready. If you need anything other than what I’ve explained, press that button and ask. Most things can be provided. If it’s something that can’t be obtained immediately, I’ll bring it myself, even if it takes a little while, so don’t worry.”
“Yes.”
Her passion for magic—no, her passion for becoming stronger. Knowing that passion well, I knew Yoo Seolha wouldn’t waste her time.
Leaving her to her self-training, I exited the training ground. Now, it was time to officially train an SSS-rank Guardian.
Once outside, I exchanged greetings with Ropenheim, who was ready.
“Are we starting now?”
“Yes. We’ll start right away.”
“I’m a bit nervous.”
“I’m nervous too, as I don’t know what will come out. But since it won’t be harmful, let’s begin immediately.”
I chose Ropenheim as the first Guardian to be trained in the Dragon Lair. In a way, he could be considered attribute-less, making him very effective even as a Supreme Apostle, beyond just a High Apostle. He was also someone who had already surpassed his own limits.
“View Ropenheim’s stats.”
[Attack Power: SS]
[Stamina: S]
[Durability: S]
[Evasion: S]
[Magic Power: A]
To make him SSS Rank, all stats had to be raised to SSS Rank. I used the materials I had gathered to pull every stat up to SSS Rank.
[Raising Attack Power.]
[Raising Stamina.]
[Raising Durability.]
An enormous amount of materials was consumed every time a stat was raised. Gold mined from the gold mines vanished in large chunks.
Furthermore, many rare materials that could only be obtained by hunting Fallen Guardians were used.
However, I didn’t hesitate to invest everything to make all his stats SSS Rank.
‘I should raise his skills too.’
Just as I was about to raise his skills, thinking back to when I made the Orc an SS Rank—
[Hero King Ropenheim (SS) has met the Awakening conditions.]
[An Awakening Quest is issued.]
[Awakening Quest]
– You must return to the Guardian’s original world with the Guardian and prevent the Disaster. Restore the twisted history to its original state.
– If the Disaster is not prevented, Awakening will never be possible again.
– Upon failure, the Guardian will die.
– Upon success, the Guardian will awaken.
– When the Awakening Quest is accepted, a dimensional gate will be created.
Failure meant death. If we didn’t go, he wouldn’t die, but he would never be able to awaken again.
This was the only chance to become an SSS Rank. Ropenheim seemed to have seen the same message as I did.
“I am ready.”
“Will you be alright?”
“How could I stay still when my home is in danger?”
He was a man who had been called a Hero for saving the world. He loved the world he lived in that much, and it was a place filled with many of his memories.
I nodded at the heated gaze in Ropenheim’s eyes.
“Then let us go together.”
I felt that the current me and Ropenheim would be able to carry out this Awakening Quest.
Above all, this was a task that had to succeed if I wanted to awaken the next Guardians as well.
“Accept.”
The Awakening Quest message disappeared, and a black portal appeared. It was the path to the place where I had first met Ropenheim.
“Anne, please take good care of the Dragon Lair while I’m away.”
[Understood.]
“And there’s a human in my training ground. Take good care of her if she needs anything.”
Just in case the flow of time was different, I gave Anne instructions before heading into the black portal with Ropenheim.
Shuaaaaak!
White text appeared over a world dyed in black.
[Dimensional travel is complete.]
[Restrictions apply according to the laws of the dimension.]
[Restrictions will decrease as you exert more influence.]
My eyes snapped open as my senses returned.
‘…Demonic Power?’
Extremely strong Demonic Power permeated the air. I looked around to assess the situation. Overall, Corruption was progressing due to the Demonic Power. It seemed familiar yet strange at the same time.
However, Ropenheim, who was well-acquainted with this world, recognized where we were instantly.
“…It’s the Academy.”
“Ah.”
Once Ropenheim pointed it out, things came into view.
This was the place where I had first met him. Beneath a collapsed building was a plaque that read ‘Lotes Kingdom Hero Academy.’
“We first met there.”
“That’s right.”
“Let’s go inside and gather more information for now.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
I checked my condition as I entered the Academy with Ropenheim.
I needed to see the level of restriction and how much power I could use.
After testing several things, I could use power exactly at the level of an S-rank.
Skills like Dragon Transformation and Transcendence were available, but I couldn’t summon other Guardians.
‘This much isn’t bad.’
I used detection magic to find any possible enemies. For now, I couldn’t sense any presence nearby. Ropenheim, who had been walking slightly ahead, stopped.
“…Hmm.”
Behind Ropenheim’s groan, the Path of Heroes was visible.
It was where statues commemorating the footsteps and achievements of the Kingdom’s heroes were kept.
Every single statue was smashed and scattered on the ground. Ropenheim, who lowered his posture to check the remains of the statues, spoke.
“It doesn’t seem to have been very long.”
“It’s highly likely the work of the Demonkind.”
The Demonic Power in the air was one thing, but when I had come to meet Ropenheim before, there was a demon who had participated in the Martial Arts Tournament.
That guy had hidden his identity and tried to kill a female student whom Ropenheim had cherished like a granddaughter. Was her name Artina?
“Let’s leave this place for now and find a place with survivors.”
“Let’s do that. But before we head back, it would be best to stop by the cabin.”
“Let’s go.”
Returning toward the entrance, we headed to the cabin where Ropenheim had lived. It was the cabin where I had spent a night in this world.
Compared to the completely destroyed Academy, the exterior of the cabin looked clean.
Feeling something suspicious, I used the Golden Dragon Eye.
[Using Golden Dragon Eye.]
[A Demonkind trap has been installed.]
It was a trap that would summon Demonkind if touched.
“Sir, Demonkind will be summoned if we go toward the cabin.”
“It’ll be perfect for asking a few questions.”
I could feel that while he was maintaining his reason, his emotions were boiling. So, I let him be. As Ropenheim walked toward the cabin and turned the handle on the door—
Shuaaaaak!
A Magic Circle was drawn around the cabin as Demonic Power fluctuated. Simultaneously, lanky demons with long limbs appeared.
“What’s this? We were trying to catch that girl, but a bigger fish appeared. Odenberg, so you really weren’t dead?”
“By ‘that girl,’ do you mean Artina?”
“Who knows?”
“Since when has the world been in this state?”
“Don’t bother asking. You’re going to die anyway, kh-kh-kh.”
One of the demons smirked as he looked at Ropenheim.
“Actually, this worked out well. If we kill you and take you back, it’ll be perfect for breaking that girl’s spirit.”
“…I see that talking is useless.”
“Boys, kill them all!”
The demons split in half and lunged simultaneously.
They weren’t very strong, so there was no need to go all out.
I used Holy Magic as I watched the ones rushing toward me. A brilliant white light poured out and swallowed the demons.
Flash!
After incinerating them instantly, I watched Ropenheim’s battle. It wasn’t much different on his side.
Slash!
The demons were sliced apart by Ropenheim’s sword.
“…How did you restore your Manahole?”
Ropenheim emitted a thick bloodlust and cut off the demon’s arm.
“Aaaaaagh!”
“From now on, I’m the one asking questions.”
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