“…You really that confident?”
At the moment I glanced at my brother, I barely managed to swallow the words stuck in my throat.
His gaze was sharp, almost fierce.
Saying “Yeah, I am” felt impossible—there was something off about his energy.
More than anything, he wanted to say something else. Something I hadn’t fully grasped yet.
An unbearable silence stretched between us.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
“Yeah. It’d definitely be easier with your help. I’m not blind to that.”
“……”
“Alright. Let’s say you join and we succeed in this campaign. What then? What’s your plan after?”
“After?”
“You said it yourself. Once we conquer the Steel Mountains and enter Atlanta, those demons will surely make a move. Not just the demons, but users from other continents too.”
“…Yeah.”
He wasn’t wrong. The moment the Steel Mountains fall, the chances of the demons moving skyrocket. Because in the region after Atlanta—Terra—the Zero Code lies dormant.
Or maybe it’s already stirring.
“Of course, if everything goes your way in Atlanta, everyone would be happy. We’d just secure our position and push straight to Terra. But do you really think it’ll be that simple?”
…No way.
I know exactly what kind of creatures those ‘demons’ are. I know how badly they want the Zero Code.
And now that things have come this far, they’ll throw everything they’ve got at us—by any means necessary.
As always, in ways beyond imagination.
“This world isn’t some easy place. You know that better than anyone.”
He continued.
“They’ll definitely try to sabotage us. And eventually, a crisis will come. A crisis far worse than the third region’s campaign you worry about so much.”
“When that day comes, I don’t think you’ll be able to step in every single time like this. Because you only have one body.”
And only then did I fully understand what he was trying to say.
“You’re not some all-powerful cheat code. You need people. People who understand your situation, know your goals, and if necessary, would risk their lives to help you.”
This world isn’t one you can live in alone.
You can’t achieve your goals alone.
That was what he meant.
And the person who could help me most closely right now was none other than him.
“Hu.”
After a brief sigh, he slipped the records back into his coat and looked at me with his usual warm expression.
“That’s enough talk for now. I don’t think you didn’t understand.”
Then he gave me a genuine smile.
“You still have that face. Don’t worry so much. I’m not planning on dying anytime soon.”
“…Brother.”
“Of course, I won’t push beyond my limits. And I’ll make full use of the detailed info you gave me. Survival is my top priority.”
“……”
“I’ll do everything I can… and if it still doesn’t work out, then I’ll ask you for help. That’s the right thing to do.”
“……”
I couldn’t say a word in front of him. I simply couldn’t.
All I could do was…
“Then I’m going.”
I watched his back as he turned and walked away without hesitation.
At dawn, my brother immediately led the northern expedition force to the third region. He didn’t even give me a chance to react.
Of course, we left the eastern fortress the very next day as well, but it still felt too fast. I was pretty sure I told Gong Chan-ho to stall for at least two days, but apparently, that wasn’t accepted.
Well, considering Gong Chan-ho was just a figurehead, I couldn’t really blame him. Or maybe my brother deliberately rushed things.
Bound to the clan and the expedition, I felt utterly frustrated.
I tilted my head back and looked up at the sky. The bright sunlight dazzled my eyes. Just a few days ago, it had been raining hard, but today the ground felt hot under the blazing sun.
“───. ───. ───. Angelus! Your humble servant beseeches you…!”
“Angehwa!”
Bang!
Suddenly, a loud explosion drew my gaze downward, where I saw Ansol and Sasha glaring at each other, locked in a standoff.
Nothing serious.
They were sparring. It seemed a quarrel had broken out between them, and they intended to settle it one-on-one. And I’d been dragged out under the pretense of judging their fight.
A priest and a vampire. On paper, the winner seemed obvious, but I couldn’t be sure. Sasha wasn’t just any vampire—he was a Blood Lord, a class not to be underestimated. Still, I thought Ansol had the advantage.
While the two bickered, groups of users gathered around in threes and fives, watching.
Their faces were bright, carefree. No trace of worry. A stark contrast to the users who had left for the third region this morning.
“……”
I didn’t blame them for their attitude.
The southern expedition was justified.
We, too, had felt anxiety every day during our campaign.
But we overcame it all, and by finishing the pit campaign, we wrapped up the second conquest.
Sure, it wasn’t completely safe yet, but all that remained was building the fortress and tightening the perimeter.
So it was only natural for the southern expedition to enjoy this peaceful time.
…But then why couldn’t I?
Why was I the only one so restless?
The answer was clear.
The northern expedition had left, the southern had stayed.
And I wasn’t part of the northern expedition.
Since my brother refused from the start, neither Han So-young’s permission nor the clan’s persuasion mattered.
I could have forced my way in by contacting the north myself.
But my brother threatened to give up command the moment I joined.
No, it wasn’t an empty threat. Even if he publicly declared he wouldn’t go because of me, I knew he would follow through.
But that wasn’t the only reason.
If anything, I felt like I’d been convinced by him.
His words were so right, so irrefutable.
I’d felt something similar before.
Early in the pit campaign, when we were struggling, Han So-young suddenly awakened. Fueled by Ju Hyun-ho’s provocation, she unleashed the power ‘Destruction • Charge’ and swiftly cleared the remaining path.
At that time, Han So-young was the closest to the Iron-Blooded Queen of the first campaign, leading users against the demons.
My brother was the same.
Kim Yoo-hyun, the Thunder Emperor.
At his peak during the first campaign, he was a user so renowned that even demons and devils spoke his name with respect.
But now?
Objectively and coldly speaking, there was a huge gap between who he was then and who he is now. That was reality.
I’m not just talking about user stats.
His ability to handle situations, read the flow, lead users—
In other words, not just as a user, but as a ruler over users.
During the first campaign, he was a comeback user who overcame major incidents in the northern continent. Whenever something happened, he was the one leading the charge, and I always felt reassured watching his back. If it weren’t for me, he might have been the one to hold the Zero Code in the end.
But now…
Well, at best, he was a fairly successful clan lord. Nothing more, nothing less.
From this perspective, Gong Chan-ho was in a similar position.
He said he felt himself growing stronger through fighting.
The first campaign’s Gong Chan-ho was a user constantly thrown into battle, fighting again and again. Maybe the invincible warrior I remember wasn’t born out of nowhere, but forged through those countless fights.
…In other words, the growth my brother talked about wasn’t about personal greed or glory.
“When that day comes, I don’t think you’ll be able to step in every time like this. Because you only have one body.”
“You need people. People who understand your situation, know your goals, and if necessary, would risk their lives to help you.”
Those words were literal.
He was thinking ahead to what would happen after Atlanta. Not just waiting around, but wanting me to become someone who could help him with their life on the line if needed.
That was the kind of growth he meant.
That’s why I couldn’t say a word. I knew the demons’ strength, and I deeply agreed that I needed to become stronger—not just me, but other users too.
Bang!
“Ahhh!”
“Ugh!”
Lost in thought, I was suddenly jolted by an explosion and the simultaneous screams of Ansol and Sasha. Snapping back to reality, I saw them rolling on the ground some distance apart, groaning weakly. They must have collided hard.
“Ouch…”
“Ugh…! So you are truly a priest of Angelus…”
Sasha grimaced as he slowly got up, then suddenly looked at Ansol with shock.
“Ah! That position?!”
“Ow…”
Ansol, also kneeling, was trying to stand using his staff as support.
He was just standing there.
But Sasha clearly thought otherwise.
“No way! You were actually planning to do that?”
“…?”
“You intended to bind me with a sacred spell’s binding magic, then use your divine power, the Heavenly Punishment, to attack me! Considering how our abilities interact, my Mist Bloom would be limited—or might not even work at all! That would leave me completely defenseless!”
“…Huh?”
Ansol tilted her head in confusion at Sasha’s outburst, a question mark practically floating above her head.
After a long moment of deep thought, Ansol suddenly lit up with realization and exclaimed, “Ah!” Then, with a somewhat reluctant expression, she looked at Sasha.
“Y-Yeah! That’s right! Exactly!”
“Ugh… I knew it!”
“There was such a clever plan… Ah, no! I was only about to try it just now!”
“Damn it! This is so frustrating!”
‘…Are these idiots for real?’
Hwa-jeong, who had been silent until now, muttered in disbelief. I could also hear Lee Yoo-jung rolling on the floor, laughing and shouting about how ridiculous this all was. I let out a light sigh and calmly pressed my palm to my forehead.
“Phew.”
…No matter what, they’ll never understand how I feel.
Just then—
Thud!
“It’s hot out… Aren’t you thirsty?”
Right as I was about to dive deep into the dilemma of how to handle these fools against the demons, a cold, curt voice spoke up—right beside me.
Glancing over, I saw a drink with ice cubes placed on the table.
Then, a woman calmly settled onto the folding chair across from me.
Her long, slender legs stretched out gracefully, her hips curved beautifully.
Her cool, vivid blue hair gently fell just past her shoulders.
And when our eyes met—her blue eyes meeting mine—I finally recognized who she was.
“Boseok?”
Crash!
I have no idea why, but Kim Han-byul suddenly collapsed.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Hmm. I’m not lying when I say I really want to write more. It’s just that the circumstances right now don’t allow it, so I can’t. Haha. But forcing the situation just to add more scenes isn’t something I or the readers want.
Writing side stories would be nice, but that would push back the main story, and that’s mostly my responsibility. (ㅜ.ㅠ)
Personally, I’d rather not put these scenes in the author’s notes. I’ve already planned meaningful moments for Go Yeon-ju and Nam Da-eun—not just casual interactions, but scenes that fit their characters. Like Go Yeon-ju, who always treats Su-hyun like a child, getting a serious wake-up call from an awakened Su-hyun, or the roleplay scenarios with Nam Da-eun. These are too precious to just toss into a note. :)
Anyway, I’ll try to find the right timing. As I’ve said before, my dream is to hear readers say, “You write scenes so well,” before the series ends. Hahaha.