“Chosen hero my ass…”

The hero muttered, his chest pierced by the wyvern’s sharp teeth. The shattered corpses of his companions reflected in his fading pupils.

“It’s because I’m too soft…”

Blood gushed from the hero’s cooling mouth. His nose and eyes grew wet rather than his chin. With his body clamped in the wyvern’s jaws, blood flowed upward to his face.

“Too soft to be anything worthwhile…”

The Empire had sent mediocre misfits to their deaths with exaggerated praise. They incited young people with cheap heroic psychology, pushing them into the meat grinder of the human-demon war.

It was an extremely efficient method. While keeping the elite forces to protect the Imperial Court, they maintained the impression of not neglecting imperial citizens without any losses.

The sacrificial lambs were the purest souls. Commoners who wanted to protect their country and help others with loyal hearts.

“I…”

Despite knowing the truth, the hero continued his journey. Taking along NPCs who were too kind for their own good.

He thought it wouldn’t matter as long as he could achieve his sole objective and return to his original place. But somewhere in the process of being with countless others, his heart had become assimilated into this world made of zeros and ones.

The sparkle of dew-laden leaves, the earthy scent permeated by warm sunlight, voices laughing and chattering mindlessly.

By the time he realized it, it was already far too late.

Crunch. The wyvern’s jaws closed, and the hero’s severed upper body tumbled down.

His heart slowly stopped. As consciousness slipped away, his vacant eyes grew moist. His first death was entangled not with pain but with guilt.

He should have told his companions—no longer mere NPCs—the truth.

‘What’s so good about the Hero…’

If he’d had overwhelming power from the beginning, there would have been no need for strategies.

The next moment, his vision turned to ashes under the wyvern’s breath.

[GAME OVER]

With those words appearing before his eyes, the hero’s first life came to an end.

Revived alone at the World Tree, the hero picked up his sword with bloodshot eyes. One singular emotion resonated intensely in his mind.

Level up. That was the only answer.

‘I don’t know if there will be a next time, but if there is…’

The hero muttered to himself with a haggard face as he entered the forest.

“Then I will certainly…”

***

 <system>

First [Long-Term Memory] ended.

“Wake up.”

Egru slowly opened his eyes at Gilbert’s call. Even after regaining consciousness, he couldn’t properly control his body for a while.

‘W-what was that about?’

He thought he’d heard familiar names, but now that he was awake, he couldn’t recall them clearly.

Like memories that fade with time, only a vague feeling remained.

‘Is the long-term memory my past experience?’

Egru brought his hand up before his eyes.

‘I-I am still myself…’

Yet he felt uncomfortable, as if something was stuck in his throat.

‘Hero…’

It was a strange awareness that defied expression. It felt as though a tiny, invisible cog had slightly misaligned.

<system>

• [Long-Term Memory] stored in the [Underground Core] has been restored. (Current backup rate: 10/100%)

Was the memory hazy because it was only 10% complete?

“Why did you faint?”

“Ah, Gilbert…”

“What did you see?”

Gilbert’s question broke Egru’s puzzling train of thought.

Then he felt a throbbing pain in his forehead. When he touched it, it was slightly swollen. A bump had formed.

Strangely, his cheek was also burning.

“Gilbert, did you…”

“You looked like you were having a nightmare.”

“D-did you slap me?”

“……”

The silence meant yes.

Egru wasn’t particularly shaken. He figured that was just the sort of thing Gilbert would do.

Gilbert glanced around cautiously before asking.

“What did you dream about?”

“Ah, well, I think I saw my past.”

“Why would you see your past here?”

“I-I wonder…”

Gilbert looked down at Egru with suspicious eyes.

“What did you see?”

“I think I was a hero in the past.”

“Were you strong?”

“N-no.”

At Gilbert’s probing question, Egru recalled the wyvern’s teeth snapping closed, and his body being crushed by its terrifying bite force.

“I was weak.”

Egru hung his head, feeling dejected.

“So I couldn’t even protect a single companion properly.”

“Just a nobody then. Definitely not the Hero I knew.”

Gilbert’s finishing blow made Egru even more depressed.

“Did you fix the World Tree?”

“Ah…”

<system>

• Main Quest: Repair the Damaged World Tree (Current Progress: 10/100%)

“Y-yes. A little bit. It seems we just need to find nine more relics.”

“Hmm.”

Gilbert, having grown stiff waiting for Egru, stood up.

“I’ve been thinking.”

“Yeees…”

“You stay here. I’ll move on my own.”

“What?”

“Just tell me where the relics are.”

Gilbert said, cracking his neck bones.

“Whatever it is, I prefer searching alone. Having a weak one following is just a hindrance.”

“B-but…!”

He needed to increase Gilbert’s affection to make him an ally. If they separated, that would be impossible.

“I have no intention of dragging around dead weight. Someone needs to guard the World Tree anyway.”

Red eyes looked down at Egru with distrust.

“It’s better than having no one at all.”

<system>

• The [Underground Core] of the World Tree has been reactivated by the power of the [Relic].

With the status window’s notification, a soft light emanated from the crystal on the ceiling.

Egru and Gilbert simultaneously looked up.

<system>

• The [Innate Barrier] can be activated through the [Underground Core].

‘W-where is it? How can I turn it on?’

<system>

• Upper section of the World Tree.

<system>

• Easily executable with one red button.

This was excellent news for Egru.

“Gilbert! Apparently we can activate something called the Innate Barrier in the World Tree!”

“What’s that?”

“M-maybe it’s magic that can protect the World Tree?”

“If such a thing existed, I would have used it already.”

“B-but we didn’t even know the World Tree had an underground area.”

“……”

Gilbert paused momentarily, as if contemplating the pure logic that had struck him.

“I still won’t travel with a weakling. You can’t even protect your own body.”

“No! I can protect myself just fine…!”

Before he could finish, Egru fell backward. His vision spun, and his entire face burned hot.

Gilbert’s fist had instantly struck his nose bridge.

“No, you can’t.”

Gilbert casually dusted off his fist and headed toward the stairs. Egru followed closely behind him, holding his bleeding nose.

“N-no, look. I got right back up.”

Gilbert slowly lowered the fist he was about to raise again.

Blood dripped from the tip of Egru’s chin. Despite this, not a single tear formed in his eyes, causing Gilbert to raise an eyebrow. Honestly, he had expected crying and wailing.

Gilbert rolled his eyes to look up at the brightened ceiling.

Golden light swirled around the massive crystal. Like a primordial well.

Whatever the case, changes in the World Tree had only begun after the short-eared one arrived. The mysterious elf’s resonance with the World Tree was undeniable.

“Try activating it, then.”

Gilbert nodded slightly.

“But if I manage to get back in, you’re staying here.”

“W-well…”

<system>

• Accept it.

At the status window’s advice, Egru slowly nodded.

“Yes, I understand.”

***

“Activate the barrier once I leave.”

“Yes!”

Egru rushed into the World Tree, while Gilbert easily scaled the fortress.

Thud. The ground trembled as the massive figure jumped down from the towering stone wall.

Gilbert moved a bit further away, estimating the barrier’s range.

Honestly, he couldn’t hide his skepticism, but…

Soon, looking back at the World Tree, he couldn’t help but be amazed.

The World Tree, which had soared high enough to pierce the sky, was completely gone. All that remained was a dense forest blending harmoniously with its surroundings.

Gilbert immediately returned to where the World Tree had been, but he couldn’t touch anything, let alone the barrier.

Only ordinary trees and underbrush stretched out. Even the fortress he had built couldn’t be sensed.

‘Impressive…’

It was high-level magic that deceived not only space-time but all five senses.

“U-um, I came out to check too…”

Just then, Egru popped out of the empty forest air. For some reason, he looked dejected.

“I don’t think the barrier is working.”

Gilbert looked at the dense forest behind Egru.

“It is working. I can’t see the World Tree at all. The space itself has vanished without a trace.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell because nothing changed from the inside.”

Egru’s face brightened again. Gilbert looked around and spoke.

“But I can’t get back in. We need to deactivate the barrier…”

The short-eared one had come out too. There was no point in blaming him now; they needed to find a solution.

“I’ll go back in!”

As Gilbert scratched his temple, Egru disappeared back into the empty air.

“?”

He passed through the Innate Barrier effortlessly with those short legs.

Checking again, Gilbert found nothing wrong with the barrier. Was it being nullified by some special constitution? Come to think of it, he had said strange things even when the relic was right in front of him.

‘Like it was a human hand…’

What if the short-eared one was telling the truth?

Even Gilbert had never heard of an ability to see through the essence of objects. Of course, there were some related magics, but they were nothing compared to the ability Egru had shown.

To Gilbert’s eyes, the World Tree remained invisible. Only an endless forest stretched out widely.

This was beyond useful—it was dangerous. From the perspective of a dungeon explorer dealing with countless deceptions and traps, it was an ability worth paying a fortune to possess.

‘But with such an innocent mind…’

Forget ransom negotiations—it would be fortunate if he wasn’t kidnapped as a test subject somewhere.

After a moment, the barrier was deactivated, and Gilbert entered the World Tree, thinking that he should caution Egru about his behavior from now on.