060. Elemensia
Among the countless dimensions, Elemen西亚 stood as a world of exalted spirits where noble souls gathered to nurture life itself. Its inhabitants and very essence reached unimaginable heights, with wondrous, mystical powers like magic and superhuman abilities flowing as naturally as breath.
This was the otherworld Kang Geon had once set foot in—a planet called Elemen西亚.
After Kang Geon departed, Elemen西亚 was swept into a maelstrom of drastic change. The planet, once brimming with vitality, had become a gloomy wasteland ruled by death and chaos. With every nation crumbled to dust, it devolved into a lawless barbaric realm overrun by disorder.
The tragedy traced back to ten heroes. Not long after Kang Geon returned to Earth, among the myriad heroes summoned to the world, ten harboring wicked ambitions betrayed humanity. The world dubbed them the Fallen Heroes.
These Fallen Heroes craved the souls of Elemen西亚's humans. They sought to absorb noble spirits, elevate their own soul tiers, and ultimately ascend to transcendent beings. In short, they yearned to become gods.
To that end, they forged alliances with intelligent monsters—summoning Demon Kings and Devil Kings, even enlisting legendary SS-grade monsters shrouded in myth.
Originally, those SS-grade monsters had been subdued by the First Hero and the Great Sage, then sealed away by sealing mages or forced into quiet hiding from human eyes. Yet the hidden ones fell for the Fallen Heroes' temptations and allied with them, while the sealed ones were all liberated by a single Fallen Hero.
Before the SS-grade monsters could fully emerge, the Fallen Heroes preemptively assassinated every sealing mage in the world, fearing a massive sealing spell. After all, those mages, who had devoted their lives to the art, were unparalleled in skill. Even SS-grade monsters, once subdued by the First Hero or Great Sage and left vulnerable, could be resealed by as few as a hundred such mages.
Thus erupted the Human-Demon Great War.
The Fallen Heroes' forces were a catastrophe unto themselves, but humanity's side was no less formidable. Hidden First Hero and Great Sage. One SS-grade monster friendly to humans. Non-fallen heroes. Concealed powerhouses unknown to the world. Those bearing the title of Hero. Top adventurers. Royals from every nation. Knights, nobles, mages... Every figure hailed as mighty plunged into the fray without exception.
Even the timid stood their ground. If they failed to stop the Fallen Heroes, the world would perish anyway. There was no retreating from this battle.
And it didn't last long.
The First Hero and Great Sage ultimately perished alongside hostile SS-grade monsters and several Fallen Heroes, drawing the war to a close. The remaining Fallen Heroes fell to the other heroes.
Thus ended the war, and humanity raised its flag of victory.
But the cost was devastating. All nations lay in ruins, the world a lawless waste. Many survived, but most were civilians who hadn't fought or those safe in the rear lines. The war's true players—Great Sage and First Hero, heroes and sages, royals, titled Heroes, top adventurers, knight captains, nobles, nameless powerhouses—had mostly perished. Those who could sway the masses were largely gone.
Five heroes survived the war. People looked to them for salvation, hoping one would rebuild the nations. But against all hope, the heroes had no interest in reconstruction or caring for the remnants.
Soon after the war's end, all five vanished without a trace.
In this age of chaos, the only force striving for order was the Adventurer's Guild. The sole intact organization, it also ran a mercenary guild, barely propping up society's collapsed framework. Former nobles and knights, even those once bound to nations, joined to forge a new order.
Rising from despair, they sought to pioneer a new Elemen西亚.
Elemen西亚 still teemed with countless monsters. Some S-grade ones, even Demon Kings and Devil Kings, endured. Not all had joined the war.
［Siii~ siii~ Nice weather today.］
A massive monster hummed a tune as it aimlessly crawled across the barren land. Dog-faced with a spider's body—the same breed Kang Geon called Dog Spider. Gentle by nature, it was dubbed the Peace Devil King 'Hekhekshaaak'.
［What to play with today? Siii.］
Hekhekshaaak—Hek-sil for short—had arrived in Elemen西亚 recently, right amid the Human-Demon Great War.
He'd occasionally meddle, paralyzing humans and monsters alike with his threads before fleeing, all while yelling for them to stop fighting. That quirk earned him his moniker.
［Siii. But no kin here—it's so boring. Shouldn't have crossed that black portal. Wanna go home.］
For the record, this Hek-sil hailed from the Ancient Labyrinth.
［Siii? What's that...?］
Hek-sil halted. In the distance loomed a familiar human woman.
［Elris here! Siii!］
Elris—one of the five surviving heroes, known as the Devoted Hero.
Hek-sil had crossed paths with her during the war.
She trudged on listlessly, muttering to herself.
"As I thought... The transcendent being who always gave me missions was the Great Sage after all..."
Devoted Hero Elris had seen translucent text before her eyes since childhood. She viewed it as divine grace—a sacred mission from a higher power. It issued quests, granting new spells upon completion. That ability had forged her into a hero.
One day, through certain events, she dimly realized its source. Not certainty, just suspicion—but likely the Great Sage.
An existence worthy of godhood, peer to the First Hero. Bestowing such a unique power wasn't impossible.
After the war, she half-convinced herself it was the Great Sage. When he died, the quests vanished.
Today, she confirmed it fully.
At the Great Sage's hidden shack, she found his desk. Logs managing her and other heroes lay there—proof her ability was his magic.
"My strength, my heroism as a hero... all thanks to the Great Sage."
No resentment at being manipulated. It had only ever helped, never deceived.
"...Why hide your identity all that time? Anyway, the true gods protecting this world were the Great Sage and First Hero."
She'd learned that from other logs too. Amid Elemen西亚's myriad faiths, their gods were fiction. The real transcendent guardians were the Great Sage and First Hero.
"So now... no divine protectors left for us?"
Most powerhouses dead. Five heroes remained, but all listless. What if invaders came, or monsters rampaged? Annihilation?
Her mind swirled with worries when—
［Siii! Long time no see, Elris!］
Hek-sil skittered toward her on eight legs.
Elris instinctively tensed for battle, then sighed and relaxed upon recognizing him. Despite his intimidating bulk, he was harmless.
"Long time, Peace Devil King."
［Not that long! But your shoulders are drooping to the ground. Something wrong?］
"Just low energy lately."
［Low energy? Want me to wrap you in threads?］
"Touch those, and my powers seal up. I'd be drained."
［Misery loves company!］
"...No thanks. Appreciate it, but pass."
［Too bad. Siii.］
Hek-sil retracted his threads. Glancing at her hand, he asked:
［Siii? What's that letter? Love note? Off to confess?］
"Huh? What letter?"
［The paper you're holding!］
"What're you talking about? I'm empty-handed—"
Elris looked down. A letter clutched in her fist.
"Huh? What's this? Why's it in my hand?"
［Siii? Forgetful much?］
"No, I seriously don't remember grabbing it. Empty hands moments ago."
［Severe case. Siii.］
Hek-sil eyed her pityingly, then sniffed a strange aura and scent from the letter, nostrils flaring.
［Siii? Hold on—sniff sniff!］
"Why get so close? It's creepy."
［Siii! That letter reeks of my homeland!!!］
"Your homeland?"
［The Ancient Labyrinth!］
"Where's that...?"
Ignoring Hek-sil's cryptic ramblings, Elris stared at the letter, then cautiously opened it.
====================
Somebody help me!
Labyrinth explorer 'Kang Geon' requests aid!
To become Kang Geon's Jo-ryeokja and offer help, swallow this letter now!
※If not consumed within 3 hours of opening, the letter vanishes, canceling the request!
====================
"...Kang Geon? Isn't that Gauntlet's real name?"
A nostalgic name graced the letter.
Gauntlet—a man whose true name was Kang Geon, drifted from another world.
Elris had once tried recruiting him as a comrade, but he always refused, preferring to roam solo.
She pondered: If Kang Geon hadn't returned home, what fate would Elemen西亚 have met? The war ended unscathed? He crushed S-grade monsters in one hit, and the Great Sage claimed even he and the First Hero together couldn't beat him.
'He was weaker than me at first, I think.'
Yet suddenly, he'd soared beyond even her heroic grasp.
With him in the war, he might've soloed the Fallen Heroes and SS-grades.
'Regrettable. If Gauntlet had lingered just a bit longer, our world's destiny might've changed.'
Shaking off the futile what-if, she refocused.
"...Why's Gauntlet's real name on this letter?"
［Siii? Gauntlet?］
"An acquaintance."
［Must be from him then!］
"Impossible. He went back to his world."
［Sent from there!］
"That doesn't make—wait."
A forgotten detail surfaced.
"Come to think of it, I heard the dimensional mage crossed over via portal to request Gauntlet's aid..."
She trailed off, never returning for some reason. Lifting the letter slowly, Elris reconsidered. At first, she suspected a prank using his name, delivered by some spell. But the dimensional mage changed that—plausible if she met him and sent this across dimensions.
'No poison... Safe enough. Might as well try.'
Decision made, she crumpled and shoved it in her mouth.
［Siii?! Why eat it? Custom here to eat letters? Or do you like paper?］
Ignoring flustered Hek-sil—
-Crunch crunch.
She chewed.
-Gulp.
Swallowed.
Flash-!
A rectangular window popped before her eyes, text slightly unlike her lifelong visions.
And on it, a familiar man's face.
Elris stared blankly, blinking slowly.
"Gauntlet?"
Words floated up, as if recognizing her voice.
Elris couldn't comprehend the situation for a long while.