061. Devoted Hero

The arrival of a new Jo-ryeokja was nothing short of a miracle. To think someone actually believed the letter's contents and swallowed it whole.

Unfortunately, the odds were high that this helper didn't know me personally. The person ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who'd received the support request did have some connection to me, but it was a pretty broad one.

Then another miracle happened.

The new Jo-ryeokja assigned number 005 called me Gauntlet.

Gauntlet was the name I'd used in that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠other world. My second name, essentially.

The fact that 005 knew my name meant they weren't just some fleeting acquaintance. We'd at least exchanged names. And calling it out right away upon seeing me? That pointed to a deeper bond.

Can't be a gaming buddy, though.

I'd used Gauntlet as a nickname across tons of games. But this helper? No way it was from there. You don't lock eyes with gaming friends.

Probably someone I crossed paths with in that other world.

The other world I'd once called home. The planet Elemen西亚. Maybe 005 hailed from there?

As that thought crossed my mind—

005 revealed herself. This time using my real name, Kang Geon, instead of Gauntlet.

I ignored the other Jo-ryeokja chats for now.

Anyway. Elris. That's a pretty common name in that other world. But only one Elris knew me well enough to know my real name too.

"Could you be... the Devoted Hero Elris?"

I was stunned. Out of the ten who got the letter, Elris was one of them? No way.

Elris's messages flooded in nonstop. I needed to calmly explain my situation first.

"Dan-bi... no, Lulu."

"Explain my situation, the labyrinth, and anything else a new Jo-ryeokja might wonder about."

"Yeah. You're the newbie guide, right?"

"Since forever."

"Elris. Ppururu will explain everything. She's super nice about it."

Ppururu's explanation kicked off.

How I'd ended up in the labyrinth. The Ancient Labyrinth itself. The roles of explorer and Jo-ryeokja. And so on.

Ppururu covered everything we knew, explaining it all to Elris. She was surprisingly polite about it too. Not quite tsundere.

Anyway, Elris picked it up fast. Believing it quickly was natural for her—she'd grown up fighting monsters her whole life, unlike Earth humans. Elemen西亚 had magic and superpowers too.

Elris had even changed her nickname already. She adapted quick. She'd tried tweaking her entry message three times but gave up when nothing stuck.

"Yeah. Technically nerfed to S-grade, though."

For reference, my danger ratings matched Elemen西亚's standards. That's what I'd based mine on.

"I was shocked at first too."

Elris—er, BoilBoil—went quiet for a bit. Probably sorting her thoughts.

After a moment, her chat bubbled up again.

"Haven't seen any higher than SSS yet."

As I chatted with BoilBoil, I manipulated Iris's feed to show Squad 2. I'd already explained Iris.

The Jo-ryeokja spent a while filling in every detail they hadn't covered before, treating her like a kid. The new recruit must've been adorable.

I pulled a notebook from the box and called out to Elris.

"Elris."

"How's Elemen西亚 these days?"

I figured it'd be something like, Our world's pretty peaceful.

"What?"

A baffling response that made me doubt my ears.

From Elris, I learned that fallen heroes had allied with monsters. The Human-Monster Great War had erupted. Humanity won, but every nation in Elemen西亚 collapsed, and most of the famed powerhouses died. Even the inaugural Hero Class and Grand Sage perished.

"Those people... dead?"

We'd held our own, considering. The inaugural hero and Grand Sage were SS-grade too.

Even so, it feels heavy.

Deaths of people I knew. The fall of a world I'd lived in. Hearing it stirred unease.

"Maybe... I should've returned a bit later..."

My expression must've soured; Elris fired off messages to comfort me. She was the one who needed it more. True to the Devoted Hero.

I sorted my tangled thoughts, calmed my agitated heart, and spoke.

"All the fallen heroes and SS-grade monsters are dead, right?"

"Surviving fallen heroes?"

"...Yeah, no eyewitnesses to death would raise suspicions."

Even with the world nearly destroyed, Elris walked the hero's path. Started as missions to grow stronger, helping others. A lifetime of it forged her conviction to protect the weak from evil.

And she hadn't abandoned it. Still forging ahead for Elemen西亚's future.

After wrapping up with Elris, I flipped open the notebook and started sketching. To steady my mind.

"Jo-ryeokja compendium."

My brush tip formed Elris's likeness.

Hmm... roughly like this? Face is fuzzy in my memory...

I kept drawing. Time's fog blurred her features, but memory fragments gathered on the page, taking shape.

Faint impressions gained life through the brush. Past shadows settled on the blank paper.