My Sub-Characters Are Here
Ding-a-ling. The bell chimed as the door to the mercenary guild swung open.
The guildmaster, idly flipping through request reports, straightened up at the sound.
In walked a mercenary covered in grime and blood. The guildmaster recognized him and waved casually.
"Oh, hey there. Back already? Well, it was an easy job, so I guess that tracks."
The mercenary strode forward without a word, swept back his ash-gray hair with one hand, and finally spoke.
"The dungeon near the village is cleared. Go check it later."
"Mm, got it. We'll send someone to confirm the collapse and pay you then. Won't take long."
The guildmaster nodded at the mercenary's affirmation, then spoke up again.
"But why'd you come report? Where's Martin?"
The mercenary—Yoahim—let out a sneer. It was unmistakably mocking.
"Dead."
"Wh-what?"
Yoahim repeated with emphasis.
"He's dead. Sila too. Lili as well. Only Emily and I made it out."
"N-no way. This was just a D-rank request. And three of you died?"
The guildmaster was visibly flustered. Sila and Lili aside, Martin dying was hard to fathom. He was a solid warrior who'd cleared plenty of D-ranks. Dead? From some kobolds?
"They weren't ordinary kobolds in there. Enhanced with necromancy. Don't know the details, but Haellagos the demon was involved. I'd suggest sending a letter to the mages at Kalsara Tower."
Yoahim delivered the words coldly, then turned on his heel.
The guildmaster stammered and reached out reflexively, only to curl his fingers back.
Yoahim slammed the door behind him and headed straight for the inn.
As he pushed open the door, a waitress tilted her head and greeted him.
"Weren't you just out for a walk? You're filthy again. Want me to prepare a bath?"
Yoahim flicked a coin her way without a word. It spun through the air and landed neatly in her small palm.
"Ten minutes!"
He walked to his room, listening to her hurried footsteps fade, then gripped the doorknob. It creaked open with a shrill squeak.
The woman inside snapped her head up at the sound.
"Ah, you're back! Hope it went well."
Emily bowed deeply in greeting, and Yoahim instinctively dipped his head in return before catching himself. Stupid reflex.
"Yeah. Reported the completion at the guild. Told 'em about Martin too. And Haellagos."
"It would've been nice if we could have recovered their bodies..."
He'd left Martin, Sila, and Lili's corpses in the dungeon. Once cleared, it vanished—along with them, gone forever.
Emily had wanted to carry them out for a proper temple burial, but Yoahim refused. Sila and Lili had briefly reanimated as undead, so no temple would touch them. And Martin's body... the exit sealed before they could grab it.
"Sucks, but nothing we can do. Pray for their souls."
"...Yes."
Emily bowed her head slightly. Yoahim dragged a wooden chair over near the bed and sat.
"Alright then..."
He swallowed hard.
"Let's pick up where we left off. So this priestess Liana—they call her a saintess?"
"Yes. Lady Liana is from our Raello Order. She makes vanquishing evil monsters and saving people her life's work. They say she's the strongest holy power user in the order's history. I heard even a demon sent to tempt her repented, awed by her devout faith."
Yoahim hummed thoughtfully. The more Emily explained, the surer he became. Liana was the priestess character he'd raised.
All her feats matched the priestess-exclusive quests. So he wasn't the only one trapped in this world as a Dark Knight?
Pondering, he asked Emily another question.
"What about the holy knight Radius? Know him?"
"Of course. He's from the Raello Order too. They say he's performed just as many miracles as Lady Liana."
Radius was another of his alts—a holy knight he'd poured affection into as his third sub-character. Fully geared with graduation gear, he was nearly as strong as the main, if not quite.
"And Lilith the mage?"
"She's famous! Youngest tower master in history. They say she could wipe out a castle alone. Think it's true?"
Lilith was his mage alt. Graduation gear complete, but options still needed tweaking. As a pure DPS mage, she outdamaged the tanky holy knight Radius—on damage alone.
Yoahim swallowed again as he asked the next.
"Kallagon?"
Just saying the name tensed him up, but Emily answered innocently.
"The War God Kallagon, right? Who hasn't heard of him? Victorious in countless battles, creator of endless legends—the warrior of warriors. The dragon slayer who felled a dragon single-handedly. The most renowned hero of all."
Naturally, Kallagon was one of his characters too. But unlike the subs, he was the main. The one with the most time and effort invested—levels of power beyond the rest.
Yoahim bit back questions about the other alts. The picture was clear: his subs were trapped here too.
"Where can I find Kallagon?"
His most beloved character, alive in this reality? He had to see him now. Two joys in gaming characters: looks and damage.
Kallagon had perfect custom visuals, flashy gear. Yoahim would idle him just to admire the view. And his damage? Absurd—one swing shattered the damage meter. Tweaking sets and rotations to max DPS numbers was pure bliss.
In short, Kallagon was his pride and joy. Real? No way he was missing that.
"Well... Lord Kallagon vanished one day without a trace."
"What?"
"He disappeared on purpose, they say. Some believe he ascended to true War God status. Could that be real? A true transcendent?"
Ascended? Kallagon? Yoahim reeled.
But a question hit him: Whose souls inhabited these characters? He knew he wasn't native here—knew where he belonged.
What about the others? One soul, many characters. Split? All "him"?
Hard to say. Maybe they're separate souls wearing my characters' skins.
If the same soul filled them all, Yoahim wouldn't be suffering alone. The way back was likely the ending—but his powerful alts did nothing. No crusade, no alliance. Liana, Radius, Lilith. Even mighty Kallagon hid.
Behavior screaming no drive to return.
I'll figure it out by meeting them.
Two paths: Hunt Haellagos or seek the others.
First, Lilith.
Not Radius or Liana first—their temple wouldn't welcome a Dark Knight.
Lilith's tower was freer, nearby too.
Haellagos after.
An enemy to slay eventually. Not now—level gap too wide. Not running. Just postponing. Briefly.
"Thanks for the rundown. Helped a lot."
Emily beamed at the praise, and Yoahim found himself smiling back.
"So, what's your plan? Back to the temple? Or find a new party?"
Her old one was dead—temple or recruit. As a rare priestess, she'd have no trouble.
Emily bowed her head.
"I've thought it over. I should return to the temple. I became an adventurer idolizing Saintess Liana, but I'm still too weak. If my holy power was stronger, I could've saved Martin. This showed me how lacking I am. I'll go back, train harder."
She looked up with a small smile.
"But someday, I'll leave again for a real adventure. I still admire Lady Liana's feats."
"Yeah, you'll do great. Let's meet again when you're a proper adventurer. Safe travels."
Emily smiled and bowed deeply. Yoahim saw her off from the inn entrance, watching her shrink to a dot.
Back in his room, he slapped his forehead.
"...Ah, shit. Should've asked for the necklace back."
Chase her down? Too pathetic. He shook his head and flopped onto the bed.