Chapter 38
It wasn't just Selina's voice that was completely unintelligible; even the ssages that appeared one after another through the Eye that Seeks Truth were garbled.
...
But it was an intended consequence. I could roughly understand the content without even seeing it.
'Abnormality in high-speed regeneration ability due to light-attribute curse, etc.'
And.
'Problem occurred, magic runaway.'
I felt sothing draining from my body.
Magic.
The magic that violently surged and left my body was the source that allowed to transcend human limits and exist as a hero.
If I were to look at my stats now, they would probably have reverted to their original state.
High-speed regeneration ability was vulnerable to light and dark attribute curses.
Thus, severe side effects occurred, but it was possible to use this in an unexpected way.
Actually, I didn't want to use this thod.
However, there was no other way.
It would be much better to start over from scratch than to die.
The drained magic gathered into a single point.
And when the magic coalesced to the limit that could be contained in that tiny space—
CRASH!
The magic swirled with unparalleled intensity.
My clothes, torn to shreds by Balta, and my unkempt hair, grown ssy since I ca to this world, wildly scattered.
Even when it was difficult to properly keep my eyes open, the vortex of magic shone more beautifully and brilliantly than any gem in the world.
Though it was currently gathering around a point, if left alone, it would lose its center and disperse into the atmosphere.
So, before that massive amount of magic could scatter.
I pushed it away with my hand.
"…■■■!"
Balta's expression, shouting sothing unintelligible, was etched with extre urgency.
CRASH!
A crimson aura swirled around Balta's axe.
As if resisting the storm of magic, the aura enveloping the massive axe also beca a swirling storm.
The two forces collided.
And…
…….
….
….
"…Huh?"
When I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling.
I tried to get up, but I could barely move a finger.
Forcing myself up, I looked around and first saw the battlefield, ravaged by the aftermath of the fight.
The floor was littered with scars, as if torn apart by a giant axe or sword, covering the surrounding ground and building walls.
And on the opposite side, there was Balta.
I approached him.
Taking a step felt like walking with heavy weights tied to my ankles, but I slowly moved forward, one step at a ti.
Balta's shoulders, slumped against the debris of the building, rose and fell slightly.
The distance that seed as far as a thousand leagues soon grew close as I walked.
Balta was covered in blood.
And his lower body was missing.
If he hadn't been a Level 3 hero, he would have long since drawn his last breath.
"......"
I had a mountain of things I wanted to say.
But now that I was in this situation, my mind went blank, and no words ca out.
Balta slowly lifted his head.
Our eyes t.
He mouthed sothing as if he wanted to speak, but no sound ca out.
Balta took a deep breath.
I knew instinctively.
That was Balta's last breath.
I opened my mouth.
"…I'm sorry."
Why those words ca out.
I didn't even understand myself.
Balta's lips ford a small arc.
"……. ……. ………."
Balta murmured sothing.
The weak mumbling, uttered as he was dying, couldn't reach and crumbled in the air.
What his last words to were.
I would never know, not even for a lifeti.
***
CRASH!
With a thunderous roar, the earth and sky shook again.
A massive blaze erupted from about 200 ters away.
Unit 917's airship, which had been precariously lodged in the ceiling of the ruins after colliding with it, finally gave way and crashed.
If the crew had any sense, they would have evacuated safely, so I wasn't worried about additional casualties.
What I was most worried about was .
"I'm losing my mind."
I lay on the floor, looking up at the ceiling.
Through the gaping hole, the night sky was visible.
Magic, having escaped the ruins and surged forth, was creating a small aurora in the night sky.
Selina's face suddenly intruded between the beautiful backdrop.
"Ryan."
"…You're alive?"
"Yes. I tried to run away, but I still flew 50 ters from the impact. Wow, I seriously thought you were trying to kill too, you know."
She said lightly, brushing her hair behind her ear, but wounds from her face and all over her body were noticeable everywhere.
Indeed, she must have physically endured an explosion of that magnitude at close range.
It would have been stranger if she had appeared unhard without a single scratch.
"What about the other mbers?"
"Lilisa is looking after them. Thankfully, no one died. There are so critical cases, but the crew mbers are also working hard, so there won't be any casualties from lack of treatnt."
"That's a relief."
A Level 3 hero from Odin.
Despite clashing with an entity no less than a massive disaster that should never be encountered in Stage 1, everyone survived without a single fatality.
It was a miraculous feat.
Of course, in exchange for causing that miracle, my stats had reverted to those of the primordial village.
Since I had fulfilled my role as a field commander, even though I had so lingering regret, the feeling of relief was greater.
At least Selina, who would sacrifice an imnsely valuable airship and throw herself into certain death to save her unit mbers, wouldn't abandon .
"Oh, speaking of which, Ryan. Congratulations."
"…Congratulations? Suddenly? For what? For surviving?"
"Hmm… that is sothing to congratulate, isn't it? But there's sothing bigger."
Selina smiled slightly.
Her voice was clearly more animated compared to a mont ago.
It was like a mother's smile looking at her proud child.
She opened her mouth, lightly twirling a finger through her side hair as if dancing to a rhythm.
"Nad downed."
"…Ah."
Co to think of it, there was such a thing.
War, by its very system, inevitably gives birth to 'heroes.'
These weren't soldiers designated as heroes by the growth system, but beings who displayed unique actions that others dared not perform.
Such individuals were collectively called heroes… or sotis 'Nad.'
As the forr term overlapped in aning, the latter was usually preferred.
The criterion for becoming a Nad was 'kill.'
Either one had killed a large number of enemy soldiers, enough to be called a butcher, or had killed many powerful heroes.
In such cases, they were referred to as a Nad.
Naturally, a Nad from an enemy nation could be seen as soone who had killed an enormous number of allied soldiers.
To shoot down such a Nad.
On the battlefield, that alone was an honor.
"But you're only a Level 3 hero, and they're giving you credit for downing a Nad?"
"He wasn't a normal Level 3. All of Odin's Level 3s and above are Nad."
"…Really?"
No wonder.
When I sent the lower-ranking kids to the battlefield to train, they all recognized the nas and trembled.
So that was the reason.
I nodded my head.
anwhile, Selina, exhilarated, didn't stop her enthusiastic chatter in an overly excited voice.
"Many mages will focus on Ryan's actions. Oh, they might even award you a dal. After all, it's a very unusual event."
"Unusual?"
"Of course! Don't you know? Ryan. Since the war between the Alliance and the White Hero began, many war heroes have been born. And as many heroes as were born, died. Every day, new Nad arise, and every day, existing Nad fall. This is war. But!"
"......"
Her intensity inadvertently startled .
Was this her original personality?
I even worried that she might have hit her head when she flew off due to the explosion and changed strangely.
But as if my worries were aningless, Selina, in her excitent, scread when her wounds burst open.
At this point, she should have stopped.
Selina, however, was still smiling brightly, even as tears welled up in her eyes.
"The 'first' title is precious."
"First?"
"Yes. Since the war between the White Hero and the Alliance began, not a single 'soldier' has ever downed a Nad. Downing a Nad was the exclusive domain of mages. As a soldier, Ryan. You are the first. This is truly a trendous honor."
"......"
"Ryan. As your commander, I'm proud of you."
Listening to her words, it seed.
I had done sothing truly extraordinary.
***
Actually, I had one concern.
Unit 917's airship was broken, and we had a mountain of injured people who needed professional dical treatnt imdiately.
However, just because Balta had stopped breathing didn't an that his prior arrangents were nullified.
Communications in the area were still cut off, so there was no way to call for support.
Injuries weren't the only problem.
Considering the White Hero players flocking to this location to see Odin's hero, we needed to leave this spot imdiately, but we had no ans to do so.
However, unlike , who was more than just worried, Selina was simply smiling.
She had the crew mbers attend to the injured, then she took the lead and walked sowhere.
As I was also injured, I was carried on the back of a sturdy crew mber and followed behind Selina.
How long did we walk like that?
"How about it? Our new airship."
"......"
I was speechless.
Odin's ultra-compact airship.
It was proudly displaying its magnificent form before my eyes.
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