The drug-addicted parents sold their children for six gold coins.
The noble who bought the siblings coveted the body of a girl who wasn’t even fifteen yet.
Thus, the boy fled with the girl.
He walked barefoot across the cold, frozen world.
He advanced into the harsh winter with nothing but his bare skin.
Having emerged into the world, the boy.
Stole freedom for the first time, for the girl.
Stole warmth.
Stole fullness.
Stole hope.
Every time this happened, the girl smiled.
Even though she knew it wasn’t theirs.
Even though she realized it originally belonged to someone else.
Because she knew how much effort the boy had put in, and what sacrifices he had made.
She couldn’t help but smile.
So the siblings secretly reveled in the happiness they had stolen, the happiness that should have been rightfully theirs.
But that didn’t last long.
Their master oppressed their freedom.
The master of warmth forced them into the cold.
The master of fullness made them vomit everything out.
The master of hope stuffed despair into them.
The world took everything away from the siblings.
Yet the boy did not break.
He moved forward to save his only family.
Once again.
He stole warmth, fullness, and hope.
He burst out into the world and hid among the beasts.
The boy donned the skin of the beasts.
The girl wrapped herself in warmth.
The boy gnawed on the remains of beasts that the monsters had left behind.
The girl bit into cold but savory bread.
The boy swallowed filth.
The girl drank clear water.
As time passed, the boy nurtured despair.
As time passed, the girl lost hope.
But the siblings laughed.
The boy wanted to show the girl the light.
The girl wanted to give the boy a dream.
They wanted to hold onto their own hope completely.
They laughed endlessly.
Thus, the siblings passed through the biting winter and into the warm spring.
They arrived at Hablon Village, surrounded by high walls.
They found a new hope, their complete happiness.
The village welcomed the siblings.
They cleaned away the blood of the beasts.
Healed their wounds.
Provided them with legitimate work.
Warm meals, cozy places to sleep.
A stepping stone to move forward.
Having little, they could share.
Having nothing, they could receive.
The siblings felt gratitude for being able to enjoy what they should have rightfully enjoyed.
They were happy to no longer have to steal, and to be able to enjoy their true happiness.
After passing through the warm spring, as they settled down, winter came again.
The boy felt a surge of greed.
He saw adventurers hunting the monsters around the village and made a resolution.
He wanted to gain strength.
He learned the adventurer’s movements, skills, personality, and manner of speaking.
Everything, over the shoulders of others.
Awkwardly, but steadily.
Fearful and painful, but resolutely.
Enduring and persevering, the boy.
Luchi became an adventurer.
He gained the power he desired.
The power to protect his sister, Lux.
The venom he had honed for survival became talent.
And that talent began to shine, illuminating Luchi’s path.
Chasing his own light, Luchi, at the age of 21.
In just three years, he became an extraordinary genius who reached the gold rank.
The siblings were no longer troubled.
They thought they would never again experience the harsh cold of their past.
They believed they wouldn’t have to seek the nauseating beast meat.
The skins.
The filth.
Then, one day, a stranger visited the peaceful village.
Since he resembled their past selves, they reached out a helping hand.
Just as the village had done before.
They offered warm food.
Cozy places to sleep, and proper work.
That night.
Nobles and dozens of knights descended upon the village.
Claiming to be looking for a thief who stole their belongings, they entered the village.
At that very moment.
A strange sound of a trumpet echoed.
And calamity descended upon Hablon.
*
“Looking at your expression, it seems you haven’t completely forgotten.”
“Y-you crazy…”
The man pulled out a dagger concealed in his sleeve and threw it at Luchi.
Luchi easily deflected the dagger flying towards him.
“Your catching skills have improved. First, let’s do something about those cheeky feet.”
Luchi swung his sword.
“GAAAARGH-!”
The man’s right ankle was severed.
“Keep moving, and it’ll be hard to aim. Thanks to you, I’ve got only one eye left.”
He swung again.
“Y-you crazy… Gghh… Gahhh…”
The man’s left leg was chopped off, and he fell to the ground.
“That would be problematic if you die like this. I still haven’t heard the reason why.”
Approaching the man sprawled on the ground, Luchi took a potion from his pocket and poured it over the man’s leg.
The bleeding site on the man’s skin quickly healed.
“You won’t die now. So, why did you do that? Let’s hear the reason.”
Luchi crouched in front of the man and drove the sword into the man’s left hand.
The man writhed in agony, and the horn he had been holding dropped to the ground.
“FCK! You crazy bastard! FCK, F*CK!”
The man’s scream echoed through Loholan.
People began to come out one by one to watch the situation.
The village’s adventurers.
The guards.
All of them just stood and watched.
It didn’t make sense.
Why didn’t Heinzel try to stop Luchi?
Why was Rubia.
Blocking my way?
“Rubia… what the hell is going on? Why are you just standing there, doing nothing…”
“Noah. I don’t know if it’s right for a shaman to say this, but right now… I think it’s better to stay still.”
“What do you mean…? What are you saying? Right now, that man-”
“On the day of the disaster in the ruins, I heard the truth from Luchi.”
Rubia interrupted me with a deeply subdued voice.
“The reason Hablon village fell was not because of the noble, but because of a monster.”
“A monster…?”
I recalled the high walls of Hablon I had seen in the ruins.
That wall, brought down while bleeding everywhere.
“That… doesn’t make sense. How could a monster bring down that wall? It wouldn’t even be able to get in. And what does that have to do with that man?”
“It’s said that a thief hiding in the village opened the gate to escape from the noble… As soon as the gate opened, the leader of the monsters began to blow the horn and entered the village… the blood shed as people were dying filled Carpen-”
“The man opened the gate, and then the monsters rushed in…?”
If the man opened the gate for the monsters…
I could understand the attitude of Heinzel and Rubia knowing this fact.
But…
It was strange.
Rubia’s explanation and what I knew didn’t match.
It was impossible for thousands of monsters to gather in one place.
Especially not in just one of the village’s entrances…?
That couldn’t be true.
No matter how different game was from reality, it was absolutely impossible.
Those crazy puppies couldn’t gather like that just because they couldn’t resist hunger.
I extended my senses to look at Luchi and the man.
Luchi was continuing a conversation with the man.
And the man.
Gently reached toward the horn that lay next to him.
The horn…?
“Rubia… You said the trumpet sound echoed when the monsters came…?”
“Yes. Luchi said that sound couldn’t be forgotten-”
The horn… trumpet, monsters coming in.
“The Rampaging Horn…! This is insane…!”
I immediately turned and drew my great sword, rushing towards the man while shouting.
“Luchi! The horn! We can’t let him play it!”
Hearing my words, the man pulled the dagger hidden in his sleeve and swung it at Luchi.
Luchi waved his arm and deflected the dagger.
The man immediately brought the horn to his mouth.
Before the man could blow the trumpet.
“Whoa.”
“AAAAAHHHHHH!!!”
Luchi gripped the man’s jaw and wrenched it off.
The man’s jaw was torn free with a sickening snap, preventing him from blowing the horn any longer.
The man let out only desperate screams in response.
Ignoring the man’s screams, Luchi whispered quietly to me.
“Noah. Do you know what this is?”
“Uh… yes. If that horn is blown… all nearby monsters will gather. This caused the downfall of past Hablon as well…”
“The Rampaging Horn.”
An item that gathers all monsters’ aggro to one spot.
While its effect of gathering was astonishing, there was also a side effect that made monsters enter a frenzied state, making them stronger.
That was why it was typically used only by parties of six or more.
I had no friends, so I had never had the chance to use it…
“I see… Was this what the noble stole?”
Luchi’s gaze was set upon the horn.
“The reason Hablon fell was because of this old horn…”
Luchi slowly lifted his sword.
“Then… I have nothing more to hear from you.”
As the sword swung toward the man.
The man screamed and shoved the horn deep into his throat.
With a sickening sound, the horn lodged into his throat.
Releasing a sound that seemed to open the heavens.
The horn shattered against Luchi’s sword.
And, from afar.
From the ruins we had crossed.
From the plains we would approach.
The roars of the monsters echoed.
Heinzel and Rubia approached.
“What just… what was that sound, Noah…?”
“Luchi, kid. What’s happening right now?”
Ignoring Heinzel and Rubia’s words, I expanded my senses.
Reaching over Loholan, to the ruins and plains.
Blood gushed forth without end.
My head felt like it was about to explode, and my blood vessels felt like they were about to burst.
I downed a potion from my pocket and expanded my senses even further.
“Noah! What are you doing! Blood, blood…!”
The boundless perception suddenly stopped.
Monsters charging towards Loholan sketched themselves in my mind.
Drawing.
Drawing.
Drawing.
Drawing.
Drawing.
Drawing.
Endlessly.
Continuously.
They filled my mind.
I could not count.
I couldn’t fathom the number.
At least, thousands.
No, tens of thousands of monsters were rushing toward Loholan.
We had about 15 minutes left.
If 30% of the villagers died.
Carpen from the ruins would awaken.
We had to stop them.
Somehow, we had to stop them.
