Chapter 396: Breakthrough!

“Listen up, you bunch of losers with no ambition! This great me is gonna stand atop the world and defeat the Demon Lord someday! Swear allegiance to me now, and it’ll be the best decision you ever make!”

“Nah, pass. Russell’s so weak anyway.”

“Huh? What did you say?!”

“Yeah, seriously. You can’t beat anyone, Russell. Bragging about ruling the world is just sad.”

“Grr......”

“Let’s go. Russell’s always like this—total bore.”

“Yep, let’s bounce.”

“Wait! Hold on! Don’t leave! Dammit, you narrow-minded fools! Don’t come crawling back to me when I’m famous!”

Hahaha. Who’s this cocky little brat? He’s so full of himself it’s painful to watch.

Wait a second...... That’s me back then?!

Why am I seeing memories from my childhood?!

“......Ow! Ow ow ow!”

“Hahaha! Russell lost again! Surprise, surprise!”

“Really, Russell—can’t you pick better opponents? Every time you pick a fight, it’s with someone way stronger than you. Now whenever we bet on your fights, we don’t even bother putting odds on you winning anymore!”

“Shut up, you idiots! I’ll win next time! Just you wait!”

“Ha! There he goes again~. Why don’t you fight a little kid next time? Then maybe you won’t lose for once!”

“SHUT YOUR TRAPS!”

Tch!

All of them look down on me now. Just you wait. One day, you’ll all be bowing at my feet, begging for my mercy!

“......Hahaha, Russell’s such a loser~!”

“Totally!”

The scene shifted abruptly.

Before his eyes lay a figure, its eyes staring wide open even in death, lying motionless on the ground. A longsword stained with monster blood clutched in its hand, surrounded by nothing but endless darkness.

“......”

In the darkness,

Russell stared at the corpse for a long, long time.

Figures.

You laughed so loud when I made a fool of myself...... And now here you are, lying just like this.

After an endless, suffocating silence.

“......”

Am I......

gonna die too?

......

CRACK!

A faint sound of bone breaking echoed through the darkness.

“It hurts!”

Russell looked up, gazing toward the source of the pain in the pitch-black void.

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His fingers throbbed faintly......

“......I’ll remember this! You just wait! This great me will be back!”

“Apologize to him right now......”

“......You guys are the worst! Leaving me behind like that!”

“You’re not human...... are you.”

The scene froze on a tiny, slender figure standing atop a sea of flames. Young as she was, her power was so overwhelming it left others in the dust.

“......”

“That’s an A-Rank Badge! An A-Rank Adventurer’s Badge, you idiot!”

Hulim Heyerar...... She’s so strong.

“......”

Dammit.

I want one too. An A-Rank Badge.

But......

I’m too weak.

Weak enough that I can’t even take down a measly B-Rank Monster.

If it were Hulim, she could wipe out a whole horde of these things with a single wave of her hand......

I hate this. I hate being weak.

“......This great me is gonna stand atop the world and defeat the Demon Lord someday!”

Ugh! Shut up! Stop saying that stupid line!

Memories flashed before his eyes, one after another, a chaotic whirlwind of regret and pride.

“AH——!!!”

In the darkness, Russell clutched his head and screamed in agony, his heart tearing itself apart.

Until the image of him standing side by side with his three companions appeared before him.

A fierce, unyielding resolve surged up from the depths of his soul.

“You bastard!”

“I’m not dying here! This great me——”

“IS GONNA LIVE TO STAND AT THE TOP!!!”

BOOM——!!!

In the real world.

The Russell lying on the ground suddenly erupted with a surge of overwhelming Mana.

Wind elemental energy—pure, raw, and infinitely powerful—converged around him, blazing with a brilliant emerald light. The spear he clutched tightly in his right hand began to twist and transform, morphing into a massive Storm Spear, crackling with the fury of a tempest.

“Roar?”

The Monster that had been about to deliver the killing blow blinked involuntarily, blinded by the searing green light.

SWISH!

Invisible Wind Slashes sliced through the air, tearing gashes in the Monster’s eyelids.

“ROAR!?!”

A primal sense of danger shot through the Monster’s veins. It stumbled backward in terror, scrambling to put distance between itself and the human.

BOOM!

A violent storm erupted around Russell, swirling with enough force to tear trees from the ground.

Through the howling gale, the Monster caught a blurry glimpse of a figure rising to its feet.

“......I told you, didn’t I.”

A hoarse, gravelly voice rang out from within the storm, cold and filled with unshakable resolve.

“THERE’S NO WAY IN HELL I’M DYING HERE——!!!”

BOOM!

The storm vanished in an instant, revealing Russell in all his glory. He held the colossal Storm Spear high, its brilliant light banishing the surrounding darkness. Wind elements swirled toward him at a staggering pace, his Mana surging higher and higher with every passing second.

The Monster stumbled backward, its body trembling uncontrollably.

Fear—pure, unadulterated fear—washed over it. The weak, insignificant human who’d been on the verge of death just moments ago now loomed like a towering giant, the shadow of death looming over the Monster’s every move.

“DIE——!!!”

Russell hurled the Storm Spear with all his might!

“ROAR!?!”

The Monster didn’t dare to fight back. It turned tail and ran, its legs pumping as fast as they could carry it.

But it was too late.

Its speed was nothing compared to the Storm Spear tearing through the air.

BOOM——!!!

The spear carved a deep trench into the earth, shattering the air itself as it streaked forward.

THUD——!

In the blink of an eye, the spear caught up to the fleeing Monster, piercing straight through its body.

A fountain of crimson blood erupted into the air.

The residual storm energy clinging to the spear erupted from the gaping wound, twisting and tearing the Monster’s body apart from the inside out.

SPLASH!

A rain of blood fell from the sky.

The Monster’s figure vanished completely from Russell’s sight......

“ROAR!”

Elsewhere in the forest, two Monsters clashed fiercely with three figures.

The vanguard stood firm at the front, blocking every single attack with his shield, while the two rear guards unleashed a relentless barrage of spells from behind his protective wall.

Even with their tough hides, the two Monsters were steadily taking damage, their wounds piling up with each passing second.

Yet despite the apparent advantage, the three adventurers couldn’t land a killing blow.

The vanguard could hold off one Monster completely—but that left him with no strength to stop the other, allowing the beasts to dodge the deadliest attacks with ease.

“Lucian, this isn’t working.”

Frots spoke up, his voice tense.

“I’ll hold one of them off. You and Eileen focus all your fire on the other—take it down first.”

“No! Absolutely not!”

Lucian snapped, his voice sharp with refusal.

“Lucian!”

Frots’s tone turned urgent, his eyes blazing with resolve.

“We can’t let Russell’s sacrifice be in vain!”

“And you want me to watch another friend throw his life away?! Is that it?!”

Lucian roared, his eyes burning with rage and grief.

“Lucian......”

“Save your breath, Frots. I won’t let it happen.”

Lucian’s voice dropped to a low, deadly growl, his gaze locking onto the two Monsters with icy intensity.

“I won’t lose another comrade today. Not while I’m still standing.”

His grip on his sword tightened, his shield raised high.

“I’ll take these beasts down here and now—even if it costs me my life.”