Chapter 383

Rodia’s eyes widened at Leo’s question.

Dragon of Genesis, Rodia.

Rodia was definitely her name.

But Dragon of Genesis was not a title that referred to her current self.

It couldn’t be.

‘The fact that she is called Dragon of Genesis is a story from the future.’

In this timeline, she had not yet been called the Dragon of Genesis, and she didn’t even know the close companions she would someday fight alongside.

It was the time when she had first discovered the infinite possibilities to fight against the coming calamity.

At such a time, she met a human boy who called her the Dragon of Genesis.

Rodia widened her orange eyes and carefully examined Leo.

‘Snow-white hair and ruby-like red eyes.’

“This can’t be.”

Rodia’s mouth fell open.

In endless despair, her friend had told her an unbelievable story, like a miracle.

‘Hang in there, everyone.’

Her eyes, which had grown dull at some point, now sparkled again like stars in the night sky.

‘I’ve found hope.’

Seiren, who smiled as brightly as she had in the past, had said that.

The Genesis Heroes had been able to stand up again thanks to the incredible story Seiren had told them.

“Kyle…?”

“So you’re the real Rodia.”

Leo nodded, realizing that this was the real Rodia, not a copy in the Hero Record like Seiren.

At that, Rodia hurriedly shoved Leo toward the window.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ll explain later! Humans shouldn’t be here!”

Knowing what was about to happen, Rodia pushed Leo out of the window.

The current Rodia was neither the Dragon of Genesis nor even a Dragon Lord.

She was still a young dragon of her clan.

On top of that, this was the point right after she had caused an accident.

This was a sanctuary where outsiders were forbidden.

If she were caught with him here, things would become complicated.

Leo frowned, but as he slipped out the window, Rodia hurriedly straightened her clothes.

A moment later—

Bang—!

“Rodia! What on earth is going on! I felt a huge Mana surge!”

“This is the sanctuary where the Hero Record is kept! I’ve told you over and over not to cause trouble like you always do!”

Several dragons glared at Rodia with fierce eyes.

Rodia knelt and bowed her head to them.

“I apologize, elders of the clan. My foolish curiosity seems to have caused you concern.”

After apologizing politely several times, Rodia left the room with the dragons.

Leo, who had been pushed out the window, waited until he sensed no more presence in the room, then climbed back in.

And he looked out through the window, admiring the view.

‘Dragonia.’

The land of the Dragon race.

‘Unlike Seiren’s world, it seems Erebos isn’t trying to cross into reality through this place.’

Unlike Seiren’s Hero Record fragment, Rodia’s Hero Record existed only as a small piece.

That tiny fragment also seemed to be preventing Erebos from using it as a passageway.

Left alone in the room, Leo fell into thought.

‘The monsters appearing in the Forest of Monsters have nothing to do with the Monster Queen’s curse.’

He had checked just in case, but the curse was already gone.

The abnormal situation in the Forest of Monsters was clearly caused by a Hero Dungeon invading reality.

‘And Rodia’s world.’

Rodia’s Hero Record was in perfect condition.

‘The moment I decided to open the Hero World, it opened. Then, if I decide to close it…’

[Would you like to close the world of Rodia, Dragon of Genesis?]

The moment Leo thought of it, a message appeared before him.

Leo shook his head.

The message vanished.

‘A complete Hero Record can be opened and closed at will, as long as it’s my decision.’

In a way, it was natural. As long as it wasn’t a situation caused by the Hero Record’s rampage, the Hero Record itself belonged to Leo.

Leo’s gaze moved to the center of the room.

There was a book there.

A book with a red cover, engraved with the words [Hero Record], radiating divine power.

‘A Hero Record in perfect condition.’

The story of himself and his companions was recorded there.

After looking at the Hero Record for a while, Leo sat down in one corner of the room.

‘For now, I should wait until Rodia returns.’

—

Forest of Monsters.

Groooooar—!

A one-eyed monster roared.

Carr muttered as he looked at the Cyclops.

“Duran.”

“Why are you calling me, Carr Thomas?”

“Didn’t you say that, up until yesterday, at best, only monsters like Ogres were appearing?”

A being above monsters.

A Demonic Beast that could be called a Summoned Beast of Tartarus.

And among such Demonic Beasts, the Cyclops—considered a high-level Demonic Beast—was on a completely different level than an Ogre.

At Carr’s question, Duran curled up the corners of his mouth.

“Isn’t it a good thing instead?”

Pajijijijijik—!

Thunderous Aura swirled around Duran’s body.

“The day after we thought there might be a Hero Dungeon here, that filthy Demonic Beast pops right out. You know what that means, right, Carr Thomas?”

“It means bingo.”

“That’s right.”

Duran’s eyes gleamed.

“All we have to do now is cut down every filthy thing here and hold Aleham accountable.”

“You seem to be enjoying this quite a bit.”

“There’s nothing more entertaining than watching fools who don’t know their place fall apart.”

“You really have a bad personality.”

Across the entire Forest of Monsters, an abnormal phenomenon had begun—highest-level monsters and Demonic Beasts were appearing one after another.

The sudden rampage of the Hero Dungeon.

In that crisis, the Hero candidates began to move in earnest.

—

“It’s an honor to meet you, Hero of Beginning, Kyle. My name is Rodia, and although I am lacking, I lead the Genesis Heroes.”

Rodia greeted Kyle with the etiquette of the Dragon race, knocking on her left chest three times and bowing her head.

Watching that, Leo said,

“So you’re using that greeting three thousand years ago.”

“Of course. You don’t use it three thousand years later?”

“When I greet them with that etiquette, they laugh and say I look like an old man.”

“What? This is a traditional etiquette that’s been passed down for generations. Don’t tell me the later generations stopped preserving it? The later generations are hopeless.”

Rodia looked dismayed.

Leo, watching her, said,

“Really? But you’re wrong too.”

“Yes?”

“Your knee angle is off. Try again.”

“Yes? Ah! Yes!”

Leo corrected Rodia’s posture the way he’d learned it from Lysinas.

“No, bend a little more. Keep your back straight. Who did you even learn this etiquette from?”

Rodia felt dizzy as she received etiquette training she hadn’t gone through since she was a very young child.

Where could she possibly go and be nitpicked like this?

But she couldn’t resist.

The person in front of her was none other than the great hero from two thousand years in the future.

“K-Kyle. E-Etiquette isn’t that important, is it?”

“I learned this while losing sleep over it. The later generations are hopeless.”

Leo grumbled as he watched Rodia’s forced smile, then changed the subject.

“Judging from what you know about me, you must have heard the story from Seiren.”

“Yes. So I’m very happy. Thanks to Kyle entering my world, I’ve been able to meet you like this.”

Rodia, who had been about to perform the Dragon race’s greeting again with a look full of awe, stopped herself and hurriedly bowed her head instead.

If she showed too much respect, she felt like he’d correct her posture again.

“Can I not meet the other Genesis Heroes in this world?”

“No. Even if you meet Seiren, Lumene, Azonia, or Damienne in my Hero World, they aren’t real. They’re past memories engraved in the Hero Record.”

It meant that in each Genesis Hero’s world, the only “real” existence was the owner of that world.

“I see.”

“Fortunately, my world hasn’t been invaded by Erebos. That’s why we can talk like this in peace.”

Rodia smiled.

“Yeah. I wanted to have a proper conversation with you all too. I also wanted to see the Hero Record in person like this.”

As he spoke, Leo looked at the Hero Record.

At that, Rodia said,

“Is this the first time Kyle has ever seen a complete Hero Record?”

“Yeah.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s not really your fault. There was no other way three thousand years ago.”

Leo shook his head.

Rodia, watching him, approached the Hero Record.

“Would you like to see it? Of course, this Hero Record is a fake inside the Hero World, so you can’t open a Hero World with it like you can with the real Hero Record.”

The Hero Record stored here was protected by magic; only approved individuals could touch it.

Leo knew that, so he hadn’t reached for it.

Rodia, however, was one of the people allowed to touch it, because at this point in time she was studying the Hero Record as a scholar.

‘That’s how I accidentally entered the Hero World.’

That was the beginning of Genesis.

Step—step—

Rodia opened the Hero Record and came over to Leo.

“This is the Hero World I first entered.”

“It was during the battle with the King of Gluttony.”

“Yes. It’s one of the greatest achievements of Lysinas and Kyle.”

Leo reached toward Lysinas’ page with a bitter smile, remembering the past.

The story on this page was literally the beginning of everything.

It was both a terrible memory and the most precious one—the memory of when he and Lysinas first met.

The moment Leo touched Lysinas’ page, lost in those memories—

[Hero Record Open. Lysinas’ Hero World. Chapter: Prologue – Beginning]

Leo and Rodia stiffened at the message that appeared.

“What? Wait. We’re in a Hero World, so why is another Hero World opening inside a Hero World?”

Rodia stared in shock at the completely unexpected situation.

And then she saw the distorted message.

“Rampage?”

Leo also looked tense.

Before they could react, the activated Hero World swallowed Leo and Rodia whole.

Hwaaa—!

Once again, he was engulfed in the familiar light.

When his vision cleared—

Spread out before him was the middle of a battlefield.

A battlefield strewn with the corpses of Demonic races, monsters, and Demonic Beasts.

The stench of burning corpses filled the air.

Leo’s gaze naturally lifted to the sky.

A gray sky.

Then he turned his head.

‘Guardslone.’

Familiar scenery.

Leo looked down at his own hand.

It wasn’t the hand of a young boy.

It was the hand of a grown man, full of scars and smeared with blood.

But it wasn’t unfamiliar.

On the contrary, it felt natural.

“That’s right, Kyle. My wish is a very foolish one.”

And a familiar voice reached his ears.

Leo’s grip tightened.

“But Kyle. We will save the world.”

He stared blankly at his friend’s hand—the same hand, with the same promise he already knew would turn into a lie—extended toward him exactly as it had in his memory.

Lysinas, looking at Leo, let out a soft sigh with a face that seemed to say, “Are you rejecting me again this time?”

‘What did I say back then?’

Even though, right now, he suddenly wanted to grant her wish—

Back then, as if he were annoyed—

‘Yeah. I’m sick and tired of all this hassle. I’ll go along with that ridiculous journey of yours once.’

That had been his answer.

He remembered how Lysinas had shaken her head at that blunt reply.

Swish—

When Leo didn’t take her hand, Lysinas slowly lowered it.

Thud—!

“…!”

Lysinas’ eyes widened as she looked at Leo, who was now gripping her hand tightly.

“Yeah. Let’s do it.”

Leo smiled as he met his friend’s eyes head-on.

“You’re right. We will definitely…”

He spoke the words clearly.

“Save the world.”

Lysinas’ eyes opened wide at Leo’s words.

But soon, as if truly happy to hear them—

She broke into a brilliant smile.