— Aaaah—!

A sharp scream rang out from the edge of the village. It was Blanc Ibel.

— Oh my God, he’s so cute...! What is this precious thing?!

— How can something so tiny and adorable even exist?!

Beside her, Tarsha Everlight fidgeted with her staff, equally captivated. Both of their gazes were locked onto one point... the little Gunther, who was diligently chewing on dried meat.

The child, clearly overwhelmed by the intense attention, initially tried to back away, but thanks to the platoon’s almost absurd persistence, he was slowly lowering his guard.

— Want to hold it? It’s called the “Holy Sword.”

— Hm? Is that something good?

— Of course. It can even talk. It’s really cool.

Seril Barkel and Servan Barkel watched in deep sorrow as the great Holy Sword of the founding king was reduced to a child’s toy. Their silent despair was completely drowned out by the excited chatter of the others.

Levain Bernecker, pulling out a fresh piece of meat from his bag, burst into laughter.

— He’s already handsome, so I figured he’d be cute as a kid, but this... this is beyond expectations.

Mikhela Iska, her fluffy tail wagging wildly as she tried to catch Gunther’s attention, nodded fiercely in agreement.

— ...If Superintendent Seraz Bolton saw this, she’d probably kidnap him on the spot.

Nearby, Rietta was making objects float in the air with telekinesis, while Yuria and Cheonmae desperately tried to hand Gunther an axe and a massive bow, respectively.

The final winner, however, was Dimona Ryen, who had launched an entire drone show.

— Gunther... look here...

Watching this disgraceful scene from the sidelines, Ryan Parker clicked his tongue.

— Hmph. What’s the big deal? I was way cuter as a kid.

Naturally, no one acknowledged that muttering.

— ...Come on, I’m telling the truth.

In any case, Gunther’s companions were currently stuck in indefinite waiting mode at the outskirts of the village. About ten minutes earlier, Moon Wolf had brought them here and briefly explained the situation.

— ...It seems this place is the past.

Surprisingly, the moment she saw mother and child, she instinctively understood what was happening. Her sharpened vampiric senses identified the same blood flowing in both Gunther and the boy. A contradiction—one being existing in two forms at once. Following that irrational thread, she naturally arrived at the answer.

— T-the past?

— Without a doubt. Little Gunther is waiting in the village. Let’s go.

After her shocking statement, the platoon members who already knew Gunther was a regressor accepted it immediately. The others, of course, were skeptical at first.

However...

Once they saw their ships vanish instantly from the sea—and more importantly, saw little Gunther with their own eyes—they had no choice but to believe.

— What the hell is going on here...

— When is Gunther coming back?

— He hasn’t seen his mother in a long time, so give him space and be patient... Great Admiral! Sit down already, you’re making me dizzy.

Scolded by Tarsha, the Great Admiral awkwardly sat back down. Ever since hearing Ellen was here, he had been completely restless. Understandably so—meeting his first love after decades—but the way he carefully trimmed his beard using Blanc’s shield as a mirror drew faint smiles.

— ...Damn, I’ve gotten too old. What if Ellen doesn’t recognize me?

As it turned out, his worries were unfounded.

Rustle.

Footsteps quietly entered the space filled with chatter. One step, two. Conversations faded on their own, and all eyes turned toward a single point.

— ...

A quiet breath of admiration escaped someone’s lips.

It wasn’t just her beauty.

There was something else—an atmosphere as if she stood above the world itself. Eyes like starlight. A kind of beauty you search for in darkness and fog—something that feels warm if touched, yet distant enough that you don’t dare reach out.

Step. Step.

While no one dared speak first, little Gunther ran toward her with a bright face and leapt into her arms. Ellen Beyra silently embraced him, then slowly looked over each of their faces.

The one who broke the silence was the Great Admiral.

— Ellen... you haven’t changed at all.

That short sentence carried unbearable longing.

Ellen calmly turned to him.

— It’s been a long time, Illian. Seeing that you’ve come here with the others... I understand you’ve lived a good life.

While Illian Marest stared at her with an indescribable expression, her gaze moved to the rest.

— And I am glad to see all of you. I... have been watching you for a long time.

“Watching.”

Each of them interpreted the weight of that word differently. Instinctively, they understood—it wasn’t just a polite greeting.

Hesitating, Yuria stepped forward.

— But where is Gunther... I mean, the adult Gunther?

Holding the child, Ellen looked toward the forest behind them.

— He is being tempered.

That vague answer tilted everyone’s heads in confusion.

— Whether he breaks or hardens... is unknown. But it is a gate he must pass through if he wishes to surpass Luthien.

Silence fell.

— And this process is necessary for you as well.

Her turquoise eyes pointed to each of them.

— Are you, as you are now, capable of bearing that burden?

The air froze.

Ryan and the others clenched their fists. Because at some point, they had already begun to feel it themselves.

Gunther was growing too fast.

His progress was explosive, and more and more often, just keeping up with him felt like a burden.

Ellen’s words struck directly at that helplessness.

Thud.

Ellen extended her hand. Her eyes glowed faintly. The air began to distort.

— I will give you a chance as well. It will be incomplete under these conditions... but it is possible.

The moment those words were spoken—

The ground beneath them collapsed.

— W-wait—?!

Cracks spread instantly. The earth gave way, and the group fell helplessly.

— Please, prove your worth.

Ellen’s glowing eyes silently ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ watched their fall.

***

Gunther had overcome countless hardships before.

Even things that seemed impossible at first eventually gave way—if he prioritized, cut away the unnecessary, and solved problems one by one.

So then—

What was the first thing he needed to do here, in this black fog where Evil Gods lurked?

“Obvious. Get out of here first.”

This was a “spawn zone.” Stay too long, and the King of the Starving would devour him.

Step. Step.

Gunther sprinted forward without hesitation.

Even in complete darkness, there was no reason to hesitate.

Hiss—

His “serpents” became his eyes, mapping the terrain.

Wooo—

The Saint’s authority, Structural Interference, erased all traces he left behind.

“Direction...”

[The trait “Compass” activates]

Gunther paused for a fraction of a second.

Normally, Compass pointed toward immense Karma.

But here, immense Karma likely meant immense danger.

So ordinarily, he would run the opposite way.

But this time—

He chose to run toward it.

Step. Step.

He ran.

Nothing in sight but fog. No shapes, no light, no shadows.

And yet... it felt like he was “seeing” something.

“This place is insane.”

He knew. Something beyond comprehension was hunting here.

Like swimming in a shark-infested ocean at night.

Fear. Helplessness.

His heart pounded violently—but he didn’t stop.

“I need to survive... and learn something.”

Until Karma calculation resumed, dying now would be meaningless.

“I need information.”

His mind listed candidates.

The three gods. The Ruler of the Oceans.

And—

That voice.

— Hide. Immediately.

He recalled it perfectly.

As if it had whispered right next to his ear.

But that was impossible.

Which meant—

It came from afar.

Someone was watching.

Someone who knew how to survive here.

“If I find them... I’ll get answers.”

But how do you find someone in a place where direction and distance don’t exist?

“...Like this.”

Fwoosh!

Gunther suddenly stopped and ignited the Flame of Eternal Torment.

At first glance, it was reckless.

The visible area was tiny.

The chance of someone being in that exact spot—near zero.

But—

By some absurd coincidence...

Within that narrow light, a silhouette appeared.

Watching him.

— ...

Silence.

As if asking: “How did you find me?”

Gunther smirked.

“Bingo.”

He remembered the message.

[#### Error #####]

[Calculation impossible]

Karma didn’t function properly here.

So Compass wasn’t guiding him to Karma—

It was guiding him to luck.

And it worked.

“Now then... show yourself.”

The figure didn’t move.

As if inviting him closer.

Gunther stepped forward.

The fog parted completely.

And then—

He froze.

“...What the hell is this...?”

What stood before him...

...was something he could never have imagined.