I stared silently at the statue of Bellium. A statue this enormous would usually inspire admiration for its beauty or a sense of awe. This time, though, I felt something different: familiarity and comfort. The closer I got, the more wildly my heart pounded. Yet, paradoxically, the moment I stood before it, an inexplicable calm came over me. What was this statue, to make me feel such contradictory things? And what secrets were hidden within me?

“Minjun?”

“...”

“Um, Minjun?”

“Oh, yes.”

I’d been so lost in thought that I hadn’t heard Estelle calling me.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

“Yes. It’s... complicated to explain.”

How was I supposed to explain it? What I was feeling was too complex to put into a single sentence.

“Estelle, could you tell me what the dragon this statue depicts was like?”

“Of course.”

Estelle began her explanation right there.

Eighty thousand years ago—perhaps even longer—a dragon named Bellium settled here with his child. So many records about him had been lost that no one knew exactly why he had first settled here and decided to build a village. But one fact had come to light: his reason for settling here had something to do with his child. Some historians had tried to uncover the secret surrounding that child, but while a few records of Bellium remained, none at all remained of his child. It was as though someone had deliberately erased every trace of them.

In any case, Bellium stayed here with his child and founded a small village for exiles who had nowhere else to go. He dreamed of a warm community where people in similar circumstances could look after one another and heal each other’s wounds. As long as they hadn’t committed serious crimes, he welcomed those cast out by their communities without reservation. Word of the village the dragon had built for exiles gradually spread, and as more people came, it grew.

Tens of thousands of years had passed since Bellium’s death. The village had faced several major crises that nearly wiped it out, but thanks to the legacy he left behind, its people had overcome them and kept it alive all this time.

“What exactly was Bellium’s legacy?”

“Along with gold and treasure, they say he left behind several artifacts that could protect the residents from outside attacks. The amount he left this village was supposedly beyond anything an ordinary person could imagine. Some of Bellium’s artifacts are still in use today, tens of thousands of years later.”

“Really?”

Bellium had been deeply attached to the village he’d founded himself. But how were objects from tens of thousands of years ago still working?

“Of course, they aren’t as powerful as when they were first made. Our craftsmen repair the artifacts he left behind regularly, but there’s a limit to what they can do.”

Estelle added that, as a result, monster attacks and the damage they caused had grown increasingly frequent over time.

“I see. Thank you for telling me.”

It was a fascinating story, but it gave me no clue about my connection to the statue. Perhaps I’d learn something more if I heard the story in greater detail.

While I was sorting through my thoughts, Estelle met my eyes.

“Could you tell me your story too, Minjun? I’m curious what the world you lived in is like, and how you came to be here.”

“Yes, of course.”

Maybe something in my story would help Estelle find a clue to getting me back to Earth. I was just about to begin when—

DONG! DONG! DONG!

A deep bell suddenly rang out across the city.

“Oh no.”

As I wondered what it meant, the residents began shouting and moving with practiced speed. Children and people who looked elderly or frail hurried into their homes, while the others began taking up weapons.

“What’s happening?”

“Monsters are... attacking. The number of times the bell rings depends on the danger. Usually it only rings once or twice.”

Estelle’s expression turned grave.

“But three rings mean this is more serious than usual.”

Judging by the faces of the residents heading for the city wall, it certainly was.

“I’ll help too.”

“You will, Minjun?” Estelle asked, surprised.

“Yes. I’m a hunter—or rather, a warrior, after all. If there’s anything I can do, I should help.”

Call it a hunter’s instinct to rush in whenever monsters appeared. I didn’t know how fearsome these monsters would be, but I could at least draw my sword. And it wasn’t as if I was going to die, right? All the powerful artifacts Sia had given me were safe in my pocket dimension. I had nothing to fear.

“Thank you. Then please follow me.”

I ran after Estelle. With the help of a mage who joined us along the way, we quickly reached the top of the city gate. I wondered how many monsters it would take to alarm her so much. The moment I saw what lay beyond the wall, I understood.

“What on earth...?”

I’d thought clearing gates had made me fairly used to seeing monsters, but I’d never seen so many gathered in one place. Swarms of wyverns, large and small, covered the sky, hurling themselves against the transparent barrier around the city in an attempt to break through. Below them, countless other monsters thronged the ground. And it wasn’t just their numbers: everything from slimes, considered the weakest of monsters, to A-rank minotaurs surrounded the walls. Could this even be called a monster invasion? It looked more like a catastrophe.

I didn’t know how strong the armed residents were, but judging by the mood, even they seemed overwhelmed by this attack.

“Estelle, how serious is this...?”

“I’ve lived in this village for almost fifty years. And this is the first time I’ve ever seen so many monsters appear...”

Her hands trembled badly around her bow, as though the unfamiliar sight had shaken her. The others were no different. Different races, ages, and genders, yet all of them stared up at the sky with grim faces.

“Hey, Estelle. I’ve never seen the man beside you before.”

A dwarf who was tending a catapult pointed at me.

“He’s the adventurer they found collapsed out front yesterday. When he heard about the monster invasion, he offered to help us.”

“Is that so? Good on you, lad. Hey, Mr. Adventurer. Wish we had time for a proper introduction, but I’m afraid we don’t.”

“I wish we did too.”

Apparently impressed that an outsider had joined the fight, the dwarf laughed heartily, assured me we’d be fine, and went back to preparing the catapult.

Time for me to get ready too. I took every artifact that might be even remotely useful in a fight out of my pocket dimension. I put on the protective artifacts again and took out the most important item of all, my Dragon Bone Sword.

‘There are wyverns up there.’

I’d have to prepare for aerial combat. As a swordsman, I’d be at a natural disadvantage in the air, but Sia had given me a flight artifact to make up for that. I took it out and put it on. Estelle, who had been tending her arrows to calm her nerves, and the other soldiers beside her stared at me in surprise.

“Mr. Adventurer, what are all these artifacts...?”

A young soldier who’d been watching me closely came over to ask. That opened the floodgates, and everyone nearby turned their attention to me.

“My girlfriend gave them to me.”

“... Good heavens.”

“Is your girlfriend a princess of the empire or something? How did she get so many...?”

This was hardly the time to let their guard down, but the sheer number of artifacts had clearly astonished them. The soldiers gathered in little groups and peppered me with questions.

“I’ll explain later.”

Once I had all the artifacts on, I tried flying with the flight artifact.

“Ooh.”

A young-faced soldier right beside me let out a quiet exclamation. I’d tested the artifact briefly once before, but this would be my first time using it in a real battle. Not that I’d had any opportunities until now.

Meanwhile, the wyverns were slamming into the barrier even harder, trying to break it.

“It won’t hold much longer!”

“Captain! We’re all ready!”

“Word is everyone in the danger zone has evacuated!”

The soldiers shouted that their preparations were complete. A muscular man who seemed to be their captain bellowed into a crystal orb.

“Open the barrier to stage one!”

RUMBLE!

No sooner had he spoken than the transparent barrier glowed faintly and began to contract.

“Why are we opening it when the enemy is coming?”

“Some damage can be repaired, but if it’s completely destroyed, restoring it will take a long time. In the long run, we have no choice.”

Seeing my confusion, Estelle explained that the plan was to give the children and vulnerable residents time to evacuate, then partly withdraw the barrier once everyone was ready and face the monsters.

But that wasn’t what mattered right now. What mattered was that I had to fight all those monsters. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared at all. But running away now would be a pretty poor showing. As soon as the barrier came down, a thunderous roar went up and the battle began. I beat the artificial wings on my back with all my strength and launched myself off the ground.

* * *

Just before the battle began, Estelle anxiously fingered her bow with sweat-soaked hands.

‘Will Minjun be all right...?’

He’d been living well in another dimension before being brought here against his will. He’d only recently regained consciousness, and above all, she had no idea how strong he was. She’d wanted to give their visitor from another world a warm welcome, sit and chat with him, and hear stories about his world. Instead, this had happened.

Estelle had thought he might be better off evacuating with the children and vulnerable residents, since he couldn’t be in top condition. But without a moment’s hesitation, Minjun had chosen to join complete strangers in defending their village. Wasn’t he afraid? Didn’t seeing those wyverns make him want to flee, even now? The residents had no choice but to throw themselves into the fight, even if it meant dying, to protect their home, regardless of how strong they were. But Minjun was an outsider with no ties to this place.

‘Then why did he decide so quickly...?’

Was he that confident in his abilities? Or did he know how hard it would be but choose to fight because that was simply the sort of person he was? She would probably have her answer soon. As soon as the barrier came down, Minjun flew straight toward the wyverns without hesitation. Traces of gray aura scattered from his sword, glimmering in the air.