As the sun rose and the night sky faded, the citizens of Orario were blessed with another day.
People from all races could be seen walking down the cobbled streets in the city of heroes.
"Hey, Mord, where are you headed?"
Asked a middle-aged adventurer.
"I'm going to the Guild to cash in my loot from yesterday. Must've gotten drunk last night and forgot."
Mord Latros was an unassuming Level 2 adventurer with brown hair and eyes.
Carrying a double-edged sword over his left shoulder and a sack of loot on his right, he walked toward the Guild headquarters with two party members at his side.
"All right, we'll come with you."
As the three men passed through the Guild's entrance, Mord noticed a clerk pinning a poster to the announcement board.
"Hey, what's that over there?"
Curious, Mord and his friends walked over.
"Oh, it looks like someone ranked up to Level 2," one of them remarked absentmindedly.
Every time an adventurer leveled up, the Guild announced it to the city through noticeboards posted at the main headquarters and its branches.
Mord and his companions studied the photo of a young man with squinted eyes.
He was fairly handsome, which only made them frown.
"That face... I've never seen him before. Probably a newbie," one muttered, rubbing his chin.
"Tch... I don't like him already."
Mord scowled, glaring at the poster with hostility.
Their eyes drifted down to where the adventurer's feats and accomplishments were listed.
"Huh?"
What they read shook them to the core.
"Four days!?"
Their shouts drew stares, and soon the crowd turned toward the board.
Just as when the city had finally settled down, an earth-shattering news sparked a massive uproar, catching everyone's attention and had spread throughout the city like wildfire.
A huge crowd gathered.
"Is this real? This isn't fake, is it?"
"Four days to reach Level 2? No way! I don't believe it."
"But it's the Guild's official announcement. There's no reason they'd post false information."
"I've been stuck at Level 1 for years... this guy must be cheating!"
The crowd erupted with mixed reactions... disbelief, skepticism, awe.
"Wait... why does this name sound familiar?"
An adventurer asked, reading further down the list.
"Defeated swarms of irregular monsters numbering possibly over nine thousand."
"Climbed to the ninth floor on his very first dungeon dive."
"Saved the lives of hundreds of adventurers between the first and ninth floors."
Realization dawned.
"It's Judas Spade! The adventurer from the Loki Familia—the one who single-handedly resolved the Dungeon berserk incident!"
To rank up in just four days was unprecedented in Orario's history.
The previous record belonged to Ais Wallenstein of the same Familia, who had reached Level 2 in a single year.
Even that feat had earned her renown across the world.
But to shatter that record entirely?
The entire city struggled to believe it.
And so, the name Judas Spade—which had quieted down recently—once again became the center of gossip throughout the city of heroes.
Meanwhile, the man himself was unaware of the uproar he had caused at the Guild.
"T-thank... thank you very much... I can feel my legs again."
Chigusa's voice trembled, her eyes glistening as though on the verge of tears.
Judas Spade watched as she hugged her legs tightly.
He was inside the Takemikazuchi Familia's home, where he had just restored her leg with healing magic.
He had been doing this since yesterday... spending the entire morning visiting Familia after Familia, healing victims of the incident.
"I am forever grateful to you," said Ouka, bowing so low his forehead touched the floor.
Beside him, Mikoto did the same.
『Telekinesis』
Judas gently lifted them up with magic.
"Don't bow to me. I don't deserve it."
Astonished, Ouka and Mikoto exchanged silent nods.
"Even if you refuse our gratitude, we will always be indebted to you, Judas Spade."
Takemikazuchi himself stepped forward with a faint smile.
Judas closed his eyes and said nothing.
『Fly』
Without another word, he lifted into the sky.
The war god and his children could only watch as his figure receded into the distance.
'That child... '
Takemikazuchi frowned.
'I don't know what you are facing...'
Perceptive as ever, the god sensed turmoil within him.
'But I pray that you will eventually overcome it.'
...
After flying for a while, Judas landed on a rooftop. He sat and wiped the sweat from his brow.
'I'm halfway done.'
He uncorked a potion and drank deeply.
Cool energy replenished his exhausted Mind.
With a sigh, he tucked the empty vial into his pouch, where several more had already piled up.
'I owe Airmid a huge debt.'
For those potions, he now owed the Dian Cecht Familia a debt of over half a million valis.
'Looks like I have to go dungeon diving to pay it back.'
He thought, rising to his feet.
'This is nowhere near enough to pay for my mistake.'
'But if I can atone for my sin, even in the smallest way, I'll accept it.'
He tried convincing himself.
But deep down, he knew this wasn't true atonement.
If he truly wished to atone, he should have confessed to the Guild that he was the cause of the Dungeon's rampage.
Instead, he clung to silence, keeping the truth to himself, easing his guilt through acts of healing.
Selfishness and selflessness—opposites, yet two sides of the same coin.
What others saw as selflessness, he recognized as selfishness.
His visits weren't only acts of kindness.
They were also acts of punishment... his way of repaying a debt that, in his eyes, could never be settled.
He spent the entire day visiting one Familia after another, healing the injured as much as he could before quietly leaving.
By then, Judas had consumed over a dozen potions, his bag stuffed with empty vials.
"T-thank you... thank you... for bringing back my arm."
A little girl stammered as she unwrapped the thick bandages.
Her Familia erupted into celebration, tears of joy streaming down their faces.
Judas steeled his heart against their gratitude.
Their words fell on deaf ears.
'I don't deserve it.'
Eyes closed, he turned away and flew off once again... always without a word.
'I didn't know that would happen.'
Their teary faces kept replaying in his mind.
'It's not my fault.'
Their grateful expressions and the softness in their eyes as they stared at him like he was their hero.
'D-don't look at me like that.'
Lost limbs being restored, their crippled bodies returning to normal, their expressions of despair disappearing as they saw the light of hope again.
Their expressions of pure joy and relief when they recovered, and the gratitude of their familias.
'S-stop it.'
These scenes kept replaying inside his head.
His guilt was like a black fire that kept growing, devouring his sanity.
It was as if his conscience was torturing him.
His face darkened, and his eyes became hollow.
'It's not my fault!'
He clutched his head, his expression growing contorted as if he were going crazy.
'Stop! STOP! STOP!'
Drops of sweat fell from his face.
The images shifted, changing from the victims to the people of his village.
'No...'
Their faces were covered by a dark veil, but he could recognize them easily.
'NO!'
He closed his eyes, and sweat started soaking his shirt.
'You left us to die.'
'Judas... this is all your fault.'
His parents and his elven friends were among them.
'It hurts... it hurts... Judas... why.'
He could vividly hear their voices, filled with regret and sorrow.
'Son... why... WHY!?'
He saw his parents, whose eyes had been gouged out, blood pouring from the empty sockets.
'STOP IT!!'
His falna glowed.
[Eternal Persistence]
It was attempting to protect his mental state, but it wasn't enough.
Left with no choice, he cast a spell on himself.
『Mental Seal』
The images in his mind vanished.
Judas leaned against a wall and took some deep breaths.
Wiping the sweat with his shirt, he continued to walk as if nothing had happened.
'I am fine.'
The shade of his purple eyes seemed paler than usual.
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