The moment they stepped back into the Encampment, Leo felt a heavy shift in the atmosphere. Most of the class members were sighing in defeat; a few had faces clouded with raw grief.
His heart sank. It seemed the first day of clearing the Blood Moor hadn't gone well. Many hadn't made it back.
"Let's go, Majesty. We have things to do—gear to repair, supplies to restock. And... I need to find a friend."
They went to Charsi. Even after trading in some white-quality gear they had scavenged, the repair bill was a staggering 400 Gold. Throwing weapons were expensive to maintain, especially when the monsters' strength caused them to snap or warp upon impact.
Leo had planned to treat Majesty to a grand feast to celebrate their reunion, but the somber mood in the camp killed their appetite. Even the ale tasted like ash.
After dinner, they headed to the barracks for news, but class members were barred from entry. Fortunately, they ran into Sika, their guide. When Leo asked about Reinhardt, she checked the logs.
Reinhardt's squad had left... but their names weren't on the return roster.
A cold dread pooled in Leo's stomach. Sika's eyes flickered with a strange cunning as she whispered, "There is one place that tracks the exact status of every class member. It's a restricted military zone, but..."
"I'll owe you one," Leo interrupted, his voice tight. "Anything that doesn't violate my principles. Just help me."
Sika slipped away into the barracks. Minutes later, she returned, her voice low. "Reinhardt's soul-statue has shattered. It means the owner is dead."
Leo felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. He grabbed Sika's shoulders, his grip like iron. "Impossible! He was the best in the fortress! Reinhardt... wearing Ancient Armor... it's impossible!"
"Ow, ow! Let go!" Sika winced. "I wouldn't lie about this, Leo. Calm down before someone sees us."
Leo's hands fell limply to his sides. "I'm sorry, Sika. I lost my head. Majesty, let's go back. I need to be alone."
Back in his tent, Leo lay staring at the dark canvas. His mind replayed every moment with Reinhardt. The strongest man in the Keep, always joking about "bringing light to a world of darkness"—gone on the very first day.
There are no protagonists here, Leo realized. No 'Children of Destiny.' We are just people. One mistake, and you're just a pile of dirt. Honor, courage, destiny... it all means nothing if you're dead.
The only thing that mattered was getting stronger and keeping his sister alive.
After a long silence, Leo stepped out. Majesty was still sitting by the campfire, meditating.
"Majesty... I'm going to see Akara."
"Whatever you do, Brother, I'm with you," she whispered.
Leo hurried to the Monastery sector. He was stopped by the guards, but Akara's serene voice drifted from the tent: "Let him in."
Leo entered and stood before the High Priestess. She seemed to see through his very soul. "The fluctuations of human emotion," she said softly, "often stem from anger at one's own powerlessness."
"Why?" Leo choked out.
"You are a curious one, warrior," Akara observed. "Your heart burns with a fire that should drive a man mad, yet your actions remain cold and calculated. What maintains this balance?"
Because I'm a transmigrator, Leo thought bitterly. I've seen this world through a screen, and I thought I knew better. He looked at her. "They say you see into hearts, Lady Akara. Tell me, why the 'Nightmare' difficulty? Why throw them into a meat grinder?"
"An eagle pushes its young from the cliff so they may learn to fly," she replied calmly. "Without the tempering of life and death, how can they become the heroes who save humanity?"
"But there are gentler ways! People are dying!" Leo was questioning himself as much as her. He had known this was a Nightmare start, but he had stayed silent to protect his secrets.
"Time is our most precious resource," Akara said. "We carry the expectations and the future of all humanity. There is no victory without sacrifice. You have taken the first step toward success; I hope you remain victorious until the end."
Leo exhaled sharply. It was the hard truth of war. His anger was mostly directed at his own passivity. I had the information, and I watched from the sidelines until it cost me my friend.
The old me had no choice. But the me now? I do.
"Lady Akara, I was impulsive," Leo said, his eyes burning with a new light. "But I have a request. I want the Encampment to share our squad's combat experience with the others. Do it anonymously. Consider it a favor I owe you."
Akara smiled, and for a moment, the candlelight seemed to brighten. "It would be my honor."
Leo shared everything—the level gap, the resistances, the 'Turtle Strategy,' the way to use terrain obstacles like tents to trip up Fallen.
As he left the tent, Akara murmured, "A new hero is growing. Perhaps fate will side with us after all."
"I'm no hero," Leo muttered, not looking back. "Just a man who wants to live, and maybe do a little something along the way."
He stood outside, feeling like a "cool guy" who doesn't look at explosions, until he realized he'd forgotten to buy more potions.
"Sigh..." A small voice came from the shadows. Majesty was hiding there. "Brother... did you forget the medicine again?"
"Uh... hehe."
"I bought 10 Healing and 30 Mana potions," she said, handing them over. "Lady Akara seemed moved by what you did. She's giving our squad a 10% discount on all magic items from now on. Here's the 210 Gold I saved."
Leo was too embarrassed to take the change. He turned and bolted for his tent.
"Pfft!"
"Haha!"
The laughter of the two guard Rogues followed him into the night.
The next morning, Leo woke before dawn. Habit was a powerful thing; he didn't need a clock. He stepped out to find Majesty already meditating, her armor covered in morning dew.
"Practicing already?" He tossed her a towel.
She caught it with two fingers and sniffed it suspiciously.
"It's clean!" Leo barked. "I haven't used it! Do you think I'm that dirty?"
"Mentor said that 'stupid' is contagious," she replied solemnly, wiping the dew from her gear.
Leo rolled his eyes. Fine, no good deed goes unpunished. They headed to the gates. Other squads were already moving out. Among them, Leo noticed a girl who looked painfully out of place. She was small—barely 1.6 meters—and looked malnourished. Yet her aura was like Akara's: gentle but firm.
She wore cloth armor, but her badge showed the crossed axes of a Barbarian. A scrawny Barbarian? She had clearly just been rejected by a squad, but she still bowed politely to them as they walked away.
Leo felt a pang in his chest. Was Majesty ever that humble? That desperate?
"Brother," Majesty whispered, watching his face. "Do you like that sister? I think she's nice. She seems very gentle."
"I... it's not like that!" Leo stammered, his face turning red. He turned and marched out of the camp, Majesty following with a quiet giggle.