This World Needs a Hero

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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Somewhere in Rosenstark.

The traitor finally made up his mind after a long deliberation.

The dilemma had begun from the moment the Hero announced his impending death.

‘If it were Ivar, he would have sacrificed himself without hesitation.’

He had no choice because of the hostage situation.

Upon hearing such information, he would have dashed off like a dog and offered himself.

But his circumstances were slightly different.

The demons had no leverage over him whatsoever.

His betrayal was solely of his own will.

‘…After all the effort I’ve put in, it can’t end so easily.’

If he were to inform the demons that the Hero was on a death clock, the demon army would undoubtedly scale back its activities.

There was no need to waste resources now when they could comfortably exterminate humanity in a few years.

‘They’ll probably start the conquest only after the Hero dies.’

The traitor’s face twisted in disgust.

Humanity would fall disgracefully, and the Hero’s end would be futile.

That wasn’t what he desired at all.

So, the traitor contemplated a slight variation.

‘I should expedite the plan a bit.’

The traitor’s crumpled face broke into a smile again, transforming like a mischievous child with a wicked idea.

‘What if…’

What if he did this?

If he were to falsely report to the demons that the Hero had fully recovered from his injuries and found a way to become even stronger?

He had carried out several acts of betrayal without issue before.

Many of them were surprisingly significant.

‘There’s no way the demons will suspect me now.’

Moreover, he was now the sole remaining traitor within the Dawn Knights.

With no cross-verification possible, there was no way to detect that the information was fake.

‘The demons are in for a surprise.’

If the Hero were to recover from his injuries and even become stronger?

To the demons with time left until the return of the Demon King, that was nothing short of a death sentence.

They would try to restrain the Hero by any means necessary.

All he had to do was subtly present the plan he had prepared to the demons at that moment.

‘Neat.’

The traitor began preparing to contact the demons.

He knew that the Hero had set up various surveillance methods at the academy.

But there were still loopholes.

‘…It’s going to be a splendid finish.’

The Hero would have his final blaze too.

The traitor grinned broadly.

* * *

In the quiet training ground, rhythmic breathing and sword strikes echoed.

Under Labin’s sharp gaze.

The Hero continued with basic preparatory exercises, physical training, and swordsmanship, reminiscent of what undergraduates would do.

These were processes unnecessary for his level, but the Hero moved as Labin instructed without question.

Labin’s gaze was different from yesterday.

There was no longer affection; it was stern and severe, like that of an educator.

“….”

Labin didn’t speak for a long time.

“…You’re not asking any questions.”

“Should I?”

“No. Not now.”

Eventually, Labin stopped the Hero.

Then, he posed a question.

“Now that you’ve become a teacher yourself, you should be able to answer this question.”

“Please ask.”

“What do you think is the most important thing in learning?”

Labin’s chilly eyes stared at the Hero, testing him.

“What most significantly influences the learner’s achievement in learning?”

It was a sudden question, but the Hero pondered seriously.

Many answers flashed through his mind.

The learner’s talent? The teacher’s quality? The invested time?

‘No.’

The answer Labin wanted wasn’t those.

“It’s the attitude toward learning.”

Labin’s demeanor softened slightly in the next moment.

“That’s correct.”

The attitude toward learning.

In other words, humility.

One could say it was the beginner’s mind he held when he first picked up a sword.

No one would have expected anything from the Hero.

…Except Labin, who had personally trained him.

‘He hasn’t changed a bit.’

Even ordinary people become conceited when praised and admired by just two or three people around them.

What about the Hero, who possessed a talent that even geniuses would look up to?

When the Hero was a student, countless praises and envy were directed towards him.

However, he never became arrogant.

He knew exactly who his enemies were, how terrifying and powerful they were, so instead of compliments, he sought out criticism and strived to fill in his own shortcomings.

‘I wondered if he could still do that.’

Labin received a satisfactory answer.

Despite becoming a legendary figure, the Hero hadn’t changed.

As his old master, it was a gratifying sight.

“Come here.”

At Labin’s gesture, the Hero seated himself in front of him.

“Before I give you any advice, I’ll ask you one more question.”

“Yes, please.”

“Ten years ago, during the duel with Zion, what were your thoughts?”

The Hero recalled.

It was a long time ago, but Ted’s mention of Zion was vivid in his memory.

It was an unusually harsh criticism.

“It was a farce.”

“Was she weak?”

“She lacked natural talent. Her achievements were the result of tremendous effort compensating for her lack of innate ability.”

The evaluation of Leciel seemed momentarily generous.

“I’d say her granddaughter’s talent surpassed hers.”

“Isn’t she still young?”

“She showed potential at a young age, indicating exceptional talent.”

Labin was Zion’s close friend and peer.

The Hero conveyed his thoughts, slightly softened.

“It was more about effort than talent.”

Labin nodded with a brief sigh.

“Yes, effort. Effort can be said to be the word that pierces through Zion’s sword entirely.”

Then Labin delivered a cruel assessment.

“She is undoubtedly a thousand times more talented than your students… even more so than ordinary combat undergraduates. But Zion was the most backward among the prodigies I’ve seen.”

“I am aware of that.”

“Yes. That’s why Zion became obsessed with ‘what is visible’ and ‘what is shown.'”

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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Zion had always been the black sheep of the family.

She was constantly overlooked, never once receiving expectations during her growth.

In her suffering, she ultimately developed overwhelming skills through effort alone.

Naturally, a desire for recognition and obsession with the meager honor she barely earned arose.

Showing off and proving herself.

Zion became immersed in that.

“So, Zion became the most dazzling and colorful swordswoman.”

The Hero realized why Ted was disappointed with Zion and his harsh evaluation.

‘She wore clothes that didn’t suit her.’

Labin also nodded.

“Yes, she became fixated on appearances rather than essence and reached a limit. Naturally, her pursuit of ‘Heart Sword’ also came to a halt.”

“But now it’s different, isn’t it?”

“The defeat she experienced by you has become a blessing in disguise.”

Ten years after the defeat.

Zion underwent many psychological changes and gradually let go of her attachment to the sword.

Her desire for recognition and obsession with the meager honor she barely earned faded away.

Naturally, the facade that once surrounded her swordsmanship disappeared.

All that remained was the essence condensed by extreme effort.

“Incline cut, vertical cut, thrust.”

“……?”

“A few days ago, I saw that Zion’s swordsmanship was reduced to just those three. You understand what that means, don’t you?”

A shiver ran down the Hero’s spine.

Zion, who could display countless sword techniques at the level of a master, condensed and concentrated them again, returning to the beginning.

‘…She must have become much stronger than before.’

If he had approached the rematch carelessly, it would have been dangerous.

Labin gradually spoke to the Hero, as if returning to the lecture hall of ten or twenty years ago.

“Since you aim to show your student the way, you must think about ‘how’ to win rather than just winning.”

…It was only then that the Hero realized how he should prepare for the rematch.

If ‘winning’ alone was the goal, there could be many methods.

One could overwhelm with overwhelming firepower using Salvation and other abilities.

But that wouldn’t be the real deal.

‘…Where to aim.’

Zion returned to the essence after wandering.

Then he, too, had to face it in the same way.

That way, he could reach a destination that resonated with Leciel… He must show her where to go.

The Hero stood up from his seat.

Whoosh-

The sound of wind.

Labin looked at the Hero holding up his sword.

‘…He understands right away.’

With the sword poised in the air, as if time had stopped.

It was the posture of preparing for a vertical cut.

Although it was a movement he had repeated countless times, he didn’t move.

It was the preparation posture for a vertical cut.

It would be exceptionally difficult and tedious to focus solely on the essence rather than just fighting.

‘…But.’

The Hero seemed to have already made up his mind.

At that moment, a faint smile appeared on Labin’s lips as he watched the concentrated Hero.

It was a smile that even he himself didn’t notice.

‘…Good.’

Even though he was already a Hero who surpassed him in swordsmanship, a disciple always seemed unpolished to the master.

Labin observed the Hero’s various sword techniques with sharp eyes.

It felt like going back ten or twenty years.

“All currents, waves, and flows eventually become one in the ocean. Do not perceive what you possess as separate entities, as they all stem from you….”

His tone had changed.

The Hero didn’t point out this change and followed Labin’s instructions exactly.

.

.

.

▼

Understanding of Labin Hawk deepens.

Understanding: 3/100 -> 10/100

▲

“Ah…”

It was at that moment that Labin, who had been absorbed, suddenly snapped out of it.

He realized that rather than just giving advice, he had been observing the training session entirely and offering his insights.

Labin cleared his throat and shook his head.

“……”

Yet the Hero continued to concentrate, wielding his sword.

Labin, momentarily paused, gazed at him.

‘…That should be enough.’

He was certain.

The former comrade and former student would engage in a duel that would satisfy each other.

Labin silently took a step back.

.

.

.

The Hero came across the next message on the eve of the scheduled rematch, as informed by Zion.

▼

The user has acquired a season.

Would you like to specify the technique name and category?

– Infinity 2nd Form, Harmonization.

▲

* * *

Rosenstark Marketplace.

As usual, Leciel finished her lecture, had lunch with the children, and casually glanced at the vibrating connector alarm without much thought.

“!”

Even the children, who were burying their heads in food, noticed the sudden alert.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Is it an extreme notice?”

Concerned looks from her colleagues made Leciel lower her head first.

“…It’s nothing.”

Karen clicked her tongue.

“You posted on the anonymous board again, didn’t you? I told you to keep it in check.”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

Unfortunately, Leciel didn’t have the luxury to answer Karen’s question.

No, even if she had the time, it was something she couldn’t answer.

‘…What on earth is this!’

A rematch between her grandmother and the Hero.

Leciel couldn’t stop her stunned expression, even knowing her friends were watching.

No matter how many times she checked, the content remained unchanged.

The sender was Ted Redymer.

There was no way the content could be false.

“Hey, everyone, just a moment.”

“…Huh?”

The only thing she could do was to run as fast as she could to the location specified in the message.

The girl’s petite face was filled with complex emotions.

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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