First Step On The Battlefield

<(Reminiscence)>

“Hahaha. Hehehe, really? Hehehe, did you actually do that, Kim Han?”

“Yeah! Honestly, what power did I have at first? Besides, in the dimension I lived in, there weren’t any of those monsters!”

“Puhaha. Oh my! So the Strange Star Kim Han, who’s given the title of Strange, runs away from orcs out of fear?!”

“Those things! Yeah, I ran away because I was scared! Why?! They drool, snort, and charge with their bulky muscles and foul stench! And just when I barely managed to escape from the orcs, a troll appeared, and while the troll and orcs were fighting, I secretly ran away and encountered an owlbear. After meeting and fleeing from monsters over twenty times, I finally reached a village. Ah, damn it! Looking back now, it’s depressing. From the start until now, I’ve been the icon of misfortune…”

“Hehehehe. Friend, hang in there, hang in there. I’ll especially give you a ring I found in this ruin that increases luck.”

“Don’t need it!”

“Forget about Kim Han; what about Hyo-ju? How was it for you, Hyo-ju? When you were first summoned to the battlefield and faced the Monster Belt. I heard there weren’t any monsters in the dimension Hyo-ju lived in either, so it must have been your first time too.”

“Hey, hey, what are you asking? I bet Hyo-ju cursed at the orc and told it to get lost!”

“No, Hyo-ju might have used her specialty and kicked between the orc’s legs.”

“Hey, no matter what, Hyo-ju is still a woman. She would have first looked around to see if anyone was around, and after confirming no one was there, she would have stomped it to death.”

“…It was the worst.”

“Hmm?”

No one else around heard Hyo-ju’s answer, but I was always paying attention to her, so I could hear her words.

What was the worst part? At the time, I had no idea.

*―*A typical day in the Rebound Legion House before Kim Han’s regression.

I realized I had entered the battlefield not because of the message or the suddenly changed scenery, but due to the change in the atmosphere.

The air was refreshingly crisp, and the heavy pressure on my shoulders was distinctly different from Earth.

Towering trees of unimaginable height and thickness filled my view. The densely packed trees swayed in the wind, creating a refreshing chorus.

I stood in a natural clearing within such a forest.

Surrounded by lush, green trees everywhere I looked, I was in the Monster Belt.

I had returned to the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’

While I was relishing the pleasant freshness, I felt a rough presence approaching.

Its identity was a pig-headed creature I hadn’t seen in a while.

It wasn’t the kind of pig head used for rituals or eating. It only resembled a snub-nosed pig, with protruding tusks and a jaw that jutted out, causing drool to constantly drip from its perpetually open mouth.

Its face would instill fear in anyone meeting it for the first time, the kind of face that would make you suggest jaw surgery, but meeting it again made me realize I had truly entered the
‘Battlefield of the Gods.’

Black Orc. A mutant-like orc with immense strength and stamina, a race of orcs that wields Force.

Because they lived in a large-scale tribal society, the ruler of this Monster Belt was probably not the ogres or cyclopes, but the Black Orc tribe.

“Hyung is really busy right now, okay? So let’s do this quickly.”

“Ggra?”

It seemed to be asking, “What?” Then the orc’s face turned red.

“Huh?”

Its face turned red? Why?

For a moment, silence filled the space between the two different species. An awkward silence. It’s like when a man and a woman meet for the first time…

“No, no! Ahh! Whoa, that was close. You filthy, perverted pig.”

“Kro?”

“Kro, you bastard! Shadow Ambush!”

“Quack!”

The pig-headed figure’s head burst with a scream.

With just a punch to the back of the head, the orc died pathetically. Thanks to the Strength of 107, the skill effect of Shadow Ambush.

Added to that was the rage of ‘BL (Orc boy and human boy?) absolute opposition,’ causing the head of the Black Orc, known for its strength, to scatter into pieces and disappear.

Thud.

Watching the flesh fall, I swung my right arm nervously in the air.

Once the green blood and flesh had somewhat fallen off my arm, I roughly tore at the waist-high grass to wipe my hands.

“Damn it! I am ASBOLUTUELY against BL!”

The joke ended there.

Perhaps due to the unique divine power of the battlefield I encountered after a long time, I felt an unintentional uplift in my mood and surveyed my surroundings.

“It feels like it’s been a while. Actually, if you count, it’s just over 100 days. Anyway, where am I?”

Looking around, I lifted my head and leaned back until I could see the top of an incredibly tall tree, then bent and straightened my knees deeply.

I climbed to the highest branch and scanned the surroundings.

An endless sea of trees. Trees of a size and thickness rarely seen on Earth stood densely, and the lush leaves waved in the wind, resembling an ocean.

“This way. Hyo-ju said it’s closer to Exorsus… Conceal.”

Just like when Diving, I felt as if I was sinking into the surroundings, then returned to normal.

As soon as my senses returned to normal, I gradually awakened my divine power.

The force awoke, seeped into my muscles, then returned to the divine core in my body repeatedly, like a heartbeat.

My muscles, infused with force, felt a fullness as if they could do anything, stretching with satisfaction.

The immense energy around me surged through my muscles, enveloping my entire body in a tingling sensation, as if cramped.

Divinity began from my chest, extending to my limbs, enveloping my cells, and I felt like a newborn.

Before long, a refreshing sensation, like having a warm shower, spread from my heart.

As the spirit moved, the crown of my head felt cool, filled with vast freedom.

Simultaneously, I experienced a sense of emptiness and freedom as if endlessly gazing at a clear sky, enjoying boundless mental peace.

As I released mana thread by thread, spreading it around, a gentle breeze blew across the wide grassland centered on me.

The non-attribute mana blended into the surroundings without any discord, conveying information about the wide area centered on me.

The force was vibrant, divinity blazed, the spirit scattered, and the mana swirled.

A skill I couldn’t achieve even when I was among the ranks of the seven absolute beings before regression.

There was no discomfort in operating the energy of the four attributes together. On the contrary, a sense of fulfillment and confidence that I could do anything welled up.

Is this what it feels like to be on drugs? A euphoria I’ve never felt before.

I calmed my racing heart with anticipation and took my first step in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’

When dealing with the orc, I moved, and though it was just one step, it wasn’t a forced return, but a step asserting my will to return and live.

With each step, my heart raced uncontrollably with excitement. Perhaps I’d transformed into someone who could no longer live as an ordinary Earthling.

After about ten minutes of brisk walking toward Exorsus, I spotted a group of four men and two women.

The atmosphere wasn’t bad. The men courteously looked after the women and took the lead in battle, while the two women chattered away as if on a picnic.

Three out of the six were familiar faces. Two men and one woman.

The woman was, of course, Lee Hyo-ju. The woman I ‘used to’ love. The representative of Aetas, the God of Time.¹

Coincidentally, both men were people I got to know because of Hyo-ju.

The man leading the group. The head of the Rebound Legion I belonged to, and the man Hyo-ju loved. The proxy of Caelum, the minor God of the Sky, Unos.

The other man. Not long after being with Hyo-ju, that is, when we entered the beginner’s village and the five-year limit was nearing its end, Lee Hyo-ju discovered that man, meticulously planned for about six months to capture him alive, and tortured him for two years.

At that time, Lee Hyo-ju was a downright villainess. The representative of Ister, the God of Rivers, Arun.

However, the atmosphere among the six was as harmonious as if they had known each other for a long time. The occasional encounter with monsters seemed to further enhance their mood.

At their leisurely pace, it would take about two weeks to reach the novice village.

‘Is that why I didn’t see her at all in the beginning?’

“Shall we camp here? Luckily, Unos knows the direction to the village precisely, so if we continue like this, we should arrive in two weeks at the latest.”

“Alright.”

“Sounds good.”

“Let’s do that.”

Nodding.

Three men scattered into the forest, saying they would gather firewood and hunt. Only one man, Arun, was left at the campsite.

Only then could I take a closer look at the man named Arun. He wasn’t particularly tall, nor did his build suggest he handled weapons. Based on appearance alone, he seemed like a typical magic-type representative.

The distance was too far for the ‘Check’ skill to reach, but judging by his outward appearance, he seemed like a typical magic-type.

Moreover, Arun seemed introverted, merely observing the two women without easily initiating conversation.

‘Sylph.’

I summoned a lower wind spirit to observe the three men who had disappeared into the forest.

Although I could summon a higher-ranking spirit, a lower spirit was suitable since the three men were also representatives.

Still unsatisfied, I asked it to report only their actions and words from afar, while I observed the three people remaining at the campsite.

About 30 minutes later, the three men returned to the campsite.

In the large man’s hand were two small animals, while the other two men returned with an armful of firewood, smiling as they gathered at the campsite.

Strange. There must be a reason the Creator sent me here to ‘see’ directly.

However, that group was excessively harmonious. It was as if they had known each other well from the beginning.

Especially the traitor Unos. He was taking the lead in being kind to everyone and smoothing the group’s atmosphere.

Why?

‘That bastard is the same as ever. A pretentious bastard. It’s like a disease. I almost mistook him for a good guy for a moment. Oh, really? What nonsense.’

Despite others’ attempts to stop him, he personally started a fire and prepared the meat to make skewers.

Does he think he’s some kind of mom? If he had some seaweed, he’d probably roll a kimbap. The even stranger thing is…

‘What’s with Unos, that bastard? Why is he so subservient to the women? Huh?’

The blonde woman, not Hyo-ju, acted aloof to the men, possibly due to her noble birth, yet Unos was soothing her with a friendly smile.

‘No matter what, he’s not the type to act like that… I mean, there’s no need for them to stick together from Monster Belt to Exorsus, right? They all seem capable, so they could leave behind someone so clueless.’

It’s suspicious. Very much so.

Especially that pretentious smile, which overlaps with the smile he gave me during the last battle. An unforgettable smile like that…

I had to work hard to suppress the murderous intent that was boiling up.