Whoooosh—
Boom!
Just before the battle hammer could split Aiden’s head open, a golden shield materialized between them.
It was Eleanor’s divine magic, [Life Shield of Light], activating in the nick of time.
The divine magic which could only be cast once a day was used up in an instant like that.
But thanks to it, Aiden managed to save his life and hurriedly retreated.
The shield made from divine power began to crack, and the battle hammer crashed through it before descending to the ground.
Boom—
The earth groaned as if in pain.
“How…?”
As he backed away, Aiden finally had a chance to carefully assess Bern’s stance.
Maya’s attack had been blocked by Bern’s shield.
Although the fire-enchanted weapon had turned the shield red-hot, it remained as solid as ever.
Wasn’t he trying to counter Maya with his battle hammer?
Up to a point, that seemed to be the case.
But when Aiden snapped out of his daze, he noticed Bern’s hand had shifted to his opposite shoulder; it was gripping the very end of the battle hammer’s handle.
The hammer, carried by its own momentum, had swung around to his back.
It was a stance that should have been impossible to strike with any force.
Yet, a well-trained Level 7 Paladin could turn the impossible into reality.
I let my guard down.
A hammer of that size didn’t need a direct hit. Just grazing it would be deadly for him.
Aiden suddenly realized the gravity of the situation and broke into a cold sweat.
Even so…
The recent crisis had given him clarity.
His opponent’s weapon.
The weapon’s reach.
And the physical strength of a Level 7 warrior.
All this information had flooded into his mind at once, forming the foundation of a new plan.
“Hoo…”
He exhaled slowly and came to a conclusion.
My swordsmanship won’t be enough.
There was no way he could inflict any real damage on that paladin.
That was the judgment he arrived at.
The paladin felt like an impenetrable fortress.
There were no openings.
No matter how strong Aiden’s attacks were, they would be useless if they didn’t land.
Senior once told me my swordsmanship was too honest.
And they weren’t wrong.
Where did Aiden’s swordsmanship originate?
It was rooted in the Imperial Knights.
The training grounds of the Imperial Knights, which he had secretly observed.
The swords of those knights were honest, unwavering, and powerful.
Naturally, Aiden’s own swordsmanship could only follow that example.
– An honest sword isn’t a bad thing. Why do you think the term ‘righteous path’ exists? It’s because, even though it takes longer, it’s the right path in the end. That’s why it’s called the righteous path.
His Senior Jun, a peculiar mage, had often said those words.
He looked like someone who had never held a sword in his life, just from the way his body appeared.
In truth, he knew absolutely nothing about swordsmanship.
Instead, he had eyes that could pierce through the truths of the world.
– All things in the world, all flows return to one source. Even if the paths differ, if the destination is the same, I can offer advice worth considering.
A month ago.
Jun had fixed his gaze on Aiden and spoke.
– If you can’t create something on your own, trust your companions. That’s the reason we travel together. Stay on the righteous path. Creating that path is your companions’ role.
Following those words, Aiden summoned his magical power.
Just once.
For a single strike aimed to reach his enemy.
He turned his gaze to Maya.
***
Maya shook her head against the many voices buzzing in her mind.
Annoying.
The spirits of her ancestors were nothing but noisy presences to her.
But if there was one thing they agreed with her on, it was this:
Revenge.
Avenging the tribe chief who had raised her, taking revenge on those who had taken his life.
For that reason, Maya moved according to their guidance. They referred to the one she followed as a leader. They told her to follow the mage.
By following the mage, she would inevitably encounter the targets of her revenge.
Troublesome.
But was this current battle even related to that revenge?
She couldn’t tell.
The spirits of her ancestors didn’t give her an answer. Then again, they had never been ones to offer an explanation in the first place.
They only ever showed countless possibilities, and Maya simply chose one to follow.
However, the moment Aiden escaped danger,
Maya felt an odd tickling in her chest.
It was relief.
At that moment, Maya tilted her head slightly in confusion.
Though she had been part of this mercenary group, Maya never truly felt like one of them.
Just as they used her strength for their purposes,
She too was merely using them to achieve her revenge.
Why?
Why had she just thought of them as her companions?
That question revealed a buried memory from her past.
– Be the one to reach out first.
It was a phrase she had thought she had long forgotten. A phrase that was spoken by the tribe chief to the outcast she had always been within the tribe.
Maya had never followed that advice, not even once.
Had that memory been triggered by her current doubts?
Maya recalled moments from the past month she had spent with the group.
That day had been like any other. It was a routine training session.
As always, she had been sparring with Aiden.
Aiden still couldn’t keep up with her in pure physical combat.
He lay sprawled on the ground and was gasping for air.
– How can I win?
It was a question Aiden muttered to himself; it was barely audible.
Just then, Jun who had been observing their sparring let out a small chuckle.
– It’s just training.
– Even so, the battlefield isn’t training, is it? If I fight like this there, I’ll definitely die.
Aiden’s unusually serious words made Maya silently nod her head in agreement.
If you’re weak, you die.
That had always been the life Maya knew.
Her hated yet formidable targets of revenge came to mind. To kill them, Maya too had to grow stronger.
However, the leader’s response was simple and clear.
– Are you planning to fight alone on the battlefield, too?
– Ah…
– You must not lose sight of the purpose of this training. It’s not for you to defeat each other.
Jun had paired them for sparring and instructed them to get to know one another.
– On the battlefield, you two will have to rely on each other. Read your companion’s movements and act accordingly. That’s what teamwork is.
When faced with an enemy that cannot be defeated, such crises came countless times in Blackout.
That was why people banded together.
The leader had said so.
At the time, Maya had let those words go in one ear and out the other.
Revenge was something she had to carry out with her own hands.
If she didn’t grow stronger herself, it would be meaningless.
But—
“Is that really true?”
That question had crossed her mind.
Even now, she still thought revenge was something she needed to achieve with her own hands.
But did she truly need to walk the entire journey there alone?
No, she didn’t.
Maya already knew that much.
If it weren’t the case, there would be no reason for her to be traveling with them now.
So—
Until the day I exact my revenge,
She would have to walk the same path as them.
Her dulled senses sharpened with purpose.
The killing intent that her ancestors unleashed at random now focused on a clear target.
Maya’s gaze turned to Aiden.
Determination gleamed in her emerald eyes.
Aiden understood what that meant.
It was the same as when, during their sparring, she sometimes delivered a deadly strike so precise that it gave him chills.
One more time.
She stalled for time. She drew their attention.
She made her enemy look at her.
Didn’t she just try that and fail?
Yes, but this time was different.
She would make it different.
Maya resolved herself to that.
And that resolve pushed her to make a choice.
Open it.
When she muttered that inwardly, the spirits of her ancestors cheered.
They unlocked the options.
An overwhelming number of choices options before her.
And Maya picked one of them.
A disturbing sensation took over her entire body.
It was a power she had used only once before. It was on the day her tribe was destroyed, and she had vowed never to use it again.
[Spirit Dash]
She ran along a path created by the spirits. It was a secret technique devised by one of her ancestors.
Although Maya had never formally learned the skill, the spirit of an ancestor that momentarily overtook her body made it possible.
She despised the feeling with every fiber of her being, but this was not the time to recoil.
Her body that cut through the wind became translucent.
At this moment, even that Paladin’s eyes could be deceived.
But Maya didn’t do that.
Instead, she released a surge of killing intent.
She made her enemy turn toward her.
Made it impossible for them to dare look away.
Maya’s body turned semi-transparent as she darted forward.
The middle-aged Paladin Bern fixed his gaze on her.
Aiden followed a beat behind.
And far in the rear, Jun’s magical power began to ripple.
***
It was worth training them.
No matter what anyone says, the game <Blackout> was a team game.
You gathered companion NPCs, and the more you strengthened their bonds, the more synergy was created.
Jun who had invested so much time into it understood this better than anyone.
Some players had grumbled about it in the community forums.
– Why is there so much companion synergy? It’s such a hassle to manage everything. Can’t I just solo and dominate?
Those players were quickly shot down with a flurry of downvotes from veteran players.
And rightly so.
Most veteran players had fallen in love with that very charm of the game.
If they wanted a solo domination-style game, they would’ve just played something else.
Jun had been one of the players to hit that downvote button.
Unlike in reality, in the game, the strength of your bonds was shown clearly in a gauge.
And, even if only within the game, you could feel what it meant to not be alone.
That was why Jun hoped for Aiden and Maya to build a connection.
He wanted them to achieve perfect teamwork.
Blackout wasn’t a game where you could survive alone.
“……”
Aiden’s presence shifted.
The blood-red magic surging from him went beyond a mere blaze and turned into a fireball.
It looked as if he had grasped a rope handed down by enlightenment itself.
That was how Jun felt.
That fellow…
The [Beast Body] within him growled like a lion on high alert.
The bloodline of an imperial family, carved from a history soaked in blood.
The magical power flowing through that lineage held a presence as immovable and overwhelming as a towering mountain.
It never wavered and nothing could obstruct it.
And perhaps that was why.
The Mana Body reacted this way, responding to the force it sensed.
That magic wasn’t something anyone could easily seize or wield.
As expected, he’s no ordinary hero.
Jun had briefly forgotten this fact. His own rapid growth had made him complacent. But Aiden was truly the embodiment of talent.
Unlike in the game, where he was much more sharp, the encounter with Jun in reality had softened his personality a bit.
Yet in the game, Aiden’s path was one of endless trials. He walked the road of a hero, of a warrior.
And Maya too.
Jun could sense a shift in Maya’s flow as well. She was matching Aiden’s.
A burst of killing intent exploded outward.
This wasn’t the unconscious, passive aura she usually let slip. This was deliberate, targeted, and unmistakable.
You must be realizing it by now.
Maya was one of the few NPCs whose detailed storyline Jun knew well.
Because of that, he understood better than anyone how profoundly disinterested she was in other people.
But that attitude wouldn’t allow her to survive here in Blackout. If she wanted to achieve her goals, she needed to form bonds.
Jun had continuously and subtly engraved that fact upon her.
And now it was paying off.
[Sprint Dash]. She used the technique of her ancestors.
The fact that she used that meant Maya was now moving in earnest.
Even in a situation that had nothing to do with her.
And that made Jun immensely pleased.
In that case, I should prepare myself to match her.
He had no intention of being left behind by companions as serious as this.
Jun drew on his magical power.
[Mana Body] seemed particularly strong today, as if it had grown more resistant to his Master’s incantation.
Calm down.
He tried to pacify it, but as always, it was a skill with a mind of its own.
The magical power coiled wildly, burst with vibrant colors, and demanded to be shaped and given form.
As if it did not want to lose to the other two.
“Good grief.”
In response, Jun began tracing his magic patterns.
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