I returned to the Rift of Time and Space.
The familiar circular room. I hung the scabbard on my belt and picked up the shield. My wounds and the poison had completely vanished. However, a strong sense of unpleasantness lingered as an aftereffect of the recovery.
"Ugh! I thought I was going to die!"
Zena stood up, rubbing her shoulders. Seeing me, she pouted.
"Making me wear those weird clothes, that was your idea, wasn't it?"
"Didn't you like them? They looked really expensive."
"Not those clothes. They were hard to move in. And they were stuck in a trash can! Plus, do you know those soldiers were trying like crazy to kill only me?"
Zena grumbled as she slung her bow onto her back.
I gave a short laugh and opened the door leading to the plaza. The distinctively cool air of the waiting area enveloped me. I glanced back at my party members.
Edis was sheathing throwing daggers she'd picked up from the floor. Iolka was catching her breath, looking haggard. Zena was counting the arrows in her quiver.
And Aron stood with his head bowed.
'Hardly anyone's okay.'
Though she acted fine, even Zena's hands trembled slightly as she counted her arrows. The only one who seemed truly composed was Edis.
It was as I expected. If we'd cleared it even a minute later, there might have been casualties. The fact that no one died could only be called luck.
[Recording Complete!]
[Video saving complete. This video will be saved in the Gallery. You can also watch it with other users online.]
I looked up. The sky above was glowing white. It had taken about six hours from entering to clearing. Amkena must have been watching us for a long time. If she had logged in late in the evening, she might have pulled an all-nighter.
[Master, would you like to disconnect?]
[Yes (Selected) / No]
[Then farewell!]
Almost as soon as the recording complete message appeared, Amkena disconnected. The sky darkened. Beyond the door leading to the plaza, I could glimpse auxiliary staff heading to the equipment workshop for their shift.
'Is it morning already?'
I spoke. "Good work, everyone. We cleared the boss stage with no deaths. Edis, especially. It would have been much tougher without you."
"I just did what needed to be done," Edis said with a slight smile.
In truth, Edis was the MVP of this mission. She had quickly learned the city's geography and provided accurate information to the party. Evading soldiers, splitting the party, the decoy tactic – none of it would have been possible without her.
"You'll be returning to Party 2 now, right?"
"That's the plan. I wasn't intending to stay long anyway. The Master will find someone to fill my spot."
"I see."
'What a shame.' Skilled rogues weren't easy to come by. Besides combat, the rogue class played an essential role in various other mission aspects. Zena was similar, but she was primarily an archer type and hadn't undergone a class change yet. She was lacking compared to Edis in several ways.
"I'll head off first." Having secured her daggers to her belt, Edis walked out into the plaza. Usher and Dika were waiting for her there. Accompanied by her two companions, Edis headed back towards the living quarters.
"That was nerve-wracking every time," Iolka sighed. "I'm going back to rest too. Feels like I pulled an all-nighter. I think my skin's suffered."
"Go ahead. You worked hard too."
"You too." Iolka gave the head-bowed Aron a quick glance and then left the Rift.
Now it was just me, Zena, and Aron remaining in the Rift. After gathering her things, Zena approached Aron.
"Aron, don't feel too bad. It was just bad luck. It wasn't your fault, really."
Aron didn't answer.
"Well, I'll be going too. See you tomorrow."
I nodded. Zena also disappeared from the Rift. There was no reason for me to stay either. First, I needed sleep to recover my stamina, then think about what to do next.
As I was about to head into the plaza, Aron's voice stopped me.
"Han."
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry. Because of me..."
"I know that well enough," I said with a wry smile.
Objectively speaking, Aron had caused significant losses during this mission. If he hadn't been injured, we wouldn't have needed to face such a crisis. However, it had ultimately been my choice. Even if we had been wiped out, it would have been due to my poor judgment; I had no intention of blaming Aron.
"Don't let it happen again. I won't save you a second time."
"Well... is there any guarantee I won't mess up again?"
"What nonsense are you talking now?"
"Are you planning to drag me along until the very end, Han?" Aron's voice trembled.
I turned around. Aron's head was bowed so low I couldn't see his expression.
"No matter how hard I try, I don't feel like I can catch up. It feels like the gap widens every day. Between me and Iolka, and Zena... and you, Han."
"So?"
"...I'm sorry. I must be talking nonsense." Aron shook his head and walked sluggishly past me, leaving the Rift.
As I stepped into the plaza, I saw Aron's back disappearing into the training ground.
'I see.' I understood perfectly what he was grappling with.
Aron's current level was 14. Same as Zena, and similar to mine. But looking closer, there was a significant difference. For starters, Aron's growth stat had been the lowest possible, 4, since he was a 1-star. Zena and I had reached 5 partway through, and while mine sometimes hit 6, Aron's hadn't changed even after promotion.
The gap was even worse when considering skills. Aron possessed Basic Spearmanship, Pain Tolerance, and Fire Resistance. Of course, having many skills isn't necessarily good. But Aron's proficiency wasn't high. His highest-level skill, Basic Spearmanship, was only Lv 4. His fundamentals with the weapon were solid, but his ability to apply them was severely lacking.
He might be able to keep up somehow for a while longer. But as time passed, the gap would inevitably widen. Eventually, Aron would either be removed from the party or die due to incompetence.
He lacked talent.
There was nothing I could say.
It was true I'd developed a slight attachment to Aron. If not, I would have abandoned him without hesitation when he got poisoned. But I wasn't crazy enough to keep a useless member in the party.
'Not much time left with him either.'
If you can't keep up, you get left behind. That fact remained valid. Though perhaps 'left behind' wasn't quite right; more like finding him another role. Coincidentally, the training instructor position was vacant. Aron would probably do well there.
I returned to my quarters.
The next morning.
I instructed the members gathered in the training ground to conduct self-training. After following a semi-forced training schedule until now, this was essentially a declaration of vacation. The duration was three days. Amkena would likely refrain from sending us into battle for a while too.
"Really? You won't make us eat only potatoes if we don't train?"
"I said no, didn't I? Have you only known deceit?"
Iolka let out a whoop of joy and immediately bolted from the training ground. I knew where she was headed. Straight to her room, where various valuables received as rewards for her research were kept.
"What about you two?"
"It feels weird to stop completely. It's become a habit. I think I'll train until evening, then rest." Zena attached sandbags to both ankles and began stretching, preparing to run laps. Aron was also limbering up beside her.
"Honestly. Even when I tell you not to..."
"You're doing the same thing."
Indeed, I also had sandbags strapped to my ankles. Each weighed about 10kg; they were more like chunks of iron than sandbags. Frankly, without pushing myself this hard, it had become impossible to even expend my stamina. I could do hundreds of push-ups with perfect form, run 100 meters in the 8-second range, and break wooden blocks with my bare hands. My body was already brushing against the limits of humanity.
Interference Power. That was the source that granted Heroes abilities surpassing human limitations, according to Iseul's explanation. It was certainly the only phenomenon that could explain it. In less than half a year, I had become something halfway to a monster, beyond human.
While running laps, I surveyed the training ground. Heroes currently training included Roderick, Usher, and Dika – members of Party 2. I also saw Belkist and Nerisa, native 2-stars and promising rookies from the rapidly rising Party 3. There was a high probability one of them would join our party.
So, 3 in Party 1, 3 in Party 2, 2 in Party 3. A total of 8 people. That was everyone in the training ground.
I glanced through the open gate towards the plaza. Numerous people were resting near the fountain there. Several dozen, maybe. They sat on benches or strolled around, chatting casually. Their faces showed no particular hardship.
These were the lower-ranked Heroes summoned after I handed the walkthrough over to Amkena. They were sharp during the initial culling, but started slacking off as time went by. They spent hardly any time in the training ground, and few bothered to learn auxiliary skills.
The reason was simple. Amkena wasn't using Synthesis. They didn't need to compete with each other, and spent most of their days resting.
"Ptuh!" Belkist spat. His scarred eye contorted in displeasure.
This guy was also second generation but a variant. Despite no Synthesis, he voluntarily threw himself into training. His training intensity rivaled Aron's. He was also exceptionally talented. Though he had some personality issues.
Around the time I completed my third lap, loud laughter echoed from the plaza. Someone must have told a funny joke.
"...Heh." Belkist smirked. Then he murmured in a low voice,
"When I first arrived at the waiting area, I heard an interesting story."
I stopped running. The other members also paused their movements briefly.
With everyone's eyes on him, Belkist continued. "It doesn't matter who you were before coming here. Noble or trash. If you want to live, prove you're useful. Show your worth."
Belkist looked at me with a twisted smile.
Was he talking about the time I purged the Dire Wolves? I had said something similar, but that was long before this guy arrived.
"When someone told me those words, I was thrilled. A place where anything is possible, as long as I prove my worth! Even the life-or-death battles were enjoyable."
"..."
"I hear the laughter of pigs and dogs from outside."
"Pigs and dogs?" Dika frowned.
"Aren't they? They just eat and do nothing. Isn't that right, Seniors?" Belkist partially drew his sword from its scabbard.
"I've heard all about the tough missions you Seniors went through. Sounds like it was quite a thrill. Shame I arrived late. But this... this is different, isn't it?"
Screee. Belkist drew his sword completely. Then he licked the blade. A murderous glint flickered in his eyes.
"If you Seniors permit it, I'd like to conduct some... education. Would that be alright?"
Belkist had talent and passion, but this was his problem.
I furrowed my brow. "Don't act rashly."
"It'll be fine as long as I don't kill them, right?"
Wordlessly, I drew my sword. Belkist chuckled softly and sheathed his blade.
"Guess I'm too scared to go. Sorry for stepping out of line. But you have to answer me. Was that statement of yours, Senior... was it a lie?"
"The part about proving your value, you mean?"
"From where I stand, it seems like it doesn't matter whether you prove your value or not. I heard there used to be a very good system called Synthesis for disposing of trash, but strangely, the Master doesn't seem to be using it."
'Not using Synthesis recklessly.' That was a fundamental principle of managing Niflheim. When I published the walkthrough, many Masters tried following this principle. But they all failed.
Fear was one of the most powerful motivators for Hero behavior. Without the fear of Synthesis, Heroes wouldn't listen to the Master. They became lazy, acted arbitrarily, and frequently refused orders. The current situation, where the number of active Heroes was extremely low compared to the total population, stemmed from similar causes.
"Just do your part. You'll understand what I mean soon enough."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"I'll wait and see. I'm looking forward to it." Belkist returned to his corner of the training ground and resumed his training.
I sheathed my sword and looked outside. The people in the plaza were still laughing and talking.
'If they'd seen that document.' My play record, which I had given to Amkena. It contained my thoughts and concerns about this very phenomenon.