Chapter 18: The Heroic King’s Tomb (II)

“Ha-ha-ha!”

“Shhhk!”

Khan and Kani swung their twin swords and bastard sword with their short hair whipping about them.

Crack! Boom!

They slashed, stabbed, and crushed, causing utter devastation with every move.

Meanwhile…

“Distort! Slow down! Explode!” Louis continuously chanted, manipulating four elemental attributes to wreak havoc without pause.

Despite being only three, these young hatchlings were more than capable of overwhelming destruction, rendering the thousand-strong army helpless against them.

As almost all the ice generals lay defeated—

Stomp.

The ten giants finally began advancing. The twins grinned mischievously at the menacing creatures approaching them.

“That one is mine!”

“I’ll take half!”

More lightning crackled around the twins’ bodies than ever before.

The two hatchlings and ten giants clashed fiercely.

Boom!

A massive explosion sent sparks flying everywhere. The outcome of this intense battle was quickly evident, eliciting a wide grin from Louis.

“Excellent work, my darlings!”

In just one encounter, Louis’s nickname for the twins shifted from “Troublemakers” to “Darlings,” reflecting his newfound affection towards them. His gaze, now filled with love, focused on the scene before him: ten blazing giants lying defeated, with the slightly weary-looking twins perched atop them.

‘Haha! For me, tackling beginner dungeons is as easy as this!’

Early in the story, the Hero’s Tomb appeared, providing sustenance for the protagonist’s group. However, Louis effortlessly breached it using his dragon cheat code. After defeating the giants, everything became even smoother.

Crack! Crack!

It’s over.

Having swiftly dispatched all the remaining ice guardians, Louis stood before the door with excitement.

“Heh-heh. Time to check our rewards.”

The twins and Fin followed closely behind him, trying to catch their breaths.

“Open it quickly, Louis!”

“Hurry up!”

With everyone eagerly awaiting, Louis slowly pushed open the door.

Sssshhh…

A blast of freezing white air escaped as soon as he cracked it open, confirming for Louis that they were indeed at the right place. He fully opened the door, revealing a sight that left the twins and Fin speechless.

“W-wow…!”

“There’s so much!”

“Oh my goodness…”

Before them lay a treasure trove of gold and jewels. The icy Hero’s Tomb now shone brightly with golden light.

“Yippee!”

“There’s more treasure here than Dad’s inventory!”

Thrilled, the twins threw themselves onto mountains of gold coins while Fin eagerly explored their surroundings.

However, Louis, who had led them there, was focused on something else entirely.

There it is!

In the center of the vast chamber filled with riches stood a transparent ice pillar. Louis approached it purposefully.

“…” He stared at the figure encased within—a white-haired old man sitting on a throne with his eyes closed and leaning against a rusty sword. Despite being frozen for ages, the body looked exactly as he had when alive.

The Heroic King Valentina!

Early in the novel, the protagonist’s party formed in the winter continent, and their first adventure took place in this very Hero’s Tomb. The Heroic King played a pivotal role in propelling the growth of the protagonist’s party.

Louis hurried toward the ice pillar imprisoning the Heroic King but suddenly halted.

“What?” Upon closer inspection, he noticed red inscriptions on the pillar that weren’t visible from afar. They were written in the language of the ancient empire that once ruled the winter continent. Reading it posed no challenge to Louis.

From the primal source emerged beings of light and darkness, known as angels and demons respectively. After their separation at creation, the remaining light and darkness intertwined, giving birth to chaos. Within this chaotic realm devoid of both light and darkness, angels and demons formed a boundary between them, creating what came to be called Earth. New life arose amidst the chaos…

… (ellipsis omitted)

The angel race, who considered themselves superior beings, along with the demon race, sought only domination without regard for those beneath them. This rivalry caused immense suffering for all other creatures on Earth. As the agony persisted, inhabitants of Earth eventually took up arms against angels and demons alike.

Leading the charge were dragons, rallying humans and various races behind them. Following a long struggle, humans and allied races emerged victorious, scattering across the Four Seasons Continent to usher in an era of peace.

The dragons led this charge against good and evil more fiercely than any other being, and once they drove them away, they took on the duty of guarding the boundary to prevent their return.

As time passed, people forgot about both the angelic and demonic races as well as the dragons who had withdrawn from society to guard the barrier.

However, I, Valentina Dominerpeace, warn you: We must never forget our past nor neglect to remember the sacrifices made by the dragons for peace.

Moreover, be vigilant. The moment dragons reappear in this world will signify the return of angels and demons alike!

As the last generation that remembers the War between Good and Evil, I bestow everything I have upon whoever fate brings here. Please use my legacy wisely.

The words were written at length. Louis’s expression was filled with surprise after reading it all.

‘Was this the setting of the original work?’

In his memory, the forces of evil consisted only of the Dragon King Genelocer and demons. He had never heard about any angel race, nor did he know such records existed within the Heroic King’s tomb.

Louis frowned.

“That bastard author… How did he set up this world?”

For some reason, the world he possessed seemed to have a much deeper lore than what the original author revealed to readers.

Louis read the inscription on the ice pillar once more and committed it to memory.

‘Well… putting that aside, let’s focus on gathering what we can.’

With that thought, Louis turned towards the stone podium standing before the ice column.

No, more precisely, it was referring to a book placed on the stone podium.

‘That’s it!’

Louis’ eyes sparkled brightly. The single old book before him was far more valuable than countless jewels scattered around the tomb.

‘The Martial Law of Heroic King Valentina!’

Valentina, an exceptional genius who reached Zero despite being born with only one attribute. This book contained all his lifetime achievements in martial arts theory, known as ‘Martial Law’. It was also the same Martial Law that would be mastered by the protagonist’s party member, the Sword Star, considered the strongest human in the original storyline.

The thought sent shivers of excitement through Louis.

‘It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this Martial Law forged the Heroic King himself!’

And now, Louis held the very same Martial Law in his hands.

Louis’s eyes twinkled as he lifted Valentina’s black magic tome with reverence. The weight of the heavy book brought tears to his eyes.

This is it indeed!

As long as Louis had this tome, he wouldn’t mind if others took all the other treasures remaining in the royal tomb.

“…Should I feel bad about that? Maybe just grab a few more things?” As Louis mumbled these silly thoughts…

Kling.

A clear, crisp sound accompanied shards of ice scattering before him.

Huh?

Time seemed to slow down for Louis. He turned toward the commotion, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

“What?”

Amidst the falling ice fragments like flower petals, the Heroic King was slowly rising from his throne.

“I-it can’t be.”

Taken aback, Louis stuttered. There was a reason for his confusion.

“Th-this isn’t…in the original story!”

In the novel, once the protagonist’s group acquired the Heroic King’s black magic, they exited the royal tomb without any further issues. No matter how hard he tried to recall, there was no mention of the supposedly dead king awakening from within the ice.

Shhhf.

While Louis stood frozen by this unexpected turn of events, the Heroic King fully rose and opened his eyes. Strangely, instead of eyeballs, blue light emitted from their sockets. Louis could clearly sense that those lights were staring directly at him.

Gulp!

Nervous, Louis swallowed hard. The Heroic King observed Louis for some time before speaking with a raspy voice.

“You dare…to covet what is not yours.”

The Heroic King’s voice trailed off as his hostility intensified. Slowly, he raised his rusty sword.

Startled, Louis hastily retreated and shouted, “Twins! Fin!”

At his call, they rushed to join him. Fin was taken aback by the sudden appearance of this new entity.

“What is that thing?”

“The corpse of the Heroic King!”

“Eek?!” Spooked, Fin recoiled at Louis’s answer.

On the other hand, Louis bit his lip tightly.

‘Damn it. Was this all a trap?’

After triggering death flags like lightning strikes, they’d caused an avalanche, which led them unexpectedly underground to discover the Hero’s Tomb.

But why would the Heroic King suddenly awaken and emit such murderous energy, deviating from the original storyline? It couldn’t be mere coincidence. Moreover, the Heroic King had been a Zero-rank warrior when he was alive, which meant Louis currently lacked the ability to face him head-on.

Sh-shit!

It was clear their lives were now at stake. In this kind of situation, quick reflexes were essential.

“Let’s get out of here!”

For once, the twins understood the gravity of the situation and moved to manifest without complaint. However, the Heroic King was faster.

“To those who…are…greedy…there is only…death…”

The Heroic King raised his rusted sword high toward the sky.

A massive energy surged from the sword blade. The force felt like it was sucking out their souls, leaving Louis and the twins frozen in place as if possessed.

N-no!

Their survival instincts kicked in, but they were physically immobilized by the overwhelming power. It affected the twins similarly, despite their usual cocky and reckless demeanor turning pale with fear.

Please… Please!

Louis tried his hardest to move, but his body refused to obey him.

Is this…the true power of Zero rank?

Previously, Louis had underestimated the level of mastery required for Zero rank after witnessing the casual display of power from the ancient dragons.

Seeing how effortlessly the elders had reached Zero rank, Louis had thought he could achieve it with just a bit of effort himself. However, he was wrong. The overwhelming terror and violence he now faced were unfathomable. Witnessing the true power of Zero for the first time filled him with despair and frustration.

But these emotions didn’t last long. As they dissipated, a steadfast determination emerged from within him.

I can’t let this be the end!

Despite witnessing the enormous sword of light piercing through the ceiling, Louis refused to give up hope.

Vwoooom, vwoooom.

The Dragon Heart surged fiercely, radiating immense energy. Sensing its power, Louis gritted his teeth.

I’ve endured so much until now! I cannot die meaninglessly here!

All his rigorous training wasn’t meant for him to perish like this.

Wooooom.

In response to Louis’s determination, the Dragon Heart emitted its full power.

“Ahhhh!”

The four elemental attributes erupted simultaneously from within Louis, and pure white energy enveloped his entire body. This was the culmination of all the attribute powers he had accumulated with the Dragon Heart.

I want to live…

Despite using every ounce of strength at his disposal, Louis knew it wouldn’t be enough against the Heroic King. Nonetheless, he couldn’t bring himself to give up.

Surviving for as long as possible was Louis’s sole goal. He couldn’t just give up without trying anything first.

I want to live!

Responding to his master’s fierce determination, the Dragon Heart gave everything it had left.

“Aaaargh!” Louis roared, unleashing a beam of white energy from his fist toward the Heroic King. It was pure mana, devoid of any special techniques or tricks, fueled solely by Louis’s will and aimed directly at the enemy’s heart.

Simultaneously…

Clang! The Heroic King swung down his enormous sword of light.