Book 1 Chapter 976

976.

"Self-reliance?"

At the unexpected word, Chelsea's eyes darted around.

She tried to grasp the true meaning of the word "self-reliance" that Leo had brought up, but only questions floated in her mind.

At Chelsea's reaction, Leo spoke.

"During the Age of Gods when I was born, in Kyle's time, many gods roamed the earth."

Therefore, the attitude towards gods was also quite different from now.

In the current era, gods are transcendental beings who gifted the Hero Record to the earth.

And yet, they are unknown beings.

People revere the gods.

But they do not worship them.

This is because, although they know gods exist, gods cannot influence the earth apart from the Hero Record.

Therefore, in the Age of Heroes, religions that served gods disappeared.

Occasionally, pseudo-religious groups disguised as religions appear, but that's all.

The act of offering prayers to gods and serving them vanished in the Age of Heroes.

However, the Age of Gods, where one could meet gods, was different.

On earth, gods could not use their 'omnipotent' abilities.

But they were worshipped solely for their 'omniscience'.

This was because the world was swayed by those who gained even a part of the gods' wisdom.

"I also said the concept of a hero was very different from now, didn't I?"

"Everyone who could shake the world, whether in a good sense or a bad sense, was called a hero."

In the Age of Heroes, a hero refers to someone who transforms the world and leads it to a more righteous place.

The prototypes of such heroic figures were the great heroes who risked everything to save the world.

However, not only noble figures like the great heroes had their names recorded in the Hero Record.

Those who were undeserving heroes, different on the inside and out, also had their names in the Hero Record.

It was a fragment of the Age of Gods that emerged during the gods' process of selecting heroes.

Recalling the Age of Gods, Leo said.

"As much as gods could exert influence, there were many who worshipped them."

"Hmm. Of course, that would be the case, right?"

"So the people of that era excessively relied on the gods."

The downfall of the Age of Gods, which seemed to prosper forever, came in an instant.

The appearance of the primordial evil, Erebus.

An absolute catastrophe that even divine wisdom could not overcome.

Thus, the world quickly walked the path of destruction to a helpless degree.

That wasn't simply because the calamities of Erebus and Tartarus were too formidable.

It was also because heroes, corrupted by long peace and unworthy of the name, roamed around and failed to unite at the critical moment.

The biggest problem was that the people of the world at that time relied too much on the transcendent beings, the gods.

In addition to Erebus's appearance, there had been several threats to the world in the distant history of the Age of Gods before that.

"But they say all those threats were solved by relying on the wisdom of the gods."

"Ah…"

Chelsea, who heard Leo's words, gasped.

She felt she vaguely understood what Leo meant by self-reliance.

"The era we live in now is truly strange. The present and the past are connected, aren't they?"

One can go to the past through the Hero Record.

Furthermore, great heroes and heroes of creation, who were beings of the past, have appeared in reality.

It was a miracle possible because of the Hero Record and Leo, the reincarnation of Kyle, the hero of beginnings.

"Someone who lived in the past cannot live in the present. This is common sense."

But that common sense is now askew.

Miracles continue to happen.

"But a miracle is just a miracle."

Humans are weak.

Because they are weak, they become frustrated and try to rely on someone.

The moment they experience an unlikely miracle.

They wish and wish for another miracle to happen.

The reincarnation of Kyle, the hero of beginnings, was enough to become someone people could rely on in times of crisis.

If he were to save the world again, transcending 5000 years.

People might feel it is inevitable.

"At first, I thought it would be good to reveal it someday. Then the path I'm taking would be a little easier. But thinking about the future, it didn't seem like such a good idea."

In the end, there is only one path.

"Revealing my identity won't increase casualties. It just means I'll suffer a bit more."

It's just a difference between going a little easier or harder.

When had the path he took ever been easy?

"Only those living in the present can save the present. If you only look at the past, you'll never move forward. The people of this era are forgetting that obvious truth."

Chelsea couldn't possibly deny Leo's words.

Wasn't she the same?

She talks about fighting Erebus, but in the end, she relies on Leo.

She felt relieved by the presence of the great heroes and heroes of creation who appeared in times of crisis.

Leo gazed silently straight ahead.

He wasn't just looking forward.

He was looking at something beyond.

'Since I've been reborn… I have no intention of standing by, saying it's not my business.'

Because he was reborn, Leo is living in the present.

But he will not borrow the prestige of his previous life.

He also has no intention of being picky about means and methods to defeat Erebus.

If possible, he will summon the great heroes and heroes of creation from the Hero Record.

But…

"The protagonists must be you… no, *us* who live in this era."

Leo looked at Chelsea.

"So, I will save the world as Leo Flobe, not Kyle."

"…"

"And I and the others have already helped the future generations enough. Now it's your turn to do the hard work."

They had enjoyed peace for 5000 years in the name of the great heroes.

There were times when cracks appeared in that peace, but the peace never collapsed like in the Age of Calamity.

At Leo's words, Chelsea's expression became complicated.

On one hand, she wore an apologetic expression.

Seeing Chelsea like that, Leo chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"You don't need to rack your brain over my words. This is just my opinion, after all."

Chelsea tidied her ruffled hair and looked up at Leo.

"Just know this one thing. If Erebus is defeated, the Age of Heroes will probably end."

"What?"

"If Erebus falls, the Hero Record will become unnecessary."

"…"

The reason gods gifted the Hero Record to the mortal realm was not simply to have the great heroes' achievements praised forever.

Of course, such an intention existed, but a greater reason was that Erebus had not completely vanished.

When the Age of Heroes began, neither gods nor great heroes remained on earth.

In other words, it meant that the means to oppose Erebus had been completely lost.

The only means to fight against Erebus.

That is the Hero Record.

That means the moment Erebus disappears, the reason for the Hero Record's existence also vanishes.

'Rian said that the moment Erebus was completely subjugated was the true end of the Age of Gods, didn't he?'

He also said that the current era, which relies on the Hero Record, is an extension of the Age of Gods.

Leo also doesn't know what will happen to the Hero Record after the Age of Heroes.

One thing is certain, though.

"It's a new beginning."

"…"

Leo smiled, looking at Chelsea who was gazing up at him.

'Yes. People are weak.'

They easily get frustrated, despair, and give up.

They also wander, relying on someone else.

But ultimately, it is also people who stand up and fight despair.

'Just like I did.'

Everyone holds potential.

Chelsea was also like that.

The fragile and weak young Chelsea who wandered and couldn't find her way is no more.

Though still lacking, she has become a respectable hero and is struggling to follow in Leo's footsteps.

Because she feels she's lacking, she sometimes stands on tiptoe, struggles to meet his gaze, and acts boastfully.

She is getting stronger and opening up possibilities.

She is finding her own path, just as Leo did.

For everyone, life is likely a continuous series of trials.

Everyone has trials, big or small.

But if one doesn't give up, trials can also become tests to become a better version of oneself.

One cannot overcome them by simply relying on others.

'It might be a deception, too.'

After all, the fact that Leo is Kyle remains unchanged.

Even so, he thought that the belief that they accomplished it themselves was important.

Leo did not want to snatch that potential away from future generations.

It wasn't that he had some grand intention of worrying about the future.

It was simply a thought born from the desire for a better future.

At Leo's words, Chelsea asked.

"When a new era comes."

"Hmm?"

"What will you do, Leo oppa?"

"…"

At Chelsea's question, Leo recalled something from a long time ago.

To the question of what he would do after saving the world, Kyle had said he would simply wander the world.

Aimlessly.

A time when there was nothing he wanted to do or had to do.

Even now, he doesn't know what he should do.

But it was different from back then.

"I'll have to find what I should do."

Leo genuinely thought he needed to find what he was supposed to do.

"You?"

Leo asked back.

Chelsea, who pondered for a moment at the question, looked up at Leo and smiled brightly.

"I'll find it too. With you, Leo oppa."

"Hmm?"

At Chelsea's words, Leo wore a puzzled expression.

Seeing Leo's expression, Chelsea giggled and linked her arm through Leo's.

"Because I've decided to do that."

"Come back when you're older."

"Well, I'll grow up eventually anyway. So I'll just stay with you until then."

Chelsea winked, twitching one eye.

At that, Leo wore a bewildered expression.

Unlike her other classmates, she doesn't mind being treated like a child.

Since she was always his younger sister, she had treated Leo as her older brother.

"You don't know, Leo oppa, do you? Younger siblings are like that, you know? When you come to your senses, they'll have grown surprisingly big."

Because he had no doubt that she would one day grow enough to stand behind him, there was no reason for her to be newly disappointed or sulky even if he treated her like a child.

Leo lightly pushed Chelsea's forehead, who was smiling confidently.

But Chelsea didn't budge.

Instead, she hugged Leo's arm even tighter, stuck out her tongue, and just smiled cutely.