The days after my disastrous-but-successful training passed in a blur.
Every morning, I woke up to children peeking through my window, whispering:
"Is he awake yet?"
"Shh, the Protector needs his rest!"
Protector. The title still made me cringe. I wasn't a hero. I wasn't even used to walking without tripping yet.
[Correction: You tripped 3 times today already.]
"Advisor, I swear I'll uninstall you."
[Impossible.]
---
Elira, of course, showed no mercy in training.
"Your stance is sloppy." Whack.
"Your guard is down." Whack.
"You're staring at my chest instead of the blade." WHACK.
"OW! I wasn't okay maybe once!"
[Observation: You stared five times.]
"Elira, I'm telling you, This Advisor is sabotaging me !"
Her face turned red still not able to see. Or h. "Idiot."
Then she smacked me again.
At this point, I was starting to wonder if stat growth should come with insurance.
---
But outside of training, something strange happened.
The villagers began turning to me.
"Protector, can you bless this harvest?" a farmer asked, shoving a basket of glowing fruit into my hands.
"Protector, our irrigation channels are clogged. Could you…?"
"Protector, my daughter says you glowed when you fought the Alpha. Can you glow for her birthday?"
Before I knew it, my days were filled with helping farmers, fixing fences with my clumsy hands, and yes — glowing for birthdays.
And every time I helped, even in small ways, their smiles grew brighter.
It was… nice.
Elira caught me once, carrying firewood for an elderly Nerulian.
She tilted her head. "…You're really doing it."
"Doing what?"
"Becoming what they see you as."
I froze. "I'm just… helping."
Her silver eyes softened, almost imperceptibly. "…That's more than most do."
Then she walked away before I could reply.
Classic tsundere exit.
---
That night, during the village council, the chief's voice was grim.
"A runner from the east arrived today. The settlement near the River Fen has fallen silent. Their beacon fires never lit."
A chill spread through the room. Nerulians exchanged nervous glances.
"Do you think it's more corruption?" I asked.
The chief's eyes darkened. "It is the only explanation."
Elira crossed her arms. "If it spreads beyond the forest, entire regions will be lost."
[Analysis: Probability of Corruption Event escalating to regional threat: 82%.]
My stomach dropped.
"…So you're saying if we don't deal with this"
"It will consume everything," Elira finished.
The room fell silent. Everyone turned to me.
Me. The idiot who still tripped over roots. The so-called Protector.
The chief bowed deeply. "Spirit reborn… will you aid us again?"
My throat went dry.
I wanted to laugh. I wanted to scream. But all I saw were the hopeful faces of the villagers the ones who believed in me.
"…Yeah," I said quietly. "I'll help."
Their relief was immediate, palpable.
But even as warmth spread in my chest, a chill crept up my spine.
Because outside, far beyond the safety of the village fires, a roar echoed through the night.
Low. Guttural. And far, far too large to belong to any beast I had seen so far.
The corruption was coming.
And this time, it wasn't sending an Alpha.
---