The Five Guardian Saints
Now this made absolutely no sense.
'Why the hell is a faction scenario triggering here?'
In , the central continent was divided into three massive powers:
The Balt Magic Empire, the Revolutionary Army, and the Five Beast Tribes.
Of course, there were smaller factions that acted as buffers between them,
but in the grand scheme, all were subordinated to one of the three.
'Unless they were totally isolated, like Death Isle in the Far Eastern Sea.'
In other words—
the entire game was structured as a three-way power struggle.
And the so-called faction scenarios were systems designed to let the player participate directly in that very war.
'By joining the leadership of one of the three major factions, commanding armies, and waging continental war…'
Eventually leading one faction to seize control over the continent itself.
That was the essence and goal of the Faction Scenario system.
And now—
out of nowhere—one had just been triggered.
"...And it had to be this, the most troublesome one—the imperial succession scenario?"
No wonder I was completely stunned.
Faction scenarios belonging to the Empire were supposed to occur within Imperial territory.
'At the very least, within one of its allied states.'
But this was the underground ruins of Aulrax, the Revolutionary Army's stronghold.
An ancient tomb of a long-dead nation, with no connection to the Empire at all.
'So how the hell…?'
Just as my confusion hit its peak—
"W-wait a second!"
A chill ran down my spine.
Facing the Light-and-Shadow Saint, who still wore that mysterious smile, I fired off a barrage of questions.
"Light-and-Shadow Saint—you said earlier that the reason I came to this world was tied to my 'destiny,' right?"
"I didn't say it like that exactly."
Was he seriously cracking jokes right now?
My mouth went dry.
"Don't tell me…"
"…?"
"That 'destiny' you mentioned—does it mean Gilroshan is destined to become Emperor of the Empire?"
No way. That couldn't be it.
"You're saying I was summoned into this body because I know the world's story inside out? No way, right? It's not some garbage setup like that, right?"
Because if that was the case, I wasn't about to cooperate with any of that damned fate.
No—
I'd crush whoever summoned me here, even if they were transcendent beings themselves.
No one had the right to meddle with someone else's life.
"..."
The Light-and-Shadow Saint was silent for a moment.
Then—
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
He suddenly laughed, stroking his chin as he spoke.
"You are… exceedingly suspicious. Insolently so."
But strangely, his voice carried a trace of warmth—
as though my constant suspicion amused him.
"Let me make it clear for the third time: I do not know what your destiny is, nor where your path will lead."
"..."
"To be precise, your dimensional transfer has nothing to do with us, the Guardian Saints."
…Well. That did make sense.
He had said from the beginning that he didn't know my destiny—
only that those with such destinies are said to return to this world.
Yeah. That was it.
"...Ahem."
Feeling a bit awkward, I scratched my cheek.
Guess I'd just fired my glare in the wrong direction out of pure frustration.
'But destiny is destiny, and a scenario is still a scenario.'
I folded my arms and asked,
"Then why ask me about the imperial throne? Why would I have to aim for it?"
The Light-and-Shadow Saint hesitated for a moment before replying.
"That was… my request to one who has yet to discover his destiny."
"A request? Seriously?"
Who asks for a favor while casting Perfect Intimidation?
"Did people in the ancient age call that a 'request'? These days, we call that coercion."
"...Naturally, it must seem abrupt. Allow me to explain."
"Well, go ahead then."
As I nodded, darkness began to bloom from the transcendent's fingertips—
like black ink flowers spreading across reality, painting over the world with a new scene.
…Ah. I recognized this immediately.
I let out a small laugh.
'A cinematic cutscene.'
Straight out of the game itself.
It was a story from the distant past.
An age when the world was prosperous and at peace—
the Platinum Era.
In those days, the central continent was home to one immense nation.
A name I knew well.
Everlast.
A land where every citizen wielded the power of demi-gods.
Traces of that civilization still scattered across the continent—
even this very tomb, the Ancient Kingdom's Burial Ruins, was one of them.
It had once ruled the entire continent with overwhelming might.
Which raised a simple question:
'So why did such a mighty nation fall?'
The vision unfolding before my eyes gave the answer.
Everlast had fractured.
The divine power that once blessed its people slowly faded away.
So they sought new ways to protect themselves—
Magic. Swordsmanship. Archery. Spirit arts. Necromancy…
Each person honed a different craft, seeking new strength.
But it could never be the same again.
Differences in power inevitably arose—
and those differences bred conflict.
'Once there's inequality in strength, inequality in status follows.'
New classes and hierarchies formed, inherited across generations—
and so began bitter strife.
Everlast was soon engulfed in civil war, splintering into dozens of factions,
each worshipping a different form of power.
"We were the ones who guarded Everlast from ages past. Naturally, we fought to stop its division… but in the end, we failed. Despite all our efforts."
The Light-and-Shadow Saint's voice carried a deep, bitter sorrow.
I nodded silently.
'To the guardian deities who had watched over Everlast, it must've felt like watching their own child die.'
The transcendent looked upon the burning palace and the fallen king within the vision and said quietly:
"The day the last monarch of Everlast died, we swore an oath—
to rebuild the kingdom that was lost…"
And then—
"To unite this divided continent once more.
We vowed never to rest until that promise was fulfilled."
…Well, that was idiotic.
Even family members shouldn't cosign oaths like that.
Well, the outcome was obvious.
"But in the end, that too failed. The forces we raised were crushed one by one, and we were defeated by the new divinities that appeared upon the continent. Most of our power was lost… and we were sealed away here."
He let out a bitter laugh.
"It's truly shameful… for Ter Shan."
I knew about Everlast's final monarch.
If you didn't go through the side door but instead opened the massive gates to the main hall and cleared the dungeon beyond, a memorial tablet to the king appeared there.
'And that's also where you could meet the soul NPC of the last monarch.'
So his name was Ter Shan?
I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of familiarity. After all, I knew the imperial family of the Balt Empire traditionally used "-shan" as the suffix of their names.
But that was as far as my knowledge went.
"Everlast was divided into dozens of city-states and ultimately faded into oblivion. But though the nation vanished, its people did not."
"…?"
"They scattered across the continent—across deserts and seas. They cleared forests and mined mountains. They survived."
"...!"
That was something even I had never heard before.
The story of what happened after the fall of Everlast didn't exist in the official lore of .
"They each carried their weapons, built new homes, and continued their bloodlines—generation after generation."
Continued… their bloodlines?
"Wait, you mean—"
"Yes. Every human on this continent descends from Everlast. Even you."
"...Huh."
My jaw tightened shut.
It was… a lot to process.
Especially from the perspective of someone who knew the original story inside out.
'But thinking about it, I guess it does make sense.'
Even if a nation had vanished from history, it didn't mean every descendant disappeared with it.
And since Everlast had once ruled the entire continent—
'Yeah, that checks out. Sure, there might be outsiders like the Baekseon Clan from other continents, but the natives would've thrived here far more easily.'
As I nodded to myself—
"Especially you, scions of the Balt Empire."
"Hmm?"
An even more shocking statement followed.
"You are all descended from the last monarch of Everlast."
"…What?"
"The one entombed here is a distant ancestor of your imperial bloodline."
"...!"
I froze for a moment before the realization hit me. My jaw dropped.
"So that's why he's Ter Shan? Seriously?"
"Of course."
"Please tell me you're joking."
"Can't believe it?"
"No, I just realized I'm grave-robbing my ancestor!"
"Well, technically yes. Now that I look closely, you even resemble Ter Shan a bit. The nose, perhaps?"
…Unbelievable.
As I gawked in disbelief, the Light-and-Shadow Saint smiled faintly.
"There's no need to worry. The king's remains were never buried here—only a memorial tablet lies within."
"That doesn't really help!"
"And besides, this was five thousand years ago. Even the greatest souls would've long since dissolved into the rifts between dimensions."
He clapped his hands once.
At that gesture, the darkness that had shown me the ancient history scattered away—
Shhhh.
Gathering the remnants of shadow into his palm, the Light-and-Shadow Saint strode toward me.
"Now… do you understand what I've been telling you?"
I blinked, still dazed.
"What story? Not really."
The transcendent met my eyes and sighed deeply.
"Truly slow on the uptake. Ter Shan wasn't like this."
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Seeing that I still looked utterly lost, he finally explained:
"Our fates, we Guardian Saints, are bound to the past. We swore to protect the kingdom, but failed—and were left powerless, imprisoned here."
He paused briefly, then continued.
"For that reason, we wish to restore Everlast—through you."
"..."
So that was it.
They intended to fulfill their ancient vow by rebuilding Everlast in the modern era.
"And to do so, the continent must once again be united—as it was in the distant past."
Continental unification, huh.
Sounded straight out of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
While I mulled over that thought, the Light-and-Shadow Saint went on.
"To achieve such unity, one force must rise above all others—
strong enough to subdue the entire continent. For unity demands absolute supremacy."
That, apparently, was to be my role—along with the rise of a new Empire.
The current Balt Empire couldn't do it.
Not because it lacked power—
but because the current Emperor had no desire for unity.
'Emperor Vareshan is a strict magic supremacist. Anyone without the talent for magic would never be accepted as a true citizen of the Empire.'
That's why this "Empire and Ruler of the Continent" scenario could only be cleared by the player.
"For this reason, the task of unifying the continent falls to you. Our will and blessing shall accompany you. Your success is inevitable."
He said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"…Right. So that's what you mean."
I finally understood his point.
At least enough that pretending otherwise would've been stupid.
"We Guardian Saints place our desperate hope in you—the one with royal blood and the eyes of an outsider."
And as he spoke, his tone turned solemn—almost like a declaration.
"We shall stand as your patrons. Ascend the imperial throne. Unite the continent. Rebuild Everlast, and restore its former glory."
His voice was majestic, cold, and commanding.
"…And free us."
It almost sounded like an inescapable destiny.
But—
'Nope.'
There was something I truly couldn't accept.
Tilting my head, I asked flatly,
"…Why would I?"
I had zero intention of doing any of that.
"I came here to level up, not to start a continental war. What are you even talking about?"
And with that, I decisively closed the still-blinking system prompt.
[Faction Scenario: "Empire and Ruler of the Continent" has been declined.]