didn't go back to the capital with them. I couldn't. Every step toward the city felt like walking toward a place that no longer had space for me. The victory bells were already ringing in the distance, faint but clear, celebrating four heroes. Not five. I kept my head down as I walked along the dirt road, shield strapped to my back even though it was cracked beyond repair. People passed me heading the opposite way, excited, talking about the news already spreading. "The Hero's party cleared it!" one of them shouted. I almost turned around to correct him. Almost.
By nightfall, the system notification hit again. [Guild Records Updated.] I stopped under a dead tree and opened the interface with shaking fingers. The raid log showed detailed damage charts, final blows, skill rotations. My name wasn't even in the support section. It was like I had never entered the castle at all. I stared at the empty space where I thought it would be. "Maybe it's a delay," I muttered. "Maybe it just hasn't synced properly." I refreshed it three times. Nothing changed.
I laughed once under my breath. "You're really trying to cope, huh?" The sound of my own voice startled me. It sounded small. I sank down against the tree and let the shield fall beside me. The crack running through it looked worse in the moonlight. I ran my fingers along it slowly. "You held," I whispered to it. "We held." My chest tightened unexpectedly, and I pressed a hand over it like that would stop the feeling.
Hours passed. I thought about going back, demanding an explanation, asking them to at least acknowledge what I did. But what would that change? The guild had already made its decision. The world already believed the story they told. Even if Arin apologized, my name still wouldn't glow in the sky.
"Was I actually holding them back?" I asked the darkness. I replayed every fight in my head. Every time I chose defense over offense. Every moment I stayed behind instead of chasing glory. I had always thought that was my role. Protect. Endure. Take the hit so others could shine. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe people forget the shield once the battle ends.
The ground beneath me trembled suddenly. At first I thought it was leftover magic from the castle collapsing, but the vibration grew stronger. I stood up quickly, grabbing my broken shield out of instinct. "Not tonight," I muttered. "I'm too tired for this." The earth cracked at my feet without warning. I stumbled back, but the crack widened into a fissure before I could react.
There was no dramatic warning. No boss roar. Just the sound of dirt breaking.
I fell.
The sky disappeared above me as darkness swallowed everything. Wind rushed past my ears. I reached out blindly, trying to grab onto something, anything. "You've got to be kidding me," I shouted into the void. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. For a brief second, a stupid thought crossed my mind.
If I die here… will anyone even notice?
Then I hit the ground.
Pain exploded through my body, sharp and immediate. I couldn't breathe. I lay there staring into pitch blackness, waiting for the system to announce my death. It didn't.
Instead, a different notification flickered faintly in the dark.
[Hidden Zone Discovered.]
I blinked slowly. "Of course," I rasped. "Now you show up."
Somewhere in the darkness, something moved.