Dong! Dong! Dong!
From the distant bell tower came eight clear chimes.
Nolan followed behind Hank, the two walking one after the other along the stone-paved streets of Rosenberg.
Night had fallen, yet instead of quieting down, the city seemed to awaken with a strange vitality. Taverns roared with laughter and chatter, and the forge fires in the blacksmith shops burned even brighter than during the day, ringing out with crisp, metallic clangs. On the streets, residents who had just finished a day’s work paused when they saw Hank and Nolan, offering greetings. The two returned the gestures as they walked, never slowing, until they finally stopped before Rosenberg’s central landmark—the towering bell tower.
Nolan lifted his head and gazed up at the solemn structure, made even more imposing beneath the night sky. A peculiar feeling rose within him.
In his previous life, when this part of the story unfolded, he had been nothing more than a struggling novice in the beginner village. By the time he had finally earned the right to step into the wider world, Rosenberg had already fallen, reduced to a forward stronghold of the undead legion of the Shiva Empire. Everything he knew about this bell tower had come from scattered screenshots and fragments of text posted by veteran players on forums.
And now, standing here in person, watching the moonlight spill across the ancient stone, he felt as though he had crossed time itself, arriving on a kind of pilgrimage to a sacred site.
“Did you know?” Hank’s voice broke through Nolan’s thoughts. He had a cigar between his lips, smoke curling lazily into the air. “The bell tower of Rosenberg is actually a monument.” He spoke like a tour guide introducing a landmark to a visitor.
Nolan paused, caught off guard. This was a detail he truly hadn’t known. He answered honestly, “This is actually… my first time in Rosenberg.”
“Hah.” Hank let out a short laugh. “So there are things you don’t know after all.” He jerked his chin toward the base of the tower.
Following his gesture, Nolan looked down and only then noticed that the heavy stone foundation was densely carved with countless names. The lettering was small, yet still clearly legible under the moonlight.
“You see that?” Hank’s voice grew low. “Do you know who those people are?”
“They’re… members of the guard who earned merit?” Nolan guessed.
Hank shook his head. He took a deep drag from his cigar, exhaling slowly as the smoke dispersed in the air. “They are every life that should have been saved, but wasn’t. Among them are farmers, blacksmiths, soldiers, housewives… They all share the same name: citizens of the Kingdom of Elfin. And the same tragic end.”
He turned his head. In the darkness, those weathered eyes locked firmly onto Nolan.
“You have a great ideal, young man. I’ve thought about it all day today—so much that this head of mine, after more than forty years, nearly split apart. But no matter how I turn it over, I can’t find a trace of falsehood or pretense in your words. That passion and conviction of yours have reignited the fire in these old bones of mine, one that was nearly extinguished. You are this city’s hero, and a born leader. I’ve served in the military for twenty-five years—I can still judge that much.”
But Nolan fell silent.
His gaze rested on those ordinary names, and only after a long while did he finally speak, “I am only someone who resists. What I resist is not any particular noble or ruler, nor any powerful empire, but the very fate of this world—something called ‘inevitability.’ I am not a hero. I wasn’t in the past, and I am not now.” His voice was soft, yet unwavering. “The kingdom’s heroes can only be its countless people. That has always been true. Even if I possessed immense power, I could only change things for a time, in a single place. In the endless river of history, at most I would be nothing more than an insignificant bubble, soon to burst. What I intend to do has never been to ‘lead’ anyone to victory.”
He lifted his gaze, meeting Hank’s stunned eyes.
“Instead, I will ignite the spark of resistance. Until everyone awakens, I will do everything I can to protect every hope, no matter how small. Only then can this nation, within the flames, truly… be reborn from the fire.”
The sharp light in Hank’s eyes flared at that moment. He stared blankly at Nolan, murmuring those words under his breath, “Not to lead… but to resist and to protect…”
That was it. The fog that had troubled him all afternoon was torn apart completely in that instant. At last, he understood where that unsettling yet convincing power emanating from the young man before him truly came from.
What shone within Nolan was the knightly spirit of devotion and protection once upheld by ancient nobility, tempered with a sense of equality and respect that transcended the rigid hierarchies of this age.
“Nolan…” Hank’s voice was slightly hoarse. “Haven’t you realized it? You’ve already fulfilled your promise here in Rosenberg. You’ve ignited hope in this city. You… are that dawn.”
The moment his words fell, a notification panel abruptly appeared before Nolan’s eyes:
【You have gained the heartfelt recognition of “Hank Corot”. The Kingdom Guard advancement quest has been completed!】
【Quest Completion: S+】
【New Class Available: Glory Guardian. Confirm?】
Nolan stared at the prompt, his heart pounding in shock.
Two things astonished him.
In Glory, the original game strove for realism. Even ordinary quests had numerous hidden completion methods; the better the execution, the higher the rating and the richer the rewards. His original plan had been to wait until Hank was fully convinced, then ask for a formal recommendation and follow the official process to advance his class. It was the simplest and most efficient path—crucial in a race against time. Yet he had never expected that a few heartfelt words would directly complete the Kingdom Guard advancement.
And then there was the S+ rating. In his twenty years of gaming experience, he had never seen—nor even heard of—anything beyond an S rank.
The most absurd part was the class itself: Glory Guardian. This was a special class exclusive to NPCs of the Elfin Kingdom, never available to players.
“Confirm!”
In the next instant, the text on his character panel—【Militia Lv.15, MAX】—refreshed. In its place appeared a new line, faintly glowing with a soft golden light.
【Glory Guardian Lv.15/25, EXP: 0/50000】
【Glory Guardian】: A special Kingdom Guard class. Includes all abilities of a standard Kingdom Guard, and grants additional “Trust” and “Intimidation” effects toward all NPCs of the Elfin Kingdom faction (automatically determined based on friend or foe alignment).
【Class Advancement Successful! Exclusive skills unlocked.】
【Dawn Aura (Passive)】: Your very presence symbolizes hope. All allied units around you continuously regenerate health.
【Radiant Sun Charge (Active)】: Charge toward a designated target. If the target is an enemy, deal fire damage based on your defense and inflict a stun. If the target is an ally, restore a large amount of health, grant significant damage reduction, and take the next instance of damage in their place. During this time, your defense increases to 500%. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Dawn Aura alone was equivalent to carrying a mobile healing spring. In an era where clerics and priests were exceedingly rare, this passive skill alone could change the course of a localized battle.
As for Radiant Sun Charge, it was even more outrageous. Gap-closing, crowd control, burst damage, healing, damage reduction, protection—every ability a warrior could dream of was packed into a single skill.
This was no longer a question of strength. It was outright unfair.
Perhaps because it was a special advanced class, the experience required to level up was far higher than usual. At level fifteen, it already demanded fifty thousand experience. As for what came next… Nolan didn’t even want to imagine. Fortunately, his experience gain far exceeded that of ordinary players; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to sustain it.
Suppressing the surge of elation within him, Nolan knew this was no time to revel. He looked at the veteran before him, whose eyes now burned with fire, and solemnly extended his hand. “Captain Hank Corot, I carry a glorious mission, but I have no desire to bear it alone. The road to saving the kingdom is long. To the kingdom, I am still nothing more than an unknown passerby. To find more like-minded allies and expand our strength—so we can truly influence the greater situation—I need your power and the reputation of a decorated soldier.”
Hank looked at the outstretched hand, then at Nolan’s eyes, which shone startlingly bright in the night. Suddenly, he broke into a grin. There was relief in that smile, resolve—and a hint of madness. “I must be out of my mind,” he muttered to himself, yet he clasped Nolan’s hand firmly, his calloused palm as steady as stone. “Only madmen try to change the world… but if that day ever comes, count me in.” He raised his head, the fire in his eyes seeming capable of burning through the night itself. “This old soldier can still shield your spark for a while.”
For a moment, Nolan’s vision blurred. He remembered clearly, back in his previous life, the man known as the “Red Lion,” Redlane, who had burned everything he had for revenge. Before leading his troops into a battle doomed to fail, he had roared those very same words. Then, the avenger’s eyes had held nothing but hatred and pain. Now, before him stood an old soldier whose gaze burned with resolve and hope. The two figures overlapped across time.
Different era, different place—but the vow remained the same.
Nolan tightened his grip around Hank’s hand. “No,” he said, looking straight at him, each word deliberate. “It’s ‘we.’ We will stand side by side and greet the dawn together.”
He could feel that the gears of fate had already begun to turn with a thunderous roar at the moment of that handshake. And how much would the “history” he had altered with his own hands shape the future?
Next, it was time to find the protagonist of “Flames of Vengeance” and put it to the test.
Master Leus.
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