[Vol. 7] Chapter 295: Young Melchior
“Hurry up and tell the truth! If you dare to lie... hmph!”
Still in that quiet alleyway, a soft glowing light blocked off the exits. Outside, the streets were now full of people and noisy footsteps, no longer silent like before, but no one seemed to notice what was happening in this hidden corner.
Faced with a new interrogator, a black-haired girl who clearly wasn't as easygoing as the last one, Timos Young paused briefly and shook his head with a helpless smile.
Even though both of them were gods, their personalities couldn’t be more different.
But compared to the high-and-mighty members of the Twilight Council, or even the previous goddess, who seemed gentle on the surface but clearly stood on a very distant side. This one really did feel a bit more... human.
The magician gave a wry smile. He could only respond in a new way and continue the conversation they had started earlier.
“I won’t lie. In fact, even if you hadn’t asked me, once I realized that you and the Goddess of Life were gods who stood for protection, I already planned to find a chance to tell you everything. After all, there are people and things in this world that I care about too. And with my own power alone, I can’t protect them forever.”
Staring at the girl in front of him, who looked delicate and gentle, yet had just shown terrifying strength that could shake the world, Timos Young put away his usual carefree smile and took a deep breath.
He removed the magician’s hat from his head, letting his sky-blue hair fall freely. The priestess raised an eyebrow, and in her deep eyes, it was as if she saw a piece of the distant past, something long lost in time.
“This whole story… starts over 800 years ago.”
“Oh great, a flashback.”
“.…..”
“Ahem, my bad, don't mind me, keep going.”
……………………………………
Around a thousand years ago, after the sudden disappearance of the gods and the collapse of order, the Origin Realm fell into chaos and war like never before. After centuries of battles, the fighting finally began to die down, and a brand-new civilization of order slowly took shape from the ashes of the old world.
Led by a powerful nation called the Holy Empire, which worshiped the Primordial Light, the world was like a giant, rich cake, divided and taken over by many different races. Although the gods had already left, their influence remained.
Powerful divine creatures and magical artifacts were still around to some degree. As a result, outside the Holy Empire as the First Land, which was protected by the Primordial Light, most other regions were still ruled by these powerful creatures or advanced races. At that time, life was extremely difficult for humans.
To escape from oppression and find freedom and a place to breathe, a group of humans traveled a great distance. They led their people into the barren western lands, places so poor and dangerous that the strong races didn’t even bother with them. In those wildlands, surrounded by deadly beasts, they slowly cleared land to live on, built settlements, and developed cities. Eventually, they created a small country of their own.
To avoid being discovered by stronger races, they built their first city deep in the western wilderness. Except for the road they came in on, the entire area had been abandoned since the gods left, and people knew almost nothing about it. To find food and resources to survive, they had to risk their lives exploring the unknown land.
This is how the special and selfless job of adventurers began. Over time, it became one of the most respected roles in what would later be known as the Human United Kingdom, a country made entirely of humans.
The very first group of adventurers, those pioneers who led their people into the wilds and built a future from nothing, were honored by later generations. Their descendants became the royal family of the Human United Kingdom, known as the Melchior Family.
It’s important to remember that humans only live around a hundred years. No matter how great a hero was, time eventually takes them all. From that first group of adventurers, only one member, Edith Melchior, managed to break past human limits and gain a long life almost like a god’s.
She is now the hidden protector of the Human United Kingdom, though few people know this truth. What even fewer know is that Edith wasn’t the only original royal who’s still alive. There is another one, someone who chose a path of darkness, silently protecting humanity in a way no one can truly understand or accept.
He was the first king of the Human United Kingdom. His name was Young.
Born during a time of chaos, Young was a pure human, one of the weakest types of intelligent beings. Because of this, he suffered a lot and saw how badly other races treated the weak. As a passionate young man, he trained hard to grow stronger. He met friends who shared his dreams, and together they created the first human support group.
But the more Young fought and struggled, the more he realized the huge, natural gap between humans and the stronger races. It was like a deep canyon that couldn’t be crossed. For humans to survive and gain even the most basic rights in a world full of powerful enemies, they had to unite completely, more than any other race, and they needed a safe place where they could breathe and grow.
So, instead of continuing wars and battles, Young chose another path. Together with his friends, he led the support group and over 100,000 pure humans to the western wildlands, hoping to build a new home.
The journey took more than ten years. But eventually, they built a strong foundation, and the very first Human United Kingdom was officially founded. Young was chosen to be its first king. He worked hard to meet his people’s hopes.
He didn’t become proud or selfish because of his early success. Instead, he stayed responsible, doing his best as a leader. He helped the small kingdom grow, cleared the wilderness, drove out wild beasts, and built city after city.
However, the good times didn’t last long. As the population grew and people spread across the land, a disaster struck. Just as the kingdom’s population reached a million, a monster appeared in the wildlands. It had just been born and was wandering aimlessly, but no one saw it coming. Today, that creature is called the [Western Calamity].
It brought disaster to the young kingdom. In just a few days, it destroyed over one-third of the cities and killed or devoured a third of the people. Even adventurers who had reached legendary levels were completely helpless. In front of that monster, they were no different from ordinary people and were quickly wiped out in despair.
At the time, Young was already the strongest person in the kingdom, nearly breaking past his final limits. Desperate, he led his companions to stop the [Western Calamity], trying to slow its advance. But the gap in power was too great. His brave efforts turned out to be wishful thinking. The adventurers fell one by one. Even Young himself was badly wounded in what couldn’t even be called a battle, it was a slaughter.
The weak had no power against a disaster like this. Just by existing in this world, humans were doomed to be trampled. Young was finally forced to accept this cruel truth. He was filled with anger and frustration. The rage he had built up over decades burned through his limits and pushed him into the powerful realm he had long dreamed of.
But even after this transformation, he still wasn’t strong enough to stop the [Western Calamity].
And then, the “Revelation” arrived.