- What the...

Aina's eyes widened. Her hand subconsciously reached out to grab at Leonel. But, by the time she had reacted and moved, her palm could only touch at empty air.

Her brows creased beneath her mask, confusion coloring her face.

There was nothing that Leonel kept from Aina. On the days they spent together, they meandered through conversation that usually lasted hours at a time. It could be said that the only thing Leonel had never told Aina were the words his Coach had spoken on that day.

This was all to say that Aina had long since been aware of the existence of the ring and had just seen Leonel pull it out while no one was paying attention.

Knowing this, though still worried about Leonel's safety, it wasn't to the point that Aina was plunged into a well of despair.

After she took a deep breath, practically hypnotizing herself into believing that Leonel would be fine, she looked up, her eyes several shades colder than they were just a moment ago.

If she had to face the ten who remained alone and without a partner, that was fine too.

In her heart, though, she couldn't shed a last stubborn and sinking feeling. However, this just filled her with the will to vent… and she definitely wouldn't be as merciful as Leonel.

**

As Aina was panicking, one could only imagine what Leonel was feeling.

"FUCK! SEND ME BACK!"

Leonel's roar bellowed into a wide expanse of sky.

Worry for himself? He never felt it. But, the idea of leaving Aina behind in that cesspool of human angst and ambition made his heart feel as though it was being lit on fire.

"General?"

Leonel's head snapped in the direction of the voice only to realize that he was seated on a steed in the middle of a thousand strong army. His roar that shook the skies seemed to have awakened them all, however, the words Leonel spoke make the dreary atmosphere even worse.

Even the General knew that this was a losing battle, why should they even bother to fight? Shouldn't they just lay down their arms and give up now?

Leonel's rage had yet to dissipate. At first, he really didn't have the mind to care who was calling out to him or if he was even being called out to at all.

He had never thought the simple act of taking out the ring would result in this. To make matters worse, it was now stuck on his finger and he couldn't even take it off if he wanted.

However, Leonel soon realized that he had to calm down. No amount of roaring or rage was going to make this ring magically pop off, nor did this world seem prepared to listen to him.

It was only after Leonel reached this infuriating conclusion that he finally decided to look around.

The army he stood within was indeed a thousand strong. However, there wasn't a single unifying identity to them in the slightest. In fact, they looked like nothing more than a group a ruffians. If they were holding hoes and plows, Leonel could easily mistake them for farmers rather than the warriors they were supposed to be.

Beyond that, the horses they road, if they could be called that at all, looked as though they had been starved for several weeks. They had discolored patches of skin, their ribs were visible through their dull coats, and their legs seemed several measures too thin.

Was this supposed to be a cavalry? Weren't they better off on foot?

Leonel had hardly finished this thought when his Internal Sight swept over the men once more. It was only then that he realized that beneath their cobbled together armor was sunken skin, malnutrition, and a vulnerability so keen they could hardly withstand the heft of their own weapons.

'What the hell is this?'

"General…?"

Leonel looked over to the source of the voice, only to find out that this person was indeed talking to him. He seemed to be a young man, no older than Leonel himself. He had a nervous look hidden within his blue eyes, but his hands gripped at his sword so hard his veins threatened to burst.

Leonel could see an almost pleading look in the eyes of this young man. Whereas the others only had fear, this young man had a small bit of hope.

Gazing around once more, Leonel realized that of the army, only this young man stood almost level to him. Though he was a half step back as a sign of respect, he was nearly shoulder to shoulder with Leonel.

'Right hand man? Lieutenant maybe?'

Leonel's brows furrowed.

Before he could truly understand, a rumbling began to sound in the distance. Though they were several kilometers away, they still seemed capable of making the ground quake. Their presence alone plunged Leonel's army into a deeper bout of despair.

Though they were so far away, with the improvement of his Internal Sight, Leonel could easily see them. What he saw, though, made him sigh.

Compared to their army, this one was leagues above. Though they didn't have high class and shimmering armor, their weapons were well kept, their steeds were well fed, and their bodies bolstered a strong health that rippled through their muscles.

As though that wasn't enough… their numbers were double their own.

'I need to get out of this place as quickly as possible.'

At that moment, Leonel's spear appeared with a flip of his palm as he jumped down from his horse. This sort of steed would only hinder him, not to mention the fact he hated riding horses.

"DID YOU HEAR ME?!"

Leonel's sudden roar shook the warriors to his back again.

"If this is the kind of heart you want to show… that kind of spineless, cowering, effeminate garbage… Just send me back, I want no part of it!

"But, if you want to be men, if you want to defend your lands and protect your women and children, then raise your weapons!"

Leonel's roar echoed through the valley.

On either side of them, tall walls of rock stood. There wasn't a single place to go but forwards or backwards.

However, backward is where their homes lay, it was where those they loved and cherished rested. Going backwards was not an option.

The gaze of the blue eyed youth shimmered.

"FORWARD!" Leonel roared, charging ahead, his body wrapped in golden light.

If one looked upon the valley from above, it would feel as though one was watching a blazing laser of gold tear a path forward. It felt as though Leonel could cross hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye. His speed was undeniable, but his momentum was even higher.

"What are you all waiting for?! CHARGE!"

The blue eyed youth rose his weapon into the air, pointing it forward and kicking the side of his horse.

The army surged forward like a tide. They had poor coordination and their formation was faulty, but, at the very least, a fire burned in their eyes.

Leonel's back was a like a fuel that lit their bellies.

As for Leonel himself, though, he was inwardly shaking his head, wondering how he had gotten himself into this mess.

As amped up as the soldiers following behind Leonel were, he himself just wanted to end this battle as quickly as possible, hoping that this would send him out.

Unfortunately, no matter how powerful Leonel felt that he was now… He really wasn't confident in taking down 2000 warriors at the same time, especially since they were all in the Fourth Dimension.

The only reason Leonel shot ahead on his own like this wasn't because he could do it alone, it was because he was the only one strong enough to disrupt this army's formation before they reached his men. If he didn't, this well-trained army would run through his like a knife through butter.

Leonel shook his head. 'Is this another Zone? Why would it teleport me here? What the hell does it have to do with the ring?'

Leonel really couldn't fathom just what was happening. However, he had also never been in a Zone that could be continuously reopened for the sake of training future generations.

That said, the Zone should still fundamentally follow its original purpose, right? A Variant Zone was supposed to be a Zone that allowed those who entered to benefit from things in the future. It appeared when a world was on the brink of collapse in order to give it a chance.

Plus, this time, rather than coming in as himself, Leonel seemed to have been loaded in as some sort of pre-designed character? This wasn't how it had been before at all.

However, what did this have to do with that ring? And, what was maybe even more mind boggling was how Senior Lu got his hands on this ring to begin with.

Leonel had to be very cautious with investigating Senior Lu's background. After all, why would he be making such inquiries if there wasn't anything suspicious going on?

But, he hadn't been able to catch anyone snooping around after his disappearance.

That made Leonel conclude just one thing… Maybe Senior Lu really had only stumbled into some luck, only to end up benefitting Leonel in the end?

But was this even a benefit?! Leonel didn't even want to be here!

'Dammit.'

"Scan this place. How the hell do I get out of here?!"

By now, Leonel was just a kilometer from the charging army, his annoyance becoming more and more palpable.

[ *Ping* ]

[Sub-Dimensional Zone detected: Valiant Heart]

[Sub-Dimensional Zone grade: Quasi Silver]

[Clear requirements: Valiant Heart]

[Side Quest: Valiant Heart]

[Side Quest: Valiant Heart] holds © this.

[Hidden Quest: Valiant Heart]

[ *Ping* ]

[ Seed is warned to be wary of Valiant Heart ]

Leonel almost tripped over and fell. What the fuck was this?