One day in a far east continent, a traveling merchant, on their way to the Rakaru City, one of the city in the Sakazu Empire which located at the most eastern part of the world, they found bizarre phenomena. As the traveling merchant passes the familiar road, the landscape began to change. At first, it was subtle—a few withered patches of grass, the occasional gnarled tree with sparse leaves—but as they drew nearer to the city, the transformation became undeniable.

The vibrant hues of green and gold that had painted the countryside gave way to a desolate panorama of cracked earth and barren soil. The once-lush fields were now nothing but a wasteland, devoid of life. The air hung heavy with silence. The merchant's heart sank as they gazed upon the scene before them. This was not the thriving city they had known about; it was a desolate shell of its former self. The sun beat down mercilessly, casting harsh shadows over the lifeless landscape. 

As the traveling merchant made the decision to turn back from the desolate landscape, their path intersected with a group of adventurers who wants to go to the Rakaru City. The traveling merchant recognized the group of adventurers, they are pretty well-known group from the Rakaru City.

The merchant earnestly recounted the eerie transformation of the once-lush countryside into a lifeless expanse, cautioning the adventurers about the potential dangers that lay ahead. Knowing how trustworthy the traveling merchant is, the adventurers listening to them with worries in their face. But still, the adventurers decided to check the city, since its their birthplaces. While the traveling merchant will reports it to the knights and the guilds. 

Days after the traveling merchant reported the incident, the adventurers who were checking the area never returned. Some adventurers and merchants attempted to go there, with some returning to tell the same story while others went missing entirely.

The adventurers' guild already sent a group of renowned adventurers to Rakaru City, but they returned after just one day. They reported that it was impossible to proceed further because they felt as though their feet were being burned when they stepped on the land. They also tried throwing a twig to the ground, which slowly turned into charcoal and, shortly after, burned into ashes, giving them the idea that the ground was actually burning, even though there was no visible fire.

As time passed, they realized that Rakaru City wasn't the only place erased into barren land. Other surrounding countries sharing their borders with the Sakazu Empire also reported similar occurrences. They also realized that the barren land was slowly spreading. They also found out that the monsters around the barren land were stronger and smarter than normal. Not to mention, they were able to walk on the barren land without any problems. Even though appearance-wise, they're not changing.

At first, they just ignored those monsters as they didn't attack unless people got close to them, focusing solely on how to stop the spread. But after a few months, thousands of monsters from the barren land began attacking the nearby country simultaneously at night. Accompanied by a single black jet dragon each, they burned the people and the land with their breath, turning it into complete chaos.

In a single night, those monsters were able to trample four countries simultaneously, turning them into barren land. Fortunately, there were some survivors who managed to escape to tell the story.

One of the survivors, Esshal from Ama'aru Kingdom, one of the destroyed countries and the only survivor from his kingdom, recounted how he initially fled with a dozen people, including his friends. Miraculously, he was the only one to survive the monsters' attack as they fled. He vividly remembers the sight of his friends and the others being slaughtered one by one as they attempted to escape the dragon's flames.

After experiencing the horror of what happened, Esshal decided to leave the Hakaga continent and head west. Many other people who heard the survivors' stories also attempted to flee their countries, fearing another attack by the monsters. However, most of them chose to remain on the Hakaga continent. Esshal, on the other hand, departed for the far-western continent, Krashielle.

Thanks to his experience as an adventurer, Esshal was able to pass through the Ferissa Continent without much difficulty after a few months. As he continued his journey to Krashielle, he grew significantly stronger than before. Upon his arrival in Krashielle, he quickly made a name for himself in one of the countries, the Noten Kingdom. Within a year, he was able to raise his rank to 3 stars by himself. He was also known as the Lone Wind because he was not in any party and rarely talked, but always completed his jobs quickly.

After feeling like there weren't many opportunities left for him in the Noten Kingdom, he decided to move to the biggest country, Reignfable, and immediately headed to the largest city, Oracle. Unlike before, in this country, he was able to make a lot of friends and he realized the stark difference between this country and the others he had visited before. The city was much cleaner, crime was a rare occurrence, the soldiers and knights were friendly, and all the people he met treated him with kindness.

Even so he still decided to go by himself, and politely reject his friends that invited him to join their party but sometimes he wouldn't mind doing some joint quest with his friends. Within six months, he was able to raises to the highest 5 stars rank.

After 2 years of achieving the 5-star rank as an adventurer, Esshal found himself a wife and decided to retire from adventuring. Fortunately for him, as soon as he quit adventuring, the guildmaster offered him a job as the Vice-guildmaster. With this opportunity, he no longer needed to worry about job security. Additionally, he was able to purchase a house not far from the adventurer guild using the money he had saved during his adventuring days.

With how smoothly his life was going, Esshal also found out about what happened after he left his birth land. The monsters never attacked any other countries after that, but the barren land kept spreading like wildfires, slowly destroying the countries. By the time he became Vice-guildmaster, only the Atate Empire still stood. However, it was predicted that the entire empire would also turn into barren land within four to five years and seal the fate of Hakaga Continent.

***

It had been five years since Esshal became the vice-guildmaster, and during that time, he learned a great deal about the country. Reignfable wasn't just the largest kingdom in the world; it also boasted the greatest military. Additionally, it was a deeply religious nation, with its people praying to a God every morning.

The reason for this devoutness stemmed from the Oracle. Despite being ruled by a king, Reignfable's true authority lay with the Oracle. If the Oracle instructed the king to do something, it was done without question. This tradition dated back two thousand years when Reignfable was still a small nation.

The Oracle possessed the power of divination, guiding the king toward the best possible future. This power didn't involve foreseeing the future; rather, the Oracle could advise the king on actions to take or avoid. With the Oracle's guidance, Reignfable flourished and expanded rapidly. Every word from the Oracle proved true, making them the most significant figure in the kingdom. As a result, the king decided to construct a Holy Sanctuary dedicated to the Oracle.

From then on, the Oracle began living in the Holy Sanctuary and never emerged again. Whenever the Oracle wished to offer guidance, they would simply send a letter to the king through the designated messenger. And so, for two thousand years, the Oracle continued to assist the country, even during the great war where humans, elves, and dwarves battled against the demon race, resulting in the complete eradication of the demons.

Presently, nobody knows the true identity of the Oracle—whether they are a man or a woman—since the Oracle never speaks. Not even the current king of the country is privy to the Oracle's identity. Some people speculate that the Oracle is immortal and cannot be killed, while others believe they are reincarnated repeatedly. Some even theorize that the Oracle is a high elf, while the most popular belief is that the Oracle is a divine being sent by God. According to the accounts of past kings when the Oracle first appeared, the Oracle was indeed a man, but no one can confirm it except probably the Heroes and her party members.

One thousand years ago, the Oracle also wrote a book that further solidified the kingdom's religious devotion. This book covered a wide array of topics, including guidance on daily conduct, building harmonious families, the creation of the world and humanity, the purpose of life, and even the existence of beings beyond this world. It served as a comprehensive guide for believers.

Currently, all believers who follow the Oracle in the kingdom possess at least one copy of that book in their homes, while the original is housed within the Holy Sanctuary. Esshal himself also has a copy in his house, as his wife is also a devotee. He had read the book during his time as an adventurer, often wondering why the Oracle didn't warn the people of the Hakaga Continent about the impending disaster, even though the Oracle had the power to potentially warn the people there. Initially, he didn't dwell on it too much and attributed it to the belief that the Oracle's power only worked within their kingdom. However, he later discovered the truth after becoming the vice-guildmaster.

Apparently, long before the disaster happened, the Oracle had already sent a messenger to warn the Sakazu Empire to cease any suspicious activities they were undertaking. Moreover, the Oracle had also urged neighboring countries to take action against the Sakazu Empire. Unfortunately, the details of the empire's activities were not disclosed. Nevertheless, the Oracle had already prepared countermeasures for the impending disaster: the Heroes.

Two days ago, the Heroes party returned from their first conquest in the Hakaga continent. Esshal had already read all the information the guildmaster could compile when Greg the Dark Knight was here. Firstly, the ground was completely impossible for normal humans to step on; it could burn anything up to a little above the ankle, including armor, and water would immediately evaporate upon touching the ground. Next were the monsters; they were extremely dangerous. Even to defeat the weakest monsters on that land, you needed to be at least a 1-star rank adventurer. However, this was only effective when facing a single monster. Unfortunately, the weakest monsters in that land always appeared in groups, and they were much smarter than normal monsters. These monsters are called Corrupted Monsters by the heroes. Their appearance doesn't differ much from normal monsters; the only noticeable distinction is that the part of their body where their magic stone is located becomes cracked, emitting a faint dark purple light that glows through the cracks. Additionally, there were many other dangers present, such as the air becoming more toxic as one ventured deeper, the strict warning against touching any liquid from that land, and healing magic much less effective.

After reading all the information, Esshal couldn't comprehend how the Heroes and their party members were able to venture to that land and return without losing anyone. He had never actually met all of them directly, as they were always busy and never stayed for more than two days. He often wondered about their true strength after hearing numerous rumors that seemed impossible to believe. One such rumor claimed that the Hero of the Light, Remilia, could exterminate millions of monsters in less than five seconds.

Esshal had heard the story of how the dwarven country was destroyed four years ago by millions of monsters, and then the Hero exterminated them. If that were true, then the black dragon he saw when he fled was far more dangerous than he had thought. According to the information, the Hero and her party members were able to reach Ama'aru Kingdom, where they fought against the dragon and almost defeated it. However, another dragon arrived and severely injured one of the party members, prompting their retreat.

Reading this report made Esshal realize how blessed his life was here. It also reminded him of how fortunate he was and how ignorant he had been about the crisis unfolding in the world. Lost in deep thought, he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, Sir!"

"Come in."

When Esshal looked at the receptionist's face, he could see she was a little bit panicked.

"Did something happen?"

"T-there is a noble who wants to become an adventurer!"

'At this time?'

It was still midnight, and Esshal couldn't believe that a noble would come at this hour just to register.

"Are they in the guest room now?"

As Esshal said it, he rose from his chair. The receptionist began panicking after realizing that she had left the noble waiting in front of the receptionist desk. Judging from her expression, Esshal knew what had really happened.

"Don't worry. Just bring me to them."

"Y-yes..."

"By the way. That's paper on your hands..."

"Ah! Yes! This!"

The receptionist handed the registration form to Esshal with her hands shaking. He quickly glanced at the form as he walked.

'Niel Niverna? Isn't he one of the heroes' party member?'

Niverna is one of the kingdoms that shares a border to the west with Esshal's kingdom. Esshal was pretty sure that Niverna didn't have a prince, but he knew for a fact that the three party members of the Heroes hailed from there. He recalled them vividly: the first one was the hero herself, Remilia Reignford, who later gained noble status in Reignfable. The second was the Grand Sorcerer, Tristan Tilecrow, who lived with his mother in Niverna Kingdom. Esshal discovered that Tristan was actually the illegitimate child of the Tilecrow's lord and later took over the territory when his father passed away without any other sons. And the last one was the Summoner, Niel Niverna, who was childhood friends with the Hero and the Grand Sorcerer. After his mother's death during childbirth, Tristan's mother decided to care for him and his sister. After graduating from the academy and announcing the existence of the Heroes, the King of Niverna requested that either Tristan or Niel, both hailing from Niverna, become the future king and marry the princess. Since it was later revealed that Tristan was a noble from another country, the position fell to Niel.

'No one is insane enough to impersonate one of the Heroes' party members, especially in this country.'

The heroes is already departed barely two days ago, but it's not impossible for them to comes back immediately. And even if they are indeed comes back, they don't have any reason to register one of them to the adventurer guild.

'A swordsman...'

From his understanding of the heroes and their party members, Niel supposed he might have the power to summon monsters. However, Esshal stopped himself from dwelling on it too much and instead decided to meet the person directly rather than making assumptions.

***

As Niel waited for the receptionist lady to return, he took a moment to glance at the request board. Various jobs were posted, ranging from escort missions to martial arts instruction, bodyguarding, finding missing pets, and even some cleaning gigs. However, Niel's attention was drawn to a particular posting on the far right of the board. It wasn't a typical request; rather, it seemed more like a warning.

[There's a Platinum Thunder Dragon on Biretten Mountain. Please be careful!]

Niel recognized this dragon. He had summoned it numerous times in the past due to its swift flying abilities and ample size, which allowed it to transport all the party members. Sometimes he forgot that it was a legendary monster because of how frequently he summoned it. Despite its legendary status, its strength paled in comparison to that of mid-level corrupted monsters, even Niel felt confident enough to defeat it in a matter of minutes.

'Maybe Lia told them not to bother it.'

Since Niel only needed to see the dragon once to summon it, he had never actually engaged in combat with the real creature. Remilia also made a point of avoiding the killing of legendary or ancient monsters, as they were often unique and irreplaceable. Whenever they were attacked by one, she always demonstrated how overwhelmed they were against her.

"Pyuii."

As Niel continues scanning the request board, Villy pokes his cheek with her claw and he finds her looking behind. When Niel follows her sight, there's a man standing behind him and he realizes that everyone is looking at him.

"Good evening, sir. My name is Esshal. I'm the vice-guildmaster of the Oracle Adventurer Guild."

Esshal is a good-looking man with brown medium-length hair, standing at around 178cm tall. Even though he is slender, he exudes an air of intimidation. He is wearing a uniform similar to the other staff members.

"Hello. I'm Niel. And this is Villy."

Niel introduces himself and Villy with a short and simple introduction. He can see Esshal scanning him from head to toe, making him realize that he is still in his sleepwear this entire time. There's actually nothing wrong with his sleepwear; it's just plain tunic clothes that a lot of people wear in their daily life. This clothes just make him look like an ordinary person. But still, it's makes him uncomfortable when he realized that he was walking around with his sleepware.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Esshal bows slightly to Niel while smiling at him.

"Before your registration, sir, there's something I want to talk to you about. But before that, let's go to a more comfortable place to talk."

Niel looks at Villy, trying to see her reaction. But she only stares back at him with a question mark above her head when she realized Niel is looking at her.

"Sure."

"Please follow me."

Esshal guides Niel upstairs and into one of the rooms. Inside, he finds a big flag of their country hanging on the wall. In the middle of the room, there's a large square table with a big map on it, surrounded by fancy chairs. There's also a bookshelf in the corner is filled with books.

"Please feel free to take any seat you want,"

Niel grabs the nearest chair and sits down. Esshal takes a seat opposite him, while Villy flies onto the table to examine the maps. Since Esshal doesn't say anything further, Niel lets her be.

"First things first, let me welcome you to the Oracle Adventurer Guild. It's truly an honor for me to meet one of the heroes,"

"You already know me?"

"Well, of course. You're the mysterious and famous wild card of the Heroes party members, The Summoner Hero, capable of summoning legendary and ancient monsters."

'Wait, what? Mysterious? A wild card?'

Niel isn't sure why he's being called that. It's true that most people in the country don't know what he looks like, as they always arrive and leave early in the morning. Niel rarely goes outside and usually stays in their lodging whenever they're in a city. But there are times when he explores the city out of boredom.

"And the famous mascot of the Heroes party, the cyan dragon cub."

"Pyuii?!"

Villy, who had been busy examining the maps, immediately jerks her head at Esshal's words. Sensing she might transform, Niel quickly holds her in his arms.

"Villy! Don't transform inside a building!"

"Pyuii! Pyuii! Pyuii!"

"I know you're not a kid. Just calm yourself."

Niel tries to soothe Villy by petting her head. Although she stops struggling, Niel can see she is still upset. Meanwhile, Esshal looks on with a surprised expression.

"Sorry about that. She hates it when people call her 'that'."

"No need to apologize. It's my ignorance that caused this. I'm really sorry, Ms. Villy."

Esshal bows his head in apology. Villy, who was upset just moments ago, nods her head to accept his apology before climbing onto Niel's shoulder.

"Ehem. About your registration. Can you tell me your reason why you want to register as an adventurer? As a hero, I don't think you need to do so. But of course, if you can't say your reason, I will not ask anymore."

Esshal is genuinely curious about Niel's motivations for wanting to become an adventurer. There's also a possibility that it's part of the Oracle's guidance, and Niel may not be able to disclose it.

"Well... Actually, I only came here because I didn't have anything else to do. And as for why I want to become an adventurer, it's because-"

Niel pauses, stopping himself before saying 'because I only said it in the spur of the moment.' Something triggers a memory, causing him to rethink his answer.

"Because I'm not a hero anymore."