Keno was initially very excited because she could finally help Ren using her own strength.
But as time passed, it slowly turned into boring work.
The more Keno fought, the more annoyed she became.
She no longer wanted to fight and just wanted to go on adventures with Ren.
After a month of this, monsters began to disappear, and the whole world entered a period of peace.
Fourteen people were called heroes, with Riku as the most famous because they defeated the high-level Demon.
Ren and Keno became even more well-known because they kept hunting monsters, saving the lives of ordinary people.
The others seemed like mere background figures in comparison.
But the two of them soon disappeared from the public eye.
They didn't want their adventurous life disturbed, and with their experience, after a few years, people gradually forgot about them.
The twelve heroes continued to be active.
They traveled everywhere, searching for World Item treasures, occasionally performing feats that pushed their fame to its peak.
Five more years passed.
Ren and Keno's life became completely peaceful.
They lived in a blue flower field and occasionally traveled to miraculous lands to find World Items.
Life was exceptionally comfortable.
The kingdom, due to nobles having rights and wealth unimaginable to commoners, slowly started to become corrupt.
But since the nation was only a few years old, the nobles still held back somewhat.
Ren, however, knew that with time, this place would become a hell for ordinary people, especially beautiful women.
"The twelve heroes have gone their separate ways."
"Separated? Their fame is so great. Why?"
"I heard their captain was ambushed and killed."
"By that kind of being again?" The locals compared demons to that kind of being because speaking its name caused panic.
"I heard it was done by a single person."
"Out of jealousy?"
"Who knows."
Soon, the discussion stopped abruptly as Ren and Keno entered the Adventurers' Guild.
They were now top-tier adventurers, alongside two other heroes.
Even after five years, people here had not forgotten them.
No one dared provoke them.
Killing monsters was as easy for them as drinking water.
They were not human, and they felt no sympathy for killing humans.
If someone crossed them, they would simply be killed.
The two exchanged a glance. They had overheard their conversation just now. That player… was dead?
Ren was immediately intrigued. He had survived for a long time, and finally an event had appeared—he couldn't resist getting involved.
"Ren, do you want to investigate?" Keno asked, a look of adventure in her eyes.
"Of course. After all, we've worked together before." He didn't bother with the commission and went straight to find the group who had just been talking.
The group swallowed nervously but didn't dare to leave. The influence of great strength and reputation was like this—unlike before, when some were fearless enough to step forward.
"Lord Sword God, Lady Red Annihilation, may I ask what brings you here?" one of them finally spoke.
Their titles naturally reflected their traits. Ren's sword techniques were seen as divine by this world, so people called him Sword God.
"Well… about the death of the Captain of the Twelve Heroes, could you explain it to us in detail?" Ren took out some of this world's coins. After all these years, he had plenty of money now.
"It's nothing much. The Twelve Heroes were exploring a ruin at the time and seemed to have encountered a man in armor. He ambushed and killed them," the man said, taking the coins and telling everything he knew.
"Uh…" Ren instantly lost interest. That was it? A bit boring.
Keno also thought of the armored man who had escaped. Originally, he should have been one of the Thirteen Heroes. His act of instantly fleeing left a strong impression on her.
Keno sent a mental message to Ren: "Should we go after the armored man?"
"Of course. That guy holds a deep grudge against players. There's no reason to let an enemy preparing to fight you go," Ren replied mentally.
After the two left, the atmosphere at the scene finally relaxed. Ren had put too much pressure on them—he was a living legend, after all.
"Where is that armored man? How do we even find him?" Keno asked, curious. Finding someone who didn't even show his face in a sea of people was extremely difficult.
"In the Argland Council State. He's an old schemer," Ren replied. That was why he didn't go straight to the Argland Council State. He left in a chaotic route, making it impossible for anyone to know his true intentions.
However, the death of the Captain of the Twelve Heroes had far greater consequences than imagined. He had always been on the frontlines fighting the Demon Gods, saving the world from ruin.
So, adventurers from several nations began to take action on their own, and some adventurer guilds even offered huge rewards for the armored man, determined to give justice to the hero.
Along the way, Ren and Keno encountered many adventurers, all with the same goal. For the two of them, some adventurers had already forgotten, but they still heard plenty of news.
"Ren, is it really because of jealousy?" Keno couldn't help but ask, having heard this possibility too many times along the journey.
"Partly, yes. But it's not about fame. It's jealousy toward players, mixed with some caution. All of it is aimed at players," Ren explained.
"Why?" Keno didn't quite understand.
"Don't you envy me for being this strong?" Ren asked with a smile.
"No, I don't. Because you're mine," Keno said boldly, jumping up to hug Ren's neck. Their cold skin touched, but it didn't feel uncomfortable.
"A powerful dragon naturally tends to be exclusive," Ren thought, remembering the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord from many years ago, who had acted the same way.
"Dragon? That armored man is a dragon too?" Keno asked, curious. Although Ren had mentioned it before, she hadn't thought deeply about it.
"Yes, controlling the armor."
"Then why in the Argland Council State? In the mountains there?" Keno asked rapidly.
"He's guarding this country," Ren replied.
Keno remained silent and continued walking with Ren.
In the Argland Council State, the two of them wandered through the main city, using tools to conceal their presence.
Here, adventurers were also searching for the one who ambushed the Twelve Heroes.
No one stopped them, which made sense—stopping them would basically be saying, "I'm right here, come find me."
"Any targets?" Keno asked, seeing Ren start heading in a specific direction.
"Yes. I've found them. This will be a quick battle." Ren led Keno swiftly toward the target while also using dimensional seals to prevent any teleportation. As for flying, that was impossible now.
At this moment, the Platinum Dragon Lord realized he had become the target. It reminded him of the previous brief encounter with Ren, a powerful player, likely on par with the Eight Greed Kings. Naturally, he wanted to avoid conflict.
But Ren kept launching attacks, cutting off all escape routes. This made the Platinum Dragon Lord furious.
Did the player think he had already won?
He was the Platinum Dragon Lord, a mighty dragon, after all. So he released his immense aura, asserting his authority.
**********
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