Chapter 155: Things I want to leave behind

Ten challengers stood before the giant.

Leah met the gaze of Steve, looking down from above. The oppressive aura emanating from its massive form was a familiar sight.

Steve, who had barely moved until now, began to walk, its steps echoing with a thump, thump.

[False successors. Your roles are over.]

[The suppressed power has returned. Now, it’s time to reclaim my world.]

“No matter how many times I hear it, I can’t get used to that voice coming from Steve!”

“Okay, before we start, let’s do a Blooming Core fighting cheer! Ready, and… Blooming Core!”

Rue stepped forward and led the cheer.

“Figh…!”

“Fighting…”

“…ting!”

Their chorus was offbeat and lacked enthusiasm.

• lol

• Look at their lack of unity lol

• The boot camp’s effects…were minimal!

• This is Blooming Core.

Amidst the somewhat lighthearted atmosphere, Steve suddenly vanished, signaling the start of the battle.

“…Did we win already?”

“Don’t raise flags before we’ve even done anything!”

Leah ignored the jokes around her. The moment Steve disappeared, she sharpened all her senses. And so, she was the first to spot it.

“Above!”

As soon as she looked up, it descended. Accompanied by a massive shadow that covered the ground.

Steve slammed down onto the battlefield.

Leah quickly flew to the side and dodged.

A tremor like an explosion resonated from where she’d just been.

BOOM!!

Five people vanished simultaneously from her sight.

• ??????

• Insane…

• Five in one hit is a bit much.

• Isn’t this a reset moment? lol

Five small mounds suddenly appeared, littered with the items dropped by their owners.

“Wait! I’ll be right back!”

“Steve’s really strong…”

The dead could be resurrected. Until then, the remaining five had to hold their own.

Woosh—

It seemed the teleport-and-slam wasn’t a frequent move. Steve simply swung its arms and legs around.

Of course, the impact of even those attacks was significant. Crescent-shaped waves of distinct colors were emitted with each swing, and even a simple kick would deal damage unless they were far enough away.

“Gah, I’m bound!”

“Looks like we have to destroy or avoid the cubes, too!”

And the cubes it occasionally summoned. The cubes themselves weren’t the main threat; it was the combination attacks that followed while they were bound.

Whizz—

Leah fired arrows relentlessly. From positions where she could avoid attacks. From distances where her bow could reach its target. She shot light as if it were being drawn into Steve.

• The damage is a bit…lacking?

• Isn’t it a bug? It’s a +12.

• I’m watching other streams, and Leah’s definitely doing the most damage.

• Did they boost its defense that much?

• A tank with high damage resistance…

As the chat pointed out, Steve had an enormous amount of health. On the other hand, most of its attacks were instant kills. Casualties dropping items from glancing blows were piling up.

“Ciel! Resurrect, quick!”

“Cooldown!”

“Wow, this is insanely tough. Don’t we have any classes that can inflict CC?”

“We do, but they don’t work.”

Time passed, and her seniors and colleagues died and respawned repeatedly.

But.

Leah steadily drew her bow, never experiencing death herself.

In this very spot, she continued to advance, unfazed.

Like a fixed point on the battlefield.

“There’s a pattern to its attacks. This time, it’s going to swing wide to the left.”

• Look at her commanding!

• Is Leah the only one with zero deaths?

• Yup

• I have to watch this lol Ena’s spending more time respawning than fighting.

• I don’t see a wipe scenario at all…?

• Because Leah won’t die even if she’s the last one standing.

• She’s flying around, just needs to utilize her physical abilities a bit more.

• Flying around (literally)

While the +12 weapon might have been slightly underwhelming here, the “God” class she had obtained using it as a material was fulfilling its role. She could fly and move more freely. Along with Sara, who fought on her dragon, they circled the giant like hornets, raining down attacks.

“Slow.”

“Scatter! Incoming slam!”

Meanwhile, everyone gradually adapted to the enemy’s skills and patterns. No longer were five people dying at once.

“This is fun!”

At someone’s words, Leah smiled slightly.

There was no pressure of failure today. No one would judge them for making mistakes.

A festive atmosphere.

Perhaps the presence of an elf who held her ground no matter what reassured the others. Leah felt a sense of pride in fulfilling that role.

Steve’s HP bar, which had been full, began to deplete.

Leah drew her bow one last time.

The light released from the string flew in a curve.

Straight to the heart.

And slowly—the giant’s body came to a complete stop.

“The end? Is it over? Did we get it?!”

“…Did we win?”

“Don’t say that!!”

“One try! One-try clear!”

“Senior… Saying it was a one-try clear when you died the most is a bit shameless…”

As everyone expressed their excitement, Steve’s voice echoed throughout the space.

[You do not remember.
But the fact that your miracles
were built upon mine
cannot be denied…]

[And so,
I now accept you.
Well done.]

The massive body swayed, then crumbled and dispersed into light.

One of the fragments flew towards Leah.

[Successor. I have failed.
I tried to monopolize the world’s miracles
without saving myself.]

“Is it talking only to Leah?”

“As expected of God Leah…”

“Honestly, if it weren’t for Leah today, this raid would’ve been hopeless.”

“True.”

[So I will not envy you.
But I hope you will someday understand
the weight of that burden.]

[May you not resemble
the me of today, at that time.]

The fragment disappeared along with the fading voice. Leah looked around and asked,

“Can you all see this?”

“What?”

They seemed oblivious. Was it only visible to her?

■ Choice:
▢ Completely erase.
▷ Revive Steve, excluding divinity.

“I…”

---

Defeating the boss didn’t immediately end the server. Everyone enjoyed their remaining time in their own way.

Koharu laughed heartily even though the weapon she’d been trying to enhance to +12 broke. Sara offered free rides on Marbled to anyone who wanted one. After watching them for a while, Leah moved to a quieter spot.

She slowly ascended, flying above the now familiar town.

It was nighttime.

An untouched night sky stretched above.

As she moved away from the square, the voices and sound effects gradually faded.

She remembered the day she first saw this town.

A desolate, wide-open space. The starting point where she looked around, unsure of what to do first.

“Was it around here that I caught Beeshik?”

“After that, you went to Ena’s house first. To gather resources—”

One by one, the places she had visited passed below.

The jungle she first discovered.

The jail where she was trapped and teased.

The dungeon she was the first to find and clear with Ciel.

The winding forest path where she chased and was chased by Sara.

…And her home, the Sky Garden, which she created with her Pias.

“Now that it’s finished, I haven’t spent much time at home. That’s a little regrettable.”

Sitting on a tree at the top of her garden, Leah looked up at the sky again.

“This world…”

She trailed off.

What more could she say?

The memories with her colleagues, Miya, and the seniors she’d gotten to know.

The time she’d accumulated over nearly a month.

It was all contained within this space.

She didn’t know how well it fit the word “miracle.”

But it felt a little inadequate to simply call it “just a game.”

“…It’s truly the end.”

• ㅜㅜㅜㅜ

• So sad ㅜㅜ

• Leah made so many legendary moments…

📢[(Archmage)Tsukishiro_Miya: Everyone gather at the square!!!]

Leah flew to the square and landed softly. There, wandering around, were several Steves the same size as them.

“So, this was Leah’s choice? I thought she’d erase it, saying, ‘As an extreme T, I must eliminate the root of the problem!’”

Karen, approaching her, spoke.

“I don’t think I’m an extreme T. Empathy is also required of a hero.”

“Saying empathy is a ‘required function’ like that completely confirms you’re a T. So why did you revive him?”

“Just because.”

“Huh? That sounded a bit F.”

Leah smiled.

This town would disappear when the server shut down. But only its form would vanish; the memories would remain.

Those memories would probably be like another world, forever unreachable. A place she couldn’t return to, but one that would remain eternally within her.

So, she wanted to leave something behind.

She hoped that at least one person, even after she left, would still be here somewhere, living alongside this town.

Like the spirits in another world.

“Everyone gather! We’re taking a final commemorative photo!”

Rue shouted from the center of the square, waving her hand. Everyone was already nearby due to Miya’s chat message, so they quickly assembled.

“What pose should we do?”

“Put away your mounts and pets! They’re blocking the view!”

“Except for the Dragoon. She can just fly. Heh.”

“No way! Lumiere de Savanna Blackfeather the Second and I are one!”

“Okay, then we’ll take two.”

Chatter filled the air.

A little distance away, a single Steve stood silently, watching them with its small eyes.

“Okay, one, two, with mounts and pets… Good! Now, let’s line up again!”

They repositioned themselves, without their mounts.

“Why is Leah flying again?! Come down!”

“I’m a God. This is my rightful place.”

• lol

• Oh God…

• Leah’s the main character until the very end.

Sniffle, sob…

As soon as a small sound was heard, Rue exclaimed excitedly, as if she had discovered something amusing.

“Who is it? Who’s making crying sounds?”

And Sara immediately identified the culprit.

“Pfft! Koharu, are you crying?”

“N-no! It’s a cold!”

But she couldn’t hide her trembling voice.

“Coco-nuts~ you’re clipping this, right?”

“So cute. I used to be like that…”

“Waaah… I’m really sad…!”

After a brief delay caused by Koharu’s sudden outburst, they finally settled into their positions. Leah floated in the center, and the others were evenly spaced around her, regardless of seniority.

Miya shouted energetically.

“Okay, here we go! One, two~”

Click.