Day and night, they depended on each other for survival, and her brother showed her a smile that she thought she would never see again.
That longed-for scene came so unexpectedly that before the girl could feel surprised, she first doubted whether this was still a dream.
But whether happiness or misfortune, the reality doesn't decelerate simply because those involved are unprepared.
"This should suffice," the Hero, sensing the siblings' status from not far away on the street, revealed a smile.
Although the grey dreamscape was filled with oppression and melancholy, the girl had never once thought of giving up, even when life's pressures nearly shattered her spirit, she still clenched her teeth and persisted, striving with all her might to support her own tiny world.
That Tenacity was enough to resist meddling from others and attracted the remnants of Nightmares.
She had a brother who cherished her dearly, and she too did her utmost for her brother.
...This was something the Hero couldn't do.
That's why the Hero had specifically come here; she couldn't save all the misfortune in the world, but she could at least do a bit for these two people.
Hoping their lives would become smoother from now on.
After confirming that the girl's brother was out of danger, the Hero exhaled a sigh of relief and disappeared like a gentle breeze into the twillight.
[Nightmare Sage's Taboo Knowledge: Lost Secrets—Evil Spell]
The girl's brother was once the leader of an Adventurers' party.
In the Border, Adventurer is a very common Profession, as well as an important part of the Border City, one might say it's a pillar of the city.
Beyond the defensive lines of the Border lies a lawless zone that resists civilization, where the chaotic environment of the Magic Element not only gives rise to ferocious Magic Creatures but also brings many rare and valuable items.
Demon Crystals, minerals, medicinal herbs, various things that could bring immense returns attracted numerous confident Professionals to chase their dreams, flocking to the city on their way to adventures beyond the national borders.
The girl's brother had once been one of them.
During years of struggle, he gathered a group of trustworthy companions, owning his own team, which made him an excellent Adventurer.
However, as much as adventuring was filled with rewards, it was also synonymous with tremendous risks. Once faced with dangers surpassing one's limits, the end was often tragic.
Every day, Adventurers leave through the gates of Border City, but not everyone can cross back through those gates, and compared to them, the girl's brother was perhaps still considered lucky.
[Was he the only survivor?]
1. Yes (Danger level increases)♛
During a seemingly mundane exploration mission, the girl's brother and his team accidentally stepped into an extremely dangerous Secret Realm, with a devastating outcome that almost wiped out the entire team, leaving only him as the leader and the strongest member alive.
Surviving was certainly fortunate, but it was also the beginning of successive misfortunes.
Nearly shattered by his narrow escape from death and bearing an inescapable responsibility for the team's annihilation as their leader, he was deeply burdened by guilt.
Compensating the families of his fallen teammates drained his savings, and the reputation and decent life built as an Adventurer dissipated into nothing, forcing him and his young sister to move to the city's outskirts, living a life of poverty.
But, seeing his young sister who had no choice but to share his destitute life, he still clung to his last resolve.
Having been a reasonably strong Adventurer, even after severe injuries, taking on some simple commissions to make ends meet shouldn't have been too difficult.
Yet, although his physical injuries were gradually healing and his psychological trauma was slowly beginning to recover, his health instead appeared to decline. He started to drift into sleep more often, his strength waned, and the sword that he could once swing with ease now seemed unbearably heavy, even walking outside became strenuous.
It was the last straw.
As an experienced Adventurer, he realized that this unusual weakness might be some form of aftereffect, possibly related to that Secret Realm exploration. This was not something ordinary Healers could treat; most likely, only the Church's High-tier Healers or even Bishop-level Clerics could resolve his dilemma.
However, the Church wasn't a charity, and even if there were some free medical services, the ordinary Monks were probably unable to solve his problem.
For him, already destitute, barely maintaining basic living and ensuring three meals a day was immensely challenging, let alone affording the exorbitant fees of a Bishop-level Cleric treatment.
Thus, he fell into a vicious cycle. Anytime he forced himself to take on simple jobs, his condition only worsened, and soon, he collapsed completely, confined to his bed like an invalid.
And the sister, who he was supposed to protect, ended up shouldering the burden of caring for him.
More than once, he regretted, if only he hadn't entered that Secret Realm out of curiosity and greed.
5. Corpse Dragon Swamp
6. Depraved Sinking City
8. Void of the Arcane Surge
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
[Nightmare Knowledge and its connection to that Secret Realm (50-none)]
D100+30=d100(8)+30=38
The setting sun gradually sunk below the horizon, and the Hero was on her way back to the Count Mansion.
Treating the girl's brother didn't take much time from the Hero, in fact, the actual Healing took even less time than the diagnosis and communication.