I Must Become Stronger!

“Legend has it that a thousand years ago, the evil Demon King led his demon army to wage war against the entire continent.

The entire continent seemed to be stained with a heavy gray. Lives were devastated, the people were displaced, and the entire world plunged into deep misery.

Living in constant fear became the norm for the people of that era, terrified that the demons—the very symbols of death—would appear before them at any moment.

The world was emptied of fine wine and joyous song.

In the south, the elves of the Elven Forest had their voices silenced, singing no more. In the west, the dwarves hid themselves away, no longer venturing out to explore the world.

In the east, the dragons could no longer soar freely through the sky to display their majestic forms. The Northern Sea, closest to the demons, had fallen into silence from the very beginning.

Even the wind was no longer free.

Just as the entire continent was sinking into despair, the merciful gods in the heavens took pity on the world and answered the prayers of those crying out for salvation.

And so, the Hero was born.

Endowed with the power bestowed by the gods, the righteous Hero carried the hopes of everyone as he embarked on a journey to subjugate the Demon King.

During his journey, he helped the Church repel the invading Demon King's army. His heroic posture and sincere courage during the battle deeply moved the Saintess of the Church.

To follow the Goddess's will and to help the Hero save the world, the Saintess resolved to become his companion and join him on his crusade.

Subsequently, the Hero rescued the dragons, elves, and dwarves one after another, liberating the Northern Sea that had been the first to fall silent. Touched by the Hero's righteous heart, the dragons, elves, and dwarves joined him on his quest to defeat the Demon King.

The proud dragons willingly lowered their heads to serve as the Hero's mounts. To express their gratitude, the dwarves gifted him all their treasures and pooled their collective wisdom to forge a sword imbued with divine power.

Armed with this Holy Sword and aided by his companions, the Hero fought like the legendary god of war. He slayed the Demon King's pet, the Kraken of the Northern Sea, defeated the Demon King's lieutenants, and carved a path straight to the Demon King himself.

Bearing the hopes and beliefs of the entire continent, the Hero, with the help of his companions, successfully defeated the Demon King and saved the world.

In the end, flights of dragons soared freely in the sky, dwarves gradually reappeared throughout the continent, and the elves' vibrant, life-filled singing once again rejuvenated the land. Even the wind danced once more, and joyous songs and fine wine filled the people's lives once again.”

A group of little children sat huddled in a circle around the sister, their eyes shining with excitement as they listened to her story.

As the story ended, the sister opened her closed eyes and looked gently at the group of little toddlers before her, who were only about three years old on average. Her loving gaze seemed capable of purifying the soul, leaving everyone feeling deeply comforted.

“Wow! The Hero is so strong! I want to be a Hero too, become a champion, and save the world!”

“Stupid Huey! There's no such thing as a Hero who still wets the bed at three years old!”

“Besides, a Hero has to have a Holy Sword! Huey doesn't have one! There's no way you can become a Hero!”

“How... How did you guys know I wet the bed?!”

“Stupid Huey, we're definitely not going to tell you that Xia De was the one who said it!”

“Xia De!!!”

A tiny figure in the yard suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason.

Xia De curled his lips, a trace of confusion appearing in his pitch-black eyes.

Three years had passed since the night he was abandoned at birth.

That night, Guna had received orders from Kanas to send him to the poorest, most remote border region. However, on the third day of their journey, they were ambushed by an unknown faction.

To deal with the danger, Guna had no choice but to hastily abandon him and flee. Later, he was picked up by a wolf-like beast and placed onto a wooden raft, which drifted down the river for an unknown amount of time.

Fortunately, he met a kind-hearted old man, which finally gave him a stable environment to grow up in.

And so, raised by the old man, Xia De lived in this small village for three years.

“Xia De, training in the yard again?”

A weathered voice called out from the path. An old man dressed in coarse fabric walked over slowly with a hoe on his shoulder. His long goatee had turned completely white, and his smiling expression made him look incredibly warm and amiable.

“Grandpa Novas! You're back. I've already prepared dinner for you!”

Deeply moved by Xia De's words, Novas reached out, wanting to pick him up and spin him around, his expression looking as if he were on the verge of tears.

“Little Xia De, finding you was truly a blessing from the God of Luck. You really are the best child in the world! But I've told you so many times, you're only three years old. Cooking is still too dangerous. Grandpa can cook for himself!”

Indeed, this amiable old man carrying a hoe, who looked exactly like a villager NPC from a game, was the very person who had picked Xia De up and raised him to this day.

The old man had always lived alone in the village. Xia De had also observed him; he was just a very ordinary old man with no mana, no magical tools, and absolutely no extraordinary powers—just like some random old villager standing by the roadside in an adventure game.

Xia De thought to himself randomly.

According to his investigations, this was also a highly ordinary village. There were very few extraordinary individuals here. The strongest seemed to be the captain of the village guard, who was in his thirties and had barely stepped across the threshold of Tier Two. The remaining ones were just five people who had barely reached Tier One.

The rest of the residents were completely ordinary people who worked at sunrise and rested at sunset. Since this was a tiny village nestled in the buffer zone between the royal capital and the border, very few people ever paid attention to it.

Passing adventurers usually headed toward the neighboring town, so this place had always remained relatively peaceful and ordinary.

Fortunately, there actually was a church in the village, even though it only housed an elderly sister and a little girl of Xia De's age whom she had adopted.

But at the very least, it was a good place to learn about the world. Thus, Xia De would occasionally visit the church to build up some goodwill, hoping to learn more legends from the sister.

The legend of the Hero was the first one he had heard, and it was also a crucial piece of information that allowed him to clearly realize what kind of world he had reincarnated into.

When he first heard this legend, Xia De had nearly trembled with excitement. But after a moment, a deep sense of dread suddenly washed over him—a suffocating feeling just like the one he felt before leaping to his death in his previous life.

This world possessed magic and extraordinary powers. Would he be casually wiped out as collateral damage by some battling powerhouses?

Would his identity as a reincarnator be discovered by some powerful extraordinary beings?

What if the Demon King resurrected and waged war again?

All kinds of complex and chaotic thoughts continuously churned in Xia De's mind. With every possibility he imagined, he felt the temperature of the world drop a degree, until he finally felt as if he had fallen into an abyss of ice.

To protect himself, Xia De made the same choice he did in his previous life. Or rather, this was the path he had trodden from the very beginning. In his past life, it was to accumulate wealth and fame; in this life, he changed his goal to raw power.

No one would be able to hurt him, and no one would dare to!

As he muttered the words in his mind, a high-tech data panel glowing with a blue light appeared before him in the next second. The deep blue light reflected in Xia De's pupils, casting a mysterious aura over him.

[Name: Xia De

Combat Power: 305 (Tier One, Level Five)

Magic Mastered: Elemental Magic (All-Attribute Elements)]