It has been three hours since a mysterious rift appeared in the sky.

As the sound of the sky splitting echoed, countless monsters fell from the void, and the people of the north spent a sleepless night watching in fear.

Those living near Mount Kalanysh evacuated to a school farther away, and people looked up at the hole in the sky, filled with terror.

“I’m scared, Mom.”

A child burrowed into their mother’s arms.

On the mountain, flashes of light cut through the air, dealing with the monsters.

The woman, comforting her child, turned to Brooks and the wild men.

“Is that really the new lord of the north?”

“Yes,” Brooks swallowed nervously and replied.

No one had any idea what was going on.

Is the world coming to an end?

What are these horrific monsters and the rift, the likes of which we’ve never seen before?

He wanted to flee to the capital with the other nobles, but he couldn’t abandon the many people of the north who were frightened and clueless.

Even though he worked for that damn emperor, Brooks was an administrative officer who always prioritized the nation and its people.

Above all, he couldn’t take his eyes off Alec, who was fighting the monsters.

“A wizard? A superhuman?”

What on earth is happening?

Brooks’ heart pounded as he covered his mouth with his hand, then lowered it again, pacing nervously.

Alec moved swiftly like the wind and used powers that seemed like magic to attack the monsters.

Since when did he possess such abilities?

Had he been deceiving everyone all this time, pretending to have no power?

Brooks recalled Marcel, who had constantly harassed and insulted Alec, now dead.

Not only Marcel but Garrison and Damien had also met their downfall.

Could it be that Alec was now starting his revenge on those who tormented him?

Brooks’ hands trembled uncontrollably.

“Now I see… Alec planning treason all along…”

Suddenly, everything made sense to Brooks, like pieces falling into place.

With his extraordinary power, Alec could kill the emperor without a second thought.

The emperor couldn’t move like the wind, nor could he fight off hundreds or thousands of monsters alone, like Alec!

“Alec!”

Brooks shouted Alec’s name, overwhelmed with emotion, slamming his fist on the window ledge.

“Keep fighting, Alec!”

“……”

He felt the wild men nearby casting strange looks at him.

But Brooks didn’t care.

In the distance, Alec stepped on each monster falling from the sky and climbed higher and higher.

The dead monsters fell helplessly onto Mount Kalanysh.

An eerie, blinding light followed Alec as if guarding him.

“He’s truly amazing! Without Alec, we’d all be monster food by now!”

“……”

People, who had been trembling in fear, turned their gazes to Brooks.

At that moment, Kels, one of the wild men, calmly approached Brooks’ side.

“Indeed, that lord must be an envoy of the gods.”

“An envoy of the gods?” Brooks turned to look at Kels.

The wild men, who Brooks was seeing for the first time, were significantly taller and larger than ordinary people.

One blow from an arm as thick as a tree trunk would probably shatter his skull.

Yet they seemed to be kind-hearted people, as the wild men were helping evacuate people alongside the nobles from the capital.

At the base of Mount Kalanysh, a wild man leader named Kililul was standing guard, preventing the monsters from descending the mountain.

Kels, staring intently at the distant sky, responded.

“It’s a legend passed down among our people. One day, an envoy of the gods will appear to protect us, and our tribe will continue for generations.”

“…Ah.”

“And that lord can move so fast he’s invisible, not to mention he found the legendary elixir, Hiliberry. Now he’s slaughtering those hideous invaders without mercy. He’s not just an amazing human. No, he’s not human at all.”

“……”

Brooks swallowed hard again as he looked out the window.

The wild men already seemed to know of Alec’ greatness.

It really did seem like he wasn’t human.

A chill ran down Brooks’ spine, as if he had barely escaped death.

“…It’s such a relief that Alec is on our side. I just hope he stays safe.”

At that moment, Alec, after defeating another monster right below the pitch-black rift, suddenly disappeared into it.

“……?!”

Brooks gasped, sticking his head out the window in shock, and the wild men inhaled sharply in surprise.

Why did he go in there!?

“Alec!”

Brooks shouted with all his strength, but his voice couldn’t reach Alec.

‘Damn it…’

Alec muttered a short curse as he entered the gate.

There were far too many monsters—so many that this went beyond even an S-class gate. Unless the boss monster inside was defeated, this wouldn’t end.

Alec made his way deeper into the gate, eliminating the monsters attacking him one by one, but still, the gate didn’t close. It was because a dungeon break had already occurred, with monsters spilling out in countless numbers.

“Gideon.”

As he summoned his familiar, Gideon appeared, enlarging its body to the size of a house.

[Grrrr.]

“Block the entrance.”

[Grrr!]

Gideon roared and dashed to the entrance. Now, his last remaining familiar was outside his system as well.

Cassdain was defending the north and acting as his eyes, while Olivia, the former empress, had already been sent to follow Louise. Since they were both women, perhaps placing Olivia secretly with Louise wouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Alec squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again. He needed to find the boss monster quickly and close this monstrous gate so that people wouldn’t be living in fear any longer.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the flood of monsters had earned him an incredible amount of experience points—an all-time high.

‘Though my level hasn’t increased due to the lack of affection…’

He let out a deep sigh. Louise was currently riding Harriet’s horse, heading somewhere. Likely toward the capital. But surely, she wouldn’t voluntarily head to the imperial palace—where could she be going? Mother’s house, where she was staying alone in the capital?

Even if Louise didn’t want to, Harriet would forcefully take her to the emperor. It seemed like the right moment to defeat Harriet and secure an opportunity through Olivia. Attacking the emperor would have to wait until Louise was safe.

At that moment, while continuing to slay monsters, a notification chimed.

[Check your rewards for advancing to Intermediate Husband status now!]

It was a notification that had popped up several times throughout the day.

As he continued fighting off the oncoming monsters, Alec opened the Intermediate Husband reward list.

[Congratulations on advancing to Intermediate Husband status! Defeat the tyrant Aksen and purge the forces of evil with the reward package!]

But did the system not realize he was currently on the verge of divorce?

Several windows appeared in quick succession.

[Intermediate Husband Upgrade Package (10 Items)]

[1. Intermediate Husband’s Healing Potion (3 bottles) – with added vitamins]

[2. Inventory expansion (10 slots)]

Inventory?

Alec hastily checked his inventory. Ten slots had opened in the previously closed inventory. Inside were familiar items—ten of the things he had stored in his inventory in his previous life.

Alec, slightly surprised, took out one weapon. Although he had to consume mana every time he used a skill, this sword allowed him to slay monsters without consuming mana. Now that he could carry weapons in his inventory, it would be much more convenient.

As he quickly checked the remaining rewards, he suddenly froze at the tenth reward.

[10. Alec’s Memory Potion (Phase 1)]

“…?”

Alec’s Memory Potion?

Alec was so stunned by the unexpected reward that he momentarily forgot he was still inside the gate.

Alec’s memories? What use could he have for Alec’s memories right now? Despite his initial doubts, curiosity surged, and he found himself eager to see what it contained.

Suddenly, his heart started pounding.

He never imagined he would receive something like this…

What kind of memories would he learn if he used that potion?

Screech!

A monster charged at him, and Alec narrowly lifted his sword to cut it down. He needed to hurry and find the boss monster’s room. Fighting off these lesser creatures was draining both his time and mana. Once he defeated the boss, he wouldn’t have to deal with these small fry any longer.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories