Clochi listened quietly to Yang Yu's story, with each image gradually materializing before his eyes.

...

"Big sister, what's wrong?"

"Clochi, listen to me, Lux has been holed up in his room for three whole days now. The person he respects the most is you, please go and have a chat with him."

Walking into the dimly lit room, a frail little boy curled up in the corner.

Hearing the sound, the little boy faintly lifted his head, his gaze blank, and as soon as their eyes met, he shrank back into the corner.

"Lux, I want to talk to you."

"..."

"I heard they found a body on the outskirts of the village..."

The little boy clutched his head tightly, burying it even deeper into his knees, trembling,

"It's not my fault, definitely not my fault, it's all that guy's fault, acting all high and mighty even though he's barely older than me, and he keeps calling me a runt...

What's more infuriating is... he bullied Little Hua and even claimed to be..."

As he spoke, the little boy couldn't help but cry inconsolably and suddenly stood up, throwing himself into his arms.

...

After that.

...

"Uncle... I want to become strong, please teach me how to become strong."

"Why do you suddenly want to become strong?"

"Because, I've decided to become a Hero myself. Tell me, what should a real Hero be like?"

...

After that.

...

"Have you really decided, Lux? You'll be leaving the village to live on your own."

"Yeah. Finding reliable companions is also part of being a qualified Hero."

"I don't have much to give you, so I'll give you this sword that has been with me for many years.

This sword is special, it will never break as long as you gather the materials.

Of course, it's nothing compared to a real Holy Sword."

"Such a valuable thing... I'll accept it, thank you, Uncle."

...

After that.

...

"Wait, Clochi! This job is too dangerous, I absolutely won't allow you to do it."

"Big sister, if I don't do it, then that kid Lux, he will definitely..."

...

After that.

...

"Uncle, what on earth happened, what exactly is this terrible state..."

"Lux, as you can see, I'm now an executive for the Demon King. They were all killed by me."

...

...

Perhaps, I made a fairly terrible choice.

But, it was the best solution I could think of.

...

I don't know how much time has passed.

...

"Long time no see, Uncle."

"Long time no see. I once told you the truth, now it's my turn to know the truth, right?"

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Lux. All of this, it's all my fault."

The last time I saw Lux, the young boy had long since become an old man in the twilight of his life, his eyes deep yet resolute, as if nothing could shake his determination anymore.

That Lux, once timid and prone to tears, could actually show such an expression.

Time really can change a person a lot.

At that time, all Clochi could do was continuously apologize and then, accept the task to guard the "Hall of Power."

Although he wanted to ask Lux what kind of adventures he had embarked on after his death, Clochi knew he had no right to learn of his adventures throughout the years.

Inside Clochi's heart, there had always been an unrealistic yet wonderfully beautiful fantasy.

The Demon King was finally repelled, and a family joyfully gathered around the hearth. Only, it wouldn't be Clochi sharing his own adventure stories, but a triumphant Lux recounting his.

"It's really unexpected, he truly did become a real hero."

After hearing Yang Yu's story, Clochi let out a long sigh, yet he seemed not so surprised,

"From that time on, he began to grow at a surprising rate. That he would one day reach this point was within expectation."

Observing Clochi, Yang Yu could see the extremely content smile on his face.

Despite having just talked about the massacre of his own village, he listened intently to the stories of Lux's adventures.

Yang Yu seemed to sense something worth digging into and cautiously probed:

"I've told you everything that I know.

You and Lux come from the same hometown, and I've conquered so many of Lux's mazes that I gradually wanted to understand more about the story behind this hero.

Could you share with me the stories of Lux that you remember?"

"Lux has made his contribution to this world, and it wouldn't be bad to have it passed down.

About the Lux that I understand...

Perhaps I never really took the time to understand him.

So even if you ask me to tell a few stories about Lux, I really wouldn't be able to say much."

Clochi expressed his refusal diplomatically.

Yang Yu could not press on with his inquiry and had to find another approach,

"Then could you tell me about your life?"

After pondering for a moment, Clochi, with his arms crossed, laughed and said,

"It's the mundane story of an anonymous weakling struggling in agony.

My name, or the names of other soldiers who fought in that war, will hardly have anything to record us in history.

I am both human and once a member of the Demon King Army's executive ranks.

This identity in itself is quite special.

But in our era, this identity was not special at all, on the contrary, it was quite common.

Even though I betrayed humanity, by my own strength alone, it wouldn't be enough for my name to go down in infamy.

My story is like a speck of dust, blown away with a breath, peeling from history and vanishing without a trace."

"But what you did indirectly influenced history, and that impact on history must have influenced many others."

"You certainly have a way with words, kid. But... "

Clochi faintly overlaid Yang Yu's figure with the memory of that immature figure from the past, but as soon as they overlapped, the two images naturally drifted apart.

Even though they shared similar words, this young man before him was not Lux.

Clochi wondered if Lux, when fighting through thorns to defeat the Demon King, would ever have an expression similar to that of the young man before him.

Probably not!

When Lux's sword pierced his chest, even if Lux had attained much growth, Clochi knew that deep down, Lux still hadn't shed his immaturity and weakness.

If his death could make Lux a little stronger, help him take a step toward becoming a true hero, then his death would have some meaning.

That's what he thought as he died.

But as for what impact it actually had on Lux, that remained unclear.

"But... that should be a story to be told later."

Clochi stood up from the ground, spread his arms wide, and laughed:

"As an aside, I've spoken a bit too much.

I'll ask again, which one of you wants to be my opponent?

If you are here for strength, then take on the four Demon God statues as your opponents.

If you have simply stumbled in here, without desire or need, then defeating me will be enough.

Now, choose!

Do you truly thirst for the strength contained within this maze?"

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