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Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Many of the people summoned using the same method that brought us here came from worlds similar to modern Japan. The terms adventurer, hero, and Demon Lord had been created by these summoned individuals. Their treatment varied across generations. Some were looked after while they were still weak, and allowed to live peacefully after defeating the Demon Lord. Others were enslaved early on, stripped of their freedom before they could grow stronger.

Although the former heroes and the current ones differed greatly when it came to how much battle experience they had, the outcome of their fight was not that different. The heroes summoned later on tended to grow stronger much faster than the ones summoned in the beginning. And there was one more thing. It wasn’t explicitly detailed, but I noticed a glaring discrepancy.

“Hey, Michihisa.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Heroes summoned with the new method, heroes like us. All of them seem to die young, don’t they?”
“Now that you mention it. It doesn’t say why, but former heroes are mentioned for about fifty years after their arrival, while the newer ones disappear from records within ten years of defeating the Demon Lord.”

Michihisa, who was usually so indifferent, studied the documents with a rare, serious expression. That was how grave this revelation felt. If that was the case, then the conclusion forming in my mind might not have been wrong after all.

“We’re so much stronger than your average high-school kid, aren’t we? Even if coming to this world makes it easier for us to grow stronger, we’re improving much faster than other people.”
“So you’re saying… we’re gaining strength at the cost of our lifespan?”
“You know how in Forbidden Magic, they say you die quickly in exchange for power¹?”
“Something similar must have been used… It makes sense. If they wanted stronger heroes, they would also want them to die soon after achieving peace.”

Michihisa’s words made sense. In other words, we had to consider the possibility that our life expectancy was steadily decreasing. There were no noticeable abnormalities in our bodies yet, and in theory, our lifespans should have lasted at least until we defeated the Demon Lord.

Still, if someone suddenly became too strong, their body might not be able to keep up. There was a real chance that an overwhelming status increase could overload the body, causing hidden damage to accumulate over time.

“And there’s not a single mention of any of them returning to their original world.”
“So going back is hopeless. And our lifespan is shrinking. They’ve done a number to us.”
“But it’s not like we’re going to die right now².”
“That’s true. In the meantime, let’s find out everything we can.”
“Yeah.”

With that, I returned to silently scanning the documents.

The six nations founded by the first heroes had long since flourished. Though only historical records remained to describe what those times were like, it was safe to say that the world back then had been far more prosperous than it was today.

The climate had been mild, the harvests abundant. They had possessed a wealth of magical tools, making life far more comfortable than it was now. That civilization had been nothing short of legendary, almost like something out of a dream. Reading these documents, one might even doubt whether such prosperity had ever truly existed.

After all, the summoning of heroes itself had nearly become the stuff of legend. And yet, we had been summoned. I was certain that we could grow as powerful as the heroes that had come before us.

If that was the case, then I had no reason to believe these stories were false. But if spirits truly existed and had once resided in each of the six nations, why did the kingdoms decline?

That was because the spirits themselves had weakened.

It was only a theory, but if the prosperity of those nations depended on the power of spirits, then their decline made sense. Once the spirits weakened, the nations would inevitably follow.

Now, returning to the matter of Fraus. They had likely summoned us to wage their war against the Nigel Kingdom despite there not even being a Demon Lord. I suspected that Fraus spoke of the Nigel Kingdom as if it was currently ruled by the Demon Lord exactly for that matter. They must have realized that the spirit of their kingdom was weakening.

For that reason, Fraus wanted to wage war against the Nigel Kingdom, their perceived enemy, and seize the spirit that resided there. But the Fraus Kingdom lacked the strength to do so. Thus, they turned to the summoning of heroes, just as had been done in the past. At least, that was one way to see it.

Or perhaps they simply wished to ensure the prosperity of their nation. Regardless, it felt to me that the true purpose of this war was to claim the Nigel Kingdom spirit. But there was also the possibility that Fraus saw Nigel as a threat, be that as a dangerous rival or as a natural enemy.

“That’s how I see it. What do you think, Michihisa?”
“I agree that Fraus is likely going after the spirit. But I believe that the real issue here is that the spirits are weakening.”
“Why?”
“Look at this.”

Michihisa pointed to a passage in the documents. It was an oracle that had once descended upon this world. The wording was archaic and difficult to decipher, but simply put it read, “If the spirits are not free, there will be no turning back.”

And then, just before I could finish my thought, the world shook. At first, I thought it was an earthquake, but the sheer scale of it was beyond anything I had ever experienced. The impact was way bigger. Then, from above, from the ceiling of the underground archive, came the sound of chaos erupting outside.

“Something’s happening,”

Michihisa said, quickly gathering up the documents before running toward the exit. I followed close behind. When outside, I noticed the weather had turned stormy. Looking in the distance, I could see tornadoes had formed.

Students huddled together in fear, but soon, the storm began to subside. Still, the scale of what had just happened was too great to simply subside like that.

“Michihisa. Could this mean the world is in danger?”
“Either way, I think that we should figure out a way to free the spirits³.”

There was no point worrying about our shortened lifespans if the world itself was doomed before we ever reached the end of them. And with that, our next goal was set.

1. Robinxen: Ah so it was as I speculated in one of my potential explanations, they baked in the ritual for gaining extra power to a core facet of the summoning ritual. They basically slapped a huge exp multiplier onto the heroes knowing that the body will break down from the accelerated pace.
2. Robinxen: Additionally in this theory you could extend your lifespan by minimising any activity that increases your power, as long as you remain as weak as possible or get strong as slowly as possible it should balance out enough that you barely notice.
3. Robinxen: Unexpected allies in the baggage area! Let’s go! Spirit-vengers Assemble!

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