Benjamin Guide

Born in a small town in the northern reaches of the Herma Empire, Benjamin Reuter was raised in humble conditions by his ailing single mother.

He began working farm fields at a young age, and as a result he developed remarkable physical strength despite his thin build. At eighteen, he enlisted in the Imperial Army, seeking a better life. His innate talents as a leader and tactician made him an immediate standout, but it was his swordsmanship that truly set him apart from his peers.

Benjamin became known for his unique dual-wielding combat style, commanding respect and admiration from his comrades. He was recognized for his exceptional skill and granted the honor of wielding the Herma Empire's powerful new weapon: a pair of lightning swords, "Birel" (the beginning), a longsword, and "Tarom" (the end), a broadsword.

The lightning enchantments on these blades produced powerful vibrations that made them notoriously difficult to control. Yet, Benjamin was capable of wielding them with complete mastery.

At the age of twenty, Benjamin led a special forces squad during the "Operation: Black Temple," striking and seizing a critical stronghold deep in enemy territory.

His swordplay, said to cut through darkness like talons slicing through flesh, earned him the nickname "Stormhawk."

After being promoted to lieutenant, Benjamin took command of an elite Imperial special operations unit. But as his reputation soared, news from home brought him different concerns. His mother had passed away, leaving him responsible for his three younger siblings.

By twenty-four, Benjamin was already a celebrated war hero, leading successful operations across key fronts. However, everything changed during "Operation: Highland Shadow." His squad was betrayed by an informant and walked into a deadly ambush. Despite being gravely injured, Benjamin fought fiercely to save his unit, but none of them survived.

Only Benjamin managed to emerge alive, staggering back through enemy lines over the course of three harrowing days. He was hailed a hero, but Benjamin couldn't forgive himself for being the only survivor.

As he lay in his hospital bed, Benjamin was haunted by the final looks of despair in his soldiers' eyes. After six long months in recovery, he made the decision to file for honorable discharge.

In a rare move for the empire, he was permitted to keep Birel and Tarom, the legendary lightning blades, in recognition of his service. He returned home with the sole goal of caring for his siblings, Martin, Eliza, and Thomas.

Upon returning to his hometown, Benjamin emptied his retirement funds to start the fixer agency 『Blind Spot』 in the capital city of Epitar. Thanks to his heroic reputation, the agency quickly gained fame, and he executed all requests flawlessly, from security to tactical planning.

However, with Martin preparing for medical school, Eliza learning music, and Thomas suffering from a chronic illness, money was always tight.

The only luxury he allowed himself was a warm cup of milk tea each morning as he planned his day. The perfect cup of tea enjoyed in solitude was his only respite.

Benjamin was a perfectionist during his service in the military and didn't lighten up at all after becoming a fixer. He stuck to his schedule strictly: checking the request log every morning and never neglecting his swordsmanship training.

As Benjamin gained a reputation for his systematic management and diligence, the agency began to receive more dangerous and secretive requests. And of course, these requests promised more compensation.

However, the constant self discipline, dangerous tasks, and added responsibility of caring for his family made Benjamin chronically exhausted. While he was always alert, dark circles shadowed his eyes, and he frequently became visibly annoyed at unexpected changes to his workload or additional requests from clients.

"Is this really necessary?" quickly became his catchphrase, and while his clients valued his skills, many found his cold and withdrawn mannerisms off-putting.

But the fact remained that, in a crisis, no one was more reliable than Benjamin, so his agency was never short on work.

A month ago, a letter bearing the seal of Lord Archibald arrived at the agency. It was no ordinary request.

It was a request to find Archibald himself, who had gone missing. Archibald, who kept appearances as a kind benefactor, was in reality a greedy smuggler. Archibald had become fascinated by the strange seed that had swallowed his ship whole in the heart of the Grand Ocean, the 「Maleficent Sea」. Then, consumed by the delusion of utilizing that ominous seed as a weapon of war, he had set sail to the Grand Ocean and gone missing.

Benjamin instinctively felt repulsed by the terrible energy radiating from the enclosed seed. However, as the sole breadwinner in his family, he couldn't refuse the Archibald family's offer to provide full financial support for his siblings while he was away. Ultimately, he set out, promising his siblings that he would return home within a month.

But Benjamin had no intention of rushing out to the Grand Ocean. Instead, he believed investigating the origins of the seed would hold the key to solving this case.

Late at night, in the Kingdom of Solismenamus...

In a shabby inn on the outskirts of Hananis, Benjamin jolted awake, gasping for breath, torn from yet another nightmare of the day he lost his comrades. Cold sweat clung to his skin, and the only comfort he found was in the two swords resting beside his bed.

But then the dull throb returned to his temples, reminding him that he'd already been on the road from half a month. During that time he'd questioned a handful of hunters and adventurers, and he'd witnessed more incidents the seeds caused and fought monsters the Void energy had corrupted. When he witnessed the monastery get crushed by the giant vines that had sprouted from one of the seeds, he realized in horror that the wreckage of the sailboat was nothing in comparison.

The closer he drew to the destructive force known as the Void, the more tense Benjamin became.

What if his homeland, Herma, was consumed by it? What if he were to lose his siblings? As a dreadful vision blurred the faces of his fallen comrades with those of his siblings in a dreadful vision, Benjamin shook his head violently to drive it away.

There was only one task left now: he needed to meet that group that was after the Void.

After that, all that was left was to head to the Grand Ocean in search of his foolish client who had staked his life on this bizarre phenomenon. Savoring the warm scent of milk tea one last time, Benjamin rose from the table and forced a casual confidence into his step.

He was headed to the gathering hub 「Python」.