The first tag was inside a broken supply cart.

It had been pinned beneath a crate, half buried in the dirt.

When I picked it up, I could still read the name.

Marlow.

The second tag was lying beside a fallen flagpole.

The remains of what had once been a supply tent during the event still stood there.

The white canvas had already been removed, leaving only the lonely support poles behind.

The name on it was Eda.

While searching for the third tag, a small shadow suddenly darted out from behind a scorched boulder.

An Ash Lizard.

One of the lingering remnants left behind by the Ash-Crowned Dragon.

Its level was slightly lower than mine, and it was alone.

Even so, I’d let my guard down while exploring the abandoned battlefield, and its opening attack landed cleanly.

“Ow—!”

A sharp heat shot through my arm.

That single hit shaved away nearly ten percent of my HP.

I drew my daggers and leaped backward.

Even though its level was lower, the Ash Lizard was fast.

It spat a thin stream of fire while gliding across the scorched ground.

Normally, I should have used Detection before checking behind the rocks.

Unlike previous events, this world event apparently didn’t treat the battlefield ruins as a safe zone.

I was still only a Level 44 Hume Scout who hadn’t completed my second class advancement.

I couldn’t use the flashy skills I’d seen in strategy videos yet.

The only abilities available to me were a few Scout evasion skills and several dagger techniques.

Using one of the trenches beneath my feet, I widened the distance between us.

The instant the Ash Lizard leaped—

“Throwing Dagger.”

The dagger I hurled sank into its side.

Taking advantage of the opening, I rushed in and slashed its neck with my spare dagger.

There was no dramatic sound.

No spectacular visual effect.

The Ash Lizard let out a small cry before crumbling into ash.

It dropped one Ash Lizard Hide.

It wasn’t worth much, even if I sold it.

“…Well, that’s about what you’d expect from my damage.”

I retrieved my thrown dagger before looking behind the rock again.

The third identification tag was there.

The name engraved on it was Lutz.

The fourth tag was beside a small grave marker at the edge of the battlefield.

Calling it a grave marker might have been generous.

It was nothing more than three stones stacked together.

During the raid, it had probably existed as nothing more than background scenery.

Players sprinting through the battlefield would never have noticed it.

Amid all those dazzling effects, it would have looked like just another part of the terrain.

The tag was engraved with the name Nora.

Before picking it up, I stopped for a moment.

It felt strange to find something like this after a victorious event.

For the players, the Ash-Crowned Dragon Graum raid had been a tremendous success.

There had been exclusive equipment.

Streams had exploded in popularity.

The progression raiders had made names for themselves.

Yet here on the battlefield inside the game, even after victory, small grave markers like this remained behind.

Someone on the development team had probably created this scene intentionally.

Whether players noticed it or not didn’t matter.

It offered no rewards.

It had nothing to do with progression.

Which was probably why almost no one had ever seen it.

Especially when this entire area was about to disappear.

I picked up the identification tag.

The fifth and final tag was at the northernmost end of the hills.

I recognized this place from the official broadcast.

This should have been where the Ash-Crowned Dragon in the First Battlefield had finally fallen.

The earth had been gouged open, and a massive black scorch mark covered the center.

This was where Astrega’s attacker had driven their sword into the dragon during the final scene of the livestream.

Off to one side sat a broken supply crate.

Inside were countless empty healing potion bottles.

Potions that had reached the front lines.

Potions that had been used.

Potions that had kept someone alive long enough to deliver the final blow.

At the bottom of that crate lay the fifth identification tag.

Seil.

The moment I collected the fifth one, the quest log updated.

[Deliver the Seventh Supply Unit’s Identification Tags to Roy.]

I slowly walked back down the hill.

Roy was still waiting beside the supply wagon.

Looking around, the withdrawal work was nearly finished.

The tent supports had already been removed.

The remains of the campfires had been buried beneath fresh soil.

Once the event timer expired, this instance would close.

According to the official announcement, after the next maintenance, traces of the Ash-Crowned Dragon raid would remain as part of the normal Lost Hills field.

It wasn’t as though everything would simply vanish without a trace.

But this place itself wouldn’t remain forever either.

And that was fine.

That was exactly why I wanted to see it before it disappeared.

“Roy, I found them.”

I handed over the collected identification tags.

Roy accepted them one by one.

“Marlow… Eda… Lutz… Nora… Seil…”

He quietly read each name aloud.

It was only prerecorded game dialogue, yet every word was slow and gentle.

“…Thank you, Traveler.”

“Now their names can be included alongside the victory report.”

“…Will they make it in time?”

“I don’t know.”

Roy gave a faint, bittersweet smile.

“The names engraved upon the victory monument will surely be those of the ones who defeated the dragon.”

“The travelers who fought on the front lines deserve that recognition.”

“They should be remembered.”

“But if the names of the Seventh Supply Unit can remain… even if only in the corner of a report…”

Roy held the identification tags tightly against his chest.

“…Then that is enough.”

A completion message appeared before my eyes.

[Afterstory Quest: The Names That Never Appeared in the Victory Report — Complete]

The instant it did, a clear bell echoed across the sky.

[World Announcement]

[The unrecovered records from the Ash-Crowned Dragon Graum campaign have been updated.]

[The names of the Seventh Supply Unit will be added to the Royal Capital Victory Monument.]

“…Huh?”

I froze.

My name wasn’t mentioned.

Neither was Roy’s.

But that announcement had just appeared in every player’s window across the entire world.

Then the reward appeared.

Experience Gained: 18

“…That’s tiny.”

The words slipped out before I could stop myself.

Another notification appeared beneath it.

You have obtained a Record.

[Ash Campaign — Seventh Supply Unit Roster]

Category: Record

Rarity: World Unique

Effect: Displays potential connections to related records.

Description: A supply unit roster discovered during the withdrawal phase following the defeat of the Ash-Crowned Dragon Graum.

The names hidden beneath the glory of victory are preserved here.

Notes: No related records are currently connected.

“…Huh… I can’t even use it?”

I couldn’t help laughing.

Eighteen experience.

It couldn’t be equipped.

It couldn’t be sold.

It couldn’t even be used.

It even had a section labeled Related Records, yet all it displayed was No Related Records Connected.

World Unique.

The only record of its kind in the entire game.

If it had been a weapon or a piece of armor with that rarity, players would have gone into a frenzy.

Instead, it was nothing more than a log that couldn’t be equipped or traded.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.

Roy climbed onto the supply wagon.

“I’ll be leaving now.”

“Please take care, Traveler.”

“…Roy.”

“Where are you headed after this?”

“Back to the royal capital.”

“I have a report to deliver.”

After saying that, Roy looked quietly toward the sky.

“The next time I pass through this land, I will likely be serving on another assignment.”

“I may never have another chance to speak of the Ash-Crowned Dragon campaign.”

“Doesn’t that make you sad?”

“A supply soldier follows wherever the front line advances.”

At that moment, a small metal tag hanging around Roy’s neck swayed in the breeze.

Unlike the others, it wasn’t blackened by fire.

It was clean.

The engraving read—

Seventh Supply Unit — Roy.

“Roy…”

“You were part of the Seventh Supply Unit too.”

“…Yes.”

“But my name still remains upon the road ahead.”

Roy lowered his eyes to the five identification tags we’d gathered.

“The names that deserve to remain here are those who stopped walking on these hills.”

Roy looked up at the sky.

“Even so, I will add my own name to the Seventh Supply Unit roster.”

“As the one who brought them home to the royal capital.”

Then Roy smiled.

“If their names can remain somewhere…”

“That alone is enough for me.”

The wagon slowly began to move.

I silently watched it disappear into the distance.

Before long, Roy’s nameplate faded into the gray horizon and vanished.

I was the only one left on the battlefield.

The wind blew softly.

No victory music played across the scorched hills anymore.

I was glad I had come here today.

Before I knew it, midnight had passed, and the reward exchange period had ended.

After the progression raiders had all gone home…

There were still a few things inside this game that hadn’t truly come to an end.