pop

At first, I was just hesitant.

Avan appears on Delmurin Island and meets his apprentice Dai. He becomes Dai's apprentice without much thought, but his fate is set in motion by Hadlar's attack.

Though trembling with fear, Popp set out on a journey with Dai. It was his first real battle in the Kingdom of Romos. He was overwhelmed by Dai's fighting style and devastated by his own powerlessness. Lacking the courage to stand up for his comrades, he regretted his actions many times and ran away many times.

But each time, someone spoke to him. A scolding from Maam. A lesson from Professor Avan. Dai's honest trust. Like a small spark, courage burned inside Pop little by little.

During the battle with Crocodine, he risked his life to cast a spell. Even though his legs were shaking, he stood before Hyunckel to protect his friends. He held back tears and clenched his fists to support Dai as he stood before his father, Baran.

But still, the fear did not disappear. As the battle with the Great Demon King Baam drew near, his heart nearly broke many times. But whenever he wavered, he remembered. The days when he laughed with his friends. The death of Master Avan. His reunion with Maam. And the back of Dai, whom he had seen closer than anyone else.

"I won't run away...!"

When he said that, the sign of Pop's opening flashed. It was the moment when the "courage" that had been sleeping inside him finally took shape.

He mastered Medroa and inherited the will of his master Matrip. In the deadly battle on the Land of Death, he risked his own life to protect his comrades. At the final battle with the Great Demon King Baan - the moment the world ended, Popp stood before anyone else.

He was no longer the boy who ran away.

After the final battle, Dai disappears. While everyone else is in mourning, Popp looks forward.

"Dai is alive. He's definitely fighting somewhere."

There was no basis for those words, but believing in them was the greatest strength the former coward had ever gained.

Pop's memories are filled with pain, tears, regret and fear. But it's all that has made him a true hero.

And he continues to travel.

With the mark of Avan in his heart, carrying the hopes of his comrades, he believes in the day he will meet the other hero once again.