My name is Yujin.
I feel like I had a last name once, but… unfortunately, after the Great Rift that occurred on Earth, my memories have been wiped clean since I reincarnated into this new world.
Even if I returned, there would be no one who would remember me anyway. Officially, my name is recorded as Chun Yujin or Choi Yujin, but now that the past is behind me, I’m simply called Yujin.
Well, let me get to the point.
Honestly, I never wanted to be a hero.
Of course, when I first realized I had entered a fantasy world, I was overwhelmed with emotions, including joy and excitement.
Living my isekai dream, like something out of a novel or a comic… No, in my case, it’s more of a dimensional jump than reincarnation.
Anyway, if you’ve dabbed in subculture or games, it was hard to not get caught up in the fantasy of wielding great powers and living lavishly.
In this world, I thought I could swing some strong power around and live like a king.
No one would dare to ignore me.
I could have kind and beautiful companions, or even a lover, and ponder happily about who to be with.
I wouldn’t have to worry about overflowing money or treasures.
I once fell into that delusion of grandeur.
Of course, that fantasy shattered barely a week after arriving in this new world.
Being chosen as a hero and using unheard-of powers sounded great, but could a weak human like me—who had never fought properly or killed anything—suddenly possess power and lose all morality and reason, turning cruel?
Humans are incredibly cruel beings, but conversely, they can’t just break the moral values they’ve built throughout their lives.
At first, it wasn’t a problem to kill people; even killing monsters was extremely challenging.
The kingdom and the powerful figures realized I had a weak-hearted nature and tried every trick to use me.
On the surface, they sweet-talked me with alluring words, but in reality, I was nothing more than a handy tool… or rather, like some pathetic fool they could exploit endlessly.
They weren’t giving me commands, but rather ‘requests’ to use me as they pleased.
Furthermore, the ability I had as a hero was the power to actualize what I believed in, to manifest truths.
I couldn’t do anything and everything, but I had the ability to make just about anything I could imagine possible.
I used that ability to make the kingdom prosperous.
Of course, I thought it was a good thing back then.
A beautiful princess praised me by my side, and the people of the kingdom cheered for me as if I were a divine hero.
The king himself often came to commend me, and the nobles were eager to befriend me through multiple lavish gatherings.
Living without a care in the world, I spent my days unaware of the horrific events silently raging around.
Yeah… at that time, I was nothing more than a foolish lucky brat who happened to be a hero.
Yet, I didn’t realize I was being used and ended up being a tool for their grand agendas for two whole years.
The first inkling that something was wrong came when I was ordered by the king to drive out an elven refugee village.
I believed the king’s claims that they invaded the kingdom, killing innocent citizens and looting their belongings. As a hero of justice, I chased the elves away.
I started to realize something strange when I recognized that there were no men among those elves.
Only women, children, and old elders, who resented me as they were dying.
“Why did you kill us…?”
“You devilish bastard!”
“What did we ever do!!”
“You’re more hateful than the Demon King!”
“Give us back our mothers!”
Only then did I realize something was wrong.
What I later found out was that those elves had not invaded the kingdom at all.
Their tribe had suffered devastating damage from the Demon King’s army, and rather than welcoming them, the kingdom had seen them as a nuisance and sent me to carry out a massacre of the helpless refugees.
While I was being a brainless tool for selfish rulers, the world had slipped into a quagmire.
The kingdom that had appointed me as a hero cast its eyes away from the world’s situation, thinking only of themselves; as long as there was no immediate crisis for their kingdom, they would strike at other nations and races from behind while growing in strength.
Because they had a hero.
If the Demon King came, the hero would handle it.
In despair, I decided to leave the kingdom.
Hastily, I went to the frontlines to confront the Demon King’s forces, realizing it was too late.
And there, I met Olgania.
Olgania, from the Great Forest.
She was a noble woman blessed by the World Tree and the Great Forest, yet she had left the Great Forest to confront the Demon King’s army as one of the five legendary heroes prophesied to fight against the Demon King.
Of course, the actual hero was somewhere out there, living carefreely like a dog asking for a bone, turning blind to the world.
“Hmph, a little human like you calls yourself a hero? What a world we live in.”
“…..”
“Quit zoning out and come help me set up camp. Or just go hide in some backwoods and waste your time like you’ve been doing!”
Our first meeting was marked with contempt and ridicule.
I wasn’t just hated by Olgania.
Everyone in the frontline fighting against the Demon King’s army gave me disapproving looks.
No wait… perhaps everyone in this world hated me.
And honestly, I couldn’t blame them.
The Seongnyeo had clearly stated that a hero had appeared in this world, yet this so-called hero was summoned, had yet to show his face on the frontline, ignoring all duties and responsibilities while busy indulging himself.
In the meantime, humanity was desperately trying to hold back the tide of the Demon King’s army with sacrificed lives.
The Seongnyeo, including Olgania and my companions… did not trust me.
I was treated as an untrustworthy hero.
Yeah, a hero used as a mere tool… dying would be more beneficial to this world so that a proper hero could be born.
But I, who had belatedly joined the frontline, fought desperately to prove myself.
For the first time, while wanting to operate without breaks, I realized what it meant to sweat blood and fight amidst shortages of resources and supplies.
I understood the true meaning of life-and-death struggles as we fought and killed one another.
I knew how bitterly sad and heartbreaking it was to lose a companion that fought alongside me.
War and violence—they’re truly dreadful.
I soon realized that I wasn’t as great as I thought.
Yet and still, I fought.
I fought desperately, hoping to somehow bring comfort to those who died by throwing aside my duties and responsibilities.
Fortunately, the Seongnyeo began to trust me first.
The mage taught me new spells, while the knight and archer showed me how to fight.
And Olgania continued to throw sharp words at me until the end.
“You’re slow.”
“Being strong doesn’t make you a hero. Your mental state is messed up.”
“Go back.”
“This place can hold its ground without you.”
“Kid, just go home.”
If Olgania’s critical remarks were collected, it could probably fill a few books.
But I stayed on the frontline.
Fighting again and again.
Back to back with my comrades. Stepping on the blood and corpses of my allies, I plunged my sword into the Demon King’s army.
Every day, while fighting amidst life-or-death situations, some of the powerful figures tried to secretly extract or win me over.
In particular, ‘the kingdom’ where I first arrived seemed to spare no effort to bring me back.
Of course, their temptations were sweet.
The frontline against the Demon King was hard, painful, horrific, sad, and grueling.
Each day, I felt a longing to return to a comfortable bed, a beautiful princess, the citizens looking up to me, surrounded by delicious food and drink in the palace.
Before being a hero, I was just a human named Yujin.
The temptation was quite effective. Honestly, I thought I was on the verge of falling for it.
But I had my companions.
Could I abandon the bond made with comrades stronger than blood that couldn’t even be defined by the words family, friend, or lover just to indulge in sweet temptation again?
Especially when Olgania happened to witness the kingdom’s envoy trying to sway me, her expression was one of disbelief.
“Good for you. You’re going back with those humans, huh? It’s hard, isn’t it?”
Hah, how can I go now?
How could I leave you behind?
When I heard Olgania’s words, her expression twisted slightly, which was rather enjoyable to see.
Out of sheer obstinacy, I refused to leave the frontline.
Then autumn’s white dragon changed the sky.
The summer’s heavy rain turned the earth to mud.
In spring, the pollen from the Alraune flower entranced both humans and the Demon King’s army alike.
During winter, the ice princesses born from the bitter cold simultaneously froze all life across the lands.
I endured it all.
I put in a serious effort.
In all honesty, I thought I fought really, really hard.
And so I… solidified our position on the frontline.
We won again and again.
At first inexperienced, I became adept at using my powers, leading humanity’s frontlines deeper into the Demon King’s territory.
We secured victories against the Demon King’s commanders and even triumphed over the notorious Demon King Yuja’s four heavenly kings, who had taken countless lives and devastated the land.
Many sacrifices were made, but ultimately, we won time and time again.
Until the Demon King himself descended.
I lost.
Simply put.
I was overwhelmingly defeated.
How could the Demon King have descended so soon?
Why did he arrive so quickly…?
The Demon King’s form had not yet been fully completed.
To create the body of the Demon King required human lives and malice.
However, as humanity continued to succeed at the frontline, the souls and lives needed to construct the Demon King’s body must have decreased dramatically.
Given the circumstances, we should have been confident of victory, so how could the Demon King have completed his body and descended faster than expected?
And then I realized later.
The ‘kingdom’ where I stayed and made prosperous had betrayed all of humanity.
They were terrified that once humanity won, they’d be held accountable for their attempts to undermine other nations and races while avoiding supporting the frontline against the Demon King.
Therefore, that kingdom desperately tried to woo me back to return to them, and when I ultimately refused, the entire kingdom, including the citizens, king, and nobles, threw themselves to the Demon King.
As the situation on the frontline trembled, they burned down the elves’ Great Forest.
They poisoned the rivers in the beastmen’s lands, and unleashed pestilence bombs received from the Demon King’s army into the heart of the empire.
Not stopping there, they end up massacring their own people and offering them to the Demon King.
Thanks to that, humanity was stabbed in the back, and once the balance collapsed, the frontlines crumbled.
Ah, this is all my fault.
Because I’m a hero, this is why it happened.
Because I lacked the qualifications, this is why it happened.
Because I couldn’t finish things, because I was sloppy, because I was weak and foolish, this terrible nightmare occurred!
No matter how much I screamed, the situation did not change.
Despite desperate efforts and struggles, the situation was dire. Trust began to dwindle, and with the emergence of the traitorous kingdom, my political standing became precarious.
It was as if I had significantly contributed to the creation of that traitorous kingdom.
Every effort thus far seemed futile. Even my former comrades began to distrust me.
Comrades died. One by one, my allies fell.
While I was fighting at the frontline, the Demon King had framed the most threatening Seongnyeo as a traitor witch, causing the Seongnyeo to vanish without a trace.
The mage died from the Demon King’s surprise attack.
The knight returned to his empire, which had been ravaged by pestilence, only to die too, with not even a corpse to be found.
The archer was poisoned by an assassin sent from the damned “traitorous kingdom.”
Thus, only Olgania and I remained to fight against the Demon King.
And we lost.
Olgania sustained a fatal wound while protecting me.
The Demon King showed no interest in the defeated me and simply walked away.
Of course, why would he be concerned?
What kind of hero could be this pathetic?
He probably walked away with disdain…
“Don’t die… please. Olga… Olgania. Please…”
But there was nothing I could do to save Olgania, who had been stabbed by the Demon King’s great sword.
No matter how much I tried using my power, pleading, I couldn’t heal her wounds.
Oh gods, please don’t take her away from me.
Please, please…
“…I just… never liked you… from the start…”
“Even if you didn’t, I… I beg you. Please, Olgania… don’t die.”
“You, a childish brat… what are you doing here?”
“……”
Only then did I realize that Olgania had been trying to push me away with her sharp words and tone.
Looking back, Olgania had often criticized, teased me, and seemed to deliberately keep her distance…
Somehow, we ended up becoming closer than family, lovelier than lovers, and more reliable than comrades.
I prayed for her to not die.
Please, don’t take her away from me.
She is my last hope.
Just give me a little time. Please.
“I am, the child of the World Tree… Yujin, if I die… bury me there… and…”
“Burn the World Tree, which has already been defiled.”
“Though tainted by the Demon King, if you inherit the power of the World Tree… you…”
With those final words, Olgania ceased to breathe.
Yes, I understood.
Olga.
I will accomplish it.
I will burn the World Tree and absorb its power to kill the Demon King.
I’ll slay that despicable bastard!!!
Thus, I buried Olgania beneath the World Tree.
Despite the elves burning the Great Forest by humans, they surprisingly opened their paths to me.
Because I was the hero. Because I had brought Olgania’s corpse.
Because they believed in me.
The elves were probably unaware… that the World Tree had already been defiled by the Demon King.
And I buried Olgania’s body beneath the World Tree… and set it ablaze.
I absorbed its power.
Fearing that wouldn’t be enough, I grabbed a horrifying cursed sword sealed at the northernmost point, guarded by dragons.
This should be enough.
Watch over me, Olgania. I will win.
Then I went to seek the Demon King.
I fought.
I fought ceaselessly.
Forgetting even the passage of time, I fought desperately.
Even if it meant dying at this spot, I fought to kill that bastard.
While fighting, countless thoughts flooded my mind.
If just one of my comrades had been here, I might have won.
If just one was here, I might not have felt so lonely…
Is anyone there?
I feel so lonely.
But don’t worry.
This time, I will definitely defeat that vile Demon King.
I’ll bring peace.
I’m a hero.
[It’s over.]
Suddenly, the Demon King put away his sword after fighting tirelessly for dozens of days, and I tilted my head in confusion.
Is it over? What exactly is?
Nothing has ended.
I won’t fall until I kill you.
[This world’s destruction has been completed.]
What?
[Come to think of it, you’re an outsider. Then I have no more business with you.]
With those words, the Demon King disappeared.
The Demon King’s army, along with the Demon King’s castle, vanished entirely.
I couldn’t comprehend the situation and rushed outside.
Darkness, darkness, darkness.
Only darkness remained.
The sun, the sky, the air, even the land were tainted by the malignant forces of the Demon King, everything rotting away.
“Ah, ah…”
I walked.
To the place where the empire once stood.
To the place where the elves’ Great Forest once thrived.
To where the traitor kingdom existed.
Even to the land where the beastkin once lived, the desert and plateaus, the jungles where Alraune pollen once danced in spring…
I went to quiet, remote villages too, and to the sea at the edge of the continent.
Nowhere was there anything.
No Demon King, no humans, no beasts, no life, no dragons, no monsters, no insects, no flowers, no trees…
There was nothing.
I would’ve preferred finding corpses, at least, but in places where things had long decayed into dust, even finding a corpse was a challenge.
Ah, right.
There is nothing.
Except for me.
Nothing exists.
Only then did I scream.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
What kind of hero am I!!!!
What kind of, what kind of, WHAT THE FK AM I!!!!
I’m not a hero! It’s all a lie! This is a terrible nightmare! Someone wake me up!
Olga!!
Where are you, Olka!
Ahhhh!
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!
And then I, the hero Yujin, returned to Earth.
Yeah, since the world has been destroyed, it’s only natural for the hero to be banished.
Oh, I’m no hero.
I’m a liar.
I’m nothing but a liar of lies.
Just a simple liar…
For a while, I fell into despair.
However, when I closed my eyes, I heard the voices of my lost companions.
“Keep going.”
“Don’t stop.”
“Are you going to stay like this?”
Olga’s nagging voice echoed in my head, commanding me to get up immediately.
Thanks to that, I gathered a little strength.
I couldn’t save the previous world.
But the Earth I returned to was on the brink of collapse due to the Great Rift and the emergence of gates.
So I thought it made sense that a hero who had failed to protect a world had been given another chance.
I fought alongside Yeonseo, the first S-grade hunter.
Hard work… yeah, I became accustomed to it.
Thus, Earth was rebuilt just as it stood at the edge of destruction.
I too, adapted again.
Pretending to be fine, I lived.
Until the ‘Elf Great Forest’ reappeared on Earth.
Ah, I’m a liar and a sinner.
Olga, did you come to judge me?
Olga…
But I was a coward.
I couldn’t go to the Great Forest.
I needed to go, yet I kept postponing.
Even though I had an invitation from the Great Forest, I threw it into the fireplace several times.
Olga… Olga… I’m sorry, Olga.
The hero who failed to protect the world… will never be able to see you again…
“Hey, the moment you open your mouth, it’s a lie.”
“What?”
“Your appearance is a lie. Your voice is a lie. Among everything you said, the only truth is that you’re the leader of the Returnee Group and that you’re looking for the traces of the Demon King. Is your ability to lie itself? Even your S-grade title is a lie?”
“……..!”
Ah, what a relief.
Instead of a lying hero who failed to protect the world… if it’s the Seongnyeo who succeeded in protecting the world…
“I don’t know much else, but I know one reason why I hate you.”
“…….”
“As a Seongnyeo, I cannot recognize you as a hero.”
