Chapter 8

After writing it, I thought, this kid has way too much talent for a rural troublemaker.

---

I wanted to be a hero, like the protagonist of a story.

Since I was a kid, I was always quick to fight and was treated as a troublemaker both at home and in the village. I was always compared to my older brother, who was excellent and smart, and this made me even more rebellious, creating a vicious cycle.

What changed me was a book. The book, "The Adventures of Hero Radd," which my brother brought back from the capital as a gift, was a very ordinary hero's tale written for children. While I said, "What, reading a picture book now?" with my mouth, I was so engrossed in the story that I read it over and over again in a single day.

A boy who was just a villager meets his companions, overcomes numerous difficulties, and eventually becomes a hero.

As I became captivated by this story, I began to see myself in the book's protagonist and decided to become an adventurer. It didn't take long for me to feel that I was taking the first step toward becoming a hero. When I heard that my name "Radd" was taken from the book's protagonist, I became even more immersed in it.

I started using the time I had previously wasted on training. The training was tough, but fortunately, I was physically strong and good at physical activities. I was happy as I gradually became able to do more things, and the feeling of making progress gave me strength.

Gradually, the way the villagers looked at me changed. They started greeting me, and I even began learning swordsmanship from a retired knight in the village and monster behavior from a hunter. The range of things I could do expanded.

Thanks to this, by the time three years had passed, there was no one my age who could match me. I felt that I was taking the first step toward becoming a hero.

---

On my sixteenth birthday, I left the village and registered at the adventurer's guild in a nearby town. On that same day, I met three others in similar circumstances and formed a party.

That's right.

It was as if by a miracle that four new adventurers gathered at that place and time.

No, this must be fate, I thought.

---

A hero is loved by fate.

This is one of my favorite sayings.

The protagonist of a story is always in a strange fate, thrown into harsh circumstances, yet they hone their power.

So, my departure must also be blessed by fate.

With these four, we will form a team and become the best adventurers in the world.

I was so excited, thinking about it.

And in fact, all of my party members were amazing.

Nuke, the mage, could use magic and was always calm, providing the best answers when the party was confused.

Prana, the scout, had a tough personality and didn't get along with me, but she had the fastest situational judgment and an outstanding ability to detect enemies.

Then there was Mana, another girl who was skilled in healing magic. She was shy and timid, but during our first cave adventure, that impression was completely shattered.

With the sharpest insight, she saw through the traps and solved riddles that I couldn't figure out at all. Yet, she didn't act superior at all and smiled slightly when I praised her.

When I saw Mana's smile, for some reason, I felt my heart leap.

Anyway, I thought our party was full of amazing people, and our adventure was going smoothly, until we met "that man" at the deepest part of the cave.

---

At the deepest part of the test cave, we encountered a strange man.

He was dressed all in black and started shouting incomprehensible things as soon as we met. Apparently, he was a Class A adventurer named Rex.

I knew that being a Class A adventurer was impressive, but to be honest, he didn't look like a great adventurer at all.

He was thin and didn't have the aura of a strong person. His gentle appearance might have been popular with women, but it felt shallow. The Class C adventurers we met at the guild before we left seemed stronger.

His attitude was also strange.

I got annoyed when Mana kept praising such a suspicious man and ended up cursing at him, but the man, or rather, the old man, didn't even argue back.

An adventurer is finished if they are underestimated.

If he didn't argue back here, he wasn't an adventurer.

(Could this guy be a fraud pretending to be a Class A adventurer?)

But that suspicion was quickly dispelled.

The technique he used on the goblins we encountered on the way back, the terrifying skill he used to defeat the gargoyle that was attacking a girl in one hit, and the quick thinking to escape through the cave to avoid the pursuers.

All of these were worthy of a Class A adventurer, or rather, they surpassed my imagination of a great adventurer. I was completely overwhelmed, even though I was still cursing with my mouth.

And then...

Just when we were about to reach a safe town.

---

Despair descended before us.

A demon with a sinister aura.

More terrifying than any monster I had ever seen, more terrifying than any great warrior I had ever met, a winged demon.

Even without the Insight skill, I could tell how strong the demon was.

The intense pressure I felt on my skin from a distance and the force of the spear he casually swung were enough to show how powerful he was.

In other words,

...the "rank" of existence was too different.

Such a thing couldn't be an opponent for a human.

No matter how great a Class A adventurer, there was no way they could fight such an opponent.

But my imagination was easily overturned.

Perfect foresight, as if he could read the enemy's future movements.

Then, using unbelievable techniques, Rex fought against the demon.

(No way! Is he using Arts, stacking them!?)

Arts are completed techniques.

In other words, power given by the gods, which I had never thought could be used in such a way.

The shock of my sixteen years of common sense collapsing.

But it didn't end there.

Unseen techniques and incomprehensibly advanced mind games.

Before I knew it, I had forgotten about helping and was completely absorbed in the heavenly battle.

...But then, I realized.

Rex was fighting the demon on equal terms with superlative skill, but it was like walking on thin ice, a continuous tightrope walk.

Rex's movements were indeed outstanding.

But, in other words, even with such a fighting style, he couldn't overwhelm the demon.

If Rex made even one mistake, his life could be taken in an instant.

Yet, why...

(Why can you face it like that...!)

The demon's spear roared with a chilling roar, easily gouging the ground.

If it caught Rex's body, it would surely cut him in two.

On the other hand, Rex's all-out attack only managed to slightly cut the demon's skin.

Logically, the outcome of this battle was clear.

Still, there was no resignation in Rex's occasional sideways glance.

He didn't freeze in fear or get swallowed by the madness of battle.

Rex remained Rex, throwing himself into the hopeless battle.

--- Just to protect us, a party of new adventurers who had only met a few hours ago!

Seeing that, I had already admitted it.

Not in my head, but in my heart.

--- If this world were a story,

--- the protagonist would surely be someone like him.

The heart-wrenching battle continued, regardless of my inner thoughts.

Like when I was deeply engrossed in reading hero books, I cheered for the protagonist purely, sending encouragement in my heart: "Try hard, don't lose!"

...But.

But deep down, I probably didn't doubt his victory.

I believed that, like in countless stories and hero tales, the protagonist would defeat evil and bring the story to an end.

"..."

So, when the demon's body was suddenly covered in red light and its arm pierced Rex's chest, my mind went blank, and I couldn't think of anything.

When Rex slowly fell to the ground and his body stopped moving, I finally realized.

--- The hero fell before the demon and would never rise again.

And then,

"..."

I met the demon's gaze as it turned away from the motionless Rex.

Instantly, my body trembled.

Rex, who had been protecting us, was gone.

We were left alone to face this terrifying monster.

"..."

The demon, having turned its back on Rex, set its sights on us as its next prey and approached.

Pathetically, my legs trembled with fear, and even though I wanted to stand up to it, I couldn't move.

But...

"It's okay."

The soft whisper came from Mana, who was standing next to me.

Immediately, an arrow flew from somewhere and pierced the demon's foot as it tried to step toward us.

"That arrow!"

I turned around in surprise.

There, I saw the town's defense force and our companion Prana, who had gone to call for help.

---

The defense force and Prana restrained the demon with arrows and quickly joined us on horseback.

There were about twenty of them in total.

With twenty-four against one, the tide of battle should have turned.

But...

"..."

Even with just one demon, and one that was heavily injured, none of the defense force could bring themselves to attack.

The demon no longer had the red light from before, and its appearance was that of a dying creature.

No matter how strong it was, if everyone attacked at once, it would surely die.

But still...

The overwhelming power that couldn't be bridged by numbers had paralyzed them.

--- What if the last resistance before death came at me?

--- What if it had some hidden trump card?

Such fears held them back.

They stared.

Just stared.

The tension between the armed humans and the demon continued, and after a short but long time...

With a flap, the demon moved its wings.

"Are you running?"

Someone muttered.

The demon seemed to say, "These guys aren't worth my time," as it flapped its wings to return to the sky.

This was the once-in-a-lifetime chance to defeat this demon.

If we let it go now, the demon would heal and return as an even stronger enemy, killing more people.

But, but, no one moved.

No one could move.

...No!

"--- I'll create an opening!"

In the midst of everyone's inaction, I found myself saying this.

I could feel my companions and the adult defense force members staring at me in shock.

It was reckless, unreasonable, impossible.

Their silent protests pierced my skin.

(I know. I know. I'm not the protagonist.)

Compared to him, who was loved by the gods and favored by fate, I was just an ordinary person.

Words like "protagonist" and "hero" were far from me.

The hero was gone, leaving only ordinary people.

In a story, this would be the end, the last page.

But this is reality, not a story.

The hero is dead, the protagonist is gone, but the world continues.

(Because I saw it.)

I saw the true hero I once admired.

The protagonist who faced a powerful enemy without fear.

(I might die.)

For an ordinary person like me to try to be a hero was presumptuous.

But the fragment of a hero that remained in my heart wouldn't allow me to run away.

Because I couldn't forgive it.

If we let this demon escape, the effort he put his life on the line for would be in vain.

I didn't want to let the brilliance he showed end here.

Because I was captivated by that battle.

Because I saw with my own eyes that even a weaker human could fight a powerful monster.

So, it's my turn now.

(I'll carry on the hope that Rex, that he showed with his life!)

I am just an ordinary person, far from being a hero.

But---

---

--- In this moment, I am the protagonist!

Swallowing the rising emotion, I ran toward the demon.

(One hit! I'll read and dodge just one hit!)

Compared to Rex, who had read and dodged dozens of attacks, this was a tiny but too big challenge.

But I had no intention of backing down.

"Roar!"

The demon took a defensive stance.

I took a chance, stepped into its range, and at that moment---

---

--- A sword sprouted from the demon's throat.

No one understood.

Everyone was frozen.

In that frozen moment,

The demon's body swayed and tilted.

The sword slid out of its throat, and a man appeared from behind the falling demon.

"So I said, 'It's better to be prepared,' right?"

The all-too-familiar Class A adventurer, Rex, brushed off the <Healing Phantom Powder> on his clothes and grinned smugly.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but feel a warmth in my eyes and whispered to myself.

"You're late, protagonist..."

【Healing Phantom Powder】

A treasure with the power to reverse time, which can only be harvested once every few months.

Those who use it are recorded, and five minutes later, they are returned to the state they were in when they used the powder. Any injuries sustained in the five minutes after use are healed, but all experiences and growth are also erased.

【Mystic Spring Water】

Water that springs from the depths of a mystic realm and disappears within a week, no matter how it is managed.

Drinking it immediately boosts all abilities and restores health and magic, but after ten minutes, a side effect causes all abilities to decrease. The side effect lasts for twenty-four hours and cannot be removed by normal means, so using it requires resolve.

Next time, Part 1 Epilogue