Chapter 1
The Protagonist
1.
“Hero! Hero!”
“Please, just take a look here!”
“Thank you for saving us! Really, thank you!”
“May great honor be passed down through generations! Long live the Hero! Long, long live!”
The city was buzzing.
In the plaza, people poured in, scattering flowers, and songs praising the greatest hero of all time, who had defeated the Demon King, echoed throughout the city.
I watched from afar, chewing on some jerky.
“I always think this, but Calas really suits this kind of role. Is it because the mask helps make it more convincing?”
“Yes, as expected of the Hero.”
“Of course. A guy born to be the protagonist can’t help but pull it off. Sigh.”
I muttered my dissatisfaction, and the crazy woman drinking wine beside me nodded with a smile.
Her smile annoyed me for some reason.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Just… saying something I don’t really mean is kind of cute.”
“Honestly, it’s so frustrating. I… I just wanted people to notice me since I was a kid. But is it really that hard? Even if I save the world, not a single person calls my name.”
“Then should we tell the truth now? I think a little threat with a meteor might work.”
“I’m not joking. I’m genuinely upset.”
“Neither am I joking; I’m serious.”
Belua Liliad, the mad mage tower master, fiddled with her staff with a dangerously playful smile.
Always committed to her concept till the very end.
I shoved the last piece of jerky into my mouth and let out a long sigh.
“That’s just my life.”
“If it’s your life, you mean, after becoming an adult, doing that… Mituber thing or whatever, and then suddenly being dragged to another world and squeezed dry for ten years?”
“I wasn’t talking to you honestly.”
“Or were you attention-seeking since childhood? I really don’t know what life you’re talking about.”
“Even if I save the world, there’s no reward! No reward!”
Honestly, I understood it in my head.
This was the right choice.
Even though I had cut down every Demon King and foreign threat in this world…
I’m the one leaving soon, and that guy Calas is the one staying to rebuild this world.
Of course, it makes sense that the one who remains gets all the spotlight and becomes the symbol of reconstruction.
That’s exactly what the World Soul that dragged me into this cursed world wanted.
But head and heart don’t always agree.
“…Was I destined to remain unknown, whether on Earth or here? Usually, heroes become icons in another world and are praised for generations.”
“You weren’t the protagonist of a hero story, captain. It’s unfortunate.”
“This is bullshit.”
Then Belua burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“Really, teasing our captain is fun. But why weren’t you popular on Earth? Must’ve been fun to watch. Ah, right, for seven years… Hako? So hard to pronounce. Anyway, you were a Hako Mituber, right?”
“Why are you rubbing salt in the wound again? I had dreams too. I wanted… I wanted to be a big Mituber.”
“So, what will you do when you return to Earth?”
“Mituber.”
“Oh, captain, you’re at it again. Didn’t take your medicine?”
“This time is different. I bet I’d get a million views if I tell my otherworld stories.”
“Going to a mental hospital would be faster.”
“Shut up.”
Anyway, this crazy woman never gives up. On a day like today, couldn’t she just let me win a little?
Anyway, the story I spent in this world called <Avalon> ends today.
In any case, by saving this world, I’ve fulfilled the contract with the World Soul.
The sudden, seven-year-long survival story of a small-time Mituber in another world has now come to an end.
Thinking back, a lot happened, but I don’t feel like recalling it all now.
It was chaotic, but not impossible.
Apparently, the World Soul had some conscience, giving me a completely absurd power.
“Still, maybe I could use the Skill Archive to conquer the world when I return?”
“It’ll disappear as soon as you return to Earth. A predictable cliché.”
I sparked a small flame at my fingertips and shrugged.
Skill Archive.
Literally, it allows you to store the powers of others as skills… In short, I acquired the abilities of all the strongest people in Avalon.
Thanks to that, I became the strongest and could save this world.
Basically, I was an overpowered protagonist.
Of course, acquiring these skills wasn’t smooth, but still…
…No, thinking about it, it’s even more frustrating.
I couldn’t even get attention with this power.
The world is definitely playing with me.
“Still, I kinda miss it. Felt a bit like a protagonist.”
I muttered bitterly, and Belua gently set her wine bottle down and shook her head, with an expression I had never seen before.
“To someone, you were the protagonist.”
“Suddenly comforting me?”
“Someone remembers that you saved this world. That’s enough.”
Why is this crazy woman suddenly being so serious?
Her face actually looked a bit sad.
Just as I was about to say something,
Flash!
A pillar of blue light appeared in front of me.
[The contract with <Avalon’s World Soul> has been completed!]
[According to the contract, <Avalon’s World Soul> will return you to Earth.]
[Step into the light pillar.]
The dreaded system messages welcomed me once more.
It’s really time to go.
“Phew.”
Now that the awaited moment has come, my heart is strangely restless.
One step into that pillar, and it’s over. Back to Earth.
It would be a lie if I said I didn’t feel a twinge of regret.
“Are you really leaving?”
“You make me do everything, then issue the farewell order without mercy. If the landlord tells me to vacate, I vacate. Even if I wanted to stay, I can’t.”
“That’s right. Contracts with the World Soul must be honored.”
I stood up quietly, and Belua followed suit.
“Don’t you want to say goodbye to Calas or the others?”
“Pass along my regards. Everyone’s busy with the ceremony. You should head back quickly too.”
“The elder mentors?”
“Let the old men rest. They’ll be fine. If there are too many people, it’s more burdensome for me anyway.”
One lesson from ten years in another world: farewells should be brief.
Still, this farewell is fortunate.
No one died. At least we part alive.
Then let’s part joyfully.
I slowly approached the light pillar. Pausing, I glanced back.
Ten cursed years, but not all memories are bad. I have good memories with my companions and mentors too.
So what should I say one last time?
Ah, yes. This will do.
“Fun times.”
Belua smiled brightly at that.
For some reason, her eyes were slightly red. She seemed like she was about to cry, yet her voice was brighter than ever.
“I’ll subscribe to your Mitube.”
“There’s no internet in your world.”
“I’m a great mage. I’ll find a way. So…”
Flash!
The pillar’s light spread to me.
In my fading vision, Belua’s final voice echoed in my ears.
“See you again.”
That was it.
[Returning to Earth.]
[Thank you for saving the world, player <Yuseongwoo>.]
[May your future be brilliant.]
And so, I returned.
To Earth, the place I had so desperately longed for.
2.
The thought I had the most during my time in another world:
What will I eat? How will I live when I return to Earth?
Ten years. A full ten years in another world.
Even returning to Korea after living abroad is hard. How about returning after living in another world?
My sense of reality will be off, my status as missing for ten years might erase my legal identity, and the list of problems to solve will be mountains high.
It’s overwhelming, but no need to despair.
I survived and returned from another world.
I’ll manage somehow. Humans always do.
“By the way, when does this end?”
Right now, it’s not about ambitious goals like how ‘Yuseongwoo’ will live.
I’ve been in this light pillar for what feels like an hour, and the world is still all white.
…Am I trapped in a dimension? Maybe some delivery error?
“This damn system has to give me one last screw-over…”
Just as I was about to vent my frustration, a new message window popped up before my eyes.
[Dimensional transfer complete.]
[From now on, <Earth’s World Soul> acquires your management authority!]
[Player <Yuseongwoo>. Records from your previous world have been verified.]
[Initializing.]
[5…4…3…2…1… Failed.]
[The player’s records cannot be reset!]
Something… something is happening.
[The player’s records are already registered in the <Akashic Record>. They cannot be deleted!]
[Currently, the event <Abyss> is ongoing in this dimension.]
[<System Compatibility Judgment> is proceeding immediately.]
[<Judgment Result: Incompatible – Soul Erasure>]
[<Earth’s World Soul> appeals the judgment.]
At the same time, the white light surrounding me vanished, revealing a gradually familiar, yet strange landscape.
Countless buildings.
Faintly, but clearly, Korean could be heard.
[<Earth’s World Soul> detects your strong desire and presents a suitable mediation proposal.]
[The <Abyss> administrators object!]
[<Akashic Record> accepts the mediation.]
[<Appeal Result: Approved>]
Finally, my vision fully returned.
“Ah.”
The sharp winter wind of Seoul cuts through my senses, and car horns blare.
Everything that was once so familiar touches me again.
No doubt.
It’s Korea.
I lift my head and look at the billboard atop a building.
The news plays:
“Breaking) USA challenges conquest of Abyss 8th floor.”
“Climbing ranks keep falling; Korea is headed toward destruction.”
“Another case of promising talents changing nationality. Who is responsible?”
“Famous Abyss streamer sparks controversy with over-the-top broadcast.”
It’s Korean, yet strangely unfamiliar.
Is it because it’s been a while, or because the content is entirely new?
As I blankly stare at the billboard, another message window pops up.
[Welcome back, player <Yuseongwoo>.]
[Records sent from <Avalon’s World Soul> have been verified.]
[Level synced.]
[Stats synced.]
[<Unique Trait: Skill Archive> synced.]
“Huh?”
