Ace was unemployed.
"It's not my fault! It's the world's fault! Viruses, wars, inflation, and everything else ruined the global economy! That's why I can't get a job! Damn it!"
Dramatically, Ace slammed the table… only to scream in pain when he realized his hand was weaker than the cheap wood. "AUUUGH!"
To calm himself, he grabbed his vape and took a deep drag, as if the smoke could fill the emptiness of his life. Once a little calmer, he opened his laptop again to look for job postings.
That was when… POP! A strange ad appeared.
[Wanted: Someone willing to become a Hero!]
"Huh?! What kind of scam is this?!"
Ace's logic told him it was probably some virus or malware that would hack his computer. But he was too curious about how absurd the ad was. In the end, he clicked it.
"Besides, I don't even have any savings for them to steal, huh."
Suddenly, a golden whirlpool-like portal appeared beneath his feet, pulling him in. Ace could only scream in shock.
"Uwaaaah! What the hell is this?!"
He found himself in a pure white room.
Looking up, he saw the portal slowly closing.
"Where am I?!" He started panicking.
Then, a floating screen appeared before his eyes.
[Thank you for agreeing to become a hero. From this point on, you will enter training. Once training is complete, you will be sent to another world as a hero to save it.]
Ace read it with his mouth half open.
Then he snapped his fingers as if he had realized something.
"This must be a dream. I know it. Lately I've been stressed out after failing dozens of job applications. So now I'm dreaming about going to another world as a hero and living happily. Yeah, that's it. It's all because I've been reading too many power fantasy novels."
Ace pinched his arm.
"AAARRRGGHHHH!!!"
He writhed on the floor.
"UUOOOGGHHHH!!!"
Tried again.
"GYAAAAAAHHH!!!"
After flailing around like a wriggling caterpillar, he finally realized:
"Oh… this is real."
He stopped, blowing on his sore arm to soothe it.
His brain began working. "If this is real, then it's actually a good thing! After all, back on Earth I was a loser. If I can be happy in another world as a hero, of course I'll be glad."
His lips curled into a bright, excited smile.
Then he looked back at the screen.
"All right, what kind of training am I supposed to do?"
[Which weapon do you choose?]
"Anything but a sword. That's way too cliche. I want to use something else. Lately I've been interested in bows, so I'll pick the bow as my main weapon."
[Very well. Begin archery training.]
From the void, a bow, ten arrows, and a circular target appeared. Ace picked them up. "So that's how it works. I get it."
From then on, Ace began training as a hero until he became the strongest. He didn't just train with the bow, but also with other weapons like spears, maces, and axes. Beyond weapons, he practiced the supreme art: Ethereal.
In this white room, he never felt tired or hungry. He never ate, never went to the bathroom. He was always in peak condition. Even more incredible, he never aged.
Time flowed endlessly.
No sun. No moon.
Ace didn't know how long he had been there.
Maybe ten years, maybe a hundred.
All he did was train.
Though it wasn't boring – since he trained in many things – sometimes the loneliness nearly broke him. He was the only one here. But whenever he imagined his future as a hero – surrounded by beautiful women, praised by men – his motivation always returned.
At last, he reached the end of his training.
A fly buzzed through the white space.
It was one hundred kilometers away.
Ace nocked an arrow, drew his bow, and fired.
The arrow pierced through the fly's head.
"Headshot! I'm so strong, huh."
Ace was satisfied with the result of his training.
[Training complete. Time for you to travel to another world.]
"Yes, send me there."
A golden portal appeared beneath his feet once more. He fell through it again. This time, when his feet touched the ground, he was in another world.
Ace looked around.
Buildings in medieval European architecture. Streets filled with horses and carriages. A massive castle in the city center. High walls surrounding and protecting it. All those beautiful sights filled Ace's eyes.
"This is real, right?" He was confused. "It all looks peaceful. What's there to save? Does this world really need a hero?"
He approached a passerby.
"Excuse me, may I ask… is this world in danger?"
The man gave him the dumbest look. "What are you talking about?! Of course the world's in danger. The Demon Lord has been terrorizing it for three hundred years!"
"I see. I didn't know. Please forgive me. I came from another world to be a hero and save this one," he said, flipping his hair dramatically.
"You're a weird guy." The man scoffed. "But whatever. If you want to fight the Demon Lord's army, go to the Adventurer's Guild. There you can earn money while also contributing to peace."
"Where is it?"
The man gave him directions.
"Thank you."
And so, Ace headed to the Adventurer's Guild to make money. No matter the world, money was important. Without it, he couldn't live. And if he couldn't live, he couldn't save the world.
He arrived in front of the guild building.
It was big and tall.
Even from outside, Ace could already hear the sound of partying adventurers inside. With confident steps, he entered. The place was full of armed people – swordsmen, hammer-wielders, ax-bearers. Some wore armor, others wizard robes.
Ace approached the receptionist at the back.
She was quite beautiful, with blue hair and a large chest.
With a sly grin, Ace said, "Excuse me, lovely big-breasted lady over there. I want to become an adventurer."
The receptionist wanted to slap him. But she was professional – she held back and smiled. "Understood. Please pay 300 Versia for the registration fee."
"Versia? What's that?"
"The currency."
"Wait, what?! Why should I pay money?! That's insane! I came here to find work to earn money, not to spend it!"
"The Adventurer's Guild is a facility provided by the state. If you want to use it, of course you must pay."
Ace scratched his head.
The truth was, he had no money.
But he tried to think of another way.
With another sly grin, he asked, "Miss, what's your name?"
"Lina," she answered flatly.
"Lina, the truth is… I'm a hero sent from another world to save this one. Many don't believe me because I look ordinary. But a beautiful, sexy woman like you must believe, right?"
"No, I don't believe you either." Her expression was still flat.
"Then help me, Lina. If you do, I'll give you a kiss. That's the highest honor, isn't it? To be kissed by the strong hero who will save the world. Normally only princesses get that chance."
"No. I don't want a kiss from an ugly man like you."
Her expression was no longer flat – it darkened.
Her eyes looked at Ace like he was a cockroach.
"Fine then, what do you want? A baby?"
"Do you want me to slap you?"
Ace's shoulders drooped.
"Seriously… Then how do I get money?"
"I heard the mines near the city are hiring."
"I see. Fine."
And so, Ace worked as a miner in another world.
Day one: ate only a piece of potato. Slept in an alley.
Day two: still slept in an alley, but ate twice.
Day three: leveled up, slept in a horse stable.
Day four: bathed for the first time in this world.
Day five: finally able to buy bread.
Day six: three full meals a day.
Day seven, he screamed:
"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! This is wrong! Everything is wrong! I came to this world to be a hero! Why the hell did I end up as a facking miner?!"