A monster with the face of a lion wearing a crown tinged with crimson,
the legs of a tiger clutching a jewel-inlaid royal scepter,
and gigantic dragon wings vast enough to blanket the night sky.
A monster fated to awaken from a long slumber
when the promised time of the end arrived,
to devour the world whole.
— You are admirable.
Having vomited a basinful of blood,
I slid my other hand along the spear I held tightly.
Black flames rose along the shaft at my touch.
The flames traveled up the spear
and finally reached its tip—
the tip buried deep in the monster's chest.
"I am admirable.
And you're finished."
— Hardly an admirable state, is it?
A laugh escaped me.
There was a gaping hole in my abdomen,
one leg was ruined beyond use,
and one eyeball had been torn free,
dangling by the optic nerve.
"I survived, and you're a wreck.
Why should appearances matter?"
— Agreed.
Through relentless training, I grew stronger.
By enduring thousands of crises, I gained experience.
And I hunted down and crushed
the lunatics who had worshipped this monster for centuries.
That alone took twenty years.
After that, I sifted through their records
to find a way to hell
and the location where this thing resided.
That took another fifteen.
— My end is near.
Before that, let me tell you one thing.
A small courtesy of sorts.
The monster's lion eyes
shifted slightly behind me.
— You may trust those ones,
but in truth, they are not your allies.
I stand before you openly as your enemy,
but they do not seem inclined to do the same.
Ah. So that's what it wanted to say.
I glanced toward the ones watching our battle.
A knight, a mage, and a saint.
Five years ago, through several… so-called "coincidences,"
we had ended up together.
"I know."
— You know?
At my words, the creature,
clinging desperately to its fading life, stared at me.
Even now, the pitch-black flames spreading along my spear
were burning its very existence away.
Yet it forcibly delayed death.
Clicking my tongue, I pulled the spear free
and stepped back a little,
so that those holding their breath behind me
could hear clearly as well.
"The sword the knight carries
is the Empire's only national treasure."
"…That sword…"
The knight's expression stiffened,
his grip tightening on the hilt.
"If you had released the power sealed in it,
I wouldn't have been this badly wounded."
"…"
The knight remained silent.
I continued.
"But the reason the Emperor granted you that treasure
wasn't to kill the monster before your eyes, was it?"
Kill the monster,
then cut down my head once I was no longer useful.
There was only one reason.
Because my existence could threaten his throne.
"The woman they call a saint
has a lover already."
Yet for the past five years,
she acted as though she were falling for me,
doing everything she could to seduce me.
"To make me hesitate,
even for a moment,
at this promised time of purging."
Something about needing the Church's elixir
to cure her lover's incurable disease?
The saint, who moments ago looked ready to cry
at the sight of my wounds,
went pale—
like lard splashed with ice water.
With all that makeup,
I didn't think she had room left to get any whiter.
How fascinating.
"The mage dislikes that I oppose slavery."
There's no better material for human experimentation than slaves.
And from the start,
mages—whose very purpose is monopolizing knowledge—
benefit greatly from rigid class systems.
— So…
"That's right.
I've known since five years ago
that once you died,
they planned to kill me."
That's why
I don't even remember their names.
Confusion crossed the lion's face.
— Then why?
"Because I want to go home."
— I have no idea what that means… I—
You don't need to.
Leaving behind a final line
hardly worthy of last words,
the monster's breath finally ceased.
"It's over."
From the very beginning, there was only one goal.
If I killed this thing, I could leave this wretched place and return to the blue planet Earth where I once lived.
Kill this monster and prevent the foretold end of the world.
That was the condition for me—someone who had fallen into this unfamiliar world—to return to the Earth I came from.
The ones who had been acting behind me, hiding behind masks, finally tore off their hypocrisy.
"Now that we've been found out, I actually feel relieved. You're a dangerous existence."
"Not just because of the power you possess, but because of the thoughts you harbor."
"Enduring the anger that surged every time you mocked the teachings of the Holy Order, pretending to be impressed, pretending to be in love—this is as far as it goes."
This place is hell, and there are no witnesses.
They'll kill me and then slap on some convenient excuse.
A bright smile crept onto my lips. It didn't matter. Just as they had never grown attached to me, I had never grown attached to them either.
"You guys know this, right? I really hate this world."
People here are obsessed with religion and class. They have no sense of hygiene—throwing waste straight out the window—and they barely wash themselves.
Knights, nobles, royalty—they dress up nicely, but because they don't bathe, they reek, drowning themselves in harsh perfume and caking their faces with lead-filled powder. Just getting close to them makes me feel like I'll go insane.
That so-called saint over there—apparently the Order considers her a beauty—but from my perspective, she's not attractive at all.
Priests with no medical knowledge try to treat people with quack methods, and people obediently follow those methods, only for their illnesses to worsen and kill them.
The mages know all of this, yet remain silent to keep hold of the power they wield.
"If you already knew, then you must be prepared. I won't say I'm sorry."
"What's with this? Were we close enough to apologize to each other?"
We'd traveled together for years, but I didn't even know their names. Snorting at the saint's words, I shouted toward the sky.
"I completed the mission we agreed on! Keep your promise!"
At the same time, the sky of hell split open, and white light poured down through the裂.
— Thank you for your hard work.
"Send me back."
Back to the world I knew. To my longed-for home. That's all I want.
— Do you truly dislike this world that much? Is the world I created really so detestable to you?
Is that even a question? If you asked me why I hate this world, I could sit here for three days and four nights without stopping.
— You possess power great enough to threaten even me. But if you return to Earth, all of those achievements will vanish.
Even the king of this world couldn't enjoy all the benefits you could have on Earth.
The power in my hands now? The only reason I endured all this suffering to gain it was to return to the Earth I lived on.
I saved money to buy a new computer. And once you've saved enough to buy it, you buy it. You don't cling to the cash just because it feels wasteful now.
— You could rewrite history. The ones trying to kill you right now—you could wipe them out in an instant.
"Stop it. You're relieved too, knowing I'll leave just as promised."
Power that could threaten a god—there's no way you'd welcome that. This is just a test. If I show even a shred of attachment to this world, divine punishment will fall upon me.
The owner of this so-called sacred voice is nothing more than a petty, suspicious god perfectly suited to this shoddy world.
— That is true. Then, farewell.
"Don't forget the promise."
Find a person on Earth destined to die, and have me possess them.
Even if all my achievements here disappear, everything I experienced in this place—my memories, my soul—will be perfectly preserved. That was the agreement from the start.
— In that world, twenty-five years have passed since you came here.
Thankfully, not as much time as I feared. Twenty-five years… I'll struggle a bit to adapt, sure. But it'll still be better than here.
I believe that Earth, after twenty-five years, will be a better world than before.
"Now that you've found them, send me."
The light enveloping my body grew brighter and brighter, and my consciousness drifted away from this world.
Suddenly, all the strength drained from my body. The price of losing every bit of power, authority, and magic that had inhabited my flesh and soul.
"Ah."
When I opened my eyes, my body trembled. The first thing I felt was the air conditioner mounted on the wall, blowing out cool air.
The weakness filling my body? That didn't matter.
"More importantly."
My eyes landed on a box of cold fried chicken left beside the computer. The chicken breast—my least favorite part—was still untouched.
With trembling hands, I picked up the cold chicken and brought it to my mouth.
"Khup."
Why did I used to hate chicken breast for being so dry?
It's this delicious.
So delicious that tears are streaming down my face.
I can't even remember how long it's been since I last tasted something like this.
It's so good my tongue feels like it's spasming.
Yeah. This—this is food.
The chicken vanished into my mouth in an instant, as if someone were about to snatch it away.
I headed to the bathroom. A flush toilet, a shower that immediately poured out hot water. Shampoo, soap….
"I was supposed to die."
This studio apartment is similar to the one I used to live in, but it isn't mine.
The original owner of this body was fated to die, and I'm just reusing it.
"What was the reason, though?"
It took less than ten minutes to find the original cause of death.
A sharp, acrid smell stung my nose.
"Damn it…!"
I lunged forward, shut off the gas valve, and splashed water all over the stove.
After successfully putting out the fire, I let out a long breath.
"This is ridiculous."
After saving another world, to come back to Earth only to die in a gas explosion at home—
I would've died feeling utterly wronged.
Once I'd calmed down, I checked the phone lying nearby.
Thankfully, there was no password or pattern lock.
"It's been 25 years, but does it really feel like nothing's changed?"
The Motorola Razr came out in 2004, and the Galaxy S3 in 2013.
After 25 years, I'd expected flying cars to be commercially available at least.
Scratching my head, I turned on the phone and looked around.
A message appeared on the black screen, asking me to place my right index finger for fingerprint recognition.
When I did, the screen unlocked.
"At least I should know who I am."
Of course, it didn't go that far.
I knew absolutely nothing about this body I'd just entered.
The first thing that caught my eye was a note in the calendar: Parents' Death Anniversary.
"So he was someone who lost his parents."
Sorry. I'll make good use of your body.
After steadying myself, I took a proper shower, lay down on the bed, and started browsing the internet on the phone.
"..."
A short while later, I sat up.
[Thirteen Years After the Emergence of the Erosion Zones: How Has Our Lives Changed?]
[Steven K., Partner Hunter of ChronoMaker: "This is tantamount to total war… We desperately need the professionalism of hunters and companies alike, and the full support of citizens."]
[Accelerated Expansion of Erosion Zones in Northern Korea Confirmed. The Association Responds Again: "Under Investigation."]
["One Step Back for One Step Forward"—Hunters' Excuses. Even the Demilitarized Zone Is No Longer Safe.]
[This Year, Even South Korea's GDP Growth Rate Hits Zero. Is the Final Bastion Falling?]
I rubbed my eyes hard as I read the headlines.
What kind of news is this?
After staring at the screen for about four hours, I shut my eyes tightly.
"What kind of messed-up situation is this?"
If I had to sum up the state of Earth, 25 years after I left for another world, in a single sentence—
"It's falling apart, isn't it?"
Slowly.
Steadily.
It was in the process of collapsing.