The Demon King swung his sword.
CRASH—!
The screen went black, like glass exploding outward.
For a moment, I just stood there.
Half-naked—yeah, I wasn't wearing a shirt, so what?—staring at what used to be my monitor.
"…What the hell just happened?"
The thing lay on the floor, cracked open and dead. Spiderwebs of broken glass reflected the dim light of my room.
I stepped closer.
Stupidly hopeful.
Maybe—maybe—it still worked.
…Yeah. No.
The screen was completely destroyed.
"Dammit…"
My computer.
I hadn't even finished paying it off yet.
"…Good. Just great."
First, a game character tries to crawl out of my screen. Now this.
"Fuck."
I let out a long breath and started cleaning up the mess. Or at least what could be cleaned.
Clink. Crunch.
Glass scraped against glass as I swept it into a pile.
"Haaa…" I rubbed my face. "Today's a terrible day."
I leaned back for a second.
Then—
Grrrlll
My stomach growled.
…Right. Guess I was hungry.
I picked up my phone, planning to order something cheap.
Then a notification popped up.
Mom.
I froze.
I stared at the screen longer than I should have before opening it.
Are you coming tomorrow for your 22nd birthday?
It's been years since we saw you.
We don't want anything from you
....Just come back.
She really hadn't changed.
Always like that. Never asking for much.
"Haaa…"
I sighed again, longer this time.
I locked my phone without replying.
Not because I didn't care.
Because I cared too much.
I pulled on a shirt, grabbed my keys, and shoved my phone into my pocket.
I lived alone in this apartment, so it wasn't like anyone would complain about the noise. Neighbors? Probably.
But honestly—who cared.
I glanced at the broken monitor one last time.
The cracked screen stared back at me, lifeless.
"…Yeah. Figures."
I turned around and left the apartment.
***
As I walked toward the store, my thoughts drifted back toward what happened.
To what Abyss King said:
Ah… so you are here.
"…What does that even mean?"
I sighed.
"Tch. This is driving me crazy."
He didn't feel like a normal character. The way he looked at me—it felt like he'd finally found something he'd been missing.
There's no way.
He's just a game character.
Right?
…Yeah. No way.
The Hero Chronicles had the most cliché story ever. A hero chosen by a goddess. Fate. Destiny. Demon King.
Boring.
What made it famous was the difficulty.
This game killed everyone. Every character. Every ending.
And the Abyss King?
He was straight-up unfair.
No one had ever beaten him.
Everyone tried. Everyone failed.
I was just another unlucky idiot.
Lost in thought, I didn't even realize I'd reached the store.
I grabbed some instant noodles and an energy drink.
Why not beer? Even though I was an adult?
…It just brought back bad memories.
At the counter stood an old lady.
Ms. Ana.
"Hello, Ms. Ana," I said. "Still lively as ever, huh?"
"Hoho… look who's here," she replied with a smile.
She was one of the first people I met after moving here. Helped me out a lot. Even gave me a part-time job when I needed one.
"Just felt like eating something," I said, handing her the items.
She rang them up. "Here you go."
I paid, picked up the bag, and turned to leave.
That's when I heard it.
A noise.
From the right side of the street.
The alley.
"…?"
I turned.
Three men.
And a girl.
They were trying to force themselves on her.
…Those fuckers.
I froze.
Listen—I wasn't a hero. I wanted to help, sure. But my body didn't exactly agree. It had been years since I'd thrown a real punch.
I wasn't that guy anymore.
They were big. Strong-looking. And who knew—knives? A gun?
I started to turn away.
Then my eyes met hers.
She was crying.
But more than that—
Hope.
Like she thought I could save her.
"…Why are you looking at me like that…?"
She believed in me.
I clenched my teeth.
"Fuck… what am I even doing. I hate my life."
I wasn't a hero.
But I wasn't scum either.
I couldn't walk away after that look.
My feet moved on their own.
One of the men noticed me and sneered."Oi, kid. This ain't your business. Get lost."
I shrugged. "Wanted to. Guess I can't."
They laughed.
The one in front—probably the leader—stepped closer."Playing hero, huh? Let's see what you've got."
…Ah. Shit.
Here we go.
He lunged.
WHOOSH—!
His fist flew toward my face.
I barely dodged.
Too slow.
THUD!
My elbow slammed into his ribs. The impact rattled my arm. He staggered back, coughing.
Pain shot up my forearm.
Another one rushed me from the side.
I panicked.
CRACK!
I blocked his punch with my arm and drove my knee into his stomach.
Gah—!
My breathing was already off.
Before I could reset—
SHHK—!
Something burned across my back.
"…Ah."
A knife.
The shock hit first.
Then the pain.
My legs nearly gave out.
So this is what being rusty gets you.
I grabbed his wrist on instinct and smashed my forehead into his face.
THUNK!
He dropped, unconscious.
The girl ran toward me, screaming something—but my ears were ringing. I couldn't hear a word.
My knees buckled.
I fell.
Guess this is it.
"…So this is how I die."
Honestly?
Not bad.
Better than the worthless life I'd lived.
At least I did something right at the end.
Maybe I can die now.
...Or so I thought.