A small silence blanketed the alley.
Four pairs of colorful eyes stared at me as I sat on the ground.
Though they were just gazes, the presence of these four made me instinctively shrink back.
But I looked straight at them without lowering my head.
Even though I appeared wretched and filthy right now, this was my only chance to convince them.
"The Demon Realm is darker and more vile than you imagine. You might suffer far worse than you think."
I know. I probably look like a madman right now.
I might seem like a cowardly vagrant trying to dissuade them simply because I'm terrified of the words "Demon Realm."
But I continued anyway.
Because at this moment, no one knew the Demon Realm better than I did.
It's a place where people are crushed, tortured, where sin overflows.
It's the stronghold of the Demon King's army, where common sense is destroyed and only despair remains.
Even I, who had only seen it through a monitor, knew its darkness well. Now that it had become reality, I couldn't even imagine how it would be.
When I finished speaking, a heavy silence captured the area.
In the bright daylight, this place alone felt isolated from everything else.
They said nothing, only glancing at each other.
Had my words gotten through to them? I'd tried to scare them with everything I knew.
They might not decide right away, but I hoped I'd given them something to reconsider.
Please... I wanted them to think deeply about my words...
"Huh? What's this?"
But what came from their mouths was completely unexpected.
Lily, the party's mage, continued with curiosity.
"Looks like you knew we were the Hero's party?"
It was as if she hadn't heard anything I'd just said, showing not a trace of concern.
...Right. No one would listen to a street vagrant. I'd expected this, but couldn't hide my bitterness.
Regardless, Lily across from me continued happily.
"Wow, I guess we've become famous! Even recognized in back alleys like this."
"The kingdom has officially announced us. Word spreads quickly."
Lily and Camilla chatted cheerfully.
They must have spent considerable time together, as they showed no awkwardness at all.
Among them, only Yulice responded to my story.
"Fufu, are you worried about us? That's kind of you."
Instead of annoyance at a vagrant speaking out of turn, her face showed only a benevolent smile.
But what came from her lips was a gentle rejection.
"But we can't do that."
Why not?
I looked at her with questioning eyes.
"Because we already bear too much responsibility. Every nation on the continent has placed their hopes on us."
That responsibility could be cast aside if they wanted. It was merely a symbolic burden with no real form or constraint.
They could discard it anytime they wished.
Sure, they might face some criticism from the world... but receiving expectations was no reason to walk willingly into a path of thorns.
"And I also want to bring light back to the world."
As I questioned her with my eyes, I couldn't help but pause at her words.
What she was saying now came purely from her own will, not orders from those in power.
"The world is... desolate now. Every few days we hear news of neighboring villages attacked by demons. People live in constant fear. The economy and public safety are in shambles as a result."
She frowned bitterly.
"That's why I—no, we—want to bring light back to the world. Beyond responsibility or anything else, purely because it's what we want."
Her steadfast eyes met mine.
Like a philosopher proclaiming her beliefs, her eyes burned with conviction.
The Saintess chosen by the Goddess who watched over the world had her own unwavering faith.
"You just said the Demon Realm is so despairing it's hard to imagine?"
I silently nodded.
She laughed brightly as if to say not to worry.
"We already know that."
"..."
"Did you think we hadn't considered it? It's where we're headed. We've heard endlessly about how dangerous it is. Yet we must go."
"..."
...I see.
I understood now.
It wasn't that they hadn't listened to me. This was a subject they'd already contemplated countless times internally, allowing them to let my warnings flow past them.
Having already steeled themselves, there was no hesitation in their steps toward the Demon Realm.
It was a foolishly straightforward attitude, one I'd observed countless times from beyond the monitor.
Not pushed by others, but walking into danger of their own accord, built on their own convictions.
This couldn't be stopped. Those who had firmly established themselves rarely listened to outside voices.
As I nodded to myself, she continued speaking.
Though she'd finished making her point, she seemed energized by her own words.
The blonde woman smiled brightly as if enjoying the conversation.
"And don't worry. When the time comes, the Hero will appear."
I froze.
Suddenly, my body stiffened as if electrocuted.
"Surely a strong and righteous Hero will appear and join our journey."
"..."
That Hero was right in front of them.
A Hero candidate who, far from being powerful, had nearly been beaten to death by even a third-rate villain.
Whether she knew my thoughts or not, her conversation had spread to all party members.
They chatted like young girls in their prime.
Finding the topic interesting, Lily suddenly smiled broadly and described her ideal Hero.
"Surely the Hero will be wise and intelligent!"
No.
"I hope for a Hero braver and stronger than anyone."
No.
"I would like a Hero who bestows strength upon all without prejudice or persecution."
No.
The Hero you speak of includes none of these qualities.
I'm not particularly wise, nor knowledgeable.
Nor am I brave and strong enough to face all adversity with confidence.
Moreover, until a few hours ago, I was someone who wanted to say "screw being a Hero" and live as I pleased.
If asked whether I was righteous, I would certainly hesitate.
Each of their words felt like they were stabbing my heart.
They weren't even criticizing me directly, yet I felt guilty.
Regardless, they continued chattering endlessly about the Hero.
Would it be a man or woman, what would they look like?
What kind of life had they lived, what values did they hold?
Like girls imagining their own prince, they spread their wings of imagination.
After chatting for a while, they finally seemed to come to their senses and quickly began leaving the alley.
"Oh my, it's already this late."
"That's right! We need to find an inn to stay at!"
Even in their hurry, they didn't forget to wish me well as they left.
"..."
As the commotion died down and silence returned to the alley, my mind remained troubled.
The future they would face, the danger the world would encounter, my current situation—all these combined in my head to paint an ominous future.
"...Without me, they'll die."
I muttered to myself.
Unorganized thoughts flowed out of my mouth on their own.
As if for someone to hear, my monologue continued.
"No, it would be fortunate if it ended with just death."
I know their future.
If left alone, they would 100% be defeated by the Demon King's army.
Then, a pain so excruciating they'd rather die would await them.
I knew this well because I'd seen it happen many times from beyond the monitor.
There was once a Saintess more compassionate and pure than anyone.
"The Saintess will be violated by tens of thousands of insects."
There was a mage called the world's greatest genius.
"The mage eventually breaks mentally and goes insane."
The strongest and most steadfast Knight begged to be killed.
The Dark Elf, who had endured persecution for hundreds of years, finally couldn't bear the additional weight of time and her mind shattered.
Sometimes the Knight's mind collapsed, sometimes the Saintess begged to be killed.
Their suffering took countless forms.
That was the world.
The world was full of only malice, and that malice was directed only at them.
Among countless possibilities, they always suffered.
If left alone, their defeat was certain, and an eternity of suffering was predetermined.
"And the world will be destroyed."
What remained was the destruction ending. Eventually, kingdoms would fall to the Demon King, and the suffering they experienced would spread to the entire world.
In the end, my death was also certain either way.
So here, what should I do?
What must I do to prevent that miserable future?
I, I...
"..."
Worry followed worry.
As time passed, the world's light darkened.
In the sky where the sun had disappeared, countless stars illuminated the darkness.
The voices of people that had echoed vibrantly beyond the alley disappeared, leaving only quiet silence.
Perhaps somewhere in the center of the city was the scene they wanted to protect.
...After contemplating for a long time, I finally called out to something.
"System."
System.
Probably the entity that dropped me here, gave me the status window, and issued that damn quest.
And simultaneously, a kind of auxiliary tool that had helped my progress whenever I played the game.
When I became conscious of it, it immediately displayed quests, so it must be nearby.
Not only that, but since falling here, I'd had a strange feeling of being watched.
So if I wanted, I could probably bring up the system window voluntarily.
As I called it, a translucent window appeared before my eyes.
[SPEAK.]
Like a person talking, characters slowly began to appear in the blue window.
Though momentarily surprised by the window that appeared without warning, I firmly raised my gaze to look at it.
Then I spoke.
"Tell me. What's the greatest thing I can offer right now? What's the most valuable thing I have besides my life?"
With that, the system window began to move around.
[Among what you can offer...]
Click, click.
Like a calculator performing a massive computation, sentences slowly began to form.
To me it looked like it was just creating text, but from the system's perspective, it was probably calculating intensely what I could offer.
[The greatest price is...]
Eventually, the system window that had been slowly forming sentences delivered its result.
[It is Bond (因緣).]
At that moment, I couldn't help but tilt my head.
"Bond?"
Bond?
I understand the word. It's just too ambiguous to easily grasp.
How exactly am I supposed to offer that?
As if knowing my thoughts, the system window began to explain.
[Bond refers to all relationships you will build.]
[The bonds you have built so far, the bonds you will build in the future, and the bonds that will accidentally form and come to you.]
[All of these are the price you can pay.]
I nodded.
Bond (因緣).
All relationships people can build with each other.
The value of society formed through them.
That was the heaviest weight I could place on the scale.
Understanding this, I suddenly laughed.
"Ha."
Now I understood the situation.
The reason for giving such a difficult quest from the beginning, and the cursedly short time limit.
"This was your intention from the start."
It was all urging me to offer something.
Don't dare approach with half-hearted determination.
"I should have realized when the route was named 'Noble Sacrifice' and such. This was the plan all along."
If I wanted to even attempt to save the world, I needed to show at least that much resolve.
It was as if it was saying: If you want to try to save the world, first show your determination.
Honestly, I didn't like it, and the situation made me feel like shit.
But I said:
"...Fine, I'll offer it."
In the end, this was the only path I could see.
Even if it was a difficult path, if there was a path, moving forward was the right thing to do.
That was the truth I had learned from them, and I intended to follow that truth.
As I nodded, it spoke once more.
[I will ask once more. Will you offer it?]
[YES/NO]
I'd already said I would offer it, yet it asked again.
I could soon understand the intention behind displaying such a window.
It was probably a kind of safety measure. Asking me to think again.
Whether this might be a choice made in anger, whether I'd placed too heavy a weight on the scale in a moment of impulse.
It was asking me to reconsider once more.
Of course, naturally.
This wasn't a deal made in anger.
It was a conclusion reached after thinking and worrying for half a day, so I could nod without hesitation.
"Gladly."
And at that moment, light spread throughout the world.
As if to fill the entire sky, countless system messages appeared.
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
.
.
.
.
.
.
Endless level-up notifications and...
[WARNING!]
+
[The "Curse of Distrust" begins to dwell within you!]
People will distrust your every word and action.
+
[WARNING!]
+
[The "Curse of Aversion" begins to dwell within you!]
All your future actions will irritate others.
+
[WARNING!]
+
[The "Curse of the Soul" begins to dwell within you!]
When others look at you, they feel causeless evil and disgust.
+
.
.
.
.
.
.
...Countless curse alerts.
It seems I'll receive penalties for everything related to people's favor.
I felt as if red and black things were gradually consuming my body.
Such blessings and curses surrounded me.
From the Empire's filthiest back alley, the most brilliant light leaked out.
Sometimes unknown energy surged through my body, other times a stifling feeling like a foreign substance in my soul enveloped me.
Feeling sensations difficult to describe in words, I inwardly steeled my resolve once more.
"..."
The die was cast now.
A die thrown by none other than myself.
Even if it was a choice half-forced upon me.
In the end, it was my will that chose to walk this thorny path.
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]
[All characters' hostility toward you rises to maximum!]
So even if the whole world turned against me.
Even if this turned out to be a gloomy and stupid act of kindness never rewarded until the end...
[You have reached Lv70!]
[Quest Clear!]
I would gladly save them.
[Congratulations!]
[You have acquired the title of "Hero"!]
And so, I became a Hero.
Probably the worst Hero in history.