Chapter 142: Even without my Sister, Stay Calm

I distinctly remember that the sky was exceptionally clear and bright.

At first, it all started from something trivial.

I had been staring blankly at the sky.

‘How did I end up like this? I thought I did something good, so why am I in this mess?’

‘Ah, is this another fate I must endure as a hero? If so… it was far too cruel.’

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“When the Demon King oppresses humans, the hero defeats the Demon King, and then humans exclude the hero…”

A scene from a comic I once read suddenly came to mind—the story of a hero who returned from his journey only to be abandoned and betrayed, ultimately turning dark.

At least, that hero had retained his strength.

Meanwhile, I was in this sorry state.

Not that I ever wanted to take out my anger on people just because I had power.

It was just… I wished I had even the slightest source of strength to endure this reality.

Unfortunately, this world seemed incapable of trusting a hero like me.

***

-Growl.

The timely rumbling in my stomach made me let out a bitter smile.

I glanced around and, fortunately, there was no one watching.

Not that it mattered.

There were no visible signs of my hunger anyway, so even if someone saw, they would just scoff and move on.

Sitting cross-legged, I slowly exhaled.

The energy flowing into my body was still pitiful—barely a speck, like an ant’s toenail.

I began circulating it through my body.

Normally, I wouldn’t even need to feel hunger.

But the oppression of this barren land beneath my feet was merciless.

A world where the energy of nature had withered… No, worse than that—a world where the very concepts of energy and mysticism did not exist.

Even as I sat in meditation and tried to harness my inner strength, the effect was barely a fraction of what it should have been.

“Sigh.”

As I converted the minuscule amount of gathered energy into vitality, the hunger disappeared, and I let out a breath of relief.

Barely surviving—’was that all I was capable of now?’

‘When did my supreme cultivation technique turn into nothing more than a method to stave off starvation?’

I let out another bitter chuckle at the thought.

At this rate, I’d have to rename my meals—morning would be cultivated breakfast, lunch cultivated lunch, dinner cultivated supper, and for a late-night snack, instead of chicken and beer, it would be cultivated midnight snack.

The so-called greatest warrior in the world, the hero who defeated the Demon King—the Sword Saint—was now nothing more than a joke.

“This can’t go on.”

It had already been several days since I returned.

The university I attended had expelled me due to my unexplained disappearance after being summoned to another world—right before my final semester, no less.

The shock of it left me wandering like a homeless drifter.

But I couldn’t let myself rot away like this.

‘I climbed this far alone, with no family to rely on…’

Even if I had lost my strength, I was still once mighty.

I couldn’t just fade away so helplessly.

First, I needed to restore my legal status, which had been declared deceased.

Then, I could figure out my next move.

Just as I brushed off my clothes and stood up—

***

“Did you watch Friede yesterday?”

“That rank-one win was so emotional. All those idiots who said he’d get stomped by Warden got shut up real quick. So satisfying.”

A group of young men walked by, deep in conversation.

They weren’t students… Judging by their looks, they were probably exam candidates from the local study district.

As they passed me, still chatting about Friede and other things—

“Here, check out this video. Friede is seriously gorgeous.”

“Slavic? Germanic? Her looks are unreal.”

“Even celebrities wouldn’t compare.”

One of them pulled out a smartphone and played a broadcast.

The voice of the so-called Friede echoed clearly in my ears.

[If you recklessly backstep here, you’ll get caught immediately, so be careful. It’s better to sidestep and roll slowly instead…]

The sound quality was surprisingly crisp, and the voice was breathtaking.

Among the Demon King’s subordinates, there was a succubus called the Enchantress, who was an expert at bewitching people with her voice.

But the voice from this Friede broadcast was nothing like hers.

It wasn’t seductive or laced with temptation.

It was pure, clear, and radiant—a voice that could cleanse the soul.

To think such a voice could exist in this world, even without the use of mystical energy… I found myself listening in.

And then—

“Huh?”

A dumbfounded exclamation escaped my lips.

It happened when the group sat nearby, fully immersed in watching Friede’s broadcast.

Friede was clearly narrating the game strategies, but underneath that voice, an entirely different message overlapped.

It was the exact same voice, but the words were completely different.

[If you are a hero, you should be able to hear this voice. If returning home has left you struggling—if you have nowhere to turn—come to XX-XXX, XX-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. As a hero chosen by this world, I want to help you. I will repeat this message…]

Even with the overlap, I could distinguish the two voices perfectly.

One was simply spoken, but the other… The other was engraved into my very soul.

Without thinking, I shot to my feet.

Maybe—just maybe—this ordeal could finally end.

Maybe, I could start anew.

Holding onto that faint hope, I hurried toward the location Friede had given.

“Wow, even worse than when we first met Yuri… This is rough.”

“Ajin unnie, that messy Yuri was me…”

“Savage. Calling someone out to their face like that—truly peak Ajin behavior. Yeah.”

“Looking at Pepe, I’ve realized there are things even Sehee unnie’s strength can’t fix.”

“Bitch-Sehee isn’t omnipotent, you know. She’s just insanely strong and disgustingly rich—a former hero who made a career change.”

“Compared to the past, she’s at least somewhat tolerable now, right?”

***

Murmurs. Whispers.

Sehee was always the one who found and brought heroes, but this time, Park Dayoung had reeled in a real big catch.

The problem was that the three heroes gathered here were in no better shape than the new arrival.

Even after meeting like this, there wasn’t much they could do.

Living off Sehee unnie’s generosity, clinging to her like parasites, ‘what were they even capable of?’

At this point, all they could do was sit around and munch on metaphorical popcorn.

Three heroes gathered in one place, yet they were just idly waiting for her to arrive.

On one side of the table, the heroes affiliated with Friede scrutinized the newcomer.

She looked like an office worker—someone who should have been thriving in a proper job, full of energy from corporate life.

‘So why did she look so ragged?’

‘Does she have a story too?’

Dayoung recalled their encounter in front of the house earlier.

At first, she had hesitantly asked if this was the right place.

Then, after a bit of awkwardness, she had bluntly stated that she was a hero, arriving on the signal of this house’s owner.

A hero.

That meant she was one of them—just like Dayoung, Ajin, Yuri, and Sehee unnie.

At first, it didn’t make sense, but after hearing a rough explanation, it was clear.

This woman…

She must have seen the video that Sehee and Ajin had put together.

“You should’ve told us if this was a thing.”

“I didn’t expect it to work so fast. I mean, unnie’s channel is popular, but it’s not like it’s a national broadcast.”

“Still, this is too fast…”

For just a few uploaded videos, the response was overwhelming!

“Um…”

The newcomer finally spoke, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Now that I think about it, we haven’t introduced ourselves. My name is Lee Jihae.”

As Dayoung, Ajin, and Yuri all turned to look at her, Jihae gave a slightly awkward smile.

Her voice was calm and composed, yet carried a firm sense of determination.

“I used to be a hero.”

As Jihae introduced herself, the other three adjusted their postures and responded in turn.

“I’m Park Dayoung. Former hero, now a streamer.”

“Ryu Ajin. Former hero, now an editor.”

“I’m Lee Yuri… I was a hero, and now I’m unemployed.”

“Nice to meet you, Jihae gay-nim. I’m Pepe.”2

‘Were they seriously going to fill this house with heroes at this rate?’

‘If it had reached this level in less than three months, who knew what it would look like in a year?’

Not that more heroes meant more value—the rarity was what made them special.

Still, the introduction helped ease the tension in the air.

‘Judging by her appearance, she’s probably older than unnie, right?’

Up until now, every hero they had met was younger than Sehee unnie.

This time, they finally had an older one.

Not that it mattered—without their powers, all heroes were naturally beneath Sehee unnie anyway.

Dayoung just hoped Jihae was a smooth, easygoing type.

And then—

***

-Growl.

A thunderous rumble echoed from someone’s stomach.

Jihae’s face flushed slightly, but she somehow managed to maintain her composure.

It was impressive, in a way.

Dayoung decided this was a good moment to get things organized.

There was no point discussing anything before unnie arrived.

They would just have to repeat everything later, so might as well wait.

That meant the next step was simple.

“If you don’t mind, why don’t you freshen up and have something to eat first? Hey, Ajin, that’s fine, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure.”

Ajin nodded absentmindedly.

Considering how rough Jihae looked, leaving her like this wasn’t an option.

“I’m not sure about your size, but I’ll find something for you to wear. You don’t look like you’ve eaten properly either, so I’ll set up a meal. Take a shower first.”

“Oh, um… Thank you. It’s been tough until now, so I really appreciate it.”

Fast decision-making.

No unnecessary dragging.

Dayoung liked that.

As the first hero chosen by unnie, she resolved to manage the situation well until Sehee unnie arrived.