Chapter 1: Hero’s Party regret, Part 1

Cliché. While it sounds sophisticated, it’s just a fancy French word for a tired, overused expression or stereotype.

But clichés are everywhere, especially in Korea.

After all, the world loves the familiar, and the familiar is often cliché.

Think about it: Korean phonetics, factoring in math, the periodic table in science, relative pronouns in English, classical music, light and shadow in art… every school subject has its clichés.

Even music: rap songs about money, ballads about breakups, sweet melodies about love.

Clichés are everywhere, and even though we roll our eyes and think, “Not this again,” we accept them.

Why? Because those textbook examples I just mentioned are always on the test.

Classical music and shading techniques are always in the assignments.

And those stereotypical songs? They’re the most popular.

We accept clichés because they’re part of life.

So, what about clichés in entertainment? Honestly, there are tons.

Too many to list here. If you’re curious, look it up online.

You’ll find entire pages dedicated to character, setting, and plot clichés.

But if you asked me to name one of the biggest clichés in media right now, I’d say the isekai fantasy novel with a hero.

These are everywhere in webcomics and web novels these days. Anyone who reads online fiction has seen them.

And as I said, even though they’re predictable, we still read them.

Why? Because even though they’re cliché, they’re entertaining. They’re what we want.

I’m one of those people who crave those clichés.

I’m your average unemployed guy.

Picture the kind of dude who wears comfy clothes to the convenience store.

Not that I’m old enough to be called “ajusshi,” but you get the idea.

My quirk? I devour every single isekai fantasy novel I can find.

Good, bad, “trash-kai,” I read them all. And honestly, I usually think they’re at least decent.

Except for one.

It wasn’t just bad; it was infuriating.

The main character was described as weak, stuck in a party of women, including the hero destined to defeat the Demon King.

Usually, these weak, useless protagonists turn out to be secretly overpowered, right? That’s the cliché.

But not this guy.

He stayed genuinely powerless until the very end, constantly getting berated.

By the hero’s party, no less.

“Useless,” “weak,” “pathetic…” He endured years of verbal abuse so relentless that even a masochist would cringe.

He was treated worse than a servant, constantly cooking and cleaning.

But the protagonist wasn’t some hardcore masochist.

He was actually the most normal one in the group.

So why did they treat him so badly? Because he was an easy target.

Kind-hearted to a fault, afraid of everything, lacking in confidence, and ridiculously naive.

Of course, he got angry and upset.

Pretty much every day.

But he never spoke up, too afraid of causing conflict or hurting someone’s feelings.

You know how people tend to snap when they’re constantly criticized and can’t defend themselves, especially when the abusers aren’t even family?

Well, I wouldn’t know.

I’m the type to think, “You’re screwed, then I’m screwed,” so I’ve never let things get that bad.

Anyway, he endured it all.

If he were a woman, he’d be practically worshipped as a saint.

He kept going for two reasons.

First, the hero’s party hadn’t always been cruel.

He understood that they were stressed about defeating the Demon King and that he, being useless, was an easy outlet for their frustration.

Second, he knew it wouldn’t last forever.

Once the Demon King was defeated, it would all be over.

He held onto the belief that happiness would follow hardship.

Finally, the hero’s party reached the Demon King and the final battle began.

Now, a typical cliché here would be the “regret” route: the protagonist helps defeat the Demon King, then leaves the party, leaving the heroines heartbroken and regretful.

This could have worked.

Despite how awful the story was, there were hints that the heroines didn’t actually hate him.

But this story, as I said, was infuriating.

Hopeless.

No regrets.

No time for them.

The protagonist died a pathetic death from the Demon King’s first attack.

Sure, the story might have become even more frustrating if he’d survived and stayed with the party.

But this ending? It offered no closure, no catharsis.

And it was the ending.

Right there.

Protagonist dead, Demon King’s fate unknown.

Story over.

The novel was unusual in a few ways.

It was full of cliché elements, but the actual story was anything but cliché.

It was full of the kind of stuff people hate. And that wasn’t the only strange thing.

The entire story, from beginning to end, was posted all at once on a small online community.

And the author’s name was the same as the protagonist’s.

I remember thinking, “This author must be a world-class masochist.” And when I read the ending? All I could say was, “What the f*ck?”

So much time spent on pointless descriptions of the protagonist being abused, and then it just ended? No satisfaction, just a truckload of frustration.

It was the worst isekai I’d ever read.

Furious, I left a comment on the final chapter: “The f*ck is this? LOL. If I were that protagonist, I wouldn’t let the story end like that. Or is this some kind of twisted author fantasy?”

Ten seconds later, I got a reply:

“Really?”

“H*ll no, I’d be too pissed to die like that. I’d come back and make them pay.”

“Then… could you do it for me?”

What the…

“…? Uh, sure. Can I?” This author was really committed to the bit, roleplaying as their character.

Their final reply was simply:

“Thank you.”

As soon as I read that, a giant magic circle appeared beneath me, and…

“Ah, sh*t.”

“Hmm! Such a strange sound to make upon waking.”

Where…?

“Why are you staring, Allen?”

Allen…?

Wait. If I’m Allen, then… the magic-obsessed girl next to me is Angelina, the archery fanatic is Helena, the shield-loving one is Lilia, and the hero… Yerin?

“Mage Angelina?”

“Yes. What is it, Allen? Since you’re awake, hurry up and get the mana potions. I can never find anything in your messy bag.”

…

Haha.

“Haha…”

“What’s so funny? Have you gone mad after being resurrected? Just get the potions.”

Right. This world.

The world of the one story I hated.

I’ve been transmigrated into the protagonist, Allen.

This is the scene where he’s revived after dying.

Angelina’s attitude suggests she’s annoyed at having to heal someone like me.

She probably used a basic healing spell when I was unconscious, not expecting it to actually work.

So, in this screwed-up world with its pathetic excuse for a plot, what am I going to do?

“Allen, are you really crazy now?”

Ah, this is the first thing.

“Mage Angelina!”

“Yes, go ahe—”

“F*ck you.”

I called her name cheerfully, then, with a triumphant grin, flipped her the bird.

I don’t know if it was really the author, Allen, who brought me here, but there you have it.

Remember what I said about making them pay?

Have you ever seen a story where the protagonist flips off one of the heroines right after being resurrected?

If you have, shut up.

Because I haven’t.

So, as a lover of clichés, I’m going to start my transmigrated life in this world by breaking them.

No generic fantasy harem cliché.

This is going to be a classic revenge story!