Chapter 1: Prolog

Ten years had passed since I came to this other world.

Finally, I struck down the Demon King.

“Dieee!”

Crunch!

Spewing a fountain of blood, his head fell to the ground.

At last.

“It’s overrrr!!”

The long journey to defeat the Demon King had ended.

The cry echoed among the hero party, who were barely able to stand.

It was a voice that heralded the end of the continent’s evil and the dawn of peace.

Thus, I had completed my mission and could finally return home safely.

[All missions completed. Would you like to return to your original world? Y / N]

“Of course.”

After ten years of grueling hardship, my days as a hero were finally over.

No more blood-soaked battlefields.

No more burden of saving people.

It’s all over now.

I would return to my peaceful hometown, my own home.

From now on, I would live a normal life.

Thinking this, I pressed Y.

“Farewell. I’m leaving now.”

****

I returned to my original world with a heart full of anticipation.

Unfortunately, this place was no longer the world I knew from ten years ago.

“Monsters…?”

“Oh, didn’t you know? Gates started appearing ten years ago. Monsters poured out of them. Did you live on some deserted island or something? How could you not know that?”

Monsters and Gates.

Awakened Ones and Guilds.

After I left, the world had undergone an era of great upheaval.

“Currently, Australia has lost its national functions due to the aftermath of a large-scale Gate outbreak…”

“China’s massive Awakened Guild, ‘Black Blade Gate (黑刀門),’ has successfully overthrown the Communist Party. In its wake, numerous guilds…”

“Africa has already been overrun by countless monsters, becoming an area inaccessible to humanity…”

News reports on YouTube, almost daily, covered the global situation.

It was utter chaos.

Australia, Africa, and South America had already become regions difficult for humans to live in.

Neighboring China had entered an era of strife reminiscent of the Warring States period.

‘At least our country is decent.’

Thanks to being surrounded by sea on three sides and the emergence of many high-quality Awakened Ones, Korea was able to maintain its national integrity.

However, it wasn’t completely safe from the threat of monsters.

“Aargh–!! In the subway! It’s a Gate… A Gate has appeared!!”

“What are you doing! Call an Awakened One quickly! Contact the Guild!”

A world where Gates and monsters could be encountered frequently even in the city.

A world where safety had to be entrusted to Awakened Ones.

That’s what the world had become.

To make matters worse, I had lost my powers from the other world.

This was because my body in the original world and my body in the other world were entirely different.

Here, I was just a young man in his twenties with the humble physical specs of an ordinary person.

However,

None of these series of events posed any problem for me.

My experience as a hero, honed over the past ten years.

And.

“Summon.”

[Summoning ‘Sword Saint Elysia’, the Knight Commander of the Highland Kingdom.]

[Summoning ‘Witch Helia’, the Tower Master of Magrent Magic Tower.]

[Summoning ‘White Tiger Grante’, the Beast King of the Kerne Continent.]

[Summoning ‘Verdant Seina’, the Master of the Forsett Great Forest.]

[Summoning ‘Saintess Irene’, the Goddess’s Proxy.]

The ability to summon the companions I had nurtured for ten years, who had become heroes.

That was why I had awakened this power.

“Guys, let’s catch the Demon King just one more time.”

….

“Master, please don’t ever leave my side again. My eyes will only ever see you.”

“Hmph! I didn’t come here to listen to your nagging, you know? It’s just that there’s nothing else to do now, so I’m just sticking around!”

“Boss! Since we chopped off the Demon King’s head, can I sniff you for an hour a day, meow?”

“…H-h-hhuh… Heh… I-I… I wanna touch too!!”

“Hero, I’ve already resigned from my Saintess position. All to taste you.”

‘…After defeating the Demon King twice, the kids have gone strange.’