Chapter 143: Determination

A calm and gentle song subtly filled the space, perfectly complementing the atmosphere of the place.

A restrained interior without any decorations… a minimalist setting… and occasionally, people dressed in mourning attire passed by.

I had realized it when I visited my parents after returning to Earth, but once again, I was reminded that this was a place stripped of laughter and joy.

***

“They all look the same.”

This wasn’t the place where my parents rested.

“Let’s see… Room 213…”

As I walked down the hallway, I arrived at my destination and stepped inside.

Recalling the name I had heard from the goddess, I looked at the name engraved on the urn in the room.

And then…

“I found you.”

A photograph of a man, who seemed to be about the same age as I was before I was summoned to this world, was displayed.

I let out a wry smile toward the photo and awkwardly greeted it.

“It’s been a while.”

Of course, there was no response.

‘But if he were alive in front of me, I had a feeling he’d be demanding to know why I was here.’

The name inscribed before me—Park Jungsoo.

The hero summoned before me.

And… the hero who was defeated by the Demon King, fell into darkness, and later stood in my way.

“So this is what you really looked like.”

Despite knowing of him, the man in the photograph felt strangely unfamiliar.

According to the goddess, he had once looked just like me when he was a hero.

But when I encountered him, he had already been corrupted, transformed into a monstrous being.

Back then, in this world, he had taken on the form of a woman.

So, in a way, this was my first time seeing his ‘real’ appearance.

“As for how I’ve been… I protected the world, returned to Earth, and am doing well.”

There was no particular reason I was reporting to him—I just felt like talking.

“Talking to empty air in my room would be weird, you know?”

There was no reply, but I kept speaking anyway.

“I’ve been gathering heroes lately. At first, it felt like a collector’s obsession, but honestly, it’s kind of cool, isn’t it? A gathering of heroes who saved different worlds and made it back home. Since I like flashy things, I figured collecting heroes would be the grandest thing possible.”

“Then yesterday, I was reminiscing about the past with one of those heroes and in the middle of it all, I suddenly thought of you.”

“Maybe that’s why, while gathering heroes, your face came to mind.”

“I wonder… am I even allowed to do something like this, when I failed to save the one person I should have?”

“If I had been more patient… if I had taken my time and tried harder… could I have saved you and brought you back to Earth with me?”

The goddess told me to give up.

But even now, the look in your eyes, right before you vanished by my sword, lingers in my mind.

Maybe the so-called strength of a hero is nothing more than the result of forcing painful memories into the deepest corners of one’s mind.

‘Is this what they call PTSD?’

***

“It was hard back then. You were strong—strong enough that I had to risk my life just to fight you. Just as I was blessed by the goddess, you were blessed by the Demon King. I guess you could say we were evenly matched.”

The wounds have long since healed, but the excruciating pain remains burned into my soul.

That’s why… whenever I remember you, that pain resurfaces.

The sensation of my heart being ripped apart, my head exploding, my body crushed into pulp, my mind torn to shreds—pain in its purest form.

“You were strong enough to make even a monster like me struggle. That says a lot, doesn’t it?”

There was a simple reason I was able to surpass ordinary heroes.

The strength of the demons was one issue, but more importantly, a hero—an extraordinary force—had crossed over to their side.

If we weren’t careful, all the worlds under the goddess’s protection would have been plunged into hell.

So the goddess took drastic measures.

She made a decision: to break the very limits and constraints of what it meant to be a hero.

Pooling all the world’s blessings, providence, and divine protection into a single being, she would create the ultimate weapon.

And after discussions with Earth, she summoned me—the one with the greatest potential.

That was what the goddess told me, just before I faced the Demon King in battle.

Keeping that in mind… it really shows just how powerful you were.

You were the greatest obstacle before my final battle, and in some ways, even harder to defeat than the Demon King himself.

“Still… overcoming such trials is what makes a hero, isn’t it?”

I let out a quiet sigh.

“Yet, when you needed saving the most, all I gave you was death. Do I really deserve to be called a hero?”

The man in the photograph remained silent.

I never expected an answer.

But still… something about the silence carved away at a part of me, leaving behind an inexplicable sense of loss and disappointment.

Humans… emotions… I still don’t understand them.

“There’s no point in dwelling on this, is there? I should stop. Maybe I’m just doing this to make excuses for myself.”

With that, I pulled out my phone—the one I had turned off earlier to avoid any distractions.

• Beep.

As it powered back on, the familiar notification sound rang out.

Glancing at the screen, I saw a message from Dayoung.

[Unnie, hurry back. A new hero has arrived.]

‘Ah… another one has come.’

“You see that? A new hero has arrived. That makes four now.”

‘If they came looking for us, then… they probably saw the video Ajin and I made.’

‘There would be no reason for them to come directly to my house otherwise.’

After receiving Dayoung’s message about the appearance of a new hero, I couldn’t stay here any longer.

I turned to the photograph one last time and gave my final farewell.

“I have to go now. I might not come back here again… but I hope you can rest in peace.”

I thought maybe I’d find an answer by coming here.

But in the end, I left with nothing—no answers, no responses.

‘Maybe I was just being pathetically sentimental on my own.’

***

I was leaving the building when it happened.

Beyond the door, there was only a blinding white light, with nothing reflected in it.

And standing in front of that light… was someone staring right at me.

“You are…?”

A demon’s armor, sculpted from melted human flesh.

A grotesque form, its twisted frame covered in countless mouths and eyes, all writhing on its skin.

Yet… the face was unmistakable.

A face forever etched into my memory.

“The former hero?”

‘Had I finally gone insane? Was this a hallucination? An illusion?’

For the first time since returning to Earth, I felt a wave of sheer panic crash over me.

‘If this was real, it was a disaster beyond measure—so overwhelming that I couldn’t even think about unleashing my power.’

• Creak.

Every movement sent a horrific, distorted wail through its warped bones.

As it reached out toward me, the hero’s twisted face curved into a smile.

I couldn’t hear its voice, but its words seeped directly into my mind—an echo that resonated deep within my soul.

“If… another hero like me appears, will you save them this time?“

My body froze.

That moment came rushing back to me.

That day… in a world drenched in hellfire, blood, and corpses.

I was only one step away from the end when you stood in my way.

And with these very hands, wielding the holy sword… I struck you down.

If I’m being honest…

I might have just given up.

It was too much.

I was exhausted.

I wanted it all to end as soon as possible.

I had fought alone for so long that even the passage of time had lost meaning.

In that moment, a series of faces flashed through my mind.

Dayoung, Ajin, Yuri… and even Eunha, despite being just an ordinary person.

They were different from my past as a hero.

They were my precious bonds in the present.

***

“Ah… so that’s why. I was just an attention seeker, huh?”

Telling myself I became a streamer because I had defeated too many demons in silence…

That was just an excuse.

The truth was, I needed someone by my side.

Someone to stay with me.

Someone to endure with me.

Someone to move forward with me.

I answered with certainty.

“Yes. I am worthy.”

I nodded, conviction filling my voice.

“Because there are people who look up to me now. I can’t give up.”

I straightened my back, my determination unwavering.

“Because I am a hero. So if that moment ever comes again… I will save them.”

Even if I had to do it as a streamer, even if it meant collecting heroes—

This time, it would be different.

Because now, I was not alone.

Dayoung and Ajin were here with me.

Other heroes, my friends… they were all here, too.

I could feel my resolve solidifying, stronger than ever—more than when I was a hero.

• Drip.

At my answer, light rained down, and the former hero’s form melted away like ashes.

Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, the light grew ever brighter, stinging my eyes.

A golden cloak. Silver-white armor.

A woman, golden-haired and blue-eyed, wrapped in a radiant nebula.

Friede—that’s what they used to call me.

And… the hero who was once known as the Champion of Light.

She smiled, a knowing expression on her face, and spoke.

“Save me, next time.“

The light vanished.

The hero disappeared.

I found myself once again in the same familiar building, looking around before letting out a deep sigh.

Stepping outside, I was greeted by the brilliant sunlight illuminating the sky.

Somehow… its radiance reminded me of the light the former hero once carried.

“If another hero like me appears, will you save them this time?“

That question echoed in my mind once more.

If that moment ever comes…

Then I will, without a doubt…

“Save the hero.”