episode_0001

*****

The year 2000, a time when the world was covered with all kinds of apocalyptic theories. The Earth is in an unprecedented crisis.

Dimensional gaps opened all over the world, and monsters poured out from them, threatening humanity’s right to survive.

Humanity did not suffer quietly either, but it had no choice but to suffer great damage in the face of monsters that could come out of nowhere. To make matters worse, aliens with intelligence equal to or higher than that of humanity were invading, and most countries were on the path to destruction.

However, where there is despair, there is also hope. Due to a certain type of energy that is believed to have come from another dimension – magical power – people called ‘awakened’ have appeared among humanity.

The awakened people defeated the monsters like cartoon heroes, and thanks to their counterattack, humanity gradually began to return to its former self.

Of course, humanity did not stop at that point. I studied the power of the awakened, the power of monsters, and the power of other dimensions.

Just as humans evolved from apes that were afraid of fire to humans that utilize fire, humans have eliminated the walls that blocked their path one by one.

Naturally, the awakened person was at the center of the process. Heroes who deal with dimensional rifts, protect people, and purify the alien world that has encroached upon the Earth.

The turbulent times in which the world is in turmoil are the age of heroes.

People called them ‘heroes’.

***

At another hero’s funeral, he scolded the bereaved family, received a lot of disciplinary action, and took on a lot of work. How harsh is this?

As soon as I expressed my miserable feelings, the supporter immediately gave me a cold answer.

“You don’t really mean what you say, right?”

“Yes, sorry. I am reflecting.”

“There is no sincerity in it. If reporters find out, all the rumors will be exaggerated and the disciplinary action will be doubled.”

“If I don’t do this, how can I bear it because I’m so upset… .”

This is a guy who confided in the enemy during a mission and put his colleagues in danger. Is there any need in the world to hold a grand funeral?

No, I know. It has been 20 years since I fell into this world, and I have lived for almost 40 years including my previous life. Even though my brain is filled with muscles, I’m not an idiot who can’t read a situation like this.

I know that this is an important time to stabilize our country, and that announcing that there was a liars among the heroes will only make people anxious.

However, when I see the acts of deception carried out on a national level, it is difficult to hold back the boiling inside.

38 Open operations such as defense warfare are at least better. Colleagues who lost their lives in secret operations such as the attack on the Genesis headquarters were buried in the dark, but those traitors… . Ah, thinking about it makes me angry again.

“But please refrain from doing things like this in the future, senior. You clearly know what’s going on anyway. If my senior hadn’t been a hero during the era of great chaos, he would have died socially, not disciplinaryly? Even though his abilities are aggro, he has a bad reputation.”

“No, my potential is that the more motivated I become, the stronger my magic power and body become!? What makes you an aggressor!”

“Hmph. That motivation is greatly influenced by people’s attention, right? Well, it was a little bit wrong. Because seniority, not ability, is the source of interest. Sorry for the mistake~.”

This is what it means to give in return and receive in return. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say in response, so I just cleared my throat and avoided Sia’s gaze.

Really, you can’t win if you fight with Sia verbally. It may be self-evident that most of the problems are due to my behavior.

Sometimes I miss the old Sia who looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“If anyone hears it, they’ll think I’m just having an accident on a random day, hey.”

“Then it’s not? I heard that the reason why all the people who came as supporters before me left was because they were tired of being left behind by their seniors. Just looking at the disciplinary records of seniors right now, there are 2 cases of attempted assault and intimidation against high-ranking government officials, 7 cases of excessive educational behavior towards juniors, 59 cases of excessive execution against awakened criminals, 213 cases of excessive execution against non-awakened criminals, and inappropriate language. Warnings due to loud noises due to use or drinking… . Wow, crazy. No, I’m sorry. Without even knowing.”

“Ugh… . Since we’re on a mission, let’s focus on our job.”

Oh, there were that many of them. It’s not. I don’t think so. … You’ll have to catch me later and check it out.

Sia’s blue spirit terminal tilted its head at my somewhat excuse-filled words. It was not a teasing criticism like before, but a purely questioning action.

“Need help?”

“You don’t know what’s going to happen in the world.”

“Even if someone who blows away a class A monster with one punch says that… .”

Where Sia looked, the corpses of monsters were lined up. As few as the head, as many as more than half of the body were blown off.

What can I say? All of those corpses were created by me. And all with one punch. As expected, it’s me.

Even as we were talking like this, another one came running in front of us. Just by its appearance, it seems to be a distant cousin of Tyranno. Since a while ago, only dinosaur-like creatures have been appearing. Could it be that we have been transported to another world, the Jurassic Era?

The giant dinosaur attacking with a roar was definitely powerful, but I was sick of it after seeing it so many times. I got excited about fighting dinosaurs once or twice. Now it’s getting tiresome so I’m finishing everything with one punch.

Just look at it now, if you draw out the magical power within your body like this and stick out your fist according to the flow.

bang,

And in an instant, it falls to the corpse.

“It’s a dirty fireworks display.”

“Your sensibility is also quite off.”

The current Sia is also a smart and good kid. I also hoped that she would grow up to be a girl with more normal sensibilities. Considering my origins and era, it may be difficult.

Shia and I walked further into the forest, leaving behind the twitching corpse of the dinosaur, with only the lower body remaining.

“But it’s easier than I thought. At first, I was a little more nervous because the mission was to defeat the remnants of Genesis.”

If there are heroes, there are also evil organizations. Genesis is a villain organization that emerged during the so-called ‘Great Chaos Period’ before the restoration of Seoul.

They are like Jjamppong who combines science, magical engineering, and religion, but what they do is atrocious. Thanks to this, he was the second greatest enemy after the monsters to the newly created Hero Association.

It quieted down a few years ago after the national alliance destroyed their home base. If we still forget, the remnants show up and cause trouble.

Well, it’s only natural since it’s the main villain organization in the ‘original work’.

“Couldn’t the president of the association say that on purpose to make you nervous? In most cases, it is clear that Genesis is the one who gets to the senior level. This mission is lower than that, a mission to eliminate enemies with ‘possible’ remnants of Genesis.”

“Possibility? How much is it?”

“Let’s see… , 1.5 percent.”

“It’s almost like nothing. It’s as if this has already been resolved.”

“If you say that, definitely──Oh, come one more.”

What came out this time was a monster that looked like a pterodactyl. Another dinosaur, again. I’m getting tired of it now.

The shape of dinosaurs’ muscles has been studied extensively, so it is easy to create artificial monsters. Perhaps that’s why there was a 1.5% chance that it was Genesis.

Magical light was leaking from the corner of the pterosaur’s mouth. That’s the first time I can fly. Just looking at it, there would be no reason for him to try to hit me, who is a close-range type.

But if you think I can’t cover the air, you’re very mistaken.

“Krrrrala—ra?”

With one stomp, I rose to an altitude much higher than that of a pterodactyl. It probably looked like I had disappeared in the pterodactyl’s eyes. There was a sense of puzzlement in the guy’s screams.

A human without wings or anything flying up to the sky would not be normal, even according to the common sense of a monster.

But this is that kind of world. A world where magic is real and fighting is done with swords and magic, not bullets. It’s a world where a bare-bones human being can easily sink a few aircraft carriers.

Compared to that, a sergeant jump of several hundred meters would be a light feat.

“This way!”

“Crook!?”

The pterosaur urgently raised its head, but it was already too late. With a confident shout, the rider—kick!

With a high-speed falling kick that rivaled the power of the original, the pterosaur immediately turned into meat fragments and scattered to pieces.

“Really, ridiculous physical ability… . But why did you bother to tell me the location when you went back to the square?”

“What are you talking about? This technique was originally meant to be used that way.”

“Yes, yes. It’s my fault for expecting common sense from my senior.”

Are all the people you’re dealing with there?! Because we react while doing things, the chances of actually doing it are surprisingly small. If not at a time like this, when would you do it again?

After that, Shia and I continued to head to the center of the other world. Every time we went inside, stronger and bigger dinosaurs came out, but not a single monster could withstand more than one hit.

“As expected, you are a senior. I think I need to bring a team here too.”

“Ma, are you and I in the same grade?”

“Hmph. First of all, I’m also S-class. The senior is just such a fraudulent character.”

Mmmmm, praise more, more.

What should I hide? The reason I am so obsessed with praise is because of my abilities. The more ‘motivated’ you become, the more your physical abilities increase. That is the potential of my soul.

Whether I care about popularity or thirst for praise, it’s all to strengthen my abilities.

“Isn’t it true that you have to be interested in hero topics to become motivated?”

“Haha, what’s new? Oh, there’s a crack over there. Is that right? That’s it, right? Entering~.”

“Okay, wait a minute,” he said, leaving Sia in a panic, and went into the crack where the color was changing every moment.

The floating sensation continues for a moment. After escaping between the boundaries of the dimensions, I found myself in a cave-like place. At the same time, an annoying sensation, like being gently touched by a needle, stung the back of my head.

This… .

“Really, senior! What if you just go in like that because you don’t want to answer? I’m left alone.”

As I was looking around with my magical power, a girl wearing the Hero Association uniform jumped out of the crack. A girl with a small body and purple hair tied into pigtails. This is the main body of Sia.

No matter how much it is a soul clone, magical communication is cut off inside and outside the crack. So, I guess I followed along as a supporter… . The timing is not very good right now.

“If you are going to be attacked by A-class monsters, return the S-class. No, this is not the time to joke. Sia, go back outside right now and call for reinforcements.”

“Yes? Ji-won, right?”

Sia’s expression, which was puffing out her cheeks, was colored with astonishment. His face looked as if he had never expected such words to come out of my mouth.

That’s because, while working with Sia, I have never called in reinforcements. The fact that I, who am close to the top among heroes, cannot deal with it alone means that the scale is that big. Of course, you have to start with enough power.

But this time is different. No one would have known that the mission given as a superficial disciplinary action would turn out to be real.

“Uh. I think I won. 1.5 percent.”

“Ma, that’s ridiculous… .”

“Do you remember the basis for calculating the probability?”

“Ah, hmmm. Obviously, the amount of goods moving from nearby places… . As a result of the dimensional numerical measurement, the medium scale, the degree of characteristic monster manifestation, and the degree of otherworldliness of the surrounding environment would have been taken into consideration. 1.5% was mostly about the manifestation of characteristic monsters.”

“In other words, they say it’s not true for the rest, but since artificial monsters are created, the possibility exists, or something like that. But medium scale? What is this?”

“Uh, isn’t it?”

The scale of the other world is influenced by size, but the most important thing is the total amount of souls. And with a presence of this magnitude that is making the back of my head tingle right now, there is absolutely no way that a medium-sized one would come out.

It’s so blatant, but the fact that Sia doesn’t notice it means that the other person is of a much higher rank than him. Even though she specializes in support, Sia is an S-class hero. If she couldn’t feel it, it meant that something was very wrong.

“Probably Genesis. That too with a fairly high probability. Rather, it would be difficult if it wasn’t Genesis. If there were another organization that would drop something like this in the northern part of the metropolitan area, it would be just as troublesome… . Anyway, like I said before, you go out and call reinforcements right away. Tell them to bring at least two people of the same class as me.”

“Two, two at a time!? If you are in the same grade as your senior, there are only three in our country. They’re not called the Four Heroes for nothing… . If we need two more people like that, no matter how senior they are──”

“I will stay here and look at the situation some more. Looking at the way things are going–no, it’s a bit long to explain. Anyway, I have to go inside and check something.”

If you just think about it, it ends with the existence of a powerful being. But to me, who knows the ‘original work’, another possibility comes to mind. In terms of timing, it seems to fit somewhat.

Considering the worst possibility, I would also have to step down and come back with a more solid military force. But that inevitably takes time. [Intuition] told me that I shouldn’t back down from here if I didn’t want to cause casualties.

Sia’s expression became pale by the minute, as if she realized the seriousness of the situation due to my serious attitude. There is no reason to intentionally make a junior who is like family anxious, so let’s try to relieve the tension here.

” Hey, why are you making a statue of death like that? Smile slyly like you always do.”

“But, Senpai, it’s too dangerous to leave you alone in a place like this. If it’s a simple request for support, it can be done using my alter ego, so here I am… .”

“Ugh, I made a fuss for no reason. Do you remember rule of engagement number 1? You haven’t already forgotten that it’s S-class, right?”

“When engaging in combat, refrain from engaging in solo combat, at least in groups of 3 people──Ah.”

Sia’s expression became slightly blank as she realized something while she was speaking. Even my body, which was tense and stiff, loses some strength.

“Okay. I’m calling your senior scary for no reason, but it’s not like there’s something so great in here that I can’t compete with, right? So don’t be scared and just load it quickly.”

“Seo, it’s because the senior suddenly spoke with a serious expression!”

Was he embarrassed to show his immaturity? Sia’s face turned bright red and she returned to the dimensional rift.

However, just before leaving, Sia looked back at me again. His anxious, shaking eyes followed me as if searching.

… Have you ever been caught lying?

“… Really, you’re okay, right?”

“Ah, that’s right. Don’t you trust me? Me, uh! When I was the size of you, your words were like heaven!”

“Looking back at my senior’s daily behavior, I can’t help but trust him. … If you are not safe when I return, I will not leave you alone.”

Fortunately, that only lasts a moment. Perhaps because she thought it was just her mood, Sia’s smile returned to normal. With these contradictory words, Sia finally fell through the cracks this time.

Did you go? You went, right? … gone

Okay, this is one less thing to worry about. I’m confident in destroying people, but I’m terrible at protecting my allies.

I heard somewhere that when telling a lie, you should mix truth and lies. I said it was okay, but it wasn’t really an optimistic situation. The thing below could really be the opponent that the three of the Four Heroes should attack together.

Then what is the truth? The point is that this is not something to make a fuss about. I have the confidence to destroy whoever is in here.

The exact opposite of what you just said? No, no. Let’s say I’m a hero-level person. Because I am strong.

A powerful enemy, and me who defeats it. I imagined that scene, mustered up my will, and confidently headed inside.

*****