episode_0053

Once upon a time, there lived a man.

It may be a bit of a cliché and cliche to use as the beginning of a story, but.

What can I say? There is no other way to describe a man who is so petty and boring.

He was a very ordinary man. There was nothing special about his appearance, personality, or abilities.

If I had to pick one, I would say that I have a relatively strong body. Even then, I didn’t have any talent, so I didn’t dream of becoming an athlete.

The advantage I had as a child was that I never got sick and didn’t disappoint my parents.

I didn’t really have any specific desires or dreams.

Since he had no interest in learning, his school bag straps were short. He was born and raised in the countryside, and after graduating from middle school, he took over his father’s business.

We step on the earth, tamp it down, wet it, and sometimes harvest it. By touching the soil like this, we grow crops and then return to the soil.

Other people might think it’s pathetic, but I didn’t have any major complaints about it.

Then, by chance, I met a woman. No, perhaps it was fate.

Is this what the pretty Seoul women I’ve only heard about are like?

He may have been a little less handsome than the famous actors on television, but he was a beautiful person who everyone in the countryside would look back at.

He was a person who reminded me of potato flowers rather than gorgeous roses.

She was a pitiful woman with round, delicate shoulders and a sickly complexion, like a small, delicate flower that was not even two finger joints long, and had to be picked for the harvest.

It seemed like he had been living in the city and his health had deteriorated, so he moved to the countryside where the water was clean and the air was fresh.

The woman was both knowledgeable and wise. When neighbors blushed, she stepped forward to mediate, and when someone was hurt, she stamped her feet as if she was hurt herself.

Even though he was unable to do farm work due to poor health, he sometimes helped out with the farming.

Oh, it’s pretty.

That’s what I thought. The man was a total bookworm. I wanted to say something better, but I didn’t know how to say it since I hadn’t learned anything.

I still remember it clearly.

One midsummer day, a man and a woman happened to be enjoying a break from the scorching sun in the shade near the water.

“I love you. Let’s get married.”

It was a proposal that was full of passionate emotions without any sense of excitement.

Aside from being cool, it was terrible.

The man simply shrugged his shoulders at her blank gaze. His eyes lingered around the woman like a bee hovering over a flower, and his heart beat faster than the beating of its wings.

“Yes. That’s right.”

Potato Flower, wearing a white one-piece dress with a straw hat, tilted her head slightly.

Ah, the flowers are smiling.

He tried to sell the field to help pay for the hospital bills. But his wife shook her head silently and stopped him.

At dawn, fog hung over the mountainside. The son had already fallen asleep from crying. The man held his wife’s hand tightly, leaving the light on, which was slightly brighter than the nightlight.

I even went to a university hospital. I still don’t know exactly what the diagnosis is.

All I remember are the words, “Life is hard, even if you have surgery, your body won’t be able to handle it,” and “Be mentally prepared.” Those were heartbreaking words.

“You.”

… I knew. Potato flowers don’t bloom for long. They are soon picked by the farmer’s hands, and the leaves wither.

I know, but it’s not such a bad thing to want to be together a little longer. We made a hundred-year promise, but we’ve barely fulfilled a tenth of it.

I’m not ready to let go yet.

“Don’t be afraid of breaking up.”

“Please, my child. Raise him/her to be a good person. My dear, you can do it.”

He said that he liked the honest and hard-working appearance. He said that he was impressed by the honesty with which he kept his promises.

Whenever I was worried that my country bumpkin husband would look bad in the eyes of his wife who lived in the city, he always said that he believed in me. He believed in me and left me to him.

I promised to do as my wife asked me for the last time.

If that’s the case, then you have to do it.

I will raise my son uprightly. I will live a proper life in her place. That is what the man decided.

There was a loud explosion in the distance. It was the gunfire of fighter planes.

The evacuation alarm blared. This place wasn’t safe either. People were moving around busily and screams could be heard from all directions.

It was a big mess.

“… Father.”

In it, the son was dying.

The tall and neat face that resembled his wife was nowhere to be found, instead his face was covered in an ugly, disfigured complexion. The fingertips that were holding him were melting and slipping away. No.

“Did the child I saved live?”

Even in the midst of all this, the son asked that question. The man trembled his lips several times and then said, “I’m alive. I’m not dead. It’s thanks to you.”

“Thank goodness.”

I don’t know what the good news is. My son no longer has anything below his knees.

The man grabbed his son’s elbow. His hand was gone, so there was nowhere to grab onto. Even that was just a sticky pus.

Don’t go. You haven’t even had time to celebrate your child’s first birthday yet. Heaven, take me instead and please bring my son back to life.

This guy is not at fault. He just sees and hears me, that’s why he is like that. That’s how I raised him.

If you take it like this, it won’t work.

The man hoped his son would resent him instead. However, instead of resenting him, his son, whose sharp nose had disappeared, smiled.

“I wanted to get more, sorry. I don’t think I can do that anymore since I have no arms or legs.”

Boom! A fighter plane that was attacking the monsters crashed and hit a makeshift hospital ward. The room containing the man and his son caught fire.

The surroundings were dyed red, and black smoke flowed out. The man carried his son who had lost his limbs. I will listen to your complaints later. First, survive. Live.

“Father, please protect the people in my stead.”

The son suddenly rammed his head into his father and pushed him away. The man rolled around with a thud.

A large pile of rocks fell where he had just been. The sickroom was collapsing.

Son. Son? The huge concrete block that stood between him and his son wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he pushed and pulled.

The palm that pushed was hot, and the shoulder that was hit collapsed. But this damned pile of rocks didn’t move. Please, please!

“Come out, the building is collapsing!”

Someone grabbed the man by the shoulder and pulled him towards them.

No, my son is still there. My wife asked me to take care of him. I loved and cherished him more than anything in the world. Now, all that’s left is a handful of blood in my hand.

“This won’t do. Get him out!”

As he watched his son getting further and further away, the man cried out and made a promise with tears of blood in his eyes.

… Okay.

I promise you this. Even if my limbs are torn off, I will definitely save everyone. I will protect everyone from the monsters of this outside world.

That’s how it started. It was simply a promise between my wife and son.

“Oh my, you boar. You did it anyway.”

“… … .”

“You said you were a wild boar when you saw my brother, are you done with that?”

“What would you call a guy who saves people by being like that? More importantly, what kind of brother are you? You’re over forty now, so you have no sense of humor. Come to your senses.”

“Huh, what are you talking about? I was just fiddling around with my gear and ended up losing all my hair. I’m still young and fit, so people mistake me for a 20-year-old.”

“Don’t call me bald-!”

I didn’t really think much of it. But, one day, people started gathering around the man.

A close friend who can be trusted with his back, a genius craftsman who can make anything, and a divine priestess who is always by his side to help him.

The number, which started out as just three, began to grow and spread throughout the world.

“You are the famous hero of the Korean peninsula? It is nice to meet you.”

“Don’t ignore me because I’m young! I’ll be the best awakener in England someday!”

“Saving the world? I don’t feel like it. But it looks fun, so I’ll do it.”

Many people looked for the man and were with him. The man had no particular dreams or desires.

There was a time in my youth when I thought that if I only touched the dirt, I would return to the dirt.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

“Wake up! We can do it!”

But at some point, a sense of mission arose. The beginning was meaningless, but the process was grand. Everyone came together to save the world.

He traveled across countries, across seas, and all over the world, saving people and defeating monsters.

“Thank you!”

“The heroes are here!”

The promise with his family had become a true man’s dream, and it lifted him up every time he fell down.

Sometimes it was rewarding and fun and made me laugh, but most of the time it was painful and hard. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache. Those were the days when I cried and my nose got runny.

But I had no regrets.

Because he was not alone, because everyone was together, the man could dare to call it a memory.

At the end of the journey called life, I was able to look back on the memories and laugh that it wasn’t all that bad.

It was truly a heart-pounding journey… .

-.-.-

I exhaled roughly. How long had it been? Half of my vision was dark.

[Chungmugong] got up. No, he tried to get up. But his right arm, which was trying to get up by pressing against the ground, was gone.

“… … .”

Cool, something got stuck in my throat, I vomited it out and it was a clump of blood.

The old man tried to swallow his saliva from his sore throat, but even that was unsuccessful. One of his eyes was missing, his lower jaw was broken, and his tongue was half cut off.

-What a persistent guy. He’s still alive.

I looked up and saw something red. It was a dragon. Its four heads were gone, and only three remained.

The wings were tattered and torn from their membranes, and the tail was cut off, making it look unsightly.

… Ah, I remember. We were in the middle of a fight, huh?

He must have fainted for a moment and was dreaming. The old man looked up at the sky. It was red and he couldn’t tell the exact time.

It felt like Ahre had fought for quite some time, but judging by the fact that the dragon still hadn’t recovered, it seemed like not even a day had passed.

It was such a fierce and shocking fight. The earth shook, trees burned, rocks burst, and the sky flowed down. In the red-tinted hell, only the dragon and the old man fought.

However, even that was coming to an end. No matter how much he could fly and crawl, [Chungmugong] could not face that monster alone. Rather, he should be applauded for making it this far.

The dragon was strong.

The head of [the power to rule over everything] interfered with the healing effect of [the journey], immortality, and the old man’s protective power, and the head of [the power to destroy and tease] crushed and trampled the old man. Because of this, the wounds he received did not heal. His old body had no strength.

I tried to stand, but I couldn’t raise my body.

The coat he was wearing had lost its effect and was dyed red with his blood. The old man, who had been shaking his body for a while, finally stopped moving. He was making a strange, crunching, crunching sound, perhaps because his lower jaw was damaged.

-It is unpleasant and disgusting, but I admit it, mortal. He was indeed worthy of calling himself a guardian.

The bloody demon babbled. He destroyed the world to the extreme and ruled over the dimension of Asunggi beyond Hanghasa. The number of dimensions he crossed over reached Nayuta.

As the King of Red, the Destroyer of Worlds, I had such pride in myself, but the lowly human before me wasted my energy to this point.

-But now it’s over. I’ve used up my soul to the point where it can’t recover, trying to wield my meager power, so I’ll be out of breath soon.

“… … .”

It’s comfortable without a mouth to talk. The dragon smiled faintly.

– In the end, your struggles were meaningless. You failed to defeat me, and you were left miserably stranded on the ground in a world that was about to be destroyed, writhing like a bug. That was your end.

-Hahahahahaha!! How pitiful, you who have offered your true name to the world and mortgaged your fate! How pitiful, you who have no honorable name to praise! Look up! There is nothing! Who will recognize your sacrifice? Who will cry for you?

Before ascending to heaven and becoming the Apocalypse, the dragon, who had not been able to abandon the old habits of the great serpent that had been sowing discord between gods and humans and taunting them with clever words, laughed loudly and mocked [Admiral Yi Sun-sin] who had dared to hurt him.

Then he suddenly stopped laughing, turned his eyes to those hateful eyes that were like burning sulfur, and whispered sweetly.

-But that power is a waste. What do you think? Become my servant, and I will give you half of this world. You will regain your lost lifespan and gain eternal wealth and power. Everyone will look up to you as you stand at my right, and tens of thousands of beautiful women from all over the country will spread their legs for you.

Satan tempted [Chungmugong]. He felt like he could chew and kill the insignificant mortal who dared to push him this far, but he held back.

It was because the old man, with his noble spirit, had half resisted the [power to rule over all], the most outstanding head of the dragon. A being I cannot handle! The dragon’s pride was greatly wounded.

His anger surged to the top of his head, but if he thought about it differently, it was actually a pretty good pastime. Yong felt his appetite naturally grow.

For it was the pleasure of those who opposed God that the most noble should be corrupted, and the most pure should be defiled.

-Oh, you can’t speak? Then I’ll just allow you to kneel down and bow your head to me. I’ll give you plenty of time to think, so take your time and think about it-

The dragon’s thick, gentle voice, like honey smeared on my ear, stopped.

It was because [Chungmugong], who had been wriggling like a bug just a moment ago, suddenly stood up. The old man, whose eyes were hardened like steel, cut off the devil’s temptation and filled his mana with an unbreakable will instead of his mouth that could not be opened or closed.

[I refuse.]

Even if the devil makes such a suggestion, [Chungmugong] will never be deceived.

You can do it.

Protect the people.

Oh my, you finally did it.

The hero has arrived!

thank you!

Thank you! Thank you!

cheer up!

Grandpa Gong!

Elder.

If I join you. If I can be of help.

I’ll definitely see you again on the other side.

[… I’ve already been rewarded more than enough to fall for that!!]

The difficult journey has become a memory, and it was a pretty good trip to turn back on.

This will be a great story to tell in front of my wife and son up in heaven…!

The old man laughed.

-… … .

-… How dare you.

Dare, dare, dare!

The crown was once again placed on the dragon’s head. The head of [the power to wield illegitimate authority] roared, and dozens of red gates opened on Jeju Island, where half of the area had already disappeared.

An army of red monsters numbering in the thousands and tens of thousands crawled out from beyond the gate.

-You will be the last to be dealt with after killing everything in this world. I won’t kill you easily. Let’s see if you can still talk even when your flesh melts in the hellfire! No matter how desperately you cry, no one will hear your screams!

-Catch that detestable mortal! I will personally torture him with utmost care!

[Chungmugong] stumbled. One shoulder was empty, making it difficult to keep his balance. However, the man did not give in to it.

He didn’t turn his back and run away. He even took a step forward against the enemies surrounding him on all sides. He wasn’t afraid of the dragon, of the overwhelming number of people, but prepared to face them head on.

The man’s son tried to protect people even though his limbs were cut off. In comparison, the man stood upright with two relatively healthy legs. He had no right arm, but his left arm remained.

If that’s the case, then there’s no problem. The man clenched his fist.

Satan sneered as he watched the man trying to fight to the end. Even so, he was only one person. And he was a half-crippled man who was dying. What could he do on his own?

Red, irregular monsters rushed toward the man.

[Mago’s Lightning]

The red flames that flew in burned the enemies rushing toward the man. Among the monsters that were crumbling into ashes, there was a figure. The man frowned absentmindedly.

[… I told you to run away. Gannan disobeyed my orders.]

“I’m sorry, sir. But.”

Although it was only a day and a half, [Hee Na Ri] Hong Yoon Ha, who had recovered a little after receiving treatment, smiled faintly. Her smile, like a soft flower petal, resembled that of my new mother.

“My mother-in-law told me to go and help the old man.”

“People are coming to join the hero.”

In the distance, someone jumped up.

“Get out of here, you piece of trash!”

[Balor’s Eye]!

A purple beam of light swept across the red ground, killing the monsters. Hundreds of monsters were swept away by that single attack.

Suddenly appearing, the cross-eyed demon swung his ash-colored ponytail as he cleaned up the surroundings. His former comrade, who had reached the man’s immediate vicinity in a single leap, smiled fiercely at him.

“You didn’t show up even once during the fair, and now you look like a mess! From now on, you’ll have to walk around with a cane, old man!”

An S-class Awakener from the British [Glorious] Guild, and a 1.5 generation Awakener. [Balor] Liam Craven.

He brushed the dust off the man’s back.

[How did you get here…?]

“Haha! What nonsense is this, from the greatest knight who has done favors to the British Empire.”

Liam shrugged, grinning faintly and nodding to the man’s back.

“And, look over there. I’m not the only one here.”

Only then did the man turn his gaze behind me.

From afar, footsteps could be heard, starting from the edge of the Jeju Island waves. Thousands of people, each armed, were walking to join the man. Thump, thump, the advancing red army stopped moving. It was because they had witnessed a large army of similar size from afar.

So the man set out to save the world.

Although he may not have a name, many people have given him titles to use in place of his name.

In England, the Queen herself gave him the name [Knight of the Rock] for his slaughter of Danu’s clan.

In Europe, he was called [Dragon Slayer] after defeating the worst villain in the world, the dragon Marco Dracula.

In China, he is revered as the [Invincible East] for defeating the Bronze Demon King Chiyou and his subordinate Li Meiwangliang.

In Japan, he was called [Acala] because he never backed down even one step against the giant god Daidarabocchi.

In India, hundreds of yakshas are buried in the pit of hell and covered with a lid, and it is said of him, [the incarnation of the earth].

In America, he is praised for defeating the witch Utrunta, who had claws that could cut through magic rails, [Aegis].

And, and, and, and… .

Everyone remembered him,

Everyone was with him.

That is why the man dared to call it a memory.

But it was the same for everyone with him,

A hero is never alone. That is why men are never alone.

The man, standing at the end of his life, looked back at the sight and gently opened his remaining eye.

I burn all the last remaining soul of mine,

Listen, world.

Today, no one who sets foot on this land will die except me.

I will not hear any objections. I have decided so.

… To this extent.

It was a pretty good life, wasn’t it?