Heroes of Their Own — Season 1: The Gathering of Heroes
The main story of Season 1 revolved around the heroes appearing and calming the chaos that had engulfed the world. Right after that came Season 2, subtitled Fragments of Chaos. Everything that had happened until then was merely the tip of the iceberg. Now the real monster invasion began in earnest.
Many players had been lulled into a false sense of security by the gentle, bright atmosphere of Season 1. As a result, they had raised their characters rather carelessly. And at the tail end of Season 1, they paid the price for that complacency.
If Season 1 had felt like a relaxed collection-style RPG where you nurtured multiple characters, Season 2 was something entirely different—a brutally difficult raid-focused game. Having tasted just a little of that early-game flavor, I once again found myself cursing the development team.
This isn’t a game they made for people to clear. They made it so we’d get our asses handed to us!
A grotesque monster charged straight at us, its mouth stained bright red with the blood of several villagers it had already devoured.
“Master!”
At Iris’s urgent cry, I looked forward to see one of the monsters rushing toward us. Its mouth was already stained vivid red with the blood of several villagers it had devoured. With a hideous screech, it lunged.
It wasn’t strong enough to use magic, so I simply gathered my energy and swung my fist lightly.
Bang!
Crunch!
A clean hole punched straight through the monster’s chest. I had originally been aiming for the head, but its fangs looked like decent crafting materials. Since I wanted to save money, I decided to avoid the head from now on and just keep harvesting materials this way.
“The city is still pretty far, but the whole area is already crawling with monsters.”
“Did you finish cleaning up your side?”
“Yes. It’s not as clean as the way you do it, Master, but I took care of them all.”
When I glanced at Iris’s handiwork, I couldn’t help but frown. She could have aimed cleanly for the heart or other vital points, but what she left behind looked more like a pile of roughly minced meat.
“You’ll need more training in martial arts.”
“Ughhh… I really did my best, though.”
“If that was your best, then it wasn’t your best at all.”
I had to be this blunt for Iris to actually understand. With half-baked skills, she would never be of any real help.
“Master. It looks like the people in the city are still putting up a fight.”
Beyond the horizon, large and small flames flickered across the city. Screams could be heard, and mixed with the acrid smoke was the metallic stench of blood.
Just as it appeared, at the very end of Season 1, monster attacks began breaking out everywhere. A war far longer and harsher than anything we had experienced before was about to begin.
And it wasn’t just the monsters. The hidden Demon God Worshippers would rise up as well, plunging the interior into utter turmoil. There was definitely at least one of those cultists in that city. Otherwise, there was no way a crack could have opened and monsters could have appeared like this. That many monsters couldn’t possibly have been summoned without someone doing it on purpose.
“You’re going to help them, right? Right?”
Iris looked at me with slightly anxious eyes. Her skills were still terrible, but as a hero, she seemed to possess at least some sense of duty. I was relieved that she at least recognized her role as a hero—yet at the same time, I couldn’t help worrying that I might end up visiting her grave one day.
“Iris.”
“Yes, Master.”
“You’re my disciple. Correct?”
“Yes, that’s right?”
“And all the other disciples who received my teachings are currently active as heroes.”
“That’s… right? But why are you bringing this up?”
Why? What do you mean, why? It’s about time you made your debut too.
Even though she was still pathetic and far too weak, making me worry. Still, I could just follow her around and fill in the gaps where she was lacking.
In any case, Iris was a hero. The word “last” that came before it still bothered me, but there was no denying that this world—or rather, this game—had chosen her.
“I’ll walk slowly, so you go on ahead and clean up.”
“M-Me? By myself?”
“That’s right. If they’re all only as strong as the ones you just faced, you can handle them alone.”
“But what if a suddenly strong enemy appears?! What if I get captured and end up in a terrible situation! What if I get kidnapped and have all sorts of awful things done to me?!”
“If you don’t go, you’ll end up in a terrible situation with me instead.”
“Uh… that actually doesn’t sound too bad…?”
What the hell, kid?
“While we’re standing here, people in the city are dying. You should hurry and help them, my disciple.”
“Ughhh! You’re just being lazy and pushing it all onto me!”
“Correct. Now that you know, get moving. The more people you save, the better.”
“That’s so mean!” Iris shouted before dashing off toward the city with a burst of speed.
It seemed Iris hadn’t noticed. Just a moment ago, I had secretly cast a protective spell on her without her knowledge. If she received a life-threatening injury, a powerful barrier would activate. Deciding that should be enough, I began walking slowly toward the city.
Still, this was going to be a pain. If the city got wrecked like this, where was I supposed to find the ring I promised to give my master? Even if I explained the situation, she would probably just say, “That’s your problem,” and pressure me anyway. She’d demand to know why I couldn’t keep my promise and where her ring was.
“God damn it. Of all places, it had to be that city.”
It was the only proper city in the area that could even be called a city. Everywhere else was basically a rural village with not even a decent shop in sight. Rubbing my throbbing temples, I continued walking at a leisurely pace.
Bang! Boom!
The closer I got to the city, the more the monsters’ shrieks died down. In their place came the sound of things being smashed to pieces.
Kiiiek! Kek!
If this were the central continent, which had the highest difficulty, it might be different. But I had deliberately chosen to live in the most remote outskirts. Therefore, the monsters appearing here were still within the range that the current Iris could handle.
“…Hm?”
Did I just sense something faint?
I stopped walking and looked around. I expanded my senses to check every possible angle where an ambush might come from. But I felt nothing more. It was as if something was telling me, “You imagined it.”
There was absolutely nothing in the vicinity. …What was that? I had long since passed the stage where I would misread something like this. Just as I was about to turn around and examine the area more carefully, the noise of the monsters in the city suddenly cut off completely.
It seemed Iris had done her job properly as a hero after all. I suppressed my presence as much as possible and stealthily approached the city.
From a distance, I saw Iris hurling a monster’s severed head far away while shouting “Done!” A little later, the terrified citizens who had been hiding began to emerge one by one.
Everyone, she is indeed a hero, but only half of one. If my other disciples saw this scene, they would definitely roast her and say she didn’t deserve to be called a hero at all.
“Huh? N-No, it’s nothing! I was just following my master’s orders…”
People poured out from every direction and swarmed around Iris. The sight was eerily similar to a horde of zombies descending upon a living person. Startled, Iris took a few steps back, looking around nervously. She was probably wondering why I hadn’t shown up yet.
But I deliberately stayed hidden in the trees, quietly watching the entire scene. Being a hero ultimately meant living like this—receiving everyone’s expectations and attention, and enduring the pressure that came with it. It wasn’t just about raw power; it also required the mental fortitude to withstand those persistent, piercing gazes.
Iris had been designated as a hero from the very beginning. So perhaps those aspects wouldn’t be too much of a problem for her. But no one could predict how those tiny cracks might eventually widen or what effect they would have.
This was a world inside a game, yet it was also a meticulously crafted world separate from the game itself. Those cracks might remain as nothing more than fine lines. Or they might become the cause of a catastrophic split.
It wasn’t pleasant, but it was inevitable. Humans have always clung desperately to any rope lowered to them in times of crisis. I had no intention of criticizing that instinct. After all, hadn’t I done all sorts of things myself just to grab hold of the rope called the Heavenly Demon?
The important thing was how Iris would respond to their expectations and desperate clinging. One of my disciples had once been unable to endure such gazes and had run away. Those who had never experienced it could never understand. The frenzied, almost terrifying desperation that poured onto you.
“…Of course.”
I was genuinely surprised for a moment. Just seconds ago she had looked visibly flustered. Yet suddenly, Iris wiped that expression from her face and spoke in a calm, steady voice.
“I will not abandon any of you. Whether I am a hero or not, I will not abandon you. Yes. I promise I will protect you. This time…”
The rest of Iris’s words were completely drowned out by the citizens’ cheers and prayers. Their voices were so loud they almost sounded louder than the monsters’ shrieks had been. The people of the city surrounded Iris, bowing deeply and kneeling in reverence.
Iris stood at the center, quietly watching them for a moment before smiling softly.
That seemed like a good enough conclusion. I jumped down from the tree and subtly released a bit of the energy I had been hiding. Iris, who had been helping the people to their feet, suddenly whipped her head around toward me with a startled “Hah!”
“Everyone! Don’t worry and focus on rebuilding the city, alright? I have to go now!”
“Later! I’m in a hurry right now!”
The reason for her hurry was painfully obvious from my perspective. She was definitely going to run over to me and brag about what she had just done. Completely unaware that I had been watching the entire thing in real time.
“Master!!!”
Iris arrived in front of me with a bright, beaming face and proudly patted her own chest with a “Hehe!” The gesture practically screamed, Look at me! Look at your disciple!
“It didn’t take as long as I thought.”
“And you were later than I expected, Master.”
“The scenery around here was beautiful, so I took my time enjoying it. More importantly, did you complete everything without making any mistakes, just as I taught you?”
“Of course! Who do you think your disciple is?!”
Iris suddenly struck a strange pose with both hands on her hips. Then, with sharp exclamations of “Hah! Chah!” she began her self-introduction.
“I have now become… a splendid hero! Master!”
“…”
Well, she had at least cleared the hero threshold. If that was enough to satisfy her, I wouldn’t stop her. But there was one thing she should know: the monsters she had killed were weaker than passing snails.
“Yes, congratulations, my disciple. Or should I call you Hero Iris Futurewalker now?”
“I like that! Please call me that from now on… Ouch!!”
I gave her another firm flick on the forehead. Who did she think she was, acting all cocky when the ink on her hero certificate hadn’t even dried yet?
“My head feels like it’s going to split open…”
“That’s enough. Let’s head inside, my disciple.”
“Where?”
“Where else? Into that city.”
“Huh? But I just came from there?”
“You went and came back, but I was originally on my way there.”
“Wait! If that’s the case, why didn’t you just go with me…”
“Do you have any complaints about your master’s decision, my disciple?”
At my words, Iris immediately shut her mouth with a small whimper. Whether she was a hero or whatever else, the fact that she was my disciple would never change.
I handed her the hood I had prepared in advance, and we headed straight into the city.