60. Dropout Hero Yi Ga-ram
60. Dropout Hero Yi Ga-ram
When she surrendered to the floating pull of weightlessness, the first thing that greeted her was a blinding light.
And the moment she was released from that searing brilliance, a thunderous wave of cheers welcomed her in its place.
As if personally embodying that very crowd, a lavishly dressed old man stepped forward and stood before her as though it were his natural right, proclaiming with brimming pride:
'Ooh, O Hero. Surely you are the one born with the fate to save this world! We shall do everything within our power to let that greatness shine, so please—unleash your full majesty.'
It was the moment she—ignored and bullied her whole life at school—encountered something straight out of the fantasy novels she had once devoured to escape.
At first, she worried whether she could ever deserve such treatment, but even that anxiety faded as she grew accustomed to it through months of preparation.
Yes. Normally, once she finished adapting, she should have had a spectacular debut battle, opening the glorious saga of a Hero. Except—
-Murmur, murmur.
About ten days had passed since she had royally screwed up that debut battle.
The moment she set foot in the tavern, an unwelcoming atmosphere crashed over her. Yi Ga-ram shrank back, reduced to reading the room and gauging their reactions.
'Th-they all recognize me, don't they?'
Of course they did.
She had caused such a massive commotion that day that everyone's eyes were on her. Her name, her face, the whole humiliating incident—it must have spread far and wide by now.
How else could the Heroes who came to visit her after hearing she'd been carted off to the temple with a heart attack have laughed right in her face?
'Hey, I heard you lost to an adventurer?'
'Got scared, freaked out all on your own, and collapsed... Pfft, nice job for someone with the Hero label~'
By principle, a Hero is meant to command adventurers and stand above them.
In the world of Heroes, where that was common sense, someone who ruined their monumental start was branded as exceptionally inferior. She was such a ridiculous creature that it was deemed perfectly acceptable to treat her with the same contempt and ridicule reserved for Foreign Workers.
'Earlier, when I went by the guild, everyone was gossiping about it. Know what they're calling you when they see you now? Failed Hero. Failed Hero.'
'Pfft~ With an ability like yours, you couldn't even manage a proper debut. You deserve to get treated that way~'
'Naturally, word of this has probably reached the noble lord sponsoring you already. Might just cut off support in sheer disappointment, you know?'
Collective, exaggerated condemnation.
It was something she was painfully familiar with from her past life—but familiarity never made it any easier to accept.
Even if you can endure it, it still hurts.
She had lived through that kind of persecution in her past life. She did not want to sink to that same miserable state in this one.
'What happens if a noble drops their sponsorship? Obviously, you forfeit the Hero title and get kicked to the streets.'
'But would anyone even take in an idiot who can't use her ability right?'
'So if you actually want to make up for it, go produce some results. Fast. I hear a new dungeon was recently unearthed—why don't you try your hand there or something?'
'Well, dunno if a Failed Hero like you is capable of that. Aha ha ha!'
Right. She had to produce results. Fast.
Otherwise, everything they said would become reality, and the one chance she had finally grasped in her second life would vanish forever.
'That's why I came back to the guild... but just as I thought, everyone hates me.'
That was how much resentment people harbored toward those called Heroes. But more than that, there seemed to be plenty who saw a Hero too afraid to fight back as an easy "opportunity."
They couldn't pick a direct fight—the difference in innate power was too great—but they could always badmouth her and mock her from a safe distance.
'If I just crushed them with power...'
At times, against such an atmosphere, the impulse to unleash her ability would seize her. But even that was suppressed by a deep-rooted terror, remaining only a fleeting thought.
'No. What if something like that happens again? I could really die this time.'
Believing she was invincible—that had only been true the first time. With her confidence smashed to rock bottom from the very start, there was no way she could entertain any thought of throwing her power around recklessly.
So she tried to push forward, even with a passive stance, gathering comrades without resorting to force.
The longer that void stretched on, the more her faint heart spun endless justifications to convince itself.
'In the first place... crushing people with power is wrong.'
No matter how much power you had, there were lines a human being had to keep.
For a girl not yet an adult, believing that the derogatory title "Failed Hero" actually allowed her to be honest about that revulsion was one of her few small consolations. Even that had been criticized in her past life as "having no merits besides being nice." But for now, clinging to that sentiment felt more bearable than facing anything else.
"Um... is there anyone who would like to party up with me...?"
Hours spent wandering through various guilds under the adventurers' blatant disdain.
At last, at a guild tavern she had visited ten days prior, Yi Ga-ram found the final person willing to form a party with her.
"E-excuse me, sir. If it's alright with you, would you join my party?"
A spearman clad in black armor, a spear slung across his back.
He had been staring at her with slightly stiff eyes from the moment they faced each other. But he only pressed the mask concealing his face down further and answered in a low voice.
"...First, let me hear the details."
It was a very small voice.
His mask covering his face—as if he were hiding something.
'Is he just... really shy?'
Yi Ga-ram felt curiosity toward this man, but no genuine suspicion.
For a moment, because he carried a spear, she did wonder if he might be the "Hero Killer." But his attire was completely different from that man's, and there wasn't a trace of that bloodthirsty presence from before.
Above all, that man's face still surfaced in her nightmares every single night. So how could she feel absolutely no such menacing hint from the man standing before her now?
'Yeah. If he were the Hero Killer I met back then, he would've tried to kill me the second he saw me.'
He'd been given that name because he supposedly killed every Hero he encountered.
The fact that she survived that day was pure luck. If this man were truly the Hero Killer, he would recognize her and rush at her just like before—and no one would find that strange. The mere fact that he hadn't was reason enough to team up with him.
"Eheheh~"
Feeling that she had at last recruited the final comrade who would follow her, Yi Ga-ram beamed brightly. The blunt-faced man sitting across from her placed a hand on his mask and asked,
"What's so good?"
"Ah, it's just... I finally found the last person I needed for the party."
"...You already found other party members besides me?"
"Y-yes. They were all very kind people..."
Yi Ga-ram glanced up, head still bowed, raising only her eyes.
But by then, he had already turned his gaze away from her, his attention shifting to the scenery of the tavern.
And he wasn't even looking at anything in particular—just staring at passing people with indifferent eyes.
"Um..."
Could it be that he didn't like her?
Had he accepted the party only reluctantly—on a whim?
"Say... is there anything you'd like to eat or drink? I'll buy it. I have lots of money, so..."
"No, I've already eaten. It's fine."
The masked man gestured with his hand at the empty plate and glass in front of him.
Sensing she had missed her chance to ease the mood, Yi Ga-ram's expression turned gloomy. The man, resting his chin on his hand, glanced at her subtly and spoke.
"The quest."
"Huh?"
"Seeing how urgently you were looking for people, you must've taken a mission from the guild. But for a Hero, they usually assign things different from what adventurers get, right?"
"Ah, yes. Yes, you're right! So, the quest I'll be taking this time is..."
Her speech burst open the moment a topic she cared about came up.
From then on, Yi Ga-ram rattled off information about the quest like a machine gun, then showed him the request form she'd been carrying around.
"So, to sum it up: there's a newly discovered dungeon this time, and we'll split the rewards we earn from investigating it. The ratio is roughly like this... Is that okay with you?"
"..."
"...Um."
"Is it really okay?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if this ratio is fine with you."
The masked man pointed with his finger at the section stating the distribution ratio.
Realizing what he meant, Yi Ga-ram gave an ambiguous smile to settle her nerves and said,
"Yes, it's something I already discussed with the other party members..."
"Did those party members only agree to join under the condition of such a high ratio?"
Normally, in a party centered around a Hero, the standard practice was for the Hero to claim the largest share.
But what this contract actually stipulated was that all party members would receive an equal split of the rewards.
Anyone could see what had happened: with no one willing to party with her thanks to her infamous "Failed Hero" status, they had pounced on that weakness to inflate their own portions.
"...Um, is the ratio too low?"
Yi Ga-ram, however, interpreted his remark very differently—and her face gradually drained of color. As if she feared being abandoned more than anything he was actually pointing out.
"Then, I could give you a little from my share..."
"No."
The masked man cut off her urgent words.
Then, pressing his mask down even deeper over his face, he replied in a heavy voice.
"First, I'll accept under these terms. So I'd appreciate it if you'd introduce me to the party members right away."
"Ah, yes! I'll introduce you immediately."
It felt a bit like he had hastily changed the subject, but the fact that he was actively participating in the party was a good sign no matter what.
Yi Ga-ram clenched her fist, feeling that she had finally taken her first true step, and steeled her resolve.
'Alright. I've gathered all the comrades I need. This is finally... my first quest.'
In this upcoming dungeon raid, she would achieve meaningful results and prove that she could fully carry her own weight.
'C-can I really do well, though?'
But that determination grew weaker and weaker every time she recalled her first failure—until, at last, even her feet stopped moving on the way to their destination.
The thought had struck her: if she failed again this time, she might end up repeating the same cycle as her previous life in this new one.
"Just a word of unsolicited advice."
The man approached her as she stood there frozen, placed a hand atop her head, and said quietly,
"Have some confidence. You may be young, but you are a Hero—and the leader who will guide this party."
A rough and calloused touch she could feel through his ungloved hand.
It spoke to the sheer hardship he had endured, yet the stroking motion of his hand held a gentleness within it. This advice, as well... could it be that he was even trying to comfort her?
"Ah, well..."
Feeling the sincerity in his gesture, Yi Ga-ram's face flushed red, and she quickly flipped up her cloak to hide it as she spoke.
"Th... thank you, sir. For the encouragement."
"..."
"...Um."
"Let's keep moving."
"Ah—yes!"
The masked man silently stared at her, then stepped back onto the path ahead.
In his eyes, she caught a faint glimpse of something like guilt. But Yi Ga-ram dismissed it as her imagination and guided him to the comrades she had recruited earlier.
For whatever reason, she held a budding expectation that with this man, things ahead would surely go well.
***
After the Failed Hero and the masked adventurer following her disappeared from sight.
A Hero who had been leaning against the tavern wall watching their figures stared at the spot with half-lidded, drooping eyes.
"Hmm~ For a Failed Hero, she actually managed to scrape together some party members."
Hero Kang Su-jin.
One of the Heroes summoned at the same time as Yi Ga-ram. Unlike the branded Failed Hero Yi Ga-ram, she had succeeded in clearing a high-rank quest straight after her debut battle.
To her, the actions of her peer Yi Ga-ram were quite the eyesore.
If she'd already been branded a failure, she should just stay a failure. Why was someone who failed to prove her qualifications from the very start trying to claw her way up so presumptuously?
"That aside, that guy... his gear and weapon look pretty good."
The malice born from that displeasure soon turned toward the man following her.
Gazing at his back, her expression twisted into a rancid smile. She then snapped her fingers with a sharp click and muttered to herself,
"...Should I just kill him and take them for myself?"
That Failed Hero was surely planning to attempt the newly discovered dungeon as well.
Opportunities to stab them in the back would be overflowing.