The Price of Sacrifice

I had known Kim Hyungkeun for over ten years, but I had never once thought about fighting him. A fight between us wouldn't even be a contest. If I ever laid a hand on him, it wouldn't be a fight—it would be a one-sided beating.

I had stepped in to save him multiple times from pathetic, low-life thugs. Looking back, he had never given me a proper thank you, but I hadn't really cared. Perhaps I simply hadn't been interested enough in what a person like Kim Hyungkeun felt.

Was it a manifestation of that indifference, or was my reason clouded by sheer rage? I had overlooked a critical, fatal blind spot. This was not Earth; it was another world. I was a mere luggage carrier, while he had been chosen as the Hero. And to top it all off, Hyungkeun had grown monstrously strong by gorging himself on my passive buffs.

The past year had carved an insurmountable chasm between us—one that the boxing skills I had learned at a local gym back home could never hope to bridge. To put it simply, I was utterly demolished. I was beaten within an inch of my life, from head to toe, thoroughly and mercilessly.

"Damn it... Damn it! Damn it!"

"Hehehe... You pathetic piece of trash. You should've known your place before crawling up to me. I have the Courage Rune. Do you even know what this is? It's a rune that grants the Hero immense power and combat ability. How dare a mere porter try to pick a fight with the Hero?"

"Huff... Huff... You cowardly bastard. You only got strong because of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an item. It's not like you actually worked for it."

"Effort? Who needs that garbage? So, who won and who lost? Who gets to live, and who's about to die? Have you still not opened your eyes to reality?"

"...Damn it..."

It was infuriating, but I couldn't refute him. I was sprawled on the cold floor, and Hyungkeun was grinding his boot into my head for all to see. By any metric, this was his victory.

"There is only one reason I'm not killing you right now," Hyungkeun said, his face flushed with the intoxicating ecstasy of triumph.

"Your death needs to be a grand spectacle for everyone to witness. Tomorrow, your head will roll from the guillotine in the public square. The royal decree has already been issued. No matter how much you squirm, you cannot escape your fate."

"...I don't even want to live anymore, you son of a bitch..."

"Hehehe... I hope you can keep up that arrogant attitude tomorrow. I'll make sure to savor your final screams with my own ears."

As Hyungkeun turned to leave, I grabbed his ankle and made one last plea.

"Hey, Kim Hyungkeun... Kill me if you want, but don't you dare lay a finger on Gaeun. If you truly love her, you shouldn't use a tool like the Love Rune to manipulate her heart."

"Even in this state, you're still acting so high and mighty. Why do you always talk down to me like you're my teacher? Why do you always look down on me? Do you want to die right now? It doesn't matter what you say. Gaeun is mine. You can watch from hell as I claim her, completely powerless to stop me."

"Kim Hyungkeuuuun!"

"Yes, that's the face! That look of pure, agonizing frustration. Hahaha!"

Leaving the now-useless cell, Hyungkeun locked the heavy basement door and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strutted away. I slammed my fists against the door, screaming for him to let me out, until I finally collapsed from exhaustion.

"Ugh... Why... What did I do to deserve having my head chopped off on a guillotine? This isn't right, goddammit... This isn't fair! Aaaaaaargh!"

To be executed was one thing, but to have the woman I loved stolen from me? And by the most despicable, underhanded method imaginable? No one in this world could endure such a cruel ordeal. My mind shattered like a fragile cookie. Left with no strength to struggle, I slumped onto the cold floor.

"There's no hope... I'm going to die like this... Is this how my life ends? Fuck... I spent my whole life doing favors for others, only to end up like this! I did everything for everyone else!"

The Rune of Sacrifice. Perhaps this fate had been sealed the moment that cursed rune was absorbed into my body. True to its name, I was destined to die after doing nothing but sacrificing myself.

"Sacrifice... Sacrifice... Sacrifice! What a disgusting word! I absolutely loathe it! It just turns a person into a complete pushover!"

At the very edge of my life, a foolish, desperate thought began to take root.

"If there is a next life, I will never live for others again. I'll live for myself... only for myself! Fuck sacrifice, I'm never doing it again! I'll live as selfishly as possible. Only for me! I'll use others, but I will never let myself be used!"

I knew it was a futile cry. But if... if by some miracle I was given another chance, I wouldn't live like a fool again. I would use my abilities solely for my own benefit, living a life of cold, ruthless calculation.

"Heh... Even I have to admit I look pathetic. A man scheduled for execution tomorrow, planning out his next life."

I had somehow managed to break out of the iron cell, but the heavy basement door wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pounded on it. I was trapped. Tomorrow, the guards would open that door, drag me out, and take me to the guillotine to be beheaded.

"...Damn it..."

I didn't want to die. But even more than the fear of death, the thought of what would happen afterward terrified me. Hyungkeun planned to defeat the remaining Four Heavenly Kings, return to Earth, and use the Love Rune to violate Gaeun. The power of the Love Rune was terrifying—I knew this firsthand. The mere thought of Gaeun falling head over heels for a piece of trash like Kim Hyungkeun made my blood boil and my stomach churn. If there was anything worse than death, it was that. Even if I had to become a vengeful ghost, I had to stop it.

"...Sigh... Is becoming a ghost really the only thing I can do now? What a pathetic plan. I can't even open this single wooden door."

They say time heals all wounds. But even hours after Hyungkeun had left, my rage did not subside. Instead, it burned hotter, like a wildfire consuming everything in its path. I glared at the door holding me captive as if it were my mortal enemy, staring it down in a silent contest of wills. Futile anger, futile glares, futile thoughts... I knew it was all just the useless thrashing of a dying man, but I couldn't stop.

"God... please... if you're out there, give me just one more chance."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Though I had never been religious, I found myself desperately clinging to the divine.

"Please save me... I don't want to die like this. I still have things I must do... Please save me, God."

Who was I even praying to? Yahweh? Allah? Buddha? Or the god of this world? Right... the people here worshipped a Goddess.

"Goddess... if you exist, please open this door and let me escape. Please... I beg of you."

It was then. The basement door, which had been as unyielding as an iron fortress, began to creak open on its own.

"Huh...? What... what is this?"

At first, I couldn't believe my eyes. I hesitated, wondering if my desperate desires were playing tricks on my mind. But as I summoned the courage to walk to the door and saw the stairs leading upward, my legs bolted before my brain could even process the command.

"Pant... Huff... Pant!"

I didn't know. Had the Goddess answered my prayer? Or had the old basement door simply broken at the perfect moment? It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that this was my chance to escape!

"Huff... Huff..."

As I reached the top of the stairs, a world of pitch-black darkness stretched out before me. Night had fallen.

"This is actually better. The darkness will make it easier to move."

Perhaps because no one expected me to escape the basement, there wasn't a guard in sight. I sprinted toward the outer wall, keeping to the shadows. After scanning the area to ensure no one was watching, I scaled the wall. Suddenly, I felt an urge to look back at the palace, a place filled with so many memories. I knew I didn't have the luxury of time, but...

"What a grand and beautiful palace... Ha! Farewell."

Once I cleared the wall, a steep hill lay ahead. There was no reason to hesitate. I ran. I ran and ran, crossing several ridges until I reached an unfamiliar forest deep in the wilderness. I must have run for half a day. Only when the dawn began to break and the world grew slightly lighter did I finally stop.

"Huff... Huff... I should be safe here."

I thought I could hear a faint commotion in the distance. Was it the sound of the guards panicking after finding the empty basement? I couldn't tell... My mind was hazy from running for so long.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

My heart hammered wildly against my ribs, and sweat drenched my entire body. Yet, even in my exhausted state, one thing remained crystal clear: my burning rage and desire for vengeance.

"Kim Hyungkeun... you son of a bitch. I won't let things go the way you want. Just you wait... I will kill you, no matter what."

I closed my eyes and focused my mind inward.

This was the effect of the Rune of Sacrifice. A curse that had tormented me for so long. Hyungkeun knew this much. But there was a hidden secret to the Rune of Sacrifice that he knew nothing about.

Quietly, in the depths of my mind, I deactivated the buffs on my party members.