Prologue: The Hundredth Failure

"I... can't do it..." I muttered, feeling my body grow cold.

Before my eyes, a single line of text hovered.

Become a Hero. It was an absurdly vague objective.

Of course, it wasn't as if Heroes didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠exist. If anything, they were more common than one might think. There were ten Constellation-grade Heroes recognized by the Holy Church. One hundred high-grade Heroes, which included those Constellation-grade Heroes. And roughly a thousand other regular Heroes active besides them.

A ruined world, an era where Heroes were common. And yet, I had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠given the objective to become one.

But for me, even that was an impossible task. I had no talent. No miraculous encounters. To blindly demand that someone as ordinary as me become a Hero... there was simply no way.

"I can't..." I muttered, staring blankly into the empty air with eyes full of resentment.

It was at that moment.

The message intruded once again, without fail. Shut up. I just wanted to give up now.

Damn it. Why don't you try it yourself then? Not that such a thing would ever happen...