The Hero is the Leader
Framed as a hero and looking at me.
Yeah. I wasn't wrong.
Telling me to look at Siwoo with the preconception of 'hero'.
With a solid physique, slender height, chiseled features, outstanding skill, and infinite potential to become even stronger.
Even selected as the wielder of the Shield of Conviction, one of the treasures left by the hero.
It looks exactly like the 'hero' drawn on it. In fact, the developers made the character that way.
At this point, shouldn't I be able to treat Siwoo as the hero instead of myself?
I think that would normalize things even now.
Yeah, I know. I'm currently doing reality escape.
-Haaaa.
This is the worst day of my life.
[Tiss….]
Personally, I think the Holy Sword and the title of hero have nothing good about them.
Honestly, not even a speck of it.
After entering the Academy and slowly growing inside, gathering comrades, and my party being called the new hero party is just the flow of the scenario, so that's fine.
But having the Holy Sword thrust upon me and starting to live as a hero from the beginning is a completely different story.
Not the medieval fantasy era, and there's no princess to marry or becoming a new king as a hero.
The Management Bureau, obsessed with utilitarian ideas to protect the city, and the high-ups are busy devouring players and characters, and hostile forces like monsters and villains try to exterminate them before the hero appears.
Still, the reason players become heroes is because they have to.
Being a bystander protecting this world is too hard.
It's an inevitable choice to gather people and become a focal point to fight against the incoming monsters and newly appeared calamities.
The hero and the holy sword are just that.
In this twisted world, the player character has to be the center and lead.
It's designed that way from the beginning.
Faith, pride, honor? Those are all empty words.
I think the hero is no different from the 'leader' of a group project.
Whether selected by the holy sword or not, I have to bear the responsibility and lead the surrounding characters, and if the hero falls, it's game over.
Bad ending is certain.
What else could it be but 'leader'?
Now, wearing a bracelet called 'holy sword' with no special power, and forcibly becoming the leader of the name 'hero' is no different.
The skills I've accumulated are for survival, and the strongest skill I've learned in the process is the assassination technique 'Silent Killing Method'.
If I quietly process enemies from behind without others noticing and guide the protagonist siblings along the path to happy ending like a shadow—
But I have to stand at the front and lead everyone.
This situation is so unfair that I'm going crazy.
Shan… What should I do?
[Tiss…?]
For the first time, I'm starting to fear the future.
[Tiss, are you okay? This is the first time I've heard you say such weak words, Tiss.]
I'm not invincible or a steel man just because I'm me.
I'm just a fragile human made of blood and flesh like everyone else.
In the previous world, and even now, I'm not a particularly great person.
Just a normal person who has played Neo Zion for quite a while.
There were many crises, but I've been doing okay so far.
Now that I've reached the proper starting point, if I let the world's story flow as I know it, I thought I could control it to some extent.
Just as this thought proves to be arrogance and a misconception, the holy sword is thrust upon me from the start.
Even after playing for 3,000 hours, no, more than 30,000 hours, if such a situation happens, I'll just miss the flow and wander in fragmented information.
"It's okay. I'll handle it."
Siwoo stopped me from stepping forward and instead stepped forward himself.
Siwoo, are you trying to prove that you've been selected by the shield already?
Hey, that's impressive. You've grown up.
"Who are you?"
Is it to prove that I'm going to protect it, quietly signaling to me and Sia.
"We came from the Hero Upper Class. This incident, we can't accept it at all."
"What's not acceptable that you came to find us?"
"It's because the fact that a hero came out from the Hunter class is weird."
"Our class hasn't even been able to approach the treasure selection room yet."
"There's a problem with fairness, right?"
'If they had gone first, they might have been selected first.'
From the moment this thought comes, normal judgment no longer works.
Although they are also classmates who entered together, they think that all the treasures were stolen from them in a situation where they haven't even gotten a chance to go to the treasure selection room.
Eventually, they're suspecting us of using dirty tricks to preempt the treasure and being the Hunter class.
Sniff sniff.
Tiss, there's a smell coming from those guys. A disgusting smell full of malice.
Yeah, it's honey scent. It's the honey made by Bumblebee.
A honey scent that makes people easily excited and aggressive is subtly emanating from their bodies.
Bumblebee, that damned traitor-in-waiting, seems to have incited them.
It's really just a small amount that doesn't cause any problem.
I think it's just a trivial 'mistake' or 'gift' of Bumblebee who usually makes his honey into candy and distributes it.
If I leave them alone, they'll keep causing trouble, so before a bigger problem arises, I need to fix Bumblebee first.
"Surrounding yourself with women on both sides, do you think you're already the hero?"
Bad luck.
The bulky guy in front came straight at Siwoo with the intention of hitting him right away.
I know that face.
He's not from the Line family, but he's a high-ranking area guy, but I remember him as a student who will become a victim of the incident caused by Bumblebee in the future.
He has the skill to enter the upper class, but he's an irresponsible, hot-tempered problem child who throws punches first.
"...You."
"What, angry?"
"It would have been better not to say that."
Siwoo's gaze towards the red crew-cut guy in front wasn't good.
"Surrounding yourself with women...?"
"...Is that guy crazy?"
"Hey, speak properly."
The murmuring grew louder.
The bulky guy felt the atmosphere changing and looked around.
"...Eh? What's this?"
"Idiot, do you think that girl is a woman?"
One of the companions who came with us pointed at me and said.
Is the owner of 139cm height seen as a woman?
"No way, loli-con?"
"Is this guy dangerous?"
Seeing me blink as if I didn't know anything, the surrounding atmosphere froze instantly.
"And the other one is a younger sister."
"W-wait!"
The bulky guy who was about to be labeled as a close-relative pedo in an instant hurriedly waved his hands and tried to explain.
"...Disgusting."
"Pervert."
With Sia and me adding one word each, the target changed from Siwoo to Luke quickly.
-Cough cough!
Luke, who boldly said to fight one-on-one but ended up picking on surrounding people and couldn't even fight properly, coughed loudly while clearing his throat unnecessarily.
"Anyway! I... hero..."
Snort.
"I can't accept that a parasite like you is the hero! At least, shouldn't every student have an equal chance? Duel!"
Oh, the mood changed?
Probably couldn't say 'I am more suitable for the hero' in this atmosphere.
"I'll verify whether you're not a pre-arranged insider or have the real hero-like skill."
It's common for foolish people who can't grasp reality or context to exist.
Especially freshmen at the Academy.
The top and second place are selected strictly by 'skill'.
Just seeing the two siblings of unknown origin declared as top and second shows they are overwhelmingly strong, but how do they have such confidence?
Believing they have recognized their own talent for passing, and acting without context.
Surprisingly, not many in this group will be able to graduate and become official hunters or heroes.
In fact, students classified as top-tier tier characters in the game didn't appear in this group.
"Loser~ The jealousy of men♡"
"Shut up! Come to the duel arena! I'll give you a beating."
Disregarding Jin Seoyul's sarcasm, he spoke firmly.
"What's all this commotion?"
All movements stopped for a moment.
Growling.
When the huge man with a lion mane entered, even the bulky guy became a normal kid.
"Combat without permission from the instructor or teacher is a violation of school rules. You should have been notified in advance, but what's going on? Luke. Siwoo."
Luke became speechless at Lionel’s words.
"Explain."
"Lionel teacher, may I speak?"
"Um. Permission to speak. Prim."
"Since not all classes have visited the treasure selection room yet, there's a lot of dissatisfaction because many students in the Hero class received the selection. This incident happened for that reason."
Luke and the other Hero class students looked bewildered, thinking 'They were supposed to side with us from the Hunter class...'
"Because opportunities should be fair."
Prim answered shortly and clearly.
[P, Prim, you know Siwoo and Sia, but why are you suddenly siding with the Hero class...?]
That's 100% a lie.
[Eh...?]
If there's a reason, maybe she wants to watch the fight?
[R-really?]
Yeah.
Prim is the type who casually does interesting things even if they look interesting.
Although she says that, the biggest reason is probably that watching the two fight looks fun.
Well, the timing is a bit impure, but Prim's words aren't wrong.
Strictly speaking, you don't receive the treasure and become its owner immediately.
There might be students with the same aptitude, so after all classes finish their rotation, the treasure must be formally transferred to the student.
But news has spread to the media as if the owner is already decided, and the internet is in chaos.
Even in the Hero class, there's an unease that 'It's not yet decided, and the treasure selection opportunity that should naturally be given seems to be taken away.'
At the Academy, since the concept is to lend treasures to qualified students rather than give them as gifts from the beginning, delaying the payment is not a problem.
"So, if we treat it as an interdimensional duel, wouldn't it be fine? It's similar to real combat, but since it's an interdimensional duel in a virtual space, not reality, no students will get hurt."
"Interdimensional duels are managed by high-grade artifacts, so permission from the facility staff teacher is required."
"Since Baba Yaga is an expert in that field, there won't be a problem, right?"
Baba Yaga would be happy to hear this and immediately say let's start.
Lionel, knowing this, scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Lionel teacher, I also want to participate in the duel with Luke."
Siwoo persuaded Lionel by saying he wants to participate in the duel.
"To show that I have the qualification."
"This brat...!"
The faces of the Hero class students who took Siwoo's words as a provocation crumpled.
"There are probably many others who have complaints against us besides this student."
"Yeah, I know."
Lionel was at the scene and also participated in the meeting with Baba Yaga.
Knowing what kind of uproar is happening now, he didn't deny Siwoo's words.
"Honestly, directly confronting students of our age is the easiest way to convince them. And by showing it publicly."
"You're going to do a big promotion? What if you lose?"
Lionel said that and glanced at this side.
Siwoo winning against such guys is unimaginable from my perspective.
-Click click.
"Hah, interesting stories."
"Baba Yaga."
"Aren't you going to tell me a little more in detail?"
"Understood."
Somehow, Baba Yaga appeared next to Lionel and looked at this side with a grin.
-Fuhahaha!
When Lionel briefly explained the incidents here, Baba Yaga laughed loudly.
"Okay, I'll allow it. I'll handle it myself. Since all classes have to visit the treasure selection room today, let's do the interdimensional duel at 10 AM tomorrow."
With Baba Yaga's approval, the duel between Siwoo and Luke was decided.
"Starting from the beginning, you're going to do a big announcement? Lump."
"It's not me, it's Siwoo who fought."
"Um...?"
Baba Yaga looked at my face as if not understanding, then looked at Luke.
"Luke from the Hero Upper Class... right?"
"Yes? Correct. Baba Yaga."
"Are you doing this because you know who selected the holy sword?"
"It's not that student Siwoo? There's a lot of talk on the net that he was selected for the hero's treasure."
"What news did you hear? The one selected by the holy sword is this white-haired lump. Lionel, show Tiss to all the kids."
"Tiss student, please excuse me for a moment."
"Eh?"
Swish.
Lionel asked for permission and carefully grabbed my waist and lifted me up.
All the students in the class turned their gazes to me.
From somewhere, a deep, calm sound like 'naju' started.
"T-that white... tail... said it was selected by the holy sword?"
"Hehe... It seems like the rumor spread quickly and they saw a wrong notice? The blonde girl has an appearance worthy of being on the front page as a knight."
"What nonsense."
The Hero class students, including Luke, looked at me with dumbfounded expressions as if they couldn't believe the current situation.
Suddenly, I feel like my mood is getting worse.
"What are you looking at?"
-Swish.
I smiled and raised my middle finger towards the guys.