The Goddess and the Hero, Part 1
"Gasp!"
In the darkness, a man exhaled for the first time in a long while.
"Gasp! Gasp!"
After a long, long darkness, as if he had forgotten how to breathe for a while, he gasped heavily and snapped his closed eyes open.
"W-where is this?"
His vision hadn't fully recovered yet, and he had a dazed look on his face. To him—
"Looks like you're finally awake."
A sarcastic voice drifted over.
"Hmm...?"
The man thought the voice sounded somewhat familiar. And in front of him, as he turned his head, the blue-eyed beautiful girl, Rosamy, threw some clothes at him.
"You?"
"Shut up, get up, and put them on."
Grab!
At that exact moment, the man who had just opened his eyes sprang up, showing no interest in the clothes, and grabbed Rosamy's wrist.
"Lucky me! To think I'd see such a pretty wench the moment I open my eyes!"
As soon as his vision cleared, his true nature was revealed. He looked like a complete thug, ready to pounce on her.
"Tsk!"
And at the same time, he grabbed her by the neck—Thud!
The man pinned Rosamy against the wall with sheer force!
"Every woman is meant to be mine!"
He smacked his lips and gasped in excitement. Rosamy, her neck gripped, smirked.
"Lupinus would be so sad. She gave power to a piece of trash who had no strength or ability, making him a Hero, and this is the best you can do? What a piece of garbage."
At that moment, the man's eyes went wild.
"Shut up! You cancerous bitch!"
He showed no mercy, even to women! As he raised his fist—Flash!
A flash of light erupted from Rosamy's right hand.
Thoom!
"Argh!"
Pushed by an invisible force, the man crashed into the opposite wall and coughed up blood.
"T-this is!"
Under the crushing pressure, the man tried to resist, veins bulging all over his body, but he couldn't break free with his strength.
"You might be stronger than me, but your body is branded. The Master's brand. And that brand is bound to me."
Rosamy looked down at him with a sneer.
"How sad. The upper hand you love so much belongs to me now."
"Urgh! A rebellious wench tastes even better!"
Perhaps out of pride, the man channeled all his strength to break free, causing Rosamy's eyebrows to twitch.
Flash!
As light flashed from her hand once more—Thud!
An even stronger dark energy began to crush the man's body.
"Aaaaargh!"
Ultimately crushed by that power, the man began to writhe in agony, as if pinned under something massive.
"Get a grip. Are you blind? You are nothing. You're nothing, just like before!"
As long as you bear the Master's brand, you can never defeat me!
"Shut up! How dare you!"
Bleeding from his eyes and mouth, the man still resisted. It wasn't so much incredible willpower as it was sheer, venomous spite.
"Hmph."
But Rosamy only shot him an even deeper look of ridicule and contempt!
Rumble!
"Aaargh!"
The power of the brand grew even stronger. In agonizing pain as if his entire body were being crushed to pieces, the man was now bleeding from his nose and ears as well.
"Stop! Stop!"
Finally, unable to endure any longer, the man signaled his surrender!
"Don't make me laugh."
But Rosamy didn't stop.
"Is that any way to treat your master? Return to how you originally were! A mediocre human who can't do a single thing on his own, without a shred of ability!"
"Aaaaaargh! Stop!"
The man writhed in agony, blood streaming down his face like tears of blood.
"Crawl like you're supposed to, just like you said," Rosamy spoke to him, still harboring a deep, unresolved hatred.
Submit! Resist no more!
"P-please stop..."
Unable to bear the pain any longer, the man finally begged.
"Please..."
Seeing him shed actual tears, Rosamy withdrew the crushing force.
"Cough!"
As he coughed up blood, she looked at him, her face actually seeming even angrier.
"I don't even know why a guy like you was a Hero. An arrogant, self-centered bastard who was only busy satisfying his own greed—why on earth would someone like you...!"
Her anger unresolved even as he writhed in pain, she shrieked shrilly.
"And Lupinus, for choosing someone like you!"
At those words, the man looked up at her with eyes full of hatred, as if he didn't even care to remember such things.
"...So, why did you drag someone like me back out? Huh? A piece of trash like me! Why on earth did you bring back this damn garbage!"
Looking at the man's thoroughly twisted gaze, Rosamy stared back with cold blue eyes and said,
"Eliminate the obstacle. Do that, and you shall be made the master of this world. That is the Master's message."
At those words, the man spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned.
"King of the world. I like the sound of that. It was a position I always wanted to take."
Soon, he stood up, completely fine.
His agony was short-lived; showing an incredible recovery rate, he was already perfectly fine, which made Rosamy's face stiffen slightly with tension.
It was a good thing he bore the Master's brand. If not for that, she might have been overpowered by him in an instant.
"So, who is this obstacle?" the man asked as he slipped on the clothes Rosamy had thrown.
"Sigh..."
A sigh escaping her first, Rosamy closed her eyes with a resigned face.
"Slender Forearms..."
At those words, the man flinched.
"...What?"
Did he hear wrong? Or did Rosamy misspeak?
"I said, Slender Forearms!"
The more she said it, the more embarrassed and annoyed Rosamy became. As her face flushed red and she shouted, the corrupted Hero, Domian, let out a sneer.
"Even the name is cancerous."
"Auntie Rosa!"
"Eee?"
"What on earth...?"
Akemi and Suyeon wouldn't know.
"Auntie Rosa?"
But Mari knew all too well.
She was the NPC who provided the comforting daily greetings that kept Yunjae from losing his mind inside the game world! And Yunjae had repeatedly mentioned that she was so beautiful that the title "Auntie" didn't suit her at all—that was Auntie Rosa!
"H-how can this be..."
The trio was just as flustered as Yunjae, who was completely bewildered.
"Before that, why on earth is she called 'Auntie'!"
Just as Yunjae had said, her appearance made it impossible to understand why she was called an "Auntie." It was more than enough to understand why Yunjae had reacted the way he did all this time.
"You were really surprised, weren't you, my cutie?"
Auntie Rosa giggled and clung to Yunjae!
"Eee?! What on earth is your relationship?!"
Akemi, who currently liked Yunjae as much as Taerin did, shrieked in shock, and Yunjae shook his head.
"Ah! Auntie Rosa is the general store NPC from Mamon Saga!"
The most surprised person in this situation was undoubtedly Yunjae. An NPC had just appeared right before his eyes. How could he not be shocked?
"Eee! An NPC?"
Like the true game maniac she was, Akemi was the only one who immediately understood the concept, staring at Auntie Rosa with wide eyes.
"A-an NPC...?"
Suyeon looked curious, not knowing what that meant.
"Non-player character! It means a character inside a game!" Akemi shouted proudly.
Following Yunjae, who was a player and a game character, now an NPC had appeared. How on earth were they supposed to process this?
"Fufu..."
Meanwhile, wearing a somewhat sly smile, she said,
"Well, it's only natural to be surprised."
And Auntie Rosa accepted all of this calmly, as if she had expected it!
At that moment, Yunjae raised his hand and shouted.
"Ah! Why am I the only one who looks like a game character? Auntie Rosa doesn't even have a username or a status window!"
But it seemed Slender Forearms was surprised by a completely different detail. Even she, an NPC, looked like a normal person, aside from her excessively beautiful appearance. Why was he the only one stuck like this!
"Oh? Why is this here?"
At that, Auntie Rosa also looked quite flustered.
"Hmm, did I stay there too long and end up assimilating?"
"Ah! Yes?"
She had suddenly appeared and was speaking as if she knew everything!
"Wait a minute! You know everything that happened to Yunjae, don't you? What is your true identity?"
While everyone was in a panic, Mari asked the most level-headed question.
"Ah! As expected of Mari!"
Yunjae admired her for cutting straight to the core of the matter without beating around the bush. Auntie Rosa giggled.
"That's right. I know everything."
She clung to Yunjae's side with a satisfied expression.
"I know everything this boy has done for fifty-seven years!"
At that moment, everyone's eyes widened. To know everything about Yunjae's fifty-seven years! What on earth was her identity?
"Eh, then she really is an NPC?"
At Akemi's disbelieving cry, she wore a triumphant smile.
"Auntie Rosa was merely a disguise. My true identity is actually!"
Auntie Rosa paused, dragging out the suspense. Seeing her look that practically begged for attention, Mari, Akemi, and Suyeon exchanged glances.
...Your reactions are way too weak.
For some reason, this woman seemed to love being the center of attention.
At that thought, Mari, Akemi, and Suyeon put on rather blunt faces, causing Auntie Rosa to sigh.
"No, seriously, what's with these reactions? Show some interest!"
"Just tell us already!"
"This is why I hate girls."
As she grumbled, Mari spoke with a serious face.
"Is this really the time for that? The kid who suffered for fifty-seven years trapped inside a game is right next to you! Hurry up and tell us!"
At that, Auntie Rosa looked at Yunjae with a pitiful expression. If nothing else, her feelings toward Yunjae seemed incredibly affectionate.
"That's true. My cutie. You really had a hard time."
And as she hugged Yunjae tightly, his face filled with confusion.
"Ah! What on earth is Auntie Rosa's true identity?"
Even though he was max-level, he had never anticipated a situation like this. It was only natural to be confused, considering a being had watched over him for all that time, and he had no idea how he had ended up there in the first place.
"My true identity is actually the Goddess Lupinus!"
At her shout, finally revealing her identity, everyone flinched.
"A goddess...?"
What was this now?
Seeing everyone's bewilderment, she actively promoted herself, as if she loved showing off despite her beautiful appearance.
"I am a goddess indeed. Can you feel the halo?"
"Hmm, she's pretty, but the moment she opens her mouth, she's kind of a buzzkill?"
"This is why I hate girls! So much jealousy!"
Seeing the goddess flare up, everyone was left utterly dumbfounded.
"No way... Auntie Rosa was the Goddess!"
In the midst of this, perhaps because he was in shock, Yunjae reacted a beat too late!
"Yes, this is it! This is the kind of reaction I needed!"
As she relished Yunjae's belated reaction, Mari, Akemi, and Suyeon exchanged glances.
Is she really a goddess? She seems a bit lacking!
Isn't she a scammer?
She is a bit strange...
It seemed the three of them were in perfect agreement. It was true that this woman who claimed to be the Goddess Lupinus was strikingly beautiful, but she seemed to lack something to be called a goddess.
"But if you're a goddess, why are you so clumsy? You almost got hit by a car earlier."
Mari fired the first shot! At her suspicious remark, Lupinus replied nonchalantly.
"That's because I obviously knew Yunjae would save me. I'm the being who knows Yunjae best in the entire world!"
"Ugh..."
Since it sounded surprisingly plausible, the first attack was easily deflected.
"But you're way too frivolous for a goddess! You don't have any divine dignity!"
Akemi launched the second attack!
"Have you ever actually seen a real goddess?"
"Eh? T-that's..."
"You've only seen them in games, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Then how can you say that?"
"Ugh!"
A fact attack! Deflected perfectly, even Akemi had to back down.
"But how can we believe you're really the Goddess?"
Meanwhile, Suyeon quietly asked. Unlike the previous two, her tone wasn't aggressive but soft, so Lupinus nodded as if she would finally explain.
"It's only natural to doubt. This is a world rife with distrust. But I am the one who sent Yunjae into Mamon Saga. Into a game that doesn't even exist in this world!"
At those words, their eyes widened.
"Mamon Saga?"
Only Mari, Akemi, and Yunjae knew the reality of Mamon Saga. While Suyeon looked puzzled, the three of them had no choice but to believe she really was Lupinus.
"Want me to tell you more? I even remember this boy winning a game console at the Dongdaemun Dance Competition before he entered Mamon Saga!"
"That's right! It was the Dongdaemun Dance Competition!"
"And I sold Mamon Saga to him for five thousand won! Actually, Yunjae tried to trick me by saying he only had four thousand won because he didn't want to buy it, but I knew he had two five-hundred-won coins in his pocket!"
"Ah! How did you know that?!"
"So you basically forced him to buy it, you old lady!"
In any case, this was information that absolutely no one else could know. In fact, it was even more detailed than what they had heard from Yunjae!
"I think she really is the Goddess Lupinus. But to think Auntie Rosa was the Goddess..."
As Yunjae nodded, still shocked by the fact that Auntie Rosa was actually the Goddess, Lupinus looked at him with a remorseful face.
"...I'm sorry for keeping you trapped for so long."
This frivolous-looking goddess seemed to be genuinely sincere, at least when it came to Yunjae.
"Ro... no, Lady Lupinus."
"But you're just too cute! I didn't want to let you go!"
"Ah! No way! To think that was the reason!"
But soon, shocked by the newly revealed truth, Yunjae's eyes widened.
"At the end, I realized I really couldn't keep you any longer, so I had no choice..."
At those words, bewilderment spread across Mari and Akemi's faces.
"Wait a minute! You're crazy! You might be a goddess, but what kind of goddess does that?!"
"I am the Goddess of Greed, after all. This much is only natural for me."
Lupinus retorted shamelessly!
"The Goddess of Greed? Eee! Usually, it's the Goddess of Love or the Goddess of Faith!"
"That's in games. This is reality. The real world. Wake up."
Silenced by the goddess's sharp retort, Akemi was once again left speechless.
"And so, I lusted after this cute boy for fifty-seven years!"
"Ah! I sometimes thought Auntie Rosa's gaze was a bit lecherous, but it wasn't my imagination!"
"Of course! Do you know how much I wanted to touch you every time I saw you?"
The Goddess of Greed had acted on her greed. What were they going to do about it?
"Why on earth is she the Goddess of Greed? Nande...?"