The Little Hero of Irina
The sound of shattering metal rang out—clang! His longsword had been smashed to pieces. The fragments flew in every direction, slicing shallow wounds across Choi Kangmin’s cheeks and shoulders. Covered in blood, he tumbled across the ground.
“Huk… huff…!”
His breathing came in ragged gasps, as if he were choking. Choi Kangmin’s eyes bulged with pure terror. He clenched his teeth, gripping the broken hilt of his sword and scrambling backward in desperation. His gaze darted wildly around the area—anything that could serve as a shield, nearby terrain, escape routes. A frantic, last-ditch struggle.
“Karaaaak!”
Clock roared. The power gained by burning his own life force. With blood-red eyes glowing, his body launched into the air. Text updated across my retina.
Range-type downward strike toward the front.
I have to dodge.
My mind knew exactly how. Which direction. How far. The Spoiler always gave me the perfect answer. But…
My body…
It wouldn’t move. More precisely, my reaction speed couldn’t keep up with my opponent. A 300% increase in all stats. This wasn’t a simple numerical change. It was violence that defied the laws of physics.
“Fuck…!”
Choi Kangmin spat a curse and curled into a ball. I raised my short sword as well.
…Is this how I die?
At the same time, the massive axe came hurtling down with a deafening whoosh. The instant my vision flooded with crimson—
—Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Three sharp whistles sliced through the air. Three short arrows streaked toward Clock’s face.
“…!”
His brow twitched ever so slightly. They didn’t pierce his skin. But the surprise attack aimed precisely at his eyes made his head jerk a fraction to the side. The axe’s trajectory halted for a mere 0.1 seconds.
Now!
I twisted with everything I had and threw myself sideways.
—Kwaaaaaang!!
The giant axe blade slammed into the spot where my head had been. The earth screamed and split apart. Sharp concrete shards tore across my cheek. I had dodged the strike by a hair’s breadth. But there was no time to feel relieved.
Immediate horizontal slash using the recoil.
“…Insane.”
The same pattern as before. The axe that had been driven into the ground immediately swung toward my waist. The chaining speed was ridiculous. With my stance broken, I couldn’t plant my feet in time.
“…Damn it.”
A single curse greeted death. But in that moment—
“Get ouuuuut!!!”
A roar that seemed to tear the plaza apart. A massive hunk of metal suddenly hurled itself forward. It was Park Dongbae. He had appeared with his hammer, ready to protect me.
“Uncle…!”
Park Dongbae raised his two-handed hammer high. His target was the edge of the massive battle axe.
—Kwaaaaaaaaang—!!!!
A deafening boom slammed into the plaza, threatening to burst eardrums. The man who had met a hero’s strike head-on met a gruesome end.
“Kuaaaaaak!”
Park Dongbae’s arms twisted with a sickening crack. His mini-tower crumpled like paper. The two-handed hammer shattered explosively, and his body was hurled more than ten meters away.
—Thud!!! Boom!!!
But the desperate strike he had risked his life for created a clear variable. The trajectory aimed at my waist had been nudged slightly upward.
“Kugh…”
That was enough. I ducked my waist with everything I had. The axe blade that should have cut me in half barely grazed over my head. At the same time, a storm-like shockwave erupted.
“Cough…!!”
The wind pressure alone sent my body flying like a leaf. I tumbled roughly across the ground, every inch of me screaming in pain. Choi Kangmin, who had been beside me, was also swept away by the shockwave. The pain felt like every bone in my body was being crushed.
“Haa… haa…”
I barely managed to push myself up amid the acrid dust. Through my blurry vision, I saw Lee Seolah. She was deathly pale and trembling. Even with tears in her eyes, her feet remained firmly planted as she gripped her crossbow. She hadn’t run.
“S-Siwoo… are you okay…”
Before Lee Seolah’s trembling voice could finish—
“Grrrrr…”
At the center of the crater. Clock emerged through the cloud of dust, pulling his axe free and turning. His pupils were completely dyed blood-red.
I'll kill them all. For the sake of our world, I will kill every last one.
Roughly two minutes remained. The problem was obvious. Choi Kangmin, panting while clutching a broken sword hilt. Park Dongbae, both arms broken and motionless. Lee Seolah, trembling as she held her crossbow. And me, whose wrist was rapidly losing sensation. We didn’t have the strength to endure that time.
“Valun… Karak…”
Clock’s axe scraped across the ground. He slowly began to walk. His target was clear: me and Choi Kangmin. Overwhelming killing intent tightened around our throats.
“Haa… this is insane.”
I spat out a mix of blood and saliva and forced myself upright. I gripped the Blood Demon’s Bone Short Sword tightly in my right hand. Even if I wanted to run, I couldn’t. Because I wasn’t alone.
That was when a rustling sound came from the side. A staggering shadow stepped up beside me.
“…”
It was Choi Kangmin. The blood-soaked man glared at Clock, still clutching the broken sword hilt.
“…You still haven’t run?”
At my question, Choi Kangmin let out a dry laugh.
“If I were going to run here… I wouldn’t have done it back at the mart either.”
“…What?”
An unexpected answer. There was no time to question it.
“Just look ahead. He’s coming.”
He was right. Clock’s shadow completely engulfed us. The battle axe raised with both hands. Choi Kangmin and I adjusted our grips on our weapons. But we knew without a doubt that the moment we clashed, our weapons would shatter—and so would our bodies.
“No. I won’t die.”
I would protect Yua. I sharpened every nerve. I didn’t even glance at the Spoiler. I simply focused all my attention on the opponent’s axe. I slowly steadied my breathing and stared at him.
But in that instant—
“Oppa!!!!”
A small, desperate scream rang out. A painfully familiar voice. My heart plummeted to the floor.
What…?
It wasn’t an auditory hallucination. A tiny figure was sprinting toward us like a madwoman.
“No! Don’t hurt my oppa!! Go away!!”
Tears streaming down her face, Yua threw herself in front of me. In front of the hero of a ruined country, my little sister spread her arms wide and wrapped them around me.
“Don’t do it, you monster!!!”
“Y-Yua… move! Run! Please…!”
I screamed, coughing up blood. My vision flashed white. The poison in my system evaporated in an instant. I desperately reached out to pull her away, but it was too late. The axe had already reached its apex and was falling. At this rate, both Yua and I would die.
But then—
“…Ka… rak…?”
The blood-red axe froze in midair.
“…”
Thick veins bulged on Clock’s thick forearms. It looked as if he was forcibly stopping the descending axe. His pupils, which had lost all reason in his rampage, shook violently as they fixed on Yua. A Spoiler window appeared above his head.
A child...? Why is a child like this here...?
So small. Far too small. How can something be this small?
Am I supposed to kill this child to save my world? Am I supposed to bring my axe down on a child like this...?
If that's the case, then what makes me any different from him...? If I end up doing something this filthy for the sake of my world...
Am I a hero... or a hideous monster?
The man did nothing. He simply remained frozen, staring only at Yua.
A sudden silence fell. Neither Choi Kangmin nor I dared to move. If we attacked first, his axe might swing again. Yua was still clinging tightly to me. Her small shoulders trembled. I bit my lip in helplessness.
And in that brief moment, it wasn’t just Choi Kangmin and me watching the scene. In the center of the plaza, hundreds of survivors stood.
“…Fuck.”
Breaking the heavy silence, a man gripping a steel pipe stepped forward. All eyes turned to him. Veins bulging on his neck, he screamed loud enough to shake the entire plaza.
“Even that tiny kid ran out to save her brother…!!!!”
His voice cracked horribly.
“How long are we going to keep hiding!! If we just stand here and watch that little girl die, are we even fucking human?!”
His desperate cry became the spark. From the moment the child had run out, the people had been clenching their fists. They were scared. Terrified. They wanted to stay put. But even in this situation, that small child had rushed out to protect her brother. The crowd’s shallow selfishness turned into shame. And then their emotions exploded.
“…Let’s go!!!! We’re all going to die anyway!!!”
“The monster’s stopped!!! Now’s our chance!!!!!”
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!”
As one person charged forward, the dam broke. People poured out like a flood. Dozens of them. Most held no real weapons—just concrete shards, rebar, glass bottles. But hesitation had vanished from their eyes.
“Die! Dieeeee!!”
They began clinging to Clock’s momentarily frozen body. One man hung from his calf, biting at the gaps in his armor. Another frantically stabbed at his neck with a broken bottle.
“K-Kugh…!”
Of course, it had little effect on him while Ruined Country’s End was active. It felt like nothing more than mosquito bites. Even so, Clock did not move. Still staring at the child, he slowly sank to one knee. Dozens of people swarmed around him.
If I kill this child and save my world, am I a hero?
If I kill this powerless old man, am I a hero?
His eyes looked almost sorrowful. Watching that bizarre sight, I bit down hard on my lip. It tasted bitter. The monster who had tried to kill me was now hesitating because of my little sister. How contradictory.
…No. So what?
But there was no time to hesitate. No matter what the enemy felt, I had no intention of becoming a hero. Even if I had to become a monster, my only goal was one thing: keeping Yua alive.
“Hey, Choi Kangmin.”
I called out to the panting man.
“Clear the people out. We have to kill him right now.”
At my words, Choi Kangmin nodded. He raised his voice until it echoed across the plaza.
“Everyone step back!!! Clear the area!!!”
The survivors clinging to Clock turned in surprise.
“If you stay near him you’ll all get swept up and die!!! Get off him now!!!”
As expected, his words were effective. That thunderous shout brought their reason back. They instinctively began retreating. And the path between Clock and me opened.
“…Wait a second.”
I grabbed Yua’s shoulders and gently pushed her aside. Then I pressed my left palm against the serrated edge of my short sword.
—Slice!
Flesh tore open and hot blood poured out.
◈ The blade thirsts for its master's thick blood.
◈ Special effect, Crimson Trail, has broken its limit and gone into overdrive!
—Vwoooong!!
Red sword energy began swirling violently around the short sword. Sensing the aura, Clock slowly lifted his head. Our eyes met. He must have realized what I was about to do.
[…]
He shook his head violently. An alien crimson light returned to Clock’s eyes.
No. What am I thinking right now.
Why am I here? I am a warrior who came to protect my country, to save the ruined land of Irina!
Clock adjusted his grip on the axe he had planted in the ground. The Will of the Ruined Country once again seized control of his body. He cut off his hesitation and rose to kill his enemy. In that instant—
—Tock.
A single tiny pebble struck Clock’s armor and fell.
“Karak…?”
Clock’s gaze dropped. The one who had thrown the stone was the small girl who had stepped aside. She clenched both fists tightly. Trembling, yet with tears in her eyes, she met his gaze. And at that moment, Clock felt as if the breath had been knocked out of him. Strength left his body as he tried to stand, and a dry laugh escaped him.
Ah…
Now I understand.
What had he realized? I had neither the time nor the luxury to ask. I kicked off the ground and leaped.
—Kwaaang!
My accelerated body cut through the air. The rampaging Crimson Trail shot straight toward Clock. There was no resistance. He neither tried to dodge nor raised his axe.
—Shuuuuk!!!
With a horrific tearing sound, my short sword pierced straight through Clock’s heart. A massive spray of blood mist exploded from his back. I pulled the blade free, breathing hard. Clock’s pained eyes were not on me, but on Yua. His blood-soaked lips moved.
You remind me so much of my daughter… Ayla…
The moment that sentence was etched into my retina—
Dwarf Hero Clock's 'Ruined Country's End' has expired.
The hellish three minutes had finally come to an end. The meaning of that message was clear. Yet a faint smile spread across Clock’s lips.
And with that, the small body began to crumble away from the edges.