The Hero's Awakening
Sunghyun first scooped up a spoonful of the kimchi stew in front of him and tasted it.
“Ah!”
The fresh, fragrant aroma of kimchi filled his mouth, while the deep, savory richness of the gently simmered pork stimulated his palate.
“Next, the soy sauce marinated crab…”
He lifted a piece of crab meat and sucked it into his mouth with a soft pop. The sweet-salty depth of the soy sauce flooded his senses, and the tender flesh released a rich, nutty flavor that made his mouth water.
The crab meat was soft yet springy; with every bite, that savory essence spread through his mouth.
“This… this is insane.”
When he piled kimchi stew and soy sauce crab onto a single spoonful of rice, the harmony of rice and broth filled his mouth with pure happiness. The meat and kimchi in the stew teased his appetite, while the warm broth wrapped around his tongue and offered a comforting embrace.
That special combination drew a smile from Sunghyun.
It was the first time he had smiled so freely since being summoned to another world. That was how much he had come to enjoy life here—enough that he could devote the entire next day to hunting without a second thought.
After finishing his meal, the wave of drowsiness hit him hard, and he headed straight for the bed. The moment he lay down and the soft blanket enveloped his entire body, a profound sense of safety settled over him, as if he had finally returned to a secure nest. His head sank gently into the pillow, gradually quieting the chaotic thoughts that had swirled since his arrival in this world.
Each fleeting moment dissolved like dust. His body forgot its weight, and a deep exhale soothed both mind and spirit. Free of any remaining turmoil, Sunghyun simply smiled and drifted off within that gentle comfort.
“Mmm…”
Sunghyun woke to bright light washing over him.
Remaining Time: 00:40
Seeing the remaining time, Sunghyun fumbled into his clothes. He trudged over to the dining table. The moment he arrived, a sandwich automatically materialized.
While wandering around the rest area the night before, he had discovered a few things.
One: All trash cleaned itself up automatically.
Two: If he ordered whatever food he wanted, it appeared already prepared.
Three: Opening the wardrobe revealed a variety of clothes.
Whether he could take the food and clothes out with him remained unknown, but there was no harm in testing it.
Sunghyun hurriedly stuffed the sandwich and coffee into his mouth. By the time he grabbed another sandwich and finished dressing, less than a minute remained.
Time has expired. Looking forward to the next.
Sunghyun’s body was enveloped in light.
When he opened his eyes, he was right back where he had been the day before.
“Ah, damn it.”
The sandwich was gone. He stood naked, clutching only the fang.
“So you can’t bring food or items out of that place… Haah. What a waste. That was my chance to become a civilized man.”
Sunghyun lamented his primitive state. “Still, after a good rest, my body’s in peak condition. Let’s go.”
He headed back into the forest.
The sights that greeted Sunghyun were composed of pure information—colors, numbers, letters—all displaying their strength to him in various forms.
Sunghyun considered it.
Should I take them one by one?
Why bother?
He licked his lips.
If he took those things down, tonight’s dinner would be pork belly. Spending fifty C a day was an opportunity cost. He decided to think of it that way—a small reward for living alone without another human soul.
“Otherwise I won’t make it.”
Sunghyun smiled.
Thud. Thud.
He walked toward the nearest beast.
You’re first.
The one he had seen last night.
Black Gibbon [50C]
Green.
A suitable first opponent—roughly his own level.
As Sunghyun approached, the monkey bristled its fur.
“Kiiiiiik!”
Sunghyun smiled and raised his arm.
Swing.
His senses whispered quietly.
“I know.”
He swung his arm.
The monkey saw the motion and jerked its body backward.
Then flames engulfed it.
Skill: Fire [F] has been used.
“Kieeeek!”
The monkey thrashed across the ground. Its eyes turned red. It thrust its hands forward, and stone-like objects rose into the air around it.
Whooosh—
Sunghyun tilted his head slightly.
“Oh? Some kind of psychic power? Interesting.”
Interesting—and nothing more.
He poured even more mana into the skill. The flames clinging to the monkey swelled. At some point the creature stopped rolling. Fire alone could not finish it; the flames no longer melted its flesh.
“Then come at me.”
Sunghyun flicked the fang in his hand. The monkey bared its teeth and hurled its burning body forward.
“Kieeeeeek!”
It swung its long arms at him. No wonder it was called a gibbon—those arms looked longer than half of Sunghyun’s height.
“So what?”
Slash—
Sunghyun swung the fang and severed the monkey’s arm.
“It’s so soft.”
The long-armed gibbon had become a short-armed one. He waved the fang back and forth.
“What a shame… Now it can’t even live up to its name.”
The arm had come off so easily that the monkey seemed to lose its will to fight. Sunghyun narrowed his eyes.
“What, is that already the end?”
Weak.
He mocked it, but the monkey had already given up.
“Boring. Let’s finish this.”
Slash.
The monkey’s head flew into the sky.
“One night’s worth, get.”
Sunghyun left the blood spraying from the corpse behind him. When he looked around, he felt the surrounding creatures flinch.
“Haha. How the times have changed.”
He was no longer yesterday’s fugitive. The fugitive had caught a rabbit and climbed onto the foothold. Through the battle with the wolf he had drawn even with the starting line. And by killing the monkey just now, he had announced it to everyone:
From now on, I am the one who will hunt you.
Clang! Clang!
Hayato was gaining real combat experience alongside the knight commander. They had somehow acquired a single goblin. Hayato’s physical specs far surpassed it, yet he lacked decisiveness. Because of that, the match still had not ended.
Huff. Huff.
Hayato panted as he glared at the goblin. Whenever he swung his sword, the goblin actually offered its neck. The cunning creature knew: this naive human cannot kill me! So it used that knowledge.
The knight commander watched and sighed repeatedly. What good was once-in-a-generation talent if the boy hesitated like that? A hesitant knight’s blade was slower and weaker than the unhesitating sword of a street thug. Every knight learned that lesson the moment they first gripped a sword. But a hero raised in a world of peace, living a life that matched it, was soft.
The knight commander pressed a hand to his forehead. How was he supposed to handle this green hero? One idea came to him. The hero had been learning something from that team leader fellow. Perhaps that man knew something.
The commander clapped his hands and called a halt.
“Let’s take a short break.”
Only then did Hayato release his sword and gasp for air. The knights hurried into the training ground and fitted the goblin with various restraints. The goblin looked at Hayato and gave a slimy grin.
“Keh-heh.”
Hayato bit his lower lip as he stared at it.
Why?
Why could he not kill a living being? He had tried. He had resolved himself. Yet at the final moment his strength drained away.
Just as Hayato was about to sink into his thoughts, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“Hmm? The knight commander called me over in a hurry, and this is the situation?”
It was the legal team leader’s voice. Hayato lifted his head.
“Team Leader? Why are you here?”
“That’s not important. You did say something, didn’t you?”
The memory of that day rose in Hayato’s mind—the day he had sought out the team leader. He had told the man that no matter what happened, he would find their representative for him, so please teach him how to handle people. The man had laughed at him.
People are not to be handled. They must follow naturally. So become strong.
Hearing those words, Hayato had left the room and taken up his sword. Not once had he set it down. He had never skipped mana training. But the final step remained the problem.
“I… I can’t kill living things.”
His own weak nature was the issue. Looking at that Hayato, the team leader spoke.
“Hmm… Then why don’t you just quit?”
Hayato was dumbfounded. He had expected “Get up,” “What is that,” “Is that all you’ve got?” Instead: “Why don’t you just quit?”
As Hayato stared in confusion, the team leader continued.
“To be precise, your current state is like an elementary schooler holding a gun.”
“An elementary schooler with a gun?”
“Explaining is a pain, so experience it yourself.”
What did that mean?
Hayato glanced sideways and saw Sasaki.
Sasaki?
Suddenly the knight commander seized Hayato’s body. At that resolute face, Hayato’s own went white.
No way. Don’t touch Sasaki.
The goblin’s restraints came off. Sasaki gripped a sword with trembling hands. Her eyes shook as she turned her head toward Hayato.
“Hayato… I… I want to be useful too.”
“No! No! Commander, I’ll kill it, I can kill it, so please let me go! Okay? Please!!!”
Hayato drew up his mana and struggled, but whatever the team leader had told him, the knight commander never released his grip.
In that instant the goblin charged at Sasaki. She barely managed to block its attack, but the goblin simply dropped its sword and clenched its fist.
Thud!
The goblin’s fist slammed into Sasaki’s abdomen.
“Ghk!”
Sasaki groaned, drool spilling from her lips. It was admirable that she still held the sword, yet her fighting spirit was already broken. This was the first time she had felt another being’s killing intent. Hayato’s superior physique had let him shake it off, but Sasaki could not. Her hands trembled even harder. In the end—
Thud.
The sword fell from her grasp.
Hayato thrashed harder in the commander’s arms.
“No! Sasaki! Pick up the sword! Pick it up! You fucking bastard! Let me go!!!!”
Yet no rage-fueled awakening let him throw off the knight commander. The goblin began to toy with Sasaki. Wounds multiplied on her arms and legs, and Hayato could only watch.
He stared blankly at the scene. His head felt ready to explode. He could not endure it any longer. He wanted to rush out right now and cut that goblin down. The one he hated most was neither the knight commander, nor the team leader, nor the goblin—it was himself.
In that moment the team leader’s words returned.
Right now you are an elementary schooler holding a gun.
Now he understood. He already possessed the power to kill the goblin in a single stroke, yet he lacked the matching mental strength. Therefore he had to change. Therefore he had to choose.
Would he keep the line of a Japanese high school student, or cross it?
He chose.
Hayato drew a deep breath. That breath was heavy and cold.
“Let me go.”
At the changed atmosphere the knight commander flinched, then looked to the team leader beside him. The team leader nodded, and only then was Hayato freed.
A chill aura flowed around him.
“I’ll kill it.”
A short declaration—yet the expression and atmosphere were utterly different. Hayato took one step forward.
Swoooosh—
The scenery shifted. Only then did Hayato comprehend mana. Mana, too, possessed a nature. His own was rather cruel and calm. And until now his weak self had been suppressing that nature.
The moment he realized it, his body felt light enough to fly.
Die.
Slash—
Hayato’s sword cleaved the air. And then—
the goblin’s head flew into the sky.
At last, the hero had killed a living being.
Everyone watched Hayato in breathless silence. They thought: Hayato will surely become the strongest.
Yet at the very moment the strongest hero was reborn, Sunghyun—separated from the party—had become a monster.