May Luck Be With You
After starting that damn game, Heroes, I'd seen countless beauties. Plenty of them were even real-world idols and actresses. But the woman standing before me now possessed a beauty on an entirely different plane. There was no point in piling on flowery words to describe her. She was brimming with an intuitive allure that needed no embellishment.
Yet even with such a beauty right in front of me, the only emotions surging through me were rage and resentment.
"Are you the goddess?"
"Yes. I am."
The goddess was impassive. No words of comfort for me, no apologies to humanity. She simply stared straight into my eyes with an emotionless face.
"Why show up only now?"
The priests had prayed fervently, the people had cried out for salvation, but she'd never responded. And now, after everyone was dead, she finally appeared. I was the only one left to witness her—and I wouldn't be for long.
"And... why didn't you tell us sooner?"
If she'd let us know beforehand that Heroes wasn't just some game, everything would have been different. I couldn't speak for the others, but I sure as hell would have acted. I'd have gathered the holy relics ages ago, tracked down the Demon God, chopped off that bastard's head. Then he never would have regained his power. He wouldn't have crossed over to Earth and wiped out humanity. Instead of being the guy who put the final nail in mankind's coffin right now, I'd be hailed as humanity's hero.
"Why the hell...!"
Despite my outburst, the goddess showed no emotion. She just answered calmly.
"All of this was a process to find the true hero."
"The true hero?"
"Yes. The reason I summoned Earthlings to our world was my expectation that one among you would possess the power of a hero."
Come to think of it, that tied into the game's lore. The NPCs saw players as "hero candidates" summoned by the goddess. They believed every journey was a trial to forge a true hero, who would ultimately slay the Demon God.
"So, I'm the true hero since I survived alone until the end?"
"Yes. Baek Sion. You are the true hero."
Yeah. I was pretty damn impressive to make it this far.
"Then... cough! What the hell are you... ugh... doing now? It's all... over anyway."
True hero or not, I was dying too. My body already had a massive hole in it like a donut. I was bleeding out in real time, my voice barely coming out anymore.
"No, it's not over."
The goddess shook her head, showing emotion on her face for the first time—a smile brimming with joy.
"I've been gathering power all this time for the true hero."
"Gath... ering?"
"Now that I know you're the true hero, I'll use all my power on you."
What came next didn't sound ordinary. I'd thought it was the end, but if the goddess was saying this...
"Hero Baek Sion. I will send you back to the past."
I had a million questions—Was it really possible? Would my memories stay intact? Would the past version of her recognize this?—but my voice was gone.
"I'll regress with you, but since I'm using all my power, I won't awaken for a long time. I won't be able to help you anymore."
Suddenly, her expression shifted with regret flickering across her face.
"But Hero Baek Sion, I'm certain you can exterminate the Demon God without my aid."
Of course. I wanted to say it, but with no voice left, I mustered my remaining strength to nod.
The goddess showed yet another expression—a tender, benevolent smile—as she caressed my cheek.
"Hero Baek Sion. May luck be with you on your journey."
"Hah, haha?"
A hollow laugh escaped me. I'd confirmed it several times in the real world already, but seeing my stats pop up after logging into the game hit different.
'I really went back in time.'
To the day I first started this game, Heroes—ten years ago. I'd just finished the tutorial and was standing alone on the outskirts of the beginner village, Gorshion.
'...How long has it been?'
Wearing shabby newbie clothes, unarmed, inventory empty. The sensation of being a total noob after so long.
Back then, I never could have imagined. That this wasn't just a game, but another world. And that somewhere in it, the Demon God lurked, ready to reclaim his power and end everything.
But now I knew. So I'd stop it somehow. It wouldn't be easy, but...
May luck be with you on your journey!
'This?'
A system message appeared out of nowhere. Its content matched the goddess's final words before regressing.
"...Goddess?"
I called out just in case, but no reply came. Right—she'd said she wouldn't awaken for a long time. So this was just her last parting encouragement before sleep?
Luck Gauge activated!
Complete Luck Quests to accumulate Luck Gauge!
The higher the Luck Gauge, the stronger the luck events that can occur!
But the messages didn't stop there. A gauge like a dashboard appeared in the corner of my vision.
0%
It wasn't a system that existed before, so it took a moment to get the hang of it.
'Luck Quests... oh, this?'
Available in Current Location
☐ Pick up trash
☐ Fix leaning fence
The list showed nothing but trivial tasks. What to call them? Too small for formal quests, awkward to reward.
'Do good deeds, get luck... something like that?'
Nearby was the village's boundary fence, crooked and leaning here and there.
1%
As I fixed one fence post, the gauge ticked up. Slower than I'd hoped.
5%
Even after finishing the fences, that was it. Might as well pick up the trash scattered in the woods too.
Heroes was basically fantasy, but with magic engineering and all sorts of tech, it had a modern vibe. Trash was varied: plastic bottles, broken arrows, snapped ropes, plastic bags...
'Damn. Even a used condom tossed here.'
I stuffed it all into a discarded bag. Quite a haul.
10%
About an hour of work for 10%? Hard to say if that was fast or slow yet. Depended on how the gauge got used.
"Whoa. It's been forever."
While patrolling the fence for more trash, I ran into a monster. A big spider with a rocky body—head-sized at most, perfect for Lv.5. Once you outleveled beginner stuff, you rarely saw them.
Pok!
Half-nostalgic, I grabbed a sturdy branch and stabbed its head—right in the vitals. It collapsed and vanished, leaving an item drop.
"Whoa, what?"
My accumulated Luck Gauge vanished entirely, and a pillar of purple light shot up from the spider's spot. Light pillars meant drops; color indicated grade.
Item grades ran seven levels: Celestial > Mythic > Legendary > Heroic > Rare > Advanced > Normal. Purple was the fourth highest—Heroic.
◈ Mineral
◈ A very rare stone imbued with mystical power. Its exact use is unknown, but someone out there might want it badly.
"This drops already?"
Rock monsters could rarely drop minerals, sure. But a Lv.5 yielding Heroic grade? Insane odds.
'Just 10% for this? I underestimated it.'
Being able to fill 10% in an hour was ridiculously fast for luck like this.
"What a busted ability."
Honestly, I'd been a bit bummed earlier. Starting from scratch after losing everything? Maybe she'd tossed in a good weapon or cash? Nope—inventory empty.
Yeah, regressing wasn't easy, and she'd used all her power. I'd talked myself into accepting it. Then this surprise gift!
"Goddess, I'll give it my all."
What else could I pull off? How fast could I power up now? My lips twitched with excitement.
Of course, this wasn't just a game anymore. As the true hero, I had to slay the Demon God and save the world.
But I had no intention of dropping the fun. That's why I'd gotten so strong before—pure enjoyment. And hey, might as well enjoy it fully, right?
'Time to go all out.'
No more Luck Quests outside the village. What about inside?
Available in Current Location
☐ Pick up trash
☐ Retrieve blown-away laundry
☐ Pull weeds from flower bed
☐ Find mouse hole
☐ Carry heavy load...
Gorshion was a big beginner village. Lots of people meant lots of tasks. Time to start?
"Oh my, what a truly kind hero candidate!"
"Hoho, you pulled the weeds for us!"
"Thank you, hero candidate."
The NPCs reacted warmly. No surprise—free labor? They'd like that.
3%
Gauge filling nicely. More tasks meant faster accumulation.
'Let's stockpile more this time.'
The moment I thought that—
"Kyaa!"
My 3% gauge drained in one go as the woman walking beside me—an NPC—tripped over a rock with a scream. Reflexively, I reached out to catch her, and—
squelch!
'...Squelch?'
I caught her successfully, but my hand's position was... awkward. I'd accidentally grabbed her breast.