Chapter 0. Prologue
In December 2017, on a day when the first snow poured down in sheets, Kang Ji-hyuk was finally discharged.
Putting a period on his military life—where just coming out healthy counted as a win—he became a civilian at last. He was 24 years old then.
He hadn't exactly slacked off in the army, either. He'd read books diligently, prepared to reenroll in school, and even built up his body. Everything felt perfectly ideal...
...Up until that point.
Ji-hyuk had no intention of hustling right away now that he was a civilian. He still had a couple months before school started back up. I'll party hard for at least a month, he resolved.
That was fine too...
...Until a single offhand comment from an army buddy he ran into at a booze-up after ages changed his life from the ground up. Who could've known?
“Yo, you tried Raising Heroes yet?”
“...Raising Heroes?”
“This game that dropped recently. It's a goddamn masterpiece. The forums are blowing up.”
Kang Ji-hyuk snorted at the naming sense.
“Raising Heroes? What the fuck.”
“Tons of guys mocked it like that. Play it, and that name starts feeling cozy.”
“Alright, alright. Got it. I'll check it out when I've got time.”
Three days after that chat, while rummaging for something to play, Ji-hyuk stumbled on Raising Heroes again. A fandom called the HeroRaiser Crew had already formed, even though it was brand new. Is it really that good?
It was pricey, so he dug into reviews. Looked solid enough. He enjoyed nurturing sims anyway. Buy or pass? Full price at 68,000 won—no discounts. Enough left over after two motel romps with a girl.
But the ratings were insane. After agonizing for about ten minutes, he hit purchase.
A few clicks, and 68,000 won vanished into thin air. Should've made games myself, he thought idly, then started the install.
It took forever. The file size was massive; he had to delete other games. After a deep sleep, he woke to find it done. Outside was pitch-black night.
Time to play. Ji-hyuk stretched his stiff body and clicked the play button.
In that instant, every light in the world snuffed out.
...And he plummeted into that godforsaken world.
1st Loop. Day 3 of the Tutorial: head chomped by a monster. Dead.
2nd Loop. Final day of the Tutorial: skull smashed by an orc's club. Dead.
3rd Loop. Barely cleared the Tutorial after endless suffering, then wandered like a beggar and died of disease. Wasted 2 years.
4th Loop. Scammed to avoid starving, got stabbed by the mark. Wasted 2 years.
5th Loop. Scraped by as a mercenary porter, snagged by bandits. Dead. Wasted 4 years.
6th Loop. Became a wandering merc somehow, head chomped by a monster in the infamous demon realm. Wasted 6 years.
7th Loop. Veteran merc thanks to prior know-how, but a stray arrow nailed the back of his skull. Dead. Wasted 5 years.
8th Loop. Aimed for success, enrolled in a no-name hero academy, slaved through grunt work to barely hit D-rank Hero. First expedition: body torn apart by a magic beast. Dead. Wasted 8 years.
9th Loop. Through hell and high water, finally hit B-rank Hero. Time to shine, he thought eagerly—then fucked a female assassin sent by the church and got stabbed post-orgasm. Dead. Wasted 12 years.
His ironclad mentality started cracking just a bit. FUUUUCKIIIING SHIIIIT—!!!
10th Loop. Mastered his craft and silver tongue for rapid promotion. A-rank Hero in just 5 years—but got dick-drunk in a cursed tower and died to a succubus pussy. Wasted 8 years.
11th Loop.Fuck it, whatever, ditched hero life for the underworld, committed every crime under the sun. Killed male heroes sent to take him down, turned the females into cock-sleeves. Until an S-rank Hero lopped off his head. Dead. Wasted 10 years.
12th Loop. Lived desire-free like some enlightened monk. Earth felt like a distant dream. Maybe this is the real me, paranoia set in. Nope. Suicide. Wasted 5 years.
13th Loop. Buckled down for S-rank Hero. After twists and turns, hit it in 10 years. Felt like he owned the world. But learned there's a whole other league. First Demon King fight: nearly won, but slacked at the end and died stupidly. Wasted 12 years.
...And then, the grand 14th Loop.
Leveraging every skill and experience piled up so far, Ji-hyuk rocketed through ranks. Unprecedented record: S-rank Hero in just 6 years from D-rank. Gathered powerhouse allies. Subjugated multiple Demon Kings. Even made the Succubus Queen his bitch. Finally, showdown with the Great Demon King Carmine.
And total defeat.
Ah... fuck, not enough power...
Epiphany hit. He couldn't beat the Great Demon King alone.
The game title flashed in his mind.
Raising Heroes.
Ah. I need to raise a hero.
Wasted 17 years here.
...And Kang Ji-hyuk entered the 15th Loop.