Karmic Bonds

A small silence fell over the back alley. Four pairs of colorful gazes turned toward me as I sat on the ground. They were merely stares, yet the overwhelming presence of those four made my body instinctively shrink back. Still, I refused to lower my head. I looked them straight in the eyes. No matter how pathetic and filthy I appeared right now, this was my only chance to persuade them.

“The Demon Realm is far darker and uglier than you think. You might suffer something even more horrible than you can imagine.”

I knew how I must look—like a madman, or perhaps a coward trying to scare them away from the word “Demon Realm” out of sheer terror. Even so, I kept speaking. At this moment, no one alive knew the Demon Realm better than I did.

It was a place where people were ground to dust, tortured, and sin overflowed. The Demon King’s stronghold—where common sense was shattered and only despair remained. Even I, who had only witnessed it through a monitor, understood its darkness well. Now that it had become reality, I could scarcely imagine how terrible it would be.

Once I finished, a heavy silence gripped the area. Even in the bright daylight, this spot felt cut off from the rest of the world. The four of them said nothing, only exchanging glances with one another.

I wondered if my words had reached them. I had twisted every piece of information I knew to frighten them. They might not decide immediately, but at least I had given them something to think about later. Please… I hoped they would turn my words over in their minds and truly consider them.

But what came from their lips was completely unexpected.

“Huh? What’s this?”

The party’s mage, Lily, spoke with open curiosity.

“Did you already know we were the hero’s party?”

It was as if she hadn’t heard a single word of my warning. Her face held not the slightest trace of worry.

…Of course. No one would bother listening to a street bum. It was exactly what I had expected, yet the bitterness still rose in my throat.

Whether she noticed or not, Lily—standing across from me—continued cheerfully.

“Wow, I guess we really have become famous! If even people in a back alley like this recognize us.”

“The kingdom publicly announced us, so the news would spread in an instant,” Kamilla added.

Lily and Kamilla chatted happily, their long time together evident in how comfortable and natural they looked. Amid their conversation, only Yulise answered my earlier words.

“Hehe, are you worried about us? Thank you.”

Instead of irritation at a filthy bum speaking out of turn, her face held only a gentle, benevolent smile. Yet the words that followed were a kind rejection.

“But we cannot do that.”

Why? I stared at her, eyes full of questions.

“It is because we already carry far too much responsibility. Every nation on the continent is counting on us.”

Responsibility? Just throw it away. It was nothing but a symbolic weight with no real form or binding power. You could discard it whenever you wished. Of course, the world might condemn you for it… but there was no reason to walk a path of thorns simply because others expected it.

“Besides, I want to bring light back to this world once more.”

Her words stopped me cold. This wasn’t an order handed down by those in power—it came from her own pure will.

“The world right now… is bleak. Every few days we hear that another village has been attacked by monsters. The people live in constant fear. The economy and public order have collapsed as a result.”

She furrowed her brows, looking bitter.

“That is why I—no, why we—wish to show the world light again. Not out of duty, but simply because it is what we desire.”

Her clear, upright eyes fixed on me. They burned like those of a philosopher proclaiming her beliefs. The saintess chosen by the goddess who watched over the world possessed her own unshakable conviction.

“Earlier, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you said the Demon Realm was a place of despair beyond imagination, yes?”

I nodded silently. She laughed brightly, as if to tell me not to worry.

“We already know that much.”

“……”

“Did you think we hadn’t considered it? We are the ones going there. We have heard countless times how dangerous it is. Even so, we must go.”

“……”

…So that was it. I understood now. They hadn’t ignored me. They had already thought it through so many times internally that my warning simply flowed past them like water. Because their resolve was already complete, their steps toward the Demon Realm held no hesitation.

It was an almost foolishly upright sight—the same one I had watched countless times from outside the monitor. Not pushed by others, but walking into danger of their own free will, guided by the beliefs they had built. That could not be stopped. Those who had firmly planted their feet would not easily listen to outside voices.

Even as I nodded to myself, Yulise continued. Though she had finished her point, she seemed carried forward by her own momentum, laughing brightly like a woman who simply enjoyed chatting.

“And do not worry. When the time comes, the hero will appear.”

I froze. My body stiffened as if struck by lightning.

“A strong and righteous hero will surely appear and journey with us.”

“……”

That hero was standing right in front of them. A hero candidate who, far from being strong, had been beaten nearly to death by a third-rate villain.

Whether she knew my feelings or not, her words had now spread to the entire party. They chattered like girls in the bloom of youth. As if the topic truly interested her, Lily suddenly smiled wide and painted her ideal.

“He’ll definitely be a wise and intelligent hero!”

No.

“I hope he is braver and stronger than anyone else,” Kamilla said.

No.

“I would like a good hero who offers strength to everyone without prejudice or persecution,” Yulise added gently.

No.

The hero they described contained none of those qualities. I was neither particularly wise nor knowledgeable. I wasn’t brave or strong enough to face every trial head-on. Moreover, until just a few hours ago I had been the kind of person who told the whole hero business to fuck off so I could live as I pleased.

If they asked whether I was good, I would have to hesitate. Each of their words felt like a needle pricking my chest. They weren’t even scolding me, yet I felt as though I had committed a crime.

Regardless, they kept talking about the hero without end. Would the hero be a man or a woman? What would they look like? What kind of life had they lived, and what values did they hold? They looked like girls imagining their own prince, letting their fantasies run free.

After chattering for a long while, they finally came to their senses and quickly began leaving the alley.

“Oh dear, it’s already this late.”

“That’s right! We still need to find an inn!”

Even then, they didn’t forget to glance at me and wish me well.

“……”

The noise faded and silence returned to the back alley, but my heart remained in turmoil. The future they would face, the dangers awaiting the world, my own current situation—those thoughts combined in my head, painting an ominous picture.

“…Without me, they’ll die.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. Unorganized thoughts poured from my mouth as if someone were listening.

“No. If it only ended in death, that would be fortunate.”

I knew their future. Left like this, they would be defeated by the Demon King’s army without fail. After that, a pain so terrible they would beg for death would await them. I knew it well because I had seen it many times on the monitor.

There had been a saintess more benevolent and pure than anyone.

The saintess will be violated by tens of thousands of insects.

There had been a mage called the greatest genius in the world.

The mage will eventually break mentally and go insane.

The strongest and most steadfast knight had begged to be killed, and the dark elf who had endured centuries of persecution could not bear the accumulating weight of time and lost her mind.

Sometimes the knight’s spirit collapsed first. Sometimes the saintess wailed for death. The suffering they would endure was endless. That was the kind of world it was. A world filled only with malice, and all of that malice was aimed solely at them. In every possible scenario, they had always suffered. If left alone, their defeat was certain, and an eternity of torment was guaranteed.

“And the world will perish.”

What remained was the destruction ending. The kingdoms would fall to the Demon King, and the pain they endured would spread across the entire world. In the end, no matter what, my own death was also certain.

Then what should I do? What exactly could I do to prevent that tragic future? I… I…

“……”

The questions piled on. Time passed and the light of the world darkened. In the sunless sky, only countless stars illuminated the gloom. The lively voices echoing from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beyond the alley disappeared, leaving only quiet silence. The scene they wished to protect was probably somewhere in the city center.

After thinking for a long time, I finally called out.

“System.”

The System. The entity that had dropped me here, given me the status window, and issued that damned quest. At the same time, the auxiliary tool that had helped my progress every time I played the game. The moment I became aware of it, it would display a quest, so it had to be nearby. Ever since falling into this place I had also felt a strange sensation, as if something was constantly watching me.

Therefore, if I wished, I should be able to summon the system window at will.

The instant I called it, a translucent window appeared before my eyes.

I was startled by its sudden appearance, but I kept my gaze steady and spoke.

“Tell me. What is the greatest thing I can offer right now—excluding my life? What holds the most value to me?”

The system window began to move busily.

It creaked along like a calculator performing an enormous computation, slowly forming sentences. To me it looked like simple text, but the System was probably calculating furiously what I could sacrifice.

I tilted my head.

“Karmic bonds?”

I understood the words, but they were too vague to grasp. How was I supposed to offer something like that?

As if sensing my confusion, the system window began to explain.

I nodded. Karmic bonds—the sum of every relationship people could form with one another. The value of the society created by those connections. That was the heaviest weight I could place on the scale.

Understanding it at last, a laugh escaped me.

“Ha.”

Only now did the whole situation make sense. Why it had given me such an absurdly difficult quest from the beginning. Why the time limit had been so ridiculously short.

“You were planning this from the start.”

It had all been forcing me to sacrifice something. It was telling me not to attempt it with half-hearted resolve.

“I should have realized the moment the route was called Noble Sacrifice. You intended this from the very beginning.”

If I wanted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to try saving the world, I had to show at least that much determination first. It was as if the System was saying exactly that.

Honestly, I didn’t like it. In this shitty situation, irritation surged through me. Still, I spoke.

“…Fine. I’ll offer it.”

In the end, this was the only path visible. Even if the road was difficult, if a path existed, I had to walk it. That was the truth I had learned from them, and I intended to follow it.

When I nodded, the System spoke once more.

It asked again even though I had already answered. I quickly realized the purpose of the window. It was a safety measure—telling me to think once more. In case this was a choice made in anger, or if I had placed too heavy a weight on the scale in a moment of impulse.

Of course, it wasn’t a decision made in the heat of the moment. It was the conclusion I had reached after half a day of thought and worry, so I could nod without hesitation.

“Gladly.”

And at that moment, light flooded the entire world. Countless system messages rose as if to fill the sky.

Red and black energy slowly seeped into my body. Blessings and curses swirled around me. From the empire’s dirtiest back alley, the most brilliant light leaked out. At times an unknown energy surged through my body; at others it felt as if foreign matter had lodged in my soul, leaving me suffocated. Feeling those indescribable sensations, I renewed my resolve once more.

“……”

The die had been cast. And it was I who had cast it. Even if the choice had been half forced, in the end it was my will that chose to walk this path of thorns.

So, I became a hero. Probably the worst hero in history.