The Man Who Saved the World (3)
The instant he saw that message, Junil thought, Ah. This is going to be tricky.
He needed to craft a scenario in advance so he would look like a victim. They got here way faster than I expected. Junil’s mind raced. First, he needed to take stock of what he currently had and how he could use it.
That was when it happened.
BOOM!
A massive roar shook the ceiling above.
Grozya…?
Because it was his summon, he could sense it clearly. That was Grozya’s magi. The Hell General was still alive.
I only wanted to buy time.
It looked like Grozya had slaughtered every single awakener. Never mind how he managed it—this was good news.
Nice.
A smile crept across Junil’s lips. His plan was to pin the blame for this entire incident on Grozya.
Go to Nuga’s side, Grozya.
Just as the troll Nuga had been killed by Kang Hae-il, Grozya would surely be killed by Yu Jihun and the other awakeners. Once the victim-and-perpetrator framework was established, he shouted at the researchers.
“There’s a monster summoned up there!”
As he yelled, he ordered Grozya to stomp the floor and rampage. No matter how thick the concrete was, nothing could withstand the destructive power of a Hell General.
RUMBLE! BOOM! BOOM!
KWAAAAAAAH!
“H-huk!”
“This is insane.”
The researchers froze in terror. They were all E-rank with zero combat ability, so monsters terrified them.
“Is there an escape route that doesn’t go through the hospital lobby?”
There had to be one. This building had originally been a hospital. They could exit through the underground parking lot connected to the driveway.
Researcher Park’s hand shot up. “There is! We can head to the underground parking and exit onto the driveway!”
As expected.
“Let’s go.”
Researcher Park sprinted ahead, and the rest followed. The whole time, Junil kept checking to make sure the portal researcher was still with them. That man was the most important piece.
And so Junil suddenly burst onto the surface with the researchers, chased by Grozya right in front of countless broadcasting cameras.
Run, Grozya!
To any onlooker, it looked like Grozya had massacred all the gangsters and nearly killed the researchers too, only for Junil to luckily help them escape.
“Crazy! It’s Grozya! Rescue team, everyone forward!”
The moment Yu Jihun spotted Grozya, he charged in. He was probably trying to secure Kang Hae-il’s safety.
Perfect…
Junil intended to have Grozya killed right here. After causing this much chaos, there was no way it could survive.
“Kim Ri-el! Hurry! Take him, quick!”
Kim Ri-el practically snatched Kang Hae-il from Junil’s arms. Suyeon ran over and supported Junil.
“Oppa…! Where are you hurt?!”
“Uh! Me—later! Hae-il hyung first!”
In truth, he wasn’t injured at all. But saying so would have felt too awkward, so he mumbled instead. Only a beat later did Junil realize he hadn’t needed to lie.
Huh…?
His vision blurred. His body swayed.
“Oppa?!”
He was still inside Moon Junil’s body while using Julian’s power. No matter how much his level had risen, the discharge phenomenon remained.
Damn. Did I get too excited beating Choi Kkang-pae?
When he had transformed into Sagosul in front of the boss, the obsessive thought that he had to kill every witness had made him draw far too much power. On top of that, even after sleeping once, the energy expenditure from the World Boss fight had been overwhelming.
Ugh…
THUD!
Junil finally lost consciousness and collapsed. Camera flashes exploded above him as Suyeon tearfully supported his body and dragged him away.
In this way, he became the righteous man who had fainted while trying to save Kang Hae-il.
“What a shot! Get the picture!”
“The porter who saved the world…!”
No one could possibly suspect him.
However, one problem remained.
“…Huh?”
“Grozya… Grozya’s gone?”
The scene the reporters wanted was missing its monster. The Grozya that had been charging so fiercely had suddenly vanished. Since the summoner’s consciousness had been cut, the summon had disappeared as well.
“What the…?”
Yu Jihun, who had been fully prepared to fight, froze awkwardly in place.
“Where did it go? Up?!”
He jerked his head upward, but nothing was there.
“Down!”
He pressed his ear to the ground, but heard nothing.
“Nobody move! This is a trick!”
Yu Jihun shouted at the top of his lungs. He refused to believe Grozya had simply disappeared. Whether through stealth or some other trick, it had hidden itself and could reappear at any moment. That was the natural reaction. It had been right in front of them only moments ago. The fresh footprints it had left were still visible.
“Everyone stay right here!”
He spent the next ten minutes standing in that exact spot, fruitlessly preparing to fight a monster that would never return.
The next day, Junil opened his eyes.
Huh? An unfamiliar ceiling…?
Ah. So it had come to this.
He rose from the bed with the crisp efficiency of long habit and spoke to the woman beside him.
“The patient has woken—”
“Get lost.”
“…?”
He scanned his surroundings, grabbed the weapons that had been prepared, and tried to leave. Damn it, I really am the eighth-round hero after all. Muttering to himself, he headed for the door.
“P-patient? You can’t leave!”
“What? It’s just to kill the Demon King, right?”
“…Excuse me?”
The nurse stared at him with a completely blank face, then muttered into her earpiece.
Please add a psychiatric consultation for patient Moon Junil.
A short while later, a doctor with a cold expression arrived holding a chart and began firing questions.
“Where exactly were you trying to go?”
“…Ah, yes. I’m sorry. It’s just that I… I’ve been through a lot…”
“‘Catch the Demon King’? What does that mean?”
“The Demon King? Well… I must have called the World Boss the Demon King. To an F-rank like me, the World Boss basically is the Demon King. Yes…”
“…I see.”
The doctor nodded, seemingly convinced by the F-rank explanation.
“It appears that encountering an opponent far beyond your rank triggered a kind of cosmic-horror-level fear. Please rest and stabilize for the time being…”
The doctor maintained a perfectly serious face, but—
The Constellations were laughing so hard they were practically clutching their stomachs.
Then—
“I reviewed your past medical records.”
“!”
The doctor sent the nurse out and whispered quietly.
“Please don’t push yourself. Not everyone in the world is like the people from that orphanage.”
This time Junil simply nodded without any extra words.
“…Yes.”
“Sigh.”
After finally getting rid of the doctor and nurse, Junil flopped onto the bed with a hollow feeling.
Being a hero really was easier.
The way he had instinctively tried to move like a machine proved just how simple and straightforward hero work had been.
I must have grown numb to it.
Slaying the Demon King in the shortest time possible, rooting out traitors and executing them—those tasks had become second nature. But this situation was different. He had to deceive someone until the very end, smile to their face while stabbing them in the back. He even had to drive them into the same horrific pain he himself had experienced once and never wanted to feel again.
The agony of awakening.
「KWAAAAAAAAAH…!」
The memory of Kang Hae-il clutching Sar and screaming flashed through his mind. That hadn’t been a cheer. It had been a scream.
It was ironic. The death of someone he mourned turned out to be the same person who had once tormented him so terribly. A farce of weeping for the death of an enemy.
What kind of shitty job did I get myself into…?
Even Junil hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. Still, he had no justification to refuse. Having caused far more damage during his hero days, claiming he couldn’t continue because of someone’s tears would be nothing but a cowardly escape.
And—
Meyrin… I left you behind too. There’s nothing I can’t do.
Junil took out the book Sar had dropped from his inventory. The red cover reminded him of her hair. The memory still lingered vividly.
「I know your name is Julian too.」
That moment when time itself seemed to stop. If he reached out, he felt like he could touch that pale skin…
“Oppa! You’re awake?”
“…Uh? Yeah.”
Junil’s heart skipped a beat. She looks even more similar than I thought.
It was Suyeon. She must have rushed over; her hair was slightly disheveled. That only made her resemblance to Meyrin stronger. Or rather, strictly speaking, Meyrin had resembled Suyeon. The reason he had first felt drawn to Meyrin was because of that similarity.
Well… the roles have completely reversed now.
Happy that Junil had woken up, Suyeon sat beside him and chattered excitedly. Thanks to her, he learned the full story he hadn’t been able to ask about while keeping quiet to clear up the doctor’s misunderstanding.
With help from the government, both Hae-il and Junil had been placed in the hospital’s VIP ward. Junil had woken up after just one day, as if he had simply taken a nap. Kang Hae-il, however, was still unconscious.
“Oh, and this is our university hospital. When you get discharged, let’s get some samgyeopsal?”
“…Ah, I see?”
A VIP room at S University Hospital. They must have spent quite a bit.
“Deal.”
“For real?”
Suyeon beamed and kept talking. Right now the hospital entrance was swarming with reporters, all waiting for Junil to wake up.
“I had to push through all those reporters. My hair’s a total mess.”
“Ah… yeah?”
But something felt off to Junil. Actually, a lot of things felt off.
“The reporters are waiting for me to wake up? And why am I in a VIP room? I’m… I’m…”
I’m F-rank.
Had they figured out he was Sagosul? All sorts of thoughts flooded his mind. The treatment F-ranks received had been utterly miserable until now.
“Wait, oppa, you haven’t checked your phone?”
“Phone?”
Right after waking up he had thought he was back in the medieval era, told the nurse to get lost, and nearly headed off to slay the Demon King. Of course he hadn’t checked his phone.
Suyeon grinned and shoved her own phone at him.
“Hey, Moon Junil. You blew up, dude~”
Just as she said, the headlines were everywhere.
The news portals were packed with stories—not just about Kang Hae-il, but about Junil too. Every major outlet’s front page featured photos of him carrying the rescued Kang Hae-il.
The comment sections were exploding.
Every single one was a best comment. Public opinion had completely flipped in the porter’s favor. Starting from F-rank yet still remaining an awakener had become the Korean dream—the dragon rising from a stream.
His academic background drew attention as well.
This was exactly the kind of narrative Koreans loved: a good kid who studied hard as a child finally seeing the light as an adult.
“Wow. It… it really blew up?”
Should he be happy about this or not?
“Ah, oppa, that’s not even the biggest thing. There’s more.”
“There’s more?!”
“Yes. We got cast for Rookies Show.”
Rookies Show. The most prestigious TV program where the biggest stars and hottest topics of the moment appeared. Even if you claimed you never watched TV, appearing on it guaranteed sweeping YouTube views and algorithm dominance. People called it a family honor.
“Wait… us?”
His throat suddenly felt dry. Junil gulped down the water beside him without thinking. This felt completely different from being a hero in the medieval era.
They called me?
The reach of modern media was more powerful and authoritative than any magic from the Middle Ages. And it was Moon Junil—not Julian, not Sagosul—being invited.
“Yes, um…” Suyeon explained, a little shy. “As the five awakeners who slew the dragon… under the team name… Dragon Slayer Pentad…”
“Pfft—!”
Junil accidentally sprayed water all over Suyeon’s face.