《The Hero Who Refused to Save the World》 Prologue
Prologue: The Hero Who Refused to Save the World The End of One Life Haruto Saito had always assumed that when he died, it would be in some grand, dramatic way. A car accident. A robbery gone wrong. Maybe even some final, poetic moment where he muttered something deep and profound before fading into the abyss. However, the moment Haruto Saito¡¯s life ended, it wasn¡¯t in a blaze of glory, a tragic accident, or even a dramatic betrayal. It ended in the most mundane way imaginable. A dull fluorescent light flickered overhead as he slumped over his desk, hands still resting on the keyboard. His half-empty coffee cup had gone cold hours ago, but he never had the chance to finish it. The office was silent except for the hum of overworked servers and the distant clatter of some other poor soul still stuck in overtime hell. One moment, he was staring at the endless spreadsheet on his monitor, his half-finished coffee sitting idly on his desk, the office fluorescent lights buzzing overhead like dying insects. The next, he felt his body slump forward, as if someone had pressed the power button on his existence. And then¡ªdarkness. No dramatic farewell, no last words. Just the sudden realization that, at some point, his body had decided it had enough. And honestly? He couldn¡¯t blame it.
The Summoning Haruto¡¯s next moment of consciousness came with the sensation of falling. Light. Wind. Voices. Then¡ªimpact.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. He groaned as he peeled his face off the cold marble floor. Above him, towering spires of gold and stained glass stretched into a sky so impossibly blue it made his head spin. Around him, armored knights and robed priests gawked, their expressions somewhere between awe and confusion. He barely had time to process the situation before a voice¡ªcalm, melodic, and absolute¡ªrang through the air. ¡°Behold! The heroes summoned to save our kingdom from ruin!¡± Wait. Heroes? Haruto blinked, slowly turning his head to the left. Beside him, another figure stood¡ªa young man, barely seventeen, clad in shining silver armor that practically radiated holy light. His eyes gleamed with the righteous fury of a protagonist, his hand instinctively grasping the hilt of an ornate golden sword. Haruto glanced down at himself. No shining armor. No divine glow. Just the same cheap office shirt, slightly wrinkled from the unfortunate death nap. A realization hit him like a sack of bricks. Oh. Oh no.
The False Hero The grand hall erupted in cheers as the real hero was celebrated, lavished with blessings and prophecies. Haruto, meanwhile, stood awkwardly at the edge of the ceremony, ignored until a robed figure¡ªthe High Oracle¡ªnarrowed her eyes at him. A tense silence fell over the chamber. Then, with a voice sharp enough to cut steel, she declared: ¡°This one¡­ is a mistake.¡± The room¡¯s temperature seemed to drop. Haruto barely had time to open his mouth before armored hands grabbed him, shoving him to his knees. ¡°He is the False Hero. A glitch. He does not belong.¡± A chill ran down his spine. Ah. Well. That was fast. In the span of minutes, he had gone from overworked corporate drone to "prophesized hero" to exiled anomaly. As he was dragged through the golden halls toward what he really hoped wasn¡¯t an execution chamber, he sighed, muttering under his breath: "Man. I should¡¯ve just stayed dead."
The Beginning of Something Else They didn¡¯t kill him. That would¡¯ve been too clean. Instead, they threw him out¡ªliterally. A hard shove, a door slamming shut, and suddenly he was outside, standing in the middle of an unfamiliar wilderness. No supplies. No instructions. No idea what the hell he was supposed to do next. He looked up at the vast, unfamiliar sky, then down at his empty hands. For the first time, a true, creeping panic began to settle in. What the hell was he supposed to do now?
End of Prologue Welcome to Rock Bottom Chapter 1: Welcome to Rock Bottom The Wake-Up Call Haruto Saito woke up to the distinct feeling of something crawling on his face. His first thought: Oh, great. I survived. His second thought: Wait, what the hell is¡ª A wet, wriggling sensation moved across his cheek. He opened his eyes. A fat, slimy bug was sitting right on his nose. Haruto did what any reasonable man would do. He screamed. Flailing wildly, he smacked the bug off and scrambled backward¡ªonly to realize he had no idea where he was. Instead of his office chair, he was lying in the middle of a dense forest, surrounded by towering trees and tangled roots. Sunlight barely peeked through the thick canopy above, casting eerie shadows on the damp ground. And the smell. Oh god, the smell. Dirt, moss, something vaguely rotten¡ªit was like nature had personally decided to kick him in the lungs. "Okay," he muttered, forcing himself to breathe. "Not a dream. Definitely not a dream." Memories hit him like a freight train. The summoning. The oracle¡¯s verdict. The guards throwing him out of the kingdom like expired milk. He groaned. "Right. I¡¯m the ¡®False Hero.¡¯ Got it. Thanks for that, universe."
The First Challenge: Nature Hates Him Haruto pushed himself to his feet, brushing dirt off his office clothes. They were already filthy. "Great. If I don¡¯t die of starvation, I¡¯ll probably die of some medieval disease." Step one: Find civilization. With no clue where he was, he picked a direction at random and started walking.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Step two: Get food. Ten minutes later, his stomach was already growling. He scoured the underbrush and found a cluster of small, purplish berries. "These look edible, right?" Haruto grabbed a handful and popped one in his mouth. Immediate regret. It was like chewing on raw soap mixed with battery acid. His eyes watered, and his throat burned as he coughed and spat it out. "Oh god. Oh no. That was a mistake." His stomach lurched. He staggered to a tree and barely had time to turn his head before violently vomiting his breakfast¡ªif he even had a breakfast. He wheezed, wiping his mouth. "Cool. Poison berries. Off to a fantastic start." Step three: Avoid dying in the dumbest way possible.
The Tutorial Monster (That Wasn¡¯t a Tutorial At All) Still dizzy, Haruto continued walking¡ªonly to freeze as a deep, guttural growl echoed behind him. His spine locked up. Slowly, he turned his head. A wolf stood about ten feet away. Not a cute, domestic one. No, this thing looked like it had crawled straight out of a nature documentary about apex predators. Its fur was mangy, its eyes piercing yellow, and its teeth sharp enough to snap bones like breadsticks. Haruto¡¯s brain instantly ran through every possible response. He chose Option A and bolted. The wolf snarled and lunged. Haruto dodged (sort of). He tripped over a root, barely rolling out of the way as the wolf¡¯s claws ripped through the dirt where his head had been.
The Great Escape That Wasn¡¯t Scrambling to his feet, Haruto sprinted blindly through the trees, dodging branches and leaping over roots like his life depended on it. Because, well¡ªit did. Behind him, the wolf gained ground. Fast. "C¡¯mon, man! I just got here! Give me at least a tutorial before I die!" He **burst into a clearing¡ª**and immediately regretted it. The ground vanished beneath him. "SHI¡ª!" Haruto fell. The air rushed past him as he tumbled down a rocky slope, hitting every possible sharp edge along the way. THUD. He landed hard, groaning in pain. His head spun. Everything hurt. Above him, the wolf skidded to a stop at the cliff¡¯s edge, snarling in frustration. It let out one last growl before turning away, disappearing into the trees. Haruto wheezed. "Hah¡­ hah¡­ okay. Cool. That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m fine." He wasn¡¯t fine.
The Hidden Underground Passage As he tried to sit up, his hand sank into something soft. Confused, he looked down. The ground beneath him wasn¡¯t solid rock. It was loose, almost like¡­ CRACK. The earth collapsed beneath him. Haruto barely had time to scream before he plummeted into darkness.
End of Chapter 1
The Forgotten Ruins --- Chapter 2: The Forgotten Ruins The Hard Landing Haruto crashed into solid stone with a force that rattled his bones. For a moment, he just lay there, dazed, staring up at the crumbling ceiling high above. Dust and small rocks rained down from the hole he had fallen through, and he let out a long, pained groan. "Ow. Ow. Ow." When he finally managed to roll onto his stomach, his entire body protested. His arms felt bruised, his ribs ached, and he was pretty sure his spine had filed an official complaint against him. "Okay. Quick injury check. Head? Not cracked open. Arms? Still attached. Dignity? Dead on arrival." He slowly pushed himself up, blinking through the dim light. The air here was thick with dust and the scent of ancient stone. The walls around him stretched high, covered in faintly glowing carvings, their light barely illuminating the space. Then it hit him¡ª This place wasn¡¯t a natural cave. It was a ruin. --- The Ruins of the Forgotten Haruto turned in a slow circle, taking in his surroundings. Towering stone pillars lined what seemed to be an ancient hall, long abandoned. The walls were cracked, vines creeping through the broken structure. Statues of figures in armor loomed over him, their faces weathered away by time. But the most unsettling part? He wasn¡¯t the first person to be here. Scattered across the floor were broken weapons, rusted armor, and decayed banners. The remains of past adventurers¡­ or maybe something worse. "Oh good. This place just screams ''totally safe and not at all cursed.''" As much as he wanted to sit and process, his survival instincts kicked in. He needed to: 1. Find an exit. 2. Avoid anything that wanted to kill him. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.3. Not die like the last people who came here. With no other option, he pressed forward, stepping carefully over debris and old bones. --- The First Discovery As Haruto navigated the ruins, he noticed a faint glow ahead. Cautiously, he approached and found something unexpected¡ª A small pedestal stood in the center of the hall, covered in dust and strange symbols. Resting atop it was a metallic gauntlet, sleek and surprisingly well-preserved compared to everything else. It seemed important. Which, in hindsight, should have been a huge red flag. Haruto hesitated. This is either a treasure or a death trap. After a long internal debate, he reached out¡ª And grabbed it. The moment his fingers made contact, a faint blue light pulsed from the gauntlet¡¯s surface. A whisper of magic shivered through the air, and for a brief second, Haruto felt something click in his mind¡ªlike a door opening. Then, suddenly¡ª The gauntlet disappeared. Vanished. Into thin air. Haruto stared at his empty hands. Then at the pedestal. Then back at his hands. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± He took a step back. Maybe he had imagined it? Maybe it was a hologram or illusion? Nope. It was just gone. After several seconds of stunned silence, Haruto¡¯s brain finally turned back on. "Oh, come on! Did I just break it?! Is that a thing here?! Do artifacts just vanish if you touch them too hard?!" Frustrated, he patted his pockets, checked his sleeves, even looked behind the pedestal. Nothing. And that¡¯s when a new problem arose. A deep rumbling echoed through the ruins. Haruto¡¯s stomach dropped. "Oh, that¡¯s not good." --- The Ruins Wake Up The entire hall shook, dust cascading from above. Somewhere in the distance, stone scraped against stone, as if something massive was stirring. Then, from the far end of the ruins, two enormous stone doors began to creak open. Haruto froze. Because beyond those doors, something was moving. The dim blue light of the carvings flickered, illuminating a towering silhouette. A hulking figure of metal and stone, its eyes glowing with an eerie, mechanical light. It was a guardian. And it had just woken up. Haruto¡¯s survival instincts screamed: RUN. And, for once, he actually listened. --- The Great Escape The ruins shook violently as the guardian stepped forward, its movements slow but heavy. Its massive stone hand reached out, and from deep within its hollow chest, a low, mechanical voice rumbled: ¡°INTRUDER DETECTED.¡± Haruto did not stick around to hear the rest. He sprinted. As he bolted through the ruins, the guardian gave chase, each step causing the ground to quake. Haruto ducked under broken pillars, leapt over rubble, and avoided crumbling sections of floor. The whole time, one thought pounded in his head: "Why does every fantasy world have killer ruins?! Who built this crap?!" He rounded a corner and spotted a narrow passageway ahead. A small opening between two fallen pillars¡ªtoo small for the guardian to follow. Hope. Pushing himself forward, he dove through the gap, rolling onto the cold stone floor on the other side. Behind him, the guardian lurched forward, but the passage was too tight for its bulk. It slammed into the wall, causing more dust and debris to fall. Haruto lay there, panting, watching the thing struggle to reach him. Eventually, the rumbling died down. The guardian¡¯s glowing eyes flickered, and then¡ªwithout another word¡ªit froze. Like a machine powering down. Silence returned to the ruins. Haruto slowly sat up, heart pounding. "Well. That was a thing that happened." After a long moment of recomposing himself, he frowned. "Okay. So. Gauntlet disappeared. Ancient robot tried to kill me. Still no exit. Love that for me." He sighed, rubbing his temples. --- End of Chapter 2 --- The Chosen Ones Awakening Chapter 3: The Chosen One¡¯s Awakening
Kaito Kirishima ran faster than anyone else on the field. His cleats barely touched the grass as he weaved between defenders, the soccer ball gliding effortlessly between his feet. Every muscle in his body worked in sync¡ªyears of training turning movement into instinct. The opposing team scrambled to react, but they were too slow. The crowd roared as he closed in on the goal. One defender lunged¡ªtoo late. Kaito sidestepped with ease, cutting through the last gap. The goalkeeper braced himself, eyes locked on the ball. Kaito didn¡¯t hesitate. He kicked¡ªclean, precise, powerful. The ball shot through the air, past the outstretched fingers of the goalie, straight into the net. GOAL! The stadium erupted. His teammates tackled him in celebration. His coach clapped from the sidelines, beaming. And in the stands, he spotted Asuka, his childhood friend, cheering the loudest. For Kaito, there was no greater feeling than this. No hesitation. No doubt. Just pure motion. Pure success. "If I keep this up," he thought, watching the scoreboard flash his name, "I can go pro. I can be someone." But fate had other plans.
Later that evening, Kaito walked alongside Asuka down the quiet streets of their neighborhood. ¡°You really killed it today,¡± she said, nudging him playfully. He grinned. ¡°Yeah, well, I try.¡± ¡°Try?¡± She scoffed. ¡°Kaito, you¡¯re a machine out there. If you don¡¯t go pro, I¡¯ll fight reality itself.¡± He shrugged, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets. ¡°Maybe.¡± Because deep down, he wasn¡¯t sure. Going pro was his dream, but¡­ something inside him whispered, What if it¡¯s not enough? What if I want something more? Asuka must¡¯ve noticed his hesitation. She frowned. ¡°What do you mean ¡®maybe¡¯? Don¡¯t you want that?¡± Kaito hesitated. Of course, he wanted it. He¡¯d trained for it, dreamed about it since he was a kid. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want it. I do. But¡­ I don¡¯t want my whole life to just be ¡®Kaito the soccer star.¡¯ I want to be more than that.¡± She looked at him for a long moment. Then she smiled. ¡°You¡¯re already someone, dummy.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Heat crept to his face, and he turned away to hide it¡ª That¡¯s when he heard the engine. A truck. Speeding too fast. And Asuka was right in its path. Kaito moved before he could think. He shoved her aside¡ª Pain. Cold. The sensation of flying. Then¡ªdarkness.
Light. Kaito opened his eyes, but there was no ground beneath him. No sky, no world¡ªjust an endless expanse of golden radiance. He wasn¡¯t falling. He wasn¡¯t standing. He simply was. Then a voice¡ªsoft, warm, absolute. ¡°You poor, noble soul. You have done well.¡± A woman stood before him. Or rather, something that resembled a woman. She was radiant, her form shifting like a mirage, her golden robes endless. Her many eyes shimmered like distant stars. She smiled. ¡°You have been chosen.¡± Kaito blinked. ¡°¡­Chosen?¡± The space around them shifted¡ªvisions flickering into existence. A kingdom in flames. Soldiers locked in battle. A monstrous shadow looming over terrified people. ¡°A great evil threatens to consume everything,¡± the Goddess continued. ¡°And only you can stop it.¡± Kaito¡¯s pulse quickened. A war. A hero. A purpose. Something deep inside him clicked into place. ¡°I can save them?¡± The Goddess nodded. ¡°You must. It is your fate.¡± A golden glow surrounded him, seeping into his body. His clothes transformed. Polished silver armor wrapped around his frame, weightless yet unbreakable. A sword materialized at his side¡ªgleaming, perfectly balanced. Knowledge flooded his mind. Combat. Strategy. Magic. It was as if he had trained for years, despite never lifting a sword in his life. He staggered, overwhelmed. ¡°This is¡­ incredible.¡± The Goddess watched patiently. She did not ask him if he wanted this. Only if he accepted it. And why wouldn¡¯t he? This was his moment. He knelt before her. ¡°I accept.¡± Her smile widened. ¡°Then awaken, Hero.¡±
Kaito landed softly on polished marble. For a brief moment, he felt only light. Power hummed through his body¡ªnew strength, new purpose. Then, reality settled in. He was standing in a cathedral of gold and stained glass, its ceilings towering into the heavens. Banners of white and crimson hung from the walls. And before him, a massive crowd of nobles, priests, and knights bowed. Applause erupted around him. A woman stepped forward¡ªthe Oracle, draped in golden robes. She smiled warmly. ¡°Welcome, Chosen Hero.¡± Kaito straightened his posture. This was it. This was his story. Then¡ªa second figure landed beside him.
At first, Kaito barely registered him. Then he turned¡ªand stared. A man, older than him, wearing a wrinkled button-up shirt and slacks. His black hair was a mess, his expression bored and unimpressed. He looked like he¡¯d just woken up from a bad nap, not like someone who had just been transported to another world. Confusion rippled through the crowd. Kaito glanced back at the Oracle¡ªher warm, divine expression had vanished. Her eyes narrowed. ¡°This one¡­ is a mistake.¡± Silence fell. Kaito felt the shift in the air. The tension. The unease. The guards moved immediately, grabbing Haruto¡¯s arms. And Haruto? He sighed. Not in fear. Not in anger. Just¡­ resignation. Like he already knew this was going to happen. The Oracle¡¯s voice was cold, absolute. ¡°He is the False Hero. A glitch. He does not belong.¡± Kaito felt a pang of doubt. But the Oracle was the Goddess¡¯ messenger. The kingdom needed a true hero. He clenched his fists. "I was chosen. He wasn¡¯t." That was all there was to it¡­ right? The guards dragged Haruto away. Kaito didn¡¯t say anything. And for some reason, that bothered him.
Days passed. Kaito was given a royal chamber, divine training, and the respect of an entire kingdom. He was everything a hero should be. So why couldn¡¯t he stop thinking about Haruto? One night, he asked the Oracle, ¡°¡­What would¡¯ve happened if the False Hero had stayed?¡± She smiled¡ªcalm, absolute. ¡°The world does not need mistakes. It needs a savior.¡± Kaito nodded. But something in his chest tightened. The Goddess¡¯ words echoed in his mind. "You must. It is your fate." He clenched his jaw. The Oracle¡¯s words were absolute. The kingdom needed a savior. Kaito looked down at his armor¡ªpristine, perfect, unfamiliar. He had everything a hero was supposed to have. So why did it still feel like he was missing something?
End of Chapter 3 The Ruins Secret Chapter 4: The Ruins¡¯ Secret
Haruto slumped against the cold stone wall, gasping for breath. His legs burned, his lungs ached, and his hands trembled from the sheer adrenaline dump of narrowly escaping death. The ruins were silent now, save for the faint echoes of his own ragged breathing. "I can¡¯t believe that worked." He had barely made it. The last thing he saw before slipping through that narrow gap was the guardian¡¯s massive frame slamming into the collapsed passage, unable to follow him. It had glitched, its glowing eyes flickering before its body powered down, frozen in place. It was still back there, unmoving. But for how long? He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his fingers still shaking. "Alright. Let¡¯s assess." Good news: He wasn¡¯t dead. Bad news: He was still trapped in ancient ruins, which was not a win. Worse news: He had no food, no water, no idea what he was doing, and zero understanding of how to survive in this world. Best news? ¡­Yeah, no. There was no best news. He groaned, running a hand through his dust-covered hair. "At this rate, my cause of death won¡¯t even be monsters. It¡¯ll be ''tripped over a rock and starved in a dungeon like an idiot.'' Legendary." The passage he had stumbled into stretched deeper into the ruins, its walls lined with faintly glowing carvings, whispering of a forgotten past. "Well, no point in sitting here. Time to find a way out."
The ruins stretched ahead like a forgotten tomb¡ªtowering stone pillars, long abandoned, loomed over him like silent watchers. The walls were cracked, their surfaces covered in faintly glowing symbols, pulsating like dying embers. Something about this place felt¡­ wrong. "It¡¯s like walking through a history lesson no one was supposed to remember." He stepped carefully, his footsteps echoing through the empty chamber. Every sound¡ªthe faint dripping of water, the whisper of dust shifting in the air¡ªfelt too loud. Then he saw it. A skeleton, slumped against the wall. Haruto froze. The air changed.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. It wasn¡¯t just cold¡ªit was stagnant, heavy, like the room itself was holding its breath. For the first time since entering the ruins, he felt watched. Something wasn¡¯t right. He took a hesitant step forward, and as he did, the faint light from the carvings seemed to dim slightly. Not a trick of the eye¡ªan actual shift, like something reacting to his presence. The skeleton was wearing what remained of old, rusted armor, but unlike everything else in the ruins, it wasn¡¯t covered in centuries of dust. It looked¡­ too fresh. Not new, but as if time had tried to erase it and failed. Then he noticed the fractures. Its bones weren¡¯t just old and brittle¡ªthey were cracked, snapped in unnatural ways, as if whatever killed it hadn¡¯t given it the luxury of a quick death. A sword lay beside it, untouched by time. And then, the worst part. Something was wrong with the skull. At first glance, it looked normal¡ªhollow sockets, broken jaw. But as he stared, something in his mind whispered, "Look closer." He didn''t want to. But his body moved anyway. And that¡¯s when he saw it¡ªdeep, jagged etchings carved into the bone, running along the skull like a brand. The same glowing symbols from the walls, but twisted, distorted. The moment his eyes landed on them, a sharp pain stabbed through his head. A flash¡ªa memory that wasn¡¯t his. Someone screaming. A hand clawing at the ground. The words¡ª"It¡¯s a lie." Blood. Then¡ªnothing. Haruto stumbled back, gasping. What the hell was that? He clenched his fists, shaking off the lingering sensation. "Nope. Nope nope nope. That was¡ª" His eyes landed on the message scratched into the stone beside it.
"The Hero¡¯s Prophecy is a Lie." "We were not the first. We will not be the last." "To the next ¡®False Hero¡¯¡ªrun while you still can." Haruto stared. The air felt too still. A hollow chill ran through his body. "Okay. That is absolutely the most cursed thing I¡¯ve ever read." He swallowed, glancing back at the empty eye sockets of the skeleton. It was looking directly at him. No. It felt like it was waiting for him. Like it had been left here on purpose. "I should walk away. Right now." He didn''t. He glanced at the rusted sword lying beside the remains. "Well, I don¡¯t have a weapon, and I really doubt Mr. Bones is going to complain if I borrow it." Carefully, he reached down and wrapped his fingers around the hilt. Then, everything went very, very wrong.
The moment he grabbed the sword, his foot caught on a loose stone. There was exactly one second where he realized what was about to happen. "Oh, no." Then¡ª He tripped forward. Directly into the skeleton. A loud, sickening crunch echoed through the chamber as the entire thing collapsed under him. Bones snapped, shattered, and scattered across the ground in an unholy avalanche of ancient remains. Haruto hit the floor face-first. For a moment, he didn¡¯t move. Then, very slowly, he lifted his head. The skeleton was now a very convincing pile of bones. Haruto stared. "¡­Oh my god." "Did I just¡ª" "Did I just break a person?!?!" He immediately scrambled backward, horrified. "Okay. Okay, breathe. It was already dead. You just¡­ accelerated the decomposition process. That¡¯s all." A beat of silence. Then he groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I am the worst adventurer ever."
When the skeleton collapsed, it had revealed something behind it. A door. Large, stone, marked with the same glowing symbols as the carvings on the walls. Haruto¡¯s stomach dropped. "This is either a way out, or I just unlocked a boss battle. Love those odds." With a deep breath, he pressed his hand against the door. The symbols flared to life. Inside¡­ A massive, abandoned storage room. And in the center, three things remained.
  1. An old, worn cloak draped over a chair.
  2. A simple, unadorned ring sitting on a stone pedestal.
  3. A book, left open on a nearby table.
Haruto frowned. "The hell is this?" Flipping through the book, his breath caught. It was a notebook. A journal left behind by someone just like him. A False Hero. His fingers tightened around the pages. "What¡­ is this place?"
End of Chapter 4
The Forgotten Records Chapter 5: The Forgotten Records
Haruto sat at the stone table, fingers tracing the edges of the notebook left behind by a long-forgotten False Hero. The air in the chamber was thick with dust and silence, as if time itself had abandoned this place. The faint glow of the ruins¡¯ symbols flickered along the walls, their dying light barely illuminating the desperate, frantic scrawl across the pages in his hands. He swallowed hard. "Alright. Let¡¯s see what kind of horror show we¡¯ve got here." He flipped open the first few pages. The handwriting was uneven, erratic, like the person writing had been in a rush¡ªor worse, on the edge of losing their mind. Some lines were scratched out, others faded beyond recognition. But what he could read was more than enough to send a chill through his spine.
"If you''re reading this, it means you¡¯ve made it this far. It also means you¡¯re next." "They don¡¯t make mistakes. They make sacrifices. And you¡¯re one of them." "I was summoned just like you. I thought I was special. A hero. But I wasn¡¯t. None of us were." "The prophecy isn¡¯t real. The kingdom doesn¡¯t need us. The Goddess doesn¡¯t care."
Haruto¡¯s grip on the pages tightened. "That¡¯s¡­ unsettling. Love that." He turned the next page. The ink was smeared, as if the writer had been shaking while writing.
"Every time a hero is summoned, there are always more than one. But only one can be the real ¡®Chosen Hero.¡¯ The others¡­ we¡¯re loose ends." "We aren¡¯t meant to win. We¡¯re meant to disappear." "Some of us are executed outright. Some of us are sent on ¡®missions¡¯ we were never meant to survive. Some¡­ just vanish." "I saw one of us get erased. Like he was never there. No body. No record. Just gone."
Haruto felt his stomach twist. "They just... deleted people. Like they were never supposed to exist." He exhaled, flipping ahead. The final entries were more erratic, almost unreadable.
"I can¡¯t stay here. I have to move. If I die, I die. But I won¡¯t fade away." "If you¡¯re reading this, remember: It¡¯s not about surviving. It¡¯s about proving we were ever here at all."
Haruto slowly shut the notebook. For the first time since arriving in this nightmare, he felt like he was carrying someone else¡¯s ghost with him. "So, it¡¯s not just me. There were others before me. And now they¡¯re gone."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. His eyes flicked to the other books and documents stacked in the room. "If this guy left behind a warning, maybe there¡¯s more."
Haruto pulled a dusty volume from the pile, flipping through its pages. The first few entries were official kingdom records, listing the names and abilities of summoned heroes throughout history. At first glance, they seemed normal¡ªdescriptions of legendary warriors, great mages, and noble champions. Until he noticed the pattern. Each summoning event had multiple heroes listed. But only one was ever recognized. He skimmed through a few examples: Name: Kalen Everhart Summoning Date: Year 876, 4th Moon Abilities:
Then, further down the same page:
Name: [Redacted] Summoning Date: Year 876, 4th Moon Abilities:
Then, another¡ª
Name: [Text Removed] Summoning Date: Year 920, 11th Moon Abilities:
Haruto froze. "Awaiting Judgment?" That was different. The others were erased, erased, erased. But this one? They didn¡¯t delete him. Why? Haruto flipped through more pages, searching for more details, but the record ended there. "What happened to him?" His pulse quickened. If one of the False Heroes hadn¡¯t been erased outright, what did that mean? "Did he fight back? Did he escape? Or¡ª"
Needing to clear his head, Haruto turned his attention to the cloak and ring he had found. He slipped the worn Cloak over his shoulders. At first, it seemed like nothing special. But when he shifted slightly, the fabric blurred, subtly blending into the background. Haruto raised an eyebrow. "Huh. I¡¯m a budget chameleon now. Could be worse." Next, he inspected the ring. It was simple, unadorned, worn smooth with time. He slid it onto his finger. And waited. Nothing happened. He waved his hand dramatically. "Activate¡­ something?" Still nothing. He sighed. "Great. A fashion statement. That¡¯s useful."
A deep mechanical groan echoed through the ruins. Haruto froze. The Guardian, still wedged between two ancient stone columns where he had last seen it, had begun to stir. Its eyes flickered, its body jerking violently. The narrow passage it was stuck in began to crack, chunks of stone breaking loose as it forced itself forward. "System¡­ reboot¡­ incomplete data¡­" "Directive¡­ corrupted¡­ purge¡ª" "Object¡­ missing¡­ retrieve¡ª" Haruto¡¯s heart pounded. The Guardian heaved against the columns, its metal fingers digging into the stone, crushing everything in its path. One of the columns snapped. Another collapsed entirely. The Guardian lurched forward, unstable, but free. Haruto ran.
Haruto scanned frantically¡ªhis way back was blocked. Then he spotted it¡ªa collapsed section of the ruins leading into a narrow tunnel. The Guardian tried to free itself, but its movements were still sluggish, its joints grinding against broken stone. Sparks flew. Its voice glitched again. Haruto did not wait to see if it fully recovered. He sprinted through the tunnel, feet pounding against the stone. Ahead¡ªlight.
Haruto stumbled onto rocky terrain, gasping for air. For the first time since arriving, he saw the sky. Behind him, the ruins collapsed, sealing the passage. And ahead¡ª A settlement. Civilization. Haruto hesitated. The notebook¡¯s words haunted him. "False Heroes are erased." "Can I trust anyone?" His grip tightened around the book. "Step one: Escape the dungeon. Check. Step two: Figure out what the hell comes next. ¡­Yeah, I got nothing."
End of Chapter 5