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Chapter 1
—!
A rain of fire was falling upon a world cloaked in darkness. Yet, no screams or sounds of fleeing people could be heard. Because everyone was already dead.
In this place filled with nothing but corpses, the only ones remaining were Alex himself, and—
Kwaaang! Kwang!
The Demon King and the Hero, engaged in a fierce battle over there.
However, neither the Demon King nor the Hero knew that Alex was here. Because Alex was currently a ghost.
‘Leo!’
The voice calling out to his nephew, the Hero,
‘You damn Demon King!’
And the voice cursing the Demon King—neither reached their ears.
If even his voice couldn’t be heard, there was no way physical force could work either.
Chwaaak!
Even when he threw his body forward to block the Demon King’s attack, he passed right through it, only to brush past Leo’s body.
Time and time again, it happened.
The ghost, Alex, had no choice but to helplessly follow his nephew, Leo, who was under relentless attack.
However.
‘Leo! Dodge it!’
Even if he couldn’t be heard,
‘Damn it!’
Even if he couldn’t block it.
Shaking his rich golden hair, Alex stood in front of Leo again and again.
So that Leo, left to fight alone after all the reinforcements and friends had died, wouldn’t have to fight in solitude. So that at least Leo could win and return alive.
Because by pure coincidence, even if just once, he might actually manage to block an attack from the Demon King.
However.
“Ugh!”
God did not grant Alex’s wish.
<Leo….>
No, He couldn’t grant it. Even Solenius, the Chief God, was lending his power to the Hero while resigning himself to his own destruction.
The Demon King, who sought to kill every being on the continent and make them his own, was just that powerful.
“I-I’m okay….”
Even breathing was difficult for Leo.
The brilliant golden hair that used to captivate everyone’s gaze had turned white at some point, and one of his eyes, which used to sparkle like a gem with a sky-blue hue, was closed and bleeding.
“Haa.”
Furthermore, the left prosthetic arm attached by the Magic Tower Federation was moving poorly, looking as if it were about to break down.
An era of ruin. An era where the fear and terror of death, which could strike at any moment, had to be accepted like fate.
The Hero of this era, Leo Solenius, had fought through intense battles against powerful enemies, shattering his entire body just to reach this point.
‘Let’s run away, Leo!’
Alex tried to persuade him once more, knowing it wouldn’t be heard.
‘Forget about the continent, forget about the final city—let’s just run away!’
What did any of that matter anyway? To me, my nephew is the most precious and important thing!
However, the Hero stood up again and gripped the Holy Sword. Though there wasn’t a single uninjured spot on his body, he stood up straight.
‘Damn it!’
If the nephew was going to be like that, the uncle had no choice but to help. Even if his soul dissolved into nothingness, it was fine. If it was for Leo.
Yet, as if they existed in different dimensions, Alex’s efforts bore no fruit.
Kwang! He was forced to helplessly let the Demon King’s attack pass right through him.
“This is the end, Hero.”
With those words, the pure white skull embedded in the Demon King’s chest flickered with a dark green flame.
Alex and Leo both tensed up. Whenever that skull flickered with dark green light, a particularly devastating torrent of magic would pour forth.
And just as expected, spells rained down from the sky.
Leo ran toward the Demon King, dodging as much as he could or deflecting attacks with his Holy Sword.
He was burning not only all his remaining divine power, but his very soul.
<Leo…!>
Solenius, the Chief God, also lent his strength to Leo. Even if his own existence were to fade away, he wanted to be of help to the Hero he had chosen.
Kwaaang! Gathering every ounce of power, the Hero attacked the Demon King.
‘Aaargh! Please block it! You useless body of mine!’
Even in his ghostly state, Alex flew back and forth, throwing his body into the Demon King’s attacks despite knowing he couldn’t stop them.
“Vanish! Demon King!”
Hero Leo turned into a streak of light and flew toward the Demon King. He poured everything into this single strike.
Kwang! Kwaaang! Piercing through multiple layers of defensive barriers, Leo closed the distance between him and the Demon King.
His grip tightened on the glowing Holy Sword. Holding the Holy Sword with both hands, Leo plunged it straight forward.
At that exact moment. The pure white skull embedded in the middle of the Demon King’s chest flashed brightly.
A dark green flame. The omen of the magic that everyone feared.
Yet Leo did not back down. Instead, he gritted his teeth and pushed the Holy Sword in with even greater force.
Right then. A dark green beam of light shot out from the skull like a massive arrow.
‘Leo!’
Even knowing he couldn’t block it, Alex threw himself in front of it. Just as he had done hundreds, thousands of times before.
And finally. Alex’s wish came true.
‘…!’
The dark green beam of light hit Alex’s body and came to a halt in mid-air.
‘I blocked it! I actually blocked it!’
However, the joy was short-lived.
As if mocking the rejoicing Alex, the dark green beam of light, which had paused for only a brief moment, passed right through Alex’s body as though nothing had happened.
And then, it pierced straight through the chest of Leo Solenius, who was right behind him.
“…Khak!”
It was his heart. The area where his heart had been was cleanly gouged out.
Yet, Leo Solenius felt no pain.
Just a moment ago. When the dark green beam of light had momentarily stopped, he had seen a faint figure appear before him.
A young man with deep golden hair and light green eyes.
“…Un…cle?”
Why was his uncle, who had died 12 years ago, here…?
‘Leo!!’
Somehow, he felt like he could hear his voice, too.
“Ha… haha….”
Thump—!
Falling helplessly to the ground, Leo involuntarily laughed.
‘Our Leo!’ ‘Uncle!’
His short but happy childhood came to mind. The days when he knew nothing and lived solely under the protection of his uncle, who was barely a teenager himself.
‘…I wanted to do well.’
Leo’s breath gradually faded.
‘…I’m sorry, Uncle.’
Finding his parents, whom his uncle had longed to see so much; protecting the people and his comrades; defeating the Demon King. He hadn’t been able to accomplish a single thing.
‘I… actually….’
He wanted to tell his uncle. To his uncle, who was the only guardian he had ever relied on.
‘I was scared… of everything….’
Fighting the enemies, watching his comrades get hurt, getting hurt himself, protecting the people, safeguarding the continent…
…And being betrayed.
Of course, it was a duty a Hero naturally had to fulfill, and it was something he had wanted to do himself.
However, there was also fear. A natural fear that any human was bound to possess—the kind of fear he could only confess to his uncle.
‘…I missed you, Uncle.’
Even if it was an illusion shown by the Demon King, it was fine. Even if it was just his own hallucination, it was fine.
Glad that he could see his deceased uncle one last time, Leo shed a small tear and closed his eyes.
It was the death of the last Hero of the Solenium Continent, Leo Solenius.
‘I… blocked it… I was finally able to block it…’
With trembling hands, Alex tried to gently lift Leo’s cold, lifeless body.
However, a ghost could not touch a human body. Seeing his hands pass right through, Alex slammed his fists against the ground.
‘You should have run away!’
Alex shouted in a trembling voice.
‘What does being a Hero matter! What do the people matter! What does the continent matter! At least YOU… should have survived…!’
Alex gently caressed Leo’s body, which was covered in wounds and had a gaping hole where his heart used to be.
‘You dummy….’
Why did it have to be Leo? There were so many skilled knights, wealthy nobles, and priests overflowing with divine power—so why was Leo, a mere commoner and an orphan, chosen as the Hero?
He could understand why. Leo was a good child. He was the kind of boy who naturally drew people’s eyes and won their favor just by being there.
On top of that, he was talented; Leo was a genius who would learn ten things from a single lesson. He worked insanely hard, too. Even Alex himself felt that he could trust such a boy with the world.
‘Still, this isn’t right….’
If so, they should have let him win! They should have let him triumph!
‘They should have let him survive and live happily for a long, long time! You damn Chief God!!’
He knew that the Chief God had also done his absolute best to help Leo, but he couldn’t help feeling resentful.
Because Leo was only 18 years old. Compared to himself, who had died at 20, Leo was still at such a young age.
‘Damn it!’
After shouting at the top of his lungs, Alex collapsed to his knees.
It was already over. At the end of his sorrow and anger, a wave of emptiness washed over him.
‘…But why am I not fading away?’
If there was a world for the dead, he wanted to meet Leo there.
He wanted to tell him how hard it must have been, how well he had done, and also curse to his heart’s content about the bastards who betrayed him and that damn Chief God.
‘You didn’t even know I was always following you around, did you?’
From when Leo was 6 years old until he turned 18 now. For 12 years, his uncle was always right by his side—that’s what he wanted to tell him.
‘I wonder if my sister and brother-in-law are there too?’
Leo’s mother and father, who had left on a mercenary request when Leo was a baby and never returned, must have already passed away.
‘Then it’ll be a long-awaited family reunion. I better hurry up and go too.’
Alex stroked Leo’s face, which looked as if he had merely fallen asleep. Of course, his hand didn’t actually touch him.
‘He’s still so young.’
Looking at the youthful face of Leo, who had barely become an adult, Alex whispered softly.
‘You did great, Leo. As expected, my nephew is the best.’
If Leo had heard that, wouldn’t he have smiled brightly?
‘Get some good rest.’
Stop worrying, stop suffering now.
‘Good night, my Leo.’
Alex wished for him to rest comfortably, making up for all the rest he couldn’t get until now.
‘I wanted to make you happy….’
Right then.
[Got…!]
A voice could be heard.
[Return… catch!]
A man’s voice.
‘What? What did you say?’
In a place where even the Demon King had departed and he was left all alone, a voice suddenly rang out. Alex turned around in shock.
In an instant. Everything went dark before his eyes.
“…?!!”
Feeling a sensation as if his back were on fire, Alex snapped his eyes open.
“…!!”
It hurt so much that he couldn’t even let out a scream.
Having lived as a ghost with no physical presence for 12 years, he had no immunity to this kind of pain.
He had already died once, yet it felt like he was dying all over again.
His vision was blurry. Grass, the dirt ground, and bright red blood pooling all over it.
‘…I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before….’
Perhaps his experience following the Hero’s party (though the party didn’t know it) hadn’t been in vain; even amid the agonizing pain, Alex managed to hold onto his consciousness.
If nothing else, ghost Alex had rigorously trained his mental fortitude.
‘So….’
Grrrk!
Hearing the growl of a wolf coming from behind him, Alex opened his light green eyes wide.
He remembered! This was when he had been attacked by a wolf and died.
He wondered if this was a flashback before death, but considering the vivid pain coming from his back, it felt entirely real.
‘If so!’
He had returned to the past! He could meet the young, living Leo again!
‘But why did it have to be RIGHT NOW?!’
If you’re going to send me back to the past, send me back to a different time! What kind of idiot sends someone back right before they die?!
Even while gritting his teeth, Alex racked his brain to survive.
However, there was nothing he could do.
The wound on his back was too deep, and he could barely breathe. Forget about a weapon to deal with the wolf prowling around him—he didn’t even have any medicine to treat himself.
‘Damn it…!’
Was he going to die like this again? Was he going to end up as a useless uncle to Leo once more?
Right then. A voice echoed in his mind like a brand etched into his soul.
[Return… catch!]
‘Return? Catch?’
Catch a stone? (Note: ‘Return’ sounds like ‘Dol’ in Korean, which also means ‘Stone’.)
In front of the fallen Alex, on the ground, lay stones of various sizes. But somehow, he felt those weren’t it.
That was when something caught Alex’s blurry vision.
A glass bead. A little distance away lay a round glass bead. Uniquely, it contained a green, gas-like substance inside.
Alex intuitively felt that he had to grab that object.
So, with a body that barely moved, he painfully crawled forward and reached out his hand toward the glass bead.
‘…I touched it!’
Fwhoooosh—!
At that exact moment, an explosive flame erupted from the glass bead.
‘…?!’
Before he had time to react, the green flame brushed past Alex and directly engulfed the wolf that was about to attack him, burning it to ashes.
On top of that, the warm, lethal amount of blood Alex had spilled seemed to act as fuel, bursting into green flames as well.
In the blink of an eye. Both the wolf and the blood had completely vanished.
Watching with wide eyes, Alex realized that the green flame was now approaching him.
‘…!’
Fearing that the green flame would reduce him to ashes just like the wolf, Alex hurriedly tried to move his body to dodge it. Of course, he failed.
As the green flames inevitably engulfed his entire body, Alex squeezed his eyes shut and braced for the pain.
However, there was no pain. Instead, the wounds on Alex’s body began to heal at a rapid speed.
“…Hah!”
As the pain gradually subsided, Alex’s breath, which had felt on the verge of stopping, slowly returned to normal.
“…What on earth is….”
Just as Alex was completely bewildered by the sudden turn of events—
[Oh! Hello there!] [My human friend from another world!]
