"Should I quit?"
Once again today, I find myself entertaining that thought.
That phrase is one I've repeated nearly a thousand times during the half year I've been with this party.
Saying it dozens of times a day, it must add up to about a thousand by now.
Quitting seemed like a pretty good idea.
At least then I wouldn't have to do this kind of shitty work anymore.
Slice, slice.
Inside a rest area of the dungeon.
I was busy dissecting monster corpses.
Naturally, monster corpses are quite valuable.
The bodies of creatures that can block steel blades with their bare flesh are premium materials in themselves.
From weapons and furniture to high-end food ingredients and cosmetic materials—
Monster corpses, when handled properly, are basically lumps of money.
Money was important even for the Hero's party, which is why I was diligently working on dissection.
That way, we could carry everything more easily.
Of course, the physiological disgust that came with dissecting monsters was entirely my burden to bear.
"...Damn it, this thing won't cut properly."
Monster corpses contained many impurities.
From various bodily fluids to eyeballs, organs, and the feces accumulated in their intestines.
Most of these things were useless and simply revolting.
I wished I could share this work with my party members... but that probably wouldn't happen.
Dissection requires some expertise, and besides, I needed to do this kind of work to avoid getting on their bad side even more.
Just then, a woman's voice came from behind me.
"Hero, are you not finished yet?"
It was the knight who handled our front line.
I could see her dark blue hair sticking to her cheeks with sweat, and her cold, stern expression.
While I was working hard in this scorching heat, seeing her resting and asking in such an authoritative manner was incredibly annoying... but I didn't show it.
Instead, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and answered appropriately.
"There's still a bit left. The Poison Frog tendons are tougher than I expected."
"Tsk... useless fellow. At this rate, will you even finish before sunset?"
Then why don't you help me, you bitch?
The words rose automatically, but I swallowed them back.
Getting angry would only sour our relationship further, and I knew well by now that it wouldn't improve the situation anyway.
"Haha..."
So I just awkwardly laughed it off.
I needed to finish the dissection quickly.
The slime from these creatures contained mild toxins, and my hands were already going numb.
But I was almost done, just a little more...
That's when it happened.
Splat!
A pile of frog corpses dropped from above.
The floor that had just started to become visible was once again covered with a mountain of bodies.
The work that was nearly finished had been reset.
I could see the corpses all jumbled together, completely unorganized.
Bones, flesh, and fluids tangled in a mess—the sight itself triggered a physiological revulsion.
Even separating them would be a task.
"..."
Hiding the indignation inside me, I looked up for a moment.
I saw a Dark Elf with dark skin.
She was our mid-ranged fighter and scout, the rogue of our team.
I could briefly sense contempt and disgust in her golden eyes.
Yes, the same as always.
I wasn't sure if that disgust was directed at the pile of corpses or at me.
Probably both.
"..."
She glared at me for a moment before leaving.
All that remained were the replenished Poison Frog corpses and my body covered in blood.
Seeing this, I let out a small sigh.
"Haah..."
Maybe I really should quit.
+
"—Phew, finally done."
I finished the work when early evening had already set in.
We had finished the battle around sunset, which means I spent nearly 2-3 hours just on dissection.
As a result, my body was now covered in Poison Frog blood and slime.
I could feel stickiness, discomfort, and stinging all over my body.
I gave a bitter smile.
"Even cleaning this will be a chore."
It's too far to go to the nearby stream... I should ask the Saintess to use "Purification" on me.
There's also the "Clean" spell that mages use, but Purification would be better to remove the toxins accumulated in my body.
Honestly, I doubt she'll agree, but I should at least ask.
So I started looking for where the Saintess might be.
I had just seen the elf and the knight enter the tent... since the Saintess hadn't gone in, she was probably outside.
While searching around, I ran into the mage who was meditating.
"Ugh, disgusting... Hey, couldn't you clean yourself up before walking around?"
"..."
I immediately got an earful and moved away.
But at least I ran into her.
"That's why I'm going to clean up, damn it..."
I muttered as I continued walking around.
Fortunately, I found the Saintess not long after.
I saw her praying to her god, as if pleading for something.
Her golden hair rippled like waves, and her gentle face looked as if it had been molded after benevolence itself.
"Oh God... why did you make such an evil person the Hero..."
Despite the curses directed at me coming from her mouth, she still looked kind.
And in reality, she was kind—to everyone except me.
I watched her for a moment before making my presence known.
"Ahem, um, Saintess?"
"Oh? Yes? What is it?"
"I'm quite dirty right now... could you please cast a blessing on me?"
I showed her my hands as I made my request.
"...Hmm."
Fortunately, she didn't frown at my slime-covered appearance.
Her face wore the same smile as always.
At least the Saintess I knew wasn't someone who openly displayed her emotions.
Instead, she just had a somewhat gloomy side.
Eventually, she smiled regretfully and spoke.
"Oh my, what should I do? I'd like to help, but unfortunately, my holy power is depleted right now."
Of course... she was lying.
Although the fight with the Poison Frogs was annoying, it wasn't that intense.
There was no way her vast holy power, as deep as the ocean, could be depleted.
She could easily use Purification, which wasn't even a high-level blessing.
The reason she was lying was clearly just to mess with me.
We both knew this fact, and we both knew that the other knew it too.
"Well, I guess there's nothing to be done then."
I decided to back down.
I wasn't expecting anything anyway, so I wasn't disappointed.
"Yes, well then."
Afterward, she left with a benevolent smile. It was obvious to anyone that she was trying to get away.
Watching her go, I let out a bitter sigh. While I wasn't disappointed, I couldn't hide my bitterness.
This had been my life for the past half year.
Being constantly mistreated and forced to handle various menial tasks.
This was my situation despite bearing the title of Hero, supposedly bestowed by God.
I couldn't help but sigh.
"Haah..."
How did it come to this?
Surprisingly, they weren't originally like this.
Rather, they were once the most dedicated and brave individuals. I could say this with certainty, having watched them hundreds of times on my monitor.
And that probably hasn't changed even now.
They only show this attitude toward me.
That's why I sigh even more.
"Huu..."
How did they become like that?
...No, even as I say this, I already know the cause.
The problem isn't with them, but likely with my body itself.
They changed because of the choices I made.
So what choices did I make that caused them to act so coldly?
What did I do to make them treat me this way?
To understand that, I need to go back to what happened half a year ago.
I started pondering internally.
Let's see... where should I begin?
How should I start my explanation so that my story comes across vividly...?
...Well, I think it's best to start with this first sentence:
When I first arrived, my level was 1.
*
Thud!
"Ugh!"
After pressing the "YES" button, I was greeted by a very hard floor.
I must have landed head-first because a dull pain struck my skull.
"Urgh...! What the hell."
I was quite confused at that moment.
In contrast to the burning pain in my skull, my mind was frantically throwing questions.
What's going on? I was just playing games in my room until a moment ago.
I had just started my 1000th try and was excitedly discovering a new route.
Suddenly, I found myself on the ground.
Thinking I might have fallen from my chair due to a sudden flash of light, I looked around.
And I couldn't help but be surprised.
"Huh?"
What entered my vision wasn't my dark basement room, but some shabby tavern.
I could see walls covered with old wooden planks. An orange lamp hanging from the ceiling.
The bitter smell of alcohol spreading everywhere.
And beneath it all, people looking at me with sneers on their faces.
"Hehe, look at that guy. He can't even control his own body."
"How much did he drink to end up like that? Tsk, young people these days."
Suddenly feeling extremely embarrassed, I quickly got up and sat at the table.
To them, I must have looked like someone who drank too much and collapsed on the floor.
I could see snacks densely packed on the table and large beer mugs.
At that moment, I felt a strange sense of dissonance.
It was unfamiliar yet somehow familiar.
This was similar to the atmosphere of the tavern in the game I was playing, "Demon King and Hero Party."
The tavern they always visited to unwind after completing expeditions.
The atmosphere of that tavern was very similar to this place.
Not just that, but the people's attire and the vividness I felt on my skin...
'Could this be inside the game?'
Thanks to that, I was able to easily reach this conclusion.
It was a far-fetched idea, but nothing else could explain the current situation.
That's when:
"Don't be too hard on him. Seeing how much he's drinking, he might have had something bad happen. Maybe he lost family to the Demon King's army."
"...Tsk, that could be it. The Demon King's army is too powerful these days."
Near my table, I heard two middle-aged men talking.
They were gulping down beer while discussing gloomy topics.
'Demon King's army.'
Hearing that term, I became more confident in my assumption. It was a familiar term.
Like many games, "Demon King and Hero Party" begins with the rise of the Demon King's army.
The world becomes chaotic, and a Hero is chosen to gather party members—that was the prologue of this game.
And I had just pressed the button for my 1000th try before landing here.
So I must be the chosen Hero.
Despite the confusing situation, my mind continued its deduction smoothly.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged men's conversation continued.
"Don't worry. They're searching for a Hero now. Enen said that an oracle came down saying a new Hero might appear soon."
As I thought, they haven't chosen a Hero yet.
Good. Now I just need to gather the scattered party members from various countries—
"Ah, I heard about that too. They've already organized all the party members, right?"
...Huh?
'Wait, what?'
The Hero's party is already completely assembled?
"Yes. Apparently, the Demon King's army is causing too much trouble, so the Empire is planning to hold a departure ceremony soon."
And they're already preparing for a departure ceremony?
'What nonsense is this?'
I frowned upon hearing that.
Normally, the Hero is selected first, then party members are gathered.
Then they slowly level up, and only after all four members are gathered do they prepare for a departure ceremony.
But... the party members are already all gathered, and they're just waiting for the Hero to be chosen?
Although this game is a roguelike, with the story changing slightly with each playthrough,
I had never experienced something like this.
The very beginning was completely different.
At that moment, a blue window appeared before my eyes.
[Quest!]
+
QUEST: The heroines' departure to the Demon Realm is imminent.
The Empire will bless the future of the Hero's party, and the Hero's party will begin a perilous journey to subjugate the Four Heavenly Kings.
We hope that you too will build up your strength by then to participate in this journey.
QUEST condition: Reach Lv70 before the Hero's party departs.
(Current Lv: 1)
Clear reward: Acquire the title of 'Hero'!
Warning!
If you fail to clear this, the heroines will depart without a Hero!
+
'This is insane.'
I cursed internally.
A Hero's party without a Hero? What kind of madness is that?
Meanwhile, the middle-aged men's chat continued.
"I see. So when is the departure ceremony?"
"Not long from now. In two weeks."
"..."
I was speechless.
When I first arrived, my level was 1.
And I had to reach level 70 within two weeks.
+
Warning!
If you fail to clear this, the heroines will depart without a Hero!
+
The quest window lingered before my confused eyes for a while.