1 – Prologue – Remaining Alone

A twenty-three-year-old young man, Gi-jun, was summoned to another world one day while idling around his room after being discharged from the military.

A moth-like bastard calling himself a tutorial fairy appeared and referred to him as a hero.

Then, he said.

“Hello, heroes! From now on, we will embark on a journey to save this world! We will help those in need, defeat monsters, and ultimately kill the Demon King to save the world! Shall we begin the tutorial, then?”

The only problem was that there were quite a lot of those heroes.

Exactly one million people, no more, no less.

No, one million and one, if including the person who talked back to the moth in the tutorial and was split in half to death.

The remaining one million heroes summoned to the other world, including Gi-jun, had no choice but to listen to that moth bastard if only to avoid being split in half and dying.

“If we save the world according to your words, will we be able to return to Earth someday?”

“Ah, of course, hero.”

At the question of a man who stepped forward bravely, prepared to have his head split open, the moth chuckled but affirmed.

“If you survive here until the end, you will definitely be able to return to Earth. For that reason as well, train, explore, and grow stronger under my guidance as the tutorial fairy!”

Since Gi-jun did not want to die, he did just that.

Fortunately, his body was sturdy as he had not been discharged from the military for long.

After forming a party with others who noticed this, he began to explore the other world, holding a single shield and facing the monsters.

Just as the moth said, in this game-like world, the more one trained and explored, the stronger they became.

Among them, those who were blessed with luck and those who had talent grew even stronger.

Gi-jun did not have luck, but fortunately, he possessed talent.

That talent led him to the final battlefield.

The battle against the Demon King took place exactly fifteen years after one million heroes entered the other world.

Whether they had died fleeing in fear or perished after fighting bravely, only a thousand heroes remained on that battlefield.

That was not a very important matter.

This was because everyone had ultimately fallen before the Demon King.

“I’m sorry, Jun-i Oppa… I, Oppa…”

The hero who faced the Demon King alongside Gi-jun until the very end died before she could even finish her final words.

She was a party member who had been with him for several years, and the strongest woman among all the heroes.

Since she had fallen, Gi-jun, who lacked offensive skills, could never kill the Demon King by himself even if he died and returned to life.

―Achievement unlocked! You became the last hero to survive until the end. You obtained the Legendary-grade title [The Last Hero]. The title’s effect will activate upon killing the Demon King.

―You obtained experience points from unlocking the achievement.

―Achievement unlocked! You became the last hero to survive until the end. You obtained the Legendary-grade title [The Last Hero]. The title’s effect will activate upon killing the Demon King.

―You obtained experience points from unlocking the achievement.

“Ha…”

A laugh escaped him at the message confirming that he was the only surviving hero, and a sigh followed because even the activation condition of the title he had earned seemed to mock him.

Activate upon killing the Demon King?

He was left alone precisely because he couldn’t do that right now!

“How foolish.”

The Demon King, who had pitch-black horns and demonic wings, sneered as she approached the solitary Gi-jun.

“Although you have a talent for striking rather than blocking, why did you walk such a wrong path? Had you chosen the right path from the beginning, you would have been able to defeat me.”

“I realized that a bit too late.”

Gi-jun responded calmly to the enemy who had killed his precious companions.

He had no chance of killing the Demon King anyway, and there was no way the Demon King would spare his life even if he begged now.

If so, his thought was to die standing tall at the very least.

No, that was actually a lie.

He did not know if his legs were shaking like an earthquake because he was exhausted from the thirty-hour battle, or because of his instinct to fall to his knees even now.

Still, he had to put on an act now.

Telling himself that he must at least preserve his pride as the last remaining human, the final tanker resolved once more and opened his mouth.

“If I were given a chance to start from the beginning, I would have been able to smash your skull myself.”

“Anyone who was in this place would think so.”

Perhaps it was because the Demon King knew a tanker could do nothing on his own.

The Demon King, who ultimately forced the trembling Gi-jun to sit down by stretching out a finger, brought her face close and smiled languidly.

“No, everyone dragged to this world would think that. If only they could start over from the beginning, they would choose a growth method suited to them, grow efficiently, and search for and claim every single hidden skill and item in this world—”

—growing strong enough to crush and kill me with a single finger.

“—or so they would say. Is that not the case?”

“I know there is no such cheap miracle.”

Suddenly, he felt empty.

Though he had said he wanted to die with dignity, he did not want to be mocked by the Demon King.

Gi-jun threw away his Rare-grade shield, which had become a crumpled and melted lump of iron, and offered his neck before the Demon King.

“Kill me now. Thanks to you, I rolled around like a dog for fifteen years before leaving.”

“But ta-da! What if such a cheap miracle actually exists?”

Ta-da?

Did you just say ta-da?

Gi-jun stared with disbelief at the Demon King, who was making a playful expression while spreading both palms wide.

“What did you say?”

“I am saying that I will send you to the past.”

Gi-jun doubted his own eyes, ears, and brain.

Was he actually already dying, and was the Demon King before him just a hallucination visible only to his fading mind?

No, realistically, there was no way the Demon King, the enemy of the heroes, would say she would send him to the past.

Yet, surprisingly, the current situation was not a hallucination.

Nor was it an auditory hallucination.

“To be honest, you heroes of Earth were far too weak.”

The Demon King, whose expression suddenly stiffened, sighed and said.

“Whether because of sharp senses, your ability to find hidden secrets in this world alone was excellent, but…”

“Probably so.”

Even Gi-jun, who lacked luck compared to other heroes, had tenaciously searched for hidden conditions of quests to obtain a few Rare-grade skills.

But how did the Demon King know that?

“Even so, your basic abilities were too lacking. Although it took you fifteen years just to reach me, everyone died in the end without being able to surpass me.”

“Yeah, good for you for being so damn strong.”

“I wonder what you will do once the main game starts if you are like this.”

Gi-jun asked back, failing to understand what those words meant.

“What?”

“Anyway.”

The Demon King glossed over her words.

“I will give you one more opportunity. However, not just to you, but to all one million heroes.”

“To all… one million heroes?”

At those shocking words, Gi-jun forgot what he had just heard earlier.

The Demon King, who smiled with satisfaction upon seeing Gi-jun’s jaw drop, continued.

“Everyone will return to the moment they were summoned to this world, carrying only their memories up to just before their death. It is called regression.”

Regression to the past.

Not just Gi-jun, but all the heroes who met their deaths in this world?

“Do not feel unfair that you are not returning alone. Not only must the opportunity be given fairly, but the longer you survived, the more you know when restarting, so there is definitely a merit.”

“Feel unfair, you say…”

“Moreover, even if your skill levels are reset, the experience and memories of growing the skills to that point will remain. Since you will grow much faster even if you walk the same path, you might eventually transcend your limits.”

It was not a matter of feeling unfair.

Gi-jun simply could not understand why the Demon King, the enemy of the heroes, was doing something beneficial to them.

Was this also a play on words to deceive him?

Or was the Demon King planning to deceive him with the promise of regression, cast a hallucination spell to watch him dream, and then kill him while saying, ‘You must have had a pleasant dream,’ upon seeing him smile?

“You do not believe me.”

“Would you believe it if you were in my shoes?”

“Actually, it does not matter whether you believe it or not. It has already been decided.”

The Demon King scoffed and reached her hand out toward Gi-jun.

When had the spell been chanted? She placed her fair hand on Gi-jun’s chest, which was frozen and unable to move.

―The unique skill [Unfailing Body Clock] resisted the enemy’s ability attempting to interfere with the body.

―Resistance failed. Most of the body became unable to move.

―The unique skill [Unfailing Body Clock] resisted the enemy’s ability attempting to interfere with the body.

―Resistance failed. Most of the body became unable to move.

Due to the only unique skill Gi-jun possessed, he had a high resistance against abilities that directly bound the body, but seeing how even that was ignored and he was held down, it seemed to be an incredibly powerful magic.

“The heroes of Earth severely failed to meet the entry standards of Leta, and consequently, they will undergo the tutorial once more.”

“Tutorial?! What is that supposed to mean!”

“How did you open your mouth just now?! Could it be a unique…!”

Gi-jun shouted in disbelief at the Demon King’s words, and the Demon King was startled by the fact that he had resisted her magic even a little.

However, quickly regaining her composure, she did not hesitate to shoot out mana, rupturing his heart.

Thud. His body, which had lost all strength, collapsed to the floor.

“Well, whatever. The tutorial Demon King who will meet you next time won’t be me anyway.”

“Cough!”

If it was a Demon King, it was a Demon King; what on earth was a tutorial Demon King?

Could the fifteen years he had spent after being dragged to the other world really have been nothing but a tutorial?

And what did she mean by saying that the next Demon King he would meet was not her?

Although Gi-jun was overflowing with questions he wanted to ask the Demon King, unfortunately, the light of his life was fading now.

The Rare skill ‘Persistent Regeneration’, which increased natural recovery rate as death drew nearer.

The Rare skill ‘Enjoying Without Tiring’, which helped one overcome mental and physical fatigue and endure all situations as long as they were smiling.

The Rare skill ‘Metallization’, which temporarily made the body or a weapon as hard as metal.

Even if they could slightly extend the time before his life ended, they would not be able to save him.

“You did well. Still, you surprise me, fitting for the last remaining hero.”

He thought the Demon King’s tone had softened a bit.

Did she believe he was already dead?

He felt the presence of someone crouching near his head—and they even gently stroked his head as he lay face down on the floor.

Could it be the Demon King? Stroking him?

He could hardly believe she was the same person who had burst his heart without even blinking an eye.

“The second round will surely be like hell as well… but if it is you, you will be able to overcome it and become strong. Then, even if you enter the main stage—Leta—there will be hope.”

“Hero, the rollback will begin very soon.”

At that moment, a voice coming from the other side made Gi-jun’s fading mind even more complicated.

An extremely familiar voice.

It was the voice of that moth bastard who had terribly tormented him and the other heroes for fifteen years!

“Hero, my foot. You did well too, Moth.”

“I am a fairy, not a moth!”

So it looked like a moth in the eyes of the Demon King as well.

But wait, why did that moth bastard call the Demon King a hero?

And why did those two sound as if they were close?

He tried desperately to hold onto his fading consciousness, but with death so near, even his hearing was disappearing now.

―Rollback of all heroes’ physical data commenced. Reverting all heroes’ physical data to the initial state, they were transmitted to ‘Tutorial Channel – 1,876’.

―As ‘Tutorial Channel – 1,875’ was scheduled for closure after the completion of the transmission, all NPCs were requested to move to a safe place.

―Rollback of all heroes’ physical data commenced. Reverting all heroes’ physical data to the initial state, they were transmitted to ‘Tutorial Channel – 1,876’.

―As ‘Tutorial Channel – 1,875’ was scheduled for closure after the completion of the transmission, all NPCs were requested to move to a safe place.

“Can I watch here until this guy ‘regresses’?”

“Did you happen to take a liking to him? His face is just average, though. His charm is also exactly 50.”

“No way. Just… because he is pitiful and admirable. A kid with this much mental strength and will is rare even among heroes from higher civilizations.”

“That is true. Besides, his talent is also excellent. If he had mastered weapon techniques instead of a shield, he would have easily transcended the limits of his species.”

“He probably knew it himself. The reason he held onto the shield and endured until the end must have been because of his other companions. He sacrificed himself all this time to save the companions who were dragging him down…”

“It was a foolish thing. They all died in the end anyway.”

“Do not belittle a noble will by calling it foolish. …It is still the tutorial. He will do better next time.”

“Whew, you care for him terribly as your junior. Anyway, I get it. We just need to delay the closure of this sector a bit, right?”

“Thanks, Tinkerbell.”

“Somehow, even that sounds like an insult…”

―The unique skill [Unfailing Body Clock] resisted the abnormal interference with the body’s time.

―Resistance succeeded. A positive correction was granted to [Unfailing Body Clock].

―Legendary achievement unlocked! The unique skill [Unfailing Body Clock] surpassed its limits and grew to the Legendary grade! From now on, not only will the body clock become more precise, but it will also be able to reliably resist all kinds of abilities interfering with the body.

―You obtained experience points from unlocking the achievement. You reached level 96! Strength increased by 1, Dexterity by 1, and Magic Power by 1.

―The unique skill [Unfailing Body Clock] resisted the abnormal interference with the body’s time.

―Resistance succeeded. A positive correction was granted to [Unfailing Body Clock].

―Legendary achievement unlocked! The unique skill [Unfailing Body Clock] surpassed its limits and grew to the Legendary grade! From now on, not only will the body clock become more precise, but it will also be able to reliably resist all kinds of abilities interfering with the body.

―You obtained experience points from unlocking the achievement. You reached level 96! Strength increased by 1, Dexterity by 1, and Magic Power by 1.

At that moment.

Vitality returned to Gi-jun’s body, which had been a dying corpse.

This was because his level rose from the experience points of two consecutive achievements, healing his injuries and recovering his health and magic power.

―One million heroes were transmitted to ‘Tutorial Channel – 1,876’.

―Rollback completed. Please completely close ‘Tutorial Channel – 1,875’.

―One million heroes were transmitted to ‘Tutorial Channel – 1,876’.

―Rollback completed. Please completely close ‘Tutorial Channel – 1,875’.

“One million people, right?”

“Yes, everyone regressed. The fairy in Channel 1,876 says they definitely received one million people as well.”

The voices of the Demon King and the fairy, which had been difficult to hear, began to ring out clearly once again.

Gi-jun blinked his eyes.

Everyone regressed?

“But I have not yet!”

“Gasp!”

“Kyaah!”

At the words shouted by Gi-jun as he jumped to his feet with his body completely recovered, the moth and the Demon King were startled at the same time.

The eyes of the two people—no, the two entities—dilated greatly, as if they had seen something unbelievable.

“W-What? How are you alive? No, why are you still here!”

The Demon King questioned him in a casual tone, as if her dignified way of speaking while fighting the heroes had all been a mere act.

Gi-jun, who was astonished to see that all the corpses of the heroes scattered across the battlefield had vanished, read all sorts of system messages that popped up in the corner of his vision at the Demon King’s words and shouted in surprise himself.

“It says I resisted!”

“To what?”

“I don’t know!”

“What is that? I don’t know either!”

“Ahhhhh!”

Beside the two people looking at each other in panic, the fairy raised its voice.

“It wasn’t one million! It was originally one million and one! I forgot about it after killing a punk-like guy at the beginning as an example!”

“Then, could it really be…”

“We regressed everyone except this hero…”

The Demon King and the fairy looked at each other with troubled expressions.

Although Gi-jun was still unable to properly grasp the situation, this much was certain.

All the heroes had regressed.

Except me.