Chapter 420 - His Story

# I am Da-in. Just an ordinary college student like any other.

And I was facing the biggest crisis of my life in over 20 years.

"Wait a minute, so..."

A space of pure white all around.

There, I stood with my hand on my head in front of a mysterious blonde woman wearing a white cloth garment that looked like something from ancient Greece.

"...to summarize. I'm now in the world of the comic 'Stardust!' that I was reading, and you want me to save the world?"

"Yes. That's the gist of it."

"Ha... really."

...At her warm voice telling me this, I could only sigh in disbelief.

Just yesterday, I had been living my normal life, gone to sleep in my studio apartment.

...And when I woke up, I was inexplicably lying in this strange space.

And what this beautiful woman who approached me said was exactly this.

This world is the world inside the hero comic [Stardust!] that I had been reading. And this woman is the Star God.

...More precisely.

'I scattered stories about this world in various formats across different worlds to find someone who could save this world.'

Apparently, the comic I had been reading was actually real, and it was simply content created by the Star God to find a savior from another world. She said she spread it across various worlds packaged as comics, movies, animations, novels, and so on.

And.

The most suitable savior she found from another world that way.

"...Why would that be me?"

It's supposedly me.

...It was truly unbelievable. Me? I was just an ordinary college student you could find anywhere. I was just living a simple, ordinary life. Why on earth would it be me? There must be plenty of comic experts better than me.

Moreover, the way I even came across this comic was because a junior who liked comics recommended it to me. And I read it because the female protagonist was pretty—the most ordinary reason possible. ...Though that junior stopped reading it because the story became too depressing. But I read it to the end.

Anyway, that's not the issue.

"...Look. No matter how I think about it, it's not me. And I don't want to do it."

I refused right away.

Reincarnation in another world—my junior seemed to like that kind of thing, but... I didn't. No, I haven't even fully enjoyed this world yet, so what's this about another world? What about my parents and friends? Even that junior stopped bringing it up after joining our club and getting to know me.

...And if I wouldn't want to go even to a peaceful world.

What about the world of [Stardust!]? Isn't it a crazy world where villains run wild every day killing people, and in the end, everyone dies except the protagonist? How would I, who was just an ordinary person, survive there?

To my words.

The Star God shook her head with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry. I cannot send you back to your original world."

"...What did you say?"

"More precisely, there's no way to send you back. One-way travel is possible... but there's no method to return you to your original world."

And hearing those words, my expression completely froze.

...What? I can't go back?

"So... you kidnap a person, throw them into this crazy world, and then tell me to save it on my own? Without any power?"

"I will give you powers. Teleportation and psychokinesis. Two abilities."

...Of course, there would be some risks.

With those trailing words, the self-proclaimed Star God's explanation was outrageous.

Even teleportation and psychokinesis would be difficult abilities to survive with considering the broken power balance in the later parts, and moreover, using those abilities would shorten my lifespan.

To summarize.

Kidnapping someone who was living well to a doomed world without any consent. No way to ever return, and giving knowledge of the future and abilities that consume lifespan. Then telling me to go save this world heading toward destruction on my own?

After hearing all that, I finally couldn't hold back and exploded.

"...No, are you joking? What is this supposed to be?"

"I'm sorry. But this was the only way."

To me, who was speaking with a hardened face consumed by anger, she explained with an apologetic expression.

"...Actually, cough. As you read in that story, this world was once destroyed that way. But I, the Star God, used all my power to turn back the world's time once. And knowing that this world's power alone couldn't stop Helios, the God of Existence... I had no choice but to create an external variable from another world."

"This is the last chance. ...Because of that, I don't have the strength left to give you better abilities... but still, please."

"No. If that's the case, you should find someone else who doesn't refuse, not kidnap someone who was living well...!"

"...cough. I'm sorry, but there's not much time left. Please, remember what I've told you... and save this world. My child..."

"Why am I your child... Wait, hey!!! Are you crazy..."

With that, as the Star God finished speaking. As my vision began to blur.

I was forcibly ejected into this world.

Having lost everything I had built up until now, with no identity. Into a comic book world.

That was my beginning in this damned world.

...

And so.

After Egostic left.

The Star God, who had been silently watching the place he left, soon sat down and began to cough.

"cough, cough. Ugh......"

Then, black blood falling from her mouth.

Wiping it away, the Star God murmured.

"...Yes. Still, our Da-in will do well."

Actually, he doesn't know this, but.

In what the Star God just said, there was a lie.

She said the original story actually happened and that this was the second world after she turned back time.

...In fact, this was the third world.

Because Da-in had already failed once.

'....Bro....brother!... Wake...up...! Quickly... sister... try...'

'...I can't... I can't... nothing... with my... power....'

'cough... I'm... sorry....'

'...please.... third... time.... surely.... even without me... please...'

Where did it go wrong?

He did his best, but ultimately failed.

That's why she, staking her own existence, turned back time once more.

To save this world, this time without fail.

'...Although.'

Unlike the previous iteration, her power was also lacking.

The abilities she could give were much weaker than in the previous timeline and came with risks.

...Moreover, it was already difficult to maintain her manifestation enough to talk with him. She couldn't even tell him more.

This was her best effort.

In fact, she knew.

How selfish her actions toward Da-in were, and how wrong it was to him.

...And according to what she learned from the previous iteration.

She knew that his sacrifice, carrying her power, was essential to save this world. All the more so.

Perhaps that's why.

She didn't tell him that one thing.

'Senior, sob, no... Senior, are you okay?'

'Ah... no. Why!!! Wake up, senior. Senior. Senior...!!!'

"......"

The fact that he was already dead in his original world.

...She had intentionally erased that memory... In fact, she had essentially given another life to someone who was already dead. She didn't bother to tell him that.

Because according to the previous iteration.

...It was better for him to resent her thinking he was kidnapped while living normally, than to despair and blame himself for his death.

Of course, his depression wouldn't heal easily for a while.

Still, he was Da-in.

Even though he talks like that now, ultimately he has a kind nature... a child.

The hero suitable for this world that she, the Star God, had found after exploring countless worlds over innumerable years.

Although he had serious romantic issues... serious enough to even charm her daughter.

In the end, the only talent who could charm people, persuade everyone, and unite the world was him.

...Especially since he was already dead, it was easy to bring him to this world. She wasn't sure if there was an administrator in that world, but she could take his soul without negotiation.

'Yes... although, despite that, he failed last time.'

Clearly different from the first timeline, Helios had awakened.

Realizing that the only power that could stand against such a Helios was her power from the abyss.

She sacrificed her existence to give him power, and with the aftermath of the large-scale time reversal, she had now essentially lost all her power and was left with only a thought-form body.

To turn back time and make everyone, including the Sun God, forget their memories, she had no choice but to start everything from the beginning.

'...Da-in.'

Please, save this world.

With that thought, she closed her eyes.

To maintain her thought-form at least until her daughter came to find her again.

***

Two years have passed since I fell into this damned world.

"Ah... fuck. Life, hiccup. Is shit..."

In broad daylight, in an alley.

I was there with a bottle of soju, staggering through a secluded alley with a reddened face.

It's been 2 years since the crazy god kidnapped me and threw me into this world.

Homesickness for my hometown, longing for my parents, missing friends... More precisely, because of the crazy god who threw me into early 21st century Korea with superpowers without even an ID. I really suffered. I even slept under bridges because I had nowhere to go.

...After struggling like that, I managed to use my knowledge of the original story to get a fake identity and even earn money.

But once I did, severe depression overtook me, and I didn't want to do anything.

Fuck. What am I supposed to do with teleportation that makes me vomit blood when I move and psychokinesis that twists my insides when I use it?

With the Han Group, the Moonlight Church, the Great Prison Break, the Sun God's attack coming up... how am I supposed to stop all that? Me, who was just attending university classes before.

I'm just living waiting for the day I'll die.

So I was essentially living because I couldn't die.

No particular motivation. Why should I save this damned world? I didn't particularly want to see the original characters either. They're all fucked up.

Sigh, life...

I was thinking such thoughts while staggering along when it happened.

KWAAAAAAANG

Suddenly, the alley wall beside me exploded.

My body was thrown back.

"Kuh..."

From the impact, I crashed into another wall and collapsed.

The shattered bottle. Blood flowing from where my head was hit as I was thrown. Dizzy blood. Arms and legs that were definitely broken in at least a few places.

As I was groaning there.

I heard a swishing sound in front of me.

"Kerrrrrrrrrrrr..."

When I opened my eyes to that strange sound, what I saw was a reptilian human with green skin.

...It was Reptile, an A-class villain. Haha, I recognize him right away from reading the original so much. A madman who primarily feeds on humans.

After looking around and flicking his tongue, he smiled when he saw me collapsed, then quickly ran toward me.

Seeing him, I unconsciously closed my eyes, smiled wryly, and lowered my head.

'...Right. Fuck, what saving the world.'

I guess my fate is to die at the hands of some extra villain on the street without even seeing the world's end.

I'm not disappointed. It's just funny.

Yeah. Let's just die now. What's the point of living longer?

As I closed my eyes and gave up without even trying to teleport, that's when it happened.

KUUUUUUUNG

"GWAAAK!!!!"

Suddenly another loud noise was heard, and then the monster's scream reached my ears.

...What's going on?

With that thought, when I raised my head.

There stood a beautiful woman in a suit with blonde hair fluttering.

...That woman I knew better than anyone.

Until just before falling into this world, she was my favorite fictional character.

The hero and protagonist of this world.

Stardust was standing before my eyes.

"...."

Through the blood flowing over my eyes, I faintly watched her.

...Ah, right. Around this time, she would have debuted as a rookie hero.

She was probably an A-class hero at this point.

As I was blankly thinking that.

...Stardust, who had been standing with a very tense expression, was about to go after Reptile who had been hit by her attack and was now fleeing.

"Wait. ...Ah!!"

That was until she saw me collapsed against the wall.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She rushed over to me as I lay collapsed and bleeding.

Perhaps because she was still a rookie hero, unlike her experienced and always tired appearance in the original work. She looked clumsy... and more innocent.

I shook my head and opened my mouth to speak.

"...I can't move, but I'm fine. More importantly, shouldn't you be chasing that villain first?"

"What? Oh, no. People come first. If you can't move, I can carry you. I'll take you to the nearest hospital..."

...Surely, I must be a stranger to her.

Seeing her genuine concern for me and her desire to help somehow.

I found myself thinking.

...Ah. That's right.

That's why I liked her.

I liked her because she was infinitely altruistic in a way I couldn't see in the real world.

..While having such thoughts.

I soon came to my senses and shook my head once more.

"No. I'm not that badly hurt. More importantly, I'll call the association... please catch that villain first. If he's left alone, there will only be more casualties. I'm really fine."

"Umm... then okay, I understand. If anything happens, please shout loudly!"

"...Haha. Yes, I will."

"Okay. Then I'll go first...!"

With those words, she flew away, glancing back at me.

I unconsciously smiled and lowered my head again.

...And only then did I realize.

This was the first smile I had made since falling into this world.

".....Haha."

Yes. In this world, Stardust is real.

As I was blankly thinking that, I found myself thinking.

...If this is reality, and the story I saw in the original work is the future that will all come true.

That means that pure and kind-looking Stardust will continue to suffer.

I don't particularly want to see that.

"...Ha."

Right.

Maybe life only comes once.

I was already thinking of dying anyway.

'...Not for that damn Star God.'

For that infinitely kind woman.

It might not be bad to try running once.

For her who was once my favorite character. For a world where good people can be happy.

...It wouldn't be bad to live this life for Stardust.

That's what I thought.

That was.

The first goal I had in this world.