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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: I Became a Berserker in the World I Created
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Prologue
Death had come.
To put it more precisely.
My body was on the verge of death.
'Why.'
My dreams had been restless lately.
I'd thrown myself to save a boy from getting hit by a truck, only for him to turn into a monster and devour me.
And that boy was now.
Standing right in front of me.
"Kim Do-hyun."
He looked down at me with crimson eyes.
"Don't you understand why this is happening?"
I'd lived my life without earning anyone's resentment.
Especially not from a little brat like you.
"...Why. Me."
My response was short and shaky.
If I raised my voice, it felt like I'd lose my balance and fall.
Right now.
I was dangling over a thousand-foot cliff.
"Ah, no need to answer. I'm reading your mind in real time, after all."
The boy tapped his temple with his index finger.
Regret hit me too late.
I should've noticed when I met him in real life.
When I faced the exact same situation from my dream, I shouldn't have saved him.
"You think things would've been different if you hadn't saved me?"
The boy laughed as if it amused him.
His mouth stretched beyond human limits, tearing up to his ears.
"Why... me...."
"Because I'm interested in the world you created."
"...What?"
"The world in the novel you made."
I'm a writer.
One who hit it big with a miraculous breakout after 400 free serializations.
The top star of web novels.
'Just when I thought my life was finally blooming.'
This morning, heading out for a major contract signing, my steps had been light.
Right up until that damn kid handed me the documents with an innocent smile.
"Sorry about that, Kim Do-hyun. But I couldn't reveal my true colors from the start. Because."
The boy's laughter shifted.
"That wouldn't be fun."
His inhuman grin softened into the innocent child's smile as he continued.
"You know this? The place you call 'our galaxy' has not just Earth, but hundreds of billions of other stars."
The excited kid's lips spilled words like a waterfall.
"And that's not all. The universe has hundreds of billions of other galaxies like 'ours.' Incredible, right? Hundreds of billions times hundreds of billions of stars! So many diverse worlds!"
The boy's face lit up with ecstasy.
"So then."
He whispered calmly all of a sudden.
"Couldn't the world created by your imagination actually exist somewhere in that countless array of worlds?"
What?
"Or perhaps."
The boy's face turned as cold as an inanimate object.
"Because you imagined it, it might've been created somewhere out there in the universe."
The boy tilted his head sideways.
His crimson eyes rolled dramatically, scanning everywhere.
"You noticed too, didn't you, Kim Do-hyun? That earthquake wasn't natural."
The quake that ripped through central Seoul.
It turned everything around into a wasteland.
Nothing moved.
Except for the red-eyed kid grinning with his mouth torn wide.
"No way... you...."
"Don't worry. You're not dying."
"Not... dying?"
"You'll experience a new life. In the world you created yourself."
"What does... that...."
"The creator of Bawang Hero Chronicle will become a character there."
The boy's foot stomped on my hand.
"And with a very 'special' power, at that."
An extraordinary aura emanated from the crushing pressure.
I thrashed to escape.
But my body, bound by some unknown force, couldn't even twitch.
"Don't feel too hard done by."
More weight pressed down on the boy's foot.
"This is something you brought on yourself."
"What... are... you... saying...?"
"Playing dumb now? After signing that contract just moments ago."
My eyes bulged wide.
The game adaptation contract for Bawang Hero Chronicle.
Only the game company and I knew about it.
Which means...!
"Why are you so surprised? You know everything now."
Half the boy's face twitched, revealing a familiar one.
The man with the innocent smile who'd explained the contract point by point.
"You son of a...!"
Crunch!
I reached out and grabbed the boy's ankle.
Forcing my rigid body to move sent excruciating pain surging through me.
"You...! What... are you...!"
"Hoh. Breaking free of my restraint with your bare body? Unbelievable. Has 'that power' already awakened?"
Strong interest gleamed in the boy's eyes.
"Berserk Power, huh. Just as 'He' said, you're an entertaining human, Kim Do-hyun."
"Answer... my... question...!"
In that moment, the weight left my body.
The boy's face receded.
I was.
Falling.
"You damn...!"
My stiffened tongue regained full freedom.
"What the hell are you, you bastard?!"
The abyss's darkness swallowed me.
My falling body accelerated.
The boy's cackling laughter echoed everywhere.
"We'll meet again. Hopefully by then."
And so I.
"Have fun, Kim Do-hyun."
Became a berserker in the world I created.
* * *
001. I Entered the World I Created
The sound of rain woke me.
My surroundings.
Were still dark.
'Where....'
My body felt like a lump of lead.
I couldn't even twitch a finger.
Plop. Plip. Plop-plip.
Irregular rain sounds rang in my ears.
Each sound brought pressure.
My body was getting heavier.
'No.'
It wasn't my body getting heavier.
Something heavy was pressing down on me.
More and more.
With each irregular rain sound, more and more.
'...!'
'.... .... ...?'
'.... ...!'
Voices.
I couldn't make out the words.
Focusing on my hearing sharpened my other senses instead.
I was lying in darkness.
'I'm.'
Buried alive underground.
'Urgh...!'
Realization hit, and nausea surged.
What I'd thought was rain was dirt being shoveled onto my body.
I flailed my limbs, but it was an illusion.
My body still wouldn't move, and the irregular noises continued.
'Urp...! Urgh...!'
At some point, the voices stopped.
The heart-constricting noises ceased too.
Instead, blinking red text disrupted my vision.
[ System Warning ]
[ Oxygen is running low. ]
Between the letters, something long and black took shape.
A slender worm with dozens of tentacles.
Its red eyes fixed on me.
It approached past my ankle, past my chest, to my chin.
Into my mouth.
'Gah! Gurk...!'
I wanted to spit it out, but I couldn't.
The thing slowly slid down my esophagus, probing inside me.
And then.
[ Original Author Power unlocked. ]
It settled somewhere.
[ First Power ]
[ Bravery ]
* * *
"Uwaaaaaah!"
The black figure burst from the ground, panting like a beast.
"Hah! Hah! Haaah!"
Absorbing air revived my body rapidly.
I'd nearly died.
"Gah! Kurgh...! Damn... it...!"
A notification chimed, and a message appeared.
[ Welcome to the world of Bawang Hero Chronicle. ]
"...What?"
[ Name: Attila (Male/16 years old) ]
[ Black Wolf Tribe Barbarian Warrior ]
A character window followed.
Below it, stats like strength, agility, stamina lined up.
It was just like.
"What... the hell! Is this a game?!"
No way.
"What nonsense am I thinking. It's a dream. Has to be a dream."
A chill wind blew, tousling my hair.
Only then did I realize.
My always-short, neat hair now hung to my shoulders.
"...Hold on."
The hand touching my head felt unfamiliar.
The clothes I wore were the same.
No shirt even.
I lifted the handaxe at my waist to check my face in its blade.
My mind reeled.
'...Who the hell is this.'
Not my face.
I swallowed back rising nausea and looked around.
What the.
Why did this happen to me?
'Don't you understand why this is happening?'
Thump, my heart pounded.
A familiar voice echoed in my head.
'Because I'm interested in the world you created.'
Strength filled my eyes.
I remembered.
That kid.
That damn kid sent me here.
'You'll experience a new life. In the world you created yourself.'
To this world—novel, game, or some corner of the universe, I didn't know.
"Crazy! That was real?!"
That realization triggered something.
[ Loading memories of character Attila. ]
Attila's memories flooded my mind.
"...So today's my 16th birthday, and during my coming-of-age bear hunt, I got spooked by a sudden rabbit, fled, and got one-shotted by a bear I ran into?"
...What an idiot.
I stood, sighing.
"Of all the bodies to possess, this moron...."
Above me stretched a starry sky more beautiful than any I'd seen.
'Entering the world I created.'
Straight out of a web novel.
'In novels, protagonists from other worlds live well, become heroes, gather companions, save the world.'
But I didn't want that.
I had to return to Earth, no matter what.
'I was just starting to make decent money! After all the side gigs and suffering!'
Not about getting rich and living large.
I had family to protect.
'...Is Mom okay? The quake didn't hit the hospital, did it?'
My mother, bedridden for years.
'And the cat's food....'
My only housemate, the cat.
Anxiety washed over me, but I shook it off.
Thanks to Attila's overlaid memories, I adapted to reality faster than expected.
'To get back to Earth, I need to grasp the situation first.'
I set my goal.
'Head to the village.'
* * *
Attila arrived at the village and headed straight for the chief's tent.
Peeking inside.
"Kurgh...! Attila, you unfilial bastard...!"
There was tribe chief Munjuk, tears and snot streaming as he downed his cup.
"Father. Are you crying?"
"Sniff! G-Ghoooost!"
Attila stared blankly at Munjuk, who toppled in fright, then entered the tent.
He chugged the bottle in front of him.
Then slam! It hit the table.
"Kyaah! Barbarian booze hits hard!"
Munjuk, gaping up at him, sat across hesitantly.
"Y-You're really Attila?"
"No soju? Father."
"Huh? Soju?"
Unsure what soju was but knowing it was booze, Munjuk hurriedly fetched another bottle.
'Attila drinking? He never touched a drop in his life.'
And not just that.
He'd always feared me, calling me 'Chief' instead of 'Father,' never meeting my eyes.
Munjuk's eyes widened.
- This child will become a hero who saves the world.
'The fortune teller was right!'
Backing his thoughts, Attila's body was now covered in solid muscle, unlike before.
'That's!'
The three long scars across his chest turned Munjuk's hunch into certainty.
- The reincarnated hero will bear a great mark on his chest.
Meanwhile, Attila, who'd one-shot the bottle from his father, touched his chest and thought.
At sunrise, he'd hunt that scar-making bear for revenge.
'And while I'm at it.'
He'd clean up his uncle who used the bear to kill him.
* * *
The next day, in the deep forest thick with greenery.
Ivar, scouting for the hunting party, struggled to calm his pounding heart.
'H-How the hell did he survive!'
Attila was dead.
All his brothers on the hunt had confirmed it.
'What if he figures out I did it.'
Normally, no big deal.
Attila was a coward who'd piss himself at a glare.
But.
'He's like a different person overnight.'
Above all, that mangled wound had perfectly healed. Impossible.
'Sis doesn't think Attila's weird? The brothers? It's weird! Fucking weird!'
His uncle's voice flashed in his mind.
'Interesting. But no need to panic. If he came back once, kill him twice.'
'B-But what if he revives again?'
'Kill him till he stays dead.'
Ivar shuddered, but his eyes suddenly sharpened.
A faint whistle, audible only to him, hit the back of his head.
'G-Good. Uncle's here.'
Sensing the moment, Ivar subtly widened the gap from the lead.
In that instant, a hand gripped his wrist like the wind.
"Where you off to, brother?"
Pain like his arm snapping made Ivar gasp.
'W-What strength...!'
His wide eyes locked on Attila.
No doubt.
This wasn't yesterday's Attila.
'My wrist... it'll rip off...!'
Overwhelming power sealed his words.
Only now did he notice Attila's beastly, solid muscles.
Tougher than his father, the tribe's top warrior.
But most shocking.
'Wh-When did he get this close! He's no ghost...!'
"Attila!"
His brothers rushed up, faces shocked.
"I sensed something off behind us. Looked like Brother Ivar was in danger."
Attila added, as Ivar flinched.
"Why so surprised, brother? Like you saw Uncle's face where he shouldn't be."
Ivar's eyes nearly popped out.
"U-Un-Uncle? What do you...."
Then.
"S-Sis!"
The brothers shouted, spotting something.
Ivar turned, hair standing on end.
'B-Bears! Three of them?!'
That wasn't all.
'He released the bears before I even escaped. Meaning...!'
He planned to eliminate not just the brothers here, but Ivar too.
'That bastard uncle...!'
If Ivar's head had turned even a bit, he'd have teamed up against the bears.
He wouldn't have overlooked Attila's change from coward to mighty warrior.
But terror blinded Ivar.
'R-Run!'
Cowardly, he chose to save only himself.
But trying to flee, he realized his wrist was still caught.
'Damn... it...!'
This dire moment recalled Attila's corpse from yesterday.
Ivar drew his handaxe.
With a beastly roar, he swung at Attila.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
It happened in a flash.
In the tense standoff with three bears, no one expected Ivar to attack Attila.
The brothers froze.
"Ivar!"
But Attila didn't.
He caught the rushing axe blade; then came the sound of bone and muscle crunching.
"I didn't want to kill you."
Bang!
Ivar's head flew into the sky.