A man was kneeling on the ground.
He had lost his left arm. Blood covered his entire body, and he trembled weakly. In front of him lay many corpses, while a few injured soldiers in black armor struggled to stay alive.
Behind him stood a tall figure wearing a long black cloak.
The Demon King.
The air was heavy and silent.
The kneeling man slowly raised his head. Fear was clear in his eyes, but he still forced himself to speak.
"I know… my life is precious to me," he said with a weak voice.
"But if my death can protect others… then it is worth it."
He paused and took a deep breath while looking at his remaining right hand.
"Is this the life I wanted?" he asked quietly.
"No… I only wanted to live an ordinary life—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a flash of steel appeared in the air.
Slash.
The man's head fell to the ground.
Blood spread across the stone floor.
The Demon King looked at the corpse with cold eyes.
"So this is the limit of humans," he said calmly.
Then he turned around and walked away as if nothing had happened.
Far away from that scene, on the rooftop of a building, a young man was watching everything on his phone.
"…What kind of nonsense is this?" he muttered.
He leaned against the railing and sighed.
"Why do people like stories like this?" he continued.
"The hero gives a speech and then dies. That's just stupid."
The young man shook his head.
To him, the scene looked like a badly written anime.
He turned around, preparing to leave.
But suddenly—
The world became dark.
The image in front of him faded like a screen turning off.
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then a voice echoed in the darkness.
"It was a bad choice… saying those words."
Later that evening.
The young man walked through the corridor of his college building.
He remembered something.
March 19, 2035.
Today was the final episode of Season 1 of "The Unknown World's Hero."
"My name was Rowan," he thought.
"I work as a history professor."
His life had always been normal and quiet.
But that day—
A truly bizarre turn of events took place.
As he walked past a classroom, the door suddenly opened.
A woman stepped out quietly.
Rowan didn't think much about it and didn't even look at her. Instead, he watched the sunset through the window.
He thought,
Why is she so silent—
Before he could finish his thought—
A strong push came from behind.
His eyes widened.
His body lost balance.
The ground disappeared beneath his feet.
What—
He was falling.
Wind rushed past his ears.
"Who… wants to kill me…?" the thought flashed through his mind.
Then everything went black.
When he opened his eyes again, unbearable pain filled his body.
Rowan woke to unbearable pain.
The smell of blood filled his nose.
For a moment, his mind was empty.
Then instinct took over.
He tried to scream.
"AA—"
Only a weak, broken sound came out.
His eyes widened in panic.
Why was his voice so weak?
His vision blurred as if the world had been covered in fog.
He tried to move his tongue.
Nothing happened.
A burning pain spread inside his mouth.
Slowly, his eyes moved downward.
Something was lying on the ground beside him.
A dagger,but he dednt understand why is a dagger here?
Beside it His tongue.
His body froze.
A wave of terror rushed through him.
What… happened to me?
Suddenly, strange memories flooded his mind.
Faces. Voices. Places he had never seen before.
They came in broken fragments.
Who is this…?
This isn't my memory…
Pain exploded inside his head.
Then—
Footsteps echoed in the room.
Rowan's body trembled.
Someone was coming.
A woman stepped into the dim light.
Fear filled Rowan's eyes.
He tried to beg.
"Ia… baa… vv… plsa…"
The sounds were broken and meaningless.
But his eyes desperately begged for mercy.
He was confuse,but one thing is clear his body reacted to her.
The woman looked down at him with a cold smile.
"Oh… you're still alive?" she said casually.
"This is the end of you"
Rowan's face filled with fear.
He didn't understand anything.
Why… am I being tortured…?
The woman crouched beside him.
"Don't show your face like that, I feel bad for you," she said softly.
"You're definitely going to hell."
She stood up and picked up the dagger from the ground.
"You didn't die from the first blow, interesting" she said.
"Now die."
The blade reflected the dim light of the room.
Rowan could only watch as she raised the weapon.
The dagger moved toward his chest.
And in that moment—
His eyes slowly closed when it persued his heart
His story truly began.
The moment of his death…
was the start of the end