I turned my back.
The girls avoided my eyes.
Originally published as a web novel on Shousetsuka ni Narou and later on Kakuyomu .
The Demon Lord’s castle loomed. Our party was broken. Everyone chose the hero. I turned my back
"Bold words for a dead man walking. Good luck surviving the lower floors alone, Leo. You’ll need it."
Set in the , the story begins during a "Skill Awakening Ceremony". While Ark's companions—including his stepsister Laura and childhood friends Shao and Fanon —gain legendary skills, they are quickly manipulated by the otherworldly hero, Yuuya .
"Keep your money," I said, kicking the pouch back toward him. It slid across the floor, stopping inches from his polished boots. "And keep the girls, too. I’m not fighting for trash." The Demon Lord’s castle loomed
The Guild’s bulletin board used to be my favorite sight. It represented hope, income, and the bonds of a party.
Yuya uses his status and a hidden skill—revealed to be "Enchanting Eye" or similar hypnosis-like abilities—to seduce and take all of Ark's companions for himself.
I tore a flyer off the board. It wasn't a quest. "Bold words for a dead man walking
“You chose the hero,” I said quietly. “The hero lost. I won.”
The guild went quiet. Everyone was watching.