Requiem Of A Failed Hero

“I’m twenty, just as it says here.”

Min-ho’s vibrant and solemn voice guided the hunter to the part on his ID that showed his age.

“Your rank is quite high. Why are you working for the association? You could be in any guild you want?”

“Ah, I don’t always have the time you see.”

Min-ho responded, sheepishly scratching the back of his head as the man confirmed his identity. He moved on to the front of the blue gate that was situated 30 meters away from the construction site.

‘I’m so happy, even though I received my hunter rank four months ago but this is the first time I am entering a dungeon because I have been so busy.’

The boy optimistically stares at the gate but all that bright expression soon became a charade of confusion as the gate began to reduce.

The swirling blue energy of the gate slowly reduced and they could tell.

“The gate has been cleared?!”

Min-ho yelled in horror.

Following his horror were the long legs of a certain light-skinned man with jet-black hair.

His clothes were tattered and the stain of blood had dried on them. He staggered forward seeing Min-ho and slowly fell on the boy’s shoulder as he spoke softly.

“I’m back”

All the men that were preparing to enter the gate including the agent that was checking them in all ran to meet this man.

“Who is he?”

The agent that checked Min-ho in asked.

“I have no idea, but he said he is back.”

Min-ho responded to him.

“Please if you don’t mind, the association will take care of him.”

“No, I will.”

“What?”

“It is my duty to help him.”

‘…I can’t let them take him, they aren’t nice people.’

Baek Min-ho had always had a chivalrous nature since he was a kid, it was what always led him into the arms and legs of trouble in various situations.

“Sir, you don’t even know him.”

“He knows me.”

“Huh?”

The agent removed his shades and rolled his eyes down to Min-ho in an irritated manner, then he remembers Min-ho is a rank B hunter.

He sighed and pocketed put his shades back.

“Okay then.”

He turned away.

Min-ho struggled with Raith’s weight for a few steps then stopped and looked back.

“I need help…”

… … …

The men around acted like they didn’t hear him.

“I’ll pay.”

All of them came running.

***

The antiseptic and somewhat bitter smell snuck into Raith’s nose before his eyes opened to the white ceiling and bright led lights of the hospital room.

He widened his eyes and flung up shouting.

“I’m back!”

Noting the dotting difference of the furniture of this place, the nurses whom he could see glimpses of–thanks to the transparent glass in the center of the door.

Everything looked like he was in the right place.

He sighed.

‘I was scared, I thought I had come to another realm or something.’

Gently, he laid back on the bed and continued to stare at the ceiling. After a few minutes of boredom, the door slid open.

A doctor with an entourage of other doctors entered the hospital room.

There was a distinct difference between this man and the doctors that were behind him which made it so obvious that this man was the main doctor–His face, he had a white beard with a face full of wrinkles yet he was taller and broader than the others. ｎ𝚘𝚟ｌ.ｃｏ𝚖

He read through Raith’s chat.

“Young man, you can wake up now.”

The man said.

The other doctors mumbled from behind even they, didn’t know that Raith was pretending to be asleep.

“Tch.”

Raith opened his eyes and sat up.

“I suppose my time in this luxurious hospital is over since I am a castaway noble who has nowhere to stay.”

Raith’s brief speech blankly dazed all of them.

“Well, thanks for the information but your time in this luxurious hospital is not over. And I suppose you won’t be able to provide us with your family’s information seeing that you are a castaway… noble.”

The man quoted the ‘noble’ with a space emphasis.

‘I like this man, he’s sharp.’

Raith looked around.

“Where am I though?”

“You are in Seoul National University Hospital. Can I have your name?”

“What? which country is that in?”

The man who was writing down Raith’s information paused and looked at him.

“South Korea.”

“What’s that?”

“This man… did he show any signs of amnesia.”

“No, sir. To be particular we didn’t check but there were no symptoms or need for us to check sir.”

One of the doctors behind him responded.

“Young man. What is your name?”

“Raven Raith.”

“I- what an interesting name, which country are you from.”

“Pomei Empire but I obtained residency in the free city of Cavanaugh.”

The doctor paused and turned to the other doctors.

“I think you see now the reason why to conduct mental tests?”

“Yes sir, we apologize sir.”

The twenty-something-year-old-looking male doctor ahead of the rest responded with a bow on behalf of the others.

Raith exchanged glances. It might be hard for the doctors to figure out but it was not the same for him.

His fears…

“Sir, you say this country is South?”

“South Korea?”

The doctor responded.

“What about this world? What is the name of this world?”

The doctor heaved a sigh but responded to him.

“I guess you can say Milky way galaxy or earth? But of course, a lot has changed seeing humans begin to awaken so our dear earth is now like a fantasy world. But I don’t think I need to tell you these since the reports say you singlehandedly cleared a rank C gate.”

Raith’s focus was long gone from what the man was saying.

His index finger was curved beneath his chin.

‘Fuck, I really came to another world. I’m fucked, I’m so fucked.’

slide

Another person entered the hospital room, bowing respectfully to the doctors, particularly the one in front of them. He also was wearing a green hospital scrub and as it would suggest—on his chest was the name tag “Surgeon Baek Min-ho”.

“Ah Min-ho-yya, this guy you brought in. I think there is a need to do a mental check on him. You can take care of that since you are a neurosurgeon yourself.”

“Eh?”

Min-ho was left dazed as the doctors walked outside leaving him to the stranger in front of him.