Chapter 1 - A Presence Even a Goddess Forgets
It was during elementary school that I first realized I was different from others.
It was my first-ever school trip.
We had stopped at a rest area far from home, and all I did was go to the bathroom, but the bus left without me.
"Huh? I'm not on board yet..."
I was stranded at that rest area for over six hours.
It meant that they didn't even realize I was missing until much, much later.
Fortunately, since the place I was stranded at was a rest area, there was plenty of food and a place to rest, and since I was on a school trip, my pockets were full of allowance money.
If things had gone slightly wrong, I would have made the news for the first-ever death of an elementary school student on a trip.
You might think, 'Still, shouldn't they have kept better track of an elementary schooler?' but that was merely the prelude to the things that would happen to me.
If I was picking out items in a convenience store, the part-timer would lock the door and go to the bathroom without a second thought.
When there were school-wide announcements, I was always left off the contact list and had to find out on my own.
At this point, you can't help but figure it out, even if you don't want to.
'Ah, I have a freaking non-existent presence.'
There are plenty of people with a weak presence, but my case was special.
Even if I skipped class by taking a nap during P.E., no one would check on me, and not even a teacher would point it out and punish me.
There were times when my young heart found that incredibly difficult.
There were days I soaked my pillow with tears, and days I did anything and everything just to get noticed.
So, did I grow up to be some twisted person?
Not a chance!
As an adult, I learned to accept my differences and became someone who could even utilize them.
A very fine adult.
I never had to wait in line, no matter where I went.
I just had to naturally slip into an existing line. No one ever found it strange or called me out on it.
That was just the tip of the iceberg.
Life became even more comfortable once I entered university.
As long as I checked in for attendance, nobody noticed whether I was actually listening to the lecture or not.
It was even the same for group projects.
No one cared whether I contributed to the assignment or not.
It was the same for MTs (Membership Training trips), orientation, or department events that I didn't want to attend.
At this point, I felt like I had obtained a free pass to the world.
That is, until I fell into this place.
"Welcome, everyone."
A winged being, who seemed to have appeared from nowhere, spoke.
It definitely had a human-like form, but it was hard to think of it as a person.
Its wings, which shimmered with a faint glow as if it had received some kind of special effects makeup, looked completely real.
If I could just get those wings and sell them, I wouldn't have to worry about tuition…
"You have all been chosen as the heroes of a new world."
Hmm, its appearance wasn't the only thing that was well-made.
The winged human's voice echoed in surround sound, creating an unnecessary sense of grandeur.
It meant they'd spent a good bit of money not just on the costume, but on the effects as well.
But the words it was saying were utter trash.
A hero?
What kind of hero?
I was just a simple citizen who was more worried about getting a scholarship for my grades or paying my monthly rent.
No, before that, there are no heroes in the Republic of Korea.
I would do anything to get out of military service.
"Oh, my. I understand it's hard to believe. Shall we jog your memories a little?"
When the winged woman gestured, a video appeared in mid-air.
The video showed the lecture hall where my classmates and I were gathered.
Seeing that hall, a forgotten memory suddenly surfaced.
I had been gathered in the lecture hall for my major to take a midterm exam.
No matter how much of a free pass I had for classes, that was limited to the lectures themselves.
When it came to things that left a result, like grades, even someone with a presence as weak as mine would be noticed.
But I—we—never got to take that midterm.
A truck that had suddenly charged into the lecture hall.
There was no need to recall the memory after that.
There was only the sound of crushing flesh and bone.
The collapsing pillars of the building and dust filling my vision.
Am I dead?
"I know this is hard to accept, but this is all real. You have all died in your original world. It is only right that your souls should scatter and return to nature, but I have held onto them like this."
The words were completely incomprehensible.
Who the hell was this being to tell me that I was dead?
Do grim reapers have wings these days or something?
But I didn't ask rashly.
After all, even if I did ask, there would be no one there to listen.
Besides, the wisest thing was to just wait quietly.
The things I'm curious about, someone else is bound to be curious about too.
"Who are you? And why are you telling us this?"
All of my department classmates were gathered around.
Since we had all gathered to take the test, we must have all died together.
The one who stepped forward to ask the question was the class representative, Kim Hong-seop.
A sturdy physique with handsome features.
He was tall, had a great personality, and was popular with everyone.
A so-called in-ssa (insider/popular person).
Hong-seop, a strong candidate for the next student council president once he finished his military service, never missed out on things like this.
"That's right. Why did you bring us here? And where the hell is this place?"
The next to step forward after Hong-seop was Choi Joo-hye.
With a face that resembled a K-pop idol and a great figure to match, Joo-hye had lived a loud and eventful life since the day she entered university, always acting cold and aloof with her popularity as her shield.
As Joo-hye and Hong-seop stepped up, other students began to come forward one by one, pouring out their questions.
It seemed they were all having a hard time accepting this reality.
So, what was I doing?
What was there to do?
I was just listening quietly.
I was always the type to hang back and pick up information that the other kids shouted out for me.
This is actually pretty important. Since there's no one to look out for me, I have to listen and look out for myself.
"This place is the Lumos Continent, a different world from the one you were in. I am Ruin, the goddess of the Lumos Continent."
Hmm.
So this place is a completely different world from the Republic of Korea we lived in, and this winged being is a goddess?
I don't know how she can call herself a goddess with her own mouth, but this self-proclaimed goddess had summoned us as heroes from another world.
Not as a joke, but seriously.
"You are the chosen heroes. Heroes who will drive out the encroaching evil and defeat the Demon King. The hope of this world is now all of you. Please, with that power, perform a miracle..."
It was a request so absurd that words failed me.
To suddenly kidnap people and then ask them to defeat a Demon King.
Even modern-day gangsters wouldn't be so unreasonable.
Sure enough, the students erupted in complaints again.
To repeat, we were just first-year university students about to take our midterms.
"Why should we have to do something like that?"
"The Demon King? Are you serious?"
"That's right. What if we get hurt? Are you going to give us workers' comp?"
"You are right. You could get hurt while fighting the Demon King, and in severe cases, you could even die. I am truly sorry about that part. However, we are not just trying to work you for free. There is a reward if you succeed here."
"A reward? What is it?"
"We will bring you back to life. In that other world."
"That's..."
Only then did everyone realize they were dead.
Me included.
"That's not all. There must be compensation for the hardships of this life. If you all successfully defeat the Demon King, I will grant you one wish. Whatever that wish may be."
"You'll bring us back to life and grant us a wish? Really?"
"No way. As if you know what my wish is."
"I do know, Mr. Seok-won. Your wish is to be free from hair loss. Originally, a price is needed to grant a wish, but I can resolve something of that level."
The goddess, Ruin, placed her hand on Seok-won's head.
"How could she do that..."
The students who knew Seok-won let out pitiful groans.
Seok-won, whose hair was half gone, hated it when people touched his head.
Normally, he would have immediately slapped her hand away and started cursing.
But Seok-won couldn't move her hand.
Because from where Ruin's hand touched, hair began to grow long and lush.
At the same time, the tears that streamed down his face soon soaked his knees.
"Hic… sob…"
"H-how..."
"This is the Lumos Continent. A land where magic and myths breathe and live. A place where anything that was impossible for you is possible."
N-No way.
She cured hair loss, something even Nobel Prize winners can't do?
Unbelievable.
There must be some kind of trick.
Magic and myths in this day and age—Ugh… F*ck, jewels just poured out of her hand.
Her hand was empty… I saw it, I really saw it!
"Excuse me, is Bitcoin possible?"
"I'd like to get some work done on my face."
"Can I get taller?"
"Then, can my… you know… also…"
"Everything is possible. As long as you defeat the Demon King for me."
"Does this mean I don't have to study anymore?"
"We don't have to worry about tuition either."
"Instead of running because I'm late, I can take a taxi..."
"You idiot! You don't even need to go to university in the first place! There's no need to get a job!"
"True, if we get enough money to live on for the rest of our lives..."
"Everyone, calm down. We haven't received anything yet."
It was Choi Joo-hye.
If Hong-seop was the most radiant among the guys, then Joo-hye was the most dazzling among the girls.
Joo-hye had a different kind of charisma than Hong-seop. Her ability to always maintain a cool-headed demeanor was an object of envy for many.
"Will everyone who defeats the Demon King get a reward, no matter how many of us there are?"
"Of course. I am the one who summoned you all, after all."
"That must mean he's not an easy opponent, right? Then it's impossible for us alone. We're just students, students. I don't know if the Lumos Continent even has a concept of students."
"Ah, of course, I understand your concerns. Naturally, I won't just let you throw your lives away. You will all have my, Ruin's, blessing. Shall we start with you first?"
"What are you going to do?"
"You don't need to be so tense. I only wish to help you."
"Joo-hye, wait a second. I'll go first."
"Are you sure? Who knows what she'll do?"
"It's fine. If the goddess wanted to harm us, she would have done it already. You know. We're all already dead."
'You've got to be kidding me, you're just accepting this?'
I thought, but at the same time, I was also accepting my own death.
My memory of it was just that vivid.
"A wise choice. For the courage you've shown by volunteering first, I shall bestow upon you a worthy power."
A brilliant light enveloped Hong-seop.
"Whoa! Th-this power is..."
"Hong-seop, what's wrong?"
"Are you hurt?"
"It's the opposite! I'm overflowing with power. With this, I feel like I could really accomplish anything!"
When Hong-seop stomped his feet on the ground, he jumped as high as his own height.
When he sprinted, he reached the far end of the space in an instant, and when he did push-ups, the speed was incredible.
"C-can I receive it too?"
"Me too!"
"You can all receive it. I, Ruin, did not bring you to this land to have you die again. I truly wish for you to save this land, so I will share it fairly with everyone."
A student with poor eyesight suddenly had their vision improve so much they could throw away their glasses, and their stamina became unbelievably better.
The excited students ran around, reveling in the changes.
Everyone, except for the one person whose presence was shattered even in a moment like this: me.
"No, f*ck. I'm being ignored even in a situation like this?"
I was already sick and tired of knowing about my lack of presence.
But to be ignored not just by humans but even by a goddess in a situation like this…
My head ached.
"What you have all received is the blessing of awakening and growth. It is to help you awaken so you can endure in this land, and at the same time, allow you to visibly see your growth. Now, everyone has received it, right?"
"Excuse me? I haven't received it yet. Hello? Can you hear me?"
"Yes, we've all received it."
"..."
It was Hong-seop who answered so confidently.
This, too, was a regular occurrence.
My voice often didn't seem to reach the others' ears, as if filtered out by a specific frequency.
Until middle school, I thought they were ignoring me on purpose, but that wasn't it.
They simply, and without malice, just couldn't hear me.
But I couldn't just let it slide this time.
I couldn't be dropped into an unknown land without even a blessing.
"Hey! I told you I haven't received anything yet! Goddess? Ma'am Goddess? You damn goddess!"
"Then, I look forward to your efforts. The future of the Lumos Continent rests solely on you. Now, go, everyone. Go and create a new legend!"
"No, f*ck. I told you I haven't received anything yet!"
In that instant, a pure white light burst forth.