This is the story of how I died.
Wait, before you jump to conclusions, this is actually a really fun story. To be honest, it isn't even about me, though it somehow has to do with me… still it's a story about a boy named Hero, and it all started with a single spell.
You see, there was this famous web novel series that everyone in the world knew.
[I Gain 10x Rewards Each Time I Save a Heroine] — the story was your typical power fantasy done right.
A boy from Earth, who always wanted to be a protagonist and jumped in front of a truck after watching too much anime, found himself in the world of Meltonia.
This world was nothing like the fantasy series he knew. It had swords, magic, dragons, and all the things we loved, and yeah, that's where the similarities ended.
You see, that boy was reincarnated as a child named Hero, a boy blessed by the gods to be great, but not great in the usual sense. In this world, there isn't a demon king or some world-ending threat. The elves, demons, dragons, and humans all live in peace within their respective nations, only having occasional wars.
Someone might ask why this was the case. Well, it was simple. One eccentric man from Earth, who loved One Piece, became the strongest being alive. He stole the core of the world and hid it in an unknown location.
Before his death, he commanded his men to behead him as he gave a dramatic speech:
"If you want to find my treasure (which, mind you originally belonged to the world), build the greatest institute in the world and place it in Pantheon City.
Let the children there find love, live life, and train. Once the school system witnesses children indulging in love, friendship, and peace among all races, it shall reveal the location of the treasure. The one who finds it will become the King of the Meltonia."
But there was a catch. If the one who finds it doesn't have companions of the opposite gender, the more the better, who genuinely love them, along with loyal friends who stand by their side, then the core will move again.
And so began the greatest era of peace the world had ever known, and the founding of the greatest magic and knight academy in existence where all races studied and where love bloomed like spring flowers.
Hero was blessed with a system that granted him strength and rewards for saving heroines, since strength meant more girls following him. But what he didn't know was that life isn't that easy, and winning a woman's heart is far harder than it seems.
And so began the amazing journey of Hero...
—
"Are you rereading that series again?"
I lifted my head from the book it was buried in. In front of me was a face I'd seen more times than I could count.
"Of course I am, Miss Jisoo. This is literally my life." I shifted on the hospital bed so I could sit at its edge. "Or would you rather I cry myself to death?" I feigned tears as the beautiful nurse with short black hair and a curvy figure sat beside me.
"Well, Mister Suho, you'll die even if I don't take the book."
I met her gaze, and she simply stared back before blinking. "What? I'm not lying, you're dying in two days."
I pouted dramatically. "That doesn't mean you have to say it so bluntly. I have my pride, you know."
Miss Jisoo burst out laughing. "Pride? You've been living in this hospital since you were four. What do you know about pride?"
"Miss, if some random guy, not me obviously, touched your chest right now, would you scream and slap him?"
"Of course I would," she replied matter-of-factly.
I pointed at her. "That right there is the definition of pride."
Miss Jisoo sighed in exasperation. "You'll kill me with that logic and optimism of yours. If people knew the legendary programmer who made the top-ranked game alone on a simple PC acted like this, they'd lose their minds."
I grinned. "Naturally. Some say I'm in the Illuminati or some occult group. You know how Ghost Bursters is and how terrifying the visuals and characters are, right?"
I took the medicine Miss Jisoo handed me, then lay back on the bed. Normally, she would have said something like, 'Don't lie down after taking pills,' but who cared now? I was going to die in two days anyway.
A light introduction, I'm Suho Park, born in Korea. My parents abandoned me at childhood because I was sickly, and an elderly woman who found me spent her last savings to pay for my twenty-year hospital bill before she passed away.
Ever since my parents left when I was four, I've lived in this hospital and never once stepped outside. So, for me, the world everyone else sees every day is something I can only imagine.
I closed my eyes, a faint smile forming on my face. Finally, freedom. I'd wanted to die for a long time, but things always held me back—Miss Jisoo, my game, the novel I loved. But now, it was time.
Creating a game that stayed top-ranked for seven years was something to be proud of. The world called me the legendary programmer for a reason. I built one of the most complex horror-fantasy games alone.
I stretched slightly. "Miss, can you tell the doctor to move the surgery to today?"
Her expression darkened. No matter how she tried to hide it, she was breaking down inside. I'd seen her cry, no, sob, yesterday.
After a long pause, she nodded. "Okay, I will. Maybe if it happens today, you'll wake up in a new world."
I chuckled softly. "Yeah, maybe in Hero's world as a side character. Then I can chase all my novel crushes and those girls I usually edit into my TikToks."
Miss Jisoo facepalmed. "You don't even know how to talk to women. How do you expect to pull that off?"
I shrugged. "It's simple, be yourself, be a liar, be a devil, and tell them you like them to their face."
"I don't think that's how it works," she muttered, narrowing her eyes.
I knew it wasn't that simple, but just thinking about being in that world made my heart race.
The first thing I'd do would be check my stats, then immediately go find Quincy Blake and propose to her, and after that, hunt down and crack Neko-sensei. Hahaha, what a plan.
Miss Jisoo eventually left the room, and silence filled the space once more.
"Everything will be okay," I whispered. "I'm the legendary programmer, Suho Park, after all."
I picked up my laptop from the side table and opened my game, Horror Game: Do Not Play. I smiled at the title and the UI before starting what would likely be my final session.
After my death, I planned to send all my assets to Miss Jisoo, a portion to my doctor, and some to the orphanage and the poor, though I didn't particularly care about them. The rest I'd scatter randomly across various accounts just for fun.
As I shut my laptop, the door opened and the doctor walked in with several nurses. He smiled and said a few words I barely heard, as I was too busy fantasizing about the world I was about to enter.
Why was I so sure? Faith and optimism, what else?
In this world, I'm my own protagonist. My plot armor would definitely guarantee reincarnation.
I smirked as the doctor injected something into me. They wheeled me out, and the sounds around me slowly faded. The surgery had a two percent success rate.
And just as I expected,
I felt my soul leave my body.
… I died.
As my soul drifted through the void, a sharp chime echoed in my ears, followed by a gentle British female voice and a bright, blue, glowing screen.
▒▓ Great Adventurer, Welcome To Meltonia ▓▒