Blanc loved superhero movies since childhood.
Holding his parents’ hands, he went to the theater.
His first movie was like that, with popcorn and cola in both hands.
Heroes living lives different from ordinary people.
A hero with extraordinary abilities, growing through trials.
“Wow… that’s cool.”
No matter how bleak the future became, they outsmarted it and eventually triumphed.
He stared at the screen with his mouth agape.
When sad scenes appeared, tears pricked at his eyes, and during funny scenes, he burst into laughter.
The thrilling battles with villains made him sweat in excitement.
As he chewed his popcorn, he watched the characters beyond the screen come to life.
Maybe it was the longing of childhood.
Or perhaps it should be called admiration.
‘What if I could be someone like that? What if I could have powers like that?’
To the young boy, a hero soaring freely in the sky seemed cooler than anything.
A fluttering sensation swelled in his chest.
The movie ended with a happy conclusion, where everyone admired the hero.
But that was just mere fantasy, something that could never happen in reality.
“Good things really end quickly.”
Watching the ending scroll rise on the black screen, Blanc sighed.
When he left the theater, his popcorn and cola were all gone.
Instead of throwing the empty containers in the trash, he started collecting them at home.
“If the people in the movie can’t do it, then what if I do?”
The boy wished for the fun to last forever.
Like not being able to hold the stars of the night sky. A mirage-like wish.
Fun.
For that, Blanc clenched his fists and ignited his spirit.
“Let’s become a magician.”
A job that creates the unreal in reality.
Since he could never become a real superhero, he decided to become a magician, the closest thing.
So, he self-taught magic alone and demonstrated it, eventually becoming the most famous magician in the country.
“Yet, in the end, I couldn’t turn fantasy into reality.”
But still, he was blocked by the walls of reality. Magic was just trickery, after all.
Even the most astonishing magic that surprised people had some kind of trick hidden within.
“This isn’t the kind of fun I wanted.”
He grew impatient for not obtaining what he desired.
How could he feel that fun again?
How could he continue to enjoy it forever?
While he was lost in thought, he heard a voice calling him from some god.
[Won’t you help save the world that has fallen into chaos due to the Demon God? Hero.]
A plea to rescue the world from the emergence of the Demon God.
It was said that they were going around other worlds to find a hero-worthy individual.
“…A true hero?”
[Yes, I am the God of Emotions, Pantoze.]
The one who sent the beta tester email to Lee Soo-hyun.
[Under the command of the God of Darkness, Lisette, I have summoned you, Blanc, as the true hero of this world.]
The God of Emotions, Pantoze, mentioned the name of a higher god and said he would make him a true hero.
[If you fulfill your mission and save the world, I will grant you one wish.]
A condition that if he fulfilled his mission, he would have his wish granted. It was win-win for him.
“I’ll do it. That world might have the fun I want.”
Blanc accepted the offer since he couldn’t achieve anything more in the world he was from.
[Alright, true hero Blanc. I wish you good luck.]
His beloved playing cards turned into a Holy Sword.
Thus, he gained the ability to turn the fantasy he desired into reality.
He even received the Dream Knife, a token that he had been chosen as the hero by the God of Emotions, Pantoze.
“Here, I can do what I want…”
With confidence, he arrived in another world.
Like the ideal he had dreamed of as a child, it was overflowing with magic, spirit magic, and divine power—things that didn’t exist in reality.
He could blend magic and tricks to make everything go his way, and for a moment, he was happy in that world.
Just for a moment, though.
Not long after, he faced other heroes summoned from different worlds, just like him.
“You’re also heroes who have to slay the Demon God, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Magic Hat.”
Blanc introduced himself with the name he used as a magician, symbolizing that he was reborn here.
The other heroes greeted Blanc cheerfully.
“I’m Head, the Hero of All Knowledge. A Reaper from another world.”
“I’m Finn, the Hero of Might, and the old man next to me is…”
“I’m the Hero of All Power, Black Cloud.”
Heroes summoned from their respective worlds to slay the entity known as the Demon God.
They gathered from different timelines and places, and at first, there were many misunderstandings among them.
“What is the identity of the lightning used by the Hero of All Knowledge?”
“Old man. Can’t you see? It’s a gun! A revolver, to be exact!”
The Celestial Demon from a world with a demon cult, Black Cloud, who couldn’t comprehend the working of the red revolver wielded by Head, even after being reborn.
“Now, see. The card has disappeared from my hand, right?”
“It’s a trick. There were two cards from the beginning!”
“…You’re so boring.”
A Reaper who determines life and death in another world, Head, who could unravel all the tricks using his omniscient power.
“Be careful, old men! You’ll die before you even meet the Demon God!”
“Sorry about that.”
Finn, who can handle the power of the divine beast as he has a contract with one.
Each hero had a different reason for being summoned—some were reincarnated, possessed, or reborn.
“Head, what will you wish for?”
“Me? It’s surprising you ask, Magic Hat.”
As they all journeyed to capture the Demon God, they soon became closer than anyone else.
In a foreign land, the only ones who could understand their struggles were those in the same predicament.
“Well… I saw someone truly unfortunate while working as a Reaper.”
crackle The sound of wood crackling in the fire.
The four heroes discussed before the maze where the Demon God slept.
“Why was this person unfortunate? Isn’t it against Reaper rules to have personal feelings?”
“It usually is, but I became quite close to her since she was the girl I saw since childhood, suffering from cancer.”
Head opened up to Blanc, who tilted his head in confusion.
A girl with white hair and red eyes, living a terminal life since childhood.
Her parents died right after she was born, and soon she found herself in a situation where she was spitting blood.
“Even the gods are indifferent… I’ve never seen such a pitiful person in all my life.”
But the girl, living stubbornly without losing her bright smile, greeted the Reaper warmly.
That became the trigger that moved Head’s heart.
“No matter how many times I’m reborn, I can’t save her.”
Head spoke with a gloomy expression. It was impossible to erase or change the name written in the Book of Death.
Even while trying to save her through reincarnation, he failed.
“So, if I save the world, I want to ask to cure her illness.”
In his mind, that thought mirrored his own ideals, making Blanc respond to Head’s sincerity.
“Ah, love, huh? Well, I have a love interest here now as well.”
The country girl who watched Blanc’s magic with fascination.
She’d always responded to entertain him, ultimately worming her way into Blanc’s heart.
Though he temporarily forgot what fun he sought, Blanc had made efforts to entertain her.
“That wish isn’t bad. It’s fun, right?”
He genuinely empathized with the wishes of his fellow heroes.
“As a possessor, I wish only for my sister to live well. I feel guilty towards the original body owner.”
“I wish for my daughter to live happily in the world I came from.”
Everyone had different hopes, yet they all wished together to repel the entity known as the Demon God.
“..Is that the Demon God?”
Their wishes crumbled before the existence of the Demon God, just like a fleeting daydream.
A dark mass resembling a spider that stitched together limbs of many people.
Every time its giant body moved, dust flew around, overwhelming them all.
“Everyone, stay focused. We can win.”
“Yeah, who are we? We’re the chosen heroes of the gods!”
Gathering the powers of truth, knowledge, might, and omnipotence, the four heroes barely combined their strength to counter the Demon God.
—Creeeeeeaaaak!!
The scariest thing about the Demon God was its power to influence other worlds.
“Why, why… is my daughter from the original world here…!!”
“…Intinium? What are you doing here…?”
As the monster faced near death, it opened a dimensional portal and began to violate the most cherished people of the heroes.
“Magic Hat…!! Save me!!”
The same went for Blanc’s beloved.
Watching his love torn apart before his eyes, something crucial broke inside the magician.
“…hahaha.”
Seeing his companions wailing, desperately clutching the blood-covered corpses of their loved ones.
He laughed maniacally.
How delightful it was to witness the death of the one he loved.
Wasn’t this what he had truly desired?
“….”
As the ‘fun’ Blanc had always yearned for unfolded before his eyes, he finally filled the emptiness he had felt.
*
After that, the heroes, having lost their loved ones, turned into corrupted Demon Kings.
“You are all inferior, incomplete, and utterly lacking.”
They formed a religious group called the Hero Church, spreading evil deeds across the world.
Having anticipated every variable, the Demon King of All Knowledge had already eliminated them all.
Taken everything from the beloved heroes who would one day defeat them.
The fact that this identity was the empire’s princess surprised them a little.
But with the Demon King’s power, names, memories, strength, and talents were all erased, so there would be no more heroes.
“And this is the unavoidable ‘truth.’”
All of this was to resurrect the slain Demon God at the hands of Emperor Rock to bring back their beloveds lost back then.
“…Why does this keep happening?”
But Blanc was different. He wanted to feel that shock and thrill once more.
“You cannot defeat me. Give up. Black Knight.”
“Yeah, that may be simpler.”
Blanc felt a shiver run through his body upon seeing the man before him.
Now, only the resurrection of the Demon God, using countless lives as a stepping stone, remained.
“Still, I can’t give up here.”
A hero clad in black armor and helmet, wielding a pitch-black sword.
As the Black Knight appeared and began to slay the Demon Kings of the Hero Church one by one, the tides started to change.
“…There must be a happy ending ahead.”
