"Where the hell did I end up…?" Arthur muttered.
A few minutes earlier, his consciousness had returned abruptly, as if he had been yanked out of a bottomless abyss. The first thing his eyes met was the uneven ceiling formed by the treetops, dense leaves filtering sunlight into golden beams that danced through the air.
He was in the middle of a completely unfamiliar forest.
The air was pure—almost excessively so—laden with the scent of damp earth, moss, and wildlife. The kind of place that looked like it had never known human intervention.
Arthur instinctively brought a hand to his chest.
The second thing he noticed was a scar right at the center of his torso, likely left by his battle against his Dark version. However, right before his eyes, the scar began to fade rapidly, his skin regenerating until not even a trace of injury remained.
He could also feel that, somehow, he was far stronger—dozens of times stronger than before.
"…Huh."
The third realization came immediately after, and it was anything but comforting.
His Tempad was completely destroyed.
The screen was shattered into multiple fragments, its internal circuits exposed and scorched, giving off a faint burnt smell. There was no power, no response, and not even the slightest chance of an immediate repair.
"Wonderful…" Arthur sighed, rubbing his face. "Now I'm stuck here. Wherever 'here' is."
Without much care—and definitely without any emotional attachment—he opened a small golden portal behind him and tossed the broken Tempad into the Gate of Babylon.
"I'll deal with you later."
As he stood up fully, something else caught his attention.
He was… smaller. Or rather, younger.
His arms looked thinner, his height significantly reduced, and the clothes he had been wearing before now hung awkwardly, far too loose for his current body.
Arthur looked at himself in silence for a few seconds.
"…Ah. Of course. I'm a kid again. Why not?"
Without wasting time, he opened the Gate of Babylon once more and took out a simple set of clothes that fit his body better. He changed quickly and tossed his previous outfit back into the Gate of Babylon.
"Much better."
He then observed his surroundings more carefully.
The forest looked untouched. There were no clear trails, no wheel marks, no remnants of campfires, nor any sign of recent human presence. Everything grew freely and wildly, obeying only the natural laws of that world.
[DING]
Arthur jumped so high he almost fell backward.
"HOLY SHIT!!" he shouted, clutching his chest. "GIVE A WARNING, DAMN IT—"
The voice echoed directly in his mind—deep, neutral, and utterly indifferent to his feelings.
⟪Analyzing…⟫
⟪World Analysis in Progress.⟫
⟪Large-scale anomaly detected.⟫
Arthur blinked.
"…An anomaly?"
⟪Local timeline has suffered an irreversible alteration.⟫
⟪Cause identified: individual external to this world.⟫
⟪Individual classification: Catastrophe.⟫
He froze for two seconds.
"…What the hell did I get myself into?"
⟪Probability of progressive destiny collapse: 87.34%.⟫
⟪Initiating corrective procedures.⟫
"Corrective procedures?" he asked, confused.
⟪Processing alternatives…⟫
⟪Suppression of individual: unfeasible.⟫
⟪Isolation of individual: unfeasible.⟫
⟪Temporal reversion: impossible.⟫
"…Seriously… what the hell is going on here?"
⟪Conclusion reached.⟫
⟪Correction via destiny exchange.⟫
⟪Changing host position from invader to protagonist.⟫
⟪Forcing Awakening.⟫
"Wait—what?"
Before Arthur could react, he felt something strange happening inside his body.
⟪Light and Darkness Elementals: confirmed.⟫
⟪Elemental Queen: confirmation obtained.⟫
⟪Individual deemed worthy.⟫
Arthur felt something shift within him.
It wasn't pain. It was as if a foreign presence were being carefully installed at his core.
⟪Grant initiation.⟫
⟪Egg of the Chosen Hero granted.⟫
Arthur reflexively placed a hand on his abdomen.
"Hey, I didn't sign any paperwork for this. Can you at least explain what's going on first?"
⟪The Egg of the Chosen Hero is equivalent to the seed of the Demon Lord.⟫
⟪Growth potential: extreme.⟫
⟪Probability of awakening a supreme ability: high.⟫
"…Ah." Arthur sighed. "Of course. Demon Lord and Hero. Zero useful information, and now I'm being forced into the role of some isekai protagonist."
The air around him began to vibrate.
Particles of light and darkness appeared simultaneously, swirling around his body like two opposing yet strangely harmonious currents.
⟪Warning.⟫
⟪Login System support has reached a critical limit.⟫
Arthur frowned. "Critical limit…?"
⟪After this event, the System will return to its true root.⟫
⟪Final destination: Voice of the World.⟫
"…So you're just going to leave me here?" Arthur asked incredulously. "Without giving me any relevant information?"
⟪Correction.⟫
⟪Final gift will be granted.⟫
The "egg" inside him exploded.
Not literally, but in an overwhelming wave of energy that surged through every cell of his body. Arthur immediately felt drowsiness overtaking his mind.
"…Seriously…" he muttered weakly. "All I wanted was… to see my adorable androids again…"
⟪Forcing hatching of the Egg of the Chosen Hero.⟫
⟪Elemental fusion initiated.⟫
⟪Awakening in progress.⟫
As he fell asleep, his body began to evolve.
⟪Farewell, host. I wish you good luck and a promising future.⟫
"So encouraging…" was the last thing he managed to say before his eyes rolled back and his body collapsed unconscious onto the forest floor once more.
---xXx---
"So… which way do I go?" Arthur muttered, slowly turning in place.
It had been two hours since he woke up, and to be honest, he had noticed a few things that bothered him—especially after seeing his own reflection.
He had exactly the appearance of an adventure protagonist, as if he were the very embodiment of heroism.
However, he looked too young to match the heroes from illustrated books, yet too mature to be a child in need of protection.
[A/N: I was inspired by Gilgamesh's alter ego for this description lol]
After a few seconds of reflection—and absolutely no concrete clues—he decided to head east.
Why east? Because yes.
His steps were calm and unhurried. The soft sound of his feet on the dirt path, mixed with the rustling leaves and distant birdsong, was almost relaxing.
The scenery around him was absurdly beautiful.
Gigantic trees with thick trunks covered in moss, exposed roots like sleeping serpents, small unknown flowers sprouting between rocks. Everything looked new, as if the world were still in its purest state.
Arthur felt a strange sense of awe.
"Enkidu would love this forest," he said, remembering his androgynous, green-haired friend.
Without him realizing it, a subtle aura emanated from his body.
It wasn't hostile—but it was absolute.
Creatures of the forest, whether monsters or ordinary animals, felt it instantly.
Within a radius of dozens of meters, beings of all levels abandoned their territories and fled in panic, as if death itself were walking among them.
Arthur sensed this collective reaction but chose to ignore it.
"…Whatever."
He kept walking.
It didn't take long before something different appeared on the horizon.
Between the trees, the distant outline of walls began to form. Stone towers, flags fluttering in the wind, and the unmistakable shape of a city.
Arthur smiled faintly.
"Well… at least that."
He headed toward the city, maintaining the same relaxed pace.
But at that exact moment, a strange movement among the nearby leaves caught his attention.
Arthur stopped.
His senses sharpened immediately.
"…Seriously?" he muttered, glancing sideways.
Three human figures were hidden behind a nearby tree—poorly concealed, badly positioned, and clearly nervous. All of them held swords and wore worn leather armor.
They looked… exactly like "generic bandits" from adventure stories.
Or, more specifically…
"Wait. Are they planning to rob me?" Arthur muttered to himself.
A faintly amused smile appeared on his face, but it quickly faded as he remembered something.
'Hold on. If I'm the protagonist now, does that mean I'm going to keep running into these damn cliché moments?' he thought flatly.
Lost in thought, he walked past the tree they were hiding behind—and the three men jumped out at once.
One of them, a tall man with an ugly scar cutting across his face, drew his sword and pressed the blade coldly against Arthur's neck.
"Hand over all your belongings, brat," he growled.
Before Arthur could even react, another man stepped forward, rubbing his hands together with a disgusting grin.
"Even if he doesn't have money… we can make good coin selling him as a slave. I'm sure some noble would pay a few gold coins for him."
Arthur remained completely expressionless.
For a brief moment, he seriously considered erasing the existence of those three from the world.
But before he could act, something else happened.
He felt three more presences approaching rapidly.
With a faint magical hum, three ice spikes violently erupted from the ground, embedding themselves in front of the three bandits.
To his surprise, the men were skilled enough to retreat immediately, narrowly avoiding the spikes.
Right after that, a young woman of average height stepped in front of Arthur.
She had simply tied blonde hair, intense blue eyes, and special markings beneath them. A blue band was tied around her head, and a magic staff rested firmly in her hands.
At her sides, two men positioned themselves protectively.
Their coordination made it clear this wasn't the first time they had fought together.
The girl pointed her staff at the bandits, clearly furious.
"Bill! Jason! Aug! How dare you try to rob a defenseless child!? You three are pathetic!"
The two men beside her immediately drew their swords.
"Get lost!" one of them shouted. "Or do you want to fight us?"
The trio of thieves exchanged glances, clearly irritated but unable to risk the confrontation.
Muttering insults, they retreated and disappeared into the trees.
The girl let out a long sigh and patted her own chest.
"Phew… that was scary!" she said. "I thought we'd actually have to fight those three!"
Her companions nodded, relaxing a little.
Arthur remained completely expressionless.
It felt like a badly rehearsed scene from a low-budget fantasy movie.
Suddenly, the girl turned to him and grabbed his hands with an absurdly radiant smile.
"You were scared, weren't you?" she said enthusiastically. "You don't have to be afraid anymore! My name is Ellen. You can trust me!"
Arthur stared at her smiling face.
His gaze grew even emptier.
If you were a guy… I'd have already punched you in the face, he thought.
In any even remotely normal situation, her words sounded less like kindness and more like the beginning of a kidnapping.
(End of the chapter)
Arthur's appearance for now --