Chapter 1: The End of the World's Strongest Hero
The sky was red.
Not the red of sunset—but the red of blood and fire.
The clouds were torn apart, cracked like broken glass, revealing a burning void beyond the heavens. Lightning fell without sound. The earth below had long since lost its shape—cities reduced to rubble, mountains flattened, oceans evaporated into mist.
This was the end of the world.
At the center of this hell stood one man.
Kang Tae-Hyun.
The world's Number One Hero.
His armor was shattered, barely clinging to his body. Blood ran freely down his arms and legs, soaking into the broken ground beneath his feet. His breathing was heavy, yet steady—trained through countless battles.
In front of him lay the massive corpse of the Final Calamity.
Its body was split in two.
The war was over.
Humanity had survived.
Kang Tae-Hyun lowered his sword slightly, exhaustion finally creeping into his limbs.
"…It's done," he muttered.
For the first time in decades, there was silence.
No monsters.
No screams.
No system alerts.
Just wind blowing through ruins.
Then—
A chill ran down his spine.
Killing intent.
Sharp. Cold. Familiar.
"Don't move, Tae-Hyun."
The voice came from behind him.
Kang Tae-Hyun slowly turned his head.
Standing there were the strongest heroes of humanity—the ones who had survived until the very end.
His comrades.
His allies.
The people he trusted more than anyone else.
Yet every single one of them had their weapons raised.
Pointed at him.
"…What is this?" Kang Tae-Hyun asked quietly.
No one answered immediately.
Finally, a man stepped forward.
Lee Min-Seok—the hero hailed as the symbol of justice.
"Tae-Hyun," Lee Min-Seok said calmly, "we can't let you live anymore."
For a moment, Kang Tae-Hyun thought he had misheard.
"…What did you say?"
A woman in holy robes, Jung Hae-Rin, avoided his gaze as she spoke.
"It's for the future of humanity."
Kang Tae-Hyun laughed—a dry, broken sound.
"For humanity?" he repeated. "I carried this world on my back. I stood in front while you stood behind me. I fought every battle first so you could survive."
"That's exactly the problem," another voice said coldly.
Choi Sung-Jae, the strategist.
"As long as you exist, Kang Tae-Hyun, the world will never be balanced."
Silence fell.
Then understanding struck him like a blade through the heart.
"…So that's it," Kang Tae-Hyun whispered. "You're afraid of me."
No one denied it.
"You became too strong," Lee Min-Seok said. "Stronger than the system. Stronger than fate. If you live… we will always be beneath you."
Kang Tae-Hyun clenched his sword.
"So you choose betrayal," he said. "After everything."
"This is mercy," Jung Hae-Rin replied softly.
The spear struck first.
It pierced straight through Kang Tae-Hyun's chest.
Blood burst from his lips as his body staggered.
His eyes widened—not in fear, but disbelief.
"You…" he coughed. "You were the first one I saved."
The second attack followed.
Then the third.
Blades.
Magic.
Skills.
Every attack carried the power of heroes he once trusted with his life.
Kang Tae-Hyun dropped to one knee.
His sword fell from his grasp.
"You monsters…" he whispered, blood pouring from his mouth. "You're worse than the Calamity."
Lee Min-Seok turned away.
"The world doesn't need a god."
The final blow came down.
Darkness swallowed Kang Tae-Hyun's vision.
As his consciousness faded, one thought echoed endlessly in his mind:
If I could live again… I would never be a hero.
I would make this world bleed for betraying me.
The sky went dark.
The world ended.