“Hmph! Always spouting cheesy lines…! Even you’re not invincible, you know! Take a break sometimes! …Tch, what if you actually collapse one day…!”

“Haha, thanks for worrying, Revi. But as long as I have the citizens’ support, I’ll never fall.”

…I did my best to hide my shock and kept the conversation with Revi going.

For one, Revi’s only five years younger than me, so she felt a bit awkward as a ‘successor.’

And that ‘0.04 percent’ suitability—barely a speck—bothered me.

‘…Hmm, but thinking about it, Revi’s a solid third-generation hero. Aside from her age, she’s not entirely unfit to be my successor.’

When I first got dropped here—

More precisely, when I woke up in this body, just enrolled in the hero academy—

That status window went nuts, forcing me out in just a month.

Revi, though, came from the same academy where I’m giving the entrance speech tomorrow.

Back in my day, it was less a ‘school’ and more a training camp.

By Revi’s time, it was properly called the ‘Seoul Hero Academy,’ but we’re still senior and junior from the same place.

So, doesn’t that mean Revi could technically be my ‘successor’…?

‘…Yeah, and she was a character in the original game, so there’s definitely potential.’

If only I’d been dropped into a proper manga or novel with a clear protagonist and story.

The game I played had no story, just a generic defense game with chibi characters, so I had no useful info for times like this.

…The only valuable tidbit I knew was that the game’s final boss, ‘Eternox,’ had near-immortal regeneration.

But I beat the crap out of him ten years ago, strapped him in a full-body restraint, and locked him in Incheon’s special prison under 24-hour surveillance.

Even if he miraculously escaped, with my ‘invincible’ body—minus the insane penalties—

I could probably take him down with one arm after starving for three days. He’s that weak.

So, there’s nothing left to worry about.

‘Hmm, there’s still too little info. But since the successor possibility opened, I might be able to keep finding candidates and boost my retirement chances…’

…Alright, I’ll test this at the ‘Seoul Hero Academy’ tomorrow.

There’ll be plenty of young, new-generation heroes eager to take my place.

“Haa…? Even you, Smile, will get in trouble if you keep overdoing it. …How are you saying the same thing as during the school attack seven years ago? …Well, it’s very you, and I like that.”

“Hahaha! You’re still bad at compliments. You used to be more honest back then.”

“S-Shut up…! That was ages ago! Anyway! Eat this lunch or throw it out…!”

While I quickly planned ahead, Revi grumbled, handing me the lunch she’d painstakingly made.

Seven years ago, when Revi was still ‘Seo Sua’ at the academy—

When dozens of lunatics stormed the ‘Seoul Hero Academy,’ filled with retired pro heroes—

I saved her along with the other students, and she’s been just as prickly then as now.

…Back then, I chalked it up to puberty, so I didn’t think much of it.

But I didn’t expect her to stay this way as an adult and pro hero.

‘Hmm, she talks like that to older heroes too. Guess they don’t mind since she’s so skilled…?’

Or maybe, since this world’s a few decades ahead of the Korea I knew, people are just more casual now.

Living a deranged life of eating, sleeping, and hero work every single day—

Even after fifteen years here, I still don’t catch the finer cultural shifts.

Honestly, aside from that diner lady refusing my kimbap payment, I’ve barely had time to talk to anyone for more than five minutes since leaving the academy.

Living like some mix of a machine and a slave, when would I ever notice subtle changes in Korea’s Confucian culture?

‘…But when she was younger, she spoke politely and was honest like a kid her age.’

So, I thought back to when I’d been here less than a year—

Rescued Revi from a fire, and about a month later—

Ten-year-old Revi, with her tiny hands, carefully folded and gifted me a thousand origami cranes in a cleaned-out glass bottle.

Still under my narrow goshiwon bed—

“Hmph! Y-You don’t still have those, do you…? Why keep remembering that old stuff…! Your room’s tiny, so just throw them out already…!”

…Revi, her face as red as her eyes, turned away sharply, still clutching the lunch.

“Hahaha! Of course I kept such a heartfelt gift. How could I forget? You’re my first fan, Revi.”

Well, it’s also because she was the first game character I recognized here.

It was chaotic, but her unique hair and eye colors, plus her fire powers, stood out.

…Thanks to that, I confirmed this was the game’s world.

“Hmph…! W-Whatever! It’s your gift, so keep it if you want… Anyway, are you eating this lunch or not…!”

Revi, clearly embarrassed by her childhood ‘dark history,’ thrust the lunch at my stomach like a spear, fuming.

Of course, she was only pretending to be mad—100 percent not actually angry.

Because—

“Hahaha! If my first fan made this lunch with care, how could I refuse? I’ll eat it gratefully!”

“…Haa?! W-What! Idiot, I said I made it for myself, but my lunch date in Seoul got canceled…!”

“Haha, but that doesn’t change that it’s a carefully made lunch. Look, the rice wrapped in egg is even shaped like a cute bunny.”

…No matter how much she grumbled and acted mad—

My heart didn’t hurt at all when I took the lunch.

That rigid status window, with barely a grain of flexibility—

Would crush my heart without hesitation if a gift’s sincerity was even slightly lacking, or its cost even a bit too high.

So, the fact that Revi’s ‘gifts,’ given with random excuses, don’t hurt my heart—

Means the sincerity in this lunch is heavy enough for even that nasty status window to approve.

…And since there’s no pain at all, her story about a Seoul appointment was probably a lie.

She likely came all the way from Incheon to Seoul just to give me this.

The status window is so damn strict about me accepting things—

That a lunch packed with side dishes and even fruit for dessert causes no fuss—

It’s only possible because of the immense care put into it.

So, despite her grumbling and acting annoyed—

Revi, who worries about me eating only ramen and brings me heartfelt lunches even during hero work, is undeniably a good person.

Well, that’s probably why she became a hero in the first place.

“Hahaha! Whatever the reason, I got a lunch full of care, so I’ll eat it gratefully!”

“…Hmph. Whatever. It’s not like I put that much effort into it.”

“Haha, sure, let’s go with that.”

‘Hehehe! Jackpot. It’s loaded with japchae too? Hmm, it smells a bit off, but who cares! It’s been forever since I had real pork instead of cheap sausage!’

Chomp—!

“…Uh? Is this… not japchae…?”

…But then, though the smell was slightly odd—

Covered by thick red sauce, I didn’t think much of it.

Assuming it just went a bit bad on the way from Incheon to Seoul, I took a bite without much worry.

(My stomach can digest rocks, so no big deal.)

…But even my heart, which could take an intercontinental missile, started to throb slightly—

A familiar pain creeping in.

“Huh…? That’s buldak beef? Kids don’t like soy sauce much these days, and I heard young moms often add a bit of buldak sauce, so I tried it. You like kid snacks like that katsu, right? Plain kimbap, cheap sausages, junk food like that.”

Gulp!

“…N-No! I didn’t make it with your tastes in mind, I just wanted to try it myself…! Ugh! I-I mean, I’m not—!”

Grip—!

“Ugh…! Revi, why… put red sauce on buldak beef…!”

…Damn it! Why’s this baseless cooking trend a thing? Is this another Korean food culture shift I missed because I’m stuck eating ramen and working nonstop…?

Have Koreans, pickled in spicy food, finally ruined their taste buds to the point of using buldak sauce instead of soy for bulgogi…?!

“Hic…! W-What’s wrong?! It’s not even that spicy, why are you clutching your chest…! Are you sick?! I told you not to overdo it!”

Ding!

[‘Heroes’ don’t seek rewards for their deeds. Nor do they show pain in front of others. A ‘hero’ must always be steadfast as a mountain.]

Grip—!

‘Ugh…! Damn status window, if you’re gonna do this, warn me before I accept it…! How was I supposed to know it was beef, not pork…!’

Grip!

“Ughhh…!!”

“No, no! Get up, you idiot! Sob! Q-Quick, an ambulance! No, I’ll carry you to the hospital…!”

[A hero never shows the pathetic sight of being carried by a woman.]

Grip! Grip—!

‘Damn it…! Even so, why does a lunch hurt this much…!? W-Was it not just beef, but hanwoo…?!’

“Sob! I-I’m sorry! I won’t say mean things anymore, just please don’t be hurt! Sob! To the hospital, quick…!”

[A hero never makes someone cry.]

“Ughhh…!! N-No, I’m not hurt—”

Grip—!

…Damn it! Now that I know the way out, I’m going to that school tomorrow and retiring as soon as possible!

‘Ugh! There’s got to be someone there fit to be my successor…!’

…And if there isn’t, I’ll make a ‘true hero’ myself, whatever that status window wants, and deliver them!

Grit—!

‘I’ve done this damn hero gig for fifteen years—that’s enough! I’ll find that successor tomorrow, no matter what…!’