Chapter 1: Heroes that heroes don’t want to do

That day, nothing special happened; I was simply playing a mobile tower defense game featuring heroes and villains in my room.

“Ugh, why are the enemies’ attack stats so high…? And the heroes, their skills have such finicky activation conditions….”

When the difficulty proved too challenging, I splurged 19,900 won.

‘I had simply drawn one absurdly overpowered pay-to-win unit with the ‘Invincible’ trait.’

“Alright, now the game’s actually playable. This ridiculously tanky boss will be gone in an instant—”

Thud.

And just like that, I was.

I had transmigrated into that damn game.

****

Roughly 40 years ago.

What people called meta-abilities, or superpowers, began to manifest.

“Aargh! Fire’s shooting from my hands?!”

Whoosh—!

“Kyaaah—! M-my neck suddenly stretched—!”

Stretch—!

Amidst that chaos, some meta-ability users with wicked hearts.

Like something out of a hero movie from a theater screen, they began to plunge the world into disarray, using their powers to commit all sorts of heinous crimes.

“Hahahaha! Hey, wench, your backside looks quite plump! Fill this bag with cash, then you’re coming with me!”

“H-huh…! P-please, someone help—”

Smack!

“Heheheh! You foolish wench, I’m an augmented human who can bend tanks with my bare hands! Even if the army comes, they won’t catch me, so be a good girl and stay put!”

But when the world is plunged into deepest darkness, a sun is bound to rise and drive away the night—.

Boom—!

“Eek—! I-it’s Smile! Captain…!! Smile has appeared!”

“Aaargh!!! Why is that lunatic in Incheon?! Isn’t his jurisdiction Seoul?!”

“…Augmented Human Strong. I am arresting you for bank robbery, indecent assault, and assaulting a civilian.”

To counter the malevolent villains, the world now had countless nationally certified heroes, even professionally trained by government agencies.

Day and night, they thwarted the villains’ atrocious and vile deeds.

Crrraaaash—!!

“Aargh! My arm! My arm that even cannons couldn’t break—!!”

“Are you unharmed, citizen?”

“Y-yes, heheh…! U-um, if you’re not too busy, perhaps I could offer you a cup of tea as thanks….”

A grin spread across his face—.

“Haha! It’s quite alright. Your smile, citizen, is the greatest reward for me.”

“G-gah! Y-yes, heheh! Th-then I’ll keep smiling! From now on, I’ll smile ten times a day in the direction of Mr. Smile!”

“Haha! You are truly a person with a good sense of humor.”

And—.

Among such heroes today, the most iconic figure was none other than.

The tall, dark-haired man standing right here.

Born during the ‘Era of Chaos’ when the world was rapidly deteriorating due to villains using their abilities for evil.

He began his hero activities at the tender age of 15, and now, at 30 years old.

He had ushered in the current ‘Era of Stability,’ dedicating half his life to securing public safety in Korea, an invincible hero—.

The strongest hero of both the previous and current generations.

Known for never losing his smile towards citizens, no matter the adversity or hardship, which earned him his epithet.

He was Korea’s, and indeed the world’s, greatest hero, ‘Smile.’

****

Click—.

“Ugh…! I’m so dead tired…! Whose idiotic brain came up with this insane penalty that constricts my heart if I don’t work 18 hours a day…!”

[A ‘Hero’ always prioritizes the safety of others over their own comfort. Furthermore, a ‘Hero’ does not utter such vulgar language.]

My heart clenched—!

“Ugh! Alright, alright! But even a hero should get one day off a year, shouldn’t they?!”

Clutching my constricting heart, I glared intensely at that wretched status window from my tiny gosiwon room (TL Note: A Korean term for a small, inexpensive single room for students or workers, often without private bathroom facilities.)—a room so small, less than two meters in length, that I bumped my head every time I stood up.

The reason I, known as Korea’s greatest hero, slept in such a cramped gosiwon room with shared bathrooms was simple.

…I was currently a ‘basic livelihood recipient’ (TL Note: Someone receiving government assistance for basic living expenses due to low income.) in an ‘unemployed’ state, receiving merely 600,000 won per month in housing and medical support from the government.

While it might be a cliché for heroes without inherited wealth or a main profession to be poor.

Even so, in this day and age, where ‘heroes’ were treated as professions more coveted than celebrities or sports stars in the original world.

For me, working 18 hours a day, seven days a week, to be a basic livelihood recipient.

…It truly felt like it was going too far.

Of course, there were many wealthy fans who offered more than just a sweet proposal for a place to live.

They would even beg me to live in a grand mansion they offered as a gift—.

But every time, that damn status window would….

[A ‘Hero’ does not receive monetary compensation for their activities. The only reward a ‘Hero’ can accept is the smiles of citizens.]

…spout such nonsense and impose penalties that violently constricted my heart.

I had no choice but to refuse them all, tears welling up in my eyes.

…Every time that happened, people would talk about Smile’s noble spirit.

They would ramble on, claiming that today’s ‘heroes,’ who had turned into a profession and earned billions in annual salaries, were all fakes.

They would simply shed tears and praise me without restraint.

…Honestly, once, an idol appeared as a panelist on a famous TV show.

They vehemently disparaged the current heroes, who had become half-celebrities, and elevated me, proclaiming that only Smile was a ‘hero’ in the true sense of the word.

You have no idea how much my heart clenched.

I already faced stinging glares from some heroes my age because I worked this dangerous job without a single penny.

Why would a celebrity, who also lived off their popularity from TV, hold heroes to such strict standards and elevate me?

Their excessive consideration brought me to the verge of tears.

Of course, whenever that happened—

[A Hero does not cry. A Hero’s spirit must always be tougher than steel.]

That damn status window would violently constrict my heart, making it impossible to truly cry.

“Damn it, if only I could, I’d want to work for proper pay, like everyone else!”

So, I glared at that crazy status window again, my eyes narrowed in frustration, as it started to gently constrict my heart for yet another complaint.

…It wouldn’t change anything, but at least it eased my frustration a bit.

‘Ugh, how long do I have to live like this? What is that damned ‘condition’ anyway…!’

Ding—!

[Possessed Ability: Invincible Hero]

[Effect: Ignores all damage. You are the strongest hero.]

[Penalty: All unheroic actions are strictly forbidden. You cannot retire until you meet the ‘condition.’]

Incidentally, the mobile game I played before falling into this cursed world naturally didn’t have such bizarre penalties.

The ‘Invincible’ hero unit I had drawn was brokenly overpowered, with no other penalties whatsoever, except for the one drawback that you absolutely had to make a cash-shop purchase (TL Note: A Korean slang term for ‘cash-shop purchase’ or ‘pay-to-win,’ where players spend real money in a game.) to acquire it.

I could only surmise that it was a side effect, a kind of glitch that occurred as the original game units’ penalties—like ‘2x physical damage,’ ‘3x skill cooldown,’ or ‘1.5x damage from ice element’—were suitably modified to fit reality.

Perhaps the unit’s sole drawback, the fact that the user had to pay money for a ‘cash-shop purchase’ (a sacrifice?) to protect the city in the game.

Was it twisted and reflected in this wretched way?

…Well, no matter how much I racked my brain thinking about such things.

There was still nothing I could do today.

That rectangular status window, whether a privilege or a curse bestowed upon me when I transmigrated here, was invisible to others.

It would constantly nitpick, telling me what I couldn’t do, or what wasn’t allowed.

Yet, it never provided any truly important information.

“Haa… I don’t know. I’ll just get some sleep. I’ll have to deploy again right after I catch a wink….”

So, after 15 years of being here, forcibly working as an unpaid hero, protecting citizens.

I had half-given up on the idea of retiring from this cursed profession and lay down on my narrow bed, hoping to catch some sleep during the brief respite I was given.

Ring—! Ring—!

“…Damn it, another call? I’m human, a human. Please, just let me sleep comfortably! How urgent could it be to call instead of text?!”

I shot up!

“Yes, this is Hero Smile. I’ll deploy immediately, so please inform me of the villains’ location—”

–Ah! Dohyul! Long time no see. It’s Junghak-hyun! You’re still busy as ever!

But then, from beyond the outdated cell phone, a voice spoke.

–The thing is, we have a lot of excellent new students this year. I know you’re busy beyond belief, but if you, as a first-generation graduate, could spare a moment to give an entrance speech for the juniors….

“I apologize. As I always say, the safety and peace of citizens are always my priority, so please ask other excellent fellow heroes—”

Ding—!

[Retirement ‘Condition’ unlocked.]

[Once you discover the next generation’s ‘true hero’ to succeed you, you will be able to retire freely without ability penalties.]

‘…What? Now, retirement…?’

Beep—.

–Huh? Hello, Dohyul? Can you hear me? Hmm, is the signal bad? You know, you should really replace that ancient smartphone that even old folks don’t use….

Along with the voice of a senior hero who had long since retired and was living the good life teaching kids, a life I envied to death—

‘I can really, truly retire from this wretched life…?’

The possibility of ‘retirement,’ something I had so desperately dreamed of and couldn’t possibly refuse, had finally emerged.

–Seriously, you should switch to a wearable phone that straps to your arm. They don’t cost much these days, and I can even help you out if you need it, so stop being stubborn….

“…Come to think of it, observing how well the juniors are growing seems just as important as hero activities. Alright. This year, I’ll somehow manage to make time, even if just for a moment.”

Click.

–Oh! Really?! That’s a great idea! Then I’ll adjust the speech schedule, so if you could text me your available times and dates… Huh? Is the signal bad again?

Beeeeep—! Beeeeeep—!

‘Heheheh! Finally…! I finally found out the condition…! Phew! That means I’m definitely retiring now! I’ll quit this dreadful unpaid hero life without a second thought, as soon as possible…!’