Raising A Hero – Chapter 1

Ch 1: Prologue

December, 2017.

Gang Ji-hyuk was discharged from the military on a day when the first snow fell heavily. He put an end to his military life, which would have been a success if he had come out healthy, and he finally became a civilian. He was 24 years old at the time.

Still, it wasn’t like he did nothing in the army. He read books diligently, prepared for his return to school, and worked out. Everything was truly ideal. …Well, until then.

Ji-hyuk didn’t want to live diligently from the moment he became a civilian. There were still a couple of months left before his return to school. So he resolved to have fun for a month.

Yes, even that wasn’t a big problem. …However, who would have known that a word from a close friend he met at a drinking party would completely change Gang Ji-hyuk’s life?

“Hey, have you played Raising a Hero?”

“…Raising a Hero?”

“It’s a game that was released recently. It’s a real masterpiece. The community is going crazy over it right now.”

Gang Ji-hyuk burst into laughter at the naming sense.

“Raising a Hero, my a*s.”

“A lot of guys laughed like that. Once you play it, you’ll feel more affectionate towards the name.”

“Okay, okay. I got it. I’ll try it out when I have time.”

Three days after that conversation.

Gang Ji-hyuk was wondering if there were any games to play, and he came across the name Raising a Hero again while browsing. It seemed that a fandom called Yongkidan had formed not long after its release.

Is it that fun?

The price was quite expensive, so he looked into it. It definitely looked fun. And Gang Ji-hyuk also enjoyed these kinds of raising simulation games.

Should I buy it or not?

The price was 68,000 won without any discounts. It was enough money to go to a motel with a girl twice and still have some left over.

However, the ratings were so good that his mind gradually leaned towards buying it.

After agonizing over it for about 10 minutes, he finally pressed the purchase button. With a few clicks, 68,000 won vanished in an instant.

He had some silly thoughts like, ‘Should I have made a game too?’, and then started the installation. It took quite a while. The capacity was so large that he had to delete games he didn’t play.

When he woke up after taking a nap, the game installation was complete. It was already dark outside.

Should I try it now?

Gang Ji-hyuk twisted his stiff body from side to side and then clicked the play button.

At that moment, all the light in the world went out.

…And he fell into that damn world.

1st Playthrough.

Died on the third day of the tutorial, head chewed by a monster.

2nd Playthrough.

Died on the last day of the tutorial, head smashed by an Orc’s club.

3rd Playthrough.

Managed to pass the tutorial after all sorts of hardships, but wandered around like a beggar and died of illness. Wasted 2 years here.

4th Playthrough.

Cheated to avoid starving to death, but was stabbed to death by the other party. Wasted 2 years here.

5th Playthrough.

Barely managed to survive as a porter for a mercenary corps, but was caught by a band of thieves and died. Wasted 4 years here.

6th Playthrough.

Became a mercenary somehow and wandered the continent, but died in the infamous Demon Realm, head chewed by a monster. Wasted 6 years here.

7th Playthrough.

Became a veteran mercenary with the experience from before, but unfortunately got hit in the back of the head by a stray arrow and died. Wasted 5 years here.

8th Playthrough.

Decided to try to make a name for himself and entered a no-name Hero Academy, doing all sorts of odd jobs and barely becoming a D-class Hero. However, his body was torn apart by an Evil Beast on his first expedition and died. Wasted 8 years here.

9th Playthrough.

After all sorts of hardships and adversities, he finally became a B-class Hero. He was really looking forward to seeing the light, but after passionate sex with a female assassin sent by an enemy, he was stabbed to death. Wasted 12 years here.

At this point, his strong mentality started to crack a little.

What the h*ll!!!

10th Playthrough.

Now, with his skills and eloquence as seasoned as they could be, he quickly rose to success. He became an A-class Hero in just 5 years of being a Hero, but unfortunately died after being seduced by a Succubus’s c*nt in the Cursed Tower. 8 years wasted here.

11th Playthrough.

F*ck it, let’s just do whatever I want. He gave up on being a Hero and went into the underworld, committing all sorts of evil deeds. He killed the male Heroes who came to eliminate him and made the females his sex slaves. Then, he was eventually beheaded by an S-class Hero who came to kill him. 10 years wasted here.

12th Playthrough.

Lived without greed, as if he had attained enlightenment. He stopped thinking about Earth. He became suspicious that maybe his self here was his real self. But that wasn’t it. Eventually, he committed suicide. 5 years wasted here.

13th Playthrough.

Started living diligently again, aiming to become an S-class Hero. After many twists and turns, he finally became an S-class Hero in 10 years. He felt like he had the whole world at this point. But then he learned that there was a league of their own here. And he fought the Demon King for the first time. He almost won, but he was careless at the end and unfortunately died. 12 years wasted here.

…And, the long-awaited 14th Playthrough.

With all the skills and experience he had accumulated so far, Gang Ji-hyuk was promoted at lightning speed. He set an unprecedented record of becoming an S-class Hero in just 6 years of being a D-class Hero. He gained great colleagues too. He subjugated several Demon Kings. He even made the Succubus Queen his sex slave.

Finally, he had a final battle with the Great Demon King Carmine. And he was utterly defeated there.

Ah… d*mn it, I don’t have enough power….

Gang Ji-hyuk realized there.

He can’t defeat the Great Demon King with his own strength alone.

At that moment, the game’s name flashed through his mind.

━ Raising a Hero

Ah.

He has to raise, Heroes.

17 years here.

…And, Gang Ji-hyuk entered his 15th Playthrough.