By Zephyria 〈The Hero Who Didn’t Hide His Power Too Much〉 was quite a popular novel.
Uncharacteristic of a typical fantasy, the novel, which had been the subject of much discussion throughout its serialization, was discovered by Lee Jeong-hoon just before its ending.
[The Talked-About Novel, Ending Soon!]
Intrigued by the novel’s ending promotion on the platform, he clicked on it and binged it for several days. Just as he was about to finish it, the completed version was uploaded.
“What good luck~” he thought, delighted that he could read it to the end. He read it in his spare time during the mornings when he had relatively more free time.
Naturally, expecting a cliché ending where the protagonist defeats evil and lives happily ever after, the ending he encountered was… frankly, horrific.
Did they really not want to give it a happy ending?
After seeing the ending, Lee Jeong-hoon vented his frustration, frantically searching the internet for a second part or side stories. Disappointed to find none, he belatedly organized the morning’s deliveries.
Immediately after, Lee Jeong-hoon’s own life also came to a horrific end.
And then, he opened his eyes in this world.
Within the world of 〈The Hero Who Didn’t Hide His Power Too Much〉, as Eddie, the Owner of Eddie’s Inn, who was only mentioned in passing.
At the time, Eddie thought he had simply transmigrated into the novel.
However, as time passed, he realized he hadn’t just transmigrated into the novel, but had been incorporated as a character who intervenes in the story of the second part to save the protagonist… and was shocked by the fact that he had to proceed according to a predetermined ending.
Furthermore, he realized that he hadn’t transmigrated into this world as the character Eddie, but had been reborn as an Eddie who didn’t exist before, and thus realized that this world was not exactly the original work he had read.
He wondered why, but if the scene he had just witnessed was not an illusion, then the things Lee Jeong-han had placed in the coffin were not entirely meaningless.
But why?
Why Lee Jeong-hoon, of all people?
That part remained a mystery.
Creeeak, creeeak, creeeak
As the sound of gears continued, 〈The Hero Who Didn’t Hide His Power Too Much Part 2〉 fell silent after describing Eddie’s death. The subsequent story was not written, and only blank pages fluttered in the wind.
After all, he didn’t want to confirm what happened next. Having confirmed Eddie’s death in some way, Ketron must have been in unbearable pain, and Eddie didn’t want to see that.
There was only one reason why the story wasn’t continuing in that book.
The story had no intention of showing Eddie what happened next.
“From the beginning…”
Eddie opened his mouth. It felt a little strange to speak to a book, but this ‘story’ clearly had a will of its own. It could surely hear Eddie’s voice. Clearing his throat slightly, Eddie continued.
“Were you planning to kill me from the start? Or…”
Hesitating for a moment, Eddie clenched his lips.
“Or did you not want Ketron to change because of me?”
Perhaps it was both.
Naturally, the story showed no reaction. The narrow space, filled only with the creaking of gears, was dim, and with gears filling every corner, no exit was visible.
The space, filled only with the book, Eddie, and gears, felt eerily like the underworld.
Eddie, who had been standing blankly, clenched his fist tightly.
Sad.
…Painful.
Although this death was short, it was not without pain. As if by a cruel twist of fate, he had died from a stab wound, just like before.
He had died.
He had died, leaving Ketron behind.
“…Ah.”
Though there is nothing after death, in a way, being able to think such thoughts after death could be considered a blessing… but he felt no gratitude whatsoever.
Who would understand the feelings of someone who had been expelled from that world through death?
Well, Eddie, who had died once?
Eddie let out a hollow laugh and sank to the floor.
“Hah.”
This is insane.
Something was welling up inside him, but he couldn’t even define what emotion it was. It felt like anger, like regret, like sadness.
Life is unpredictable. He hadn’t imagined a future where he would live a full life, surrounded by loved ones, leave a final will, and pass away peacefully, as he had with his first death, but he never expected his end to come like this again.
Should he not have left, as the Holy Sword said?
No, if this story was determined to kill Eddie, even if he had avoided that moment, death would have found him eventually, like in that movie where you don’t know when you’ll die.
So, death was unavoidable; it was merely a matter of when.
From the story’s perspective, losing Eddie was not a disadvantage. Ketron, Gerold, and Ebon, enraged by Eddie’s death, could set out to defeat the Demon King, and with a slight shift in direction, the ending scene of Part 2 could be roughly depicted.
But, but.
“Why?”
Eddie also felt that the story did not favor him. At first, he felt nothing, but when he realized Ketron had changed because of him, he felt the world’s hostility for the first time.
The vision of Part 2 he saw behind Ketron when Ketron confessed to Eddie was likely not a hallucination.
Perhaps it was a warning.
A warning not to change the story any further.
But Eddie had unintentionally ignored that warning, and this was the result.
He could never meet Ketron again.
As the image of Ketron’s face filled his mind, he felt utterly lost, and Eddie buried his face in his palms.
I haven’t even properly responded to your feelings yet.
He recalled how Ketron’s usually stoic face softened slightly when he looked at Eddie. Ketron’s gaze towards Eddie was always like that, as if he were looking at something more precious than anything in the world, as if he had never worn that expression of finding nothing interesting in the world.
“Eddie.”
Even though Eddie didn’t respond to his call, Ketron said what he wanted to say.
“I like you.”
Even if Eddie couldn’t return those feelings.
If he had known the story’s revenge would come in such a way, would it have been better to accept your feelings?
If these events had happened after he accepted his feelings, it would have been even more painful, so perhaps this is better?
He didn’t know. He didn’t want to think about what hadn’t happened.
“Why was it.”
After all, it was the same that he could never see him again.
“Why me?”
This story had summoned Lee Jeong-hoon to this world and made him Eddie.
Why him, of all people?
And then, deeming him unnecessary, it erased him from this world again. So easily.
Creeeak, creeeak, creeeak
The ceaseless grinding of gears was driving Eddie to the brink of madness.
“Answer me, you bastard!”
The moment Eddie screamed in desperation, a glowing door suddenly appeared behind him.
Eddie, who had been shedding tears without realizing it, quickly turned around.
The door, emitting a white light, looked similar to the dimensional portals frequently seen in cartoons. It was so radiant that it seemed as if one could go to heaven by passing through it.
But even the most ignorant person would know.
This was by no means a door to heaven. He didn’t even know if such things existed, but Eddie instinctively knew that the moment he passed through this door, his existence would completely vanish, let alone go to heaven or hell.
Most importantly, Eddie didn’t want to go to heaven right now.
“…”
Eddie pursed his lips and stepped further away from the door.
However, just as this world had forcibly expelled Eddie, the story seemed intent on expelling him from this space as well.
It was as if the time given so far was merely to allow him a moment to collect his thoughts.
Eddie’s body began to be pulled towards the door, as if being sucked into a black hole. It was as if he were being drawn by gravity.
“…!”
Instinctively, he searched for something to hold onto to avoid being pulled, but there was nothing to hold onto in this space.
Is it trying to suck me in and make me disappear?
Is it really insane? To take everything it can and then discard me like this?
“I’m not going!”
Of course, Eddie’s declaration of refusal wouldn’t suddenly make the story listen to him.
Eddie’s body was inexorably pulled towards the door. In the process, he stumbled and fell, but the smooth floor offered nothing to grip.
His body drew closer and closer to the door.
As he approached, the door, emitting a strange screeeeching sound, was a portal shaped like a door.
If swallowed, one would surely disappear.
Eddie’s existence would vanish.
That would mean eternal death. This time, he would never come back to life.
“I said I’m not going!”
The moment Eddie screamed again and squeezed his eyes shut.
CRASH!
Suddenly, an immense roar echoed from behind him. At the same time, the door, which had been inches from Eddie’s face, stopped approaching.
Eddie, who had his eyes shut tight, was startled and opened them wide, looking back.
The first thing he saw was a hand.
A pale white hand.
That hand was gripping 〈The Hero Who Didn’t Hide His Power Too Much Part 2〉 as if crushing it.