Hero, Please Help Us!

[SYSTEM NOTICE]

<A Quest Has Been Issued>

{The enemy forces have begun their assault and your aid is required to fend them off.}

<Parameters>

Success: Resist the Opposition alongside your allies and drive them away.

Failure: Your allies are eliminated and the Base is completely wiped out

—Reward: 5 Stat Points. 1 Skill (Active/Passive). 10 Karmic Value

—Failure: Death

~Do You Accept This Quest?~

[Yes] [No]

'What the hell?!'

Things just went from 0 to 100 real quick!

'Death? What kind of…!!!'

Why was I being assailed with such a Quest when I had just arrived?

Worst of all, my Stats were shit. I was practically fodder. The difficulty of this mission had to at least be Grade A.

'There's no way I'm accepting this!'

Instantly, I tapped the [No] icon, rejecting any form of involvement with such a dangerous mission.

[SYSTEM NOTICE]

<This is a Primary Quest>

~You can not refuse this Quest~

{You do not have enough Karmic Value to pay the Refusal Penalty}

The moment I saw this response, my heart started beating fast and my countenance fell. I turned pale and felt sick to my stomach.

'Shit, how could I forget!'

Without any Karmic Value, I didn't have any choice in accepting or rejecting the Quest.

The worst part was that I was being assigned a Primary Quest.

Other than the Root Quest, missions like these were probably the most important.

'Still… shit!'

There was no room for complaint, and my summoners were already looking at me with desperate eyes.

Being caught up in so many thoughts and worries, I decided to act calm and natural.

Complaining wasn't going to get me out of this mess, after all.

'Let's act like Damien… think like Damien!'

"Alright, I accept." My tone was definite and resolute.

I stared at the relieved people in front of me, as I strived hard to hide how incredibly nervous, I really was.

"Lead me to the battlefield."

They nodded instantly, and two of the four barbarians instantly left the tent.

The remaining two swiftly kept the curtains that served as the entrance open, allowing the evening breeze and dim light to pierce the mild darkness and stuffy air around us.

'Let's just hope for the best!' I gulped, moving out of the summoning circle.

The Priestess bowed as I walked past her, and moved to stand behind me, a bit to my right.

"T-thank you so much, Hero! Truly!" She pestered me with words of relief.

I could tell just how desperate they were. However…

'It's not like I had a choice in the matter! These guys just dragged a total stranger into their own mess!'

Orange light from the setting sun greeted me as I stepped out of the tent.

I felt a warm breeze envelop me, causing me to close my eyes for a moment.

The moment I opened them, though, I was met with yet another devastating surprise.

'This… what is the meaning of this?!'

We were in a wasteland!

I saw many tents pitched around the one I just came out of—all were in even worse conditions than the one behind me.

Based on what my eyes were seeing, it would seem that my summoners had indeed used their best facilities to summon me.

My jaws nearly dropped as I took in the horrifying sight around me.

'This is horrible…'

It looked like a camp full of misery and despondency.

The tents around had tears all over them. They looked so worn out that I gulped at how awful they were.

'People actually… live here?!'

"Hero, please… let us hurry!" A voice came from behind me.

It belonged to the Priestess, and I could see the look of pain hidden behind her eyes.

Her tone was urgent, but also very bitter.

My heart tightened, but… I made sure I acted completely composed.

"Alright, let's go. Where are the enemies?" This time, I turned to the bandit-looking guards who were around me.

Their two other colleagues must have departed to join the battle, so the remaining two had to be my entourage.

"About that…" One of them looked completely at a loss for words.

I glanced at the second one, hoping for a better answer.

"We are surrounded, Hero…"

'Holy shit!'

"The enemy's forces have completely trapped us in…"

'No. No. No!!!'

"… They're closing in on us even as we speak, preventing any route of escape…"

'Please, no!'

"… The battle is more intense at the Northern Gate, though. That's where we're headed!"

At that point, there was only one emotion that was rising from the pit of my stomach.

I thought I could avoid it and act completely composed, but… at this point, it began to assume dominance over my entire body.

—FEAR!

'This is bad! This is bad! This is ba—!'

"Hero, please let us hurry!" They sounded desperate now.

Their comrades were most likely perishing, as they bought time for me to make a grand appearance, in order to protect them and save their entire base.

They were right to pressure me, their only hope.

There was only one problem, though…

'I'm weak!'

There was nothing I could do! I was completely useless!

Did they want someone who would most likely be a liability to them to join their battle for survival?

"O-okay…" For the first time, my speech faltered.

Still, I made sure not to break my expression.

'I can't decline the quest!'

We began moving quickly, and before I knew it, we started running.

'I can't refuse them!'

My breath was heavy, and my vision was blurry. I was slowly nearing my physical limit.

'I can't run away!'

The enemy had actually surrounded us.

There was nowhere to run to. No escape.

"Huff… Huff…" I tried to hide my exhaustion, but I was probably going to collapse soon.

It wasn't like I was in a particularly bad shape, but… I hadn't run like this in a very long time.

"There! That's the enemy horde!" One of the guards pointed right in front of me.

We had passed the vast wasteland already, and now that I had gotten closer to the large barrier that surrounded the entire encampment, I could see much better.

"This…!!!"

My eyes fearfully took in what was right before me.

'Heuukkk!!'

At this point, I didn't care about whether my face was calm or not.

I didn't bother looking around to see if their eyes were on me or not.

The sight unfolding right in front of me was the only thing that mattered.

'N-no way…'

I stopped in my tracks.

My body was trembling. I was breathing heavily, already at my body's limit.

Perspiration poured from my body at an unprecedented rate.

"N-no… no way…" My eyes bulged and my throat went completely dry.

This wasn't a dream, I knew.

It was reality.

Right in front of me… were corpses!

Brutalized flesh of humans littered the ground.

A large pool of dark red blood filled the ground.

I saw human parts scattered around, as well as the pained expressions of the dead men… and women.

However…

"CHARRRGEE!!!"

"HOLD THEM DOWN!!!"

"THE HERO IS HEREEE!!!"

"JUST HOLD ON A BIT LONGER!"

"JUST A BIT—UARGHH!!!"

… The people who were still alive fought with all their might.

I heard deafening battle cries.

I heard roars of war.

I heard bursts of power.

But, judging from what I was seeing and hearing, it was clear…

… who was going to win…

… and who would lose!

The reason for such carnage and calamity, my eyes were transfixed on them.

—The Demons!

I forced the last of my saliva down, shivering at the sight of the grotesque beings.

They had slimy black bodies, huge muscular builds, and an intense glare that seemed to pierce my very being.

'Lower Demons!' My mind rang.

With their drooling jaws and sharpened claws, they fought the struggling soldiers, overwhelming them with both numbers and power.

"GURRUUUUUUUU…."

Their disgusting voices banished all the strength from my body.

Before I knew it, I slumped to the ground, kneeling while placing both my hands on the cold ground.

I shivered violently.

Both because of the icy surface of the ground… and IMMENSE FEAR!

I didn't want to fully admit it before, but…

… I couldn't do anything here!

"Hero, please help us!" Someone beside me said.

"No… I… I…"

"Hero, we're counting on you!" Another voice rang in my ears.

"… I… I…"

"Hero, the enemies are right in front of you." Yet another person spoke.

"… I can't…"

"HERO. HERO. HERO. HERO. HERO. HERO. HERO. HERO. HERO." Voices upon voices overlapped.

Why couldn't they see for themselves? Why didn't they understand?

HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO! HERO!

Couldn't they see for themselves?

'I CAN'T DO SHIT!'

Still, their voices never stopped.

Someone knelt right beside me, cupped my face and lifted it up, before looking straight into my eyes

"Hero, please look at me!"

My blurry vision suddenly sharpened and I noticed the woman before me.

Tears streamed down her face and I saw pain, guilt, hopelessness, and several other emotions within those windows that led to her soul.

Nonetheless, something else lurked in the deepest recesses of her eyes.

—HOPE!

"Please…"

'I can't do it! I can't help you! Can't you see? I'm completely weak!'

"… Help…"

My heart raced at an unimaginably fast rate.

Even though I knew it was completely impossible to win…

Even when I knew the decided outcome…

"… Us!"

… Why was there a tiny glimmer of hope within me too?

From the reflection of the Priestess' eyes, I saw my face.

My face was calm.

It looked so confident.

It looked like the face of someone that could win.

'Why do I…'

I looked completely in control.

'… Have such a face?'

When I saw my confident look through her eyes, I felt an unimaginable amount of power surge through my body.

It wasn't extra energy or anything special. I still felt physically exhausted.

No, it was something I had long abandoned ever since I saw the scene of carnage.

It was…

"Fine… I'll help you."

… HOPE!

My body stopped trembling as I rose to my feet.

My pounding heart and screaming head suddenly reduced to a dead calm.

Everything came to a complete standstill and I felt a lull within me.

'It's alright…'

I felt a strange sense of confidence.

Even as the enemies closed in on us.

Even when more people died and despair rang all around.

Even when I knew I couldn't do anything to stop it.

The peaceful lull never left me.

'… I can win!'