The Retired Hero is an Extra
Chapter 171 - 171: A Hero’s Unwritten End

Being one of the most talented, Helios had garnered quite a few enemies and because of the women's affection, the enemies only multiplied.

By the end of the academy, he had tons of people coming for his life, but he turned them into experience packages.

After defeating countless assassins and becoming accustomed to such threats, he found it easier to handle them than deal with the often annoying monsters.

Time after time, month after month, year after year, he ended up reaching S-Rank before the age of 25.

Becoming the youngest to do so, he was celebrated in the world as the Hero of the young generation.

It all changed, however, when it was revealed that he was blessed by the Goddess herself.

People began calling him the second coming of Adonis Solarnelle, the first hero blessed by the Goddess herself.

Naturally, he became revered by the common populace while feared by those in power, afraid of losing their power and authority.

Regardless, Helios cared little about it all, choosing to go clear dungeons and areas of dungeon breaks to save people.

It only served to establish him as a hero as he broke all present records by reaching even SSS-Rank at a young age.

All of it was going well until life threw him a cruel twist.

The sky dungeons increased in number, ranks, strengths, and mana in the world became denser.

Over time, the abundance of mana in the environment led to Hunters achieving random breakthroughs to higher sub-ranks.

Naturally, monsters thrived more than humans in such environments, growing in number and taking down human settlements.

The threats from monsters and dungeons only continued to escalate.

However, the worst was yet to come when the elven and dwarven domain suffered massive damage due to multiple dungeons at S-Rank and over opened.

Due to the lower number of hunters, many populaces were relocated, decreasing the total area of their domains.

As time went on, the situation worsened despite more and more people praying to the Goddess when the Cult of Death showed up.

No one knew it even existed when they showed up randomly, wearing skeleton masks and doing wanton slaughters all across.

Not only humans, elves, dwarves, even monsters—they cared little about who.

They seemed to have a craving for blood, irrespective of its source, causing chaos and mayhem everywhere.

Yet more cults like this sprung up out of nowhere, taking down a large chunk of civilians and even unaware hunters with them.

In the end, even Helios felt hopeless when he heard the Goddess say that the world would end soon if he didn't surpass SSS-Rank.

Helios finally obtained the true legacy of his predecessor, Adonis Solarnelle.

Nevertheless, there wasn't enough time for Helios to be able to rank up and help in fighting against the threats at the same time.

And the situation seemed to worsen with time when finally the skies and earth itself split open, hordes of monsters attacking the planet.

The majority were weak, and the SSS-Rank hunters easily took down half of them before meeting their match.

Only, Helios had to fight someone above SSS-Rank, a rank that none even knew existed until then.

With the blessing from the Goddess, the legacy from the previous hero, countless opportunities and resources being showered on him, Helios reached Peak SSS-Rank.

But when he was on the verge of going for a breakthrough, the cunning enemy attacked, wanting to give them a taste of hope before destroying it.

It wasn't a demon nor was it a human, but a completely different being, who only mocked all their efforts.

Helios even asked why in anger, and the response stunned him.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! You think defeating them or me would be the end? How laughable!"

"We are but merely his pawns and when he comes, even that Goddess of yours will scurry away, isn't she a bitc–"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE GODDESS WITH THAT FILTHY MOUTH OF YOURS!!"

Helios experienced a rage so intense it was almost alien to him, finding it strange.

For the first time, he felt that the emotions weren't truly his, but it mattered little as the rage served to function as the trigger.

Like any protagonist, he ranked up in the middle of the battle.

Unfortunately, his enemy couldn't care less and annihilated others while Helios ranked up, being protected by the Goddess herself.

As a result, more than 70% of the humans, elves and dwarves ended up dead by the time Helios ranked up.

In a fit of rage he clashed against the enemy general, unaware of not having stabilized his own condition.

Still, he was blessed by a Goddess, who loved her chosen, protecting him from the shadows and helping him in the fight discreetly.

Nevertheless, Helios was bound to fail a world that was destined to meet its end at the hands of a higher being.

Even after defeating the enemy general on his own last breaths, Helios saw the scene of the sky tearing apart and a weird creature stepped in.

Just its gaze left him in fear and trembling.

It looked around, clicked its tongue, if it had any, and turned away, not even caring about anyone.

"This guy... he's not the leader..."

That was all Helios could mutter before someone else showed up and eliminated everything off the planet, be they Helios's allies or enemies.

After giving his all to save the world from its impending doom, Helios still failed at it.

And it faced the same ending as Jash's previous world, just at the hands of a different being with completely different goals.

Helios was the last person alive in that world, looking at the spectacle, which chilled his soul.

Due to his identity as a blessed, he had a strong protection on his soul and existence, something the newcomer notices, so they completely ignored Helios.

It led to him seeing it all as his tears of sorrow, regret, grief and even anger dried out.

He was stranded in the open world, looking at the crumbling buildings and living beings, leaving behind nothing but pools of blood.

His emotions itself fizzled out as he witnessed the harrowing sight of the world's end, something neither Jash nor Amael knew about.

They only knew that the world was in danger, the why-how eluded them, and even the harrowing end Helios lived through.

Unable to even have coherent thoughts anymore, Helios stared vacantly at the sky and earth, waiting for the final gates to open and consume him.

It mattered little what would happen after death, but he wanted for it all to consume him and end his pain and misery.

Finally, he saw what he had been waiting for, he moved his wrecked body, when he realized it was impossible for him to move.

It was his soul that phased through everything, waiting for the final gates to open... to a new tomorrow.

It moved with the goal in mind, following the light that would set Helios free from this neverending hell.

However, his misery wasn't going to end any time soon.

Just as his soul neared what seemed to be the threshold of the afterlife, it unexpectedly vanished.

"O' tired warrior! O' brave soul! This one implores you to conclude thy journey!"

The sudden words rang in Helios's consciousness, something that shouldn't exist in his soul as he would have to be dead for it.

"I understand thy heart, but you must not stop from righting the wrong, rewriting what's written, altering it all,"

"That is thy journey, young warrior. Only thy shall decide what shall be its fitting end and when."

"Correct thy wrong, A Hero's Failure, thy unwritten end!"

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