Prologue

Getting the Wrong Ending

I'm just a simple guy, you know?

Just your run-of-the-mile college student. 20 years old, living with his parents, barely above average grades, not even that good looking if I had to be honest.

I think "mediocre" would be the best way to describe me, but some would simply say "average"

At least I got myself a girlfriend, so I had that going on for me.

So you can imagine my shock when I was transported to a completely different world for the sake of becoming its "hero"

Now I know what you might be thinking. What is there to complain about? An adventure of epic proportions with nothing but glory waiting at the end? Sounds great, right?! Yeah well, is not that simple in reality.

Imagine being trapped in the most basic, generic, rushed out rol game you can think off, now add that to the fact that I was pretty happy with my life before being called here, and you'll have a general idea of how much of a nightmare this was for me.

I honestly don't want to sound too whiny, and I'm sure there are some people back in my world that would enjoy being in a place like this, but I rather continue living my normal, boring life than having to act like a Hero all the time.

At least that way I don't have to worry about getting killed by some enthusiastic Dark Lord.

Ahh right, the Dark Lord, almost forgot about him. Of course such a fantasy world like this has its big bad villain that I, as the 'Hero', was forced to defeat. Now I'm not going to bore you with the details, as it was really underwhelming, but suffice to say that I was victorious.

It took me a whole year, but my companions and I were finally able to end our quest.

And of course I expected my typical fantasy ending in which I had a tearful goodbye with everyone I had met so far, promising to never forget about them just before being send back right at the same time I had been called, and then living my life to the fullest as a changed man.

Cliché as hell, I know, but honestly I didn't really care, I only wanted my boring life back.

But as you can probably tell by the title, this painfully generic world that I had lived for a year decided to throw a twist right at the end.

Numb. That was probably the best word to describe how I was feeling right now as my whole body was sprawled in the luxurious bed below me, my eyes glued to the ceiling above, my face set in a frown.

A sigh escaped my lips as I moved into a sitting position while grabbing a pillow with my hands. It felt extremely soft to the touch, which was perfect for what I was about to do.

A frustrated scream escaped me, one that I of course made sure to muffle with the pillow in my hands; I wouldn't want anyone to bargain in my room thinking that I was being attacked after all.

Now as you can probably tell, I wasn't in the best of moods. You might be wondering, what could make Elrin, the Hero of the Tcaray Kingdom, so upset?

I wasn't trying to brag, just so you know, I just couldn't find another way to introduce myself.

That isn’t my real name either, but it was the best thing I was able to come up to when the people here asked. Mine was really underwhelming after all, not fitting of a Hero.

But back on track, the reason for my discontent has to do with my current circumstances.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

As you might have guessed, I'm not from this world. Shocking, I know, but that's the truth, I swear.

...

Who am I kidding? If you're reading this then you probably already get the gist of it. One year ago I was send to this world in order to fight as its Hero and defeat the Dark Lord by request of the Princess of this Kingdom, alongside the companions that had joined my cause during my travels.

And yes, it was as cliché as it sounds. I mean, I don't consider myself an expert or anything, but I have played my fair share of rol games and read a few novels, so believe me when I said my adventure in this world of fantasy was as simple as it could get.

Beautiful Princess that asks for my help? Check.

A team of people that helps me, with each member having an interesting personality and back story, until you realize most of them are a walking cliché to the point that is hard to treat them as actual people and not characters in a game? Check.

Evil demon lord trying to take over? Check...kind off.

Magic, dragons, religious group and other mythical beings? Check and check.

So yeah, if I had to rate it as a game I would give it a 3/10, and that would be me being generous!

Combine that with the fact that I was happy with my mundane life back at my world, and you have some of the reasons for me to want to go back no matter what.

However it looks like I had underestimated this world that had obviously been crafted by someone that wasn't being paid enough, for instead of a tearful farewell and a ticket back home, what I got instead was a marriage proposal from the Princess alongside the promise of the position of King.

All of that had happened yesterday, in a public party to celebrate our victory over the Dark Lord nonetheless. With everyone eyes on me, I had no choice but to accept it as gracefully as one that was screaming on the inside could.

Maybe I shouldn't have gone full Paragon while being in this world, maybe that's why I unlocked this secret ending that I definitely didn't want, but can you blame me? That's the only way I know to act in a game.

And believe me, everything became a lot easier when you just treated this as a massive game. Not a good one, mind you, but one none the less.

My real honest reaction to that announcement? Well I am still screaming into a pillow in the middle of the night, wasn't I?

Questioning the Princess in private hadn't helped either. I can still remember the teary look she gave me as soon as I mentioned going back, even going as far as to hug me.

I'm sorry, my dear girlfriend, even though I swear I didn't cheat on you I promise to make it up to you once I get back.

And now my throat even hurts from screaming, just what I needed.

A quick walk to the bathroom had me looking at my reflection in the mirror, water dripping from my face as a deadpanned expression was reflected in front of me, alongside my black eyes and slightly long brown hair. I was even a little bit tanned, not surprising considering the amount of time I spent under the sun.

A sigh escaped my lips as I massaged the bridge of my nose, already dreading the incoming headache. The Princess wasn’t going to help me get back, that much was for sure. Honestly based on everyone’s reaction when it was announced I would stay as King, I doubt I would get help from anyone I knew here.

Well, there was always that one guy…

This time it was a groan that escaped my lips. Asking for his help was absolutely the last thing I wanted to do, but it really looked like I had no other choice.

I knew I had no time to lose though, after all the last thing I want is to end becoming a King of all things.

I don’t even know how to pay taxes back in my world; how the hell was I supposed to rule a kingdom?!

I’m really sorry Princess, but you’ll have to find another one to propose to, I’m already taken you see, and she would kill me if she knew about this.

A part of the story I will certainly censor once I get back.

Moving swiftly across the room, I packed everything I could in a small leather bag. Sadly this world wasn’t as convenient as would think, so I didn’t have something like an infinite inventory to put everything.

The journey wouldn’t be long anyway, I just needed to get out of the capital, find a clear enough spot and then I could contact that guy there.

I decided to put a cloak in order to hide my face, after all being a Hero meant you were pretty much the closest thing to a celebrity, something that was now coming to bite me in the ass.

Ahh, maybe I shouldn’t have gone through everything that even slightly looked like a side-quest.

Stupid completionist side of me.

My eyes then fell on what many would call my trusty partner. It sounded poetic enough, but in the end a sword was just a sword, the beautiful looking silver blade resting on a corner of the room, shinning with pride in the darkness of the night.

Yep, definitely can’t take it with me, I might as well put on an armor and scream my name if I did. Sorry there partner, but I honestly hope we never see each other again.

After giving one last look to the room I moved towards the balcony, more than ready to jump down from it. I could see the city from here, and I knew I would only have until morning before they realized I had left.

And with my luck that probably meant a man-hunt.

Well, time to hit the road, even if I was relatively unarmed I was more than prepared to deal with anything that came, so it was definitely time to go back home!...

…I just jinxed myself, didn’t I?