Tale 0 -『Destiny』

Destiny betrays in two ways - by refusing our wishes and by fulfilling them.

This was the important lesson that I ever learnt on my path to become a hero. More on that later.

My name is Nero.

Ever since I was old enough to read, I was fascinated with heroes. The idea of saving people, rescuing princesses, killing monsters, saying memorable one-liners… what’s not to like?

And so I vowed to become one. Even my name was perfectly suited.

Nero the Hero.

But having a good name is not enough to be a hero. You need to be special.

I mean sure, hard work helps. But the element of luck is undeniable, right? True hero material always needs to be more. It doesn’t matter where it comes from, or how it works, but somehow or the other, they always seem to have the 『Hero Trinity』.

What’s that? The three requirements for any hero.

The Hero will possess an unique special weapon. Examples - The Holy Sword Gram, Baltsric’s Kukri, Zuriel’s Bow.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

The Hero has absurdly powerful sorcery or a secret skill. Examples - FireSoul Slash, Earth’s Judgement, and of course, the Punch of a Thousand Exploding Suns.

The Hero will be referred not by name, but by a ludicrous title. Examples - Maelstrom, Unseen Thief, Saviour of Vuleen.

Of course, even more criteria could be applied, but these three were absolute. Every hero would have the 『Hero Trinity』, and then he became a hero.

And it always bothered me. That’s why I decided I would be the first one, a hero through hard work alone.

And so I changed my life into one of extremes, always pushing myself. I trained my body while others wasted their time away. I spent my free time learning archery, swordplay and magecraft. I read everything I could get my hands on.

I had only one goal. Each day I strove towards it. Each night I dreamt of it. And I was certain that I would be a hero. After all, hard work never betrayed.

Destiny did.