I Became the 101st Hero – Chapter 12

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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‘Damn it.’

My throat was parched.

The sun beat down relentlessly.

How much longer did I have to walk?

After plunging into the depths of the lake, I found myself facing a desert.

A vast desert, stretching as far as the eye could see.

‘Speaking of which…’

There was no stated objective for this trial.

No instructions to defeat monsters or reach a specific location.

Then, Gwen’s words about the trials came to mind.

‘It seems the trials exploit a person’s weaknesses. Overcoming them is the trial itself.’

My greatest weakness.

If I could identify it, maybe I could figure out the objective of this trial.

I brought up my Status window and tried to analyze where I was weakest.

“Hmm…”

I couldn’t find an answer.

All my stats were abysmal to begin with.

Stamina, Strength, Agility, Mana—all were pathetically low. Even after gradually improving my Strength, Stamina, and Agility through basic exercises, this was the result.

Not only my Abilities, but my Skills and Traits were lacking as well. Excluding [Absolute Obedience], which was difficult to quantify, [Swordsmanship (B)] was somewhat decent compared to my other abilities, but that was it. It was nothing compared to the heroes who undertook these trials.

‘It’s impossible to pinpoint a specific weakness with this.’

If I had to choose, I supposed Stamina, with its abysmally low rating, was the most likely culprit.

‘If Stamina is the weakness…’

I scanned the surrounding desert.

The endless desert shimmered with heat waves.

“Should I just start walking?”

Right, no matter how endless it seemed, there had to be an end somewhere. Perhaps an oasis along the way.

If the trial was testing my stamina, then escaping this desert or finding an oasis was likely the goal.

And so, I started walking.

‘Damn it.’

It didn’t take long for me to solidify that assumption.

However, that didn’t mean success in the trial.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

My throat burned with thirst.

The sun relentlessly scorched my skin.

How much longer?

Sweat dripped from my brow, forming tiny dark spots on the sand.

I had taken off my hood for a moment but was forced to pull it back on, unable to bear the sun’s intense heat.

Looking ahead, I saw the same endless expanse of desert.

‘Damn…’

There was no sign of an oasis, not even the slightest bit of shade to rest under.

It was as if the trial was deliberately trying to kill me.

My throat felt like it was on fire.

‘Inventory.’

I reached into my inventory and pulled out a water flask.

I hadn’t anticipated this situation, but I had packed it in case I ended up stranded somewhere.

Since there was no one around, there was no need to hide the use of my inventory. I had already stored all the heavy equipment I was carrying inside.

‘I have to ration this.’

There was no telling how long I’d be wandering this forsaken desert.

I had to save the water for emergencies, taking only sips when absolutely necessary.

I brought the flask to my lips.

The refreshingly cool water flowed down my throat, momentarily quenching my thirst.

Just a little more, and I could savor the feeling of it coating my entire mouth. I had to stop myself.

‘Stop.’

My hand, about to tip the flask further, froze.

Once the flow was interrupted, putting the flask back into my inventory was easy.

As much as it pained me, I resumed my trek through the desert.

‘The sun will set soon anyway.’

The sun was already low in the sky.

Once night fell, I could rest for a bit.

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I was wrong.

Chatter. Chatter. Chatter.

The sound originated from none other than my own mouth.

My teeth chattered uncontrollably from the cold.

‘Now I’m going to freeze to death.’

The scorching sand had vanished, replaced by the biting chill of the desert night.

As I tried to get some sleep, despite the cold…

A rustling sound reached my ears. I was alone out here. It must be the wind, I thought, closing my eyes again.

Swoosh.

That was no wind.

I scrambled to my feet.

Darkness shrouded the desert, making it impossible to see. Only the stars and moon provided a faint glimmer of light.

Amidst the darkness, something shimmered. Two glowing points, with a vaguely discernible form illuminated by the moonlight behind them.

Wolves.

To encounter wolves even here… fate must have had a twisted sense of humor.

And this time, it wasn’t just one.

True to their nature, they traveled in a pack, several pairs of glowing eyes staring at me from the darkness.

‘Dangerous.’

The wolves were observing me, not yet attacking.

But I couldn’t count on them simply watching me forever.

I reached into my inventory and drew my sword. The wolves flinched slightly at the sight of the blade glinting under the moonlight.

‘Come and get me.’

There were only five of them.

With my [Swordsmanship (B)], I shouldn’t lose to a bunch of wolves.

The problem was, they seemed to be aware of that fact as well.

They surrounded me, keeping their distance, but refused to make the first move.

‘What are they up to?’

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I soon realized their intentions.

These cunning hunters were trying to wear me down.

Every night, like clockwork, the wolves appeared as the sun set, surrounding me, only to disappear again at daybreak.

‘Damn bastards.’

Because of them, I hadn’t slept properly for days, forced to keep moving through the desert.

I couldn’t risk falling asleep. The moment I let my guard down, they would pounce, tearing me to shreds.

‘Just how vast is this damn desert?’

The lack of sleep, coupled with the relentless desert heat, was taking its toll. My body felt like it was falling apart.

But despite walking for so long, I hadn’t encountered anything besides those wolves.

‘Could I be going in the wrong direction?’

In truth, I had no idea which way I was even headed.

I was trying my best to move in a straight line, so I was confident I hadn’t backtracked, but that was about it.

‘If the trial is testing my stamina, then I must be doing something right.’

I retrieved the water flask from my inventory.

The sound of the remaining water sloshing inside was both comforting and alarming.

‘Damn.’

Suppressing the urge to gulp it down, I looked ahead.

I had just crested a sand dune.

Beyond it lay the same endless expanse of desert.

No, not entirely endless.

In the distance, I could just make out another sand dune.

Perhaps beyond that dune lay an oasis, or even the edge of the desert.

But there was no guarantee.

‘That’s what I’d thought every single time.’

There had to be an end beyond that dune.

With that thought in mind, I had crossed countless dunes already.

And every single time, all that greeted me was more desert and another dune in the distance.

‘Would there really be an end beyond this one?’

I was starting to doubt it.

With my current stamina and remaining water, I could probably reach that dune.

But the experience would be nothing short of hellish. My journey so far was a testament to that.

It could even be worse than what I had already endured.

‘Damn it.’

I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I simply slumped down onto the sand.

The sand, scorching hot from the sun, burned against my skin.

But I couldn’t find the will to get up.

Rustle.

A sound caught my attention.

Looking around, I saw the wolves.

They were closing in, sensing my exhaustion.

A hollow chuckle escaped my lips.

“Ha…”

What if, even if I dragged myself to that dune, it wasn’t the end?

Based on my experience so far, that seemed more likely.

Was I supposed to push past my physical limits? That was nothing but a fool’s delusion.

No matter how hard one tried, there was a limit to what the human body could endure.

Besides, I was running out of water. Even if I somehow persevered, I’d die of thirst.

If this was truly a test of stamina…

Wasn’t this enough?

I’d done my best, hadn’t I?

It was at that moment.

‘What?’

My vision blurred.

Dizziness? Or was it a heat haze?

The distorted scenery snapped back into focus, and I realized my surroundings had changed.

And to my surprise, it was a place I knew all too well.

‘This is…?’

My room.

Not Allen’s room, but my cramped, messy room back on Earth.

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