I Became the 101st Hero – Chapter 47

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Finally found it.”

It had been five days since I entered the Chaos Realm, searching for the Trial.

After countless detours and close calls, I had finally found it.

“That was not easy.”

I had expected it to take a while, given that I had no information about its location. But I hadn’t anticipated this much hardship.

Chaos Beasts, bandits… I had already gone through enough trials before even reaching the actual Trial.

‘At least I found it.’

Looking back, it was a miracle I even stumbled upon it.

I had slipped and fallen down a hill, and there, at the bottom, was the entrance.

At the end of a tunnel, which seemed to have once been part of a mine, I saw a familiar sight.

‘That lakeshore again.’

A lake shrouded in an eerie mist.

I couldn’t be sure if it was the exact same location as the previous Trial. But the air felt different, as if a subtle barrier separated this space from the outside world.

This had to be it.

‘If I step into the lake…’

I would be pulled beneath the surface.

And the Trial would begin.

‘Well then…’

I wasn’t underestimating the Trial.

I knew firsthand how brutal and unforgiving it could be, having gone through it once already.

But I had already steeled myself for this the moment I decided to seek out the Trial.

All I needed was a deep breath.

“Haa…”

I stepped into the lake.

My feet sank into the soft mud.

And then, as I took another step, I felt myself slipping.

Down, down, down.

The surface of the lake closed over my head, and my consciousness plunged into darkness.

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‘Huh?’

I couldn’t open my eyes. I felt incredibly drowsy.

I must have entered the Trial, because I no longer felt the coldness of the lake water.

All I felt was… warmth, a comforting stillness, and…

‘A bed?’

I forced my eyes open.

My mind was hazy, as if I had just woken up from a long sleep.

‘Where am I?’

The ceiling was unfamiliar.

No, wait. It was familiar.

Too familiar.

It was the ceiling of the inn I had stayed at in Basil.

Had I returned to the inn?

…I dismissed that foolish thought immediately.

I had been through this before.

This must be part of the Trial, a simulated reality.

‘What matters is my current situation.’

Just because the location was familiar didn’t mean I knew what to expect.

I sat up in bed and reached out a hand.

‘Inventory.’

I wanted to make sure I had Gravitas Replicant with me.

But I felt nothing. My inventory was empty.

‘What?’

I tried again, but my inventory was completely bare.

‘They’ve confiscated all my items?’

That wasn’t good.

Without a relic, I couldn’t even leave the barrier.

‘My first priority is to secure a relic.’

As I was considering my options, I noticed something strange.

‘Isn’t my line of sight a little lower than usual?’

I looked down at my body.

It felt… smaller.

I looked at my hands. The calluses that had formed from countless hours of training were gone.

‘Wait a minute. Don’t tell me…’

A wave of dread washed over me.

And then, I heard the words that confirmed my worst fears.

“Allen! Allleeeen!”

Damn it.

“How long are you planning on sleeping, Allen?!”

One thought filled my mind.

I’m screwed.

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‘Damn it. Of all the times…’

I remembered the early days of my possession of Allen, the struggles I had gone through as I adjusted to this world.

Even with Allen’s memories, bridging the gap between Earth and this reality had been a challenge.

Thankfully, I now possessed the memories of having already adapted to this world.

‘But the PTSD is unavoidable.’

It was like having nightmares about military service.

I knew this was just a simulation, a part of the Trial. I hadn’t actually traveled back in time.

But the memories of my past mistakes still stung.

‘I won’t repeat those mistakes.’

And the most glaring example of those mistakes was about to unfold.

‘This is it.’

That quest.

“You’re just going to make up another excuse about fetching water and run away, aren’t you?”

The other kids were merciless, their words like needles pricking at my insecurities.

Back then, I had been impulsive, fueled by frustration and arrogance. I had underestimated the quest and followed the children.

And even now, after all I had been through, a part of me still wanted to go with them.

‘If I let them go alone, one of them will die.’

And looking back, my decision to learn [Swordsmanship (B)] hadn’t been that bad.

At the time, I had been frustrated by the limitations of the skill, but it had ultimately played a crucial role in my relationship with Gwen.

“As expected of cowardly Allen. He wouldn’t dare follow us.”

But why was I hesitating now?

There were two reasons.

Firstly, there were other ways to save the children, even if I didn’t go with them.

I wouldn’t get the quest reward, but I could simply inform the adults about the wolf.

It wasn’t a healthy, vigorous wolf, but a starving, weakened one. Any adult male could easily handle it.

And secondly, this situation was different from the past.

It wasn’t just because I had the memories of the future.

There was another significant difference.

‘Absolute Obedience isn’t working.’

That was the biggest limitation of this Trial.

Being thrown back in time, the resurfaced trauma… those weren’t the real problem.

The real problem was that I couldn’t use Absolute Obedience in this simulated reality.

It was something I had longed for while training swordsmanship, to be able to temporarily disable Absolute Obedience.

But I had never wanted it to be completely unusable.

‘It’s a useful skill, damn it.’

It wouldn’t be a major problem, though.

In fact, my knowledge of the future might be even more advantageous.

‘For example, I know that the wolf is dying.’

There was no need to panic.

‘I don’t know what the purpose of this Trial is, but…’

I would just have to do my best and see what happened.

I had to prove that I could handle things without relying on Absolute Obedience.

“Fine, I’ll go.”

“What?”

“I said I’m going with you. Are you deaf?”

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The wolf lunged at me.

I swung the metal rod I was holding, aiming for its side.

I knew my Strength stat was still too low for a direct confrontation.

Even with Allen’s pitiful Strength, the blow was enough to make the wolf stumble, breaking its balance.

Of course, it helped that the wolf was on the verge of starvation.

‘There’s no need to finish this quickly.’

My goal was to wear it down, to exhaust its stamina without allowing it to land a single blow on me.

Allen’s Stamina was just as bad, but the wolf was tiring faster.

I kept the wolf at bay, desperately fending off its attacks with the metal rod.

‘This should be enough.’

The wolf was panting, its movements sluggish.

I closed in, swinging the rod once more.

Its legs buckled, and it collapsed.

‘That was easy.’

Blood dripped from the metal rod I was holding.

Unlike last time, I had come prepared.

Instead of relying on the flimsy wooden stick the leader of the kids had dropped, I had brought a sturdy metal rod from my inventory.

‘Come to think of it…’

I hadn’t frozen in fear, even though I was facing a wolf.

And it wasn’t just because I knew it was weak and starving.

‘Have I gotten used to this?’

In hindsight, it was only natural.

I had defeated Chaos Beasts, fought bandits, and even taken down a Demon King.

There was no reason to be afraid of a measly wolf.

It wasn’t that I had grown stronger.

‘Even Allen is capable of growth.’

It was a drastic improvement compared to his past self, who would have trembled in fear at the mere sight of a wolf.

And that wasn’t all.

‘I thought my swordsmanship would revert back to its original state.’

The inherited traits, [Precociousness] and [Authority of the Lodraim Royal Family], were gone.

But my [Swordsmanship (A-)] skill, while downgraded to [Swordsmanship (B+)], remained.

‘If I had only inherited Gwen’s [Swordsmanship (B)], it would be gone, too.’

But the [Swordsmanship (A-)] skill I had before entering the Trial had been earned through rigorous training with Libero, without any Inheritance or Absolute Obedience.

It was a skill I had painstakingly honed through countless hours of practice, a skill etched into my very being. I could access it now, even without the system’s assistance. That’s why it manifested as [Swordsmanship (B+)].

‘This is much better.’

The best part was, I now possessed Libero’s [Swordsmanship (B+)], which was far superior to Gwen’s [Swordsmanship (B)]. And it hadn’t cost me a single SP.

And unlike last time, I had emerged from the fight without any injuries. This would definitely make it easier to build up my basic Strength and Stamina.

‘Now, what about the future?’

Things were looking up.

But these changes would inevitably lead to a different future, a path diverging from the one I knew.

I needed to proceed carefully.

‘My biggest concern is Gwen.’

I had learned later that my ability to use her swordsmanship had played a crucial role in piquing her interest.

I could still learn her swordsmanship now, but spending a huge chunk of my SP on that was a gamble.

‘Do I play it safe and follow the path I know, or do I embrace the uncertainty and forge a new path?’

If I followed the path I knew, I would be able to reach the same point I had reached as a player, without any major issues.

And that wasn’t a bad outcome.

As far as I knew, there was no other route that allowed Allen to obtain a relic, defeat a Demon King, and reach [Swordsmanship (A-)] in the early game.

With my current [Swordsmanship (B+)], I might even be able to achieve something greater.

But was that truly the best course of action?

Perhaps there was a better path, a new route waiting to be discovered.

A route that didn’t involve meeting Gwen or following her footsteps. A route that could lead to even greater heights.

It was my past mistakes that drew me to this second option.

The God of Regret had said that humans learn and grow through regret.

I didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes, to walk the same path that had led to so much pain and suffering.

This was my second chance, my only chance.

I knew I had to be cautious.

But I didn’t think simply replicating my past actions was the intention of this Trial.

I had learned something from my previous encounter with the God of Regret.

Every Trial had a purpose.

For now, it was best to keep my original goal: to become a hero.

But things were never that simple.

What was the true purpose of this Trial?

I needed to keep that question in mind as I moved forward.

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