An Adventure Beyond Greatness!

Chapter 3: The Journey Has Ended, But Villains Still Exist...!

Everyone knows the typical Hero's Journey.

You have your familiar world, then a vast unfamiliar world, a mentor of some sorts that helps everyone get used to the unfamiliarity of this 'new world' the 'Epic Hero' uncovered, and your world-saving quest.

It's simplistic and straightforward, because...

Everyone wanted to save the world, didn't they?

Who wouldn't?

The world is where we live, after all!

That's also what Alex had initially believed when he reincarnated into the 'unfamiliar world' of Gaia, after being killed in his 'familiar world' of Earth. Though the results weren't really as good as he thought...

In the end of the day: Heroes tended to fade in obscurity if the 'great evil' they faced stopped going around showcasing their strength. Killing whenever they could and wearing 'evil' like it's in style.

Evildoers usually showcase that they could INDEED cause a large catastrophe... even after the hero had saved everyone. They are expressive and bold, but also flawed in a way clear for everything to see.

Without a great evil, there is no greater good.

Without that, the worth of a 'Epic Hero' drops, and even if the 'innocent' bystanders DO really respect them, no one actually needs to thank of them. This was especially true if they had taken the task upon themselves without being prompted by others.

Reality was sometimes stranger than fiction, but that fact of fiction... It was something that can only be admired when contrasting it to the lens of the 'real world'. After all, fantasy settings had their tropes.

Just like how news outlets showed the tropes of real life. Heroes being found as only constructs of the mind. It's giving worth to the actions done by someone holding power. Not the weak bystanders.

'Epic Heroes' in particular would construct a grand narrative for themselves in secrecy, which usually meant an even grander nemesis. This was what happened when you gave the pen to a character.

They created the most unrealistic scenarios to face.

Stories most applicable to solely fictional works...

After all, no one in your reality had such tall tales in retrospect. Your 'nemesis' was usually just some guy you disliked. It's all just exaggerated by the one talking. Kinda sad, when speaking about it honestly.

Anyway, my point was that it's best not to think that a normal person could be 'responsible' for saving the world. The burden was too heavy, and Alex had learned the hard way. Heroism beaten out of him.

In his SECOND epic journey, Alex's quest to 'saving the world' was taken offensively by the Luminous Church. They seemed to have dibs on who exactly was the one who saves it. This to no one's surprise.

Alex realised he had been too optimistic...

His strong beliefs caused him immense suffering.

That's why Alex unknowingly experienced firsthand how generally horrifying it was to be a 'genuine hero'. Always giving; never taking. Having the life slowly sucked out of him by the 'weak' and 'helpless'.

In fact, the renowned figure who gained greater fame and popularity after Alex had beaten down that psychotic group of Cultists... was actually a very famous leader of a band of 'Holy Knights'.

It was the figure who wasn't even present when innocents started dying. That too in the hands of those 'Crazies'... Appreciation was given to THIS clean freak instead! A knight who'd later be his...