When they realized that Aktion had set the Mide’s world as his next target, the meeting room was filled with relief.

“Even though he has been a headache for us for 40,000 years, this is the end of the line.”

“Trying to invade our world without knowing his place.”

“This place is what you could call the ‘origin.’ Every world in the entire universe began from here.”

“We have used a lot over the years, but even now our energy source remains more than abundant. Aktion will be crushed the moment he steps into this place.”

“Above all, Sir Mide is here.”

Mide listened to all those words with his eyes quietly closed.

The delighted researchers didn’t notice, but those who were especially close to him had already sensed that Mide’s mindset had undergone a major change recently.

Among them, Neril, who was the closest to Mide both personally and officially, asked:

“What are you thinking about, Mide.”

“You probably… no, all of you probably noticed.”

“…….”

“Everyone. I want to propose something.”

The murmuring in the room stopped, and everyone turned to Mide.

Each of them could almost be called godlike in ability, yet Mide’s authority was still absolute to them.

He was the founder who first created this lab, and the leader who was more proficient in ‘laws’ than anyone else.

Mide opened his mouth heavily.

“I want to abolish the Hero System.”

“W-What?”

“Lately… hmm, well, time is strange in this place so I can’t really tell. Saying ‘lately’ is odd for something I have thought about for roughly 40,000 years.”

“…….”

“Anyway, I have been thinking ever since Aktion appeared, for 40,000 years.”

He continued quietly.

“The Hero System is flawed.”

“What exactly? You mean the criticism that it forces sacrifice onto heroes? That was thoroughly discussed back when we created the system.”

“That’s not the only reason. I think we may have created the soil for another Kaeld.”

All their faces drained of color.

Some even looked like they had been gravely insulted.

Mide explained calmly.

“Consider Kaeld’s status among humanity before the regression. Even without a Hero System, he deceived all of humanity with a wicked tongue and rose to the seat of savior.”

“…….”

“The Hero System lays down a golden rail that allows people like him to be created. Instead of preventing them at all costs, it actually cheers them on and tells them to do well.”

“Mr. Mide! How can you of all people say something like that.”

Bang.

Someone slammed the table in outrage.

“The name Kaeld is the greatest collective trauma we share. We reversed time itself and rebuilt the ruined world he left behind.”

“…….”

“And now you are saying what we have been doing is creating another Kaeld? Do you have any idea what an insult that is?”

“In fact, we already created one. Aktion is the second Kaeld.”

Silence fell over the room.

Mide spoke.

“Can any of you deny it? Kaeld destroyed his world. Aktion did the same thing.”

“T-That’s…”

“Aktion was only able to do that because the Hero System gave him the stepping stool, the system that allows someone to do anything as long as they have high fame. Through it, he gained enormous power.”

“…….”

“We handed him the weapon to destroy worlds. Through our system.”

“We didn’t give it to just anyone. Aktion was a hero chosen by humanity!”

“Humanity choosing someone doesn’t guarantee they are good and noble. Just as Kaeld wasn’t.”

With not just one but two precedents, no one could easily argue back.

Mide quietly spoke the decisive words.

“Let’s admit it, everyone.”

“…….”

“We fastened the first button wrong. The Hero System is a system that never should have been created.”

“Ridiculous.”

Someone leapt to their feet.

“The Hero System is the core of everything we have done. It’s the distilled essence of all our blood, sweat, and tears. Not even you can say such things so lightly!”

A rumble spread across the room.

Most people seemed to sympathize with the person who spoke.

But a few wore expressions of agreement with Mide.

‘Impelium, Serad, Grade, Lisel, Leon, Lepia, Adwin, Serein, Offense, Xenia, Bion. And Neril.’

Not a bad number.

‘No. It is bad.’

Even if they were key members, their number was nothing compared to the total 300.

They would need more support.

Abolishing the Hero System would require far more effort than creating it had.

Then someone asked:

“You say you want to abolish the Hero System, do you have an alternative?”

“…….”

“No one knows better than you, right? If we don’t continuously dissolve the negative energy through the Hero System, a massive amount of energy will accumulate over time. Humanity won’t endure the burden on their shoulders, they will wage war and annihilate themselves.”

Just like what happened in our original world.

He didn’t say it aloud, but everyone understood.

Mide sighed and spoke.

“Not yet. That’s why I need your help.”

“Ha.”

“Until now, we have worked together to cultivate worlds. Think of this as part of that.”

“I refuse. The Hero System is a masterpiece we spent more than 200,000 years refining. It contains our souls.”

Mide sighed again.

“I have never once forced any of you.”

“……That’s true.”

“In the past or in the future. I never will. Except this one time.”

“…….”

“Just this once, I will force you. As the head of this lab and the leader who guides you. I order you to help dismantle the Hero System.”

Mide’s first and only ‘command.’

The uproar died down slightly.

A sense of sobering seriousness settled.

—Mide is actually forcing us.

That alone calmed them.

“……May we have some time to think.”

“Of course. Bion, how long until Aktion arrives in our world?”

Bion, who had been blankly listening, jolted and answered.

“Uh… the red gate is about ten percent formed now. At the current rate, about 210 years.”

“Then I will give you 200 years to think.”

Someone grumbled in dissatisfaction.

“Isn’t that too short? Deciding something of this scale with only 200 years.”

“Right. And you, Mide, said you yourself thought about it for 40,000 years.”

It was true, 200 years did feel like too little time.

Mide thought the same for a moment, then let out a small laugh.

‘Is it really a short time?’

Judged by the standards of “when he was human,” 200 years was long enough for a person to live two entire lifetimes.

So much had changed.

Himself, and the researchers here.

‘In a bad direction.’

It was clear. Everyone working in this lab had been changing, drifting toward something wrong.

Perhaps the beginning of it all was when they first created the Hero System.

‘If it were the personality I originally had, I never would have made something like that.’

Even Bion, she was never the type to come up with a plan like gifting a new world to the hero who defeated the Demon King and spreading humanity from there.

She was someone who was content with what she had, not someone who took risks.

‘Yeah…… something is going wrong.’

He couldn’t be certain yet.

But ever since he saw Aktion 40,000 years ago, Mide’s ‘intuition’ had begun to stir.

It wasn’t the help of laws, nor the experience or know-how gained from managing worlds for ages.

Mide’s intuition…

It was something akin to an ability, something that had never once betrayed him since the moment he first began to think.

That intuition said this:

The Hero System is wrong, and at some point we started walking down the wrong path.

Before it’s too late… we have to change it, even now.

He gathered his thoughts and spoke.

“Please understand. Once Aktion begins his invasion, we will have to focus on him for a while, and that will delay the execution of our plan even further.”

“……Understood.”

“Then let’s adjourn. I will see you again in 200 years.”

He ended the meeting.

But the meeting 200 years later never happened.

Because the researchers of the lab threw their “resignation letters” at Mide.

“I will be leaving as well.”

By now, the number of people left in Mide’s lab had dwindled to something he could count at a glance.

Mide looked unemotionally at yet another researcher who had thrown a resignation letter at him today.

“Why?”

“Why else? Because the director I have always admired and respected has gone insane.”

“…….”

“You have gone mad. The Hero System is a great ‘achievement’ that will allow humanity endless growth.”

“…….”

“I don’t want to work under a crazy leader who wants to scrap all of that just because of one unstable case like Aktion.”

At the unexpected venom, Mide sighed.

He leaned back in his chair and changed his tone.

“Your eyes are filled with poison. You.”

“Ha. So now that I’m leaving, you don’t even bother showing respect.”

“You threw your resignation at me. I will process it. You are no longer one of mine.”

“…….”

“When I first accepted you into this lab, what I liked was how you always maintained moderation. You didn’t get swept up in the madness Kaeld created, your ability to look at things calmly and objectively was why I chose you.”

Mide crossed his legs.

“What changed you so completely?”

“I haven’t changed! The one who changed is you……!”

“No. If you were still the person from when you joined this lab, you would have agreed with my thoughts. You would have said there is something fatally wrong with the Hero System. You might have even noticed it before I did.”

“That’s impossible.”

“It’s not just you. Everyone who resigned before you was also acting like they were possessed. Eyes full of poison, believing with fanatic conviction that the Hero System is humanity’s one and only salvation.”

Yeah. Something is definitely wrong.

Mide swallowed that thought and spoke.

“But like the others before you, you show no sign of reconsidering.”

“Of course.”

“What will you do after resigning?”

“…I will return to being human and spend the rest of my life there.”

“You are still human.”

The researcher let out a small laugh at those words.

“You are good at jokes. I am a god.”

“…….”

Mide could only swallow the bitterness.

Perhaps feeling awkward after insulting him only moments earlier, the man spoke hesitantly.

“Please… let me be born as the child of some small kingdom’s royal family. Just use the soul system Adwin created and place my soul into one of the king’s descendants.”

“Which hero’s world should I send you to?”

“Obviously the Mide’s world. This is my homeland. Even if the era has changed.”

“You know this, but……”

“Yes. If I’m reborn that way, I will lose all my memories. That’s fine.”

“Understood. Go to Adwin. He will handle it. He has already received countless similar requests.”

“Yes.”

The researcher bowed lightly and stood up.

And without looking back, he left.

A colleague who had been with him for over 200,000 years leaving, tightened Mide’s chest.

At that moment, a soft knock sounded, and Neril entered.

“Can I come in?”

“You already came in.”

“Impelium and Serad say they have something to talk about.”

Don’t tell me… they are leaving too?

Mide forced down the rising anxiety and nodded.

Soon the two sat across from Mide.

Neril poured each of them a cup of tea.

Unlike the researcher who had resigned moments earlier, Impelium and Serad were people they were personally close to.

“Go on, talk.”

“Don’t just stand there. Sit too, Neril,” Impelium said.

“No. I don’t want to hear that you two are quitting as well.. unlike that idiot who threw his resignation earlier.”

“We didn’t come to resign.”

At Serad’s words, Neril’s expression softened.

She sat naturally across from Mide.

Impelium spoke.

“It’s been a while since we met like this, two couples. Back when we were newlyweds, we used to share lots of information like this.”

“True.”

“This might sound strange all of a sudden, but Serad and I… want to have a child.”

It truly was a strange statement.

Mide blinked, unable to even imagine such a topic.

But Neril nodded as if she understood.

“Well, the two of you have been married for over 100,000 years. It’s about time to think about having a second generation.”

“Most humans don’t take 100,000 years to plan for a second generation.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“In truth, we have already been trying for a long time. But no matter what we do, it’s impossible to conceive. And I doubt it’s just us.”

It was true.

The gender ratio of this lab was perfectly balanced, and everyone had freely dated or married.

But not a single new life had ever been born.

For a staggering 230,000 years.

Mide wondered how he had let something so absurd pass by so lightly.

“It is strange. Our bodies should still be functioning normally. Other than the fact that we don’t age or fall ill.”

“Mm. But the stranger thing is this: no one questioned the fact that none of us could have children.”

“…….”

“Mide… ah, may I speak casually?”

“You should have asked that at the start. This isn’t an official meeting, so go ahead.”

“Alright. Serad and I have discussed this for about 30,000 years, and we have come to one hypothesis. We believe some unknown force has been interfering in this lab.”

Both Mide and Neril froze.

Serad spoke next.

“It’s not just about children. Forgive me, but I overheard the conversation with the researcher who resigned earlier. I’m sorry if that bothered you……”

“It’s fine. Continue.”

“Do you remember that I was also present when that researcher was interviewed?”

“Of course.”

“As you said earlier, he used to be someone who valued moderation and viewed things objectively. And yet he somehow became a fanatic believer in the Hero System.”

Mide inhaled lightly.

Then he cautiously asked:

“Are you suggesting that ‘someone wants the Hero System to continue’?”

Support on Patreon

Rate on NovelUpdates

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep