I Want to Be an Extra

“Ha,” the man uttered, his gaze sweeping across the desolate landscape as he leaned on a sword firmly planted in the ground.

Autumn, the season usually adorned with golden hues, now cloaked the land in a somber shade of crimson. Corpses littered the once-fertile fields, a morbid harvest in place of crops.

“Isn’t it truly exhausting?” he mused aloud.

Amidst this hellish scene, the man retrieved his sword and directed his attention to a particular spot.

“I have never witnessed individuals as diligent and industrious as you,” he remarked.

Government officials from the accursed kingdom would gnash their teeth, compelled to observe and learn, while the figure standing before him stood dumbfounded.

“Aren’t you affected by all this?” he questioned, his tone resolute.

This was a decisive battle, one that would determine the fate of the continent. Some were forcefully thrust into the conflict, while others volunteered. They fought for personal survival, their country, or the protection of loved ones. Yet, they all perished.

In the annals of history, most would be relegated to mere footnotes—countless soldiers, knights, and wizards whose names would fade into obscurity. But one truth remained crystal clear.

“And yet, they call you the chosen hero of the goddess!”

Two figures stood upon the blood-soaked ground. The names of Delden De Blade, the hero, and Apelios, the Great Demon King, would be inscribed at the forefront of history.

“Oh, right.”

“…….”

A pivotal moment, shaping the destiny of humanity.

The hero, his eyes devoid of life, nodded in acknowledgment to the Great Demon King, Apelios.

“What is happening?” Apelios pondered, unable to comprehend.

Those who had lost everything in this brutal war bore such lifeless eyes. But who was their true adversary?

It was the sword bestowed by the Goddess of Light, the supreme deity known to humanity as the creator goddess. A barrier that perpetually obstructed the path of the Demon King. A shield safeguarding humanity, even at the cost of the wielder’s own life.

Yet, a sword that possessed an edge that could only harm its bearer.

‘That is a hero.’

Delden De Blade stood resolutely before him, emanating a formidable strength. Despite amassing the combined power of the demons at the altar of the demon god, victory had eluded him.

‘He was the epitome of an ideal hero, until just moments ago,’ the Great Demon King contemplated.

Even before being bestowed with trust, Delden honed his skills in preparation to confront the demons. Once entrusted, he became a unifying force for humanity, rallying disparate species with strained relations. Unfazed by the unparalleled might of the demonic forces, he armed his troops with an array of treasures gathered from across the continent, endangering the very foundations of the demon army.

‘We can triumph. We can secure a tomorrow,’ the Demon King vividly remembered the hero’s fervent cries on the frontlines.

“But why?”

One day, the radiant hero vanished, leaving behind a human exuding an aura that whispered, “How about we bring ruin upon this world?” 

As Apelios, who harbored a slight trepidation as his sole adversary, nothing perplexed him more.

“Hero, have you betrayed humanity?” Apelios voiced his query, even in the midst of their final battle.

Of course, he jokingly posed the question, believing such a notion to be absurd.

“Well, to some extent,” came the nonchalant response, tinged with unmistakable anger.

“Is humanity deranged?”

A hero could be a terrifying existence to an ordinary human. Even Apelios, acclaimed as the mightiest among the Demon Kings, held an innate fear of heroes. However, discarding the hound should be reserved for after the hunt concludes. Humanity’s fate flickered like a lantern in the wind, and yet they struck at the hero’s back!

“Hero.”

But perhaps, it wasn’t all bad.

‘No, it presented an opportunity.’

The Demon King ruminated while gazing at the hero, displaying an unyielding desire to survive.

“Do you truly need to protect a humanity that has forsaken you?”

When comparing their overall power, the Demon King surpassed the hero.

He stood as the mightiest among the Demon Kings in history.

To cast off all limitations, he had consumed the entirety of the magic within the Demon God’s Altar, reaching a power that approached that of the Demon God.

This was the undeniable truth.

Recognizing that he could not defeat humanity without such immense power, he had done everything within his means.

“Come forth,” he beckoned.

However, even with his overwhelming power, he could not defeat the hero.

And he came to a realization.

No matter how great his power was, he could not ensure his own survival when facing the hero before him.

Winning and surviving were two entirely different matters, and Apelios was well aware of this.

‘If I die, even if I win, it is no true victory!’

Apelios desired to live.

Disregarding the words of the priests serving the Demon God and the existing powers of the demons governing the demon realm, he had risked his life to seize control of the Demon God’s Altar.

What was his reason?

Fear of the hero.

Time and again, the hero had sacrificed their own life to vanquish the Demon King.

“You must understand as well. Humanity has betrayed you. There is no reason for you, as one of their kind, to risk your life to protect them.”

History was repeating itself.

Whenever a formidable leader of the demons, the Demon King, emerged, the demons sought to conquer humanity in accordance with the Demon God’s will.

Humanity perpetually teetered on the edge, but they fought back with the hero as their focal point.

And now, the final battle had arrived.

The hero and the Demon King confronted each other.

Regardless of the Demon King’s strength or the might of the demon forces, history remained unchanged.

“Our goal is not the annihilation of humanity. Only the ruler will change, and much will remain the same. The dynamic of hero and Demon King has repeated countless times throughout history.”

Apelios yearned to break free from this cycle.

Yet, ridiculously enough, before the mightiest Demon King in history, the strongest hero in history had emerged.

History did not change; it merely repeated itself.

That was why Apelios could not afford to let this opportunity slip away.

Thus, with a sincere and confident voice, he declared:

“If you so desire, I shall grant you half of this world!”

Half of the world.

Strictly speaking, it was an unfavorable outcome for the demons.

After all, half of the world was already inhabited by humans, and the remaining half was occupied by demons.

Ultimately, it meant winning the battle and returning half to the humans.

“If you wish to negotiate, I can offer you even more…”

No, he had even displayed a willingness to relinquish what he originally possessed.

But…

“Hey.”

The hero, Delden De Blade, resisted the allure of the Demon King’s temptation.

No matter how great the betrayal, he remained a hero.

His sacred desire to protect humanity remained unswayed by the sweet temptations of the Demon King.

“Lately, I’ve grown quite irritated.”

There was no grand sentiment behind his words.

“Uh…?”

“So, be quiet and face me.”

All he needed was a place to unleash the burning anger that smoldered within his heart.

“No, that’s a bit…”

Apelios was taken aback.

What kind of nonsense was this?

Was it the will of the goddess or a desire to save this world?

He could understand seeking revenge for fallen comrades or protecting loved ones. But venting anger? To make the grand finale of the historical battle between humans and demons a mere outlet for rage!

“In the first place, hero, weren’t you betrayed by the humans?!”

But what infuriated Apelios the most was that he had become the target of the hero’s anger meant for humans.

“Well, that may be true. But I’m just trying to fulfill my duty as a hero one last time.”

The hero’s tone lacked conviction and seemed tinged with annoyance. Unintentionally, Apelios blurted out, “Do we really need to? Wouldn’t it be better for all of us if we just pretended not to know each other?”

‘Damn humans.’

Apelios couldn’t fathom the human race. Despite their significantly shorter lifespans compared to demons, they ruled over the continent. And every time it seemed they would be defeated in a war, they somehow managed to repel the demons’ onslaught. But the most unfathomable existence to Apelios was the hero standing right in front of him. The presence that always obstructed the Demon King throughout the cycles of history. The monster who had reached the Demon King’s doorstep, even after stripping the demon god’s altar of all magic and consuming it at the Shrine of the Demons, all to break the cycle.

“Hah.”

The hero sighed. Then, the look of annoyance vanished, replaced by a cold and ruthless expression akin to a butcher about to slaughter.

“Well, you’re right. I have often wondered if all of this was truly necessary.”

It wasn’t just the expression that changed. A fiercely surging mana and a chilling aura began to constrict around Apelios’s neck. Cold. It felt as though a sword had already sliced through his throat, and Apelios instinctively reached for his neck.

“Come to think of it, it’s all your fault.”

The hero, Delden Del Blade, pondered to himself. Was saving the world truly necessary? There was a time when he believed it was. Not because of faith in the goddess or a sense of duty as a hero. It was simply the effort he had invested all this time. The struggle to survive. And the people who believed in him and followed him, entrusting their lives to him. That was all that mattered to Delden.

That’s why Delden redirected his arrows of anger elsewhere.

“When they grow bored, they send soldiers and clash.”

This was already the fifth invasion of the demons against humans.

“When they lack strength, they send spies to sow chaos.”

The cultists who worshipped the demons and the renegade warlocks who succumbed to their deceit had caused chaos three times.

“And when that fails, they expose their entire underworld by coming here.”

Delden had much to say as well. He, like Apelios, didn’t wish to die.

But what choice did they have? Be it humans or demons, war was always their answer if they possessed the means.

“Come to think of it, the reason I was stabbed in the back is also your fault.”

And so, the hero, Delden Del Blade, raised his sword, mustering his faith in the goddess and his sense of duty as a hero. Channeling his resentment and anger towards the newly formed world.

“So let’s bring this to an end.”

“This is madness…”

Apelios cursed with a face filled with injustice, but it mattered not to Delden. Just one final time. If the goddess had any conscience, she would cease her trickery.

‘If you keep playing your tricks.’

He would dismantle them thoroughly.

With that in mind, the hero poured his everything into his sword.

“Perish.”

“You damned hero!”

And thus, the ignited hero, Delden Del Blade, and Apelios vanished together, signifying the end of their ultimate battle. Disoriented, the demons, now without Apelios as their focal point, eventually retreated, bringing the most intense war in the history of humans and demons to a close.

And centuries later…

“Waaah!”

The newborn child contemplated.

‘Goddess, you’re no different from a dog.’

Delden Del Blade, or rather, the hero in his tenth incarnation, reflected on his curses toward the goddess as he revealed himself to the world once more.