Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 74

Chapter 74: The Hero’s Backstory

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There were many mysteries surrounding the origins of Rock Barnhorn. His information drew global attention in the year his personal data was made public by the government as a registered Awakened.

That year, a large-scale Overload occurred in America, and it was Rock who stood on the battlefield from the very beginning. He had no memory of anything before that. He only ever said it was because he had changed his name—but of course, that wasn’t the whole truth. Conspiracy theories whispered that he was a man-made Awakened developed by the military, or even a real hero who came from space, but the reality was much simpler.

Before awakening, he had been a boy who stood only 150 centimeters tall and weighed just 40 kilograms—a body of skin and bones. No matter how much he exercised, he never gained muscle. The word “stamina” only kicked sand at him with its hind legs and disappeared into the distance.

He hadn’t suffered from any serious illness though. He simply reaped no rewards from his efforts. Everything he did ended in vain. He had lived his life just barely receiving pity from his own physical existence.

The turning point for this boy—who would run out of breath just walking a hundred meters outside his home—came on that day. He had been walking through town, panting for breath, when it happened—his sudden awakening. In that instant, he gained a height of over two meters and more than 150 kilograms of muscle. The ultimate power to fight against the overload unfolding before him had appeared. …Or so it had seemed. But—

Did power instantly become courage? No. His spirit had already been thoroughly shattered at that point. Just because he had suddenly acquired strength didn’t mean he was overjoyed.

His body was his greatest enemy. It would betray him again soon anyway. The moment he became elated, it would surely take everything from him. Just like those classmates who were born with blessed bodies, who laughed at his frailty and played tricks on him, they were all just waiting to make a fool of him.

All Rock could do was tremble in fear before the monsters that had appeared around him. And then, standing before him, was Francia Jones. The two of them had known each other. Francia had been one of several trainers his parents had hired to try and toughen Rock up. Despite a body that could only be described as severely obese, beneath that was muscle mass on par with a sumo wrestler. However, her training methods had been of no use to Rock.

But the fact that Francia knew what Rock had once been—that fact became her strength.

“Believe. Your efforts didn’t bear fruit until now. But that’s only because they were building up for this very moment. That’s all it is. This moment, right now—and from here on out—your efforts have always been watching you. They are watching you. Your body hasn’t betrayed you. It was fighting alongside you. And this is the result. Yes, the result of your effort is finally here. You are a man who can do it. My heart believes in you. I remember your efforts. Whether it’s with that body or not, you’re someone who can do it. That’s why, you should believe in your body, the one that’s been fighting alongside you. Together with me.”

Taking Rock’s hand and placing it over her heart, Francia encouraged him.

“You hear it, right? My heartbeat? It’s saying it believes in you.”

“Y-yeah.”

In truth, he couldn’t hear her heartbeat at all. But those words—that she believed in him—the hand that gripped his, the hand that guided him, the softness that lingered in his memory… All of it completed him.

It became the switch that brought him to life. He saw, at that moment, the word ‘ROCK’ on her hand. He saw, during battle, the horn on her back burning with fire.

“Now go. You can do it.”

And so, Rock Barnhorn was born. Therefore—therefore… For Rock Barnhorn to continue becoming who he was, she had to be there. Francia Jones was an irreplaceable presence for him. There was no one else who could take her place. What was necessary wasn’t a voluptuous chest, but a heart that had seen his frailty and still chose to believe in him.

“I finally found you!”

“Hey! Don’t be saying such pathetic things!”

Rock, completely unbothered by being smashed into the ground by a blow from a giant mace, got up and tried to hug Francia—only to be met with a swift kick from her muscular leg. Even with the sole of her shoe slamming into his face, Rock didn’t flinch in the slightest.

In fact… He looked happy?

“Saying something so spoiled in a crisis like this! You really are something!”

“Because you disappeared all of a sudden, Francia!”

“I’m a soldier! You think I can just casually talk about where I’m being relocated?! You think I’m going to spoil a civilian the secret of my missions?!”

“But still!”

“Enough! Do what you’re supposed to do first!”

“…”

“Ugh, fine!”

Muttering that she had no choice, Francia pulled Rock’s head in close, burying it into her chest, even while still holding her mace.

“I’m watching. You can do it! Can you hear my heartbeat!?”

“Yeah!”

“Then go. You’re my strongest man!”

“Yeah!!”

Released from Francia’s embrace, Rock no longer carried the air of a gentleman. In his place was the wild beast filled with arrogant strength—just like when he first arrived in Japan, or when they had seen him aboard the luxurious cruise ship.

“You monsters…!”

Rock shouted as he charged into the horde of monsters.

“To think you can survive in the presence of Rock-sama!”

Flames wrapped around his raised, descending fist.

“Don’t think you’ll live through this!”

His punch pierced and shattered a sahagin-type monster. The impact spread in fiery waves, engulfing the surrounding monsters in flames, sending them flying.

“Rock Barnhorn-sama is here!”

With a hearty laugh, he mowed down the monsters.

“Huh. So he doesn’t even need a sword.”

From the look of his combat style, he didn’t seem like the type to rely on weapons. Maybe just some gauntlets to protect his fists at most? So then, why had he come to Japan for a sword auction?

“When that guy is carrying a weapon with him, it’s proof that his insecurities are showing.”

Francia picked up on my muttering and explained.

“I see.”

“You’re Jiro Hasegawa, Japan’s S-Rank Awakened, right? I’d like you to help too.”

“Sure, but it seems I’m not needed here anymore.”

I hadn’t been all that eager to begin with, and with Rock fighting like that, there was no need for me to step in. He was demonstrating strength worthy of being called the strongest in America.

“I’ll do what I can.”

“And that is?”

“I’ll conquer the dungeon.”

“You can do that!? This dungeon is one of the oldest!”

“I have no choice but to try.”

“That’d help a lot, but we’ve got rescue operations on the surface, so we can’t assist you with that.”

“I won’t need your help.”

“…You’re support-type, aren’t you?”

“Support-types have their own way of fighting. It’s actually better for me to work alone. I can’t tell you anything more than that though. It’s a trade secret.”

“Well, if you’re moving, I’ve got no complaints. Do as you like.”

From the way she talked, it seemed she hadn’t realized that the whole Peschel Kingdom itself was the dungeon. Still, wasn’t her arrival a bit too fast? Or maybe… Maybe she did know something. If not her, then someone above her position might know.

There was no way anyone could understand it just by being in the depths of the dungeon. Yes. No one could truly realize the change occurring to the world where the existence of dungeons had appeared. The will embedded within the dungeon. The purpose of the dungeon. 

And I… I might be able to see that with my own eyes soon. 

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