The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

What would an Earth a thousand years later be like…

Would people have developed a harmonious and equal future? Or would they be fighting over a wasteland?

Would rapid technological advancements usher in a new era of human civilization? Or would resource depletion lead to humanity's downfall?

A thousand years…

In the past, a thousand years meant the rise and fall of dynasties, the shifting of power. But Liu Ji couldn't imagine how much modern society would change a thousand years later.

Perhaps, as Yaine said, it would be a whole new world for Liu Ji too. But… it would still be his home.

Deep-rooted patriotism made Liu Ji yearn to see what the future of his homeland looked like. However, imagining was one thing; actually facing it required a lot of courage and determination.

To see a world that, though familiar, no longer held any of the things he knew… This was a daunting thought that made Liu Ji's heart ache just thinking about it.

He wasn't sure if he could be mentally prepared to face such a reality.

Even if he wanted to face it now, he couldn't.

The main reason was being broke.

While the cost of the return spell wasn't as exorbitant as the summoning spell, it wasn't something a bunch of wanderers like them could afford.

Moreover, Liu Ji believed that he should bear this "cost" all by himself. And he was probably the poorest of them all, with nothing to his name, and even the clothes he wore were given by others.

So, at least until he had the means, Liu Ji didn't need to worry about taking that step just yet. He still had time to prepare himself mentally for that day.

Seeing the complex look on Liu Ji's face, Yaine sighed.

Her teacher had once commented on the hero summoning spell. He said it was the greatest spell in the world, but some parts of it had a stench—the stench of arrogance and selfishness of the authority wielders that called for it.

Yaine hadn't understood her teacher's words before, but now, as she looked at Liu Ji, she seemed to get it.

She also now understood why her teacher had been expelled from the Sanctum of Arcane Arts for criticizing the organization's founder.

The ones who created such magic never saw the "heroes" summoned from another world as humans.

Sighing softly, Yaine added a piece of dry wood to the fire. The two of them sat side by side in silence, guarding the quiet night.

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Not too far away, a figure in a black cloak emerged from the swamp. The figure glanced at the stone walls where a faint light shone through, then eyed the mud before him.

"More rats?" a raspy and old-sounding voice muttered from under the shadows of the hood. "More restless than the last bunch…"

He softly chanted a string of incantation while curling his index finger, and the giant stone jar rose from the mud.

"Hmm, simple but skilled. Quite the talented youngling," he mused, turning the jar over so its opening faced outward. "Since you're so curious, let me, as a senior, grant you a clean death…"

With that, he moved another finger, and a black, ghoul-like creature with long black tendrils emerged from the mud. The cloaked figure extended his hand, and a stream of black liquid flowed from his sleeve toward the creature.

The tendrils quivered in delight, eagerly reaching for the liquid and gobbling it up until none remained.

The cloaked figure nodded slightly, then gestured to the stone jar, saying, "Go in."

The creature, its many eyes hidden among the black threads, glanced at him before slipping into the jar like a slippery eel.

The robed figure rubbed his fingers together while chanting once more, and the jar sealed shut, trapping the creature inside.

"Alright, come and claim your prey." He chuckled. "But be careful not to become the prey yourself…"

With that, he sank back into the swamp, disappearing without a trace, leaving no mark in the mud.

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Yaine turned her head and frowned. She sensed her trap triggering.

But…

It was actually triggered? Did it really catch something?

Truth be told, she hadn't expected this makeshift plan, thrown together haphazardly, to work. Now that it did, she felt a bit frightened.

Maybe these creatures are surprisingly dumb…

But that doesn't make sense. If they were truly dumb, why was the bait only taken now?

Could this be a trap set by those things?

Could they have a certain level of intelligence? Or perhaps, it's just one particular individual.

Something didn't feel right.

But since something had been caught, there was no reason not to take a look.

With all that in mind, Yaine got up and started making her way to the swamp's edge.

Seeing Yaine abruptly get up, Liu Ji instinctively thought that this was a repeat of Osar's incident and quickly grabbed her. "Hey? What's wrong? Are you clear-headed?"

Yaine paused, then smiled, turning to him. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Remember the jar we put in the swamp? Seems like something has been caught. I'm going to check it out."

"Ah, I see." Liu Ji relaxed slightly but still felt uneasy. Thus, he said, "I'll go with you."

"Alright," Yaine agreed and glanced down at her hand.

Liu Ji blinked and followed her gaze downward to realize he was holding her hand.

"Ah! Sorry!" he blurted out and let go in a fluster.

But a second later, he grabbed Yaine's hand again.

"No, better to hold hands," Liu Ji said, scratching his cheek and trying to sound serious. "This place is too weird. It's safer this way."

"Hmm… you have a point." Yaine nodded. "We wouldn't want you jumping into the swamp all of a sudden."

"Ah, that's…" Liu Ji was stumped. Yaine was right, them keeping watch together was for mutual safety.

Feeling a bit silly for his earlier thoughts, Liu Ji scratched his head in embarrassment.

In the dim light, he didn't notice the slight blush on Yaine's face. However, it lasted only a few seconds before her expression turned serious.

She walked to the edge of the wall, raising steps of earth with her magic. Leading Liu Ji by the hand, the two climbed the steps, and Yaine raised her staff, chanting an object summoning spell.

In a few moments, the stone jar they had submerged in the swamp rose from the mud and slowly floated toward them.