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

On the surface, amid the ruins of the desert city, stone golems returned to the surface, searching through sands for the old city's stones, trying to rebuild it.

Liu Ji followed Myza to the surface. Gazing at the rather desolate and bleak scene, he asked, "Mr. Myza, what happened here…"

"While you were a potato, someone came by," Myza said as he led Liu Ji through the ruins. "You might not have felt it, but in fact, you've been a potato for over a month."

"Ah? That long?" Liu Ji was surprised.

"Yeah, your sense of time is indeed hazy when you're a potato," Myza said. "By the way, you mentioned you were a potato in the wild for decades, but my guess is that you were a potato for over a thousand years."

"Over a thousand years?" Liu Ji repeated in shock.

While it did feel like he had been a potato for a long time, Liu Ji thought that it was a hundred or two hundred years at most. He never imagined it to reach four digits.

"But… Even if I was a potato for a month," Liu Ji glanced at the ruins all around him, "who could have come and turned this place into this?"

"Who… How should I say this." Myza stopped, squatted down, and began digging in the sand. "I've probably told you before that you're a retired hero, right?"

"Then, do you know what a hero's duty is?" Myza asked.

"Um… To save the world?" Liu Ji answered.

"Yes, that's what everyone says," Myza went on while continuing to dig in the sand.

"But, why? Have you ever thought about why the world has to be saved by someone from another world? And why does this unfortunate soul from another world, brought here without any preparation or understanding of the situation, have to risk their life for the whole world?"

"Perhaps those summoned were originally dissatisfied with their former lives… Or, at least they were yearning for a different life?" Liu Ji scratched his cheek. "Mm, I guess it's like that. At least that's how it is in the stories."

"Haha, what you said isn't wrong. In fact, it's the same in reality," Myza said, already having dug a half-person-deep sand pit. "Keep this question in mind for now, and I'll ask you another one. Why summon a hero?"

"Because some kind of crisis occurred?" Liu Ji asked apprehensively.

"A crisis…" Myza looked at Liu Ji, sizing him up, then jested, "Heh, do you think that if a crisis has already occurred, can summoning an ordinary person like you from a peaceful world solve anything?"

"Uh…" Liu Ji was stumped. "Maybe their luck isn't that good? So I became retired?"

"No, that's not it." Myza shook his head. "Every hero summoned starts off just like you—no combat experience, no power, just an ordinary person. But… perhaps because heroes have always left a strong impression or are recorded in history when they're already incredibly powerful, most people, even those responsible for summoning, often overlook this."

"Eh…" Liu Ji was even more confused. "But why? Wouldn't it be better to summon someone strong from the start?"

"No, how would that be good?" Myza shook his head once more. "With someone who is strong from the beginning, it is difficult to bestow favors upon them. But if it's someone who is powerless at first, just leaving them hungry in the wilderness for a day before sending someone to fetch them would be enough to make them grateful."

"Huh? I get summoned, starve, and I still have to thank them?" Liu Ji was taken aback. "Why?"

"Heh, smart one. In fact, there are many heroes that this trick doesn't work on." Myza laughed. "But they have many other ways…

"For example, pairing you with a princess or prince. Don't be surprised; those high-ranking nobles' children are diplomatic resources anyway.

"Then, they pamper you with good food and drink, subtly hinting that you shouldn't just be a wallflower, encouraging you to go out and train.

"Following that, they let you suffer setbacks, sending someone to rescue you, undermining your confidence while the princess or prince comforts you, making you dependent.

"When you, who bear the world's blessing, are loyal to them, you will undoubtedly progress smoothly due to good fortune and, with a sense of belonging, would then willingly go to save the world…"

Liu Ji had a look of astonishment on his face. A single term came to his mind—"PUA" [TL note: PUA stands for pick-up artist, and as a Chinese internet slang, it refers to mentally controlling you and making you lose self-confidence, i.e. gaslighting.]

Case solved. No wonder most heroes end up being sycophants; they've been PUA'd?

"So, it's never been a matter of luck. It's all planned," said Myza as he pulled out a cross-shaped tombstone from the dirt and placed it on the ground before continuing to dig.

His friends were all buried here. Although the land beneath the blood moon had long absorbed their flesh and blood, Myza had to unearth the proof that they had once existed.

"So, does that mean that heroes are often summoned before the disaster actually occurs?" Liu Ji mused. "Since, according to what you say, heroes need time to grow…"

"Yes, exactly, because of a 'divine oracle,'" Myza explained. "The Sanctum will tell everyone that 'God' has issued a decree, predicting a future calamity, and therefore, a hero needs to be summoned."

"Um… This question might be a bit redundant," Liu Ji said with a peculiar expression, "but since there is a god… why doesn't He handle the problem Himself?"

"Because gods can't interfere with the mortal realm! Because gods are supreme! Because humans must save themselves!" Myza mimicked in a mocking high-pitched voice, then scoffed. "It's all nonsense because there is no such thing as a god. The 'divine oracle,' as fancy as it sounds, is just a high-level prophecy spell."

"Th-that's…" Liu Ji felt like he had just heard something shocking. "But since they can predict it, can't they come up with a way to solve it themselves? Why do they have to summon some unfortunate soul?"

"Because they can't solve it," Myza explained. "The effects of prophecy spells are limited; they don't know exactly what kind of calamity will occur, so there's no way to take specific preventive measures. History has shown that the best option is to concentrate resources to cultivate a super individual who can be on standby at any time."

"Does it have to be an individual? Can't they prepare some powerful army or something?" Liu Ji still didn't quite understand. "Can one person really fight against an entire nation's military might?"

"I don't know how it was in your world, but here…" Myza chuckled. "I probably haven't told you yet, but I was once a calamity myself. And an army, no matter how powerful, is worthless in front of me."