Save the World, Reward: A Husband

Chapter 1

My world was gone. It had been teetering on the brink for as long as I could remember, but today, it finally collapsed entirely.

⌈Quest: Proof of Qualification_Final_Ultimate_Last_FINAL (11) has been cleared.⌋

Through the translucent screen partially obscuring my view, I saw the immense corpse of the evil dragon, Ermitar, lying motionless. I struggled to free my sword from beneath its chin, only to stumble backward, left clutching only the shattered hilt. The Holy Sword, the last remaining SS-tier item in existence, had been destroyed, yet I felt nothing. It was never truly mine to begin with.

“Damn it…”

The expletive that escaped my lips wasn’t just about the broken sword.

⌈Congratulations. World E-20FUg has proven its worth and will not be deleted.⌋

I should have felt relief, knowing I had finally escaped the endless crises and faced no more follow-up quests. However, there was nothing left to celebrate. In this world now reduced to rubble, I was the sole survivor. My comrades, their life forces drained, had all turned into soul stones, and no resources were left to revive them. And soon, I would join them. The world had long since become uninhabitable, with not a single blade of grass or branch left to eat. All that remained was the dead dragon’s corpse, but the thought of gnawing on its tough, iron-like flesh did nothing to rekindle my will to survive.

⌈Calculating your total contribution.⌋

I slumped against the dragon’s body, struggling to steady my breath as fragmented memories flitted through my mind. I recalled digging through trash, getting beaten nearly to death, and later being kidnapped to a lab where I tasted meat for the first time—only to find out it was drugged, causing me immense pain.

What a miserable life…

I shouldn’t have bothered remembering any of it. Still, after being hurled into the field, I managed to make some decent memories with my new comrades.

“Annoy me one more time, and I’ll use your mouth as a sword sheath.”

“Oh, yeah? Then I’ll use your asshole as my inventory.”

Some of them were oddballs, but in the end, we risked our lives for each other without hesitation. The pile of ashes across from me was proof of that.

“You need to survive so that we at least have a 1 percent chance of winning. So live.”

The jerk who was always so mean had sacrificed himself to save me, yet not a single part of me felt grateful. He was a fool in my eyes.

⌈Contribution Rankings:

1st - CODE NO.124

2nd - CODE NO.0

3rd - Yumi

4th - Baeksa

.

.

.⌋

The contribution rankings were exactly as I expected. CODE NO.124—me, the last one standing—took the top spot. The pile of ashes that used to be the guy who died blocking the dragon’s attack came in second.

But what’s the point of all this? It might have mattered if the reward had been to restore this world fully.

It was said that about a thousand years ago, when the old humans lived, the environment was so clean they didn’t need devices to help them breathe, and resources were abundant. If the reward had been to return to a time like that, it might have made everything worth it. But of course, I knew better than to expect such a grand reward. After all these years of grinding through quests like a dog, I had come to learn that the best I could hope for was maybe an SS-ranked item or two thrown my way.

⌈Reward will be distributed based on your contribution.⌋

Despite everything, I still clung to the hope that maybe, just maybe, I would receive the resources needed to restore my comrades’ soul stones. It was that slim chance that kept me forcing my eyes open. If there was even a slight possibility of bringing at least one of them back, I felt I could endure this nightmare a little longer. Hell, I was ready to strip the dragon’s flesh down to the bone, turn it into jerky, and survive on it for another year in this hell.

But then, the translucent screen appeared once more.

⌈Error!

No valid reward options available.

Time remaining until reward distribution: 31,536,000 seconds… 31,535,995 seconds…⌋

“Haha…”

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. I should’ve known better. Of course, this cursed quest had to screw me over right to the bitter end. Feeling utterly drained, I let my eyes, which I had been forcing open, finally close. My limbs felt like lead, heavy and sluggish.

What are the odds of waking up again if I sleep now? And if I do, will I even have the strength to move? Screw the reward… I’d settle for a dream of sharing a meal with everyone, something delicious.

I wanted to dream of sitting around with my comrades, sharing fresh, uncontaminated meat until we were all stuffed. We would laugh about our regrets and finally express the feelings we had kept hidden for so long. And maybe, if I was lucky, I would drift into a deep sleep and never wake up.

I hardly felt any pain, but it was clear that my injuries were quite severe. My blood-soaked clothes clung to me, and the dizziness suggested I had lost a lot of blood. I guess all that wasn’t just wishful thinking.

Goodbye, you f*cked-up world.

With that final thought, I let go of consciousness, hoping to reunite with those I missed dearly. But then…

“Esh hee. (Hey.)”

Did I fall asleep?

I was drifting somewhere between a dream and reality, my mind foggy, when a voice suddenly whispered in my ear.

“Caroa va shita. (Wake up.)”

I knew immediately that the voice belonged to a stranger. The deep, resonant tone was soothing. If I’d heard it before, I would never have forgotten it.

“Hia to we? Vire ta waeydo loocksa be roo. (Who are you? How did you get in here?)”

Despite the demanding nature of the tone, it was still pleasant to hear. Driven by curiosity, I forced my eyes open.

⌈A partial reward has been distributed.⌋

The translucent screen now displayed a different message. Standing just beyond it was a man whose beauty outshone even the sweetness of his voice— No, he was far more mesmerizing.

This is my reward?

His hair was black with a hint of ash. His tousled bangs framed striking blue eyes that contrasted sharply with his chiseled features. A straight nose and a strong, angular jawline gave him a cool, almost chilling aura.

I shifted my gaze between the reward notification window and the man’s face, then glanced around. There was nothing else—no weapons, armor, elixirs, or any consumables I had secretly hoped for. There was nothing befitting a reward for a final quest that had determined the fate of the world. The only thing out of the ordinary was this man standing before me.

Could he be the reward? That was the only thought that crossed my mind as I tried to piece together the situation.

“Garow hechimo rooa da quia? (What’s your connection to the owner of this lair?)”

The man continued to ask me questions, but I could only stare at him. At first, his striking face captured my full attention, making me overlook his impressive physique. He was as large as my last comrade, who was now nothing but ashes. It was reassuring to see that he wasn’t weak. Whether summoned or otherwise, it was always preferable for something to be inherently strong.

But… He’s just a human. No matter how closely I looked at him, he didn’t appear to be an elemental or a summoned creature. Could this be what they call a “pair?”

In my world, a “pair” was a rare and deeply bonded relationship, typically between a man and a woman. The idea that my reward for surviving the destruction of my world was a single man left me bewildered. I wasn’t sure what to do with him, yet oddly, I didn’t feel entirely displeased. I had longed to experience the bond of a pair. It had always seemed so special.

Pairs seemed to live in their own world, seeing only each other and remaining inseparable even when surrounded by others. I had always envied that bond. Moreover, pairs weren’t just close-knit. They also gave birth to children, bringing hope and ensuring the continuity of their people.

First things first, we need to understand each other.

I reached into my inventory and pulled out an earring with a built-in translator. The man’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as the item appeared seemingly out of thin air. I greeted him softly after putting on the earring, not wanting to mess up my first impression.

“Hello. Did you come here to make a child with me?”