The Hero is Too Busy Paying His Rent!Chapter 10: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PAY RENT WHEN THE WORLD IS ENDING (AGAIN)?!Morning: A Peaceful Start (Or So I Thought)I woke up feeling… refreshed.

  No sudden explosions.No mysterious letters.No haunted forests.

  Just a quiet morning in my completely normal apartment.

  I stretched. “Ahh… what a peaceful day!”

  And that’s when my phone exploded.

  Literally.

  BOOM.

  Smoke. Sparks. My bed caught fire.

  I screamed, filing as I tumbled off the bed. "WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME?!"

  Kenji kicked open my door. "BRO, YOUR ROOM IS ON FIRE!"

  "I KNOW, KENJI. I’M IN IT."

  Emergency 1: A Very Casual ApocalypseWith zero hesitation, I grabbed a cup of water and threw it at the fire.

  It went out.

  Crisis averted.

  Or so I thought.

  Because then, my TV turned on by itself.

  A news anchor appeared, completely deadpan.

  “Breaking news! The world is ending in approximately… three hours. Please prepare accordingly.”

  …

  I blinked.

  Kenji blinked.

  The TV exploded.

  "WHY DOES EVERYTHING KEEP EXPLODING?!"

  Emergency 2: The Apocalypse Sale at Burger CastleI sprinted to work because, obviously, even the end of the world won’t stop capitalism.

  When I arrived, the Demon King was already behind the counter, flipping through a menu.

  Melodia was there too, sharpening a sword.

  I smmed my hands on the counter. "WHY ARE WE EVEN OPEN RIGHT NOW?!"

  Tanaka, our soulless manager, looked up from his clipboard.

  "Corporate policy," he droned. "Burger Castle will remain open until the very st moment of existence."

  I gawked. "WHAT KIND OF POLICY IS THAT?!"

  Melodia grinned. "Gotta make that final paycheck, man."

  I turned to the Demon King. "You’re an actual vilin! Why are you going along with this?!"

  He sipped his coffee. "Even vilins need financial stability."

  …

  I have never wanted to quit more in my life.

  Emergency 3: Kenji Decides to Save the World (Because He’s an Idiot)Kenji burst into the kitchen. "GUYS! I FOUND A WAY TO STOP THE APOCALYPSE!"

  I sighed. "Oh, this should be good."

  He held up a crumpled newspaper article.

  "According to this old prophecy, if a true idiot punches the sky hard enough, the world will reset!"

  …

  Melodia squinted. "Where did you even find that?"

  Kenji grinned. "The back of a cereal box."

  I stared. "Kenji. That’s not a prophecy. That’s an advertisement for fist-shaped marshmallows."

  Kenji ignored me. "I’M GONNA PUNCH THE SKY!"

  Before I could stop him, he ran outside, jumped off a bench, and swung his fist at the sky.

  Nothing happened.

  Kenji nded.

  Looked up.

  Punched again.

  Still nothing.

  Kenji: “…I think I need to punch harder.”

  Me: "NO, YOU ABSOLUTE MORON!"

  Emergency 4: Melodia's ‘Brilliant’ PnWhile Kenji was busy assaulting the sky, Melodia stepped forward.

  "If brute force won’t work, we’ll use… forbidden magic."

  I backed away. "No. Absolutely not. Every time you say that, something catches fire."

  She ignored me, pulled out a suspicious-looking spellbook, and started chanting.

  Lightning crackled.

  The air turned heavy.

  The ground shook.

  And then…

  A giant demonic hand ripped open the sky and waved at us.

  "Yo."

  …

  I clutched my head. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

  Melodia grinned. "I made a friend."

  Kenji fist-bumped the sky demon. "Sick."

  I screamed.

  Emergency 5: Tanaka is Just Done With EverythingWhile pure chaos unfolded, Tanaka just stood there, unfazed.

  I grabbed him by the shoulders. "SIR. THE WORLD IS ENDING. SAY SOMETHING!"

  He took a slow sip of his coffee.

  "We still have customers to serve."

  …

  At that moment, I realized something horrifying.

  Tanaka is more powerful than the Demon King.

  Final Emergency: The Demon King Decides He’s Had EnoughThe Demon King sighed and stood up.

  "Enough. This foolishness has gone on long enough."

  He raised his hand.

  Dark energy swirled.

  Kenji gasped. "BRO, HE’S GONNA USE A SECRET BOSS ATTACK!"

  Melodia grinned. "Finally! Some real action!"

  The Demon King snapped his fingers.

  And then…

  The sky fixed itself.

  The world reset.

  The apocalypse? Canceled.

  …

  I stared.

  Melodia stared.

  Kenji whispered, "bro… hacks."

  I turned to the Demon King. "YOU COULD DO THAT THIS WHOLE TIME?!"

  He sipped his coffee. "Yes."

  I colpsed.

  Epilogue: Nothing Matters, We’re Still BrokeThe world was saved.

  The sky was back to normal.

  Life continued as usual.

  Tanaka handed out paychecks.

  I looked at mine.

  "3.42"

  …

  I screamed, “HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PAY RENT WITH THIS?!”

  Kenji patted my shoulder. "At least the world’s not ending anymore, bro."

  I curled up on the floor.

  Melodia flipped through her spellbook. "Hey, wanna try summoning the sky demon again?"

  "NO."

  To Be Continued…