I believe everyone has heard tales of legendary heroes from mythology—brave warriors chosen by the gods to vanquish fearsome monsters. Their thrilling and unforgettable adventures include Perseus, who slew the monstrous Medusa; Jason, who journeyed in search of the Golden Fleece; the mighty Heracles, who defeated the Lernaean Hydra; and so on. Surely, you've heard these stories since childhood—so much so that you could probably recount them scene by scene with ease.
But I have another tale of adventure—one that I guarantee you've never heard before. A journey hidden from every known account of Greek mythology. From this moment on, I ask you to forget every hero you've ever admired—be it Heracles, Perseus, Jason, or anyone else. Forget them all. Because what I'm about to share with you… is the most extraordinary adventure of all—my own.
My name is... um... well... how should I put this? Honestly, I wish I could introduce myself like the protagonists in other stories—something like, "My name is so-and-so, I'm this many years old, I have mysterious eyes, a cool signature weapon, and I live in a fantastical land full of wonder. But unfortunately, I'll never get the chance to introduce myself like that. Why, you ask? The answer is simple:
I'm just a background character in a story.
Wait—don't close the book just yet! I know, I know… you probably don't want to hear the story of a mere background character like me. But I haven't finished telling you everything! Come on—stay a little longer, just until the end.
Ah… thank you—truly—thank you so much for your kindness in not abandoning me (I'm honestly about to cry). Alright, let's get back to the story.
As I told you, I'm just an ordinary background character. So ordinary, in fact, that I don't even have a name. No one knows what I look like—not even you. That's fair, right?
After all, no writer out there has the time or interest to describe the appearance of an utterly unimportant extra like me.
Oh, but there is one thing I do know: I've been assigned the role of a male.
Sometimes, I can't help but feel jealous of other background characters. Even if they don't have much of a role, at least they have a name. See what I mean? I'm even more insignificant than the named side characters. (Please give me a moment to go sit in a corner and pull myself together...)
I'm a background character in a book of Greek mythology. My job is pretty simple—like cheering for the hero when they complete their quest, or running around screaming as a villager when a monster attacks. Sometimes I play a villager chatting with others…Though to be honest, we don't actually talk—we just gesture and pretend. Because, as you know, background characters don't get detailed dialogue or anything worth focusing on.
It's the same thing over and over again. Boring? Yes. But I have to do it. Do you know why?
If you didn't know, then let me tell you—if a background character like me stays idle, with no role at all in the myth, I'll simply vanish… fade out of existence forever.
That's why I have to keep playing those boring little roles I mentioned—to preserve my existence. Even if it's just a tiny presence, it's enough to keep a background character like me alive.
And in the world of stories, there's one strict rule that every side character like me must always remember: We must never, ever die.
Background characters like me are nothing like the protagonists in stories. No matter how many times those heroes die—regardless of the cause—they always come back. Because they're the main characters, they're destined to reappear in another book, as if death never really applies to them. You could say… they never truly die.
But a background character like me? If I die, that's it. No resurrection—not in this book, not in the next. Dead is dead.
So if you're going to be a background character, you'd better choose your role carefully. Otherwise… death might come for you when you least expect it.
There was this one time when I wanted to look cool like the heroes, so I took on the role of a background soldier in the Trojan War. The armor was actually pretty awesome, I won't lie.
At first, my plan was to play a cowardly soldier who runs from battle—you know, to avoid any dangerous scenes. But I never got the chance to pull that off.
Because my commander—someone I'm sure you all know—was none other than Achilles. And he strictly ordered that no soldier was to flee the battlefield. Anyone who did would be executed on the spot.
Well, that backfired. If I tried to run, I'd probably get my head chopped off by his sword instead.
So I had no choice but to change roles at the last minute—from a cowardly soldier…
to a brave warrior willing to die for his commander.
That was the first time I truly saw how main characters perform. Achilles—he was absolutely incredible in my eyes. He charged at the enemy's background soldiers without a hint of fear, and his combat skills were insanely impressive. In the blink of an eye, he could take down opponents with barely any effort.
It didn't take long before the battlefield was covered in the corpses of fallen extras—
most of them, of course, were cut down by Achilles himself. Thankfully, I wasn't on the opposing side. (Farewell, my fellow background characters… may you rest in eternal peace.)
But… uh… the state of their bodies was not pretty to look at. If I stayed there any longer, it was only a matter of time before I'd end up just like them. That couldn't happen. I had to do something.
So I tried to sneak away—out of Achilles' line of sight—hoping to escape the battlefield altogether. But out of nowhere, some maniac came charging at me with a sword!
Luckily, I dodged just in time.
That maniac turned out to be a new background character—freshly assigned to the scene. I tried to talk him down, told him to calm down, and even invited him to run away with me.
But he wouldn't listen. He shouted that he'd rather die than lose his honor. Absolutely insane.
He was clearly way too into his role as a patriotic soldier. Honestly, if there were an award for "Best Supporting Extra," he'd be my first nominee—no doubt about it.
The patriotic soldier came charging in and kicked me hard in the stomach. I collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. My sword and shield flew out of my hands in opposite directions.
I tried to crawl away, but he stomped on my back to keep me from escaping. He had this triumphant look on his face— and honestly, it was creepy as hell.
There was no way out. He raised his sword and thrust it down at me.
(My fellow background characters… I'm on my way to join you now.)
I squeezed my eyes shut. Then I heard the sound of a blade piercing flesh—shk!
Strangely, I didn't feel any pain at all.
I slowly opened my eyes. What I saw was the new background soldier—
stabbed in the stomach by someone. Someone had saved me.
And that someone… was none other than my incredibly cool commander—Achilles himself.
Achilles reached his hand out to me. He was so kind—so unlike any main character I'd ever encountered. He was the definition of a true hero. Without even thinking, I reached out and took his hand.
He helped me to my feet and said, "Be careful. I can't protect you all the time."
Then he gave me a firm pat on the back, snapping me out of my daze.
In that moment, something about his voice completely entranced me. My heart swelled with determination. My blood began to surge, and my mind was filled with one thought:
I must slay every enemy in sight for the mighty Achilles!
What the hell was happening to me? I'd suddenly gone completely bloodthirsty.
I tried to hold myself back from charging into battle… but my body refused to listen.
My commander dashed ahead toward the city walls, and I ran right behind him, shouting at the top of my lungs, "Come on, you bastards!" My voice echoed across the battlefield. No surprise the enemy soldiers came charging straight at me.
All I could do at that moment was pray— pray that I could be at least half as strong as Achilles. Which, of course… was impossible.
But in that life-or-death moment, I saw someone else running behind my commander.
He was a man with long hair and a clean, handsome face. And right now, he had a bow drawn—aimed straight at Achilles.
From what I know of the story, that man was Prince Paris—the one destined to end Achilles' life.
Then a wild thought flashed through my mind—I have to protect my commander…
He can't die. I have to take that arrow for him.
No… I don't want to die… but for some reason, I just couldn't stop myself.