Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 41

There are No Bad Heroes in the World – Episode 41 (41/273)

Hemis had lived for far too long.

So long that she had given up counting time.

How old was she?

Eight hundred years? Nine hundred years?

Perhaps even over a thousand years.

“Umm…”

No, thinking about it again, she was sure it was over a thousand years.

A millennium or more.

It was a cruel amount of time for a being with reason.

“Boring…”

Lately, Hemis had been feeling particularly bored.

There hadn’t been any incidents for nearly a month.

It was an extremely quiet and peaceful daily life.

A peaceful daily life might be precious to someone, but not to Hemis.

She wanted a stimulating incident that would make her brain tingle.

“Why are those fanatics so quiet? Have they already given up on the Saintess?”

It was fun to capture Abelson Marriott, the next Saintess of the Holy Empire, for her amusement.

In fact, not long after the next Saintess was captured, there was a reaction.

The Holy Empire sent a hero-level human, Oseld, to attempt a rescue.

She was very satisfied that day because she tasted the blood of a human with rich mana after a long time.

But that was it.

A month had passed since then, but the Holy Empire had not sent any additional rescue teams.

“Haa, if it were the old days, I would have gone directly and eaten them all…”

She couldn’t move from this Black Star [a strategically important location or base] unless it was an order from the Demon King.

That was the promise.

Thanks to that, Hemis was stuck in the castle like this, looking for toys.

“Choi Hyun-seok is quiet these days too… Boring…”

Hemis, who was muttering while stroking her chin, suddenly jumped up.

“That’s right! Choi Hyun-seok!”

She remembered the best toy she had forgotten for a while.

“Why did I forget?”

Choi Hyun-seok was assigned to the trivial task of stabilizing the executive chef.

The meat he grilled himself was quite delicious and even satisfying.

“It’s been a month, so the chef must be stable now.”

But Hemis liked new incidents more than delicious meat.

It was time to roll Choi Hyun-seok again [to cause trouble or create a challenge for him].

She was even wondering if she had left him alone for too long.

“Bring Choi Hyun-seok.”

Hemis’s order was given.

Not long after, Choi Hyun-seok came.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

“Aren’t you very bored these days?”

“Yes?”

Choi Hyun-seok blinked with a bewildered expression.

Hemis laughed inwardly.

How dare he question her.

If it were anyone else, she would have torn them apart and swallowed them, but Choi Hyun-seok was an exception.

From the beginning, Hemis expected that kind of reaction from Choi Hyun-seok.

Even his trivial reactions were so fresh and fun.

‘It’s fun to tease him.’

To Hemis, who was tired of the long time and everything had become bland, Choi Hyun-seok was a breath of fresh air.

A human who always exceeded her expectations, unpredictable.

The time had come to give such Choi Hyun-seok a new mission.

“I’ll give you a month. Catch a battalion commander.”

“Yes…?”

Choi Hyun-seok’s face stiffened.

“Why the expression? Do you perhaps not like it?”

“Ah, no!”

Choi Hyun-seok made a confident expression.

“I was just surprised to be given such an undeserved opportunity.”

“Really?”

“Yes! An opportunity given by the legion commander, who is like the sky. I will definitely seize it!”

“Ohoho! That’s right!”

Hemis laughed happily.

He was still a first-class human when it came to flattering.

For a moment, Hemis felt playful.

‘Shall I shake him up a bit?’

She licked her lips and continued.

“But will it be possible?”

“Yes?”

“Choi Hyun-seok. I know you’ve become quite strong. It’s hard to believe when I think about when you first came here.”

This was sincere.

Choi Hyun-seok’s growth rate was beyond imagination.

It hadn’t even been three months since he came to this Black Star.

Choi Hyun-seok, who was just an ordinary human, was now exerting the power of a decent human knight.

That was a realm that ordinary humans had to train for more than 10 years to reach.

Even those with talent had to suffer for several years to reach that realm.

Choi Hyun-seok reached that realm in just three months.

‘Of course, that growth was thanks to Raidrun’s training and my push.’

Choi Hyun-seok’s rapid growth was the result of everyone working together.

Choi Hyun-seok’s own outstanding talent.

Raidrun’s excellent guidance.

And the trials Hemis gave him.

Coincidence overlapped with coincidence, and all of this meshed together to create a miracle.

“But you know. No matter how strong you’ve become, I still think it’s too much for you to take on a battalion commander.”

There was only one step difference between company commander and battalion commander, but the biggest gap occurred at this stage.

This was because battalions could carry out independent tactical missions.

Therefore, within the Demon King’s army, those who could actually be called executives were from the battalion commander level.

“As such, all the guys in the battalion are something else.”

Most of the battalion commanders were humans from noble families.

In other words, they were demons with lineage [demons with a pure or strong demonic bloodline].

The power of demons with lineage was on a different level from ordinary hybrids.

“Can you, a mere human, beat such a battalion commander in a month?”

“…”

Choi Hyun-seok’s face stiffened.

“I think you need to be at least twice as strong as you are now to have a chance.”

“I will somehow make it!”

Choi Hyun-seok answered with spirit.

“No. I still don’t think it’s possible.”

“…”

“So I’ll make an additional offer for you.”

“If you mean an additional offer…?”

“You have demonic energy for a human, right?”

“Yes… I have a little.”

Choi Hyun-seok nodded with a sullen face.

In an instant, Hemis’s lips stretched wide.

“I’ll share my demonic energy with you. For free.”

“Ah…”

“How is it? It’s a very unconventional offer, isn’t it!?”

Hemis said, bringing her face close.

Lips that came right up to his nose.

“I… that’s…”

Choi Hyun-seok’s voice was already half sobbing.

***

Click!

The antique black wooden door closes.

Choi Hyun-seok, who left Hemis’s office, let out a sigh of relief.

“Hoo, I really aged ten years. Suddenly telling me to receive demonic energy…”

He was speechless the more he thought about it.

It was an unreasonable request to catch a battalion commander, but after making such an unreasonable request himself, he said he would share his demonic energy because it seemed difficult.

“If I fail, I’ll die, and if I succeed, won’t I become like that orc who fought then?”

The orc Kurken who fought Choi Hyun-seok.

He accepted Hemis’s demonic energy and temporarily became stronger, but eventually went crazy and his whole body melted down.

He didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if he, a human, received Hemis’s demonic energy.

“If I’m going to go crazy, I should go crazy nicely. Who would accept such nonsense.”

“Shh! Hero. The office isn’t far away yet! The legion commander might hear you!”

“Ah…?”

At Rachel’s warning, Choi Hyun-seok shrank and looked around.

“…”

A moment of silence.

Choi Hyun-seok was relieved after confirming that there was no one around.

“By the way, why are you suddenly using honorifics like ‘Legion Commander’? You usually call her a monster or something.”

When talking about Hemis, Rachel usually foamed at the mouth and spewed harsh words.

It was strange that such Rachel was suddenly being polite, calling her ‘Legion Commander’.

Rachel replied with an expression that it was obvious.

“She might be listening. If the hero gets caught talking bad about her behind her back, I have to save myself.”

Rachel stretched her arms to the sky.

“Great Legion Commander! I have nothing to do with this arrogant and disrespectful hero!”

“This is also called a dedicated fairy!” [A sarcastic remark about Rachel’s sudden loyalty].

Choi Hyun-seok grabbed Rachel and shook her wildly.

“Ke, keek…! I can’t breathe…!”

“Then die!”

The two’s squabble continued until they arrived at Bobo’s house.

“Seriously… Hero. Haven’t you become more violent lately? If you live like trash, you might have your hero qualification revoked.”

“Haven’t you ever thought that your mouth is violent?”

“Never heard of it?”

Rachel shrugged with an expression that she didn’t know at all.

Choi Hyun-seok was so dumbfounded by her brazenness that he was almost impressed.

“You’re really amazing in many ways. And I want to have this hero qualification revoked right now.”

“Oh, don’t say that. The hero is my only lifeline. We have to defeat the Demon King quickly and have a win-win situation.”

“…”

“Hero. Do you know what withdrawal symptoms are? I haven’t been able to drink macarons and coffee lately, so living is not living!”

“That’s it. I shouldn’t have said anything…”

In the end, Choi Hyun-seok declared surrender first.

***

As soon as he arrived at Bobo’s house, Choi Hyun-seok leaned his head against Bobo’s belly.

“Kwang…”

Bobo, who was sleeping, opened his eyes slightly, checked Choi Hyun-seok, and closed his eyes again.

“Put away the useless stories and think about what to do in the future.”

“What?”

“The lip monster told you to catch a battalion commander.”

“Yes.”

“Can I beat a battalion commander now?”

“I’ll grill my hand if you win.”

“Should I grill it right now?”

Choi Hyun-seok opened his eyes sharply.

Rachel coughed dryly and continued.

“Ahem! I said it like a joke, but that’s the truth. At the hero’s current level, it’s impossible to beat a battalion commander even if you die and come back to life.”

“I guess so…”

Skills and everything else aside, there was too much of an overwhelming difference from simple physical specs [physical specifications or attributes].

“Was my combat power 9500 today?”

“It was exactly 9550.”

Choi Hyun-seok’s combat power was 9550 when he checked this morning.

“On the other hand, the battalion commanders have a minimum of 40,000 later.”

As a result of Choi Hyun-seok’s confirmation so far.

The battalion commander with the lowest combat power was about 49,000.

All the others were unmeasurable.

The combat power measuring device can measure up to 50,000, so the average combat power of the battalion commander is over 50,000.

“Even if combat power is just a stat… it’s not easy to overturn such an overwhelming difference.”

Moreover, from the battalion commander level, they are not just fools who rely on strength.

As a result of investigation, they are elite groups.

They are professionals of fighting who have learned systematic combat techniques.

Unlike stupid ordinary soldiers, battalion commanders will know how to maximize their combat power.

“Should I have received the demonic energy after all.”

“If you did, you would have gone crazy before a month passed?”

“I’m just saying it out of frustration.”

Suddenly telling him to beat a battalion commander.

He knew it would happen someday, but the timing was too early.

“No matter how I think about it, a month is too much. Leveling up hasn’t been going well these days anyway.”

“That’s right. The tricks have reached their limit now.”

The hunting method of easily catching monsters using cooks was now coming to an end.

He was leveling up, but it was only one or two a day.

No matter how hard he grew for a month at this rate, it was impossible to fight and win against a battalion commander.

“I need to find a way…”

Choi Hyun-seok buried his head in Bobo’s fur.

If he stood it stiffly, even a knife wouldn’t go in, but usually it was endlessly soft and glossy.

“Bobo. How nice would it be if you could fight for me.”

The Demon King’s pet dog.

Bobo, the child of that guy, properly showed what the importance of lineage was.

He was getting stronger at a rapid pace even if he didn’t do anything and just ate.

His size had increased by more than 1.5 times in a month, and his combat power had long since reached unmeasurable levels.

It reminded him again that Hemis had initially entrusted Bobo to him, saying that he was in his growth phase.

He thought it was a lie at the time, but after spending time with him, Bobo was really in his growth phase.

“Well… if it’s Bobo, he might really be evenly matched even if he fights a battalion commander.”

“He might even win.”

At Choi Hyun-seok’s words, Rachel sighed.

“Hoo… what’s the use of that. After all, you fight one-on-one in a duel.”

“That’s right. After all, the duel is one-on-one…”

Choi Hyun-seok, who was muttering, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“That’s right! Commander decision match! If you have a duel, it’s unconditionally one-on-one!”

“That’s right.”

“Then you don’t have to have a duel, right?”

Suddenly, Rachel started looking at Choi Hyun-seok’s head.

“That’s strange. It doesn’t seem like you bumped into anything on the way here. Hero. Do you remember who I am?”

Choi Hyun-seok roughly threw Rachel away.

“Kyaak!”

“I’m not kidding. I’m serious.”

Rachel said, tidying her disheveled hair.

“Are you saying that sincerely?”

“Yes. Hemis said that, right? To catch any battalion commander.”

“Ah… it seems like she did?”

“No. I’m sure.”

Choi Hyun-seok clearly remembered.

“I’ll give you a month. Catch a battalion commander.”

Hemis told him to catch a battalion commander.

She didn’t specify anyone like she did with Kurken, and she didn’t tell him to have a duel.

“So there’s no need to be picky about the means and methods.”

At Choi Hyun-seok’s explanation, Rachel made a sullen expression.

“Aren’t you interpreting it too arbitrarily?”

“I don’t know! She said it herself! I just did as I was told!”

Madness began to flicker in Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes.

Rachel shook her head.

She knew well from her past experience that she couldn’t communicate with Choi Hyun-seok when he was so crazy.

“One month. I’ll catch him unconditionally within that time.”

Choi Hyun-seok said, stroking Bobo’s head.

“Our Bobo. Can you do it? Huh?”

“Kwang…!”

Only Bobo himself would know whether Bobo, who was answering in his sleep, really understood Choi Hyun-seok’s words.