Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 111

Black armor encased his entire body.

A massive greatsword hung on his back, its cool gleam hinting at its masterful craftsmanship.

“I’m Motem. Choi Hyun-seok and I are already acquainted, aren’t we?”

The black armor belonged to Motem.

He had been a prominent figure in the Battalion Commander Tournament’s flag snatching event, and Choi Hyun-seok had clashed with him once before.

“He’ll be acting as the Legion Commander’s proxy in my stead, so get to know him.”

Raiderun stared at Motem, lost in thought.

‘This is troubling…’

Legion Commander’s proxy.

Essentially, it was a role to replace Hemis while she was away.

Could Motem truly be qualified to take on such a significant position?

Motem was merely a familiar [a magical creature bound to a master] of Hemis, not officially part of the Demon King’s army.

“Legion Commander, is this wise?”

Raiderun asked.

He personally didn’t mind, but the other division commanders might.

If Motem became the Legion Commander’s proxy, the division commanders under the 3rd Legion would likely object.

The magical energy emanating from Motem was considerable, but it didn’t surpass that of a division commander.

Considering the total amount of magical energy alone, it was merely average.

The Demon King’s army was a meritocracy where power didn’t represent everything, but it was still a factor.

He worried whether this sudden appointment could effectively control the other division commanders.

“It doesn’t matter. Within our legion, no one except me can defeat Motem.”

“…Understood.”

Raiderun nodded.

Honestly, he was doubtful, but if Hemis said so, then so be it.

If Motem overwhelmed the other division commanders with force, there would be no further issues.

“Motem is unfamiliar with military affairs, so Raiderun, you’ll need to assist him.”

“Yes.”

Hemis, having completed the hasty appointment, waved her hand, signaling them to leave.

“Then everyone, go. As I mentioned earlier, I plan to be away frequently, so don’t be concerned by my absence.”

“Yes.”

Everyone bowed and left the office.

Thump…!

The door closed, and a strange aura filled the air.

Motem approached Choi Hyun-seok.

“Long time no see, Choi Hyun-seok.”

“Yes! It’s… quite a surprise to see you again like this. Hahaha…!”

Cold sweat trickled down Choi Hyun-seok’s back.

Raiderun and Roiger, unaware of their history, watched the two with puzzled expressions.

“Thank you for the last encounter. I enjoyed it immensely.”

“Hahaha…! I was a bit too enthusiastic, but I appreciate your understanding!”

The second match of the Battalion Commander Tournament was the flag snatching event.

At that time, Choi Hyun-seok had dealt a significant blow to Motem and flipped him off [made an obscene gesture].

‘It was shitty meeting you… let’s not meet again.’

He wanted to take back those words.

‘You idiot! Why did you have to run your mouth!’

Hemis had stated a short while ago that in the 3rd Legion, no one except Hemis herself could beat Motem.

In other words, Motem’s strength surpassed that of an average division commander.

He had given such a monster the middle finger, and now he had suddenly returned as his superior.

His vision swam.

The situation was dire.

“You’ve become significantly stronger in a short period. And not much time has passed.”

“No! I’m still lacking…”

Fortunately, Motem didn’t seem to be dwelling on what happened back then.

He placed his hand on Choi Hyun-seok’s shoulder.

At that moment, Choi Hyun-seok’s face contorted in pain.

Crack…!

The grip felt like his shoulder was being torn off.

“I look forward to working with you.”

There was a distinct hint of amusement in Motem’s voice.

He had been navigating the Demon King’s army for quite some time.

He had finally become a regimental commander and thought he could relax, but fate had other plans.

***

Several days passed.

Contrary to Choi Hyun-seok’s expectations, the past few days had been unusually peaceful.

He wondered if there had ever been such a quiet period since he arrived in this world.

Hemis, as she had said, was secluded, occupied with unknown activities, and despite being on the front lines, there was no sign of humans.

Motem was the only potential source of trouble, but he was preoccupied with learning the Legion Commander’s duties, so he didn’t particularly bother Choi Hyun-seok.

As a result, Choi Hyun-seok was able to fully concentrate on training during the remaining time.

“Alright. It’s finally complete.”

Choi Hyun-seok had finally completed a fighting style that utilized body modification.

[Congratulations! You have completed a new form of fighting style!]

[As a reward, body modification by magical energy is stabilized.]

[Name the fighting style. It will be registered as an official skill.]

[Remaining fighting styles until Hero Quest completion: 1/2]

Choi Hyun-seok’s face lit up with joy as he read the system alert.

“Congratulations, Hero! You’ve finally succeeded.”

“Yeah. Although I still have one more left to complete the Hero Quest.”

“Hey~ You’ll complete the next fighting style even faster.”

“I guess so?”

Anything is difficult the first time.

Now that he had a better understanding of creating a fighting style, he would be able to do it more easily next time.

“It says to name this fighting style, what should I call it?”

Choi Hyun-seok asked.

Rachel crossed her arms and studied him.

Overall, Choi Hyun-seok’s appearance hadn’t changed drastically.

The only noticeable changes were the long blades protruding from his forearms and the horns that had grown on his head.

Electricity occasionally crackled from the tips of the horns, and Choi Hyun-seok could release it at will.

His physical abilities had also slightly improved.

All of this was possible because Choi Hyun-seok had incorporated the characteristics of a magical beast called ‘Pulminium,’ one of the magical energy ampules he had consumed.

“I’ve got a great name in mind!”

“What is it?”

“When it comes to blades, it’s Wolverine! The name of this fighting style is Wolverine Mode!”

“I don’t think we should use that name. It feels like we’ll attract unnecessary attention.”

“Why? Wolverine! It’s a wild animal that resembles a bear and lives in North America!”

Rachel smiled, implying there was nothing to worry about.

“Anyway, I don’t like it. That name is no good.”

“Then what are you going to call it?”

“Well… since it’s a transformation derived from the magical beast Pulminium, let’s just call it Pulminium Mode.”

Choi Hyun-seok shrugged.

Rachel pouted as if she disapproved.

“Ugh, what’s that? It’s boring.”

“I don’t know, I don’t know. The original name should be intuitive. I’m going to decide on this.”

“Tch. Why did you even ask if you were going to do whatever you wanted anyway.”

Choi Hyun-seok ignored her, at a loss for words.

He resolved to make decisions without consulting Rachel in the future.

“By the way, the system is acting strangely.”

Rachel said, tilting her head.

“What’s suddenly strange?”

“Isn’t it odd? The Hero System shouldn’t accommodate magical energy. Don’t you remember losing 500 Hero Points because of magical energy when you tried to create a fighting style before?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

The Hero Shop had functions called Fighting Style Creation and Magic Creation.

Choi Hyun-seok had attempted to create a fighting style with a whopping 500 Hero Points, but he had failed because he possessed magical energy.

“It’s natural for magical energy to cause errors in a system designed for heroes. But look at your status window now.”

“Why, what about my status window?”

“In the Abilities section, there’s Magical Energy Manipulation and Magical Energy Devouring. In the Skills section, there’s Raiderun-style Fighting Technique, Fighting Technique Modification, Promotes, and Nobilesse, all of which utilize magical energy, right?”

“Oh… you’re right.”

“There’s even ‘Magical Energy’ in the stats, with a numerical value displayed. It’s strange.”

Hero System.

It was a system for heroes.

Since heroes would never use magical energy, the system shouldn’t cater to magical energy users.

But Choi Hyun-seok’s status window was filled with magical energy-related information.

Even this Hero Quest required him to create a fighting style using magical energy, and the reward was to assist in body modification by magical energy.

Shouldn’t they rename it ‘Demon System’ or ‘Demon King Army System’ instead of Hero System?

“Maybe.”

Choi Hyun-seok, after contemplating, spoke.

“The system is evolving, isn’t it?”

“The system is evolving?”

“Yeah. You mentioned before that the system has changed significantly.”

“That’s right.”

“So that means the system is adaptable. It could be evolving to accommodate magical energy.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

“When the magical energy stat first appeared, it was displayed as a question mark (?) in the status window, and then it changed to magical energy after a while. That was probably part of the evolution process.”

It was a plausible explanation.

Rachel nodded and continued.

“There’s a possibility. Especially since Hero is the best prospective hero with SSS-grade potential! God might be looking out for you!”

“That’s not it. If God really cared about me, he would have chopped off your head first.”

“What did you say!?”

“Ahem, just kidding. Just kidding.”

Choi Hyun-seok cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“By the way, I had a thought while looking at the status window.”

His gaze was fixed on the title at the top of the status window.

▫Title: Prospective Hero

The title he received when he first arrived in this world.

It hadn’t changed, even after all this time.

He hadn’t paid attention to it until now, but once he noticed it, it bothered him.

“When am I ever going to get rid of this ‘prospective’ tag?”

“‘Prospective’ tag?”

“Yeah. My title is still Prospective Hero. Where else is there a hero who grows as wonderfully as I do!”

“That’s strange. Usually, you lose the ‘prospective’ tag much earlier than this.”

“Really?”

Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes widened.

He had said it without thinking, but he really should have lost the ‘prospective’ tag by now.

“In the Demon King’s army, you usually lose the ‘prospective’ tag around the battalion commander level. When you become a regular hero, you get various benefits.”

“Wait a minute, then why am I still a prospective hero?”

Currently, Choi Hyun-seok’s level was 671.

His combat power was a whopping 92,870.

He had long surpassed the battalion commander level, and he was at a level where he could be considered somewhat stable even among regimental commanders.

But the title ‘Prospective Hero’ remained the same.

“That’s a significant loss. If there are benefits, they should promote me quickly!”

“Usually, a promotion quest appears. If you complete it, you become a regular hero from a prospective hero.”

“Promotion quest?”

“Yes. Think of it as a Hero Quest, but the reward is the title.”

“Ah-ha.”

You complete a promotion battle with a Hero Quest.

It was simpler than he expected.

“The content is usually something extremely hero-like, like saving a village in danger or defeating a demon.”

“Then why isn’t that promotion quest appearing for me?”

“Who knows? Maybe it’s because you’ve only done things that aren’t hero-like, Hero?”

“Hmm…”

He wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t.

He had killed more humans than demons.

He was even a high-ranking officer in the Demon King’s army, a regimental commander.

It seemed like he was aiming to become the Demon King rather than a hero.

“Wait a minute.”

Choi Hyun-seok, who had been contemplating, suddenly frowned.

“The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get?”

“What is it?”

“That’s right. Did anyone ask me if I wanted to live like this? I don’t like it either! Who am I doing this for!?”

His voice grew louder.

“Who sent me to the Demon King’s army without permission? Who told me to appease the demons with Hero Quests? But now you’re not giving me the ‘prospective’ tag because I’m not hero-like? What kind of shitty system is this!?”

“H-Hero, calm down.”

Rachel tried to dissuade him, but Choi Hyun-seok, who had already lost his temper, couldn’t be stopped.

His eyes began to gleam wildly.

“Isn’t it inevitable that I have complaints about the Hero System? Huh!?”

“Just for a moment…”

“Isn’t this too much! Damn it!”

The moment Choi Hyun-seok shouted.

A familiar alarm rang.

★☆★☆ Hero Quest! ★☆★☆

You’re still angry that you haven’t gotten rid of the ‘prospective~’ tag!

You’re still ‘prospective~’, but no matter what anyone says, you’re a true hero!

We’re giving you the opportunity to become a regular hero, not a ‘prospective~’ hero!

Break through the great trials and throw away the ‘prospective~’ tag!

· Goal: Achieve a combat power of 92,880

· Reward: Regular Hero Title

Choi Hyun-seok narrowed his eyes and examined the Hero Quest.

“No matter how I look at it, it seems like they’re messing with me.”

“What do you mean?”

“A promotion quest appeared.”

“Huh? Really!?”

“Did they forget to give it to me because they were supposed to give it to me a long time ago, and now they’re giving it to me in a hurry because I’m cursing them?”

“Hey~ Hero Quests are given by the system. There’s no way a system, which is essentially a machine, would have such a function.”

“Then what is this in front of my eyes?”

Choi Hyun-seok examined the Hero Quest again.

‘Prospective~’ Hero, ‘prospective~’ tag, and so on.

They emphasized ‘prospective’ a whopping four times, and even used a wavy pattern.

“It’s like they’re teasing me, saying ‘Ebi~’ [a taunting sound]!”

“Even so, isn’t that a bit of a persecution complex?”

“Persecution complex? Persecution complex!? They’re giving me a goal of raising my combat power by only 10 and calling it a great trial, and that looks like a persecution complex!?”

Choi Hyun-seok checked the quest goal again.

Achieve a combat power of 92,880.

Choi Hyun-seok’s current combat power was 92,870, so he only needed to raise it by 10.

It was too easy to be a promotion quest.

“This confirms it. Someone is playing around with me through the Hero Quest.”

At that moment, Choi Hyun-seok clenched his fist and vowed.

Someday, when everything is over and he meets the operator of this Hero System.

“I’m really going to beat him to a pulp on a rainy day.”

Today, too, it was the divine blasphemy of the apostle of God, Hero Choi Hyun-seok.