Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 137

“Alice!”

“What the hell!”

It was a demon.

A demon appeared out of nowhere and pierced Alice’s chest.

Splat-!

Her heart was ripped out, and blood splattered everywhere.

Alice collapsed like a doll with its strings cut.

The demon, turning around, was a handsome man with sharp features, standing at nearly 2 meters tall.

His gray skin, not found in humans, shimmered in the sunlight.

“I was just going to watch, but you looked too delicious to resist!”

The fiend licked the blood from his lips with his tongue.

Then, he opened his mouth wide and tore into the heart in one go.

Crunch! Smack! Smack!

He devoured the heart ravenously.

Soon, the fiend smiled, seemingly satisfied.

“There’s nothing quite as delicious as a fresh heart.”

The heroes could only stare in shock.

Niccolo clenched his teeth.

‘That’s a demon…’

In truth, he and his companions had never seen a demon before.

They had hunted monsters many times, but this was their first encounter with a demon.

“Those demons! I can cut them down in one strike if I ever meet them!” “Why are you stating the obvious!”

“Hahaha!”

The past, filled with laughter and shouts with his companions, flashed through his mind.

They were truly ignorant. Facing a demon in person, he couldn’t help but realize.

He was a frog in a well [an idiom for someone with limited experience or perspective].

Just an endlessly arrogant fool.

‘I have to move…’

A demon that surpasses a certain level possesses a unique aura.

Like encountering a fierce beast.

A creature facing a demon feels weak in the knees and trembles.

He had heard about it countless times, but facing it in reality, a fear far greater than expected washed over him.

Niccolo bit his lip.

The bitter taste of blood brought him back to his senses a little.

‘I need to check his combat power.’

Niccolo took out a combat power measuring device from his pocket and put it on.

[ Combat Power: 75,542 ]

Niccolo smiled faintly.

The number was lower than expected.

‘I can handle this.’

The trembling is just because he’s not used to it.

He has a good chance of winning if he fights.

Niccolo’s combat power is in the mid-60,000s.

The other companions are over 40,000.

Alice was killed by a surprise attack, but the remaining four can take him on if they combine their strength.

“Everyone, get a grip!”

Niccolo shouted.

“His combat power isn’t that different from ours. If we respond as we always have, we can win!”

At Niccolo’s words, the light returned to his companions’ eyes.

“Yeah! We can’t die like this.” “How many monsters have we hunted so far! A demon like that is nothing!”

They had only shown foolishness so far, but they were heroes who had been through thick and thin for three years in their own right.

They had faced life-or-death crises quite a few times.

The four heroes quickly regained their senses and formed a formation.

Little by little, they advanced, surrounding the demon.

The demon looked dumbfounded at the sight.

“You don’t actually think you have a chance, do you?” “Hmph. I’ll make you regret not taking advantage of the surprise attack.”

If the fiend had pounced on them immediately after killing Alice, they wouldn’t have been able to respond.

Perhaps, they would have been wiped out as they were.

But now that they had regained their senses, the situation had changed.

‘I’ll cut you down here and complete the hero quest.’

Niccolo gripped his sword tightly.

“Let’s go!”

“Haaa!”

The four heroes charged in unison as if they had made a promise.

***

“Pathetic~ So pathetic~”

Ten minutes.

That’s how long it took for the party members, including Niccolo, to fall.

Even that was only because of the fiend’s playful attitude.

If he had been serious, the fight would have ended in five minutes.

“Cough!”

Blood gushed from Niccolo’s mouth.

He couldn’t understand the situation at all.

‘Why… why is there such a difference…’

There are many heroes in this world.

He doesn’t know how many there are, but it’s certain that there are over tens of thousands.

How many of them are willing to fight against monsters?

Half.

Only half of all heroes are willing to risk death and take up a sword.

The rest give up fighting and live a new life as ordinary humans in this strange land.

Then, how many of that half who are prepared to die actually become true heroes?

The majority of prospective heroes die within the first year.

By the third year, they gain the strength of a decent knight, but by then, there are hardly any heroes left.

In terms of overall percentage, about 5%.

Niccolo was a hero who stood out even among that 5%.

He always strived to become stronger and grew faster than others.

‘I gave up everything to become stronger… but why…’

If you exceed a combat power of 30,000, you are treated like a knight wherever you go.

If you exceed a combat power of 50,000, you are treated well even in large territories and enjoy a status that is virtually the same as a noble.

Niccolo and his companions gave up all of that.

They set out on a journey solely to become stronger.

But why are they so weak?

Choi Hyun-seok and the demon before his eyes.

What’s the difference between those two that makes them so strong?

Niccolo couldn’t understand.

“I, I am… a hero…”

What has the path he has walked so far been?

What has he done for three years?

“Hero? Pfft! You’re a hero?”

The demon sneered.

“Ugh, everyone and their dog is calling themselves a hero, so there’s no weight to it. No weight.”

The demon grabbed Niccolo’s head and lifted it up.

“Look around. Where are the heroes here?”

“…”

“I only see idiots, don’t I?”

The demon grinned.

“Goodbye. It’s a shame you can’t play hero anymore. But I’ll tell you something good instead.”

“…”

“Even if you die now, you’ll be revived soon. When that happens, I’ll let you play hero forever. You seem like you’d make a good commander-level individual. Heh!”

The demon raised his other hand.

The hand that had pierced Alice’s heart.

A hand soaked in red blood.

Blood droplets were forming at the tips of his sharp nails.

Niccolo closed his eyes.

‘So this is the end.’

It seems like a rather anticlimactic death.

All he’s done since coming to this world is fight.

If he had known this would happen, he should have enjoyed it a little more.

“…”

Time continued to pass.

Niccolo was puzzled.

Why isn’t he finishing it?

Could it be that he died without even feeling the pain?

He opened his eyes slightly.

“Kuh…!”

Before his eyes, the demon was straining with a reddened face.

And the man holding the demon’s hand, Choi Hyun-seok, was grinning.

“Got you.”

***

An unknown demon and Choi Hyun-seok clash.

The fight was something Niccolo had never seen before.

A battle from a completely different dimension.

Thwoom! Crack! Paat!

A battle that seemed like it was from an animation or movie.

Attacks and defenses were exchanged in the blink of an eye, repeatedly closing and widening the distance.

Kwaaaang!

The two, who had clashed once again, retreated.

“Hoo. Warming up after a long time.”

Choi Hyun-seok lightly dusted off his shoulders.

He looked quite relaxed.

In contrast, the demon looked very tired.

Then, Choi Hyun-seok called out to the demon.

“Hey. What unit are you with?”

The demon frowned and asked back.

“Unit?”

“What unit do you belong to?” “How much do you humans know about the Demon King’s army to ask such a thing?” “Never mind if you don’t want to answer.”

As Choi Hyun-seok tried to move again, the demon quickly held out his palm.

His stamina hadn’t recovered yet.

For now, it seemed like Choi Hyun-seok wanted to talk, so it would be better to play along.

“The Nemesis Regiment directly under the 4th Corps.”

“The 4th Corps? Are you under Commander Park Hyun-ah?”

The demon, upon hearing the name Park Hyun-ah, shouted hysterically.

“That bitch isn’t the corps commander!” “Then who is the corps commander?” “Of course, it’s Lord Onyx. He’s the only true 4th Corps commander!”

He had heard of Onyx.

He was originally the commander of the 4th Corps, but after Park Hyun-ah came, he was pushed down to vice-commander.

Choi Hyun-seok didn’t know the details, but he heard that he had admitted defeat in the fight against Park Hyun-ah and stepped down.

“Onyx is the guy who got his ass kicked by Park Hyun-ah and became vice-commander, right?”

“Y, you…!”

Did he touch a nerve?

The demon’s face turned even redder.

“Shut up if you don’t know anything! He intentionally gave up his position!”

He seemed to have quite a high level of loyalty, unlike a typical member of the Demon King’s army.

“Hoo, that bitch is going to die soon anyway. No, she’ll become a loyal subordinate of Lord Onyx.”

The demon gave a chilling smile.

Choi Hyun-seok knew from the fiend’s words that something unusual was about to happen.

‘The internal affairs of the Demon King’s army are more complicated than I thought.’

He thought they were just a group that only knew how to fight.

It seemed like they were doing all sorts of political maneuvering.

“Anyway, you’re not here under Commander Park Hyun-ah’s orders.”

“Of course not!”

“Then you came under the orders of that Onyx guy, what’s your purpose?” “Do you think I’ll tell you that?”

The demon smirked.

As if that would never happen.

“They all say that at first.”

Choi Hyun-seok smiled back.

His smile was deeper and more chilling than the demon’s.

“That’s right, if you get hit enough, you’ll spill everything.” “Hmph, try it if you can….”

Before he could finish speaking.

Choi Hyun-seok, who had already approached, punched the demon in the face.

Crack-!

The demon’s neck twisted grotesquely and flew away.

Choi Hyun-seok didn’t leave him alone.

“Going into the corner! [referencing a fighting game term]”

He grabbed the fiend and threw him into a huge rock.

Kooong!

He punched the fiend, who was embedded in the rock, at an incredible speed.

“Jab! Hook! Right! Jab! Uppercut!”

He relentlessly attacked like he was hitting a sandbag.

The demon couldn’t respond and was constantly beaten.

‘W, what, the movement…!’

Until a little while ago, their movements were similar.

The demon was slightly pushed back, but he thought it was at a level he could endure.

But that was an illusion.

Choi Hyun-seok was just warming up as he said.

When he started moving in earnest, the demon couldn’t handle it at all.

“Keuheok!”

The demon, who was instantly covered in blood, collapsed to the floor.

“I like demons because they’re tough. It’s fun to hit them.”

It was an injury that would have killed an ordinary human several times over.

But the demon was still alive and wriggling.

“Are you going to talk now?”

“J, just kill me…”

“Ehey~ Why are you cosplaying as an independence activist? Everyone knows that the Demon King’s army isn’t that loyal of an organization, so just tell me.”

The demon’s response was to spit.

“Ptooey!”

Choi Hyun-seok wasn’t going to just take it.

He twisted his body to avoid it and moved like flowing water, planting a knee kick directly into the demon’s face.

“Kahak!”

“That’s why you shouldn’t ask for it.” “I, I have nothing to say to you.” “I already know everything. You’re planning to use necromancy or something here to raise the undead, right?”

“How did you…”

“If you die, everything you’ve prepared for half a year will be for nothing, right? Or not?”

Choi Hyun-seok squatted down and brought his face close to the demon’s.

He said as if whispering.

“So tell me. Then I’ll send you on your way. Our promise!”

“Keuk, keuk…”

Suddenly, the demon began to laugh.

“Kyahahahahaha!”

“Why is this bastard like this?”

Choi Hyun-seok frowned and stepped back.

The demon glared at Choi Hyun-seok with clear eyes.

“You. You’re Choi Hyun-seok…”

“What?”

“Getting closer, I can feel a faint flow of demonic energy… The only human with demonic energy is Choi Hyun-seok… it’s you.”

Choi Hyun-seok hurriedly gagged the demon.

“Who are you trying to ruin!”

He hurriedly looked around.

He couldn’t let anyone hear this story.

“Hoo.”

Fortunately, the hero party was far away.

They wouldn’t have heard the softly whispered words.

“Keuk, Choi Hyun-seok. The fact that you’re here means…”

The demon gave a sinister smile.

“That’s right. You ran away from the Demon King’s army. I knew this would happen someday!” “What do you mean run away?”

Choi Hyun-seok made a serious face.

“Actually, I’m on a secret mission too.”

“What…?”

“I received orders to disguise myself as a hero and find out the movements of the human camp.”

The demon narrowed his eyes.

He was suspicious of whether Choi Hyun-seok’s words were true.

“I’m carrying out the orders of Lord Hemis. I can’t tell you the exact details because they’re classified.” “Lord Hemis…?”

“That’s right!”

Choi Hyun-seok barely managed to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out.

‘I tried probing just in case, and he fell for it?’

Hemis is dead.

It hasn’t even been a month since Choi Hyun-seok left the Demon King’s army after that.

‘I expected him to be slow on the information because he’s been stuck in the countryside for six months… but this makes it certain.’

The fiend doesn’t know that Hemis is dead.

“Let’s not do this to each other as fellow members of the Demon King’s army. I have to establish a disguised identity here, so I’m forced to do this hero thing.”

Once the floodgates were opened, the lies flowed out very smoothly.

“Hey. I need to know the whole story to help you secretly…!”

“…”

“Just tell me roughly what Lord Onyx ordered you to do. Then I’ll take care of the rest.”

The whisper of a devil. No, a hero, had begun.