Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 1

Prologue

A woman hummed, unable to contain her excitement.

Before her sat colorful macarons and a cup of dark coffee.

This simple pleasure was what kept her going through her tiring work.

You could even call it the joy of life.

“Hmph hmm~ Hmph hmm~ Coffee and macarons are the best combination, after all!”

The woman stuffed a whole macaron into her small mouth and munched.

Suddenly, her throat felt blocked.

It seemed she had been too greedy.

The woman patted her chest and quickly picked up her coffee cup.

“Slurp… Ah, hot!”

Perhaps because she was too hasty.

The woman, who burned her lips on the hot coffee, was startled and spilled the coffee.

“No!”

The coffee splashed on the typewriter, which was essential for her work.

The woman quickly looked around to see if anyone had seen her.

Fortunately, no one had.

“I guess I can just wipe it off? Hehe.”

She rubbed the typewriter with a cloth, and the coffee stains disappeared.

The woman smiled contentedly as she looked at the clean typewriter.

At this moment, she did not know what kind of disaster this small mistake would bring.

***

Choi Hyun-seok died.

At the young age of twenty-nine.

He had never imagined that he would end his life so soon.

“Haa… If I had known this would happen, I would have enjoyed life a little more.”

To describe Choi Hyun-seok’s life in one sentence, it was a short but intense one.

The heavyweight champion of the world’s largest mixed martial arts league.

Choi Hyun-seok, who was called a gift from God, was the best fighter in Korea.

No, he was the best fighter in the world.

With both innate talent and constant effort.

Choi Hyun-seok won the champion title at the age of twenty-seven.

And for the next two years, he defeated all challengers with overwhelming dominance.

From some point on, people called Choi Hyun-seok this:

The strongest man in the world.

A great achievement that every man would dream of at least once.

Nevertheless, after death, all that remained in Choi Hyun-seok’s heart was regret.

“Ha! To be hit by a truck. I really have terrible luck.”

Choi Hyun-seok died after being hit by a truck.

It was an absurd thing that only happened in cartoons.

At first, he was so dumbfounded that he didn’t even get angry.

Then, anger gradually rose.

“What did I do so wrong!?”

If there was a god, he wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him.

Why? Why now of all times?

He was just about to live a wonderful life!

He had been foolishly working out his whole life, and now he was finally going to enjoy it!

Choi Hyun-seok had decided to retire at the relatively early age of 29.

He decided to give up the champion title and live a normal life without fighting anymore.

But as if it were a lie, he was hit by a truck and died that very day.

“If you were going to do this, you should have killed me sooner!”

Choi Hyun-seok couldn’t contain his anger and shouted.

All that came back was an empty echo.

“Hoo…”

After some time passed.

The violently rising and falling chest gradually calmed down.

Soon, Choi Hyun-seok accepted reality.

“Okay. I’m dead.”

Choi Hyun-seok slumped down.

The pure white clouds on the floor softly embraced him.

“It’s so futile. To end up like this without even having a single relationship.”

He felt like a fool for only working out his whole life.

If he could live his life again, he would never live like that.

“It’s better this way. Life was so hard, wasn’t it? Let’s rest comfortably now.”

He no longer had to do grueling training until he bled.

He no longer had to fight fierce and scary competitors.

Letting go of everything made him feel at peace.

“By the way, how long am I going to be here?”

How long had it been since he came here?

He couldn’t know for sure, but it felt like more than half a day.

But the sun was still in the same position.

And Choi Hyun-seok was the only one here.

“I don’t know! What does it matter since I’m already dead.”

What was there to be afraid of since he was already dead?

Choi Hyun-seok lay down on the clouds in a large sprawl.

Then, the surrounding scenery began to come into view.

The deep blue sky.

The dazzlingly shining sun.

It was quite a nice view.

“Dying isn’t so bad after all.”

The moment Choi Hyun-seok said that carefree thing, light poured down from the sky with a shimmering sound effect.

Choi Hyun-seok jumped up and looked at the sky.

“I’m sorry! Did you wait long!?”

“An angel…?”

***

Pure white wings.

Hair shining with golden light.

Features as if sculpted by an artist.

She was a beauty that made reality disappear.

When all of this was put together, there was only one conclusion.

‘It’s an angel…’

The woman in front of him was definitely an angel.

Choi Hyun-seok looked back on his life and regretted it again.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have gone to church sooner!’

Choi Hyun-seok deeply regretted it.

Who would have known that such a beautiful angel would be waiting after death?

If he had known this fact, he would have lived as a truly devout Christian.

“Mr. Choi Hyun-seok, I’m sorry for making you wait! There was a backlog of people waiting.”

“No, no! Haha!”

Choi Hyun-seok momentarily pondered the words ‘backlog of people waiting,’ but soon stopped.

What else mattered when there was an angel in front of him?

“I’ll formally introduce myself! My name is Rachel. I’m in charge of scouting people who have reached the end of their lives on Earth.”

“Scouting?”

“Yes! Scouting! You know what it is, right?”

Of course, he knew.

Choi Hyun-seok was a sports star.

To put it simply, scouting is finding, discovering, and recruiting excellent talent.

But he didn’t know what that had to do with the current situation.

Choi Hyun-seok calmly asked.

“Please explain in more detail. Aren’t you an angel?”

“An angel? Well… similar! I can be your own personal angel, Mr. Choi Hyun-seok. Haha!”

Rachel gave a bright, business-like smile.

Something seemed fishy…

Choi Hyun-seok desperately swallowed the words that came up to his throat.

“So, what do you mean by scouting? I’m already dead.”

“That’s right! This is no time for this!”

Suddenly, Rachel became serious and approached him.

“Mr. Choi Hyun-seok.”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you disappointed!?”

“Yes?”

To suddenly ask if he was disappointed.

What was she trying to say?

“You died without even having a relationship like everyone else.”

“…”

“You spent your whole life working out and then died unlucky after being hit by a truck, aren’t you upset?”

“Uh… well…”

Choi Hyun-seok’s head was spinning from the sudden mental abuse.

Rachel didn’t let Choi Hyun-seok come to his senses.

“Mr. Choi Hyun-seok!”

“Um, you’re too close…”

Rachel brought her face very close.

Choi Hyun-seok tried to raise his hand to push her away, but Rachel grabbed his hand and continued.

“Would you like to become a hero!?”

“A hero?”

“Yes! A hero!”

Rachel nodded with a very serious face.

“There’s a world suffering from a demon king. I believe that Mr. Choi Hyun-seok will surely become a great hero and save them!”

“No. Even if you suddenly say that…”

The speed of the development was too fast.

He wanted to say something, but Rachel didn’t let Choi Hyun-seok have any doubts.

“Mr. Choi Hyun-seok, you have two choices.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yes! One is to be reincarnated as you are and make this life a meaningless, pathetic old bachelor.”

Rachel said, wiping away tears that weren’t even flowing.

“It’s sad just to imagine it, right? Sniff sniff!”

“Ah, yes…”

“But don’t worry. Because there’s another option!”

Rachel put a lot of strength in her eyes and put strength into her voice.

“The other option is to be resurrected as a hero with your current body and mind and save the world!”

It was obvious that she was trying to make him choose the latter.

To be honest, it was too unsettling.

It felt like there was some bad intention hidden.

“Hmm….”

Choi Hyun-seok shook his head.

No matter how naive Choi Hyun-seok was, he wasn’t stupid enough to just go along with this.

“Give me some time to think. I want to hear a more detailed explanation too.”

When he asked for an explanation, Rachel’s face momentarily crumpled like paper.

Soon, she returned to her refreshing smile as if nothing had happened.

“Mr. Choi Hyun-seok! This is not the time to leisurely ask for such explanations.”

Rachel grabbed Choi Hyun-seok’s shoulders and shouted.

“Aren’t you sad to die like this?”

“That’s true, but first, the explanation…”

“What explanation do you need?! This is the opportunity of a lifetime! It’s all over novels, comics, and animations, right? A great hero! Haven’t you ever seen one?”

“…”

“Wealth! Fame! The chance to monopolize beautiful women. You can regain the life you lost in vain this time!”

“So…”

“You’re so frustrating!”

Rachel pounded her chest with her fist.

“Do you need to think about it? If you don’t accept this offer, your life will end here. Aren’t you upset? I’m giving Mr. Choi Hyun-seok a new opportunity right now.”

“That’s true…”

Choi Hyun-seok nodded without realizing it.

When he thought about it, the angel’s words were all correct.

‘It’s not like I can afford to be picky in my current situation.’

He was dead.

A life that should have ended here.

But that beauty named Rachel was offering him a chance at a new life.

A chance to live as a hero.

‘A hero. A hero…’

In his childhood, Choi Hyun-seok also had a pure side.

The great heroes who appeared in novels and comics.

He used to imagine himself defeating the demon king and winning everything.

Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes began to shine.

‘I’m going to be a hero…’

A hero who monopolizes wealth, fame, and beautiful women!

“Hero! Hero! You’re a hero! When you wake up, the village chief of a rural village will come running barefoot, saying, ‘Hero~!’, and serve you food. The hero will solve the mission wonderfully according to the village chief’s request!”

“…”

“It doesn’t end there. What? When you come back after finishing the mission, the village chief’s late daughter was a pure and beautiful woman in her 20s!? Then the village chief will say in a subtle tone.”

Rachel cleared her throat and changed her voice to a thick one.

“Ahem! H-Hero. My daughter is humble, but… if you would take care of her, this old man would have nothing more to wish for!”

Choi Hyun-seok was increasingly drawn into Rachel’s story.

“The hero just has to choose. A devoted love that only looks at one woman? Or a harem kingdom with the best beauties on the continent? A hero can do anything!”

“Ah…”

Choi Hyun-seok just kept nodding with a blank face.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Rachel checked her wrist.

There was a crude clock drawn with a marker.

“Time’s up. Mr. Choi Hyun-seok. I’ll ask you one last time. Will you accept my offer?”

“That’s…”

“If you keep worrying like that, I’ll assume you’re refusing and leave.”

“Yes?”

“End this life as an old bachelor and try again in your next life!”

Then she muttered, ‘Well, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be reincarnated as a human in your next life.’

In that moment, Choi Hyun-seok hurriedly raised his hand like someone who had seen the ‘closing soon’ phrase on a home shopping channel.

“I’ll do it!”

“Yes?”

“I’ll do it! That hero thing.”

“I knew you would accept it, Mr. Choi Hyun-seok! It’s written all over your forehead that you’re a righteous man!”

Rachel smiled and made a fuss.

“I’m already dead anyway. What’s there to lose? Let’s do it.”

“Yes! Let’s start right away!”

“Right away?”

“Is there anything to wait for? A wonderful other world is waiting for the hero Choi Hyun-seok!”

He understood Rachel’s words.

Everything was good, but was he going so suddenly without any preparation?

Rachel didn’t let Choi Hyun-seok worry.

“A great adventure to gain wealth! Fame! Beauty! We can’t delay it even for a moment. Even now, countless people are eagerly waiting for the hero to appear!”

At Rachel’s words, Choi Hyun-seok nodded with a sullen face.

“Let’s go. Yes…”

“Then poof! Have a wonderful adventure!”

Rachel waved her hand, and Choi Hyun-seok disappeared.

Finally left alone, Rachel frowned.

“Hmph! I’m so busy, why are there so many worries?”

Rachel sighed and sat down on the chair with her legs crossed.

And she contacted someone.

“Yes, yes! The 137,421st prospective hero Choi Hyun-seok you mentioned has been safely transferred! Yes! Of course! Who do you think I am~ Don’t worry. Ah, the bonus will be sent right away….”

***

Bright light covered his eyelids.

Choi Hyun-seok woke up with a splitting headache.

‘What is it? I’m sure…’

Choi Hyun-seok groped for his memories.

“Wealth! Fame! Beauty! Everything is waiting for Mr. Choi Hyun-seok!”

Memories that gradually became clearer.

‘That’s right. I said I was going on an adventure to become a hero.’

It was then that a strange voice came from beside him.

“Open your eyes…. Get up….”

He couldn’t understand exactly what he was saying.

But it didn’t matter.

The content was obvious anyway.

It was definitely the voice looking for a hero.

Wasn’t it a common repertoire [a standard or frequently repeated performance or set of actions]?

Open your eyes. Hero! Get up. Hero!

The voice came back to Choi Hyun-seok’s ears, who was having trivial thoughts.

“Should I gouge out your eyes? Aren’t you getting up?”

“Huh?”

The lines were a little… no, very different.

The moment Choi Hyun-seok realized that something was wrong, a tremendous shock struck his abdomen.

“Cough!”

He was dumbfounded at the same time as he came to his senses.

To kick him from the first meeting.

Where would Choi Hyun-seok have been hit like this?

MMA [Mixed Martial Arts] heavyweight champion.

A man who held the title of the strongest man in the world.

To kick him?

It was something that couldn’t be done unless he had given up on life due to gambling fraud.

Choi Hyun-seok quickly got up from his seat.

“What kind of bastard is it? I’m going to….”

Choi Hyun-seok, who was about to shout, ‘Do you want to die!?’ suddenly stopped.

‘What…?’

Something was wrong.

A huge muscular chest.

And a red-skinned chest was filling his vision.

Choi Hyun-seok slowly raised his head.

Only after tilting his head for a long time could he see the face of the bastard who kicked him.

“Who… are you…?”

The head was a cow’s head.

He was very embarrassed.

“What are you doing lying down here? Looking at your clothes, you don’t seem to be a regular slave.”

Choi Hyun-seok didn’t know what to say.

Because he was so, so embarrassed.

Choi Hyun-seok’s height is 198cm [approximately 6 feet 6 inches].

But he was a head taller than that.

And what about the muscles that seemed to burst?

Red skin.

A threatening horn on a cow’s head.

Even flames were rising from the horns.

“So…”

It would be stranger to maintain sanity in front of such a monster.

“I’m a hero for now…”

“A hero? A hero~?”

The word hero came out by accident.

The cow head’s face crumpled when he heard that word.

“You’re a hero?”

The cow head brought his hideous and huge face very close.

Just 1 minute ago, a beautiful woman was bringing her face this close.

It was a big difference in temperature.

“So, um…”

Choi Hyun-seok swallowed hard and desperately racked his brain.

What should he answer?

He was definitely going to be a hero.

But even if he washed his eyes and looked again, the monster in front of him was not the naive village chief of a rural village waiting for a hero.

“I hate saying things twice. You’re a hero?”

At his words, Choi Hyun-seok slowly nodded.

“Uh… I think I’m a hero…?”

That’s how hell began.