Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 133

The funeral for Hera, the woman murdered by a demon, was held.

Rain poured down.

Hera’s father, Dopman, clutched his dead daughter’s body and wept.

Watching him, Choi Hyun-seok turned away.

“Let’s go.”

He had come hoping for a clue from Hera’s body but found nothing particularly special.

There was no need to stay in this uncomfortable place any longer.

Just then, he heard whispering nearby.

“Still, Dopman is lucky. At least he recovered Hera’s body intact.”
“Hey! You shouldn’t say things like that!”
“Am I wrong? My son, who died last month, didn’t even have his head found! What about the others?”

“That’s…”

“Sigh, he’s fortunate to be able to bury his daughter in such a complete state.”

Listening to their conversation, Choi Hyun-seok stroked his chin.

“Mr. Abelson, is there a reason why only this woman’s body was intact?”
“Probably because I found her midway.”
“Hmm, that could be. You also said you learned the murderer was a demon for the first time this time.”

So far, no one had witnessed the murders.

They happened so late at night, and anyone who accidentally witnessed the scene would not escape death.

In other words, Abelson was the first to survive after witnessing the murderer.

The reason the body was intact was probably because the demon couldn’t finish the job after being discovered by Abelson.

She spoke with a somber expression.

“It’s a shame. If we had known the culprit was a demon sooner, the lord or the Deusis Church wouldn’t have neglected this…”
“Shouldn’t they have cared even if it wasn’t a demon? I heard over thirty residents have died in the past six months.”
“Death is a common occurrence. They probably thought, ‘It’s not worth intervening for something like this.'”

“I see.”

Choi Hyun-seok sighed softly.

‘I guess the value of life is different here.’

In South Korea, everyone can pursue a stable life and enjoy medical benefits.

So death didn’t feel so close.

In contrast, death lurked everywhere in this land.

Not just because of the war with the demons.

The social atmosphere and legal system that disregarded human life, especially the lower class.

The poor medical technology and infrastructure.

The unsanitary living conditions.

The lack of nutrition.

The terrible security, and so on.

It was an environment where they were bound to be close to death in every way.

‘There’s magic, but it doesn’t seem popular enough for these rural people to benefit from it.’

Magic. Especially healing using divine power, can heal any wound or disease.

But for ordinary people, it was just a story from a faraway land.

Magic that only existed in their own world, high up in the hierarchy.

As a society with a class system, the gap between classes was bound to be much greater than on Earth.

“Anyway, we need to catch that demon and deal with him quickly.”

“Yes.”

“So, I’m asking because I’ve been thinking about something.”

Choi Hyun-seok said with a serious expression.

“Do you remember what the level of the guy we saw yesterday was like?”

“Level?”

“Yes. Roughly how strong he seemed to be.”
“He was hiding his demonic energy, so I couldn’t grasp it properly, but judging from his movements, he seemed to be at least a battalion commander.”

At the mention of battalion commander level, Choi Hyun-seok nodded.

“He’d have to be that strong to silently slit a knight’s throat. But you know.”

His brow furrowed.

“Do you know what his purpose is?”

“Purpose?”

“If he’s a battalion commander in the Demon King’s army, he could turn this village into a wasteland at any time. No, even a company commander would be enough.”

There weren’t even proper soldiers here.

A few residents volunteered as a vigilante group, patrolling around a shabby wooden fence.

Frankly, even a Demon King’s army platoon leader would be hard to withstand.

“Isn’t it strange? Why has he been slowly killing villagers for six months? What’s the reason?”
“Hmm… that’s true.”

Abelson also nodded in agreement.

As Choi Hyun-seok said, the demon’s actions were very strange.

Suddenly, Abelson’s eyes widened.

“Now that I realize it, this village has a particularly strong demonic energy.”

“Strong demonic energy?”

“Yes. I kept feeling a tightness in my chest, and I think it was because of the demonic energy.”

There are always subtle magical and demonic energies floating in the air.

The density varies slightly depending on the region, but generally, the density of demonic energy is significantly lower in areas that are not part of the Demon King’s territory.

But this village was not like that.

“It feels similar to when I was at the Black Fortress… no, even denser than that.”
“Ah! No wonder I’ve been feeling good since coming here. It must be because of the demonic energy.”

“Woof!”

At Choi Hyun-seok’s words, Bobo, who was nestled in his arms, barked vigorously.

He seemed to be agreeing.

Abelson’s eyes trembled slightly as she looked at the two of them.

‘…He must be a hero, right?’

A hero who feels better in demonic energy.

She knew the circumstances, but she couldn’t help but feel a sense of incongruity.

“But doesn’t it cause problems if the demonic energy is strong? Or will others notice it?”
“Unless someone has a highly developed sense of energy, they wouldn’t know. Even high-level priests would have difficulty detecting it.”

“I see.”

“Also, just because the demonic energy in the air is strong doesn’t mean there will be immediate problems. It could be harmful in the long run, but…”

This phenomenon was similar to fine dust [particulate matter pollution].

No one would think it strange if there was a little more fine dust.

Most people wouldn’t even notice.

It doesn’t immediately affect their health or threaten their lives.

However, as it is harmful to humans, there was a high probability that something would go wrong in the long run.

“Although rare, there are naturally areas with strong demonic energy.”
“Does this seem like one of those cases?”
“No. If it were, a village couldn’t have been built here in the first place.”
“So that demon is up to something. We’ll have to find out what it is from now on.”

A demon who kills people.

A village with increased demonic energy.

It was clear that something was going on, but they didn’t know what it was.

“He usually appears every week, but we can’t just wait.”

Choi Hyun-seok looked up at the sky.

The sun was not visible because of the rain.

“It’s raining, but let’s look around. His base or traces might be around the village.”

“Yes.”

“If you feel it’s dangerous, Ms. Abelson, you can stay at the inn.”
“No. I’m fine. Since the opponent is a demon, I’m confident I can hold out at least until Choi Hyun-seok arrives.”

Abelson said with a confident expression.

Her combat power was approximately 80,000.

Most of that was due to her divine power.

Most demons wouldn’t be able to withstand the overwhelming divine power and would burn away.

“I understand. Then let’s meet again at the inn around evening.”

***

That evening.

The group gathered again at the inn.

After a quick bath, they came down to the first floor and saw a few residents sitting and eating.

This place, the only inn in the village, also served as a restaurant.

Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson took a seat in a suitable spot and began to talk.

“Did you find anything?”

“Nothing at all.”

“I didn’t find anything particularly strange either.”

They had searched around the village all day, but there was nothing special.

“Well, the visibility wasn’t good today because of the rain. Let’s look again tomorrow when the weather clears up.”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s fill our stomachs first.”

He was very hungry after wandering around all day.

Just in time, the food came out.

Choi Hyun-seok picked up a slightly hard piece of bread and dipped it in the soup.

“Hmm, this is pretty good once you start eating it.”

Was it because hunger is the best sauce?

The bread here, which had felt bland, tasted somewhat delicious.

Choi Hyun-seok then picked up a glass of beer and brought it to his lips.

At that moment, he overheard the conversation at the next table.

“Hey, did you hear the story?”

“Huh?”

“A hero has come to the village!”

“Pfft-!”

Choi Hyun-seok spat out the beer he was drinking.

“Cough, cough!”

He coughed and looked up, meeting Abelson’s cold gaze.

Her face, hair, and clothes were all soaked in beer.

Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes shook violently.

“Th, that’s…”

“It’s okay…”

“I, it was a mistake!”

“I said it’s okay.”

“I’m sorry!”

“How many times do I have to say it’s okay?”
“Th… first, put down that hideous thing you’re holding…”

“Huh?”

Abelson lowered her hand with a surprised expression.

She must have instinctively raised her mace without realizing it.

“Anyway, a hero… has my identity been exposed?”

Choi Hyun-seok glanced around and whispered softly.

Abelson shook her head.

“I don’t know. For now, we have no choice but to play dumb…”

The two continued to listen to the conversation at the next table.

“They say there are five of them.”

“Five?”

“Yes! I saw them earlier, and they all have an amazing aura! The way they were riding their horses was so majestic!”

“Ooh…!”

“They heard the village chief’s story and immediately offered to solve it!”

Choi Hyun-seok breathed a sigh of relief.

If there were five, they weren’t talking about Abelson and him.

‘Have other heroes come to the village? Why?’

A bit of curiosity and doubt arose at the same time.

Just then, the door of the inn opened and a group of people entered.

“Guys, this must be the inn.”
“Ugh, why is it so small and dirty?”
“Alice, you should be used to it by now.”
“How can I, who lived in New York, get used to this? The cities are okay, but I can’t get used to this backwater.”

Five men and women entered, chattering noisily.

Choi Hyun-seok immediately recognized that they were heroes.

Anyone could tell – they were decked out in dazzling armor and weapons that screamed, ‘I’m a hero!’

‘Four men and one woman.’

The woman was white, and the men were one white, one Asian, one presumed to be from the Middle East, and finally, one black.

‘Very global.’

Choi Hyun-seok quickly scanned them, moving only his eyes.

‘Combat power is at the battalion commander level.’

Judging from the felt magical power, it was not far from the battalion commander level.

One white man was above average, but he was not at a level that exceeded the battalion commander level.

‘I hope this goes quietly…’

Choi Hyun-seok turned his head slightly, not wanting to reveal that he was a hero here.

‘Abelson doesn’t matter, the problem is me.’

Abelson was originally a resident here.

Even though she was beautiful, there were no elements that would link her to being a hero.

Choi Hyun-seok looked down and checked his attire.

Ordinary everyday clothes worn by the people here.

He was large, but he had dyed his hair, so he wasn’t particularly noticeable.

Reddish hair was common here.

‘If I hide my face and control my magical and demonic energy well, I should be fine.’

He further concealed his magical and demonic energy.

Unless they were deliberately trying to sense it, they wouldn’t notice.

It seemed like he could get away with it if he just avoided showing his face.

‘Ah, I have to be careful with the combat power measuring device too.’

Since they were heroes, there was a high probability that they had a combat power measuring device.

In particular, he had to be very careful with Bobo.

He couldn’t even think of what to say if he was caught.

“Let’s get a room first.”
“Niccolo, do you think this small inn will have a room for the five of us?”
“Just go and rest anywhere. We need to eat dinner and search the area from tomorrow morning.”

Their conversation continued even as they paid the innkeeper.

“By the way, isn’t the content of this hero quest a bit strange?”

“What is?”

“It doesn’t make sense that a demon has been holed up in this rural area for six months. It’s quite a distance from the Demonic Boundary.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

“Sangmin, what do you think? You’re good at these kinds of calculations.”

Choi Hyun-seok inadvertently looked at the man called Sangmin.

He had moved reflexively because a Korean name suddenly came out.

At that moment, the man named Sangmin also looked at Choi Hyun-seok, and their eyes met.

“Oh, no way!?”

Sangmin’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.

Choi Hyun-seok instinctively sensed that something was wrong, but it was already too late.