Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 167

“Teach you magic?”

“Yes.”

Park Hyun-ah’s brow furrowed.

“Why magic all of a sudden?”
“Watching you fight, it seems magic is stronger than Aura…”
“It’s not that magic is strong, it’s that I’m strong, you idiot. Do you think you’ll become like this if you learn magic now?”
“That’s not what I mean…”
“Forget it, just focus on mastering Aura. It suits you better.”

Park Hyun-ah said coldly.

Choi Hyun-seok didn’t give up and appealed further.

“I may look like a physical type, but I’m confident in my magic control. It may take time, but if I learn it, I’m sure…”

Park Hyun-ah cut off Choi Hyun-seok’s words.

“Stop, stop. I know you’re good.”

“…”

“Okay. You probably can learn it. With a little effort, you’ll be able to use intermediate-level Hero magic. No, as you said, you’re a prodigy. You’ll be able to use even advanced-level Hero magic soon.”
“Then why are you against it?”
“It’s not efficient. Not efficient.”

“Efficient?”

Choi Hyun-seok looked puzzled, and Park Hyun-ah scratched her head irritably.

“Ah, explaining all this would take too long…”

Park Hyun-ah looked up at the sky.

The sun was already setting.

“I’m tired today, so let’s rest. I’ll explain it properly tomorrow.”
“Yes… I understand.”

Choi Hyun-seok had no choice but to send Park Hyun-ah away, feeling disappointed.

***

The next day.

Park Hyun-ah started magic education as promised.

The students were Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson.

Both sat on the floor, looking at Park Hyun-ah with bright eyes.

“Do you know the difference between Aura and magic?”

Choi Hyun-seok raised his hand.

“Isn’t it ranged versus melee?”
“If everything ranged is magic, what about Aura techniques that release magic power? Are those all magic?”

“Um…”

Choi Hyun-seok closed his mouth.

Come to think of it, even Raidrun-style combat and Total Annihilation allowed for ranged attacks.

“Abelson. Do you know?”
“The difference lies in where the magic power is processed.”

“Correct.”

Park Hyun-ah smiled, seemingly satisfied.

“Aura and magic have the same root. Both use magic power, mana, divine power, and so on. So, where does the difference come from? It’s the location where magic power is processed.”

Park Hyun-ah released magic power and floated it in the air.

Water, fire, light, darkness.

The magic power changed constantly.

Not only did its form change, but its size also increased and decreased.

“As you can see, magic processes magic power outside the body. You release your magic power and then process it externally to give it form.”

Park Hyun-ah sent the magic flying away.

Then, she raised her fist.

“What about Aura, then?”

As she extended her fist, powerful magic power was unleashed.

Kooong!

The flying magic power broke a nearby tree and then disappeared.

“Aura is processed inside the body before being released. It may look like just magic power on the outside, but it has been transformed to unleash greater power.”

Choi Hyun-seok was aware of this.

He had learned it through experience, using countless Aura techniques.

“In terms of versatility, magic is much better. Long-range sniping, area attacks, elemental attacks, and so on, it’s endless depending on how you use it.”
“Then isn’t magic just better than Aura?”

“No.”

Park Hyun-ah shook her head firmly.

“In terms of pure magic power utilization, Aura is overwhelmingly superior.”

“Utilization?”

“You can never achieve the same efficiency by processing magic power outside the body as you can inside the body.”

Choi Hyun-seok still looked puzzled, so Park Hyun-ah added an explanation.

“In simple terms, even if magic looks flashy on the outside, Aura wins in terms of substance. That’s what I mean.”
“Ah… I understand.”

Choi Hyun-seok nodded with a reluctant expression.

“You don’t look like you accept it, so I’ll show you.”

Park Hyun-ah released magic power again.

The magic power floating in the air gathered and formed a small sphere.

“This is a magic bullet made with exactly 1,000 mana.”

“What’s mana?”

“Just think of it as a unit for measuring magic power.”

“Yes.”

“If you shoot a magic bullet with 1,000 mana…”

The sphere flew quickly and collided with a nearby rock.

Bang!

The part where the magic bullet hit was dented, and cracks appeared throughout the rock.

“Now, this is Aura using the same 1,000 mana.”

Park Hyun-ah approached the rock and struck it.

Kwaang-!

The rock exploded and shattered into pieces.

“Do you see the difference?”

“Uh… isn’t that just because you’re strong, sis?”

It seemed like the example was flawed.

That wasn’t a difference in magic power, but simply a matter of physical ability.

Park Hyun-ah could probably produce that much power even if she swung her fist without Aura.

“That’s right. It’s because I’m strong.”

Surprisingly, Park Hyun-ah readily agreed.

“My strength, agility, and stamina stats synergize with the 1,000 mana to produce much greater power. Isn’t the answer already obvious here?”
“I guess that’s true, but…”
“And from the start, Aura’s efficiency itself is high, so its power is bound to be strong. Even if we used a five-year-old instead of me, the result would still be ‘Aura wins’.”

At this point, Choi Hyun-seok had no choice but to accept it.

“So, in terms of power alone, Aura is overwhelmingly superior. Is that it?”

“That’s right.”

Park Hyun-ah nodded.

“The conclusion is that there’s no need for someone talented in close combat to waste magic power by learning magic. It’s enough to learn auxiliary magic like flying later on.”
“Um… wouldn’t it be good to learn magic for ranged or area attacks?”
“That’s all within the realm of Aura.”
“Of course, it’s possible with Aura, but compared to magic…”
“Ah! Forget it, just watch.”

Thinking it would be better to show him directly than to explain it, Park Hyun-ah took a stance.

“Hup!”

A roundhouse kick exploded with a short shout.

Ecout Combat Style

Sixth Form – Cold Wind

Sharp magic power was fired forward.

“…”

And nothing happened.

‘What did she do?’

The moment Choi Hyun-seok made a puzzled expression.

Kugugugugu-!

The trees began to fall with a roar.

All the trees up to a hundred meters in front of Park Hyun-ah were cut in half and fell.

“Even when using Aura with the same amount of magic power, the versatility changes depending on whether you’re hitting a narrow area or a wide area.”

Park Hyun-ah turned around and gathered her magic power.

“It’s difficult, but if you do it right, it’s stronger and more efficient than magic.”
“Ah ha… I understand.”
“If you understand, go level up, you little punk. A guy who’s weak and doesn’t even have the basics down keeps trying to stray off the path.”
“Haha… Hey, sis. Can I ask you one last thing?”

“What is it?”

Choi Hyun-seok smiled awkwardly and asked a question.

“If Aura is so good, why do you mainly use magic?”

“That’s…”

Park Hyun-ah suddenly sighed.

“There’s no limit to a Hero’s growth, but there’s a limit to the power that individuals can accept and use.”

“Yes?”

“Just know that.”

He didn’t quite understand what she meant, but her expression was so dark that Choi Hyun-seok had no choice but to nod.

“Anyway, stop doing useless things and level up diligently. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Keep in mind. The basics are important in everything.”

“…”

“If you keep looking for shortcuts, you might end up on the road to hell.”

Park Hyun-ah frowned menacingly and said something that was hard to tell whether it was a threat or advice.

“Park Hyun-ah.”

At that moment, a group of people appeared from the forest.

Park Hyun-ah nodded in acknowledgment.

“Oh, are you done?”

“Yes. The space-time gate installation is complete.”
“Good work. What’s the gate stability?”

“99%.”

“You’re really experts.”

Park Hyun-ah smiled with satisfaction.

Choi Hyun-seok, who was watching from the side, asked.

“Did you install a space-time gate?”
“Yeah. You’ll be moving soon, so keep that in mind.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out when the time comes.”

Park Hyun-ah waved her hand as she left with the people.

“Then work hard. I’m going to check something.”
“Yes. Have a safe trip…”

“Haha! Have a safe trip!”

Rachel flew up and shouted energetically, as if she had been hiding somewhere.

Choi Hyun-seok frowned and looked at Rachel.

“What were you doing until now?”
“Ahem! I was listening to the lecture in hiding!”
“Why were you listening in hiding?”

“Because I’m scared!”

Rachel said, puffing out her chest.

“Don’t be so proud for no reason!”
“Ack! Why are you hitting me!?”

Rachel rubbed her forehead and glared.

“By the way, that Park Hyun-ah is amazing.”
“Right? She seems to do things half-heartedly, but what power…”

“Not that.”

“Huh?”

Choi Hyun-seok made a puzzled expression, and Rachel shook her index finger.

“Tsk tsk tsk! What’s amazing about that person isn’t just the power of magic.”

“Then what is it?”

“Magic power control!”

Rachel released magic power into the air.

“I’m quite knowledgeable about magic, but it’s impossible to extract exactly 1,000 mana and use it to induce various changes. No, it would be strange if it were possible. Unless you’re a machine, there’s bound to be an error, right?”

“Is that so?”

“Of course! That’s impossible no matter how high your magic power stat is. It’s just that her control skills are excellent. In other words, her basics are very solid.”

“Oho…”

The moment he heard Rachel’s words, Choi Hyun-seok remembered what Park Hyun-ah had said before leaving.

“Keep in mind. The basics are important in everything.”
“If you keep looking for shortcuts, you might end up on the road to hell.”

He thought she was just saying it, but it seemed to be advice that came from experience.

“Well, the basics are important in everything.”

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing.”

Choi Hyun-seok stretched.

“Ugh! The boring class is over. Shall we go warm up?”

After hearing Park Hyun-ah’s story, he felt like the stuffy fog had cleared.

Where to go.

Whether the path he’s walking on now is the right path.

The numerous anxieties he had unknowingly carried were neatly dispelled.

That alone made it an education worth listening to.

“Alright. Level 1,000. Let’s try to reach it!”

Now, all that’s left is to raise the most basic level.

***

A few days later.

Park Hyun-ah, who hadn’t shown her face since the magic education, suddenly came to visit.

Choi Hyun-seok, who was sitting on a rock resting, jumped up.

“Oh, have you leveled up a lot?”

“Yes!”

“How much?”

At Park Hyun-ah’s question, Choi Hyun-seok opened his status window.

▫Name: Choi Hyun-seok

▫Title: Regular Hero

▫Level: 852

·Strength: 267

·Agility: 268

·Stamina: 273

·Magic Power: 310

·Mana: 307

·Charisma: 102

·Fighting Spirit: 76

“I’m currently level 852.”
“Oh, that’s much faster than I thought. Are you really going to reach level 1,000 in half a year?”
“The growth rate isn’t very good these days, so I don’t know.”
“Then you have to work even harder, you little punk.”

“Yes…”

Choi Hyun-seok’s mouth protruded.

‘How hard do you think I’m working!’

Choi Hyun-seok is fighting without even getting proper sleep.

Thanks to pushing himself to the limit every day, his fighting spirit stat was soaring.

“Well, seeing that your combat power is almost 150,000, you’ve leveled up a lot. At this rate, you’ll be able to easily defeat most heroes.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Choi Hyun-seok’s face lit up at the mention of being able to defeat heroes.

“The average hero has a combat power of around 150,000. Sometimes there are guys who exceed 200,000, but they’re rare.”

“Ah ha.”

“You’re stronger than those with similar combat power, so you probably won’t lose to a hero in a one-on-one fight.”

Hero.

A distant and formidable powerhouse.

He couldn’t believe that he could face such guys head-on and win.

“Stop making that stupid face. Follow me.”

“Where are we going?”

“If you just keep defeating monsters here, your senses will get weird. You need to experience proper combat from time to time.”

Park Hyun-ah smiled.

“So where to…”

“You’ll know if you follow me, you idiot.”

The place she led him to had a space-time gate.

“Hey, Mutt.”

At Park Hyun-ah’s call, Bobo wagged his tail vigorously.

“You can shrink, right? Reduce your size a bit.”

“Kwang!”

Bobo’s size began to shrink.

Park Hyun-ah picked up Bobo, who had become small enough to be held in her arms.

‘He’s so docile…’

Bobo’s appearance, being as docile as a gentle country dog, was very unfamiliar.

“I’ll go in first with him, so follow me right away.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Park Hyun-ah entered the gate first.

Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson followed behind.

‘Oh… this is very clean?’

Normally, moving through a gate makes you feel nauseous, but this one had almost no such feeling.

Choi Hyun-seok, who came out, looked around.

“Where is this…”

On the outside, it looks like a quiet village.

However, there is a crucial difference from ordinary villages.

‘What is this, a monster collection…?’

Everyone walking around on the street is a high-level powerhouse.

Even the old man taking a walk on the street had magic power comparable to that of an average hero.

“Sis. What is this place…?”

At Choi Hyun-seok’s question, Park Hyun-ah smiled.

“A kind of human defense force? Well, something like that.”