Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 168

“Ultimun Pes.” In an ancient language, it means “the last hope.”

Park Hyun-ah and her party walked along a dusty dirt road.

“I learned about this place about seven years ago. I was cornered while fighting the Holy Empire, and these guys showed up and helped me out.”
“Ah, so they’re a group that opposes the Holy Empire?”
“Sort of. Their slogan is a bit grandiose—’Defend humanity’—but their biggest goals are to subjugate the Demon race and overthrow the Holy Empire.”

Choi Hyun-seok listened to her explanation, his eyes scanning the quiet village.

‘As expected, everyone’s level is high.’

He passed by at least five people radiating the magical power of a hero, or something close to it.

It was impressive.

Heroes weren’t exactly a dime a dozen.

‘But it doesn’t seem like this is enough to stand against the Holy Empire…’

Gatrein was an enemy that couldn’t be dealt with by gathering a handful of heroes.

Perhaps this village was just one cell of the organization, and the real headquarters was somewhere else entirely.

“What’s the scale of this place? It doesn’t seem that big. Is there a separate headquarters?”
“Nope. This is it.”

“Pardon?”

“The entire village population is roughly three hundred. About fifty of them are combatants; the rest are their families or informants.”
“I hesitate to say this, but it’s a rather humble scale for the last hope of defending humanity.”

Choi Hyun-seok said, carefully watching Park Hyun-ah’s reaction.

He was worried she might take offense if she had a strong attachment to the group.

“I think so too.”

Fortunately, Park Hyun-ah didn’t seem to have any particular sense of belonging or affection for the group.

Or maybe she was just extremely pragmatic.

“It’s also a relatively young group, with less than thirty years of history. How many crazy people would willingly fight the Empire, anyway? It’s practically suicide.”
“That’s true.”

“Still, there are quite a few heroes like us. As far as I know, there are six, including me. Something like that.”
“Really? Isn’t six a small number?”

Choi Hyun-seok looked puzzled at the mention of only six heroes.

“I heard it’s been hundreds of years since a hero first arrived in this world.”
“That’s right. About three hundred years, give or take.”
“And it took you sixteen years to reach your current level.”
“Sixteen years exactly.”
“Then, shouldn’t there be some strong people around, even if they’re not at your level? If you want to fight the Demon race or the Empire, you should actively recruit more heroes like that…”

Choi Hyun-seok trailed off, noticing Park Hyun-ah’s darkening expression.

“Sister, did I say something wrong…?”
“No. You’re right. If there are such heroes, we should actively recruit them. *If* there are any.”

Park Hyun-ah offered a bitter smile and continued.

“You started in the Demon King’s army and think you’re the only one who suffered, but the human side’s start isn’t exactly a walk in the park either.”

“…”

“Currently, no country is particularly friendly to heroes. They either treat them awkwardly or are outright hostile. One or the other.”

He hadn’t expected that at all.

Humanity was hostile to heroes.

Choi Hyun-seok was even more shocked because he hadn’t received particularly bad treatment during his travels.

“The reason you were treated well is simply because you were strong. The world is always kind to the strong, one way or another.”

“Ah…”

“But at first, when a hero—no different from an ordinary person—falls into an unfamiliar land without knowing anything, what kind of treatment do you think they’ll receive?”

Choi Hyun-seok shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

Park Hyun-ah held up two fingers.

Then she smiled grimly.

“One of two things: they either die immediately or are abandoned.”

“…”

“Even if they’re lucky enough to start with the latter—being abandoned—it’s still daunting. Think about it. These are the kind of guys who just tapped away on computers and smartphones in their world. Guys who can’t even kill a cockroach are dropped into this insensible world with nothing. What do you think will happen if you suddenly hand them a sword and tell them to fight a giant beast?”

It was a problem he hadn’t considered.

All this time, he’d only focused on his own unhappiness in the Demon King’s army.

He hadn’t considered the treatment received by heroes who started on the human side.

‘Certainly, this world wasn’t that easy.’

Perfect survival of the fittest.

The public order was so bad it made him wonder if things were better even back in the Joseon Dynasty [Korean kingdom from 1392 to 1897].

It wasn’t a problem for Choi Hyun-seok, who had grown somewhat strong, but it would have been incredibly difficult if he’d had to fight from the very beginning.

“Beginner care? Tutorial? Where’s that? Just headbutting the ground! Being thrown into the wild!”
“It must be really daunting.”
“So most give up on being a hero and blend into this world, doing odd jobs in villages.”

Park Hyun-ah sighed.

“In the end, eighty to ninety percent of all heroes die or give up in the first year. Two years, three years… the remaining number continues to be halved each year. How many guys will grow as much as you or I in that situation?”
“Hmm, it seems like there would be few.”
“It’s not just a few. There are *none*.”

Choi Hyun-seok stared intently at Park Hyun-ah.

Park Hyun-ah’s eyebrows twitched.

“What are you glaring at?”

“It’s nothing…”
“I’m telling you there’s really none, you moron. Thousands of clueless idiots arrive every year, but there are less than a thousand who are properly considered heroes now. There won’t be even a hundred who are at your level. Maybe two or three at my level?”

Park Hyun-ah, mid-sentence, suddenly smiled.

“Of course, the hero project that the Holy Empire is preparing is excluded.”
“Hero project? Are you talking about those puppet-like guys?”
“Yeah. I can’t even guess how many puppet heroes those Empire bastards have trained. They’re always amazing in scale.”
“That’s for sure…”

“I think there are at least a thousand quasi-heroes.”

“A thousand quasi-heroes!?”

Choi Hyun-seok was startled.

A quasi-hero referred to a combat power of around 100,000.

There were a thousand of them.

“Don’t be scared. It’s not something I actually saw; it’s just what I think.”

“Ah, yes…”

“Anyway, enough with the small talk. Be quiet now. We’ve arrived at our destination.”

Park Hyun-ah stopped in front of a house.

The houses in the village were all made of logs, and the place where Park Hyun-ah stopped was one of those houses.

Knock, knock.

She knocked lightly on the door.

“Come in.”

A beautiful voice came from inside.

When the door opened, a woman with a refined appearance was sitting in a chair.

Blonde hair cascaded down to her shoulders.

A soft look resided in her eyes.

Overall, her features were sharp and elegant.

Usually, when you say ‘refined,’ you think of something oriental, but the word ‘refined’ truly suited the woman, even though she had a Western appearance.

“Sullivan, these are the guys I told you about.”
“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Sullivan Campbell Waller. Feel free to call me Sullivan.”

“I’m Choi Hyun-seok.”

“I’m Abelson Marriott.”

Sullivan, rising from her seat, shook hands with the group and exchanged greetings.

“Mr. Choi is the one who handles both magic power and demonic energy, right? And the person in the back is the princess of the Marriott Kingdom.”
“That’s right. We’re going to level up with these guys today, so guide us to the hunting ground you mentioned.”
“Haa… Hyun-ah, this isn’t hunting. It’s a very dangerous and noble operation.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know, so guide us.”

Sullivan sighed and waved her hand.

Then a butterfly flew in from somewhere and landed on Choi Hyun-seok’s shoulder.

“My friend will guide you.”
“Okay. Let’s go right away.”
“Be careful. I know you know, but it’s not an easy enemy.”
“Why don’t you help if you’re so worried?”
“You’ll hate it if I say I’ll help, right?”

Park Hyun-ah smiled and waved her hand.

“I’m going. See you next time.”

“Yes…”

Sullivan, waving back, sighed and sat down in her chair only after Park Hyun-ah had completely disappeared.

“It’ll be okay…”

In fact, Sullivan hadn’t had many conversations with Park Hyun-ah.

Not long after they met, Park Hyun-ah had joined the Demon King’s army.

Nevertheless, Sullivan trusted Park Hyun-ah.

Park Hyun-ah, with her aggressive tone and perpetually cynical demeanor.

At first glance, she seemed like a reckless hothead.

But if you looked closely, you could see that she was more careful and thoughtful than anyone else.

The reason she’d accepted outsiders Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson this time was for that very reason.

Originally, the organization’s location was a closely guarded secret to avoid the eyes of Gatrein and the Holy Empire.

If Gatrein found out, it would spell devastation.

For that reason, outsiders were strictly forbidden from approaching, but Sullivan had made an exception based on Park Hyun-ah’s word that they were people she could trust and entrust with this mission.

Sullivan’s trust in Park Hyun-ah ran that deep.

‘Surely this will be resolved well…’

The place Park Hyun-ah was headed to was considered the most dangerous area affected by necromancy, rapidly increasing its power.

There was even a story that the local legend who had been protecting the area couldn’t withstand it and had retreated.

It was an undead horde whose power could only be guessed at if it wasn’t stopped here.

‘God, please protect Hyun-ah and her companions.’

Sullivan closed her eyes for a moment and prayed, her hands clasped together.

Hoping that the God who was watching everything from somewhere would listen.

***

A butterfly fluttered its wings.

It was about the size of a palm, but it was more beautiful than grotesque.

Following the butterfly aimlessly, they arrived in front of a space-time gate located in a remote area.

“Is it here…”

The butterfly kept circling above the gate.

Choi Hyun-seok approached and asked,

“Where does this gate lead to?”
“The Odria City-State Union.”
“It’s the first time I’ve heard that name.”
“Just follow me in. I’ll explain as we go.”

“Yes.”

With Park Hyun-ah leading the way, the group moved into the space-time gate.

After a brief sensation of nausea,

Choi Hyun-seok realized he was standing in a dimly lit space.

“The Odria City-State Union is literally a country made up of several united cities. Looking at the scale alone, it’s bigger than most kingdoms.”

“Ah, yes!”

Choi Hyun-seok hurriedly followed Park Hyun-ah, who was already walking ahead.

Park Hyun-ah’s explanation continued as she strode through the dark space.

“This place is a country far from the Demonic Boundary. They always pretended not to know about the war with the Demon race, but in the end, they get backstabbed like this.”

Park Hyun-ah chuckled.

Soon, she arrived at her destination and pushed open a thick iron door.

Squeak!

The old hinges screamed.

Bright light and a cacophony of noise flooded in.

“Repent! Repent!”
“You must run away now! Citizens of Delos! Before the undead army comes…!”

“Arrest that guy!”

“Kyaaak! Thief!”
“Madam! If you have this elixir made with the blood of the Demon race, your husband will jump up even in his sleep!”

Choi Hyun-seok couldn’t make heads or tails of what was going on.

Numerous people filled the streets, and everyone was frantically moving in different directions.

Guards were everywhere, but they didn’t seem to be doing anything to maintain order.

The most noticeable thing was the sheer number of stalls lining the streets.

People who looked like merchants were hawking all kinds of wares, and Choi Hyun-seok frequently overheard offers that were almost too tempting to resist.

“Sister, what is all this?”
“What does it look like? It’s the Odria City-State Union. To be exact, it’s the city of Delos within the Union.”
“Is it this chaotic because of the undead attack…?”
“No. City-states are *always* chaotic. Well, Delos is particularly bad.”

Even the peak hours in Myeongdong [a bustling shopping district in Seoul] weren’t this crowded.

So many people were crammed into this city of Delos.

“This place is the farthest from the Demonic Boundary. Because of the perception that it’s safe, war refugees and immigrants have flocked here. Ah, damn it! Stop blocking the road!”

Park Hyun-ah roughly pushed aside those who were blocking their path and forced her way through the crowd.

“The stupid Union leaders kept gorging themselves without realizing their stomachs were about to burst from overexpansion. This is the result.”
“Is this situation controllable?”
“Absolutely not. It’s practically been abandoned at this point.”

Finally, the group, having fought their way through the throng, sighed in relief as they reached a slightly quieter open space.

“The Odria Union was originally known as the country of merchants. Now, in addition to that, it’s known as the country of merchants *and* thieves. Anyway… what I want to say is that the most important thing in Odria is money.”

Park Hyun-ah raised her hand and pointed towards a specific location.

There stood a massive tower, gleaming with gold.

“That’s why we’re heading to that golden tower from now on.”

“What are we going to do there?”

“What else? We’re going to rip off some money.”

“Yes…?”