Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 18

After examining Kurken,

Choi Hyun-seok headed to the cookhouse.

Warm sunlight was already pouring down.

He needed to arrive before the cooking soldiers left for their hunt.

“Hoo… thankfully, I’m not late.”
“Oh, Choi Hyun-seok! Welcome!”

As soon as he entered the cookhouse, Kulkhan greeted him cheerfully.

“Yes. Did you have a good night’s rest, Kulkhan?”
“I’m always at my best! But, that aside…”

Kulkhan stared intently at Choi Hyun-seok.

“What’s that bizarre thing you’re wearing on your head?”

He had forgotten to take off the combat power measuring device in his haste.

Choi Hyun-seok made up an excuse.

“Ah… a demon soldier was wearing it, and I thought it looked cool, so I bought it.”
“Is that so? You have unique tastes.”

Kulkhan didn’t seem to care much and moved on.

Choi Hyun-seok breathed a small sigh of relief.

‘That’s a relief.’

Then, a question suddenly popped into his head.

‘How strong is Kulkhan?’

Kulkhan is the head chef.

That means he’s the strongest of all the cooks.

Choi Hyun-seok looked up at Kulkhan.

Beeeep!

The numbers on the lens began to rise rapidly.

Beep!

Choi Hyun-seok was taken aback by the number that finally stopped.

‘Thirty… thirty-five thousand…?’

Kulkhan’s combat power exceeded 35,000.

That was twice the number of other company commanders.

Sensing something was off, Choi Hyun-seok quickly checked the combat power of the other cooking soldiers.

[ Combat Power: 1960 ]

[ Combat Power: 2620 ]

[ Combat Power: 2350 ]

[ Combat Power: 2100 ]

‘The average is over 2000… what kind of monster group is this?’

The cooking soldiers generally had combat power in the mid-2000s.

A stark contrast to the demon soldiers outside.

Even the weakest-looking cooking soldier exceeded mid-1000, and some even surpassed 5000.

‘They were amazing guys…’

Come to think of it, it wasn’t that strange.

The cooking soldiers fought monsters almost every day.

It would be stranger if they weren’t strong.

‘I’ve grown this much in just about ten days… considering that period, I might even be weak compared to them.’

This is a good thing.

The strength of the cooking soldiers was beneficial to Choi Hyun-seok.

‘I should grill meat diligently today.’

This place is a gathering of crazy bastards who risk their lives for a good meal.

Having tasted the meat, they would give Choi Hyun-seok their liver and gall bladder if he asked. (A Korean expression meaning they’d give him anything he wanted.)

‘Should I bring up the sparring story before they go hunting?’

Choi Hyun-seok approached Kulkhan, who was preparing for the hunt.

“Kulkhan! I have a favor to ask!”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I want to spar with the cooking soldiers!”

“Sparring?”

“Yes. I was so impressed watching the cooking soldiers fight monsters! I was wondering if I could become like that if I received guidance…”

“Hahahaha!”

Kulkhan laughed heartily at Choi Hyun-seok’s words.

“Choi Hyun-seok. Don’t be too impatient.”

“Yes?”

“You’re getting stronger at a rapid pace. You’re already quite strong for a human. So, take it easy.”

Choi Hyun-seok wore a disappointed expression.

“Ah… I guess I have no choice.”

“Hmm?”

“I grilled some meat to repay your guidance today… I guess I’ll have to eat it myself next time.”

Choi Hyun-seok pretended to put the meat he was taking out of his backpack back in.

Thud.

Then, Kulkhan grabbed Choi Hyun-seok’s wrist.

“Let’s start right away. Who do you want to fight?”

***

Sparring preparations proceeded quickly.

Choi Hyun-seok chose an orc named Golbakum as his sparring partner.

The reason he specifically chose Golbakum among the many cooking soldiers was simple.

First, he was an orc, like his opponent Kurken.

And Golbakum seemed to be the dumbest of the cooking soldiers.

‘But his combat power is a whopping 2500.’

That’s almost twice as high as Choi Hyun-seok’s.

To be honest, he didn’t think he could win.

‘But I have to win.’

The image of Kurken, who showed tremendous strength, flickered before his eyes.

The orc in front of him is a much weaker opponent than Kurken.

If he can’t beat this guy, he can’t even dream of beating Kurken.

“What’s going on? It’s almost time to go hunting.”
“Choi Hyun-seok and Golbakum are going to spar.”

The cooking soldiers gathered at the news of Choi Hyun-seok and Golbakum’s sparring.

“Sparring? What’s that? Is it fighting?”
“Tsk tsk. You don’t even know that? It’s killing each other.”
“What!? Then that means Choi Hyun-seok is going to die!”

The foolish cooking soldiers exchanged words with serious expressions.

“Hey! Who’s going to grill the meat if Choi Hyun-seok dies!?”
“No…! I can’t live without that meat anymore…”
“Let’s kill Golbakum first.”
“That’s a good idea.”

The death sentence for the poor cooking soldier Golbakum was about to be handed down.

Kulkhan stepped in to mediate.

“Everyone shut up! You idiots!”

“…”

“Sparring isn’t about killing each other. It’s simply about competing in strength.”

The cooking soldiers whispered at Kulkhan’s words.

“Are they arm wrestling?”
“They might be playing tug-of-war.”

“Haa…”

Kulkhan decided to just leave the idiots alone.

“Golbakum, listen carefully.”

Only Golbakum, Choi Hyun-seok’s sparring partner, needs to understand the situation.

“You must never kill Choi Hyun-seok. Fight, but go easy on him. Got it?”

“Krr…! I understand.”

The orc Golbakum answered with a foolish face.

His unfocused eyes and scratching head didn’t inspire much confidence.

“But don’t go too easy on him either. Hit him just hard enough that it really hurts. Got it?”

“Krr… sniff…! I understand…”

“If possible, try not to break any bones.”

“Krr… Sparring is really difficult.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll give you more meat when this is over, so do your best.”

At that moment, Golbakum’s eyes flashed at the word meat.

“Leave it to me, Head Chef!”

Golbakum suddenly spoke fluently and stepped forward.

“Choi Hyun-seok. Let’s start sparring.”
“Yes. Please take care of me.”

Golbakum and Choi Hyun-seok stood facing each other, slightly apart.

Kulkhan, who was acting as the referee, raised his arm in the middle of them.

“Ready… Start!”

The match began as Kulkhan’s arm fell.

Golbakum took a stance.

‘Sniff… I have to make sure it doesn’t hurt too much.’

Choi Hyun-seok is the human who grills the meat.

He didn’t want to hurt him.

Tadat dat dat!

Choi Hyun-seok ran at full speed from the start.

Golbakum raised his arm.

‘Lightly… let’s just hit him hard enough to crush his face.’

The heavy arm was pulled back.

The muscles throughout his body maintained a taut tension.

‘Here I go…!’

He seemed to have already forgotten that he had thought about not hurting Choi Hyun-seok just three seconds ago.

It was truly goldfish-level memory.

Whooong!

Golbakum’s fist shot out coolly.

‘Huh…?’

But contrary to expectations, Golbakum’s fist didn’t reach Choi Hyun-seok.

It just cut through the air.

At the same time, he saw Choi Hyun-seok’s kick flying in.

Swaeeeek!

It sounded like he could hear the sound of cutting through the wind.

‘Big shoe…?’

The muddy sole of the shoe was gradually getting bigger.

‘Ah, I’m going to get hit.’

Thwack!

That was Golbakum’s last memory.

***

The forest located behind the 3rd Corps headquarters.

Even though no monsters were visible yet, Choi Hyun-seok was very excited.

‘I’ve gotten stronger.’

A long time had passed since the sparring, but the afterglow still hadn’t faded.

‘I sent an orc with twice my combat power flying in one hit.’

Honestly, he didn’t expect to be able to win.

He was just thinking about gaining experience.

But contrary to expectations, Choi Hyun-seok knocked Golbakum unconscious with a single head kick.

The faces of the cooking soldiers, who were staring at him in astonishment, were still vivid.

‘This has made it clear. Combat power doesn’t represent everything.’

There was a difference of 1000 in combat power between Choi Hyun-seok and Golbakum.

Nevertheless, Choi Hyun-seok knocked Golbakum down in one go.

This was a very good sign.

‘I can win.’

Even if the difference in combat power with his opponent Kurken is overwhelming, it means it’s worth fighting.

Of course, Kurken is much stronger than Golbakum, who he fought today.

He showed a monstrous power that could be called a monster.

But he has also become stronger.

And he will continue to get stronger.

‘There’s still a long way to go, but if I keep growing, I’ll definitely be able to fight Kurken.’

He vowed to hunt harder today.

‘Okay. Whatever it is, just come out.’

Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes gleamed as he gripped the huge kitchen knife he was holding even tighter.

“There’s a Thalassa kid in front.”

The words he had been waiting for finally came.

He peeked out and saw a monster that resembled a spider.

‘That’s Thalassa.’

The cub was quite large.

It was bigger than a decent-sized large dog.

But among the monsters, this size is cute.

He could fully understand that it was a cub.

“How many?”

“Seven.”

“Hmm, that’s strange. There weren’t any Thalassa groups around here…”

Kulkhan, who would have ordered an immediate charge as usual, was somehow worried.

Choi Hyun-seok approached as Kulkhan continued to remain silent.

“Is there a problem? Is Thalassa meat not tasty?”
“No, Thalassa meat is delicious. Especially the chewy Thalassa bone marrow is a delicacy!”

“Then why…?”

“Thalassa live in groups. If you mess up, they come out in droves.”

“Ah…”

“Especially the mother. The Queen Thalassa has a strong maternal instinct, so it’s even more troublesome. If you mess with the cubs, you’re in big trouble.”

Choi Hyun-seok looked surprised at Kulkhan’s explanation.

‘He’s thinking normally for a demon soldier!’

He never thought that there would be someone with normal thinking among those belonging to the demon army.

“But Thalassa meat is delicious, so I’ll just have to catch it.”

Kulkhan said calmly.

Choi Hyun-seok nodded with an expression that said, ‘I knew it.’

“Anyway, it’s rare for the queen to show herself outside the nest, so it’ll be okay.”
“Then let’s go right away!”
“Good! Everyone charge! Today’s snack is Thalassa bone marrow!”

“Waaaaa!”

The cooking soldiers started running with shouts.

Choi Hyun-seok diligently moved his legs so as not to fall behind.

‘There aren’t many enemies.’

There are only seven Thalassa in front of him.

On the other hand, there are nearly a hundred cooking soldiers running.

In this situation, if you greed too much, you may not be able to get any last hits.

‘Don’t be greedy and aim for the sure last hit.’

Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes gleamed.

If he gets even one last hit, he will definitely be able to level up.

“Surround them so they can’t escape!”
“Don’t make too many wounds! All the delicious fluids will escape!”

The cooking soldiers quickly surrounded the Thalassa group.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Keeeek!”

The Thalassa cubs cried pitifully, claiming it was a threat, but it was useless.

“Khehehe… I heard it’s so delicious to tear off one leg and suck on it.”
“When it comes to Thalassa, isn’t bone marrow the best?”
“That’s for the executives. If you mess with it, you might be included in the dinner menu.”

The Thalassa only looked like a well-prepared meal to the muscleheads who had gone crazy over food.

Of course, the hero Choi Hyun-seok was also mixed in there.

‘Hehe… the last hit is definitely mine!’

Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes flickered with madness.

‘Experience points… experience points…! Hehehe…!’

He was definitely not normal, smiling with a kitchen knife in his hand.

“Kill them all cleanly!”

At that time, Head Chef Kulkhan shouted.

The cooking soldiers rushed at the Thalassa at the same time.

“Waaaaa!”

The poor Thalassa group couldn’t even put up a proper resistance as butchers with huge kitchen knives rushed in from all directions.

In it, Choi Hyun-seok desperately swung his kitchen knife to get the last hit.

“Last hit! Last hit! Last hit!”

After a little time like that.

‘Okay! I succeeded!’

Choi Hyun-seok cheered.

He succeeded in eliminating two Thalassa.

It was the result of a crazy obsession and concentration towards leveling up.

[Level Up!]

Choi Hyun-seok shouted for joy as he heard the level-up notification.

‘Khehe! This is it!’

The level-up range is not as large as it was at the beginning, but this cannot be helped.

This is because he only got the last hit in a situation where his level was already quite high.

Rather, it could be said that it was a very generous reward compared to the effort put in.

‘The start is smooth. Let’s keep raising it like this!’

Choi Hyun-seok was smiling when he checked the status window.

Kungkungkungkung…!

The ground began to shake with tremendous noise.

“What, what is it!?”

Choi Hyun-seok looked around in embarrassment.

The cooking soldiers were also surprised, and everyone looked bewildered.

Kungkungkungkungkungkungkung…!

The noise and vibration gradually intensified.

Thud.

It suddenly disappears like a lie.

At the same time, the surroundings suddenly darkened.

It was because of the huge shadow.

“Uh… Kulkhan…?”

Choi Hyun-seok quietly turned his head and looked at Kulkhan.

“Is that the mother?”
“To be exact, it’s the Queen Thalassa.”
“Ah, but you said earlier that the queen rarely comes out…”
“Things don’t always go as planned.”
“Ah… I see…”

The Queen Thalassa was larger than a decent elephant in just her torso.

In addition, thick legs that were over ten meters long stretched out in all directions.

It didn’t seem like they could win at all.

Choi Hyun-seok used the combat power measuring device just in case.

[ Combat Power: Cannot Measure ]

Choi Hyun-seok asked, looking at the letters appearing on the lens.

“Kulkhan. What do we do now?”

The Queen Thalassa’s eyes were fixed on her dead cubs.

Clear anger.

The cooking soldiers who were cutting and organizing the limbs of the baby Thalassa were already half-fainted.

“Hmm…”

In a tense moment.

Head Chef Kulkhan leisurely stroked his chin.

“There’s no choice.”

Kulkhan took a step forward.

‘Could it be… is he showing his true power?’

One way or another, Kulkhan is a strong man with a combat power of over 30,000.

Maybe we can see his true form here.

Tadat dat…!

Kulkhan ran at a tremendous speed.

After a few seconds.

He passes Queen Thalassa as is.

“Huh…?”

Kulkhan is gradually moving away.

He shouts loudly, creating some distance.

“Let’s all meet alive!”
“That, that son of a bitch…!”

While cursing at the fleeing Kulkhan, Choi Hyun-seok’s legs were moving faster than anyone else’s.