Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 23

The collapsing cave was utter chaos.

Boulders the size of houses were falling.

The dust rising from all directions made it impossible to see.

Amidst all this, Choi Hyun-seok was bombarded with level-up notifications.

[Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!][Level Up!]….

The level-up notifications relentlessly pierced his ears.

“Shut up! It’s distracting!”

Leveling up wasn’t the priority right now.

‘I have to get out of here somehow,’ he thought.

Choi Hyun-seok’s immediate goal was survival.

To achieve that, he needed to escape the collapsing cave.

[Level Up!]

With the notification ringing, Choi Hyun-seok shouted,

“Rachel, buff me!”

“Okay!”

Now, she understood his needs with just one word: ‘buff.’

Rachel cast a buff on Choi Hyun-seok, enhancing his physical abilities.

‘I’ll break through head-on!’

His plan was to bypass the Queen in front of him and escape the cave.

“Kieeeeeeeek!”

At that moment, Queen Thalas charged towards Choi Hyun-seok.

‘Is she trying to get revenge now!?’ Choi Hyun-seok wondered.

‘No. The Queen’s goal is the egg!’

The egg remained behind him.

The Queen was clearly trying to protect the egg from the collapsing cave.

He had a good reason to believe this.

Because there was another crazy person trying to protect the egg even in this desperate situation.

“I, I have to protect the delicious thing!”

Head Chef Kulkhan grabbed an egg and made a run for it.

The Queen’s gaze immediately shifted, following him.

‘Then I’ll break through while she’s distracted!’

[Level Up!]

With the level-up sound, Choi Hyun-seok dashed forward.

The Queen was running towards him, but it didn’t matter.

‘The Queen’s aggro [attention/hostility] is focused on the egg and Kulkhan anyway!’

Of course, he knew it was a gamble.

But it was a situation where life and death hung in the balance.

He couldn’t afford to avoid the giant Queen and go around in this urgent situation.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!

The Queen and Choi Hyun-seok collided as they closed the distance.

Choi Hyun-seok slipped between the Queen’s legs.

[Level Up!]

With the level-up notification, Choi Hyun-seok cheered inwardly.

The Queen ignored Choi Hyun-seok and ran past him.

Choi Hyun-seok, running under the Queen’s belly, glanced up.

‘It’s huge.’

Time seemed to slow down.

The giant Queen’s belly filled his vision in slow motion.

Finally, the Queen and Choi Hyun-seok completely crossed paths.

[Level Up!]

Time resumed its normal pace.

Boom, boom! Bang!

Dirt and rocks started falling from the sky again.

Whoosh!

A rock the size of a house fell right in front of him.

The ground shook, and he almost lost his footing, but barely managed to regain his balance.

He looked past the rock, towards the outside.

‘I can make it.’

Light was visible through the dust.

The exit was about two hundred meters away.

He could do it.

“Kieeeeek!”

At that moment, a Thalas blocked his path.

Sharp legs lashed out at him.

“I don’t have time for this! Get out of the way!”

He twisted his head to avoid the legs.

He retaliated with a kick.

Crack!

He landed a direct hit on its head.

“Kiek…!”

The creature staggered but didn’t seem seriously injured.

However,

Boom!

The falling rock couldn’t be avoided.

The Thalas was crushed under the rock, becoming a bloody mess.

[Level Up!]

Choi Hyun-seok ran again.

‘This isn’t going to work. I need to increase my stats on the fly.’

Even now, Thalas were constantly being crushed to death by falling rocks.

Thanks to that, the level-up notifications kept ringing.

To reach the exit, he had to use every advantage he could get.

▫Name: Choi Hyun-seok

▫Title: Trainee Hero

▫Level: 179

·Strength: 56

·Agility: 53

·Stamina: 55

·Magic Power: 53

·Charisma: 27

·Bonus Points: 71

▫Hero Points: 150

▫Abilities: Pickaxing (C), Leadership (E), Cooking (F)

▫Skills: –

He had accumulated 71 bonus points.

Choi Hyun-seok invested the points at an incredible speed.

[Level Up!]

Just in time, he leveled up to level 180.

Choi Hyun-seok invested all the points without holding back.

[Combat Power has reached the target]

[Hero Quest completed]

[Acquire 300 Hero Points]

It seemed his combat power had exceeded 3000 by investing the points.

But there was no time to celebrate.

“Kieeee!”

Another Thalas blocked his path.

Whoosh!

The legs flew at him.

Choi Hyun-seok instead dove into the creature’s arms.

The legs grazed his skin, and blood splattered.

“Euh-ryaaa!”

He threw a punch with all his might.

Crack!

The Thalas’s head cracked, and bodily fluids oozed out.

But it wasn’t dead.

The creature was still breathing.

[Level Up!]

Another alarm sounded.

Choi Hyun-seok quickly invested bonus points in strength.

And kicked the staggering Thalas.

“Die!”

The heel connected with the carapace [hard protective covering] that had already been cracked by the punch.

Thwack!

The Thalas’s head shattered.

[Level Up!]

Choi Hyun-seok was convinced.

He didn’t need to run anymore.

‘I’ll destroy everything that blocks my way.’

The goal was to escape the cave.

Until then, he had to keep moving forward.

“Kieeeeek!”

“Get out of the way!”

Choi Hyun-seok kicked off the ground and jumped.

His jumping power far surpassed that of ordinary humans.

Choi Hyun-seok landed on top of the Thalas’s head in one leap and slammed his fist down.

Crack, crack! Bang!

He struck the same spot repeatedly in one breath.

The Thalas’s outer shell broke in an instant.

Green bodily fluids splattered everywhere.

[Level Up!]

Choi Hyun-seok ran again.

Boom! Bang! Whoosh!

Rocks and piles of dirt poured down like crazy.

It was hard to even open his eyes because of the dust.

The cave was now on the verge of complete collapse.

▫Name: Choi Hyun-seok

▫Title: Trainee Hero

▫Level: 198

·Strength: 80

·Agility: 77

·Stamina: 79

·Magic Power: 77

·Charisma: 27

·Bonus Points: 0

▫Hero Points: 450

▫Abilities: Pickaxing (C), Leadership (E), Cooking (F)

▫Skills: –

Choi Hyun-seok invested stats without rest.

He was already level 198.

It seemed like he would reach level 200 soon.

[Level Up!]

Another alarm sounded.

‘I’m almost there!’

The outside of the cave was right in front of him.

The dust cleared, and the light began to brighten.

Rumble…!

The cave was completely collapsing.

The ceiling had come down right above his head.

‘The last…!’

Choi Hyun-seok ran with all his might.

Whoooooooooosh…!

The cave ceiling collapsed, and dust spread in all directions.

It was a tremendous shockwave, as if a large number of bombs were exploding.

[Level Up!]

The last level-up alarm sounded.

Choi Hyun-seok collapsed to the floor.

“Hah, hah…!”

He was covered in wounds and unrecognizable.

“I lived…”

But Choi Hyun-seok survived.

***

Rumble!

The ground shook as if there was an earthquake.

Choi Hyun-seok was completely covered in dust and looked like a clay figure.

“Ptooey, ptooey!”

Choi Hyun-seok spat out the dirt that had entered his mouth.

“Damn it. My hero life is really something.”

“Hero! You’re alive! You’re alive!”

“I know.”

“You came out of that hell alive! Can you believe it!?”

Rachel was overly excited.

“I believed you could do it, Hero! As expected, you are a hero with SSS-class potential and unprecedented talent, Choi Hyun-seok!”

“Okay, that’s enough praise.”

“HeroHeroHero!!!”

“Ah, I get it!”

“Hero!”

Rachel slapped Choi Hyun-seok on the cheek.

Slap!

Choi Hyun-seok was startled and turned around.

“Damn it! What was that for!?”

“Look over there!”

“Huh?”

Choi Hyun-seok looked where Rachel was pointing.

“Something’s moving…?”

The rock was shaking.

Choi Hyun-seok tensed his body.

He didn’t want to move a finger, but if it was an enemy, he couldn’t afford to miss the opportunity.

Bang!

Finally, the rock flew away, and what emerged from within was…

“I protected the egg!”

It was Head Chef Kulkhan.

Choi Hyun-seok chuckled in disbelief.

“He’s really amazing in his own way…”

Was this worthy of someone with a combat power of 35,000?

He couldn’t believe he had protected the egg from bursting all this time.

“Mr. Kulkhan!”

Then, Choi Hyun-seok widened his eyes.

“Oh, Choi Hyun-seok, you’re alive? You’re a tough one too.”

“Mr. Kulkhan! Behind you! Look behind you!”

“Huh? There’s something behind…”

Kulkhan, who was turning around, couldn’t finish his sentence.

Crack!

The Queen’s leg, which had flown in, pierced Kulkhan’s head.

Thud…

Kulkhan died, clutching the egg he had desperately tried to protect.

Rumble…

The rocks and piles of dirt were pushed aside.

The Queen, who had been buried beneath it all, revealed herself.

“Haa… seriously, please…”

Choi Hyun-seok sighed deeply.

The Queen, who had fully risen, shook her head as if to clear the dirt.

Then, she looked at her belly.

It was as if she was checking if the egg she was carrying was safe.

“Kieek…”

There was only green bodily fluid below.

The Queen carried the egg to protect it, but it had backfired.

Unable to withstand the weight of the falling rock, the egg had burst.

The lower part of her belly was soaked with thick green bodily fluid.

The Queen raised her head and looked at Choi Hyun-seok.

Choi Hyun-seok made a troubled expression.

“Hey. You can’t blame that on me, right? Huh?”

At Choi Hyun-seok’s words, Rachel nodded repeatedly.

“That’s right! That’s 인정 [Korean slang for ‘ 인정합니다’ which means ‘I acknowledge/agree’]! But Hero.”

“Why?”

“Aren’t you going to run away?”

“I don’t want to run either.”

“Then why are you standing still?”

“Because I feel like I’ll die the moment I move.”

“Ah…!”

The Queen’s size was enormous.

But her movements were never slow.

Just moments ago, Kulkhan couldn’t even react before his head was pierced.

The Queen’s speed was simply impossible to outrun.

“Then what do we do now?”

“Let’s see what she does first.”

At the same time Choi Hyun-seok finished speaking.

“Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!”

The Queen started running, screaming.

Choi Hyun-seok ran towards her.

The Queen’s legs brushed right past him.

Whoosh!

A roar like a fighter jet passed by.

‘If I want to live, I have to grab the egg!’

There was no point in just running away.

Kulkhan’s legacy.

The last remaining egg.

That was the only hope.

“I got it!”

The moment Choi Hyun-seok tried to snatch the egg.

Swish!

The egg disappeared before his eyes.

The Queen was one step faster.

The Queen picked up the egg and placed it safely on her back.

“Kieeek! Kiek!”

Choi Hyun-seok somehow thought the Queen was laughing.

“Hero. What do we do now…?”

“I know.”

Choi Hyun-seok stared blankly at the Queen.

‘Ha… I really thought I had made it.’

So, this was the end.

Choi Hyun-seok, who was smiling bitterly, suddenly clenched his fist.

‘No. I can’t die like this.’

How had he endured until now?

He had survived by desperately flattering all sorts of people.

Rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, he barely survived!

‘There’s still a way.’

The last method available to him.

The hero points earned by completing this hero quest.

▫Hero Points: 450

‘I’ll somehow find something useful in the hero store while running away.’

There had to be an item that could help.

Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes lit up.

‘Avoid the body by matching the timing of the Queen’s movement.’

There were restrictions on actions while running.

It was better to accurately observe her movements and dodge her body.

‘Now!’

As the Queen’s legs lifted, Choi Hyun-seok threw himself to the side.

Whoa!

The Queen’s legs slammed onto the ground, and a roar echoed.

The legs were continuously slammed down.

Choi Hyun-seok avoided the legs with reflexes that even surprised himself.

But it was too early to celebrate.

‘I don’t have time to browse the hero store!’

He was so focused on escaping that he didn’t have a moment to spare to look at the hero store.

‘I don’t have any stamina left now…’

Choi Hyun-seok’s stamina was already at its limit.

He was barely holding on by forcibly straining his leg muscles, but how long could he last?

Thud!

At that moment, his foot caught on a stone on the floor.

Choi Hyun-seok fell to the floor.

Whoosh!

The Queen’s legs flew at him, seizing the opportunity.

The Queen’s legs were getting closer in real time.

‘No…!’

Choi Hyun-seok closed his eyes tightly.

Boom…!

A heavy noise was heard.

‘Did I survive?’

For some reason, Choi Hyun-seok was still alive.

He squinted slightly.

“Ah…”

Red skin, muscular and sturdy back were visible.

“Raidrun…”

Cow Head Raidrun was blocking the Queen’s legs.

“I knew you’d be alive, Choi Hyun-seok.”

Raidrun said without turning around.

Choi Hyun-seok felt like he was about to cry.

“I’ll take care of the rest.”

Flames began to erupt from Raidrun’s horns.

He lifted the Queen’s legs with tremendous strength.

‘H, he’s lifting them…!?’

Raidrun grabbed the Queen’s legs and knocked her down.

Koo-oong!

The Queen’s giant body fell, and the ground shook.

Raidrun charged forward without stopping.

Crack! Crack! Bang!

Choi Hyun-seok couldn’t even see what was happening properly.

He could only tell that Raidrun was attacking by the Queen’s screams.

“Huu!”

At that moment, black light poured out of Raidrun’s body.

He threw his last punch.

Poof!

The Queen’s head exploded.

Warm blood and entrails poured down from the sky.

Choi Hyun-seok smiled blankly as he was hit by the debris.

“He’s so fucking cool…”