Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 43

A week had passed since then.

Despite Hemis’s order to capture the battalion commander, Choi Hyun-seok’s days remained largely unchanged.

He hunted, cooked, and trained with Raidrun in the late evenings.

The only addition was that he now had to cook for Battalion Commander Doras as well.

“Shall we go, then?”

Today, too, Choi Hyun-seok, carrying a plate of food, left the kitchen.

His destination was Doras’s office.

Winning Doras over was a crucial part of Choi Hyun-seok’s plan, and he couldn’t afford to forget it.

“Hehe! That pig. I wonder what kind of reaction he’ll have this time?” “He’ll probably just make weird moaning sounds while he eats, like always.” “He seems to be gaining even more weight lately. Won’t he end up not being able to leave his office?” “That would be a problem.”

Choi Hyun-seok’s goal was to lure Doras into the forest and deal with him.

It would be a disaster if he became too fat to even leave his office.

“Should I give him more meat and tell him to lose some weight?” “That sounds contradictory, but we can try.”

Choi Hyun-seok and Rahel continued their idle chatter as they moved.

Finally, they arrived at Doras’s office.

Knock, knock.

A familiar voice responded to the knock.

“Come in.”

As he opened the door, Choi Hyun-seok thought,

‘His voice sounds a bit different than usual?’

Doras knew that Choi Hyun-seok always visited at this time.

Perhaps that’s why he would make such a fuss, welcoming him as if he were a lover.

“Oh, it’s Choi Hyun-seok! Welcome!”

He would be so excited that anyone would mistake them for lovers.

But today, all he said was a dry “Come in.”

A sense of foreboding washed over him.

“You’ve come again today.”

Opening the door, Choi Hyun-seok saw Doras sitting in his chair as usual.

“Yes. How have you been?”

“Well… so-so.”

Choi Hyun-seok immediately noticed the change.

‘There’s no food on the table.’

There had never been a time when there wasn’t food on Doras’s table.

He was always eating something like fruit or meat, but for some reason, today he was just sitting there blankly.

“Did you bring meat?”

Doras asked.

Choi Hyun-seok placed the plate on the table and nodded.

“Yes. But Doras-nim, is something wrong? You don’t look well…”

Choi Hyun-seok asked with a worried expression.

Doras smiled faintly.

“Indeed, you’re the only one who understands my feelings.”

“Hahaha…”

Choi Hyun-seok chuckled awkwardly, but he couldn’t help but be taken aback by Doras’s next words.

“The peace has been shattered.”

“Pardon?”

Peace shattered out of nowhere?

Did that pig get the wrong antibiotic or something?

“My peace has been shattered.” “What do you mean by peace being shattered…?”

“The commander selection battle.”

At the words ‘commander selection battle,’ Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes widened.

“Don’t tell me…” “That’s right. Tomorrow, I’ll be fighting in a commander selection battle for the battalion commander position.”

It was like a bolt from the blue.

Doras was fighting in a commander selection battle!

He might be removed from his position as battalion commander.

In the worst-case scenario, Doras could die.

“I must have been underestimated because of this body of mine.”

Doras looked at his bulk and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“Perhaps that’s why I don’t have much of an appetite today.”

“That’s…” “Still, I should enjoy the meat you brought!”

Suddenly, Doras changed his attitude and began to devour the meat ravenously.

“Kwah! Slurp, slurp! I haven’t eaten for three hours, so it tastes even better!”

Choi Hyun-seok closed his eyes.

‘It’s over…’

A week of hard work had gone down the drain.

There was no way that stupid-looking pig would win the commander selection battle.

‘He should have taken care of himself, that pig bastard!’

He felt like grabbing Doras by the collar and shouting.

If he had acted more like a battalion commander, this wouldn’t have happened.

Of course, if that were the case, he wouldn’t have become Choi Hyun-seok’s target either.

“That’s terrible.” “Gulp, gulp! Chomp, chomp, that’s right. If you don’t mind, could you come to the commander selection battle tomorrow? If you, cough! Slurp! Watch me, I think it will give me strength.”

“Yes…”

Choi Hyun-seok nodded and prayed inwardly.

‘Please…! I hope someone even more pathetic than Doras challenged him to a duel!’

***

The next day.

Choi Hyun-seok finished his duties with hollow eyes.

“Are you okay, Warrior-nim?”

“No…”

Choi Hyun-seok couldn’t sleep a wink.

All the effort he had put in for a week was about to go to waste.

And it wasn’t just any week.

An important time, equivalent to a quarter of the given month, was about to be wasted in vain.

“Cheer up! Maybe that pig will awaken and turn into a wild boar? Then there’s hope.” “Is that likely to happen?”

“No…”

Rahel replied in a dejected voice.

Honestly, she felt the same way as Choi Hyun-seok.

The chances of Doras winning seemed so slim.

Doras seemed too weak compared to the other battalion commanders.

Even though you can’t judge everything by appearances, Doras was extreme.

“I’m worried if that pig, who seems to weigh over 500 kilograms, can even move properly. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he died of a heart attack on the way to the commander selection battle.” “That’s true…”

Doras was tall, about 3 meters [~9 feet 10 inches].

The problem was that he looked about 2 meters [~6 feet 7 inches] wide.

He almost looked like a round ball.

It was questionable whether he could even walk with such a massive body.

“Sigh… all the work I put in for a week has gone to waste.” “What can you do? You’ll have to find someone else.” “Still, don’t give up hope until the end! The opponent might be a short goblin, right?” “What’s this? You’re saying something admirable.”

At Choi Hyun-seok’s compliment, Rahel put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.

“Ahem! Aren’t Warrior-nim and I in this together? We have to support each other!” “That’s right. Let’s go for it! Maybe the opponent is just a regular soldier with a few screws loose?” “That’s right! You never know until you open the lid!” Choi Hyun-seok and Rahel prayed.

That Doras’s opponent would be a clueless idiot.

“I’m doomed…”

The result of their prayers was disastrous.

As soon as they arrived at the arena, they saw a muscular demon with a deer head.

‘At least he’s about the same height…’

The deer head was about the same height as Doras.

The problem was that his entire body was made of steel-like muscles.

The muscles revealed on his black skin were top-notch at a glance.

Boom! Boom!

The deer head swung a warhammer that seemed too heavy to even lift as if it were a cotton swab.

‘If he gets hit even once, it’s over.’

The moment Doras was hit by that brutal warhammer, he would surely become well-minced pork.

“Oh! Choi Hyun-seok! You came!”

Doras, who had spotted Choi Hyun-seok, waved his hand.

He didn’t like that he was grinning, whether he knew the situation or not.

He was already sweating profusely, as if even standing was difficult.

“F, fighting… hahaha…!”

Choi Hyun-seok forced a smile and waved his hand.

Even he couldn’t manage his expression at this moment.

That’s how desperate the situation was.

‘I’ll have to go around the battalion busily from tomorrow. I don’t know if there will be another idiot like Doras, but…’

Choi Hyun-seok was already busy looking for a pushover to replace Doras in his mind.

“Are you both ready?”

“Yes, Roiger-nim!”

It was then.

Suddenly, a man appeared between Doras and the deer head.

‘Since when was he there?’

Choi Hyun-seok stared at the person who had appeared with puzzled eyes.

‘Human? Or a demon?’

He was different from the demons he had seen so far.

An appearance that resembled a human.

A well-proportioned body with a height of about 2 meters [~6 feet 7 inches].

He was also properly dressed.

His face was a little different from humans, but he was handsome enough to be called a pretty boy.

And the decisive feature was his black hair.

Choi Hyun-seok had never seen black hair like his since coming to this world.

‘That must be the high-ranking demon I’ve only heard about…’

Perhaps the person in charge was a commander of a higher-level unit since it was a duel to determine the battalion commander level.

Choi Hyun-seok guessed that the demon was at least a regimental commander.

Or a division commander.

“Then let’s start right away. I’m busy, so I hope you finish quickly.”

The high-ranking demon spoke.

Doras and the muscle deer began to run towards each other.

At the same time, Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.

“C, crazy…”

A curse word came out without him realizing it.

Because Doras, who seemed to have trouble even walking, was running.

At a crazy speed!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ground cracked every time Doras kicked off the ground.

Choi Hyun-seok couldn’t even keep up with Doras’s speed with his eyes.

“Eeeeeee!”

The deer head on the other side also ran, letting out a strange cry.

His movements were also impressive.

He certainly had the skills to covet the position of battalion commander!

But Choi Hyun-seok sensed it.

‘He’s a step below Doras!’

As soon as the two giants collided, Choi Hyun-seok knew that his prediction was correct.

Clang! Clang!

Doras roughly pushed his opponent like an African buffalo.

The deer head couldn’t even swing his warhammer and was busy defending.

“It’s over…?”

It didn’t even take a minute for the match to be decided.

“Eeeeek…”

The deer head fell to the floor covered in blood.

It seemed to still be alive, twitching occasionally.

“It’s over. The winner is Doras.”

The high-ranking demon spoke briefly and disappeared.

Disappearing was as instantaneous as appearing.

Doras was used to it, so he didn’t seem to care much.

“Whew! It’s tough to move after a long time!”

Doras approached, leading his massive body.

“Choi Hyun-seok! I think I had more strength thanks to the meat you gave me. Thank you!” “Yes… I’m glad it helped. Hahaha…!”

Choi Hyun-seok didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

***

Bobo’s house.

A desk was placed alone in a dark room.

Flicker…!

A candle on the desk struggled to light the room.

Choi Hyun-seok and Rahel sat in chairs with serious expressions, facing each other.

“This is a disaster.”

“It is a disaster.”

“Croak…!”

Bobo barked softly as if agreeing.

“Warrior-nim! Why did you bring Bobo to the strategy meeting? You’re ruining the atmosphere that I worked so hard to create.” “Don’t be like that. Bobo is in the same boat as us. And besides, this is Bobo’s house in the first place, right?”

“Oh, right?”

She was so used to it that she forgot, but this was Bobo’s house.

And Choi Hyun-seok was Bobo’s caretaker.

Strictly speaking, he was a freeloader.

“Anyway, what’s important now is not the atmosphere. It’s what we should do from now on.” “That’s right… Who knew that stupid-looking pig would be so strong?”

Doras’s power in today’s duel far exceeded expectations.

If this continued, there would be a major setback in the plan.

“I thought he would be somewhat strong since he’s a battalion commander… but I didn’t know it would be this much.”

Originally, not just anyone could come to the legion headquarters, even if they were the same battalion commander.

Only those who had truly outstanding skills or had made great achievements among the battalion commanders could come here.

So Doras, who was acting as a battalion commander here, had no choice but to be strong.

“Why don’t we pick another battalion commander and start working on him from now on?”

Choi Hyun-seok shook his head at Rahel’s suggestion.

“Rejected. How strong do you know the other guys will be? They might be stronger than Doras. Besides, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be as crazy about meat as Doras.” “Are you going to fight that monster pig then? It seems dangerous even if you fight with Bobo.” “That’s true…”

Regardless of whether Bobo could beat Doras or not, Choi Hyun-seok was likely to be covered in blood the moment the fight started.

Choi Hyun-seok, who was worried, sighed and spoke.

“Hoo… I didn’t want to bring out this plan.” “You have another plan!?” “Yeah. It’s dangerous and has a lot of variables, so I tried not to use it if possible, but I can’t help it.”

Choi Hyun-seok took something out of his arms.

“What is that?”

“First of all, this is the Encyclopedia of Magical Beasts.”

Choi Hyun-seok held out a thick book.

It was the ‘Useful Encyclopedia to Know! – Magical Beast Edition’ that he had purchased from the Warrior Shop before.

“And this is a map of the distribution of monsters in the nearby forest.”

Next, he held out a map with crude lines and drawings on parchment.

“Using these two things, we’ll push Doras into a trap.”

“Warrior-nim, could it be…?”

Rahel smiled evilly as if she had noticed something.

Choi Hyun-seok also smiled and nodded.

“Yes. There’s an old saying.”