Chapter 101: Mass-produced Hero |
Hero Yi Ga-ram.
When she first arrived in this world, she faced humiliation in the traditional initiation among heroes, leading to her being labeled a ‘Fallen Hero.’
Even now, as she hunts down corrupt heroes, this infamy still circulates among them.
For heroes who always look for faults in others, having a history as a ‘Fallen Hero’ was enough reason to be despised.
‘So, the once Fallen Hero now chooses to help laborers, unlike the others…’
Instead of embracing the culture of heroes, she walked a different path than other heroes.
Her irregular assistance was proving to be a great help in reinforcing the station at this moment.
“Thanks to you, the work finished quicker than expected. Shall we leave the finishing touches to the laborers and go eat something?”
“Hmm, sounds good. What’s for lunch today?”
“…It seems like whenever I eat with you, it’s always either spicy pork or pork cutlet.”
“Well, after a hard day’s work, you need something hearty and spicy for energy. But why do you call Hyo-sung ‘Brother’ all the time and me ‘Mister’?”
“If you’re calling me ‘kiddo,’ it means there’s a big age gap, right? Me-rong~”
The two heroes, bantering playfully, left the work site.
While the laborers watching them generally showed positive reactions, not everyone would view it positively if it seemed to be directed at the concept of heroes.
Heroes were seen as figures to be admired by all—spiritual support and idols.
If such beings stood on the same level as ordinary citizens, they might be seen as losing their symbolic status as idols.
‘But such perceptions are, after all, fine with me.’
Marcus Cradle.
To him, as the legion commander, everyone in the army was part of the community and merely a component that should be encouraged to cooperate to achieve their goal.
The same went for heroes.
Even if there were roles suitable for them, those who failed to perform their roles and only sought benefits were inevitably considered a burden.
“Aide, how many heroes are currently available for activity?”
“Apart from Yi Ga-ram and Nam Ja-seong, who helped the laborers, most of them don’t have specific tasks… I’m not sure if they will be cooperative.”
“If they are uncooperative, we’ll have to take a firm stand.”
Power must be used if one had it.
And if they wouldn’t listen, a warning would suffice.
As the person in charge of this land, Marcus had the authority to do so.
“Oh my, Hero~ You shouldn’t touch there~”
“What’s the harm~? We had plenty of fun last night~”
That decision led him to a hero’s quarters.
Ignoring the coquettish voice inside, as he entered, the man and woman rolling on the bed expressed their displeasure towards him.
“What the…? What are you doing here without even knocking…?”
“Hero Shin Ji-ho.”
Marcus replied with an indifferent voice.
To him, what mattered was not who the person was or their feelings, but protecting the safety of the station.
“Do you think I’m in a position to back off just because you say so?”
“…*Hiccup. *Oh, what? It’s you?”
Only then did Hero Shin Ji-ho, who had been clinging to the adventurer woman like a courtesan, cast her aside.
His face was still flushed red. It seemed his mind hadn’t sobered up from drinking all night, even as he recognized the visitor with an arrogant look.
“Ah ha~! So it’s our esteemed Legion Commander! Sorry about that. I drank too much and was slow to recognize you~!”
His behavior was frivolous and ill-mannered.
Shin Ji-ho, showing no minimum respect towards his superior, abruptly got up from the bed and started to reach for the bottle of liquor on the table.
“What brings you here? Wanna join in the fun? Good timing. The traders brought some good liquor. Let’s drink together…”
Crash!
A bottle shattered as it fell from a hand violently swung.
Shin Ji-ho’s face, looking down at him, began to show increasing annoyance.
“Ah, damn, that was the only bottle.”
“So, are you going to attack me over it?”
An average person would have braced for death at this point, having offended a hero.
But Marcus, unfazed, shot back at Shin Ji-ho as if to overpower him.
To oppose him meant defying the royal family, which would lead to becoming a wanted criminal and a fallen hero.
“Puhuhu, as if~ I also live off the empire’s bounty, how could I dare defy the Legion Commander?”
Fortunately, even though he was drunk, he still possessed that level of common sense.
Even if it was not genuine loyalty or a grand cause, it was good to make use of whatever formality could be achieved.
“…Follow me. I’ll introduce you to a place where you can shine.”
“Okay, I’ll do as you say~ But after the job’s done, no disturbing me for a while, okay? It’s so draining to be disturbed when things are going well~”
Shin Ji-ho, dragging his drunken body, threw on his clothes haphazardly.
Marcus, glancing back at him following, quietly turned his head and replied.
“…As long as you get the job done, it’s fine.”
His steps staggered from the liquor, but there was no sign of worry on his face.
As if possessing an absolute certainty that whatever happens next, he could handle it.
Yes, if it was him, he would surely manage whatever came his way.
After all, the title of hero was given to those born with such capabilities.
If there was a key factor, it wasn’t ability, but motivation.
Despite being a legion commander, he headed to the field, as he was the only one who could control the problems that might be caused in such a situation.
“Are those guys down there?”
“Yeah, that’s the undead army under the Corpse Lord’s influence.”
At the end of a foggy ridge, they arrived at a small hill.
Below the hill, they could see the undead legion being observed by the reconnaissance unit they had joined, standing still in their place.
Their equipment was old and rusty, but they were armed nonetheless.
The orderly appearance of the hundreds-strong force was something that could never naturally occur among the wild undead.
“Wow, look at that crowd. Are those the Four Knights I’ve only heard rumors about?”
“No, it’s a unit led by a Lich under them.”
“Not a legion commander, but just a battalion-level? Geez, I thought they called me for something formidable, but it’s just to clean up these riffraffs.”
With that number of forces, they could also respond.
But doing so would mean sending hundreds on their side, too, and if they engaged in a full-scale battle, there would be casualties on their side as well.
Moreover, without a proper understanding of the enemy’s strategy, leading the troops into direct combat could play into the enemy’s hands.
To prevent the opponent’s intentions in advance, the best strategy was to conduct a surprise attack with a small, elite force.
“So you’re saying you can’t do it?”
But for a hero, it would be bothersome to elaborate on such intentions.
As Marcus spoke in a provoking tone, Shin Ji-ho burst into laughter and quietly got up from his seat.
“Just watch from here. I’ll go and handle it quickly.”
Shin Ji-ho, adjusting his loosely worn clothes, moved his staggering feet.
The members of the reconnaissance unit watching him descend the hill expressed their concerns to Marcus, who had come with Shin Ji-ho.
“Commander, is it really okay? No matter what, handling that number alone is…”
“You. Don’t you know why a hero is called a hero?”
Alone against forces numbering in hundreds.
It was only natural to be anxious if you’ve never witnessed the dignity of a hero, but Marcus, as a legion commander, had seen the feats of many heroes.
He had experienced firsthand why heroes were called so and why, regardless of their character or purpose, they were revered as saviors.
‘Yes, regardless of their values or actions, their strength is real.’
Pazuzzik!!
The moment Marcus etched the current flowing through the hero’s body into his eyes, he found himself comparing him to a hero he had once idolized in the past.
There might be differences in detail, but at least the power and potential he possessed might be comparable to that of the hero he had seen back then.
“Hu… man.”
But was his mind so rotten that he couldn’t recognize such power?
Soon, a high-ranking undead called a Lich, wearing a black hood and leading the undead legion, began to show hostility towards the approaching Shin Ji-ho.
“Hu… man h… has come here. Everyone, for our queen… prepare for battle…”
Boom!!!!
Fierce lightning shot from his swung hand.
The Lich’s head was incinerated by the attack, causing convulsions to erupt simultaneously among the undead in front.
It wasn’t confusion from their leader being attacked.
The actions of the mindless undead prioritized the commands of a higher entity.
When such a commanding entity was incapacitated, the wild undead naturally reverted to their most primal instincts.
“Grooaa, aaaaah!”
“Kyaaaaaaa!”
The undead were screaming and raging, driven by madness and hunger.
Their target was naturally the human closest to them, but Shin Ji-ho just stood there, focusing strength into his body.
*Pazuzzik, zuzzik. *The current spreading over his skin and outwards was due to his ability, ‘Electric Skin.’
He could generate electricity when channeling his magical power through his skin, a capability dramatically enhanced by various artifacts and elixirs received from his patrons.
Kwagagang!! Kwagagagang!!
Consequently, what transpired was a massacre happening at this very moment.
The undead, targeting the lone human, were burned to the bone by the current before they could even reach him, turning them into ash, one after another.
There was no need to aim when spreading the electricity.
The overwhelming power emitted just by standing was enough to easily incinerate the decayed bodies.
“BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
Shin Ji-ho, showcasing such power, burst into laughter.
His drunken mind began to swell with exhilaration as he watched the trash being overwhelmed by him at that moment.
“What are you doing?! You corpse guys! Come at me with more force! This is so boring. It doesn’t even feel like a fight! HAHAHAHA!!”
The number of undead collapsing and stopping in action went from dozens to hundreds, and soon the entirety, all in less than a minute.
The soldiers of the reconnaissance unit were horrified at witnessing a single individual massacring at a battalion scale, but Marcus simply looked on calmly.
‘Yes, he must be called a hero because his potential is similar to hers.’
Yet, he wasn’t at the level to contend with a dragon.
Not yet…
But that was the progress he had made in just about 1-2 years since coming to this world.
If he continued to survive and grow stronger, he might become an overwhelming force surpassing her, capable of driving away disasters like a dragon.
‘There are over ten such heroes currently at this garrison alone.’
That was why the empire was so fixated on summoning heroes.
Since it was possible to ‘mass-produce’ beings like the heroes who once opposed dragons, all of humanity calls them their hope.
Even in a world too cruel for a single hero to handle, if there were tens or hundreds of such individuals, it might be possible to completely safeguard humanity.
“…How trivial. Do I have to travel this far for just this?”
However, those intoxicated with such strength sometimes forget one fact.
Ease born from immense power breeds arrogance, and such arrogance creates the weakness of ‘complacency,’ irrelevant to one’s true capabilities.
“Whatever. If the annoying task is done, it’s time to rest.”
Yes, at this moment, Shin Ji-ho was unaware of the anomaly at the site of his massacre and was only concerned about leaving.
Unaware that at the site where the ash from the electrocuted undead swirled, corpses, starting from the Lich, were entangling into a giant form.
“Shin Ji-ho!!! Look behind you!!”
Marcus, who noticed it from atop the hill, shouted.
Failing to be on guard, Shin Ji-ho frowned and vented his irritation towards him.
“Ah, really, why is that old man acting up again this time?”
His power was almost invincible.
None of the burnt undead could be alive, and more importantly, he resented being bossed around just because someone was his superior.
He would tolerate it only once. Any further tasks would disrupt his plan to enjoy drinks and women for the day.
“Hey, old man. Just because I obediently followed you this far, do you think I’m a fool!? What are you trying to order me to do this time…?”
Crack!
Immediately after, Shin Ji-ho was grabbed by something swung from behind.
The pressure shattered his bones, but it happened so swiftly that Shin Ji-ho couldn’t even grasp the situation.
Creak, creak.
But even if he had noticed, it was already too late.
The corpses, which he thought had been burned by his ability, were secretly merging out of his sight, eventually solidifying into a giant form.
Into the form of a giant ‘Corpse Golem,’ created by the residual magic of the Lich that led them.
“Uh, uh, wait…”
Crunch!
The moment he realized the danger, his body was crushed, and the squeezed blood began to stain the ground.
The faces of the scouts watching from the hill turned pale.
“The hero has been defeated…?!”
“This is unbelievable…”
“What are you dawdling for?! The enemy has already noticed us! Prepare to retreat immediately!”
Assessing the situation was a matter of mere moments.
Marcus, having urged his subordinates, hastened them to run towards where the horses were.
Indeed, as he said, the Corpse Golem had already noticed them and was preparing to throw the flesh it held in its hand.
Once called a hero, now merely a piece of meat to be thrown, a worthless existence.
Kwagagang!
Everything at the site where it was thrown and shattered began to crumble and explode into fragments in all directions.
Fortunately, there were no casualties yet, but correcting the current chaos would inevitably waste time.
Kugung!
Taking advantage of the confusion, the Golem leaped high into the air and was preparing to swing its fist towards where Marcus and the reconnaissance unit were.
‘I must stop it.’
He was reflexively drawing the sword at his waist.
But for a moment, Marcus hesitated when facing the fist swung towards him.
Could a ‘mere human’ like himself really stop that monster, created from hundreds of corpses that killed even a hero in an instant?
‘If I can’t stop it, everyone will die…!’
Just after his aura-filled sword, pressed down by sheer will, was about to be swung at the Golem charging at him…
Sswhaak!! Kwang!!!
A flash of light from the opposite side of where he stood struck the Golem.
And then, transformed into the shape of a spear, it pushed the Golem’s body from its spot.
-Kuooo… Ooo…!!
The massive body was dramatically pushed back by the explosion of magic.
Secured in safety, Marcus quickly diverted his attention from the Corpse Golem and turned to look at the figure approaching.
The outsider in black armor, who had now arrived at the scene, was retrieving his spear that had fallen to the ground and taking a stance.