Chapter 7

There are no bad heroes in the world - Chapter 7 (7/273)

The central square of Hemorren Fortress.

Choi Hyunseok was training 3,000 slaves in physical exercises.

"Run in unison! One! Two!"

At first glance, it seemed very lively, but in fact, Choi Hyunseok's mind was full of worries.

'I need to start combat training soon...'

At first, he only did drill training and sang military songs to show Raidrun, as a superficial effort.

If he suddenly started combat training, it would surely raise suspicion, and he needed to improve work efficiency first.

He planned to gradually increase the training time and secretly mix in combat training once he saw some results.

'Why is he so interested?'

Raidrun watched Choi Hyunseok's training every day.

"It's fine! He'll lose interest soon!" "Right? He will!"

Choi Hyunseok and Rahel expected his interest to wane quickly.

Raidrun was a high-ranking officer of the Demon King's army.

What fun could there be in watching slaves train?

But unfortunately...

"Excellent! Excellent!"

Raidrun was really enjoying it.

It wasn't just a passing interest.

Raidrun's interest in the morning training grew day by day.

He started giving active suggestions and even moved his office to a position overlooking the training ground (square).

With this, combat training was out of the question.

'Ah... What should I do...'

Choi Hyunseok rubbed his face.

'At least the charisma stat keeps rising...'

About ten days had passed since the training began.

During that time, his charisma had risen by 8 points, reaching 20.

His leadership ability also improved from F to E.

But he couldn't be satisfied with just that.

Choi Hyunseok's goal was rebellion! Coup!

To drive out the squad leader Raidrun and occupy this fortress.

'No. Calm down. I shouldn't rush things. I need to take it step by step...'

Just as Choi Hyunseok was thinking this,

"Whaaaaa...!"

"Kyaah-!"

A commotion was heard from a distance.

"What is it?"

"What's happening?"

The slaves' atmosphere became chaotic.

Choi Hyunseok clapped to gather attention.

"Everyone, focus! Training isn't over yet!"

Whatever was happening, it probably had nothing to do with him, a slave.

He should focus on the training for now.

Just as he thought this,

"Choi Hyunseok-!"

A huge shout echoed through the fortress.

Turning around, he saw the massive Raidrun running at an incredible speed.

Dust clouds rose behind him, as if in a cartoon, showing his terrifying speed.

"Yes, yes!?"

"There's no time. We need to leave the fortress immediately!"

Raidrun grabbed Choi Hyunseok's wrist and said.

Choi Hyunseok's eyes rolled 360 degrees.

'What's he talking about all of a sudden?'

What was this crazy squad leader saying?

Just as Choi Hyunseok was confused,

People in armor started running from a distance.

"There! That's the leader! The Red Nightmare Raidrun!" "Regular soldiers, get out! The knights will handle it!"

Five heavily armored knights charged at Raidrun.

Seeing this, Choi Hyunseok understood the situation roughly.

'Human forces have arrived!'

Though the exact circumstances were unclear, the human alliance had invaded Hemorren Fortress.

The fortress had fallen, and Raidrun was clearly trying to flee.

'But why is this crazy squad leader taking me with him?'

Choi Hyunseok glanced at Raidrun cautiously.

'What should I do? Should I attack him now?'

Choi Hyunseok still remembered the first day he fell into this fortress.

Raidrun had taken a direct head kick without any damage.

He had an incredible constitution.

Moreover, his strength was formidable.

Just by gripping, he could have crippled Choi Hyunseok's ankle.

'But I've grown since then. Plus, I have backup this time.'

The five knights charging at Raidrun were clearly heavily armored.

Despite this, they moved at a speed that surpassed ordinary humans.

They were undoubtedly formidable experts.

'I'll look for an opportunity to escape while the knights deal with Raidrun.'

If things went wrong, he planned to shake off Raidrun and run to the human side.

At that moment, Raidrun suddenly disappeared.

Whoosh-!

It was a momentary flash.

Raidrun had already reached the five knights.

Boom, crack! Thud! Crash! Pow!

It was impossible to see what was happening.

All that was visible was Raidrun's hand sweeping, sending the armored knights flying like cannonballs.

"Wh-what...?"

Choi Hyunseok's jaw dropped.

'They... They went through the wall...'

The knights were embedded in the wall.

Not just embedded, but they had penetrated it.

Their armor exploded, and their once proud bodies were now nothing but bloody messes.

"Choi Hyunseok. What are you doing? We need to go now!"

Raidrun shook off the blood on his fist and urged.

Choi Hyunseok, who had been dazed, finally snapped out of it and nodded.

"Yes! Sir Raidrun!"

A tear rolled down Choi Hyunseok's cheek as he ran out of the fortress.

***

It was a peaceful journey.

The air was clear, and the endless grasslands and horizon stretched out in all directions.

A few carriages were passing along the road that followed the landscape.

Pulled by drakhoons, creatures similar in appearance to horses.

Clack... Clack...

In the quiet, only the sound of the drakhoons running could be heard.

Choi Hyunseok sat alone in the carriage's cargo area.

His eyes were vacant, like those of a madman.

He had been staring at the sky for five hours.

'I'm finished...'

Choi Hyunseok sighed deeply.

It had been a day since they left Hemorren Fortress.

During that time, the human alliance had sent pursuit teams several times to capture Raidrun.

"There! We're almost there!"

The pursuit team rode horses and charged bravely.

Their number was about 100.

The few surviving Demon King's army soldiers trembled in fear.

Raidrun stepped forward alone.

"Are you the Red Nightmare Raidrun?"

"Yes."

"Today, I will cut off your head to restore the kingdom's prestige, kuaaah!"

The commander of the pursuit team, who had intended to cut off Raidrun's head to restore the kingdom's prestige, died with his neck ripped out.

Alive.

Seeing this, the pursuit team froze, and...

A massacre ensued.

The Red Nightmare Raidrun.

At that moment, Choi Hyunseok finally understood why Raidrun was called the Red Nightmare.

'To think I tried to defeat such a monster... I must have been out of my mind.'

Raidrun was not a level that humans could handle.

Thinking about it now, he felt foolish for even trying to resist such a monster.

Choi Hyunseok gave a pitiful smile.

'Goodbye... this world... Goodbye... adventure... Goodbye... my second life...'

Choi Hyunseok dreamed.

He would go to this world, embark on a great adventure, and become a hero who slays the Demon King!

After that, he would meet a kind and beautiful blonde noble lady,

fall in love, and get married!

Have lots of children and build a happy family.

In his old age, he would spend his time watching his grandchildren play in a cozy mansion.

He had grand plans!

"It's over now..."

A hero who slays the Demon King?

In reality, he couldn't even handle a single officer of the Demon King's army and was being dragged away as a slave.

'I'll probably be eaten when I'm no longer useful.'

Blonde noble lady?

The only people he had seen here were ragged slaves in the same situation.

"Ah..."

Just as Choi Hyunseok was sighing deeply,

"Hero, Hero...!"

Rahel whispered, sitting on Choi Hyunseok's shoulder.

"Snap out of it! Hero!" "Call me a slave, not a hero..." "Please, snap out of it!"

Rahel slapped Choi Hyunseok's cheek with her tiny hand.

Slap!

But Choi Hyunseok showed no reaction.

Even if he could get angry, it would be better.

"Ugh...!"

Rahel, clenching her fists and trembling, continued.

"Hero! Even if you enter a tiger's den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you!" "How do you know that proverb?" "That's not important now! What I mean is, we can turn this situation into an opportunity!"

At the word "opportunity," Choi Hyunseok's head turned weakly.

"What opportunity..."

"We can gather accurate information about the Demon King's army. Once we escape, it will definitely be a great help in becoming a hero..." "Escape?!"

Choi Hyunseok grabbed Rahel.

"If you hadn't sent me to the Demon King's army fortress, none of this would have happened!"

"..."

Rahel was taken aback by Choi Hyunseok's words.

Rolling her eyes, she eventually bowed her head deeply.

"I'm sorry..."

"Phew... Forget it. What's the point of thinking about the past?"

Blaming Rahel now wouldn't change anything.

Choi Hyunseok muttered sarcastically.

"Choi Hyunseok. What's wrong?"

Suddenly, a massive head that resembled a bull's appeared.

The Red Nightmare. Raidrun.

"Nothing! Haha!"

Choi Hyunseok laughed brightly, as if nothing had been bothering him.

"I'm glad you look healthy." "Of course! I'm practically a corpse without my health!" "Good. We'll be arriving at the Third Legion headquarters soon, so I'll leave it in your hands."

"Wh-what...?"

Choi Hyunseok's face was blank.

"Leave it in my hands? What do you mean?"

Raidrun continued his explanation.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm going to meet the Legion Commander. I plan to officially induct you into the Demon King's army."

Honey seemed to drip from Raidrun's eyes as he spoke.

"A, ah, ah..."

Choi Hyunseok, experiencing a mental freeze, could only babble.

"Is there a problem?"

Raidrun's eyes suddenly turned fierce.

Choi Hyunseok, startled, snapped back to his senses.

"Ah, no! It's such an honor, I didn't realize! Hahaha!"

"Good! Haha! As expected, you're the man who fits the Demon King's army the best!" "Of course, who else but Sir Raidrun! Hahaha!"

"Is that so!? Hahahaha!!!"

It is said that the laughter of the two men in the carriage did not stop for a while.

***

At the same time.

The human alliance, having occupied Hemorren Fortress, was freeing the people who had been enslaved.

"Marriott Kingdom citizens, this way!" "This is the Drasen Empire!"

The atmosphere was quite chaotic.

Hemorren Fortress had held as many as 3,000 people.

Sending them all back to their respective hometowns would take quite some time.

"Umm... Where should I go?"

Choi Hyunseok's slave companion, Park Tae-soo, was in deep thought.

'I can't just suddenly say I'm a hero, can I? This is quite a dilemma...'

There were nearly a hundred people in a similar situation to Park Tae-soo.

Unfortunate heroes who had ended up in the Demon King's army fortress.

They were gathered in one place, unable to do anything.

Just then, a soldier approached.

"Are any of you heroes?"

The people's faces lit up at the soldier's words.

"Yes! That's right!"

"Heroes, please follow me."

The soldier led the prospective heroes.

The heroes began to get excited.

"Will we finally be treated properly now?" "Of course! We're heroes!" "Of course! We shouldn't be treated like this!" "If it weren't for Rahel, we could have had an easy life!" "Finally, things are moving in a way that feels like this world!"

Everyone was excited and chiming in.

Only Park Tae-soo remained silent.

'Something feels off...'

Park Tae-soo was an ordinary man with no special abilities.

He had managed to survive for over 30 years in society for one reason.

He was good at reading the room.

In the workplace, in society.

He could instinctively tell which side to take to survive and rise.

'The atmosphere is off.'

Park Tae-soo's intuition sounded the alarm.

This path was a rotten rope.

If he grabbed it, it would break, and he would fall.

'Can't hurt to be careful.'

Park Tae-soo carefully left the line.

The chaotic atmosphere made it easy to slip away.

'I'll follow secretly and join later if it seems safe.'

The prospective heroes continued to move under the soldier's guidance.

They finally arrived at an open area.

There were many heavily armed knights and soldiers there.

In the center was an elderly man.

Olavben Grimier, Duke of the Drasen Empire and commander of the alliance forces, greeted the heroes with a welcoming smile.

"Welcome, heroes."

Olavben took a step forward.

"By the way, is there anyone here who is not a hero?"

The heroes shook their heads at Olavben's question.

"We are all heroes who came here."

"I see."

At that moment, Olavben's smile twisted.

"Begin."

What was he telling them to begin?

The question was short-lived.

Whoosh-!

Arrows rained down from all sides.

"Kyaah!"

"Kuh, kuh! Save me!"

The heroes tried to run, but it was impossible.

The soldiers had already blocked all the exits.

"Guh...! Guh..."

"Kuh..."

Hell ended in an instant.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, all the heroes were dead.

The soldiers showed meticulousness by individually stabbing the fallen to ensure they were dead.

It was a rather familiar sight.

They didn't seem to be doing it for the first time.

"Commander, all have been eliminated." "Good. No one escaped, right?" "All heroes were kept in one area in the fortress. No one slipped away." "Is that so? The Demon King's army can be useful at times. Hahaha."

Olavben, the commander, laughed heartily, as if truly enjoying himself.

And a man watching from a distance, Park Tae-soo, trembled like a leaf.

'W-What's happening?'

He needed to escape from here.

The moment he was identified as a hero, he would die.

'If I rejoin the line...'

Just as Park Tae-soo was cautiously moving back,

A soldier blocked his path.

"Ah, are you a hero?" "Yes, yes!? No, I'm not!"

Park Tae-soo, flustered, waved his arms frantically.

"That's strange. Black hair means either a hero or a demon. Are you a demon?"

Suddenly being called a demon, Park Tae-soo was not such a being.

He tightly closed his mouth and shook his head.

"Then you must be a hero! Follow me. We have a special guide for heroes."

"No, no..."

The soldier's face was filled with an irresistible kindness.