Is this Hero for Real?

[Act 5] Believe What You Want to Believe

[Fairy]

> As one who has been designated as a friend of the fairies, your lifespan and youth have increased!

> All effects and favorable comments you receive from the fairies are dramatically amplified.

“…pretty sweet.”

Everything about the blessing was great.

Although the effect of increasing my lifespan and youth may seem useless because my lifespan reset anyway, that wasn’t the case at all.

That was because lifespans were deeply connected to ‘power’.

[Outsider]

[Gairy]

If I used those two together…

The amount that I could burn with the ‘power of meat’ increased.

In other words, the edgy red-eye effect was upgraded.

“The second effect is… Hm…”

My popularity and effects on the fantasy savages who threaten my life every time we met increased significantly?

Whatever. 

[A certain god grumbles you’re being too excited.]

“Well…”

[A certain god puffs out their cheeks.]

“I’m excited to finally break up with that fairy.”

[A certain god relaxes.]

“…”

I decided to move a bit far away.

It was a shame to leave my uniform and crossbow in the village, but it was better than people finding out that I escaped and survived the mercenaries’ pursuits. 

My next destination was…

“What’s up?”

“It’s meat! Meat!”

“Show me around your homes.”

“Talking meat?!”

I decided to leave that to the first gnoll that I came across in my path.

***

It took half a day for the warriors, who were ridiculed by two gnolls, to come to their senses.

Their arms and legs were cut off, necks bitten off, bones popped out, they’d pissed and shit themselves, had their eyeballs plucked off, noses broken, hearts stopped…

After going through pain that they could never have imagined back on Earth, they had gotten a lot of shock and sequela. 

And it varied by the individual.

“Urgh…”

“Momm…”

“No…”

Most of the heroes couldn’t deal with their trauma.

It was decided that it was too difficult to accompany the heroes, who were petrified at the sight of gnolls, and they were evacuated to the city temple.

Of course…

“Taha”

“&$% %?!”

There were those who quickly overcame the ordeal and took a step forward.

[Grit]

Hero Choi Gangmin actively used his blessing that made him stronger as the fight went on and accomplished the great achievement of defeating a level 3 gnoll.

As he was holding it together with a defense team of heroes he incited…

[Grit]

‘Here I go…!”

“_?!”

Once he felt strong enough, he went forth and carried out a war strategy to kill the gnoll.

[A certain god praises someone that they’re clever.]

[A certain martial god criticizes it’s too sneaky.]

[A certain immature god of dice complains they’re too trivial.]

[A certain god…]

Besides a few gods who had unique preferences, Choi Gangmin was highly regarded for his remarkable performance.

Although it was all because of his Grit blessing, the gods didn’t seem to mind, as it was also an accomplishment to receive a blessing from god.

And soon after…

“I’m level 2!”

He achieved the feat of reaching level 2 the fastest among the heroes.

[Name] Choi Gangmin

[Level] 2

[Blessings] Hero E, Grit F, Magic D, Acceleration F, Command F

[Curses] –

[Dividend] 3.22

There was a significant change in hero Choi Gangmin’s blessings list as well.

He had more blessings and his hero's blessing was a rank higher.

He revealed his hidden status window to everyone to show proof, but he also wanted to show off.

[Acceleration]

> You can move incredibly fast in a crucial moment!

> The longer the effect lasts, the longer the wait time.

Choi Gangmin’s confidence skyrocketed after receiving this blessing.

[Acceleration]

[Grit]

It was thanks to his hunting speed getting faster from the synergy of the two blessings that strengthened his body.

Another blessing added bonus points to his exp.

[Command]

> The skills of every group member under your leadership increases slightly!

> The more reckless and bold your command, the stronger the effect becomes.

Exp would be shared as accomplishments were dispersed when they fought together.

[Command]

Choi Gangmin would get more exp through his blessing for the accomplishment of ‘assisting the other heroes.’

There was another hero who acquired exp in a similar fashion.

“In the name of Jang Miyeon!”

“Let’s protect our goddess!”

“We’re not scared of some gnolls!”

“Wooo!”

Athletic heroes with a strong build, though not comparable to the knights whose bodies were weapons, fought bravely to protect one girl.

[Seduction]

It was thanks to their dazed instincts overcoming their fear from hero Jang Miyeon’s blessing!

That, too, was an achievement.

She was given quite a bit of exp for giving the heroes bravery.

As a result, hero Jang Miyeon was the second hero to reach level 2 after Choi Gangmin.

“Thank you all”

“…”

“…”

There were many heroes(female) who glared at Jang Miyeon for gaining exp comfortably under the protection of the boys, but she didn’t care.

She thought appearances were a skillset too.

It would be stupid to fight with the same method as the males, who had a biological advantage when it came to savage violence.

…was the philosophy Jang Miyeon believed in, which made her stand her ground.

[A certain innocent goddess stares.]

“G-goddess! This is no impure interaction!”

But even a hero such as her turned into an innocent sheep in front of the goddess’s punishment.

Pain is the worst, after all!

However, the gods did not let her turn passive.

[A certain bold god of beauty smiles with their eyes.]

“Oh, my!”

[Color of beauty]

>Beauty is relative and subjective, but you are an exception.

>you will be freed from any physiological phenomena and body management that is not graceful.

Jang Miyeon was in awe at the effects of the perfect blessing.

She wasn’t sure about what the extent of the physiological phenomena would be, but she was happy with the fact she wouldn’t need to take care of her body’s shape.

“I’ll protect you, too!”

“…Maybe I’ll join as well. Ahem.”

“This is a man’s job.”

The heroes(male) who were indifferent towards Jang Miyeon until then lined up as ‘chasers’.

Let’s say they were true to their instincts.

Though they weren’t pretty boys, Jang Miyeon felt like the main character of a romance fantasy being protected by numerous men. She replied with a bright smile.

“I believe in you~”

Her words were powerful!

“Woah!”

“Hang in there!”

“Yeah!”

The heroes(male) who turned into dark knights who didn’t fear death or pain got rid of the gnolls with great speed.

* * *

* * *

“#%$?!”

“#$ %?!”

Was it because the heroes got stronger?

It was not. The fight that could not possibly be lost because their strategy was finally just getting back on track.

“I’m sorry, Gangmin!”

“I’ll help you later!”

“We’re friends, right?”

Rumble

The male companions cooperating with hero Choi Gangmin moved to Jang Miyeon’s group one by one.

This influence slowed Choi Gangmin’s dominance because he needed the ‘meat shields’ to buy him time while his grit blessing showed its true powers.

“…Impressive, Jang Miyeon.”

Choi Gangmin felt the tables would be turned if he didn’t do anything, so he gathered the heroes(female) who were watching in the back.

He may not have had a blessing like Jang Miyeon’s that attracted the opposite gender, but his natural looks and built-up reputation would be more than enough!

“Alright.”

“Okay, Gangmin.”

“I’ll help you!”

And thus the two groups started to competitively hunt down the gnolls.

As the hunting ground became more lively, there were more messages from the gods.

[A certain god shares popcorn.]

[A certain innocent goddess enjoys her popcorn.]

[A certain battle god works himself up telling them to kill them all.]

[A certain god is rooting for everyone.]

[A certain bold god of beauty watches in a voluptuous position.]

[A certain god…]

They were still luring and killing just one or two at a time, but it was a tremendous improvement compared to the beginning where all of them were ridiculously killed.

Of course, there were still heroes that were stuck in the same place.

“Kirk!”

“%#@!”

Hero Yoo Bora, who used to be class president, rolled on the dirt ground, barely avoiding the gnoll’s attacks.

“Ha, ha…”

She was so exhausted she could fall asleep on the spot if she lay down. 

“#…#…”

The good news was that the gnoll fighting her was also very exhausted.

Why was Yoo Bora fighting alone?

It was because she was too outstanding.

[A certain god looks down in pity.]

[A certain god offers popcorn.]

[A certain god says they’re not in the mood to eat.]

[A certain god is disappointed.]

[A certain martial god watches as they eat popcorn.]

She couldn’t be a part of either group under Choi Gangmin and Jang Miyeon’s blatant rivalry.

Was it only their fault?

Not exactly. Those who wanted to be second and third in command in their groups shunned Yoo Bora as well.

And that was the result.

Yoo Bora, shunned by everyone, had been fighting one gnoll through the mud for almost an hour straight.

If it weren’t for the magic she learned from Princess Athena, she wouldn’t have lasted that long with her weak female body.

Poof-

“$#…?!”

The gnoll let out a cry of death and fell after getting hit by a flame Yoo Bora made with the last of her mental strength.

Psh…

The gnoll, who was already covered in burns, was almost unrecognizable.

“Hak, hak…”

Yoo Bora sat on the dirt ground as her legs gave out and she breathed heavily. And she experienced something surprising.

[Name] Yoo Bora]

[Level] 2

[Blessings] Hero F, Magic C, Weapon F

[Curses] – 

[Dividend] 2.04

Getting all the exp from hunting a level 2 gnoll by herself, her level rose at once.

Of course, it wasn’t an optimistic situation.

If it weren’t for the heroes who gave up the hunt completely and retreated to the temple, her level was last place.

[A certain water god feels at ease.]

[A certain martial god says to keep it up and sends their support.]

“…Thank you.”

She sent her gratitude to the gods she couldn’t see. 

[Weapon]

> Your body becomes a weapon under all circumstances!

> Every weapon you hold can be handled as if it were a part of your body.

It was fascinating.

The wooden sword that was difficult to hold for a long time, even if it was lighter than iron, felt light.

[Weapon]

Feeling the effects of her new blessing effect, Yoo Bora ran into the hunting grounds.

Pwt!

She wasn’t wrong when she thought she’d gotten faster as well.

“Hyap!”

“$…?”

Slash-

Blood spurted from the shoulder of the gnoll who was too late to dodge the wooden sword.

The gnoll, furious from pain, clawed Yoo Bora’s face.

“Irk!”

Screek-

But there was very minuscule damage—there was only a small wound following what sounded like scratching a helmet.

“#?”

The gnoll was taken aback by the strange phenomenon.

Flame!

And a flame that appeared out of nowhere burned the gray hairs that were protecting its face.

“$ #$~?”

It was Yoo Bora’s way of revenge for the wound on her cheeks.

“Die…!”

She threw her magic with her left hand and cut the throat of the gnoll with the wooden sword in her right hand.

Slash-

Killing two more gnolls in that way, Yoo Bora reached level 3.

“Dang it.”

“Tsk.”

Choi Gangmin and Jang Miyeon, feeling the gap getting smaller, put more pressure on their groups’ heroes to not let others catch up.

“Let’s get more!”

“Keep it up!”

Were the three heroes’s competitive strategies a catalyst?

[A certain god watches intently.]

[A certain wind god sends his support with a cool gust of wind.]

[A certain impatient demon god spreads a mat.]

[A certain male god watches in content.]

[A certain god…]

There were a number of heroes who had received a blessing from the gods.

“You too?”

“Me too!”

And thus…

Despite the messy beginning, the end of the heroes’ first hunt was promising.

***

How many had I killed?

I hunted gnolls until the sun rose and fell back down the horizon without a break.

I hunted the scared gnolls’ siblings, their friends after they died, and then their parents, then their neighbors, the chief, their alliances, and then…

There wasn’t room to walk in the area from all the gnoll corpses.

[A certain god asks if you want to know how many you killed.]

“No.”

It was enough knowing I killed more than one gnoll could hunt for a lifetime.

“I know for sure now.”

I looked at my status window I’d seen hundreds of times as I fought.

[Name] Kang Hansoo

[Level] 1

[Blessing] Outsider F, Fairy C

[Curse] Hero E, Slaughter E

[Dividend] 5.46

There was another curse while I was hunting, but it was a small issue compared to the evil goddess’s tyranny. 

“I can’t believe I’m living as a level 1.”

I couldn’t level up.

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