This World Needs a Hero

HEL SCANS

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Luke shouted in astonishment.

“Hey, you crazy bastard! Why aren’t you running?”

But Cuculli didn’t budge from her spot as if glued to it.

In the end, the kids had no choice but to stop.

Cuculli casually glanced over the faces of the kids standing there.

“You, you….”

“Thinking of running all the way to the entrance? It doesn’t seem like a good plan. You’ll be caught soon.”

Luke was speechless.

“So, what should we do?”

“Sis has a plan for everything.”

Cuculli’s plan was as follows.

Running away was already impossible.

Even though there was still a considerable distance to the north entrance, everyone was exhausted both physically and mentally.

“If we keep going like this, we won’t even reach halfway before we encounter that monstrous guy.”

So there was no other choice.

This body had to step forward.

She cheerfully opened her mouth.

“I’ll attract their attention. You guys run hard.”

It was as casual as choosing a lunch menu.

A moment of silence followed.

“That’s really….”

“Oh, no! What are you talking about?”

Luke, who was about to say he would follow the rational judgment immediately, shut his mouth against Evergreen’s opposition.

Various reactions followed.

Leciel, annoyed, swept her hair back.

“If I knew you were going to spout nonsense like this, I would have just ignored it and run.”

Cuculli retorted with irritation.

“Nonsense?! Hey, Red. Why is this nonsense? I can run much faster than you humans, and I don’t get tired!”

“So what?”

“So! Instead of watching you slowpokes get caught and devoured, I, this body, will put in some effort.”

“Lies. You just want to fight that thing.”

“…No, I don’t!?”

Meanwhile, Ban was lost in thought.

In fact, mindlessly running away like this was the opposite of what he wanted.

‘What should I do? What is the best course of action?’

He took a deep breath.

In times like this, one had to stay calm.

Didn’t the hero say that repeatedly?

No matter how difficult the situation, there is always the ‘best answer.’

Do not panic and gather as much information as possible, analyze it, and find that answer.

‘Wait a minute….’

It was then that Ban noticed something strange.

He stared intently at Cuculli and Luke’s scoreboards.

‘Why are their scores so high?’

Naturally, he thought Leciel and he would be overwhelmingly superior, but there was hardly any difference.

‘We were specialized in detection, and with Leciel’s combat skills, we kept moving without rest. Yet, the scores are close.’

Cuculli and Luke’s scores were undoubtedly impossible with conventional methods.

‘Ah.’

It felt like a sudden surge of electricity in his head.

Soon, one conclusion emerged.

“You guys.”

“Yeah?”

“You rode the magic train.”

“Huh!? How did you know? Were you a mage, Ban?”

“Where is the train now?”

Cuculli pointed to the station where she had brought the train to a stop with a decisive gesture.

“It’s not too far, but it’s on the opposite side of the entrance. We’ll end up going more south….”

Ah-ha!

Cuculli, realizing something as she spoke, clapped her hands.

“…As long as we don’t get caught midway.”

“Yeah, whether it’s magic enhancers or stamina, use everything and head to the station with all our might. There’s no other way.”

“Oh, a plan with no way out.”

It was a change of perspective, so to speak.

There was no need to necessarily leave the forest.

If they could stall for time, the hero would resolve the situation on his own.

Even if it was Vermoth or Nabal, they wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

“Um, yeah, okay.”

Cuculli’s light azure eyes sparkled.

Having already ridden the magic train once, she knew.

No matter how fast that snake thing was, it would be slower than the train powered by magic.

‘Even though I, a descendant of dragons, am running away from a snake… But my friends’ lives are more important!’

Cuculli nodded confidently.

Luke, who had been anxiously watching their conversation, burst out.

“If you’ve decided on something, then run already!”

“Right! Let’s run!”

Cuculli, who ruffled Evergreen’s hair, took the lead and charged ahead.

* * *

3 minutes later.

“Ugh, ughh….”

“Jeez, feels like I’m going to die.”

“Kyaaa! Run! They’re chasing us!”

Pouring all their remaining magic into protecting their bodies, the kids ran with all their might.

The children ran through the forest, whether twigs scratched their faces or their ankles stumbled on the uneven ground.

Without caring, they surged through the forest with all their strength.

It was a moment when the hellish training they had endured felt gratefully worthwhile.

If it weren’t for the developed stamina and mental strength at that moment, they would have been caught long ago.

“Just a little more!”

They kept running.

Cuculli (accompanied by Evergreen) led the way, followed by Leciel.

Ban and Luke alternated between leading and following.

“Huff, huff.”

Their steps became heavier, and their breaths endlessly burst from their chests.

It felt like their bodies were being slammed into the ground, but they couldn’t stop.

Ban, avoiding a clump of dirt under his foot, leaped up and shouted.

“Cuculli! How much farther to the station!”

But no one could hear Cuculli’s reply properly because of the thunderous noise coming from behind.

It was the sound of trees falling—thump, thump, thump!

Dozens of trees collapsed, and a huge maw opened suddenly.

How massive and deep it was.

The inside was entirely black as light couldn’t reach it.

Only the elongated fangs and the two-forked tongue glimmered distinctly.

The distance was roughly 100 meters. 90 meters.

The stench of rotten flesh seemed palpable.

Ban felt dizzy.

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“Hey! Don’t look back!”

At the sharp shout, Ban’s head turned towards the front.

In the darkness of the forest, Leciel’s red hair shone like a lighthouse, fluttering.

Ban chased after it desperately, feeling like a sailor about to be wrecked just before reaching the shore.

Then it happened.

“Euratcha!”

“Cu, Cuculli!? What are you doing!”

Cuculli, who had been running well, stopped and turned around.

Ban saw the intense excitement frozen on her normally white face as Evergreen, lifted in her arms, made a face as if he might doze off.

“Everyone, just watch!”

Swish!

Putting a bottle of magic enhancer into her mouth, she stretched both hands toward Vermoth.

There was fresh blood flowing from cuts on her lips caused by glass shards, but she seemed completely indifferent.

Kugugugugugu!

Simultaneously, an ice wall surged up with fierce momentum, cutting through the cold air, separating the snake from them.

Vermoth, momentarily surprised, paused as if they had disappeared right in front of its eyes.

It was a trick they had pulled knowing that snakes could sense heat.

“Oh.”

“Huh.”

“How did that idiot…?”

Cuculli, looking back at her amazed teammates, laughed cheerfully.

“What’s the big deal! I read a bit of the Monster Guide too!”

Thanks to Cuculli’s cleverness, the distance between them and Vermoth widened in an instant.

The thunderous noise grew distant, the trees gradually sparse.

Slowly, hope dawned on the faces of the children.

And at some point, their vision opened up.

“Hey, kids! It’s the train!”

“We’re alive!”

Cuculli, with her keen eyesight, shouted first.

Soon, the other kids could see the well-laid tracks and the train stopped at the end of them.

Fortunately, the surroundings were still eerily quiet, with no sign of Vermoth or other monsters.

It was the perfect moment for a final sprint.

“Now! Hurry!”

The children sprinted along the tracks and reached the train, panting heavily.

“Heuk, heuk.”

They collapsed onto the steel-made carriage.

It was cold and hard, but that didn’t matter.

The sturdy and delicate feel of the artificial material brought a sense of relief, realizing they had escaped from the threat to their lives.

“Alright! This is the Crisis Escape Train operated by the Super Beautiful Conductor. We’re departing now!”

Cuculli, standing in front of the control panel, shouted cheerfully.

The train slowly accelerated, and the cool breeze tickled the sweaty foreheads of the children.

Without waiting for someone to suggest it, everyone cheered.

“Haah… Thank goodness. I thought we were done for, about to be devoured without a chance to react.”

Evergreen, releasing a sigh of relief, sat down as her legs lost strength.

When Luke reached out to support her, his face turned red.

Seeing that, Cuculli laughed heartily, and even Leciel couldn’t help but smile.

…After turning a corner.

Until they collided with a massive black pillar that spanned the entire railway, it was a pleasant journey.

It didn’t take the children long to realize that this colossal and thick object was Vermoth’s body.

“Oh, for f***’s sake.”

After Luke’s curse, echoing through everyone’s sentiments, the train came to a powerless stop.

The snake, smoothly coiling its tail, wrapped itself around the train.

…The colossal shadow had won.

Sararararalak!

The sound of scales brushing against the ears echoed like thunder.

A massive body, overwhelming in its indeterminate size, blocked the entire field of vision.

In an instant, the surroundings plunged into darkness.

A deep darkness where yellow eyes revealed themselves.

The children instinctively grasped their weapons as they heard a slithering sound.

Srrung!

However, the determination did not rise easily.

They couldn’t figure out how to fight against this colossal monster.

No matter how they slashed, stabbed, or poked, it seemed unaffected.

Sweat poured from their fingertips, and at that moment when their hearts made desperate sounds for survival, Leciel’s small murmur was heard.

“…Just hold on until it arrives.”

It was a sentence with an omitted subject.

But everyone understood.

Only then did the strength begin to flow into their hands holding their weapons.

“Yeah, let’s give it a try.”

“Be, be careful, everyone!”

“Tonight’s dinner will be snake stew!”

It was a moment when Vermoth was leisurely looking down at the frozen prey, as if there was no need to rush.

Clink! Clink!

Another train sound echoed in the distance on the railway.

HEL SCANS

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