Chapter 253
[13th Round] Hero’s Companion
Of course, I would like to immediately kill the Demon Lord and make this world a better place, but the party wasn’t strong enough to defeat him yet.
Although I, the MAX-Cla.s.s Hero, was an unusual case because I had been different from the rest ever since I was in the womb as my reincarnation, I didn’t start that powerful.
At the beginning of the 1st round, there were many dark moments in my story.
In other words, the Hero had to overcome difficulties to grow.
“Before I begin the meeting, I would like to express my grat.i.tude to the two people from the intelligence team for their hard work. Thanks to the information you’ve gathered, it will be easier for us to clear the dungeon. Today we’ll be going for…”
The student council president gathered companions and talked to them about how they would clear the next dungeon.
Many fools just wanted to storm through the place, but she calmed them down without losing her smile in the process.
“Mistress Hero! I’ll lead everyone!”
“Hoho! I know and acknowledge your strength and courage, but this is not the last battle, is it? Even minor injuries can lead to dire consequences. In order to defeat the main boss of the dungeon, you need to preserve your strength. The chance when you can show what you’re truly capable of is sure to come, and when it does, I’ll be counting on you!”
“Hmm. Okay!”
That was basically her tactic.
Ssosia looked displeased, but the Hero’s male companions all seemed prepared to do anything the president asked of them.
I could see what she was doing, of course.
It wasn’t coercion but a request.
She improved her party members’ mood by praising them before asking for a favor. Combining that with her tantalizing appearance, her success was 99% guaranteed.
That wasn’t all.
She divided responsibilities between partners so that there was no compet.i.tion.
She gave them roles according to their abilities.
Reconnaissance, security, advance party, search team, support squad, medics…
Thanks to that, their teamwork became more effective.
But there was something that struck me harder than all of those.
“Not bad at all. You’re able to maintain a friendly relationship with your companions.”
She, of course, complimented those who stood out a little more than the rest, but other than that, they were all equal.
They were like bees guarding their queen bee, except bees were replaced with men in their prime, and their queen was the student council president. That efficiently created a harem that would willingly do anything for her.
“Hubby, judging by your expression, that shameless woman seems to impress you.”
“Well, to be honest, yes.”
No matter how I looked at it, my 1st round was a complete failure. It was a journey of suffering, and my companions were more like enemies blocking my path.
“But you don’t want to be like her, do you?”
“That’s true as well.”
The Hero, who was supposed to look after the world, was busy looking after her party.
She didn’t train at all and instead spent all her time trying to improve relations with them.
I already thought it was strange since the first time we met.
Although she was the student council president, she had a rather low combat power.
But now I understood how she gained that position.
She made good use of her companions during her travels, which earned her “high marks.” However, because of that, she had no time to cultivate herself at all.
That was why she specialized in magic.
Since she was weak, she couldn’t fight on the frontlines. Hence, she played by her strengths and stationed herself in the rear.
“Do you mind clearing the dungeon with the advance party?”
Hearing the student council president’s request, I agreed.
Thanks to the local spirits, I already knew the dungeon’s structure by heart, but I wasn’t part of the exploration team.
In order not to upset the balance, I avoided interfering in the other divisions’ affairs.
I focused on fulfilling the role I was a.s.signed to faithfully.
“Oooooohhh!”
“Graaarggghhh!”
The place was teeming with mutant ogres that were raised by the dungeon boss, Sinister Mage A.
In contrast to the common members of their kind that charged into battle naked, the ogres before me wore durable armor and wielded weapons. They were also intelligent, allowing them to employ the use of tactics.
They were definitely an annoying opponent.
However, for someone who had reached the Demon Lord’s castle, eradicating all the other demons on the way, this was simply nothing.
I just gained a new upgrade, too.
Many heroes support me. I was armed with the cowardly power of friendship and love, because of which even the First Hero gritted his teeth with anger.
At this point, ogres were less than specks of dust to me.
“Dear heroes, let’s demonstrate what cooperation is.”
Each character had a unique skill, and I could use them without stupid restrictions, such as only women being able to use a few of them.
And as a result, having tried all of them in the First Hero’s house, I had chosen a few of the most useful ones.
The ones that I liked.
FSHUH!
Now I could change the wings of the righteous hero.
On its tips, holes appeared similar to the barrel of a pistol.
They were no ornaments.
Through them, I fired spikes as sharp and thin as needles.
Those thorns were made of my bones and coated with a powerful poison I discovered through the a.s.sa.s.sin heroes’ bodies.
SHUK SHUK SHUK!
Shooting out from my wings, they buried themselves deep into the ogres’ bodies, instantly melting their flesh.
After all, it was potent enough to prove dangerous even for my senior. Considering they weren’t even the main boss of the dungeon, they naturally couldn’t withstand it.
I wasn’t worried, even if the spikes didn’t hit their targets.
The poison coating couldn’t retain its molecular structure for long, preventing it from harming the environment.
After all, righteous heroes took care of their surroundings!
Yes, I needed to earn a reward for that.
“As your reward, I grant you the right to become my chair, Drug Hero!”
“Do you want me to evict you from my scalp?”
Many spirits were waiting for the right time to usurp it from her.
“What?! Stop lying! My beloved children will never dare take my throne!”
Spirits, of course, weren’t as innocent as people believed them to be, but they were really obedient. The way they still tolerated her and didn’t impeach her was the very evidence of that.
I wondered how the others rated my actions.
“He instantly killed all the ogres…”
“What are those ugly tentacles on his back…?”
“Mistress Hero, who is that man?”
Not bad.
There was no way the results could be detrimental for us.
Our detachment didn’t sustain any damage, and we saved a lot of time!
Although my body lacked fluids and nutrients due to the poison I produced, it was only in small doses, so it wasn’t that scary.
I didn’t know what would have happened if the area had been as huge as my senior’s house, but we were just in a medium-sized dungeon.
“You’ve matured, hubby. I thought you were going to use a technique so powerful it would destroy the entire Eastern Continent.”
“Do you take your husband for a fool? Does that amuse you?”
“I’m serious. You did that just recently.”
“That’s because the First Hero was my opponent then.”
The fallen First Hero shouldn’t be compared to weak ogres. He might eavesdrop otherwise.
“Let him listen and grit his teeth again.”
“My wife has a bad temper.”
One shouldn’t poke around in other people’s weaknesses.
“I don’t think you should be the one saying that, considering you were so excited about your new powers that you decided to try all of them all at once inside someone else’s house. That’s why he kicked us out.”
“Hmph!”
My senior was also a hero. He would forgive everything.
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It was unlikely, though, considering he threatened the whole universe with war if his personal file wasn’t deleted.
Talking about different matters, we made our way to the very depths of the dungeon.
I didn’t care about mazes and traps.
The heroes cooperating with me provided me with their knowledge and information, and they had been in hundreds of dungeons.
This was my first time raiding this place, but a map was already clearly drawn in my head as if I had been here several times already.
That wasn’t because of skills, but experiences.
Even the dungeon boss in front of us looked puzzled.
“Even I sometimes get lost here. How did you manage to avoid all the traps despite this being your first visit?”
“Hmm…”
I would have answered that it was because I was the MAX-Cla.s.s Righteous Hero.
But I was just the Hero’s Companion now.
What was the best answer in this scenario?
▶ Tip: I don’t think appeal or jobs matter in this regard. Wasn’t it possible simply because you’re Kang Han Soo?
‘That advice is perfect, Trainee Teacher!’
“Hey, Sinister Mage A. How I got here doesn’t matter. All you should be thinking of is becoming the Hero’s experience points. Stay and wait here. She’ll be coming to deal with you soon.”
I was a Retired Hero now.
I almost became the main character of this era, but my senior’s tricks forced me to abandon my post for 12 years, causing the faculty to fire me.
But I didn’t regret anything.
I wasn’t interested in the Hero job in the first place. Instead of fame and riches, I wished my mother wouldn’t hit me with her racket too hard.
I needed to quickly return to Earth and kneel before my parents.
“Listening to you talk about my mother-in-law makes me think she can destroy the whole universe with one racket.”
“Hahahaha! Well, that’s an exaggeration. My mom is just an ordinary housewife who loves tennis.”
Sinister Mage A, listening to our conversation, had a gloomy expression on his face.
“How can you have such conversations now!”
“What? Why are you talking nonsense? You’re just a loser who couldn’t become an archmage because you couldn’t keep your virginity.”
He wasn’t alone in this place.
The laboratory where he experimented on monsters was on one side of this room, while weakened, bound, and naked girls were on the opposite side of it.
They looked like they no longer had any desire to continue living.
It was easy to guess how they were treated here.
“How dare you insult me! I didn’t become an archmage just because I didn’t aspire to be one!”
“All losers say so.”
If it were that easy, Fantasy would’ve already been filled with archmages.
“Your companions are still wandering the maze, you idiot. By the time they get here, I’d already be done with you. I’ll have fun with your wife afterward until there’s nothing left of her—Huh?!”
“Oh! Sorry.”
Old habits died hard.
I was going to keep him alive until the student council president arrived, but my hand slipped between his 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae.
“He died,” Ssosia concluded, kicking the fallen mage several times.
“No way! My hand just slipped a little!”
“Even the multi-layered magic armor that protected his body turned to dust. You also turned him into experience points immediately, so even his Immortality skill couldn’t help him. You couldn’t stand listening to him speaking such nasty things about your wife, huh? How nice.”
“Shut up.”
“Pha! That’s really cute.”
“Tsk! Stop this useless talk already. Help me figure out a way to revive him instead.”
d.a.m.n mage. If he kept his mouth shut, he would have lived for another hour.
“You’re the one who started it. Anyway, are you stupid? Why don’t you just call the Holy One.”
“Oh? That’s right.”
While I was in the First Hero’s abode, 12 years pa.s.sed. The 12th secondary education course had ended by the time we returned.
It was a pity that I couldn’t see my son grow and become the Second Emperor of the Holy Mollan Empire, but I had gone through the regression process so many times that I didn’t dwell on it too much.
I shouted out a name that I hadn’t called out to in years.
“Rice Cake!”
As if all this time waiting for me, a beautiful angel appeared.
The Snow Woman, who, with the help of spirits, tried to free the captive girls, spoke in amazement.
“Such beautiful wings…”
It felt like I hadn’t seen her in ages.
But never in my entire life could I have imagined the first words that would come out of her mouth.
“I was worried because you were kidnapped, but I’m glad you’re okay, Master Kang Han Soo. Ssosia… No, Mistress Fantasy.”
Fantasy?
Only one being called Ssosia that in the entire universe.
“Cowardly husband, I see you need an explanation?”
“Yes. Right now.”
What had she done with my favorite heating pad?