Ch.101Chapter 101. Mass-Produced Heroes

# Hero Garam Lee.

When she first entered this world, she was humiliated during the traditional initiation ceremony among heroes, which earned her the stigma of being a “Failed Hero.”

That stigma still circulates among heroes even now, after she has captured Fallen Heroes.

For heroes who always look for flaws in others to pick on, having the label of “Failed Hero” attached to one’s record was reason enough to make her an object of contempt.

‘So the Failed Hero, unlike them, is now voluntarily helping laborers…’

A girl who, because she didn’t accept hero culture, walked a different path from other heroes.

The help of such an irregular was proving to be a great assistance in reinforcing the garrison at this moment.

“Thanks to you, the work finished faster than expected. Let’s leave the finishing touches to the workers and go eat first, shall we?”

“Hmm, sounds good. What’s for lunch today?”

“I happen to have some seasoning left at the quarters. How about some spicy stir-fried pork?”

“…Somehow whenever I eat with you, it’s always either spicy pork or pork cutlet.”

“Well, after working hard, you need something hearty and flavorful to regain your strength. By the way, kid, why do you call Hyoseong ‘oppa’ but call me ‘mister’?”

“If you’re calling me ‘kid,’ that means there’s a big age difference between us. Nyah~”

The two heroes left the work site, bantering with each other.

The workers watching them generally showed positive reactions, but if those feelings were directed at heroes as entities, there would certainly be some who couldn’t view it entirely favorably.

Heroes are supposed to be idols and spiritual pillars that everyone looks up to.

If such beings stand on the same level as ordinary citizens, they might lose their symbolic status as idols.

‘But such a perception works in my favor anyway.’

Marcus Cradle.

To him, as a commander, everyone in the military was merely a part of the community, a component to be utilized for achieving objectives through cooperation.

The same applied to heroes.

Even if they had suitable roles, those who only sought benefits without fulfilling their duties would inevitably be seen as burdens.

“Lieutenant, how many heroes do we currently have available for action?”

“Besides Garam Lee and Jaseong Nam, the two heroes who helped the laborers, most don’t have any particular assignments… but I’m not sure if they’ll cooperate.”

“If they’re uncooperative, we’ll have to take a hard line.”

If you have power, you must use it.

If they still don’t listen, a warning will suffice.

As the one responsible for this land, Marcus had that authority.

***

“Oh my, Hero~ You shouldn’t touch there~”

“What’s the problem~ We did plenty of it last night~”

After making that decision, he arrived at a hero’s quarters.

Ignoring the flirtatious voice coming from inside, he entered to find a man and woman rolling around on the bed, who expressed their displeasure at his presence.

“What the hell? Suddenly barging in without knocking… Who do you think you are…”

“Hero Jinho Shin.”

Marcus simply responded with a cold voice.

What mattered to him wasn’t who the other person was or how they felt, but protecting the safety of this garrison.

“Do you think I’m in a position to back down at your words?”

“*Hiccup* Oh, it’s you?”

Only then did Hero Jinho Shin toss aside the adventurer woman he had been embracing like a prostitute.

His face, still flushed red, suggested he hadn’t yet recovered from a night of drinking.

“Hahaha~! Well! Who do we have here? It’s our esteemed Commander! I apologize, I had a bit too much to drink so I was slow to recognize you~!”

Frivolous and undignified behavior.

Showing not even minimal respect for his superior, Jinho Shin got up from the bed and went to retrieve alcohol from the table.

“What brings you here? Want to join the fun? Perfect timing! The merchants brought some excellent liquor, let’s drink together…”

-CRASH!

The bottle fell and shattered as Marcus swatted it away.

Jinho Shin’s face gradually filled with irritation as he looked down at him.

“…Damn, that was the only bottle I had.”

“So, are you going to attack me now?”

In a situation where an ordinary person would have prepared for death after angering a hero.

But Marcus didn’t cower, instead speaking sharply as if to overwhelm Jinho Shin.

To antagonize him meant defying the Imperial Family, which would mean becoming a wanted criminal and falling to the status of a Fallen Hero.

“Pfft, of course not~ I’m also on the empire’s payroll, how could I defy the commander?”

Fortunately, despite being drunk, the other party still had enough sense to understand this.

It was far from genuine loyalty or dedication to a cause, but if such formalities could be maintained, it was worth utilizing.

“…Follow me. I’ll show you where you can be of use.”

“Yay, if you say so, I’ll do it~ But after I finish the job, you’ll leave me alone for a while, right? Do you know how draining it is to be interrupted at the best part~”

Jinho Shin haphazardly dressed himself while leading his intoxicated body.

After turning slightly to look at him following behind, Marcus quietly turned his head and answered.

“…As long as you do the job properly.”

Though his steps were unsteady from intoxication, his face showed no sign of concern.

As if he had absolute confidence that he could handle whatever came next.

****

Yes, he would surely be able to handle anything.

The title of Hero is given to those born with such abilities.

The key issue isn’t ability but motivation.

Despite his position as commander, the reason he left the main base for the operation site was that he was the only one who could control any problems this man might cause.

“Are those the ones down there?”

“Yes, an undead army under the control of the Lord of Corpses.”

At the end of a foggy mountain ridge, they arrived at a hill.

Below the hill, the undead legion that the reconnaissance unit that had joined them was monitoring stood motionless.

Their equipment was old and rusty, but they were armed nonetheless.

The sight of hundreds of troops standing in orderly formation was something that could never be seen among naturally occurring wild undead.

“Wow, look at them all. Are these the rumored Four Knights?”

“No, it’s a unit led by a lich under their command.”

“So it’s a battalion-level commander, not the legion commander? Good grief, I thought it might be something impressive, but you called me all the way here because you couldn’t handle such small fry?”

We could respond to a force of that size.

However, that would mean sending hundreds of our own troops, and engaging in a frontal battle would risk casualties on our side.

Moreover, in a situation where the enemy’s strategy hasn’t been properly identified, leading troops directly into battle could risk falling into their trap.

To preemptively prevent the enemy’s intentions, the best option was to launch a covert surprise attack with a small elite force to eliminate them all at once.

“So, are you saying you can’t handle it?”

But given the nature of heroes, it would be annoying to explain such intentions in detail.

When Marcus spoke irritatingly, Jinho Shin burst into laughter and quietly rose from his position.

“Just stay there and watch. I’ll go take care of it quickly.”

Jinho Shin adjusted his hastily donned clothes and moved with unsteady steps.

As they watched him descend the hill, members of the reconnaissance unit who had come with Jinho Shin and Marcus expressed concern.

“Commander, will this be alright? Even so, handling that many alone…”

“Soldier. Do you not know why heroes are called heroes?”

One person against hundreds of troops.

It would naturally be concerning for soldiers who had never directly witnessed a hero’s majesty, but Marcus, as a commander, had seen the exploits of various heroes.

He had personally experienced why heroes are called heroes, and why they are revered as saviors regardless of their character or motives.

‘Yes, their potential is real, regardless of their values or actions.’

-CRACKLE!!

The moment he saw the electricity flowing from his body.

Marcus tried to compare him with a hero he had once admired.

Though there might be differences in details, at least the power he possessed, and that potential, might rival the hero he had seen back then.

“…Hu, man.”

But was it because its head was rotten that it couldn’t recognize such power?

Soon, the black-hooded corpse leading the undead, known as a lich, a high-level undead, began to show hostility as it saw Jinho Shin approaching.

“Human, has, come here. Everyone, for the Queen, prepare for battle…”

-BOOM!!!!

A fierce lightning bolt shot from his outstretched hand.

When the lich’s head was incinerated on the spot by that attack, all the undead waiting in front of it began to convulse simultaneously.

It wasn’t because they were shocked by the attack on their leader.

The actions of undead, which lack consciousness, prioritize the orders of higher entities.

When such higher entities become unable to issue commands, they naturally can only follow their most primal instincts.

“GROOOO, OOOOOOO!”

“KYAAAAAAAA!”

The undead began to rampage, consumed by madness and hunger.

Their target was naturally the human closest to them, but Jinho Shin just stood there, channeling power into his body.

Crackle, crackle. The current spreading from his skin to the surroundings was due to his ability, ‘Electric Skin.’

He could generate electricity by channeling his magical power through his skin, and this power had been dramatically enhanced through various artifacts and elixirs obtained from his sponsors.

-KWAGAGANG!! KWAGAGANG!!

The result was the massacre unfolding at this moment.

The undead rushing toward a single human were incinerated to the bone by the current, turning to ashes one after another before they could reach him.

He didn’t even need to aim to spread the electricity.

The overwhelming power that radiated just from standing there easily burned the rotting human bodies.

“Pfft, hahahahaha!!!”

Jinho Shin burst into laughter as he displayed such power.

His intoxicated mind began to fill with exhilaration as he watched these worthless creatures being overwhelmed by him.

“What are you doing! You corpse bastards! Come at me harder! This is too boring to even call a fight! Hahahahaha!!”

It took less than a minute for the number of undead collapsing and ceasing movement to spread from dozens to hundreds, and eventually to all of them.

The reconnaissance soldiers who witnessed one person slaughtering a battalion-sized force expressed their shock, but Marcus simply looked down with a calm gaze.

‘Yes, it’s because their potential is comparable to hers that they’re called heroes.’

It’s not yet enough to face a dragon.

Not yet…

But this is an achievement after just 1-2 years in this world.

If he continues to survive and grow stronger, he might grow into an overwhelming force that surpasses her and can drive away disasters like dragons.

‘More than ten such heroes currently exist in this garrison alone.’

That’s why the Empire is so desperate for hero summoning.

Since it’s possible to ‘mass-produce’ beings like the hero who once faced a dragon, all of humanity calls them hope.

Even in a world too harsh for a single hero to handle, if there were dozens or hundreds of such individuals, they could fully protect humanity’s safety.

“…How boring. Do I really need to travel all this way for such a trivial matter?”

But those intoxicated by such strength sometimes forget one thing.

The complacency born from overwhelming power breeds arrogance, and such arrogance creates a weakness called ‘carelessness’ that has nothing to do with actual capability.

“Well, whatever. Now that this annoying task is done, I should go rest.”

Yes, at this moment, Jinho Shin was trying to leave the scene of his massacre without noticing the anomaly occurring there.

He failed to notice that the corpses scattered around the lich were intertwining to form a massive entity, as ash from bodies burned by electricity swirled in the air.

“Jinho Shin!!! Look behind you!!”

Marcus, who noticed it from the hill, shouted.

Unable to raise his guard in time, Jinho Shin frowned and expressed his irritation toward him.

“Ugh, seriously, what is this old fart yelling about now.”

His power was virtually invincible.

There was no way any of the incinerated undead could still be alive, and above all, he was annoyed at the idea of being ordered around just because the other was his superior.

He would tolerate it only once. Asking for more work would interfere with his plans to enjoy alcohol and women for the day.

“Hey, old man. Do you think I’m a pushover because I quietly followed you here!? What are you trying to make me do now……”

-CRUNCH!

At that moment, Jinho Shin was grabbed by something swung from behind.

The pressure shattered all the bones in his body, but it happened so suddenly that Jinho Shin couldn’t even properly assess the situation.

-CRACK, CRACK.

But even if he had noticed, it was already too late.

The corpses he thought had been incinerated by his ability had secretly merged in areas beyond his sight, gradually solidifying into a massive form.

They had congealed together, guided by the magical power left by the lich that led them, forming a giant ‘corpse golem.’

“Uh, uh, wait…..”

-CRUNCH!

As soon as he realized the danger, his body was crushed, and the blood squeezed out began to stain the ground.

The faces of the reconnaissance soldiers watching from the hill began to turn pale at the sight.

“The, the hero has been defeated…!?”

“This is impossible……”

“What are you all dawdling for! The enemy has already spotted us! Prepare to retreat immediately!”

It took only a moment to assess the situation.

Marcus urged his subordinates, pushing them to run to where the horses were.

Indeed, as he said, the corpse golem had already spotted them and was preparing to throw the flesh it held in its hand.

A being that was once called a hero, but now was nothing more than a lump of meat to be thrown.

-KWAGAGANG!

Everything at the spot where the fragmented pieces were thrown was crushed and pulverized, sending debris flying in all directions.

Fortunately, there were no casualties yet, but it would inevitably take time to restore order in the current chaos.

-THUD!

Taking advantage of the confusion, the golem leaped high into the air and prepared to swing its fist toward where Marcus and the reconnaissance unit were.

‘I must block it.’

He reflexively drew the sword at his waist.

But for a brief moment, when confronted with the fist swinging toward him, Marcus couldn’t help but hesitate.

Could a ‘normal human’ like himself really stop this monster, made from hundreds of corpses fused together, which had killed a hero in an instant despite the hero’s carelessness?

‘If I don’t block it, everyone dies…!’

Just as his aura-infused sword, driven by sheer determination, was about to be swung toward the golem flying at him.

-SWOOSH!! KWANG!!!

A flash of light from the opposite side of where he stood struck the golem’s body.

It transformed into the shape of a spear and pushed the body away from its position.

-KUOOO… OOOO…!!

The massive body was forcefully pushed back by the magical explosion.

Having secured safety because of this, Marcus quickly turned his attention from the corpse golem to the person approaching.

The black-armored otherworlder who had arrived and was now retrieving his spear from the ground, taking a stance.