Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad-Chapter 1

Prologue

A woman was humming a cheerful tune, unable to contain her joy.

In front of her were colorful macarons and a cup of rich coffee.

This was the greatest happiness that kept her going through the tiring day.

You could even call it her life’s delight.

“Haha~ Ah, coffee and macarons are the best combination!”

The woman popped an entire macaron into her tiny mouth and chewed.

Suddenly, her throat felt completely blocked.

She had been too greedy.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

The woman quickly tapped her chest and brought the coffee cup to her lips.

“Slurp… Ah, it’s hot!”

Perhaps she had been too hasty.

The woman, startled by the scalding coffee on her lips, ended up spilling it.

“No!”

The coffee had splattered onto the important typewriter she was using for work.

Worried that someone might have seen, the woman quickly glanced around.

Fortunately, there was no one.

“A quick wipe should do the trick. Hehe.”

She rubbed the typewriter with a cloth, and the coffee stains disappeared.

Seeing the now clean typewriter, the woman smiled in satisfaction.

Little did she know, this minor mistake would lead to a catastrophic disaster.

***

Choi Hyun-seok had died.

At the vibrant age of twenty-nine.

He never could have imagined his life would end so soon.

“Ah… If I had known, I would have lived and enjoyed it a bit more.”

Choi Hyun-seok’s life could be summarized in a single sentence: a short but intense life.

He was the heavyweight champion of the world’s largest mixed martial arts league.

Blessed with a godly physique, Choi Hyun-seok was known as the best fighter in Korea.

No, the best fighter in the world.

In addition to his innate talent, he had put in endless effort.

At the age of twenty-seven, he had grasped the champion’s title, and for the next two years, he had subjugated all challengers with overwhelming dominance.

At some point, people began calling him this:

The Strongest Man in the World.

It was an amazing feat that any man would have dreamed of.

And yet, the only thing left in Hyun-seok’s heart after his death was regret.

“Ugh, hit by a truck. What rotten luck.”

Hyun-seok was killed by a truck.

It was a ridiculous, unbelievable occurrence, like something out of a cartoon.

At first, he was too stunned to even feel angry.

But gradually, his rage began to boil.

“What did I do wrong?!”

If there was a god, he wanted to grab the deity by the collar and shake them, demanding, ‘Why? Why now?’

He had just decided to retire from fighting and start living a normal, peaceful life.

After a lifetime of mindlessly pursuing sports, he had finally resolved to enjoy his life.

But a mere day after his decision to retire at the relatively young age of 29, he was struck by a truck and killed.

“If you were going to kill me, you should have done it earlier!”

Hyun-seok couldn’t hold back his shouts.

All that returned was the hollow echo.

“Ugh…”

After some time had passed, the furious pounding in his chest gradually subsided.

Hyun-seok then accepted the reality.

“That’s right. I’m dead.”

Hyun-seok plopped down on the ground.

The soft, pure white clouds gently enveloped him.

“How meaningless. I couldn’t even experience a simple romance.”

He felt like a fool for having devoted his entire life to sports.

If he were given another chance at life, he would never live that way again.

“Maybe it’s for the best. Life was so damn hard, anyway. Now I can rest in peace.”

He no longer had to endure the grueling training that made him bleed.

He no longer had to fight against the fierce, terrifying competitors.

By letting go of everything, his mind felt strangely at ease.

“By the way, how long have I been here?”

He couldn’t tell how much time had passed since he arrived.

Although he couldn’t be certain, it felt like more than half a day had gone by.

Yet the sun remained in the same position, and Hyun-seok was the only one here.

“Ah, whatever! I’m already dead, so what does it matter?”

With nothing to fear now that he was dead, Hyun-seok sprawled out on the cloud like a giant.

That’s when the surrounding scenery began to come into focus.

The sky was a deep blue.

The dazzlingly bright sun.

It was quite a nice scenery.

“Being dead isn’t as bad as I thought.”

Just as Hyun-seok was making that comfortable remark, a shower of light poured down from the sky, accompanied by a shimmering sound effect.

Hyun-seok bolted upright and looked toward the sky.

“I’m so sorry! Have you been waiting long?!”

“An angel…?”

***

Pure white wings.

Hair shimmering in golden light.

Features sculpted like those of an artist’s masterpiece.

She was a beauty that made reality seem to fade away.

Considering all these elements, the conclusion was clear.

‘She’s an angel.’

The woman before him was undoubtedly an angel.

Reflecting on his life, Hyun-seok once again felt regret.

‘If I had known, I would have started going to church a long time ago!’

He deeply regretted it from the bottom of his heart.

Who could have known that such a beautiful angelic woman would be awaiting him after death?

If he had known that, he would have lived as a devout Christian.

“Mr. Hyun-seok. I’m sorry for making you wait! There’s a backlog of people.”

“No, no, not at all! Haha!”

Momentarily, Hyun-seok pondered the mention of a ‘backlog’, but he soon dismissed it.

With an angel right in front of him, what else could possibly matter?

“Let me formally introduce myself! My name is Rachel. I’m in charge of scouting people whose time on Earth has come to an end.”

“Scouting?”

“Yes! Scouting! You know what that is, right?”

Of course he knew.

As a sports star, Hyun-seok was familiar with the concept.

Scouting simply meant finding and recruiting talented individuals.

However, he couldn’t figure out how that was related to the current situation.

Hyun-seok asked calmly, “Could you explain that in a bit more detail? Aren’t you an angel?”

“An angel? Hmm… You could say I’m similar! I could be your own personal angel, haha!”

Rachel flashed a bright, saleswoman-like smile.

It seemed a bit cheap…

Hyun-seok desperately swallowed the words that were rising in his throat.

“So, what do you mean by scouting? I’m already dead, after all.”

“Ah, that’s right! This isn’t the time for that!”

Suddenly, Rachel approached him with a serious expression.

“Mr. Hyun-seok.”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you disappointed?”

“Huh?”

Abruptly asking if he was disappointed was quite puzzling.

What was she trying to say?

“You died without even experiencing the romance that everyone else gets to have.”

“…”

“Your life ended so unfairly, with you getting hit by a truck after a lifetime of just focusing on sports. Aren’t you upset about that?”

“Uh… Well, I mean…”

Hyun-seok’s head was spinning from this sudden emotional onslaught.

Rachel didn’t leave him any time to regain his composure.

“Mr. Hyun-seok!”

“Uh, you’re a bit too close…”

Rachel leaned in closer, right in his face.

Hyun-seok tried to push her away with his hand, but Rachel grabbed his hand and continued.

“What do you think about becoming a hero?”

“A hero?”

“Yes! A hero!”

Rachel nodded solemnly.

“There’s a world that’s suffering under the oppression of a Demon King. I’m sure you, Mr. Hyun-seok, would make a wonderful hero who could save them!”

“No, wait, suddenly saying something like that…”

The pace of the development was too fast.

Hyun-seok wanted to say something, but Rachel wouldn’t let him ponder the questions.

“Mr. Hyun-seok, you have two choices.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes! One is to reincarnate and become a pitiful, meaningless old bachelor in this next life.”

Rachel wiped away imaginary tears as she spoke.

“Just thinking about it makes me so sad! Waaah!”

“Uh, yes…”

“But don’t worry! There’s another choice!”

Rachel’s eyes hardened, and she put emphasis into her voice.

“The other choice is to be reborn as a hero with your current body and mind to save the world!”

It was clear she was desperately trying to get him to choose the latter option.

Honestly, it all felt a bit uncomfortable.

It seemed like there might be some hidden, sinister motive.

“Hmm…”

Choi Hyun-seok shook his head.

Even though Choi Hyun-seok was slow-witted, he wasn’t stupid enough to just let this kind of thing slide.

“Give me some time to think. I’d like to hear a more detailed explanation too.”

When he asked for an explanation, Rachel’s face crumpled like paper for a moment.

She quickly returned to her fresh smile as if nothing had happened.

“Mr. Choi Hyun-seok! This is not the time to leisurely ask for such explanations!”

Rachel shouted while grabbing Choi Hyun-seok’s shoulders.

“Don’t you feel it’s a waste to die like this?”

“Well yes, but first the explanation…”

“What explanation do you need?! This is the opportunity of a lifetime! It’s in lots of novels, comics, and animations, right? A wonderful hero! Haven’t you ever seen it?”

“…”

“Wealth! Honor! A chance to have beautiful women all to yourself. It’s about reclaiming the life you just wastefully lost!”

“Well…”

“You’re so frustrating!”

Rachel beat her chest with her fist.

“Do you need to think about it? If you don’t accept this offer, Mr. Choi Hyun-seok, your life ends here. Isn’t that sad? I’m giving you a new opportunity right now.”

“That’s true…”

Choi Hyun-seok found himself nodding unconsciously.

Come to think of it, everything that angel said was correct.

‘In my current situation, I’m not really in a position to be picky.’

He was dead.

A life that should have ended here.

But this beautiful woman named Rachel is offering him a chance at a new life.

And not just any life, but a chance to live as a hero.

‘Hero. A hero…’

In his childhood.

Choi Hyun-seok had his share of pure dreams.

The cool heroes appearing in novels and comics.

He used to let his imagination soar watching them defeat the Demon King and achieve everything.

Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes began to shine.

‘I become a hero…’

And a hero who gets wealth, honor, and beautiful women all to himself!

“Hero! Hero! It’s about being a hero! When you wake up, the village chief will come running in his socks calling ‘Hero~!’ and serve you food. And the hero magnificently completes missions at the chief’s request!”

“…”

“That’s not all. When you finish the mission, what’s this? The village chief’s late-born daughter turns out to be a pure beauty in her 20s!? That’s when the chief will say in a subtle tone.”

Rachel cleared her throat and changed her voice to be deeper.

“Ahem! He-hero. Though my daughter is humble… If you would take her, this humble village man would want nothing in return!”

Choi Hyun-seok was getting more and more drawn into Rachel’s story.

“The hero just needs to choose. A devoted love focusing on one woman? Or a harem kingdom leading the continent’s finest group of beauties? A hero can do anything!”

“Ah…”

Choi Hyun-seok just kept nodding with a dazed expression.

“Oh?”

Suddenly Rachel checked her wrist.

There was a crude clock drawn with a marker.

“Time’s up, Mr. Choi Hyun-seok. I’ll ask one last time. Will you accept my offer?”

“Well…”

“If you keep hesitating like that, I’ll take it as a rejection and leave.”

“What?”

“End this life as a bachelor and try your best in the next life!”

Then she muttered, “Well, there’s no guarantee you’ll be reborn as a human in the next life.”

At that moment, Choi Hyun-seok raised his hand urgently like someone who saw a ‘closing soon’ sign on a home shopping channel.

“I’ll do it!”

“What?”

“I said I’ll do it! That hero thing.”

“I knew Mr. Choi Hyun-seok would accept! It’s written right on your forehead – ‘righteous man’!”

Rachel smiled brightly and made a fuss.

“I’m already dead anyway. What’s there to lose? Let’s do it.”

“Yes! We’ll start right away!”

“Right away?”

“What’s there to wait for? A wonderful other world is waiting for Hero Choi Hyun-seok!”

He understood what Rachel was saying.

Everything was fine, but are they really going just like this without any preparation?

Rachel didn’t let Choi Hyun-seok dwell on his concerns.

“A great adventure to gain wealth! Honor! Beautiful women! We can’t waste a single moment. Even now, countless people are desperately waiting for their hero to appear!”

Choi Hyun-seok nodded with a somewhat reluctant expression at Rachel’s words.

“Let’s go then… Yes…”

“Then poof! Have a wonderful adventure!”

When Rachel waved her hand, Choi Hyun-seok disappeared.

Finally alone, Rachel deeply frowned.

“Phew! I’m so busy, why does he have to think so much?”

Rachel sighed and sat cross-legged in the chair.

Then she contacts somewhere.

“Yes, yes! The 137,421st potential hero Choi Hyun-seok you mentioned. Successfully transferred! Yes! Of course! Who do you think I am~ Don’t worry. Ah, about sending the bonus right away…”

***

A bright light assaulted his eyelids.

Awakening from sleep, Choi Hyun-seok had a splitting headache.

“What is this? I definitely…” Choi Hyun-seok searched his memories.

‘Wealth! Honor! Beautiful women! Everything is waiting for Mr. Choi Hyun-seok!’

The memories gradually became clearer.

‘Right. I said I would go on an adventure to become a hero.’

That’s when it happened.

An unfamiliar voice came from beside him.

“Eyes…. Get up….”

He couldn’t make out exactly what was being said.

But it didn’t matter.

The content was obvious anyway.

That must be the voice calling for a hero.

Isn’t it a common repertoire?

Open your eyes, hero! Rise up, hero!

As Choi Hyun-seok was having these foolish thoughts, the voice reached his ears again.

“Should I gouge out your eyes? Aren’t you getting up?”

“Huh?”

The lines were a little… No, very different.

The moment Choi Hyun-seok realized something was wrong.

A tremendous impact struck his abdomen.

“Kuhek!”

He was both startled awake and dumbfounded.

A kick at first meeting.

When has Choi Hyun-seok ever been treated like this?

A heavyweight champion in martial arts.

A man who held the title of the world’s strongest man.

Someone dares to kick him?

This couldn’t happen unless he had given up on life due to gambling fraud.

Choi Hyun-seok quickly got up.

“Which bastard… I’ll kill…”

He was about to shout ‘Do you want to die!?’ but abruptly stopped.

‘What the…’

Something was off.

A massive muscular chest.

And it was a red-skinned chest filling his entire field of vision.

Choi Hyun-seok slowly raised his head.

Only after craning his neck for quite a while could he finally see the face of the bastard who had kicked him.

“Who… Are you…?”

The head was that of a cow.

It was extremely disconcerting.

“Who are you to be lying here? Judging by your attire, you don’t seem to be an ordinary slave.”

Choi Hyun-seok didn’t know how to respond.

He was too shocked.

Choi Hyun-seok’s height was 198cm.

But this being was a head taller than him.

And what about those muscles that looked like they would explode?

Red skin.

Threatening horns attached to the cow head.

Even flames were rising from the horns.

“Well…”

It would be stranger to maintain one’s sanity when faced with such a monster.

“I’m supposed to be a hero…”

“Hero? Heroooo~?”

The word ‘hero’ that came out inadvertently.

The cow-head’s face crumpled at those words.

“You say you’re a hero?”

The cow-head thrust its hideous and enormous face close.

Just a minute ago, it was a beautiful woman who had been this close to his face.

What a tremendous difference.

“Well, um…”

Choi Hyun-seok swallowed hard and desperately racked his brain.

How should he answer?

He had certainly agreed to become a hero.

But no matter how he looked at it, the monster before him was not the simple village chief of a rural village waiting for a hero.

“I hate repeating myself. You say you’re a hero?”

At the creature’s words, Choi Hyun-seok slowly nodded.

“Uh… I think I’m the hero…?”

And thus hell began.

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