Miruku’s eyes gleamed with surprise.
Slaying a Goblin Centurion with a single blow?! She had just faced one herself—she knew their brutal strength firsthand. Who could possibly possess such overwhelming power?
Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt someone behind her drape a cloth over her shoulders. Startled, her whole body tensed—physical contact was something she dreaded. Yet, gentle hands rested on her shoulders, steadying her, neither too forceful nor too soft.
“Don’t move. It’s me.” Anyi’s calm voice sounded from behind her. “Your clothes are torn in the back.”
Realizing it was Anyi, Miruku felt a flood of relief—only to freeze as something dawned on her. Wait, the back?
She had been preoccupied on the way back, wrapped in her venom light armor, completely unaware her clothes had been ripped. Now that she thought about it, that huge weapon had nearly sliced through her entire back; of course her clothing couldn’t have remained unscathed!
Her face turned red as a beet, the breeze brushing her back suddenly noticeable.
Seeing her ears flush crimson, Anyi seemed to pick up on her embarrassment. He added, “Don’t worry, everyone’s attention is on the Steel Hero. No one noticed… except me.”
“…?!”
Miruku’s cheeks burned hotter. Meanwhile, Steel Hero continued his tale, recounting how the remaining Goblin Centurion, enraged and wary after witnessing its comrade's death, sped up, dodging the mysterious woman’s deadly “tentacles.” When he, Steel Hero, intervened to keep it occupied, she seized the chance, striking it down.
The heroes and believers applauded, stirred by his selflessness and bravery.
“And judging by her strength,” Steel Hero continued, “it’s clear she’s also a Hero. So I asked, ‘Hey! I admire your strength! May I ask your name…?’
And then—just like that—she vanished!”
“She… disappeared?!”
This was new information, sparking murmurs among the crowd.
Who was this mysterious figure?
Steel Hero's face took on a serious look. “When I cleared my head, I noticed two bold words carved into the ground—Exterminate Hero!”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Exterminate Hero?!”
The crowd exchanged nervous glances.
“Who is the Exterminate Hero?”
Miruku’s gaze shifted, and in her mind, another scene replayed—a battlefield strewn with exhausted Heroes, each one fighting through blood and grit to the end. “Monster, I’ll fight you to the death!” they cried.
And then, a dark shadow flashed through the chaos, instantly decapitating the monster in its path. The short, 1.5-meter figure landed, back turned to the stunned Heroes. Their voices echoed, “What is your name…?”
But before they could finish, the figure vanished, leaving only two bold words on the ground—
Thorn Hero.
“Uh, Mr. Anyi…” Miruku turned, peering up at him.
“Hm?”
“That scene… that was seriously cool!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Anyi was taken aback, but then gave a slight nod. “Is that so.”
It hadn’t been his intention to impress. He’d only wanted to keep his identity under wraps—his slime swords couldn’t mask his voice, after all.
The disguise as Exterminate Hero served a deeper purpose. He needed an alternate identity to maintain an “alibi.” If he openly displayed his strength, it would set him too far apart from his squadmates, leading them to rely solely on him for every challenge.
No—he needed them to stand strong on their own, as they had in his past life, so that one day, they would face the Demon Lord without fear.
Before they fully matured, Anyi had to keep his true power hidden. This maturity extended beyond mental growth; they would need the strength to handle threats alone. If he revealed his abilities prematurely, their challenges would become "Simple difficulty," leaving him uncertain whether they would develop the same tenacity and mental resilience that his previous allies had.
Not only was secrecy essential to their growth, but there was also the matter of experience points and loot distribution.
...
Back at the hotel, the exhausted Heroes gathered to rest and recover, while the believers in town unleashed their resources to search for the elusive Succubus. Anyi, however, had barely expended any effort. For him, dispatching two Goblin Centurions had been straightforward. Though the Slime Sword lacked hardness and couldn’t pierce their defenses, his Lv99 Hero Sword and Goblin Priest Sword could easily break through.
Ordinarily, a Hero could wield just one weapon at a time. But Anyi was no ordinary Hero; his unique skill, Sword Control, allowed him to summon multiple swords simultaneously. In his past life, he’d wielded a veritable rain of blades. When he needed to strike down the Goblin Centurions here, he used Encourage to amplify his strength and then shrouded the Hero Sword and Goblin Priest Sword with the Slime Sword, creating the illusion of killing with tentacles rather than swords.
Leaning against the wall, he sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and took stock of his battle gains.
[Name: Anyi · Carl
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Job: Sword Hero
Hero Level: 20]
His first Goblin Shaman kill had given him enough experience to level up twice. Yet from the second one on, the experience gain diminished. However, after the battles with the Goblin Centurion Camp, the combined kills had raised his level by two more. At level 12, defeating a Class 4 monster single-handedly had vaulted him four levels to 16, and taking down two of these high-level beasts had now elevated him to level 20.
Since his three squadmates hadn’t contributed damage, the experience points remained entirely his.
Then came the loots:
[Item: Goblin Centurion Greatsword Lv99]