Chapter 13 Hero and Demon

Miyong

“Mom said not to play with her. She doesn't have a dad.” Whispers that have become common background noise in my life. I couldn't escape it even in the corner of the cafeteria.

“That's why she is so violent and foul-mouthed.” Whispering that follows me anywhere I go.

“My dad said her mom is not a good woman.” I got used to such gossip by the time I was 7 years old, but slander against my mother, I will not allow it. The milk carton in my hands flew at the stupid, ugly kids at the opposite table.

“WHAT THE HECK!” Four kids stood up from the table and walked towards me.

“You are a bad kid!”

“She must take after her stupid mo-'' My fist had already slammed into the kid’s face before he could finish that sentence. A giant fight broke out immediately. Completely unrelated kids started to jump in to try to stop the fight, but in my rage, I hit them as well.

—-------------------------

“I am sorry, Ms Kim. Your daughter will be suspended for a few days. This is the best we can do.” The principal looked sympathetic but my punishment couldn't be avoided.

“Thank you, Principle Cain.” My mother bowed her head low as we left the principal's office.

We walk home in silence. I should apologize to my mother, but the lump in my throat stops me from saying anything. I couldn't even look at her.

“Go play outside for a bit, honey. I will close shop in an hour then we will eat dinner together.” Mom hugged me so tightly. She smiled at me, ruffled my hair then reopened the fried chicken shop.

I left my mom behind and went to the park in front of our house. There is a giant concrete tunnel here that I always use as my hiding spot. Today, like many days before it, I hid and cried. I couldn't let the other kids see me cry, or they would take pleasure in insulting me. I couldn't let my mom see me cry, it would make her sad.

“Hey, are you ok?” A familiar voice

I wipe my tears and look for the source of the voice. On the second floor of the neighborhood supermarket, a fat kid is looking down at me. I know him, a quiet and weird kid who always stays by himself. He would say weird things that other people couldn't understand. Eventually, he just stopped talking to other people.

“What!?! Shut up, fat kid!” I tried to sound tough, but my voice was still shaking from crying. He looked at me the way my mother looked at me. That guy somehow doesn't feel like a kid. “What do you want, ugly?”

“You have a foul mouth.” The fat kid laughed. “Do you want coconut ice cream? My mother made too much and we couldn't sell them all. It will go to waste if we don't eat it.”

What is this all of a sudden?

“Ok……” I don't know what's going on, but I want ice cream.

—------------------------

A dream about the past? Am I dead? No, I can feel warm mana around me. Yue’s mana. That's probably why I dreamt about him.

When I opened my eyes, I was inside some type of church. The entire building was made from hundreds of thousands of flowers that were bound together into various types of objects. Chairs, tables, alter, even walls. A hundred thousand colors and the smell of flowers. Is this place heaven?

Yue was talking to someone who looked like a religious figure. Flower crown on her head, and robes that looked ceremonious. She looked human but inhuman at the same time. I believe this is what is called the uncanny valley.

“Why?! What did we do?” The woman looked distraught. She is speaking some unknown language, but I could understand her perfectly. What is this? The system’s benefit? I wish I had this in the old world, so convenient.

“I am sorry,” Yue told her.

“What is going on?” I asked them as I got up from the flower bed. Yue smiled as he saw me. This guy is acting cute.

“Look at the mission,” Mali said. I didn't notice that Mali and Jenny were in the room as well. The mission is to murder these Lucian people, the more we kill, the better the reward. This is fucked up.

“Are they monsters?” I asked Yue. His answer could change our plans a lot.

“Better to see it with your own eyes.” Yue bow to the woman. “Would it be alright for my companion to see your city? We still have time, we don't feel any mana in the surrounding area aside from us. It will take a bit of time before the other humans get here. It won't take more than a few moments”

“Of course, please see for yourself. We are a peaceful tribe. We are no monsters. Why would the gods send warriors to eradicate us?” The woman was sobbing as we walked out of the flower church. I feel sorry for her, but we don't have time for that.

The city looks like something out of a painting. So many flowers covered the entire city. No, the city itself was made from millions of flowers. Is this the only material they use for building? There is no wood or stones or clay. Just flowers.

Children ran around the city, playing with each other. The adults are carrying massive baskets of flowers. Old people can be seen weaving or processing those big baskets of flowers into everyday objects. A perfect picture of a peaceful society.

“Can you feel it?” Yue asked Mali.

“Yeah, these people don't even eat meat. There are no animals here. Weapons exist but they're badly maintained and never even been used.” Mali said after closing her eyes.

“These people, they are no monsters. They are fodder to raise players.” Jenny grimaces.

“We can help them escape but we should not fight the other players,” Yue said while we were heading back to the church. “We don't know the numbers of players and how strong they are. The risk is too high.”

“.........ok.” There is not much we can do for them.

—----------------------

“I can feel a mass of mana coming. They are fast.” Mali said in a panic as we were moving the people. A lot of people still have not been evacuated.

“We should go as well. Better to blend in.” Yue said before running out of the church.

“Ok.” I ran after Yue.

—---------------------

By the time we got to the city gate, the entire front gate was already burning. An army of players stood in front of the city. A dozen Lucian corpses are scattered about on the ground.

“Oh, a few players already went ahead?” Someone said

“Hey, you kids got here fast. Are they dangerous?” A kind-looking middle-aged man asks them. His hands are dripping with violet blood.

“We don't know. We sneaked into the city only a little while ago.” Yue said with a scared face. He is good at acting.

“Ah, don't be scared. We are nice people. The mission is forcing us to do this. You kids can stand in the back while the adults do the dirty work.” The middle-aged man gave a gentle smile. A small body was torn in two next to his feet. These people are insane. They are smiling after slaughtering defenseless people like this. Yue was right, we have to be careful. We follow them obediently, acting as scared children, as the army moves into the city.

“Mimi, Jenny listen carefully. Yue said that we have to find a chance to slip away. The army has about 200 people, so we have to avoid fighting them if possible.” Mali’s voice rings inside our heads. I guess Yue has already formed some type of plan.

Fortunately for the Lucians, we were the ones that got teleported inside the city. The majority of Lucians seem to have left. The army started to complain about the lackluster victims. Unfortunately, there were still hundreds of Lucians who either failed to evacuate or refused to leave. A few Lucians even tried to fight back, but without mana, it was like a child fighting an adult. Eventually, the army started to split up to go hunt separately. We found a chance to slip away, quickly moving towards the church deeper inside the city.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Something is weird about those players….” Yue whispers to us as we carefully move through the burning city. We don't want to draw the attention of the other players.

“I noticed. It's unusual for 200 people to not have any disagreements, especially in this situation.” Jenny said. If it's some type of skill, Yue would have seen it with his eyes. So it's not that.

“They may have different Missions from us,” Yue said while sweat dripped from his face. “What if their missions do not allow fighting amongst players?”

“That wouldn't explain how 200 people of different ages, cultures, and backgrounds suddenly became cold-blooded killers,” Jenny said. She looked like she was about to vomit. The smell of burning flesh and blood only grows more intense as the hour passes. “We have been through a lot since the flood. I imagine everyone still alive has been through a lot. Our hands are also no longer clean, but those people……….it's like they are no longer humans.”

No one else said anything until we reached the church. The woman from earlier stood outside the door, using her own body to block the entrance. Even I could feel it, thousands of Lucians were crammed inside the church.

“What is happening?” Yue asked her.

“Warrior, please help us! We couldn't evacuate. There are other demons behind the city!” The woman was sobbing and grabbing onto Yue’s legs.

“Surrounded…..” Yue shook his head. He is smart, the smartest person I know. He will conclude that abandoning these people ensures our safety. After all, we can't fight all those people.

“Hey, so the kids found those monsters before us. You kids are good! Kill them all quickly.” A group of players appeared behind us. Seven people, judging by the weapons hanging on their hips, close-combat types.

“I can't save your people, but I can give you a quick and painless farewell. In the hands of those monsters, your people would suffer painfully before death claims you all. Do I have your permission?” Yue knelt and looked the woman in the eyes. She stopped sobbing and locked eyes with him. Before she could nod, I stepped towards the group of players.

Yue is smart. His choice is the correct one. Even if we fight at full power, there is no guarantee that we will win. It's more likely we would be killed as well. But I am stupid. My chest felt hot like some type of emotion is about to burst out. I have no choice but to fight. I need to fight.

I charged towards the guy in the middle of the group and punched him with my full power. His body was completely incinerated. That's what happens when the human body is hit with pure mana. These guys are human after all.

“WHAT THE FU-” The other players' reactions were quick. They took out their weapons before I could even land the first punch. Various types of weapons rain down on me, however, a massive floating shield receives the blows on my behalf. I took that chance to grab the hand of another player, pull him towards me, and punch his face. This guy was quick to cover his face with mana, but it was still a direct hit. I could feel bones breaking on my fist. His body flew into the building in the back.

The other five players started firing off skills. Fireballs, swords that split into dozens of swords, balls of concentrated mana, flying mana nails. Jenny’s shield could not block them all and fade away after taking a lot of damage. I could only try to protect my head and body with my arms.

Clink, clink, clink

Weapons were bouncing off my skin.

“What the hell is that?” Mali was shocked.

“Fucking monster. It's a passive skill.” The players yell at each other.

When I looked at my arms, I was completely unharmed except for my elbow which was burned. Looking over at Yue, he looks unhappy. Sorry, I couldn't let these people be slaughtered. While everyone else was shocked, I took that chance to retreat to the group.

“Use fire.” I can hear the players talking to each other. The debut of my skill, and people already figured out the weakness?

“What's done is done.” Yue’s eyes were cold, he waved his hands, and the sobbing woman was pushed inside the church. Massive barriers protruded out of the ground in front of the church, creating a barricade between the church and the city. “My companions do not want the slaughter to continue. Please retreat or I will be forced to raise my hand.”

“Right, no need for bloodshed. We are all civilized people after all.” The players are smiling casually. They started to move back while keeping their eyes on us.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Yue moving his finger. Something extremely small is flying behind the players. They immediately notice it.

“You stupid fucking kids!” The five players turned around to see dozens of small stones flying toward them, aiming for deadly spots on their bodies.

“Don't let them go. They will call the others, and kill them all. I will support you.” Yue said while looking at us. Jenny and I immediately charge forward.

The players were successfully blocking the dozens of stones attacking them until we charged in from behind them. Jenny shot out small shields from her hand like arrows. A player turned to block her shield but he was hit in the head by the rock behind him. The rock did not just hit him, it pierced his head like a bullet.

Two of the players saw me charging at them and fired two fireballs towards me. I wanted to dodge sideways but the two fireballs suddenly fizzled away. Yue’s eyes are really strong against mana-based attacks like that. While the two players were shocked by the fireball disappearing, I arrived in front of them before unleashing a barrage of punches. I didn't know if they have any defensive skills so it's better to go all out. The two people were blown to pieces.

“I am sorry for using violence,” Yue said to the last two players. They are still busy defending against the flying stones.

“If you are sorry then fucking stop! You don't know who you are dealing with!” One of the players still has the energy to reply. The flying stones stopped.

“Who are we messing with?” Yue looked scared. That acting is creepy.

“The king of NNJ. We are his people.” The player said proudly. “He commands thousands of people, hundreds of players.”

“NNJ? New New J****y? That's insanely lame.” Jenny said unhappily.

“How could he command so many people? Is he so powerful? His skill must be special…..” Yue said, his voice shaking in fear. Is this guy a professional actor?

“You have never seen such a skill before! He can stop the air that you breathe with the snap of his finger!” The players look smug while they are talking. They even walk forward while bragging about their boss.

“Air manipulation skill. Thank you for the information” Yue said. The flying stones behind the players pierce their heads. It happened so fast that I couldn't even see it. Yue looked down on the floor in deep thought.

“What now?” Mali asked.

“We have already started down this path. We have to finish it.” Yue said while rubbing my head. He knows that I feel responsible for this trouble. “We have seen their power level to some extent. Even assuming they are the weakest of the group, they are far below our level, but it would still be wise to be cautious and have some kind of plan.”

—-------------------------

A few minutes later

“Yue, Jason, and Jackie are heading this way,” Mali said.

“That's good. Jason can help protect the Lucians. Jackie can take out stragglers from behind.” Yue is thinking about something while looking at the burning city. We couldn't save everyone, but the majority of the town’s people were hiding in that church. This situation is not good, but we did the right thing to save these people.

“This is where Leeland’s team disappeared.” The middle-aged man we met at the front gate appeared with a dozen players behind him. The group stopped in front of crimson stains on the ground. The middle-aged man scrutinized the traces of battle before locking eyes with Yue.

“Please retreat. I do not wish to spill blood.” Yue said calmly. The players are agitated. A few hands took hold of their weapons.

“The scared boy turned out to be a general. What a rare find. I am Break Bone.” The middle-aged man, Break Bone, bowed lightly to Yue as if he recognized a person worthy of respect. “The mission is clear. Could I ask what your purpose is?”

“Break Bone? What is this? Some type of historical martial arts drama?” Jenny whispers to Mali.

“I wonder why they are using code names. Could have something to do with the system.” Mali whispered back.

“My companions do not like indiscriminate slaughter. Especially against innocents. That is reason enough.” Yue said while looking at the people behind Break Bone.

“Hahaha, so the hero wishes to protect the innocent? By doing murder against your own?” Break Bone’s kind demeanor all but disappeared. His face was full of mockery. “Tell me, little boy, why is it more just to murder other humans to protect these aliens? In the end, you kill as well.”

“There is a difference between slaying another warrior and slaughtering innocents.” I could feel slight fluctuations of mana from Yue. He is planning something again.

“So you would justify murdering your race with sophistry? Would you kill meat butchers in the old world as well?” Break Bone and his people immediately charge at us. “There is no point in talking with traitors. Kill them all.”

Break Bone, true to his name, covers his entire arm with some type of mana armament. A giant mana gauntlet is as big as a tree trunk. As I met him in close combat, I was immediately knocked away with a backhand. He continues to charge towards Yue.

“Jenny, protect Yue!” I yelled out as my body was still flying back. Jenny sends out multiple shields to stop the player's advance. The rest of his team avoided or jumped over the shields while Break Bone’s gauntlets tore Jenny's shields like paper.

Small mana particles in the air spread out by Echo suddenly could be seen with the naked eye. Someone was enhancing them. Before anyone could react, those extremely tiny balls of mana started to connect like a web, right in front of the players. Only Break Bone managed to stop his forward momentum. The rest of his teams were sliced into pieces as they charged into the mana net.

“Fuck!” Break Bone retreated as soon as he saw what was happening.

“Ug, that's fucking gross, Yue. I told you not to do that.” Mali complaint. I don't know what it feels like to have the mana that is connected to your senses forcibly controlled like that, but Mali looks like she wants to puke every time it happens.

“Holy shit crap, Yue.” Jenny stared at the massacre with wide eyes.

I returned to the group after crashing into some building. Break Bone hides behind the stone barricade as he yells at us.

“You called yourself a hero after using dirty tricks like that? If you are a hero, fight me like a man!” That sore loser is barking a lot.

“I am sorry. I told you to retreat. Bloodshed was unnecessary.” Yue is still calm. This guy is kind of scary sometimes. Break Bone cussing and muttering something to himself behind the barricade. We stood our ground and did not try to advance from this position. Soon after, the rest of his army arrived after hearing the commotions earlier. Break Bone quickly regained his confidence.

“What the fuck?!” Murmurs spread out in the army after seeing the scene of battle.

“What happened, Break Bone?”

“Be quiet!” Break Bone chastises his people before turning back to Yue. “You are powerful, but you can't fight all of these players. Let us into the church and we can finish this mission without more bloodshed.”

The church door suddenly opened, and the Lucian woman from before stepped outside.

“Heroes, our fate is sealed. Please save yourselves and let our lives become the seed for your growth.” She bowed to us. What a valiant woman, she is facing death with pride. These alien people seem to know something about the system.

“.......is that what you people want?” Yue looked at her sadly.

“No, but our doom is inevitable. We wish to become the strength of heroes, rather than food for demons.” She smiled.

Fuck that!

I charged at the army before I could control myself. Emotions burst out like a river. Something inside me roars with indignation. Right, why should we sacrifice innocents? I would rather fight to the death. My visions turned red.

—----------------------

“MIYONG!” Yue’s voice resounded inside my head. My body stopped, and my mind slowly cleared up. My hands are bloodied. Broken human bodies scattered about in front of me. Did I black out? The army is not stepping forward.

“Hey! you fucking genocidal fucks. Come on!” I yelled out. The battle rage is still bubbling inside me. I can see myself charging into the army of players. It seems the most common skills amongst players are some type of weapon-based skill. Swords, fists, arrows, daggers, axes, hammers. All kinds of weapons covered in mana rained down on my body.

Clink, clink, clink

All weapons bounce off my body like they were made of rubber. I could still feel the impact of the weapons.

“What the hell is that?”

“Is she immune to all weapons?” I could hear a few players talking to each other.

I swung my fists and legs wildly. I need to learn some type of martial arts in the future. But my untrained attacks were effective, when someone is hit, they are either blown away or completely disintegrated. I can see mana arrows and fireballs being thrown my way from the corner of my eyes. Fortunately, I have a personal guardian angel. Mana-based attacks simply dissipated in the caster’s hands before they could even launch them. Yue’s eyes are overwhelming.

“What the hell is happening? I can't cast any range skills.” One of the players holding a bow said.

“Some type of skill nullification power?” Another player looked at the fireball in his palm. The ball of fire would dissipate as soon as it was conjured.

My body continues to move by itself, running deeper into the player's army. I don't know how many players I have killed by now. My body is enduring blow after blow from hundreds of weapons. Suddenly I felt pain for the first time since the battle began. My body was blown away. A woman holding a massive hammer stood in front of me.

“That is a good body, but I guess you are not completely immune to physical attacks.” The woman swung her hammer at my head. I could see that the hammer’s momentum was slowed near the end, but it still struck the side of my head.

The world is spinning. My vision is flickering.

“NO!” I can hear Yue’s voice from far away.

The woman with the hammer screamed before she disintegrated. My body shoots towards the barricade. I could feel the mana wrapping around my body, gently but quickly pulling me towards Yue standing far away with his right palm outstretched. The player army did not sit still and continued to shoot various skills at me. I saw so many weapons freeze in the air and shatter, and skills dissipated. Is this all Yue’s doing? He is controlling hundreds of people’s skills this easily? I thought I had caught up to him, but I still have a long way to go.

My visions are fading in and out. Flickering like broken lights. I felt warm arms wrap around my body. Yue's smell. I don't know why I did that. He will scold me after this. I felt really tired.

“Please go back. My companion is injured.” Yue’s voice is cold. Anger. This feeling again. The same as that time with the flying old man.

“What the hell is this kid saying? That monster charged at us and tore dozens of people to shreds. Now you want to play nice?” The player army is very agitated by the deaths of their people. “Give us that girl. She can pay with her body-”

Crimson mists. The army of players turned into crimson mists. I couldn't see what happened, but Yue looked at the scene with cold eyes.

“Go to sleep, Miyong. I will heal you while you sleep.” I felt his kiss on my forehead as I closed my eyes.

“Are you some type of demon?”

Who said that?

—------------------

VIP Room

“Hey, this is fucked right?”

“Is he a god seed?”

“That kid’s combat power is already around level 3.”

“The early stages of the game will become trivialized.”

“We can increase the difficulty.”

“No, that would affect the other crops.”

“Just ban him then.”

“The game masters are already looking into it.”