Episode 71

Heroes were called upon as saviors to deal with calamities.

However, ironically, not all of them acted as intended, and their unique arrogance sometimes led to rampages or deviations that posed threats to humanity as a whole.

These were the fallen heroes, beings that posed a significant danger on their own and were considered necessary to be eliminated from the perspective of humanity.

“Captain! We’ve captured the women loitering nearby!”

“Come here, you women!”

The empire sent a knightly order led by a hero to subdue the bandit group ‘Dark Gaze,’ formed by such fallen heroes, but the result was a crushing defeat.

The dense forest and hills of the Great Forest provided a terrain advantage for defensive battles using traps or guerrilla warfare. Despite this, the knightly order, believing they could manage with just the abilities and fighting spirit of heroes, repeatedly made reckless advances, eventually leading to the brink of annihilation.

“Kuek! These damned traitors…!”

“Khehehe! Boss! This woman seems feisty. It’ll be fun to torment her, right?”

“Now that I think about it, we’ve brought in some tools perfect for tormenting recently. It might be good to use them to tease these women!”

As a result, only a few survivors were dragged to the Dark Gaze’s hideout. Oh Yeon-hwa, the captain who led the knightly order, started to grind her teeth, looking at the leader of the bandits.

Surrounded by her subordinates, she began to grind her teeth at the sight of the arrogant fallen hero, who was looking disdainfully at her bound appearance, sitting with his chin propped on his hand.

“Hey, Hero.”

“What do we do now? There’s no way out since we’ve been brought here…”

While the members who were dragged along with her spewed fear in the background, Oh Yeon-hwa tried to act fine and began to soothe them.

“Don’t worry! If we endure, the empire will surely send a rescue team!”

Although the knightly order was annihilated by the despicable and foolish tricks of these bandits, the one who led them was none other than the hero they so highly praised.

Those who knew her worth could not just leave her alone.

‘Yes, I am a hero. Everyone exalted me as a savior. They’ll surely come to save me once they know I’m alive!’

The key was to survive until that moment.

But it would be difficult for those in front of her to recognize the qualities she possessed as a hero.

They were not humans yearning for salvation, but traitors who chose to abandon morals and norms to conform to this harsh world.

“Khihi! Now that it’s come to this, let’s try the new drug we’ve recently brought in on the hero!”

“Boss, you can look forward to it! Judging by her temper, I think even you will enjoy it this time!”

The bandit, swaggering in front of the seated boss, took out a drug in his hand.

Oh Yeon-hwa’s face, confronted with the ominous-colored liquid in the bottle held in his hand, began to gradually turn pale.

“What… what is that…?”

“Khehehe, curious about what this is!?”

“If you’re curious, I should tell you! It’s a special drug that increases sensitivity by 3000 times!”

“Aphrodisiac… Sensitivity 3000 times?”

“You can’t fathom how great 3000 times is. Even drugs rumored to be effective on the market are diluted before use. Just touching the skin makes that area an erogenous zone!!!”

The bandit, with the sticky liquid in his hand, began to extend his hand to apply it to her skin.

“Khehehe, indeed, can our hero endure this terrifying drug that increases sensitivity 3000 times with a clear mind…?”

“Wait, you got some on your hand. Are you okay?”

“Huh?”

The bandit, with a blank expression due to his comrade’s remark, looked at the aphrodisiac on his hand.

The reaction occurred after about five seconds.

“Ugh♥ My hand has developed a prostate~~!!!”

“Kahahaha~ Did you see!? As you can see, it has an incredible effect!”

“Can our hero really muster the mental strength to endure this?!”

The bandit, clutching his hand, collapsed with an ecstatic expression.

As the swaggering bandit reached out towards her, Oh Yeon-hwa ground her teeth and clenched her fist.

“You can do whatever you want with my body, but remember one thing!”

“No matter what you do… I will never surrender!”

Yes, if she would just endure, she would be able to get out alive.

But the drug used by the bandits was too powerful to endure with just that resolution.

“Ah, ahh, ahh…♥”

The intense heat and dizziness she felt after consuming the powerful drug made her skin itch with every breath, spreading throughout her body.

Oh Yeon-hwa, feeling these sensations, began to desperately touch and twitch her own body.

“My… my body feels weird. P-please stop this♥”

“Hahaha! After all that high and mighty talk, you’ve completely lost it to the drug, haven’t you?”

“Now, what do you want us to do? Say it with your own mouth!”

“Please, please calm this down… make me a mess– ahh~~~♡”

“Kehehe, then we must grant your wish.”

At that moment, feeling her mind getting engulfed in the pleasure arising spontaneously, one of the bandits, laughing maliciously, began to aim an object he held in his hand at her.

A large, thick, and beautifully shaped bat.

“Just right for this wench.”

And then, thwack! Oh Yeon-hwa fell down, struck by the swung bat.

As she quivered on the ground, her face buried in the dirt, the bandits burst into delighted laughter.

“Hahaha! How do you like the taste of a bat with your sensitivity increased by 3000 times!!! Feels like you could die of pleasure, doesn’t it?”

“One hit isn’t enough! Do it more!!”

“Yeah! Let us hear the screams from the pain felt at 3000 times sensitivity!!”

At that moment, sadistic laughter exploded from all around. The fallen hero, now a target on the ground, twitched, but the Dark Gaze’s members showed no sympathy.

They were the followers of a fallen hero, indifferent even to the glory and treasures that came with being a hero.

For these bandits, who had forsaken their humanity without shedding blood or tears, their entertainment was solely violence that satisfied their sadism.

“Wait a minute, is the hero dead?”

“Oops, was the bat too much for 3000 times sensitivity?”

“I thought heroes would be a bit sturdier.”

Even the post-mortem convulsions of the corpse soon subsided.

The merciless gaze of the bandits, having lost interest in the hero, now turned towards the other members, who were watching the situation in terror.

“Khihi, no need to worry! She’s not the only one we can torment!”

“Aaaah! Please, save me! I’ll do anything!”

“Kehehe! Sorry, but we don’t have any interest in women.”

“Let’s take this opportunity to do a drug experiment! We have a drug here that causes kidney stones. Why don’t we try it?”

“Khehehe, that’s great~ Let’s see how it feels to experience kidney stones at 3000 times sensitivity with that woman there!!!”

Aaaaah!

The knightly order members began to be dragged to the torture chamber by the bandits.

Their cries echoed, but even that was not enough to stir the emotions of the leader, who sat indifferently.

“Brother, aren’t you having fun?”

“…Yeah, even this is no longer fun.”

Fallen Hero Yudo-chan.

It had been about a year since he betrayed and left the empire, but he actually felt little satisfaction in his current life.

He could somehow meet his supply needs through looting or the black market, but for a stable life, he had to settle in his base in the Great Forest and fight off those who came.

‘Something or someone interesting to elevate my excitement would be nice.’

Since he couldn’t go out himself, the frustration of not finding the opponent he desired only grew with each passing day.

Then, an incident occurred when this situation was nearing its limit.

“Brother! Brother Yudo-chan!!”

Suddenly, one of the bandits guarding the entrance rushed forward.

As the other members’ attention focused on him, he began to shout towards the leader, gasping for breath.

“Watch out, Brother Yudo-chan!!! A dangerous guy has invaded our hideout!!!”

“Invaded? Who?”

“Hero Hunter Woo Hyo-sung…!!”

Kwaang!!

An explosion of magical power erupted behind the shouting subordinate.

As the bandits were flung in all directions by the force, Yudo-chan, sensing something unusual, began to show interest.

‘If it’s the Hero Hunter… could it be Woo Hyo-sung?’

The newcomer was a young man clad in black armor, holding a valuable-looking spear.

Yudo-chan stood up unconsciously at the sight, but the Hero Hunter’s irritated gaze was fixed not on Yudo-chan but on a corpse lying on the ground.

“Seriously… I told you to scout ahead before entering, and you ended up dying like this.”

It was understandable for a hero to be arrogant, considering the power they possessed, but the opponent was also a hero, and this place was squarely in the enemy’s territory.

If she hadn’t acted alone and moved in groups, she would have been bound to attract attention and be played by their tricks.

“So, you’re the fallen hero, Yudo-chan, right?”

To him, a foolish hero who had overlooked this and ultimately lost her life was nothing more than an irrelevant existence now.

Facing the spear pointed at him, Yudo-chan licked his dry lips and began to smirk.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Yudo-chan. Nice to meet you, Hero Hunter Hyo-sung boy~♥”

Wink.

He winked, showing a liking at first sight.

If it were a woman, it might have been different, but a man dressed like a flashy gigolo made his skin crawl.

“…Damn, what a spectacle from a man.”

He was already accustomed to the fact that heroes who left the empire were usually off their rockers.

As he slung his spear over his shoulder and looked around, the bandits stepped back as if making way for him.

Wasn’t it strange? Despite being alone in their base, they stepped back as if inviting him to try.

“By the way, are you okay on your own?”

“Khehe, I prefer to enjoy tasty things alone~”

It was an odd situation for him, who had even considered wiping out everyone here alone.

Yet Yudo-chan was preparing to gather tremendous magical power in his body, as if readying for a fight.

“What a criminal, thinking of people as something to eat…”

Whatever it was, let him try if he dares.

Kwaang!!!

Raising his spear, ready to counter the attack, he braced himself and raised his guard against the incoming assault.

Along with the spear in his hand, he increased the output of magical power through his armor, embedded with a magic core.

Whoooong!!!

But even with his full-powered guard, a tremor of force penetrated his body.

Barely resisting being pushed to the wall, he grimaced, as Yudo-chan, who had struck him, lifted his fist and began to smile with fervor.

“Do you know, Hyo-sung boy~♂?”

Rumble, rumble.

The sheer power of his magical force surged just by standing there.

Feeling his excitement grow and enhance his physical abilities, Yudo-chan confidently stepped toward the hunter who had come to capture him.

“It’s said that victims of rape resist their attackers with three times their usual strength. But do you know why rape still doesn’t cease in this world?”

Fallen Hero Yudo-chan.

His ability, Emotional Resonance, amplified his physical abilities based on the level of his exhilaration.

The increase in capacity due to this could reach up to sevenfold.

“That’s because a rapist exerts seven times their usual strength when assaulting their prey.”

Considering that even a slight difference in weight class could widen the gap in overall physical ability by several times, a sevenfold increase in power could be tremendously efficient, depending on how it was used.

And the object of Yudo-chan’s exhilaration was encountering a ‘man’ of his preference.

“Oh wow~ Hyo-sung boy♂. Facing you, I feel like seven times the power is surging in me♥ Are you ready to spend a happy time with me now? Huh?”

Tak, tak.

With each step powered by excessive force, Yudo-chan closed the distance.

The Hero Hunter, facing him quietly took out a jewel from his possession and brought it to his mouth.

“…Ga-ram.”

A communication stone purchased for a hefty price.

It was prepared for communication with another hero who was waiting outside for his command to control the situation.

“Crush everything here.”

-Yes, brother.

The command ended with that.

BOOOOM!

Following that, the shock from outside caused the entire hideout to shudder.

“What?! What?! Why is there suddenly an earthquake…?”

“It’s not an earthquake! Someone outside is throwing huge rocks at the cave!!”

Huge rocks, weighing tens of tons, scattered in the middle of the forest.

Ignoring even the traps, they flew in a parabola, striking the hill with such force that the bandits inside were left terror-stricken and helpless.

For Yudo-chan, who could exhibit superhuman strength when excited, this level of disturbance was nothing unusual.

“Ho ho, what on earth is our Hyo-sung boy~♥ up to this time…?!!”

Pwak!

A dagger swung at Yudo-chan’s skin as he tried to regain his posture.

Feeling his body stiffen at the cut, Yudo-chan quickly turned to look at the Hero Hunter who had passed him.

As if to show that this commotion was created just for this moment, the man relaxed his body.

“You need to sleep a bit.”

“Eh, eek!”

The object in his hand was a special magical tool that secreted a powerful paralyzing poison in response to magic.

No matter how much he amplified his powers to seven times his usual strength due to his exhilaration, he couldn’t withstand the strong, paralyzing poison that had seeped into his skin.

“…To think I have to capture these guys alive to get the full bounty. Making a living is tough.”

Of course, the empire’s policy wasn’t something he particularly liked.

Having grabbed the nape of the subdued wanted criminal inside the collapsing cave, he grumbled as he began to head towards the cave’s exit.

It had been about three months since he started capturing fallen heroes.

By now, it had become quite a familiar task.