Chapter 247
[13th Round] Hero’s Guide
“How beautiful,” The Snow Woman’s eyes twinkled. She had no contact with the world outside the small town, so her reaction was only natural.
As she said, Ssosia did have an outstanding, even diabolical appearance.
But that was a matter of taste.
There was great power behind her beauty.
“Don’t let yourself be fooled. She’s an extremely vicious woman.”
I still hadn’t forgotten.
Ssosia used very insidious tactics, even distracting her opponent with her oversized chest, from which even the Holy Sword bounced off. Only then would she attack.
Even now that I had gained confidence that they could no longer distract me due to our nightly sessions, at times, I still got carelessly distracted.
▷ A fair reminder: Don’t let her know that you know her.
Our marriage was notarized by the Demon Lord and the First Spirit in the present era, but we were now in the past.
She and I were strangers.
As the system said, I needed to pretend this was our first meeting, which was annoying.
Wait. Wouldn’t this be a script error?
Why would I save a woman I’d never seen before?
She could be an evil demon sealed for her crimes or perhaps for being too powerful and dangerous.
Of course, I knew she wasn’t dangerous at all.
But in this situation, I had to pretend I didn’t know her.
▷ Explanation: Male heroes can save beautiful ladies, and female heroes can save handsome men for no particular reason. You can also just save her since she’s alive…
I didn’t like this silly scenario.
▷ Error: The reason for your dissatisfaction is not clear.
Did she deserve to be saved just because she was beautiful? She was a vile woman.
Judging someone by their looks was wrong.
Even beautiful girls could be greedy and obstinate.
I realized how important my role was when the system made concessions and made me the chairman of the Emergency Response Committee.
In the future, I would be the role model of new heroes.
My current adventure would serve as a guide and textbook for my junior colleagues, as was the case with “The First Hero.”
I had to take this chance.
I could break and rebuild a failed education system that criticized my personality and gave it a low rating even though there was a reason for all my actions.
The proliferation of flush toilets, the cultural revolution of giants, and the Eastern Continent’s massacre.
Stress? Ha!
Compared to my 1st round, this was nothing.
In the future of Fantasy, flush toilets would be widespread, and clever wizards would be saved from cunning women.
The Southern Continent wouldn’t be affected by global warming, and devious dragons wouldn’t be able to pretend to be human.
There were reasons for all my actions.
And it would all show in the future.
“Listen, you silly mutant harpy. Inner beauty is more important than external appearance for a woman. That demon’s inner beauty is distorted. Her spine is more obscenely curved in the shape of the letter S than normal spines, and her pelvis is so wide it’s almost as if it’s made for nothing but reproduction.”
There were other reasons, too.
Ssosia caused terrible mental and physical pain to the men around her, even if she just breathed in their presence.
Words couldn’t describe how despicable she was!
“Drug Hero, Even if you say so, you still seem to care about my niece.”
“What are you talking about? I just keep her close to me and watch her so I can prevent her from harming other men.”
I sacrificed myself to save half of humanity.
A hero was a profession in which one had to constantly sacrifice themselves for the future, after all.
“You should be more honest with yourself, Drug Hero.”
“Silence!”
How could a lazy, drug-addicted spirit even begin to fathom the depths of my thoughts, the Righteous Hero?
I touched the giant gem.
CRUNCH!
The amethyst, in which Ssosia was sealed, immediately cracked.
I could just call her to my side without destroying it. However, it was a necessary procedure, albeit annoying, because our relationship in this era didn’t exist yet.
The amethyst shattered, and she fell in my direction.
I took a step to the side so as not to collide with her.
“Oh… What happened?”
Awakened by her fall on the destroyed gem’s rubble, she looked around blurrily until she found me.
And her expression changed in an instant.
“Hello, vile demoness I’ve never seen before. I am a righteous hero who’s done nothing but work for years I’ve spent traveling through Fantasy. I am also your benefactor who saved you from your imprisonment.”
“So… This is our first meeting?”
“Exactly.”
“Hohoho! Nice to meet you, fair Hero! I don’t know how I got here, but I am indebted to you for saving me. Fear not, for I can handle myself. Of course, in time, I will repay you in full. For now, however, I must go— huh?!”
“No. You’ll pay me now.”
I gently hugged the demoness around her narrow waist, which made her gracefully bent.
“Drug Hero, it seems you’ve broken her back.”
“It’s not like that at all.”
It was easy to mistake dislocation for fracture.
“Ah, m-my dear husband. I was wrong. Let me make it up to you and get it over with. I am so sorry. Hmm? Dear?”
“We met today for the first time.”
Tsk. She had to get the gist of the situation.
“Hoho! Hero, how can you break the back of a girl you first met?”
“You are accused of having an obscene spine.”
“What?! What do you even mean by that? By what criterion does my spine look obscene?!”
While we were making small talk, all the dragons that lived in this underground nest had fallen with their eyes rolling.
That phenomenon was caused by the enormous amount of Dark Energy that surrounded the Second Demon’s body.
Her peculiarity was that she was “the second in everything.”
That was why she had the second-largest amount of Dark Energy in the world. Moreover, Ssosia, the ownership of which passed into my hands, had a whole soul. She was the original.
Her skill rank was truly overwhelming.
▶ Race: Second Demon
▷ Level: 1
▷ Job: Unemployed (Experience 110%)
▶ Skills: Dark Energy GG, Charisma GG
▶ Status: In possession
There were only two, though.
The rest disappeared over the years or were absorbed in the transfer of ownership, and only her own unique skills remained.
She was the one who had the second-highest amount of Dark Energy and the second most attractive woman in the world.
She also had the second-highest skill rank, GG. She probably surpassed me in sheer combat power.
That was Ssosia’s real strength.
If the script said that she was the second strongest in this world, it would be completely fraudulent. Hence, in order not to make her life easier, it was called a “curse.”
And…
“Hey, vile demoness, resurrect everyone who recently died on this land as demons.”
Regardless of combat strength, our marital relationship was vertical, not horizontal.
I was the first, and she was the second.
Therefore, she couldn’t refuse the “request of her husband.”
“Is the Hero hinting that he wants to breed demons?”
“Demoness, was my gentle hug around your waist not enough? Maybe we should have a duodenal penetration operation with the Holy Sword thrusting into your buttocks.”
It would be beautiful!
“Cowardly threats… Hohoho! I’m just joking. I understand everything you said. A good hero must have a flexible mindset.”
She immediately fell silent, squeezing her buttocks as tightly as possible.
Dark Energy enveloped her body and was released, which then watered the dry ground like rain.
“I was caught in a meteor shower…”
“Why am I alive?”
“My whole body is being overwhelmed by energy!”
“Ah! I came back to life?!”
At first, the people who had been reincarnated as demons were confused, surprised by what had happened, but they were overflowing with a sense of joy.
However, everyone soon noticed it.
“Dear, horns have grown on your forehead!”
“What? Oh! You’re right!”
Finding out that they had become demons, whom they had always considered enemies, they immediately panicked.
Their relatives were also puzzled upon discovering that they had gained horns and wings.
As expected…
“Ah! The evil dragons shouldn’t be forgotten either.”
The only good ones of their kind were the generous ones.
Those who only hoarded treasure and didn’t share them with the heroes didn’t deserve to live.
But I was a compassionate hero.
I decided to give them a second chance.
“Bloooah?!
“Bluoooo…”
Struck by Dark Energy, the blue dragons turned black.
And those that had been killed and returned to nature were reborn as inanimate monsters made of bones.
▷ Race: Skeleton Dragon
▷ Level: 1
▷ Job: Chef (Experience → cooking ↑)
▷ Skills: Breathing Z, Cooking Z, Dark Energy MAX, Magic MAX, Sea MAX…
▷ Status: Addiction, Insane
The dragons killed by my hands couldn’t return to their previous levels, as they had already lost their experience points to me. Still, those who died from the impact of meteorites became more powerful, considering they turned into demons.
With the advent of the “Dark Energy” skill, their lives had become more exciting.
And that wasn’t all.
“Darling, we will be together forever.”
“D-don’t do it!”
“Become a demon who only looks at me.”
“Aaaaaah?!”
They could inject Dark Energy into other people, and their ranks were determined by the amount they had of it.
In other words, their previous social status had lost its meaning.
“Duchess, from now on, you will be my slave.”
“How dare a pathetic servant… order me…”
“Answer as you should!”
“I will be your slave, master!”
“Hahahaha! Yes! That’s it! I’ve been dreaming about this for so long!”
Under the influence of Ssosia’s powerful Dark Energy, Eastern Continent’s Island E quickly fell into chaos.
Betrayals began on all sides and those who possessed a similar amount of Dark Energy engaged in fierce battles.
But I shouldn’t allow this to last long.
“Demoness, tell everyone to shut up.”
“Oh. Please shut up.”
“I feel like you were directing that to me.”
“That’s just your imagination, Hero.”
With a single sentence, Ssosia quickly stopped this mayhem. She then began to distribute Dark Energy, which up to this point was divided randomly.
She endowed people with the amount of Dark Energy that corresponded to their status.
“Duchess, take off your clothes and lie down in front of me.”
“Shut your filthy mouth!”
“What?! How dare you? I am your master… Oh…”
“Go back to your miserable servant life… No, just jump out the window.”
“N-no! Aaaaaaghh!!”
Human casualties increased due to the procedure’s side effects, but Island E’s situation, which was in chaos, soon stabilized.
But I wasn’t done yet.
“Give the order to sell lands cheaply to me, the Hero, who’s fighting for world peace.”
“How can a hero be so shallow?” Ssosia was appalled, which wasn’t part of the demons’ personality.
“Hey! You misunderstand my intentions.”
This was by no means preparation for old age.
This was an investment in my growth as the Hero.
I didn’t need to get stronger anymore. I did this since it would serve as a good guide for newbies starting from scratch.
For as long as they followed my advice, they would become powerful in no time.
“This is more like the guidance of a Demon Lord…”
“You’d better worry about your own destiny, not others’ lives.”
“…”
“I haven’t forgotten that day.”
For years now, I have been calculating compound interest every month.
“I’m glad my stupid father is the Demon Lord, not you. Otherwise, the world would have already come to an end…”
I, the Righteous Hero, left the warm port city, which subsequently became my property, and, grabbing the beautiful demoness by her neck, went to Island S.
One of the Five Great Disasters, Cursed King Malfart of the Eastern Continent.
History had to repeat itself.
▶ Question: Can it still be repeated in this confusing situation?
‘Why, of course, beautiful Trainee Teacher.’
The day when I would reap the fruits of my 65-years-worth of efforts was near.