The Hero Has Returned

Chapter 12 - Hero is born (1)

Under the orange light.

As the Purple Devil suit revealed itself, a sentence popped into my head.

Hero is born(In English).

So a hero has finally been born in this container box.

The sense of awe was brief.

I brushed aside the cobwebs tickling my face and moved forward.

The closer I got to the suit, the more a wave of disappointment washed over me.

"This is..."

A childish design made from a crudely modified Hunter helmet.

On top of that, it was sloppily spray-painted purple.

The full-body suit looked like a pile of rags, with leftover alloy plates patched all over it.

To top it all off, a massive letter 'P' was written on the chest.

'You've got to be kidding me.'

I felt all over the costume.

The cold, hard texture of steel felt vivid in my hands.

"It's shoddier than I expected."

As I voiced my honest thoughts, Kkalkki made a sound like Ugh! as if he were having a heart attack.

"Cap'n. That's a brutal truth bomb you just dropped!"

Kkalkki picked up the purple helmet.

"Don'tcha worry too much. There's a sayin', 'Fai-lyure is the mama of success!'"

He probably means mother.

"You can't get your belly full from the first soju bomb, y'know!"

You can't be full from the first spoonful... Never mind.

"I just threw it together in a hurry for now, so let's find the points for improve-ment as we go!"

Then again, he was right.

To think he made a suit of this quality in such a short period of time was an achievement in itself.

Let's not forget.

This is a prototype.

Its quality will improve after a few upgrades.

"For the next model, please take off this 'P' on the chest. Please."

"Got it, Cap'n!"

Kkalkki, answering vigorously, picked up the helmet.

"Then I'll begin my report! This 'un is made of Burnite material. By rai-sin' the car-bon content in the wyvern's lamellar tissue layer..."

Why did I ask Kkalkki, of all people, to make me a hero suit?

Because he's a close acquaintance?

Because he's a trustworthy person who will keep my secret?

Not a chance.

There was a legitimate reason.

Originally, Kkalkki was a recognized elite back in Nepal.

He had never missed the top spot as a student, and he apparently scored a 151 on an IQ test.

"I worked my fuckin' balls off skimmin' the Burnite without that bastard boss findin' out!"

"......"

Of course, looking at him from the outside...

No. They say there's a thin line between a genius and a fool.

Kkalkki had been offered a full scholarship to Nepal's national university, but he refused it and came to Korea.

It was because, due to his poor background, he needed money right away.

What would have happened if Kkalkki had been born into a wealthy family and gone to a prestigious university?

At the very least, he would be living a better life than he is now.

"Here, here, for the fixed liner part, micro-Burnite goes in..."

"Kkalkki."

I stood up straight and faced him directly.

"You worked hard. Thank you."

Kkalkki revealed his pearly white teeth and grinned.

"Just try it on, Cap'n."

I took the helmet he handed me and put it on.

Unlike its appearance, it was comfortable to wear, cupping my face with a soft cushion.

For reference, Burnite is the same material as the product Seo Gwang-pal had worn.

"Not bad."

"It's pretty good, right? I originally wanted to use Silvernite or Goldnite, but we didn't have any at our factory."

If it starts with 'Burn', it's infused with wyvern scales.

'Silver' and 'Gold' are infused with dragon scales.

Naturally, the dragon-type overwhelmingly surpasses the wyvern-type in terms of performance.

'It's a cheat-level item, except for the fact that it's ridiculously expensive.'

After the helmet, I put on the suit.

Since the exterior was made of steel, a loud clattering sound rang out whenever I moved.

My whole body slumped, pulled down by the effect of gravity.

'This is closer to armor than a suit.'

I rotated my arm in a full circle and muttered.

"It's pretty heavy."

"That's ri-ight. I couldn't use Burnite for the suit. Couldn't be helped."

Kkalkki had made the suit using leftover materials in the factory without the president's knowledge.

Using Burnite for the helmet was fine since it was a small amount, but covering the entire suit with it would have been impossible.

You can only get away with skimming if you do it in moderation.

Kkalkki muttered, crestfallen.

"If only we had at lea-ast some Bronze Knight..."

My thoughts drifted to things I had experienced while working at the factory.

'Come to think of it, won't a new material called Dark Knight be developed in a few years?'

A legendary monster corresponding to the danger level.

Commonly known as the Black Dragon.

The Black Dragon's hide becomes the main ingredient for Dark Knight.

Dark Knight doesn't conduct electricity, doesn't burn in fire, and, depending on how it's processed, dramatically alleviates cold and heat.

In terms of shock absorption, in particular, it was a miracle material that was second to none.

However, the Black Dragon was a species so rare that its appearances throughout all of human history could be counted on one hand.

'All I ever did was see it on the news.'

No, wait a minute.

Something flashed in my mind.

"Kkalkki. If I bring you Silver or Gold grade Knight materials, can you make a suit with them?"

Kkalkki blinked his eyes.

"Yup! Of course!"

It's impossible at the present time, but.

I knew.

A place where I could get dragon leather.

'The problem is how to get in there...'

No matter how much I wielded a hero's power.

I wasn't a proper Hunter yet, so a method didn't immediately come to mind.

For now, let's just do what can be done right away.

"I'll look into it as we go."

"Got it, Cap'n! Just leave anythin' and everythin' to me!"

"Alright, then. Shall we get to it?"

I got fully dressed in the suit and went outside the container.

I tried a light jog around the empty lot and rotated my arms.

"How is it, Cap’n?"

"It's a little uncomfortable. I think it would be easier to breathe with a mask instead of a helmet."

"Got it, Cap'n!"

Kkalkki diligently jotted down my words in a notepad.

"I'll make the next ver-sion way better than this one! I'll make it killer-zee!"

As they say, humans are animals of adaptation.

After walking around the empty lot like an astronaut exploring the moon, I had gotten used to the suit.

"It feels like it fits my body perfectly."

"'Cause I designed it to fit the Cap'n's height, weight, and physical characteris-tics, ya see!”

Even for a prototype, it was ergonomically designed.

I was once again impressed by Kkalkki's skill.

"When's the first sor-tie, Cap'n? Right now?"

I thought for a moment.

I wanted to go out right away, but there was something I had to do first.

"Not tonight."

Kkalkki's eyes shone.

"Then what's our first mission after puttin' on the suit? Are we gonna save people from a subway derail-ment or a sinkin' ship or somethin' like that?"

He's certainly seen a lot of movies, just as you'd expect from a hero enthusiast.

I might do that kind of thing someday, but.

There was nothing like that in my short-term plan.

The first mission.

That is...

"I'm going to steal something."

"Huh?"

Kkalkki's mouth fell open as he craned his neck forward.

"Whaddaya say? Thievery, ya say? What's that supposed to mean, Cap'n!"

I know.

For a sacred hero to commit petty thievery.

It's an act that doesn't fit at all.

But my plan remained unchanged.

To do what I believe is right.

Because that is the creed of the Purple Devil.

"...Cap'n. Are you gonna rob a bank or somethin'?"

"That's right. If I end up in prison, bring me some food from the outside. You'll do that for me, right? Kkalkki."

Kkalkki stared at me intently, then let out a smirk.

"Teasin' me again. Aish! I'm not fallin' for it!"

Ending the lighthearted joke, I patted Kkalkki's shoulder.

"You worked hard. Brahma!"

When I called him by his call name, Kkalkki puffed out his chest as if overcome with emotion.

"Yessir! Cap'n! So now what else do I do?"

"Go home."

"Wha–?"

"I said go home. You must be tired from working all day."

"Tsk... Got it, Cap'n."

Kkalkki, after shooting me a sidelong glance, ran to the back of the container and dragged something out.

What he held in his hand was a bicycle.

"Where'd you get that? Did you buy it?"

"Dunno? It was in the bushes over there so I fixed it up!"

Looking at it, it was an early model electric bicycle from T Company.

It was characterized by its futuristic design and the distinctive whirring sound it made as it ran on its high-speed charge.

"Heh."

Kkalkki got on the bicycle.

The Ilsan industrial complex was littered with abandoned bicycles like that one.

They were things that foreign workers had used for commuting.

"Want one too, Cap'n? There are a fuckin' ton of these in the com-plex. I'm workin' real hard on fixin' up another one right now!"

"Yeah. If you have a spare, give me one."

"Got it, Cap'n! Cya morrow!"

Kkalkki rode off on the electric bicycle, whirring away into the distance.

Left alone, I took a deep breath.

The thing I absolutely had to do before taking my first step as a hero.

It was training.

When you heat a piece of iron in the fire and then hammer it, it becomes hard.

What I needed was that hardness.

There was something I had learned to the bone while fighting the lanky guy.

I still didn't properly understand my hero abilities.

At that time, I was lucky enough to meet the conditions and obtain , which allowed me to win.

And luck is something that only comes to those who put in the effort.

I stretched my hand into the air and activated the blue window.

[[ Hero Skill Shop ]]

1. Super Kid Series.

1)

: 1 million won per use.

2)

: 5 million won per day.

The condition for moving from Super Kid's skill 1) to 2) was simple.

Just use 5 times.

Then, what about the next step?

I scrolled down.

[[ Hero Skill Shop ]]

2. Speeder Series.

1)

: 10 million won within a 1km radius.

: Duration: 1 minute.

2)

: Deducted in proportion to damage.

Speeder, the representative hero of DX Comics.

He was the progenitor of the speedster class of heroes.

'So Speeder comes after Super Kid.'

However, the second hero was, as expected, grayed out.

Clicking it only resulted in a warning sound.

[ Conditions have not been met. ]

To obtain a new character, I had to meet the qualifications.

The mission given by the system was displayed in newly added red text.

Last time, with the lanky guy, the condition was fulfilled when the counter became <5/5>.

In other words.

"Am I supposed to use it a thousand times?"

costs 1 million won per use.

If I use it a thousand times.

"1 billion won."

That was my entire fortune saved from my past life.

'You're telling me to spend all of that in one go?'

My brow furrowed as I continued to think deeply.

There's no way.

To force me to burn 1 billion won just to get the second hero skill.

Isn't that too unreasonable?

'Don't tell me. Is that what it means?'

I lowered my stance, gathered mana in my fist, and punched with all my might.

A sandy wind rose in the empty lot as activated.

Ding.

<1/1,000>

Just as I thought.

My prediction was spot on.

I had used , but because there was no valid hit, no money was withdrawn.

Instead, the condition was fulfilled.

999 more times.

If I do that, I can obtain the Speeder.

The sudden jump from 5 to 1,000 is bewildering, but.

It must mean that the Speeder's abilities are worth that much effort.

"Alright. I'm finishing this tonight."

I took a boxing stance and threw a relentless series of one-twos.

Ding. Ding.

<11/1,000>

<23 /1,000>

<39 /1,000>

How much time had passed?

"Gasp. Haah."

In no time, I was completely winded.

wasn't just about throwing a punch.

It was about gathering an extreme amount of high-quality mana into a single point and attacking.

It was an act that demanded incredible concentration and, at the same time, was physically taxing.

On top of that, wearing the heavy suit made it even more hellish.

'How am I ever going to get to a thousand?'

Sweat poured down like rain, drenching the suit.

'Should I take the suit off?'

I immediately shook my head.

When I sortie wearing the suit, I won't know when or where a battle might break out.

I had to prepare for a real fight through intense training.

"Huff. Huuff!"

And so, one hundred times, two hundred times, three hundred times...

Once I passed five hundred, my stamina dropped sharply, and my movements slowed.

"...Ugh."

My whole body felt like a waterlogged cotton blanket.

I can't even lift my arms anymore.

The desire to just lie down comfortably was overwhelming.

Should I stop here for today and rest?

"......"

In the desolate factory lot where the insects chirped.

I found my solitary self, fighting against myself under the moonlight.

The dripping sweat, the heat, the ragged gasps for air proved my existence.

No one had forced me to complete the thousand repetitions.

The same went for being a hero.

No one had ever demanded that I become a hero.

And that is precisely why.

I could not give up.

This was a promise, an oath, to myself.

I didn't give up, slowly extending my fist.

Each punch took over 30 seconds.

It felt like my entire body was being pierced by an awl.

"Keueuk."

I grit my teeth and endured, and endured again.

All heroes have one thing in common.

They are trampled by villains, sometimes criticized by the public, and sometimes they reach the threshold of death.

But they don't give up, and they get back up.

My favorite hero, Jin Shak, said.

"A person grows only as much as they define themselves."

That's right.

I decided to define myself as a hero.

Not just a simple hero.

A great hero.

That was the thorny path I had to walk.

When 700 times had passed, and then 800.

At some point, I completely forgot to count.

My vision blurred, and my consciousness grew hazy, as if in a dream.

"...Hoo. Hoo-ook."

Far in the distance, the dawn was breaking.

The red glow of the sunrise washed over the desolate factory grounds.

It was at that very moment.

Ding.

[ <1,000/1,000> ]

[ Conditions have been met. ]

Done. One thousand.

The Speeder, which had been gray, turned a vivid black.

As soon as I confirmed it, the strength left my legs, and I collapsed.

The sound of a buzzing bee burrowed into my ear from somewhere.

Just as I was about to let go of my fading consciousness, someone pulled me up.

"Cap’n? Why're you at work so ear-ly?”

Kkalkki, startled, continued speaking.

"No way, did ya pull an all-nighter? Huh? You're completely drench-ed in sweat! What in the world have you been doin'?”

I made a fist and lightly tapped Kkalkki's cheek.

"One thousand and one.”