The Hero's Power
"Your steps look pretty light there."
"With you by my side, Senior, I'm not afraid at all!"
Leo flashed a joyful smile as he headed off with Sung-tae to vanquish the demon king. The boy's strides were full of confidence now, his fears long shaken off at the thought of fighting alongside his reliable senior. Sung-tae watched him with a fond grin. He thinks I'm too soft on kids, he mused to himself.
As they trekked through the forest, Garba sidled up to Sung-tae and whispered telepathically.
'My lord. Are you really taking him with us?'
'Nah. I told Crassus to whip up a fake demon king castle. That's where we're headed.'
'I see. But... why help the hero? My dull mind can't quite grasp it.'
Sung-tae couldn't exactly say, 'Because the kid's cute.' Instead, he offered another reason.
'I want to gauge the hero's power. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you'll win a hundred battles. He seems nice and pure... but someday, a strong, annoying hero might come charging in. Better to scout ahead.'
'As expected of my lord! Such profound strategy!'
Garba didn't know the exact meaning of "know your enemy and know yourself," but she was awed by Sung-tae's plan to probe the hero's strength in advance. No one had ever thought to study heroes before—they either avoided them or braced for a head-on clash. Who would dare investigate a hero? It was suicidal; instant death awaited anyone who tried. And even if the idea crossed a demon king's mind, their massive pride would keep them from it—they'd rather die fighting fair and square.
'Truly, my lord. Using a dimwit like Crassus to gather intel on heroes... brilliant.'
"So, was that all the power you showed back at the guild?"
"Was I too strong? I held back as much as I could, just in case I hurt someone..."
"You held back, huh."
So that wasn't even his full strength. Just how powerful are heroes, anyway? Sung-tae was dying to find out, but he'd see for himself once they reached the fake castle. For now, he asked something else.
"How long have you been a hero?"
"Barely a month. On my fourteenth birthday, the gods granted me this power to defeat the demon king."
"Hmm. A month... and only fourteen..."
A country boy had grown stronger than Garba in just one month. At fourteen years old, no less. Totally broken.
Curious, Sung-tae voiced a hunch he'd been mulling over.
"Ever heard of Earth?"
"Earth? What's that?"
"Sigh. Never mind. Good if you haven't."
Sung-tae let out a cautious breath of relief. He'd wondered if the hero's power came from being an Earthling like him, but thankfully, that wasn't the case. If it were, he'd have to strip off his armor and go all-out the moment they met.
"There it is. You can see it now... right?"
"This is Ignis's territory..."
They emerged from the forest into the domain, but the landscape was nothing like the rumors. No lava fields—just a frozen Antarctic wasteland.
"I heard Ignis was the Demon King of Flames... Guess I got bad info."
"Rumors are rarely spot-on anyway."
Crassus, you did good work.
It had been less than half a day since the order, and he'd already turned it into an ice zone. The contract was holding strong—Sung-tae puffed up with pride. All that was left was for monsters to spawn, so he could watch Leo in action.
The moment they set foot in the icy world, glaciers erupted like they'd been waiting, unleashing monsters.
[Grrruk!]
A grotesque grinding of rising ice. Towering bodies of thousands of tons, moving with blinding speed despite their size. Ice golems—special ones infused with demon king mana—charged at Sung-tae's group.
"M-Monsters!"
"Stay calm, draw your sword, and fight! With your power, these are no problem."
"Got it, Senior!"
Leo drew his blade and rushed in, emboldened by his senior's presence. But his trusted senior just crossed his arms and watched.
"S-Senior? Aren't you fighting too...?"
"Told you, you can handle these alone. Demon kings are tough. Gotta conserve strength."
"Right. Understood!"
Leo's sword carved arcs through the air. Ice bodies shattered into hexagons and crumbled.
Too weak to gauge his power?
But the fragments reformed into an even larger golem.
"Uwaaa... it's huge..."
"Don't freak out! If it regenerates, smash it so hard it can't! Hit it with everything—make sure it never comes back! Got it?"
"Yes! Got it!"
Leo glared at the ice golem, eyes flashing with a cold, cruel ferocity no fourteen-year-old should have. An unknown power seized him. Radiant light burst from his body as he soared skyward.
For a split second, Sung-tae doubted his ears. Leo's voice had turned chilling.
[SMASH!]
Dazzling light engulfed the ice golem. Its regenerating body disintegrated to dust, then vanished entirely. Total annihilation.
"Huff... huff..."
Leo landed, panting hard. He hated losing control with that power, but it had worked. Grateful for Sung-tae's advice, he smiled at him.
"Thanks, Senior. I took them down."
"Not over yet. See that? The demon king castle."
"Yeah. I see it."
An ice palace loomed in the distance. Leo's eyes darkened with feral rage.
"Demon king... I'll kill you..."
Do all heroes flip like this?God's blessing or curse? Split personality much? Side effect of the power?
Sung-tae decided to observe more, arms still crossed as he watched Leo fight on. Luckily, monsters swarmed the path like ants.
"Hyaap!"
"Light!"
"Die!"
"I'll end you!"
"Rip you apart!"
"..."
As they neared the palace, Leo's words grew savage. And it wasn't just that.
"Garba, you see that too?"
"See what, my lord?"
"That thing by Leo."
"I'm not sure what you mean."
Sung-tae eyed Leo wiping monster blood from his blade. Black mist seeped from the boy's shoulder—visible only to him, an eerie aura Garba couldn't see.
What the hell? Part of the hero's power?
It felt ominous, not heroic. He'd learn soon enough. Crassus would be stronger; observe during that fight.
"Here we are... the demon king castle."
Leo wiped blood from his face and gazed up at the towering ice palace, voice thick with emotion.
"Yeah. Made it quick."
Too quick.
Two hours to reach it. Forty-three monster encounters. Endless waves, all reduced to dust in one hit. Leo wasn't even winded anymore—adapting fast.
"Getting used to the power?"
"Huh? What'd you say, Senior?"
"Nothing."
And it's grown.
The black aura had swelled, now big enough to swallow him. Demonic shapes flickered within.
What is this thing?
"Ah! S-Senior?"
Could he brush it off? Sung-tae scooped Leo up, patted his shoulders.
"S-Senior..."
It disperses... but reforms. Not physical, then.
"S-Senior!"
"Sorry. How old are you again? Forgot."
"F-Fourteen..."
"Too light for fourteen. A man's gotta have some meat on him."
Leo's face flushed crimson—anger? Embarrassment? Ambiguous.
"I-I know! I'm a boy too! I'll grow all at once later!"
Didn't expect that outburst. A complex? Sung-tae felt bad. Still eyeing the fading mist, he led Leo into the palace.
Hundreds of monsters poured out.
Nice prep, Crassus. Not bad.
"Don't get tripped up! AoE time—wipe 'em all!"
"Got it!"
More monsters than before combined. Leo powered up.
"Light!"
Ooh...
A pillar of light erupted from Leo, spreading across the icy domain. Not ordinary—Crassus's mana eroded, reverting to normal. It erased demon king magic.
Strong.
Monsters vaporized to dust. The palace melted like ice in the sun. It spared allies—good targeting.
Wait—what's that?
Observing closely, Sung-tae spotted it: Dust from the annihilated foes sucked toward Leo—into the black mist. The demon shape sharpened. Now it was a full-on evil spirit.
Ghost?
The spirit grinned smugly at Leo, who beamed innocently. It even spoke, aware.
[More... more... power...]
Vampire? Nah, that's blood. Mutant that sucks power? Possession parasite?
"Wait—destroying the whole palace means..."
He'd forgotten Crassus. Valuable pawn—can't let him die.
Sung-tae scanned around.
"No. The demon king's alive. I can feel his aura everywhere..."
The spirit sank into Leo. His red eyes dulled to rotten blood. Lifeless, puppet-like.
"There... Demon king..."
"Huh?"
Leo's blade pointed at Sung-tae.
"Leo?"
"So the demon king lives."
Sung-tae backed away from Leo's murderous glare. Not scared of the power—just protecting his gear.
That thing shreds Black Oriharcon. If she hits me...
Unthinkable. One-of-a-kind armor, made only by the late Ignis. Life was hard enough without it.
"Be good? I'm not the demon king—lower the sword..."
"Die, demon king!"
A massive ice dragon burst from the ground behind Sung-tae. Skeletal, transparent, refracting light dazzlingly. It reared to breathe—but Leo struck first, shoving it back.
Not me, then.
"Demon king! Your power... is mine."
No longer the Leo he knew. Ink-black evil radiated from the boy. Even his shining hero light felt no different from the spirit's aura.
Hero? Looks more like a demon king.
Was Leo special, or were all heroes like this? Truth unknown, Sung-tae retreated from the fray.
"Not me—hit him!"
Crassus blasted frost at Sung-tae. Time-freezing breath—but Leo's sword cleaved it, charging Crassus.
"Your opponent is me. Kuhahaha!!!"
The boy's angelic voice was gone, replaced by a gravelly man's growl.
"I'll absorb your power!"
The battle began. Frost spikes impaled Leo—but melted on contact like snow on a stove. Leo swung his massive sword freely, carving Crassus with each arc.
But demon kings endured. Crassus regenerated, unlike lesser foes. Still, he fell back—distracted by Sung-tae. Focusing now, he unleashed mana skyward.
Clouds and sunlight froze. Time-stopped sky plummeted.
Sung-tae cursed instinctively.
"Crazy..."
Moisture formed massive glaciers, growing as they absorbed clouds—endless expansion.
"Worthy of a demon king! Kuhahaha!!!"
Leo laughed heartily in his gruff voice.
"Is that the full sum of your mana? Time to end this."
End this?
Leo's body slumped. The spirit emerged, devouring the sky. Darkness fell—then lifted. Glaciers gone.
[Your power—mine now. Give me the rest too.]
The spirit vortex pierced Crassus, binding his writhing body in darkness and forcing into his maw.
[No use resisting. Be good food.]
The ice dragon melted into a puddle.
"What the hell was that."
Crassus, drained dry, reduced to water. The contract let Sung-tae know he lived—but without a body, how long?
"Killing him's a waste."
Sung-tae stepped forward from the sidelines.
"Kuhahaha!!!"
"...Gotta deal with Leo first."