From Today, I'm a Player

Chapter 48: Heracles Pt. 9

During an era where science flourished and democracy blossomed, the world had fallen into chaos due to the sudden appearance of the gates and Hunters.

However, as the number of Hunters gradually increased, they became stronger. With the advent of the overwhelmingly strong First Hunters, barring the initial massacres, the world found itself restored to stability through the work of organizations hidden within the shadows.

As they found stability, they began to dig into the unknown, the origin of gates, the history of monsters, and even the existence of the Sponsors. As the Hunters were researching various new discoveries, an unusual creature called the ogre mage caught everyone’s attention.

‘We have discovered a new unique species called the ogre mage.’

It was a specific monster that would only appear at the gate called the Ogre Village. Research began on the monster that had strength that far outpaced any boss in its vicinity despite not being a boss. With the help of numerous Heroes, they finally were able to learn how the ogre mage was born.

A red ore had been found within the habitat of the ogre mage.

‘This will raise the Hunters to the next level!'

People thought that the red ore would be effective for Hunters as well, creating a unique strength similar to that of the ogre mage. Striving for this new avenue of strength, the research went on, and eventually, several secret organizations started experimenting on living creatures.

‘Let’s start a clinical trial.’

First, they conducted their trials on monsters and animals, and the results were shocking. Animals would transform into monsters, and monsters would grow stronger as if they had undergone a phase change. However, there was a striking problem.

‘They are completely uncontrollable.’

They had become so ferocious that further experiments had become impossible. However, they eventually succeeded in stabilizing them after lots of work done by the fanatic magic researchers and Hunters.

‘Only the human trials remain.’

Thus, the clinical trial involving Hunters began. Until this point, the red ore had been named Liberation. The name was meant to signify its ability to release more power and allow one to grow one step further. However, that quickly changed after the clinical trials had been conducted on the Hunters, and all of the magic researchers had disappeared.

The red ore became more regulated than illegal drugs and disappeared into history's annals. That was where it received its final name.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Madness.

It was a forbidden ore that awakened and amplified all of the Hunter’s potential in an instant, but would eventually result in death, all the while driving the user into madness. Just like Demetrios’ red, bloodshot eyes, the Hunters who had been injected with the red ore also had red eyes.

Just like the magic researchers had wanted, the injected Hunters had gained the ability to temporarily access their powers that had grown by an entire level–no, even more than that.

And, as soon as they obtained that power, they turned against the researchers.

Furthermore, they started to go crazy, evolving into a disaster as it had even affected a Hero-Rank Hunter. The Hunter had possessed tremendous power, but had been engulfed in madness and began to destroy everything in sight. A whopping total of a hundred and fifty Hunters had been needed to kill him.

"Whew…"

Demetrios's rising mana formed a level of suppression over the boss zone.

– Growl!

Even the Catalyon retreated for a moment at the ferocious mana.

"No! What have you done!"

And George, who was covered in the blood of the defeated lions, arrived screaming.

"If you get close to him right now, you will die,” Lee Jun-Kyeong interjected.

"Then, despite knowing that…!"

He glared angrily at Lee Jun-Kyeong while continuing towards Demetrios. What had happened in the distant future was occurring now. Demetrios had fallen into madness, and his closest friend and colleague, whom he would go together with to hunt monsters, George, Odysseus, would be killed by his hands.

Lee Jun-Kyeong suddenly spoke up, "There is a way."

"What…?" George replied, astonished and outraged that Lee Jun-Kyeong had known about Demetrios's madness and confused as to what the other man had done to force the giant into a state of extreme madness like never before.

Lee Jun-Kyeong insisted, “I’m telling you, there is a way! Come over to this side!”

George was suspicious. To think that he would be yelled at in that manner. But, seeing Lee Jun-Kyeong’s completely serious gaze, he paused. Moreover, he understood the crux of the problem.

‘There’s nothing that I can do.’

It seemed as though the encroachment of madness had already begun. The explosive mana emanating from Demetrios was overwhelming everyone.

"Mr. Jeong!"

In response, Jeong In-Chang raised his greatsword, settled into a stance, and shouted, "Ha-a-ap!"

For a moment, his body flashed like a metallic light, and George approached Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Meanwhile, Jeong In-Chang grunted, "D… Damn it…"

As George had approached completely without hostility, Lee Jun-Kyeong left him to walk up to a place slightly further away.

George snapped, "So what is the method, you crazy bastard? There’s no way someone would do this if they weren’t insane.."

"…"

"He’s going to kill us all."

George had only seen Demetrios engulfed in madness once. It was the day that he had earned his title. Although he had been able to save everyone due to that madness, something about him had fundamentally changed.

"Shut up,” Lee Jun-Kyeong eventually said to George, who was rambling on loudly.

"…So then, what is the method?” George asked again.

Lee Jun-Kyeong bluntly responded, “Stall him.”

George gave him a confused look. “...?"

Lee Jun-Keyong clarified, "Stall him with your life on the line.”

"W… what…"

He thought that Lee Jun-Kyeong had a great solution because the other man had purposefully driven Demetrios into that state, but to think all he said was to stall him. He thought to himself, ‘What kind of basic bullshit was that?’

"Five minutes."

However, Lee Jun-Kyeong continued in a low and serious tone as he crouched into an offensive stance, “We just have to hold on for five minutes.”

"On what grounds are you saying that sh..." George sputtered.

Odysseus believed that Lee Jun-Kyeong must have thought that Demetrios’ madness would be over in five minutes. However, that was utterly wrong. The madness would last at least three days, and the longest had been over a week.

At that time, he had been forced to undertake countless dangerous missions as atonement for blood shed.

Lee Jun-Kyeong suddenly said informally, "If you can’t stall him, then just die.”

Then, Demetrios…

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

…whose eyes were completely red, burst forward toward them as if he had been shot out of a cannon. He moved at an incredible pace, similar to how fast Muspel’s Spear had flown when Lee Jun-Kyeong had thrown it like a javelin earlier.

Colliding with Demetrios would end up in the death of the other party.

Stomp.

Lee Jun-Kyeong stomped on the ground and turned his body as if he was gliding. Demetrios was rushing in at incredible speed, so he couldn’t adjust his trajectory in time.

Bang!

– Roar!!!

In the end, he collided with Catalyon, who Jeong In-Chang had lured over.

"We also have Catalyon on our side. So, do you think you can hold out for five minutes?" Lee Jun-Kyeong asked casually.

"…"

In the end, George had no choice but to nod begrudgingly.

‘We can do it if it’s five minutes.’

The red ore Lee Jun-Kyeong had used on Demetrios was pretty much a prototype that hadn’t undergone refinement or stabilization. Although it granted much greater power than the stabilized Madness, it also had a much shorter duration. Furthermore, when the effects wore off…

‘We’d win.’

…Demetrios would faint from exhaustion.

They just needed to hold on for five minutes, and that was it.

***

"What is that?" asked the Hunters of Nile who had dealt with the Catalyon lions. They, and the other Hunters, trembled from the ripple of mana they had just felt. They had previously been suppressed by demonic mana due to the phase change of Catalyon, but that was nothing compared to this new wave of oppression.

"This..."

It was neither the gate nor the gate boss that was emitting the overwhelming mana. There was only one Hunter who had this level of power.

Someone muttered, "Heracles…"

Everyone stopped and looked at him as they had long since beaten back the other Catalyon. Heracles had red eyes and was the source of the new mana.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

He had destroyed the battlefield. The earth cracked and the mountains shook every time he punched.

– Roar!

Catalyon cried out.

What was even more absurd was that there was someone completely unexpected standing with the Underdog’s team.

One of the watching Hunters asked, "Is…Odysseus fighting Heracles right now?"

George was with them. He was a close friend of Heracles and a worthy companion. In addition, he was also a member of Olympus, but he was wielding a gladius against Heracles. They all wondered what had happened during their brief battle with the Catalyon lions.

“That’s insane. He’s seriously a monster, isn’t he?” the other Hunters said about Heracles.

It was an overwhelming suppression that definitely could be called a monster. Previously, the word monster was an appropriate description for him, but now, he seemed to have entirely left the human species.

Then, they came to a consensus.

“I’m going to leave now. What observation or whatever? It looks like we’re going to die here.”

The spectating Hunters began to leave the battlefield. While the Heracles’ current state was more than enough to wet their curiosity, they had judged the situation to be completely unreasonable. ‘He’s not making any distinction between his enemies and friends.’

Heracles’ current strength and level of destruction was terrifying. Therefore, there was nowhere they could stay that would be safe. Whether it was the gigantic monster, Catalyon, or Heracles, who didn’t lose out to it at all, they would destroy the entire surrounding area. They were worried that they would have to fight another unwanted battle, and it would be one that had a level of danger incomparable to that of dealing with the Catalyon lions.

Judging from the level of mana that was being emitted from the boss zone, they needed to leave.

"I don't refuse to die this sort of dog’s death."

"Damn. What the hell is wrong with the Battle of Champions this time around?"

With the fear of death looming above them, they began to leave the battlefield one by one. All that remained was the two Nile Hunters.

Numek asked, "What do you want to do, Inebu?"

Inebu looked around the battlefield as if he was terrified of something.

"Inebu!" Numek shouted.

Inebu mumbled, "The red gem…"

"What?"

Inebu had previously seen such a phenomenon before in Heliopolis, which was a place famous for its magic research even within the Nile. There was one experiment they had conducted in secret. It came from a member of the Nile, an overwhelming Hunter, and a hero who was their leader.

A red gem that Sett had brought.

'It was said that you can gain tremendous power in a short period of time if you use it.'

However, there was a chilling side effect. The person who used the gem would end up marked with red eyes and lose their temper and run until they died. This experiment was conducted in secret, even within Heliopolis, and the contents of the experiment matched exactly what Inebu was seeing now.

And eventually.

Inebu said grimly, "We’ll be getting involved."

Numek asked, bewildered, "What?"

Inebu continued chillingly, "If things keep developing this way, everyone will die horribly."

"Isn't there any reason we have to care about that too?"

"…"

Numek now sounded bewildered. Earlier, she had asked offhandedly as she knew Inebu had an unusual personality, but to think he would say they would have to get involved.

She cursed, "Damn it."

To think he would say they would have to throw themselves into that insanity.

But, she then grinned.

"This is why I can’t help but to like you."

Numek jumped into the battle first, forming a wave from the moisture in the forest. She leapt on top of it and rushed into the battlefield. Inebu entered alongside her with a red halberd. Things were developing in a direction no one had expected.

***

Boom!

A red light flickered. Heracles’ eyes were enveloped in madness, and they left behind traces every time he exploded forward, creating afterimages.

– Growl…

Catalyon had been a great ally. It was a boss monster, but it was dying after it had absurdly fought alongside them as an ally. Heracles was possessed by madness and had taken it down alone. However, it was by no means the only thing that Heracles had beaten down.

"Ugh…"

Off to the side, Jeong In-Chang’s front was stained with red blood, and all of it was blood that he had vomited himself. Although the greatsword was holding up well against the attacks of Heracles as it was strengthened by the dragon’s bloodstone embedded within it, it was inevitable that the shockwaves would carry over, shaking his insides.

He drank potions whenever he had time, but not even Hyeon-Mu was in a position to help either.

Puheot!

Hyeon-Mu was doing its best to slow Heracles' movement by shooting water whenever it was necessary.

And…

“Get yourself together!”

Clang!

It was an unbelievable commotion that was caused by the clash of Heracles’ fist and Oddyseus’ gladius. Unfortunately, the weapon was beginning to crack after a few blows.

"Grrrr."

Without even recognizing his comrade, Heracles swung his fists harder than steel. Although he was engulfed in madness, he was using his skills instinctively.

"Roar of the Savage Beast!"

Mana dyed red, shot in a straight line.

Clang!

The mana that traveled at an unavoidable speed slammed into the round shield that Lee Jun-Kyeong raised, and he had no choice but to drop it.

"Keughk!"

It fell to the ground, seemingly unusable after shattering.

“How much longer till five minutes?” George shouted.

Lee Jun-Kyeong couldn't answer easily.

‘The limit of an unprocessed red ore is five minutes.’

This fact was revealed as the initial experiments proceeded. After five minutes, a Hunter would fall into a sense of weakness and lose all of their powers. However…

"Aaaaaah!"

That crazy monster was getting stronger without end. Five minutes hadn't passed yet, but it didn't look like he would collapse even after five minutes had passed.

'Just a little bit more.'

But, even he would not be able to escape the aftereffects of Madness. Soon, he would fall. All they had to do was wait for him to destroy himself.

"Flooding River!"

At that time, a strong tsunami that was out of place on a mountain appeared...

Clang!

…and a halberd that drew a red trajectory fell upon the battlefield. Heracles had created an opening with the use of the Roar of the Savage Beast, so he was stopped for a moment.

“We will help too!”

The remaining Hunters belonging to the Nile entered the fray. Chaos erupted. There was no time to say thanks or even spare a glance towards those who had suddenly barged in. They were simply grateful for the help as it would help them last just a bit longer.

'Damn it.'

They could hold out. Just a little bit more. If they had just a little more power, they had the confidence to beat him. Then, the veins in his right hand began to twitch. It was the same hand that held his spear.

Clench.

Alongside a disgusting wiggling of his veins...

Thump.

…he felt a heartbeat that made him momentarily dizzy.

[The blood stored in the dragon’s bloodstone has begun the reversal process.]

The side effects had started.