<Chapter 40. Fake Hero Saga - 1>

[Seems like I've satisfied your curiosity.]

Zenon saw Lee Shin Woo's relieved expression and said, his face brightening slightly.

He couldn't understand even half of what Lee Shin Woo and his party were talking about, but he could at least tell that Lee Shin Woo was happy right now. Since he was happy, Sinea was also happy. Seeing the flow of emotions between them put Zenon in a daze.

"Yeah, mostly. I know what I need to do from now on."

Now that he thought about it, ever since he came to this world, Lee Shin Woo would act depending on the situation and focus entirely on survival.

He'd been swayed by the goddess and the undead; although he'd constructed an independent position for himself through his impeccable acting ability, he couldn't deny that he'd essentially been an actor acting upon another person's stage.

However, he'd gotten his hands on all the information he needed once he came to the surface. Now, he was on even footing with the ones behind the stage. It was time for him to pay them back for all the humiliation he'd experienced.

"Wait a minute. If you going wild and doing as you please is considered 'humiliation', then I can only imagine what you're going to do..."

"Zenon."

Lee Shin Woo had given Rem an order, but Jin didn't know about it, so he looked dumbfounded. Lee Shin Woo ignored him, turned around, and looked at Zenon. Zenon was quietly watching them, or more specifically, Lee Shin Woo and Sinea (who was latching onto him). He then said.

"Thanks for being kind enough to explain all of this to us, even though we came in all of a sudden. If there's anything I can do..."

[No... I'm just happy that I could see a spirit and contractor with such a good relationship. If there's something I want, then it's for you to care for and not discard that lady.]

"Hmm."

Those words were unnecessary. There's no way he'd treat Sinea, who had unlimited affection for him, unkindly. Their relationship wasn't the issue right now, but Zenon himself. Lee Shin Woo asked with a more forceful tone than before.

"You don't want anything else?"

[Mm...]

He could've done as he asked since Zenon had given him such valuable information, but... this and that were separate issues. His instincts as a Joker wouldn't allow Zenon to leave the stage like this.

"There should be something you want, Zenon."

Then, he had to go for it. He would push Zenon in the direction he wanted him to go!

[Don't mock me. I'd rather not bare my fangs at guests.]

"Haha, what a joke. Your fangs are already worn, no?"

Zenon, who'd weakened from lacking a contractor, likely felt vicarious satisfaction from witnessing Sinea and Lee Shin Woo. But was that all? Would the fury from losing one's contractor truly fade into lethargy after several hundred years?

[What did you say?]

"If they weren't, then there's no way that the ones who killed your contractors would be living so peacefully outside."

[...You!]

No way. When one loses a loved one, their anger may pass for a short time, but it would never fade completely. The reason Zenon and the rest of the spirits here were so lethargic was because they didn't have enough wood to feed the fire. Their anger would reignite with just a little more fuel.

"While you guys toiled away in here, unable to either live or die, the humans on the surface have lived peacefully, bore children, and advanced their civilization. Yeah. They live truly shamelessly, the humans who killed the ones you love."

[Enough, Dryad Contractor. Stop with the pointless provocations. By staying here...]

"Do you know? Even now, the Emperor has spread golems all across the Empire and has ordered them to catch and kill any newly born spirits. If you don't believe me, then I can catch one for you and show it to you."

[Shut up!]

Zenon couldn't put up with Lee Shin Woo, who ignored his warning and said whatever he pleased and spewed flames. However, Lee Shin Woo blocked his attack by just drawing the greatsword strapped onto his back.

Although Zenon had lost his contractor, he was still a level 7 spirit. But Lee Shin Woo had blocked it with one simple move!

[Impossible!?]

"I looked through all the memories you've all shown me. They were so clear that it felt like it happened only yesterday. But... do you think the humans who tried to eliminate you remember you? Would you even be able to recognize those they so cruelly trampled upon, be they spirits or their contractors? What do you think?"

[You went too far, Human!]

Then, the Spirits' Spring seethed once more. It wasn't just Zenon. The scattered spirits radiated light and surrounded Lee Shin Woo and his party.

[Don't.]

[Don't say it.]

[Human!]

He wanted to say that they were full of vigor now, but their eyes didn't show such pure energy. Their suppressed hatred and resentment were forcing their bodies to move. Lee Shin Woo looked around, witnessing their encirclement; tens turned into hundreds, and the hundreds into thousands. Then, he laughed fearlessly.

"You're too scared to fight your enemies, yet you bare your fangs at me, someone who's trying to help you. Haha, you're just rats who've escaped a battlefield once before. No matter how many of you gather, you can't beat a tiger."

[I said, shut up!]

Zenon squeezed out every inch of his magic and the other spirits followed suit, focusing all their magic onto Lee Shin Woo. Sinea was ready and quickly formed a wall of wood, but she couldn't stop thousands of spirits all by herself.

[Kyaa!]

"It's alright, Sinea. Thanks."

The wall crumbled instantly, and the concentrated spell, comprised of various elements, annihilated Lee Shin Woo and his party... or so it seemed.

[...He's not dead?]

[He's absorbing our magic.]

[He's not human.]

[How is he...!?]

"Hoo."

Lee Shin Woo stepped forward so that his party would remain unharmed, and drew all the spirits' magic to himself.

First, he activated all of the elemental resistances he'd trained thus far; he could block the majority of the damage with his resistances. Then, he used his level 8 Absorption skill to take care of the rest.

Since Zenon was level 7, despite being weakened, Lee Shin Woo hadn't been able to fully absorb his attack and was forced to use his greatsword to defend himself. But even after receiving thousands of attacks from the spirits, Lee Shin Woo's body... No, even his armor wasn't damaged in the least. Even if they kept attacking him, the result would be the same. He was the worst opponent they could've faced.

"As I thought, you really are too weak. You can't even consider taking revenge if you're this weak. Of course you'd turn tail and run. You’ve hunkered down for dozens of years... Ah, it's actually hundreds of years, isn't it?"

[You bastarrrrrd!]

Lee Shin Woo picked and chose the words that stung most and Zenon, unable to put up with him, attacked physically this time! However, there's no way Lee Shin Woo would lose to a spirit, which had sat rotting for hundreds of years when he possessed such high rank combat skills.

"Ha."

[Kueok!?]

Fundamentally, a spirit's body was quite fast. Moreover, they were in a world created by the spirits! The salamander's charge was both powerful and quick, like lava shooting out of a volcano. However, Lee Shin Woo moved his body with ease and avoided him, as though he knew how he'd attack beforehand.

Immediately after, he raised his greatsword as high as possible. Zenon was left wide open from his charge, so Lee Shin Woo hit his waist and pushed him onto the floor. Lee Shin Woo had completely overpowered Zenon with a simple maneuver.

"Feel better now? Or do you want some more?"

[Keuk...]

"Yeah, you must be really angry. I know."

[What would you know...!]

Once Zenon realized that he was outmatched, his voice became weak. It seemed as though the other spirits were shocked by Lee Shin Woo's overwhelming strength, as they shrank away like Zenon.

How pathetic. He thought of their full-on attack as an injured baby throwing a fit; with that in mind, he was tormented by a (nonexistent) conscience when he thought about doing as he pleased with them. But since he didn't have a conscience, the feeling went away soon after.

"No, I know. You said it yourself. That all the spirits here are from that day. So it's only natural that you still feel the anger you felt that day. I get it. More importantly, your question's odd. You were desperately trying to pass it on so I could understand. Am I wrong?"

[Keuk, Heueuk...]

...Ah, he's starting to cry! He really is a big baby! Lee Shin Woo wondered whether he should press on or console him, but then, the other spirits also began to cry and Lee Shin Woo's heart stiffened.

There was no point in tormenting them any further. If he did, they'd just get more depressed and he wouldn't be able to talk to them anymore. Now was the best time to 'prove' how sincere he was.

"Zenon, neither the Crown Prince nor the magicians trying to kill you are here. You can be honest with me."

[...Even if I am honest, there's nothing I can do. You can't do anything, so what can we do?]

"You're right. You guys are so weak that you can't do anything on your own. I guess you could pop some popcorn and watch the Magic Empire from your corner."

[Then what about you!?]

"However."

It was time.

"I can give you a chance."

To sell some medicine.

[What's a single human going to do?]

"I'm a human who stopped an attack from thousands of spirits. I'm also able to transform into a spirit, and honestly, I haven't been a human for a long time. I showed you plenty, right? Now, if you get it, then let's start over."

Medicine too dangerous for children to ingest.

[...Even if we assume you are that powerful, it's still too much for us. As you said, we weren't able to protect our contractors; we're just losers who only care about our survival. Even though hundreds of years have passed, we're still trapped in that day!]

"But you want to take your revenge, right?"

[Eut.]

Once ingested, they wouldn't be able to go back to how they were; a medicine filled with lies.

"You want to pay them back, right? You want to give those humans, who made you suffer, their just desserts, don't you?"

[...]

"Say it."

[...Yeah.]

Gulp.

He heard the sound of Zenon drinking it.

[I want to take revenge.]

[I want to kill those humans.]

[I want to take revenge for my beloved contractor!]

[I want them to feel what we feel...!]

[I want them to suffer eternally!]

It wasn't just Zenon. He heard the other spirits' weak voices too. At first, they were half-hearted, but they gradually got louder and louder. So much so that the spirits' voices resounded throughout the Spirits' Spring.

[I want to kill them all!]

[I want revenge! On all humans!]

[I hate everyone who stole our happiness away from us and then shamelessly enjoyed the world as their own!]

[I want them to feel all my pain. No, even more than that!]

[Revenge... I want revenge...!]

Mm, what honest and good kids they are. A thin smile appeared on Lee Shin Woo's face. Jin thought 'here he goes again' and sighed, while Sinea couldn't help but feel her heart pounding at the sight of Lee Shin Woo overpowering thousands of spirits.

"Now, tell me again. What do you want, Zenon?"

[I... No, we...]

Lee Shin Woo asked, and this time, Zenon's voice didn't waver.

[We want revenge on the humans that made us suffer!]

"Good. I'll help you. We've established a contract."

Once Lee Shin Woo uttered those words...

The Spirits' Spring began to light up.