Chapter 132: Heroes Are Lonely

Qin Hao, however, knew that this ability, much like Zi Hui’s “Pain Negation,” was a god-tier talent. Once mastered, unless an enemy also possessed Pain Negation, they would be unable to stand against him. Finally, under the immense pressure of his mental power, the god-tier gene fragment of pain manipulation fused into his body. Stimulated by this god-tier gene, Qin Hao’s mental power surged, and his mental tentacles grew even more resilient. He was now just one step away from reaching the limit of Tier 3 mental power.

Qin Hao continued to scan other genes and soon discovered another god-tier gene fragment: the Earth Demon’s god-tier Earth Elemental power. Upon absorbing this force, his wind, fire, water, and earth elemental powers were all elevated to the level of god-tier gene fragments, making the resulting Four-Elephant Chaos power even more formidable. The Thorn Demon and the Treant Demon provided him with wood elemental power, while the Stone Demon granted him the ability to petrify his body, increasing his physical durability. The Bog Demon provided a fusion of water and earth elemental powers. Although these genes were not as exceptional as the god-tier fragments, they compensated for his weaknesses and made his own genetic makeup even more robust.

While Qin Hao was absorbing the blood of these hunted creatures, countless humans across Blue Star were also facing them. On a hillside in the suburbs, dozens of people had gathered, five of whom had become heroes. One of them had even reached the strength of a Tier 3 Evolver. They were facing 80 Tier 2 hunted creatures and 70 Tier 3 ones. When an Earth Demon appeared, its terrifying aura paralyzed the Evolvers on the spot.

“Run! Run for your lives!”
“What kind of monster is this? Why is its aura so strong?”
“Damn it, Nan Yu, you idiot! You risked your life to reach Tier 3 just to play the hero? If you want to be a hero, do it alone, don’t drag us down with you!”
“Split up and run!”
“Get away from me, don't use me as a scapegoat!”

They shouted, fleeing in different directions from the hero named Nan Yu. Nan Yu looked at the others in disbelief. These people had relied on him for survival and had always revered him as their leader. He had done his best to help them, yet he never expected them to betray him at such a critical moment.

Because he had to face the Tier 3 hunted creatures, Nan Yu watched their retreating backs with bloodshot eyes. In truth, with his speed, he could easily outrun them, and in doing so, leave them to die. But remembering the hardships they had endured together, he took a deep breath and changed direction.

“If you betray me today, someone else will betray you tomorrow. No one can remain a Tier 2 Evolver forever. In this world, the strong rule, and the weak are eliminated.” If one refrained from improving out of fear, they would eventually be killed.

As Nan Yu thought this, the hunted creatures were already upon him. He released lightning from his body, activating his cells and instantly boosting his strength. “Thunder Sword Art!” A longsword made entirely of lightning appeared in his hand, and he struck at the Earth Demon. Instantly, the Earth Demon shuddered, its blood evaporated, and it died. The surrounding star-energy crystals scattered, which Nan Yu picked up and stored in his hero system’s inventory.

He ran as he hunted, eventually wiping out all 70 Earth Demons. The ground was littered with their corpses, but the companions who had surrounded him—who should have been worshiping and congratulating him—were all gone. Nan Yu had never felt this way before; he suddenly realized that this was what it meant to be lonely.

“Hah!” Nan Yu sneered. He did not return to his base. He understood now that as a Tier 3 hero, his presence would only bring disaster to others. It was better to walk alone.

...

Meanwhile, in a mountain village, a battle had just ended. A young woman gasped for breath, her skin covered in strange, bark-like textures that were incredibly hard; this was how she had withstood the creatures. Around her lay 20 defeated creatures, all Whip Demons. She was clearly a Tier 2 hero.

“It’s finally over.” She relaxed, dispelling her wooden form. Her skin was covered in horrific whip marks, making it look as though she had been severely abused. These were the traces of the Whip Demons' lashes, but by transforming into a wooden entity, she had significantly reduced the pain, allowing her to survive.

Just then, noisy shouts echoed from below. A group of villagers climbed up; they were fast, and shockingly, all of them were Tier 1 Evolvers. Seeing the woman, their eyes filled with killing intent.

“Village Chief, we found Tang Miao!”
“You monster, you brought all these creatures here!”
“Beat her to death! Once she’s dead, the village will be safe!”
“That’s right, the ‘Hero System’ is just a lie she made up!”

The villagers swarmed her, wielding hoes and planning to kill her. Tang Miao looked at them, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m not a monster, I’m a hero! Why didn’t you say that when I was protecting you? You say the Hero System is fake, but was the star-energy tempering I gave you fake? This village is barren; when were vegetables ever able to grow overnight so you could eat your fill? I asked you to help me complete my mission, and you refused. Now that I’ve left, why are you still hounding me? I’ve worked hard for this village, even if I haven’t achieved much. Have you all lost your consciences?”

“What do you mean ‘left’? If you left, why are you here? I think she’s trying to take revenge on us. Kill her!” A man shouted the loudest. Tang Miao recognized him—he was from the Zhao family, the wealthiest in the village. He had repeatedly pressured Tang Miao to hand over her resources. If not for her unique wood-based ability to absorb the essence of the surrounding forest, she would never have reached Tier 2.

“I bet those monsters were coming for her all along!”
“That’s right, once she’s gone, the monsters won’t come to our village anymore.”
“Kill her!”

Their eyes were bloodshot. Tang Miao thought of the warnings from the Hero System, realizing that from now on, the invading alliance would only open spatial black holes to transport hunted creatures near heroes. She suddenly didn’t know how to argue with these people. She was right; she had become the source of the disaster, and these ignorant villagers were merely trying to protect themselves.

“I won’t come back. Take care of yourselves.”

With those words, Tang Miao produced two vines, grabbed a distant tree, and swung herself forward, fleeing into the distance. The villagers chased after her with machetes and hoes, but they soon found their feet entangled by numerous vines, unable to pursue. They did not know that as Tang Miao left, the crops and vegetables in the village would gradually wither, and they were destined to starve in the mountains.