Hero Hack: Reversing Heroes and Raising Harem-Chapter 102: Reality Check

Zain walked through the hall, making his way to the receptionist.

A tall humanoid robot assistant turned toward him.

"Welcome, Hero."

"State your purpose."

Zain smirked and set the cloth-wrapped sack down in front of the bot.

"I’m here to finish my hunting mission."

"A-Rank advancement trial. Name’s Heavenly Demon."

The robot’s optics scanned the sack briefly before turning back to him.

"Target: Karven. A-Rank rogue villain."

"Identity confirmed. Status: deceased."

Zain crossed his arms.

"Glad we agree."

The robot nodded.

"A-Rank qualification trial success."

"Please proceed to the advancement verification room. That way."

It raised a hand, pointing to a corridor to the left.

Zain nodded, lips curling into a grin.

He adjusted the strap over his shoulder.

Karven’s head still packed away.

He then walked down the hall, opening the door.

Inside the room, Blazren was already waiting for him.

Blazren raised his brow as Zain stepped in.

"So, you’re the one who finished the hunting mission, huh?"

Zain tossed the sack onto the table in front of him with a grin.

"Of course."

Blazren opened the cloth, revealing the preserved head of Karven.

His expression didn’t show surprise.

But there was the faintest smirk of approval.

"Didn’t think you’d pull it off," he said.

"Karven was a nasty one. But you got it done."

He pulled a handheld scanner from a drawer.

He then motioned to Zain’s hand.

"Give me your wrist."

Zain extended it without hesitation.

The scanner flashed over his ID tattoo.

Beep.

"Alright," Blazren said, tapping the screen.

"It’s official. Your data’s been updated."

He leaned back in his chair.

"You’re now an A-Rank hero. Codename: Heavenly Demon."

Zain stretched his neck.

"Feels good."

Then he smirked.

"So what’s next?"

"What do I gotta do to hit AA-Rank?"

Blazren raised a brow, then chuckled.

"Not so fast."

Zain frowned. "What? Why not?"

Blazren stood up, folding his arms.

"Because AA-Rank isn’t like anything below it."

Zain narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Blazren walked to a side terminal and pulled up a hologram.

"First off," he said.

"To even be considered for AA-Rank, all your base stats."

"Strength, Vitality, Agility, Intelligence."

"All of them need to be tested and confirmed at the AA-level minimum."

"Not just temporarily boosted. Fully verified."

Zain’s frown deepened.

"I already fight at that level."

Blazren nodded.

"Maybe. But we don’t take your word for it."

He gestured to the screen again.

"And that’s not all."

Zain raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

Blazren grinned.

"You also need at least five Mid-Tier abilities."

"Registered, stable, and usable in high-level missions."

Zain blinked. "Five?"

Blazren nodded. "Yep."

"That’s the benchmark."

"A-Rank heroes fight monsters and villains."

"But AA-Rank heroes command the battlefield."

"You want in, you play by the big league rules."

Zain rubbed his chin.

"Stats I can handle. But five Mid-Tiers..."

He looked down at his hand.

"...I’ve got work to do."

Blazren smirked.

"You just got here, Heavenly Demon."

"Don’t be in such a rush to leave the A-rank playground."

Zain grinned back.

"Playground or not," he said.

"I don’t plan on staying long."

Blazren laughed.

"Good luck then. You’re gonna need it."

---

The door to the hotel suite slid open..

Zain stepped inside, brushing dust from his coat.

The scent of coffee and citrus-scented candles filled the space.

"Welcome back," came Savra’s voice from the corner sofa.

She was sprawled casually in her lounge attire.

She was sipping some tea from a tall glass. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

She was flipping through a holographic report.

Beside her, sitting cross-legged on the couch, was Zelia.

She perked up immediately the moment she saw him.

"Zain!" She stood.

"You’re back!"

Savra raised a brow and smiled faintly.

"So? How’d it go?"

Zain smirked as he showed his tattoo to them.

Savra narrowed her eyes. "Wait..."

Zain grinned even more.

"I’m officially an A-Rank hero now."

Savra actually sat up a little straighter.

"Already?"

Zelia blinked in shock, rushing toward him.

"Wait—what?! You’re not kidding?!"

Zain stretched, cracking his shoulders.

"Nope. Done and stamped."

Savra stared at him for a beat, her glass halfway raised.

"You really hunted down an A-Rank villain that fast?"

Zain gave her a smug grin.

"Didn’t just hunt him down. Brought back his head."

Zelia’s jaw dropped.

"Zain! That’s... that’s amazing!"

She launched forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"You’re really something else!"

"You weren’t even B-Rank for that long!"

Zain grinned.

"Told you, didn’t I?"

"I don’t plan to stay in the lower ranks forever."

Savra stood now, folding her arms as she walked over.

"I knew you were dangerous."

"But this is faster than I expected."

"The Association’s still reviewing the footage from your B-Rank trial."

"And now you’ve already jumped a level."

Zain shrugged, flopping onto the sofa.

"Let them catch up."

Zelia sat beside him.

"So what’s next? You’re not stopping here, right?"

Zain looked at her, eyes gleaming.

"Of course not. Already talked to Blazren about AA-Rank."

Savra raised a brow. "Ambitious."

"He told me I need five Mid-Tier abilities and full AA-level stats."

Zain added, rubbing his chin.

"So I’ve got some work to do."

Zelia blinked again.

"Five Mid-Tiers? That sounds like a lot..."

Savra laughed softly.

"It is. AA-Rank isn’t for show-offs."

"It’s for monsters."

Zain smirked. "Good."

He leaned back on the couch.

"Because I’m not playing as a casual hero anymore..."

---

The alley was silent.

Until a scream was cut short by the sound of bone snapping.

A B-Rank hero’s body hit the wall, sliding down in a bloody heap.

His limbs twisted unnaturally.

His weapon lay shattered beside him.

Standing over him was a tall figure.

She was clad in a tight black-and-pink bodysuit.

A black-and-pink collar shimmered on her neck.

Her face was hidden behind a pink and black demon mask.

She leaned in close to the dying hero, who whimpered in fear.

"Remember me?" she whispered.

"You injured me once. I never forget."

She stood upright.

A vicious smirk appeared at her lips as she stared into a security camera above.

"Let them all watch."

She stepped over the corpse without a glance back.

"I am the Velvet Demon."

And then she vanished.