Hero Hack: Reversing Heroes and Raising Harem-Chapter 137: When the Menu’s Locked

Zain smirked.

"Alright, system," he said, voice low.

"Give me one high-tier ability."

He spread his arms slightly, as if to welcome whatever was coming.

"Anything. I don’t care what it is. If it gives me power, I’ll take it."

---

[Hack Initiation: Ability Acquisition]

[Target: Zain]

[Ability Targeted: ??? (High Tier)]

[Cost Required: 10,000,000 Hack Points]

[Status: Hack Failed - Insufficient Hack Points]

---

The text flashed red across his vision. Zain’s eyes narrowed.

"...What?" he muttered.

He brought up the numbers again, jaw tightening.

"Ten million?" he said flatly.

"You’re kidding me."

His hand clenched into a fist.

"I don’t even have one million yet."

He turned and punched a mirror in shatters

"Damn it."

He started pacing.

"All those kills... all those corpses... not even close."

He looked down at his hand and opened it slowly.

"It’s not enough. I thought I was getting somewhere."

A short pause.

Then he scoffed.

"No. I am getting somewhere. Just slower than I want."

He turned to the wall and stared at it like it was mocking him.

"Ten million hack points for a single high-tier."

Zain clicked his tongue.

"Guess that’s the price of real power."

He leaned back against the cold surface and exhaled.

"Still... this system doesn’t joke."

"If it says I need ten million, then that ability must be something insane."

He tapped the side of his head, smirking.

"Figures. Nothing worth having comes easy."

He fell quiet for a moment, then laughed softly.

"Tch. Let’s just take it slow."

He stretched his arms behind his back, cracking his neck.

"It hasn’t even been a year since I came to this world. What am I rushing for?"

He walked toward the window, looking out.

"Power’s not going anywhere. And neither am I."

His reflection in the glass smiled back at him.

"Let’s enjoy it a bit," he said.

"Mess around. Break some rules."

"Maybe crush a few more villains while we’re at it."

He turned, stepping back into the center of the room.

"First," he said, "let’s go to the Hero Association."

His grin widened.

"I want to see what that old man’s up to."

He headed for the door, fingers brushing the wall.

"Ten million hack points... fine. I’ll get there."

He looked back one more time at the failed message floating in the air.

"Not today," he said. "But soon."

He waved his hand, dismissing the screen.

Then he pushed open the door.

"Let’s go," he said. "Time to stir things up."

He stepped out into the hallway.

A few people looked up as he passed, but no one dared to speak.

Zain didn’t stop.

He left the building and made his way straight to the Hero Association branch in BB-1.

The guards at the gate moved aside the moment they saw him.

Nobody questioned him. They knew better.

Inside, he walked through the lobby without hesitation and found the man he was looking for, Blazren.

The old A-Rank hero with the burned cape and fire-themed badge still pinned to his chest.

Zain tilted his head.

"So, old man," he said with a grin.

"You done sorting out the mess? All those dead B-Rank heroes?"

Blazren’s expression tightened. His arms were crossed, eyes narrowed.

"We managed to catch one of the perpetrators," he replied.

"A woman named Meyra. A-Rank villain. We’ve got her in interrogation right now."

"Oh?" Zain raised an eyebrow. "Using a mind-type on her, huh?"

"Yes. Digging deep," Blazren said.

Zain’s smirk widened slightly.

Too bad, he thought, Valcair had already died. And the rest of those Vantess slaves...

They’ll be trained soon. His gaze drifted, cold and thoughtful.

Velra’s handling that. My army’s almost ready.

Blazren looked at him carefully.

"What are you doing here, Heavenly Demon?"

Zain looked him straight in the eye, voice light.

"What else? I’m here to get a mission."

Blazren nodded slowly. "I see. Then go."

Zain gave a casual shrug. "Sure."

He turned around without waiting for more words.

But as he moved, he muttered under his breath with a lazy smile.

"Let’s see if they’ve got something fun today... maybe another rat nest to burn."

---

Zain walked up to the mission robot, hands in his pockets.

"Hey," he said casually. "Get me a mission."

The robot’s eyes blinked to life, scanning him.

"Please specify rank and type."

Zain shrugged.

"Give me a beast. No humans. And make it A-Rank if you got one."

"Warning," the robot replied.

"A-Rank missions are high risk. Are you qualified?" freewēbnoveℓ.com

Zain tilted his head, smirking. "Do I look like I care?"

The robot paused.

"B-Rank recommendations available."

Zain leaned in.

"I said A-Rank. B-Rank’s boring. I’ve killed too many already."

A slight hum echoed as the machine processed.

"Searching... matching request..."

A screen unfolded beside him. A red marker blinked on BC-2.

"Suggested match: Dreadgnarl," the robot said.

"A-Rank beast. Active threat zone."

Zain glanced at the name, then chuckled.

"Dreadgnarl, huh? Sounds like something loud."

"Correct," the robot replied. "Target has bone armor and sound-based disruption."

"Multiple failed attempts to subdue."

"Lives in a broken warzone 8 km from the BC-2 border."

Zain grinned. "Perfect."

The screen shifted to show the beast’s stats, a few blurred pictures of cracked terrain, and broken buildings.

"Mission reward is 20,000 credits," the robot added.

"Kill confirmation required. Beast’s body must be tagged with a hero beacon post-battle."

Zain nodded. "I won’t need backup."

"Warning," the robot repeated.

"Solo attempts against A-Rank targets are strongly discouraged."

Zain raised an eyebrow. "Good. That means no one else will get in my way."

The robot processed for another second.

"Mission accepted. Uploading coordinates to your device."

Zain tapped his tattoo and the data synced.

He turned and started walking away.

"Hey," he said over his shoulder. "If I die, delete my record."

"Death detected will result in memorial upload," the robot replied.

Zain laughed. "Tch. Don’t bother. No one’s gonna mourn me."

As he exited the building, a few rookie heroes nearby glanced at him, whispering.

Zain ignored them.

Outside, the wind hit his face. He looked up at the cloudy sky.

"A-Rank, huh?" he muttered.

He cracked his knuckles.

"Let’s see if this Dreadgnarl can actually scream louder than it dies."

Then he walked off toward BC-2.