Hero Hack: Reversing Heroes and Raising Harem-Chapter 176: This Is Not a Cult. It’s a Feature.

Zain stared at the system screen.

He didn’t move. Just let out a long, sharp sigh.

"So that’s it. Two actives. Two passives."

"All that hacking, and you capped me like some budget-level hero."

He clenched his fists, feeling the strange shift in his body.

Power pulsed beneath the surface but it wasn’t the same as before.

He looked at his hand. Flexed it.

The strength was there... but unfamiliar.

"It’s complete," he muttered.

"But weaker. My body’s not what it used to be. Before, I was overflowing. Raw. Wild."

"Now—" he paused, "—everything’s tighter. But it’s not syncing yet."

He took a slow step forward.

"It’s like before, I had five beasts pulling my power in different directions."

He raised both fists.

"Now I’ve got two chains. But they pull together."

His mouth curled into a half-smile.

"I just need to fight. A few real battles."

"Let this new form stretch out. Adjust. If I bleed a little, I’ll grow a lot."

The screen behind him flickered softly.

Zain didn’t look back.

"I’ll get stronger again. That’s not a wish. It’s math."

He cracked his neck and turned toward the door.

"For now ... Let’s test the new skills."

---

Zain stood calmly in the center of the massive training hall.

Velra stepped forward from the front line, dropped to one knee, and bowed her head.

"Master. I’ve gathered all 303 girls. They’re ready."

Zain didn’t even look at her at first. He gave a small nod.

"Good."

He scanned the crowd, taking a step forward.

"I want to test something."

Velra’s eyes narrowed slightly.

She could feel it. His energy had shifted.

His aura wasn’t just oppressive now. It was organized. Alive. Refined.

She asked quietly, "Master... Did you awaken a class?"

Zain turned his head slightly. A sharp grin formed.

"I did."

Velra’s eyes widened for a split second before she lowered her head again.

"In B-Zone... a class user is basically untouchable. You’re beyond the top now."

Zain didn’t answer. He just stepped past her.

He looked at the crowd again.

"You," he said.

Three girls in the middle line straightened at once.

All three wore black combat gear with red trims.

They were the commanders of the three legions.

Each was an AA-Rank fighter. Each led over a hundred girls under Zain’s banner.

"Step forward."

They obeyed instantly.

Zain walked up to them without pause.

"I want to test a skill," he said plainly.

The girls didn’t flinch. They stood firm.

Zain raised his hand, bit his own finger, and let a drop of blood pool on his fingertip.

He reached out and pressed that finger to the forehead of the first girl.

The blood sank in immediately.

She gasped and gritted her teeth. Her eyes flickered.

Zain didn’t slow down.

Second girl. Same mark. Same pain.

Third girl. Same.

The girls groaned, their hands trembling slightly.

Zain spoke calmly.

"Let it in. Don’t resist. Just relax. It won’t harm you."

The girls nodded, forcing themselves to stay still as the blood sigils burned into their skin and vanished.

Then it hit them.

Each girl felt something wrap around their mind—tight but stable. A connection.

And then...

You hear me?

Zain’s voice echoed in their heads, clear and direct.

The three girls all gasped and looked at him.

They nodded slowly.

"We... we hear you," one of them whispered aloud, confused.

Zain’s smirk deepened.

"Good."

He stepped back and looked at the rest of the room.

"These three are now my first marked commanders."

"They’re officially part of the [Heavenly Demon Sect]."

The girls nodded again, still a bit shaken.

Zain crossed his arms.

"I can hear their thoughts. I know their location. Their emotions."

"If they get touched, I’ll feel it. If they get tempted, I’ll crush it."

"If they try to betray me—" he tilted his head slightly, "—well, they won’t."

He turned to Velra.

"The skill’s name is [Heavenly Demon Slaves]."

Velra gave a slow, impressed nod. "It’s... effective."

Zain smirked.

"Oh, it’s more than that."

He looked at the three girls.

"Now," he said coldly. "Let’s test the other one."

The girls didn’t move.

Zain raised one hand.

"I’m activating [Heavenly Demon Sect]. Try not to pass out."

Without further warning, his aura pulsed.

The moment the skill took hold, the three girls cried out in pain.

They dropped to their knees almost instantly, gasping.

Their bodies shook as a dark energy wrapped around them like chains.

Zain watched, arms folded.

Faint black mist began to rise from their skin.

It was the early sign of [Heavenly Demon Ether].

It wasn’t stable.

It flickered wildly, surging up then slamming down onto them.

Their eyes glowed faintly, blood vessels near their temples bulging.

Zain took a step forward.

"The Ether is trying to force itself in," he said calmly.

"It’s crushing your body to see if you’re strong enough to hold it."

The girls were groaning, their muscles twitching uncontrollably.

They dropped their heads, sweat pouring down their faces.

"And it’s not just Ether," Zain added.

"The [Heavenly Demon Body] is forming too. Every fiber in you is being rewritten."

One girl clenched her fists, biting her lip to hold in a scream.

Zain stared at her.

"Endure it."

Another girl collapsed forward, catching herself with one hand.

Zain’s voice came sharper.

"Don’t fall."

He stepped between them.

"This is the cost of strength."

"If you can’t take this, you don’t deserve to carry my mark."

The third girl grunted loudly. Her eyes flashed crimson for a second, then dimmed.

She muttered, "It burns... like I’m being boiled from inside..."

Zain knelt in front of her.

"It’s not fire. It’s growth."

He looked at the other two.

"Keep going. Don’t fight it. Let it tear you apart and rebuild you."

The pressure in the hall spiked.

The Ether wrapped tighter, grinding into the girls’ bones.

Their backs arched as they screamed in sync, a wave of pain and energy surging through the air.

Then it stopped.

The girls collapsed, breathing hard.

The black mist that had once fought them now clung to them like a second skin. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Zain stood up slowly.

He looked down at them.

"Congratulations."

The girls looked up, dazed, still trembling.

Zain smirked.

"You just survived your first [Heavenly Demon Sect] transformation."

"From now on, that power is yours."

He turned his back on them and walked toward the rest of the crowd.

"All of you, line up. This was the easy round."

Velra stepped beside him.

"They almost broke, Master."

Zain didn’t look at her.

"They’re still breathing. That means they’re ready for the next test."

He raised one hand again.

"Next group. Step forward."

And deep inside his mind, all three girls heard his voice echo.

"Rest for now. But don’t forget the pain. That was only the beginning."