Hero Hack: Reversing Heroes and Raising Harem-Chapter 46: Zain’s Bloody Buffet

The mutated Retox let out a savage roar and charged straight at Zain.

His claws dragged across the concrete as his monstrous frame barreled forward.

Zain didn’t flinch.

He calmly raised his rifle, already loading a new blood-forged bullet.

"Let’s cook you up properly.

He slipped in Blast Breath, then tapped the surface—Impact Tag flickered red on the tip.

He aimed—right at Retox’s grotesquely warped head.

"Smile for the oven."

BOOM!

The bullet shot forward, whistling through the air.

It struck Retox’s skull with a sickening crack—snapping his head back—

Then—KA-THOOM!

A fiery explosion detonated inside the creature’s head.

Smoke billowed from the torn, burned flesh.

Zain exhaled through his nose, lowering the rifle slightly.

"Now let’s see how many points your bloated body’s worth."

But—

RRRRRRAAAAGGGHHHHH!!

Zain’s eyes widened slightly.

From within the smoke—Retox roared again.

His hulking body staggered—but then stood straight.

His head was split, bleeding, flesh warped worse than before—but still intact.

"What the hell...?" Zain muttered.

Retox screamed like an animal and lunged forward again, twice as fast as before.

Zain stepped back quickly, voice tightening.

"You’ve gotta be kidding me... "

Zain’s grip on the rifle tightened.

"...So blood bullets won’t work against B-Rank freaks like you, huh?"

He thought back to Scavratt’s endurance.

Zain gritted his teeth.

"The only reason it worked on him... was because I had Rat Breaker and Rodent Cutter active."

He narrowed his gaze at the twitching, howling beast in front of him.

"You’re not a rat... just a mutated idiot."

Zain slid the rifle across the ground behind him and rolled his shoulders.

"Fine."

His hands sparked to life.

Flames erupting along his forearms.

Veins bulged under his skin. The air warped from the heat.

Hard Grip activated.

Flame Hand ignited.

Zain flexed his fingers, sparks dancing off his knuckles.

"I’ll handle this one myself."

The berserk Retox lunged again, letting out a guttural scream.

Zain smirked, stomping forward to meet him.

"Let’s see if you can survive this up close."

CLANG!

Zain caught both of Retox’s claws mid-swipe—one in each hand.

The impact forced the ground beneath them to crack, but Zain stood firm, eyes locked, unmoving.

Retox snarled, pushing with brute force, but—

Zain’s A-Rank strength pushed back harder.

The mutated beast’s arms began to shake.

Zain leaned in, face inches from Retox’s warped, twisted snarl.

"Heh... You can’t do anything now, can you?"

Retox let out a frustrated, enraged bellow—but couldn’t break free.

Zain’s smirk deepened.

He suddenly lifted one leg and slammed his boot into Retox’s gut—

THOOM!

The beast staggered back, hunched over, coughing blood and bile.

Zain didn’t wait.

He vanished with a Quick Step, reappearing behind Retox in a flicker.

His hand surged with fire and force—

"Die like the trash you are."

And he slammed his flaming hand against Retox’s neck—

CRACK.

A sharp snap echoed through the alley as the beast’s spine shattered under the crushing blow.

Retox’s massive body slumped forward, limbs twitching before collapsing completely.

Zain stood over the corpse, smoke rising from his hand.

He exhaled once.

"Now that’s cooked."

He turned slightly, eyes shifting toward the glowing system panel in his vision.

"System. Absorb it. Let’s see how much this monster was worth."

---

[Hack Initiation: Absorption]

[Target: Mutated Retox Corpse]

[Effect: Convert into Hack Points]

[Hack Points Gained: +1,300]

[Status: Executing...]

---

The twisted corpse began to break apart, fragmenting into flickers of light before vanishing completely into the system.

Zain stared at the spot where it vanished.

Then he smirked.

"Damn... over a thousand."

He let out a slow, sharp chuckle.

"And that was just one."

He licked his bottom lip unconsciously, eyes glowing faintly.

"There’s still more," he muttered.

"Those cowardly C-Rank thugs hiding in the shadows..."

A low growl escaped his throat, eyes widening slightly in excitement.

"They’ll mutate too. And when they do..."

He wiped blood from his lip and smiled.

"They’ll turn into fresh B-Rank meat."

Saliva pooled in his mouth.

"I’m eating good tonight."

---

Zain vanished, using Mirror Step to travel between buildings, signs, and windows.

He reappeared above an old rooftop, crouched low, eyes scanning the ground below.

Three C-Rank thugs laughed near a stash point, totally unaware.

Zain grinned.

"Too weak to be worth much now... but I’ll fix that."

He pulled a razor from his belt, slicing a clean line across his palm.

Blood shimmered, glowing faintly as he whispered into it.

Blast Breath... Impact Tag... Blood Rage.

The blood shaped into a bullet.

"Let’s cook you."

CRACK!

The shot hit the first thug in the shoulder.

"GAAAHHH—!"

He dropped to the ground, twitching violently.

The others turned in panic—then screamed as the man’s body twisted, bulging grotesquely.

"What the hell’s happening to him?!"

Zain whispered from above.

"He’s evolving."

The mutated thug roared, now B-Rank, then immediately turned on his own allies, tearing one apart with monstrous claws.

Zain dropped down mid-chaos, activating Quick Step and Flame Hand.

He moved like lightning.

One swing—Hard Grip snapped a spine.

Another—a throat crushed in fire.

The last one tried to flee.

Zain was already behind him.

"You’re not running."

CRACK.

Another corpse.

Later that night.

Four more C-Rankers gathered in a back alley, whispering about Scavratt’s disappearance.

"Where the hell is everyone?!"

Zain’s voice echoed behind them.

"Busy getting cooked."

They turned—too late.

Four shots. Four blood bullets.

Screams. Bones warping. Flesh bulging.

Mutation complete.

But they weren’t ready for him.

Zain dodged, burned, sliced, shattered.

He weaved between strikes, laughing.

"Stronger now? Still not enough."

One went flying into a wall, skull cracked.

Another’s chest exploded from a close-range Flame Hand.

The last two—he finished with synchronized neck-snaps.

Zain stood over the wreckage, blood mist in the air, eyes glowing red with hunger.

"Seven corpses," he whispered, licking blood from his fingers.

"Seven meals."

He glanced up at the moon.

"I can’t wipe the whole gang in one night."

He turned slowly, eyes locked toward the next district.

"But I’ll sure as hell try if not for my identity as a hero."