Hypno Hero in a Party - Chapter 0

Chapter 0
A prophecy came down from heaven

《The Demon King will soon wreak havoc on the world, and the blessed heroes will set out to defeat him in accordance with the prophecy.》

The empire, having heard the prophecy, hurriedly recruited heroes, and now the bravest and strongest heroes from within the empire have just departed from the capital to defeat the Demon King.

This is the topic of the men talking in the tavern and Yeong-woo who was polishing the glass in front of him, was listening to the drunken chatter.

“Keu~ It’s amazing that the prince will be joining this Demon King subjugation party! And on top of that, there’s Lord Louis, who is called the future Mage Tower Master, and Sir Evan, the Vice Captain of the Imperial Knights! Meeting them would be a dream come true!”

“Plus, didn’t they mention the Elves and the Molo Tribe as well?”

“The Molo Tribe is involved? They’ve been allies with the Elves for quite some time, but I thought they were neutral in the campaign against the Demon King.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said earlier? Blessed heroes are expected to fulfill the prophecy.”

*Slip*

Yeong-woo nearly dropped the glass at the remark, but fortunately, no one noticed as they were too busy talking amongst themselves.

Yeong-woo sighed heavily and read the words in the translucent square in front of him.

[Status window]

Name: Min Yeong-woo (M)

Age: 24

Ability: Hypnotism (???)

Skill: Suggestion (D)

On the day the prophecy from the heavens came down, a system-like interface suddenly appeared in front of Yeong-woo. It resembled a game window from the previous world he had known. Yeong-woo still didn’t understand why such a thing had appeared now.

It had already been six months since Yeong-woo came to this world. Without any warning, he found himself here. One day, he just woke up to find a forest stretched out before him, and he couldn’t grasp what had happened.

Fortunately, an elderly innkeeper in the village took Yeong-woo in, and he managed to get by with his basic needs while learning the ropes. Then, one day the elderly woman abruptly announced that she was leaving to enjoy the rest of her life, leaving Yeong-woo in charge of the inn.

At first, Yeong-woo was both confused and somewhat excited by being in this strange new world. It felt like something out of a novel or manga he had seen somewhere. Unfortunately, as time passed, his initial fascination were shattered. Over the six months, he had to get used to this world without ever understanding why he had come here.

But now, the abilities he had gained felt bewildering. Could this really be some sort of blessing or curse? Does that mean he has to become a hero or not? Yeong-woo furrowed his brow as if he didn’t want to accept it.

When he was a student before, he was attracted to the adventures associated with being a hero, but now that he’s matured, he doesn’t want to risk his life for no reason.

So, he didn’t pay any attention to the hero recruitment or anything like that. There was no guarantee that he was a hero in the first place. Contrary to the rumors that heroes must follow the prophecy without exception, Yeong-woo hadn’t faced any particular consequences.

Though he had ended up in this world by accident, Yeong-woo, with his exceptional adaptability, wanted to live a normal life at the inn for now. His goal was to have some fun and perhaps find a decent man to be involved with. While Yeong-woo was pondering this, a loud noise suddenly erupted.

*Crash!*

“That’s it! I’ve had enough!! Y-You…! Say that one more time!”

“I said your squealing voice ruins the taste of this drink?”

“You bastard?! Actually, it’s your shady covered up face that makes the liquor taste worse!”

The sound of breaking glass accompanied the argument between two men. One was Joey, the son of the village miller, and the other was a member of a group of travelers who had been staying here for a few days.

It was rare for travelers to stay in this rural area on the outskirts of the Empire. The villagers, though whispering among themselves, felt uneasy about the outsiders with their faces tightly wrapped in robes. While the exact cause of the fight wasn’t clear, it was clear that the drunken Joey had probably started the trouble. Of course, the person who retorted seemed to have quite a temper as well.

The noisy tavern fell silent as if suddenly chilled. Everyone was watching the standoff between Joey and the robed man with great interest. Normally, Yeong-woo would have enjoyed watching the fight like the others, but unfortunately, he didn’t like the idea of things escalating in the inn where he worked.

“[Joey], stop making such a racket and [calm down], will you?”

“Yeong-woo! Didn’t you hear what these guys said?!”

Oh shiy, it seems he’s too agitated for the to work properly.

“[Calm down]. Don’t cause trouble here.”

“Aargh…! Consider yourselves lucky!”

After using it a second time, Joey became somewhat subdued. He grumbled with his companions and then left the inn. With his departure, the previously chaotic tavern settled down, and the remaining patrons quickly dispersed. Thanks to this, the tavern emptied out faster than usual.

The inn, with its tavern on the ground floor, primarily saw only villagers coming through. So, once everyone went home, the only ones left in the inn were the travelers.

“Hey, thank you for your help.”

One of the travelers who had fought with Joey offered his thanks to Yeong-woo. With a practiced smile, Yeong-woo responded that it was no big deal.

“It’s me who would be in trouble if things got worse.”

“Ah…! We hope we didn’t cause any trouble…”

The man, startled by Yeongwoo’s words, hesitated and looked around nervously. Just then, the person who was responsible for the fight earlier called out from the stairs.

“Evan! Stop with the pointless talk and come along.”

“Yes. Prince!”

‘Evan…? Prince…?’

Upon hearing familiar names in their conversation, Yeong-woo looked puzzled. Noticing Yeong-woo’s reaction, the man called Evan removed his deeply pulled hood, revealing a handsome man with ash-brown hair who gave a friendly smile.

“I wasn’t trying to hide it on purpose. Since we’re staying here, it’s better you know.”

With that, the man bowed slightly and followed the one he had referred to as the prince up to the second floor. The rest of the group also got up from their seats and headed up the stairs.

“Hmmm.”

Yeong-woo watched the departing group with an intrigued expression.

It seems that the most talked-about hero group in the Empire is staying here.

* * *

Min Yeong-woo is gay. He’s always been gay, to the point where he’s come to terms with it, no gender identity confusion or anything.

But what if there were incredibly good-looking men in front of him? And on top of that, if they had the ability of hypnotism?

Of course he’d eat them.

* * *

“Hey, commoner. At this rate, when are you going to bring us food?”

A handsome prince (or in his case, a crown prince) from a fantasy world, with blonde hair and blue eyes, came up to cause trouble. His attitude was haughty, but it fit well with his good-looking face, so it didn’t seem out of place.

Evan introduced him as Caelan, who made no attempt to hide the fact that he was the crown prince.

And then, the man with long silver hair and pointed ears, who was sitting next to Caelan, chimed in.

“I’m tired of eating the same food for days.”

This elf, who knew how to use a polite courtesy, was Enoch.

“It’s tasteless.”

The one speaking briefly and rudely was Louis, who is called the next Master of the Magic Tower. With his purple hair, he had a pretty face but seemed to have quite a personality.

“…..”

And regardless of what they said or did, there was Zaid from the Molo tribe, standing silently like a statue. Yeong-woo had heard that the Molo tribe was known for their large stature and fierce countenance.

“Hey, Yeong-woo! It’s alright, so take your time!”

And then there was Evan, the only sane person and the one with a conscience in this hero party. His kind-looking face made him even more charming.”

The incredibly good-looking heroes were sitting at the table, waiting for Yeong-woo to bring out the food.”

Yeong-woo hurriedly made them breakfast. These demanding guests had been complaining since morning about being served. Originally, the inn had few travelers. As a result, he rarely had to prepare breakfast, but now that he did, it seemed like a chore.

However, Yeong-woo who is just an ordinary employee, served them their meals without protest.

“I’m done eating.”

And the care he had put into preparing breakfast since dawn was wasted in less than half the time as they complained that the bread was stale and the soup was salty. If that’s the case, he doesn’t know why they ate it every morning. Yeong-woo’s lips twitched involuntarily.

After the meal ended, one by one the others left, leaving Yeong-woo and Evan alone. Evan, the only decent person in this hero party, helped with the cleanup. While carrying the dishes, he made small talk with Yeong-woo.

“Now that I think about it, Yeong-woo, your hair and eye colors are quite unique.”

“Really?”

Yes, it’s not a color commonly seen in the Empire. Most people here have gray or brown tones like mine. You mentioned you came from another region, right, Yeong-woo?

“Ah, well. That’s right.”

“I think the colors suit you really well, Yeong-woo.”

As Evan smiled kindly, he looked irresistibly handsome.

The heroes’ party members sported dazzling looks, and at first glance, Evan might seem unassuming.

However, he was also quite handsome, the kind of guy who would be called a “church brother” in Yeong-woo’s world. He had the kind of looks that made you want to knock him down and make him cry.

Unaware of Yeong-woo’s mischievous thoughts, Evan asked him something that had just come to mind.

“Oh, Yeong-woo. Has anyone come to this village recently?”

“Recently? I don’t think I’ve seen anyone besides your group.”

“Is that so…….”

Evan stroked his chin as if deep in thought. Yeong-woo used a skill on Evan, who seemed lost in his own thoughts.

Target: [Evan], Suggestion: [Excitement].

*Bleep!*

[The is not activated because it is beyond the capacity].

Is it really not going to work? The same notification appeared for the tenth time. It worked properly when used on the village men, so what’s different about Evan? Just as Yeong-woo was about to give up, a new notification appeared.

*Ding!*

[A man who doesn’t know how to give up! After ten failed attempts on the same target, you have acquired a new skill: .]

Surprised by the unusual notification, Yeong-woo read it again. “Observation,” huh? As Yeong-woo thought about the skill, a description of the ability appeared, similar to an information window.

[Observation](C)

The ability to see through to the essence. Allows one to see information about the target.

Since the system was introduced, this was the first time Yeong-woo had seen a new skill besides . Moreover, it seemed like a quite useful ability.

Without hesitation, Yeong-woo used the skill on Evan.

[Skill activated!]

Name: Evan (M)

Age: 25

Mental Strength: D

※ If the ability is lower than the mental strength, the success rate decreases. Additionally, suggestions that the target finds repulsive will reduce the success rate.

His Suggestion (D) is the same as Evan’s Mental Strength (D), but his unpleasant Suggestion affected the result? Maybe his Skill needs to be stronger than their Mental Strength, or maybe he needs to adjust his Suggestion threshold. Yeong-woo mulls over his skill in his head.

Yeong-woo used his ability on Evan again.

Target: [Evan], Suggestion is to consider Yeong-woo as a [Good Person].

*Ding!*

[Skill has been activated!]

Yeong-woo suppressed the urge to laugh.