27
Ch.27 Guryongseong (Nine Dragons Fortress)
In the Age of Monsters, it was taken for granted that those with superpowers would become heroes who hunted monsters… But the reality was not so simple.
The abilities awakened by superpower humans varied drastically.
Some awakened powers specialized for monster hunting, while others could barely manage to spark a tiny flame from their fingertips.
Those with weak abilities lived no differently from ordinary humans, and those with abilities like healing, regeneration, or detection—far removed from monster hunting—often worked behind the frontlines.
And then there were those superpower humans who neither wanted to live as ordinary people nor held any sense of duty to protect humanity.
Those who engaged in crime for their own gain—the world called them villains.
District 9 was like a hideout where the villains of W-City gathered.
At the same time, it was also the city’s largest entertainment district.
The most famous spot among them was Guryongseong, a fortress-like structure repurposed from a closed-down apartment complex.
This so-called comprehensive entertainment center had everything.
The underground parking lot housed clubs and casinos, while tournaments were held in the central courtyard, with spectators watching from the windows of individual rooms—rooms where one could also embrace courtesans.
And if you paid a man in a suit adorned with Guryongseong’s unique insignia, you could buy drugs at any time.
In a place like this—villains were a malignant presence rooted in the city, and Guryongseong was the largest of W-City’s cancerous growths.
Yet, the reason Guryongseong had managed to survive until now was, ironically, because the existence of villains had been beneficial to W-City.
Like a self-governing district, the villains hunted the monsters that appeared in District 9 themselves, freeing up resources to deal with monsters in other districts.
Villains, as long as their influence wasn’t excessive, were tolerated—their collateral damage was overlooked in exchange for greater benefits.
"But do we really need to leave them be, even in this situation?"
Yoo Anna placed a tablet in front of the Deputy Chief of W-City’s Police Bureau and spoke.
"Last time, when I said we needed to properly clean up the villains, you told me this, ‘W-City only has one S-rank hero. It’s better to borrow even the villains’ help.’"
"Yes, I did say that."
"Then isn’t it fine to get rid of them now?"
On the tablet’s screen was a surveillance photo of the Black Cat, alongside a graph quantifying the reduction in monster damage thanks to him.
In other words, Yoo Anna’s argument was this,
The theory of using a dirty but effective tool—if we’ve been forced to rely on villains as a last resort, now that the Black Cat has taken their place, wouldn’t it be fine to discard them?
"Ahem… That’s… Difficult."
"Why is it difficult? The villains only handle monsters in District 9, but the Black Cat roams all over W-City hunting them down. Isn’t that right?"
"Of course, I know the Black Cat is ironically helping W-City right now… But the Black Cat is still a monster, isn’t he? One that could turn on us at any moment. On the other hand… The villains, well, they’re still humans we can reason with."
"You think those things can be reasoned with? Ha, that’s ridiculous. And as for communication—"
Yoo Anna, who had been unable to act despite knowing what the villains were doing in District 9, stopped mid-sentence.
The fact that the Black Cat was a monster capable of communication was something only she knew—information that shouldn’t be carelessly revealed.
"...If anything, the Black Cat listens better. Hit him a few times, and he runs away scared."
"That’s not listening—that’s just him being afraid of you."
"Regardless, there’s no need to keep the villain organizations around any longer. In fact, we’ve let them exist for too long. If we don’t take this chance to wipe out these criminal groups, it might become irreversible."
The existence of villains also discouraged newly awakened superpower humans from embracing the duty of being heroes.
Heroes who risked their lives fighting monsters, and villains who exploited humans to live.
These cancerous entities, if not cut out soon, would only grow larger, eating away at the number of heroes who could protect the citizens.
"Already, W-City has more people turning to crime as villains than those applying to become heroes. Young superpower humans, especially, are prone to arrogance—if we don’t enforce punishment for crimes strictly, they’ll become lawless—"
"Those are just the weak superpower humans, aren’t they? The kind you could easily handle if you stepped in."
"Handle? No, right now, you’re not even considering rehabilitation."
"Rehabilitation! Yes, well said. Even if they become villains, can’t they be rehabilitated?"
"Hah? Seriously, are you in your right mind?"
"What I’m saying is, there’s no need to waste time hunting down villains. Those who want to be heroes will be heroes, and those who will be villains will be villains. Wouldn’t it be better to spend that time hunting monsters? It’d contribute to the birth rate, and if the birth rate rises, the number of heroes will naturally increase too, won’t it?"
"...Deputy Chief Kim? You’ve been to Guryongseong, haven’t you?"
"What nonsense. Why would I—"
Yoo Anna, who found it absurd that such an argument was coming from the Deputy Chief, concluded that he must have indulged in Guryongseong’s pleasures.
Though the Deputy Chief calmly denied it, he couldn’t escape Yoo Anna’s superpower human senses.
Trembling pupils, a quickened heartbeat—convinced there was a connection between the Deputy Chief and Guryongseong, Yoo Anna picked up the tablet.
"Fine. Let’s go see the Chief. You should be ashamed."
"Do you think the Chief would say anything different?"
"...So the Chief has been to Guryongseong too?"
"Now you’re just talking nonsense. The Chief is a woman—why would she go to a place like that?"
"How many reports do you think I’ve read? Do you think I don’t know? They sell men there too."
"Ahem…"
Realizing just how deeply the villains’ influence ran, Yoo Anna turned away in frustration.
The Deputy Chief, struck where it hurt, cleared his throat, and called out to her as she tried to leave his office with a disgusted look.
"Hey, Starlight. You don’t understand… Guryongseong is part of the Villain Association. Unlike A-City, W-City only has one S-rank hero—you."
"So?"
"When W-City’s council members have to travel to other cities, the best escort they can get is an A-rank. If you go on a rampage here and the other villains in the association retaliate against us, what then?"
"So you’re saying you’re too busy protecting yourselves to care about the citizens’ suffering? Fine! I’ll handle it myself. Punish me or whatever, I don’t care."
"Starlight, stop. Do you really think your family will be safe if you do this?"
"Deputy Chief Kim Ja-cheol, are you threatening me now?"
Unconsciously, Yoo Anna’s powers flared as she glared at the Deputy Chief.
The luxurious carpet, out of place in this Age of Monsters, began to blacken under her energy, and intense heat quickly filled the office.
Yet, the Deputy Chief remained composed.
"It’s not a threat—just stating facts. It’s not just your family. If we make the wrong move, mine could be in danger too. So… Just don’t. Starlight, you’re right—it’s already too late to purge the villains in W-City."
"...Tch."
Hearing the sincerity in the Deputy Chief’s weary voice, Yoo Anna reined in her flames.
Only then did the Deputy Chief begin sweating profusely, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his brow.
"And one more thing… Haven’t you heard the rumors? They say the Lord of Guryongseong, Gu Seo-ryong, is already at the peak of A-rank. It won’t be long before she reaches S-rank. Do you really think you can take her on? You do know, don’t you? Villains are specialists in fighting people. You’re only specialized for hunting monsters."
"Then all the more reason to deal with her now—before she grows stronger."
"Think of it this way—if we leave her be, W-City might gain another S-rank superpower human. Isn’t that good?"
The Deputy Chief sipped his now-cold tea, defending the villain.
"Gu Seo-ryong has united the villains and stays within District 9. If we just give her that district, we’d have a reasonable villain leader to negotiate with. District 9 would become a safe zone. Not a bad deal, is it?"
"Deputy Chief, can you say that in front of the press?"
"I could, but the press wouldn’t dare report it."
And he was right. Reporters, fearing villain retaliation, avoided publishing such news.
The only place bold enough to report freely was A-City, where the prideful Kage personally hunted down villains, calling them ‘failures who abandoned the dignity of superpower humans and wallowed in the mud’. In that regard, A-City was the closest to a villain-free city.
At times like this, Yoo Anna couldn’t help but think Kage’s methods might be right.
Rule by the superpower human—that those with power and conviction should lead the incompetent masses.
At the same time, she also believed such a thing should never be done.
superpower humans were still people. No matter how strong their abilities, they should remain equal with ordinary humans.
Because they were equals, they should never dominate or arbitrarily punish others.
But that alone… It wasn’t enough to eliminate villains.
Monsters wearing human masks.
***
"Hey! Who are you?!"
Following the scent of the necklace, I arrived at District 9 and tried to enter an apartment complex in a secluded area.
However, the men guarding the entrance stopped me.
Two large men, towering up to my shoulders, approached me with fierce glares—only for their eyes to widen in surprise.
"Uh… What brings you here?"
"I came because what I’m looking for is here."
"W-what? Are you a guest? I thought you were some kind of physical-enhancement superpower human…"
The men sighed in relief, then glanced at my attire.
"...Did you come from a construction site or something?"
"That’s right."
"Definitely a guest… Whoever referred you or whatever you’re looking for, Guryongseong has it all. But it’s not open yet. Come back at night."
"Hmm… I’ll do that."
Well, no rush… Having already confirmed that my necklace and the loan shark were inside, I decided to wait until nightfall.
Luckily, the sun was about to set, so the wait wasn’t long.
As night fell, cars began lining up in front of the apartment, and crowds of people waiting to enter loitered around.
"Not open yet? It’s already dark! Hurry up!"
"Not yet."
"I need a good seat, or I’m ruined!"
"The casino line is over here."
"Open the door! Open the door!"