43
Ch.43 Beastly Man
Did I make a mistake by deciding to give him more food?
Once I made the decision, the thought naturally crossed my mind.
"Lately, the number of villains coming to the free meal center has dropped significantly."
"It’s peaceful and nice."
After effectively hiring Han Mu-ryo as a security guard for the free meal center, District 4 became unbelievably peaceful.
According to the police in District 4, not only the free meal center but the entire district saw the disappearance of rampaging villains.
[...There’s information that Gu Seo-ryong was spotted on a train heading to B-City.]
"Really? Then does that mean no more annoying interference from you, sister?"
[Annoying…?]
"You usually don’t even pay attention to me, sister. Not that you have the time to worry about me either."
[Y-You don’t have to say it like that…]
"...Yeah, sorry. Get some rest. You said you were busy over the weekend."
According to the news, the villain leader, Gu Seo-ryong or whatever, had vanished, and without a central figure, the villains were gradually falling apart.
The arrests of villains in W-City continued, and the news was filled with headlines like #Gu Seo-ryong on the Run: The Fall of the Crime City. and #A Great Victory in the War on Crime: Starlight Leads the Charge Against Crime.
If even the reporters, who usually blamed Starlight for everything, were now praising her, then she must be doing something right, no?
So, giving Han Mu-ryo food should end here… I wanted to, but I hesitated.
"Mr Mu-ryo? Could you move this for me?"
"Mhm."
After asking him to stand guard to prevent villains from causing trouble, I saw Han Mu-ryo napping early in the morning on the weekend, sniffing the food as we prepared meals. I thought, What kind of huge guy just sleeps all day?
He really was like a bear—waking up only when it was time to eat, sleeping after finishing his meal, suddenly jolting awake to stare blankly at something, then going back to sleep.
Annoyed by the sight, I once woke him up and made him work, and he did so much it was almost inhuman.
Han Mu-ryo was like a human crane.
"Wow… Seriously, how can someone carry luggage like that?"
"This is the first time I’ve seen the food prep finish so fast."
"Enhanced physical superpower humans really are something."
He effortlessly moved sacks and boxes of ingredients, each weighing dozens of kilograms, set up the serving tables by himself so we only had to assemble them, and even carried gas canisters for the kitchen equipment with one hand.
There was something awe-inspiring about watching his muscular body lift heavy objects with ease.
Just having Han Mu-ryo around reduced the preparation and closing time of the free meal service to less than a third.
Even the dishes—he stacked them neatly and loaded them onto the truck so quickly that the volunteers had nothing left to do.
"Even if no villains show up, isn’t Mr Mu-ryo earning his keep just by doing this?"
"Maybe a quarter of it."
"Well, considering how much this guy eats…"
Not only that, but Han Mu-ryo also got along really well with the kids in District 4.
The children adored him so much it was puzzling—how could someone so big and intimidating be so popular? But watching them approach him without hesitation was fascinating.
Maybe this beastly aura was the secret to winning the kids over.
Kids love animals, after all.
"Alright, everyone, good work today!"
"Good work, Director!"
"Good work~!"
"Bye, Director!"
"Director, are you leaving?"
"I’m not leaving for good~ See you next week!"
After the volunteer work ended, the volunteers split into two trucks and left District 4.
At this point, Han Mu-ryo would disappear somewhere, not to be seen again until the next weekend.
In a way, he was like a neighborhood cat—only visible if you went to that area.
He was there, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he vanished at any moment.
"Hyena, good work today."
"You two as well. You might not need to escort me anymore—why not return to being heroes?"
After parking the truck at the building rented by the Starlight Foundation in District 3, the commercial hub of W-City, and sending off the other volunteers, Yoo Hyena tied up her hair and spoke.
These superpower humans were temporary escorts sent by her older sister, Yoo Anna, who insisted the current situation was dangerous.
Before them, weaker superpower humans had taken turns guarding Hyena during her volunteer work.
"Ahaha, we’re fine."
"Honestly, it’s nice not having to fight dangerous monsters."
"That’s not something a hero should say. Not that I want you two in danger, of course."
To Hyena, heroes were those who always fought monsters.
Always, always…
She knew she shouldn’t force that ideal, but the belief that it was natural lingered in her mind.
"Well then."
"Yes, stay safe on your way back."
Hyena tied up her hair and put on glasses at the foundation, making it hard for anyone who knew her to recognize her.
In fact, this simple disguise worked on most people.
A bit of makeup, a change in posture, and Hyena’s ability—Heat Haze, as she called it—did the rest.
Unlike her sister, Yoo Anna, Hyena had awakened her ability at a different time and was classified as an E-rank superpower human.
E-rank referred to those whose abilities were barely different from ordinary humans—powers so weak they couldn’t even harm a human baby.
Hyena’s Heat Haze slightly increased her heat resistance, allowing her to handle hot pots easily and regulate her skin temperature to keep her hands and feet warm in winter.
It was a useful ability for everyday life but utterly useless for hunting monsters.
Still, there was one special way to use it.
Hyena could apply Heat Haze to her face and body, creating a slight refraction—just enough to distort her appearance by 1 or 2 cm.
This minor refraction completely changed how she looked.
Once, it even saved her—making a robber’s knife barely miss her on her way home.
It was a trivial ability, but for Hyena, living as Starlight’s younger sister, nothing could have been more useful.
Though, it wasn’t the ability she had wanted.
As Hyena walked home, using her ability…
"...This is weird."
Sensitive to being followed, she instinctively sensed someone tailing her.
Paparazzi shouldn’t be a problem anymore—so, a robber?
She hoped to shake them off, but Hyena’s running speed was below the average for a normal person.
Debating whether to press the emergency button in her pocket, Hyena shook her head and dashed into an empty alley.
The man following her started running too, and Hyena grew more frantic.
Just as she approached some men smoking in the alley to ask for help—
"E-Excuse me…!"
"Whoa? Miss, you in some kind of trouble?"
"Hehehe…"
The smoking men chuckled, pulling knives from their pockets.
The man chasing Hyena also caught up, panting as he drew a small blade.
"Huff…! Huff…! You damn bitch…!"
"Haah…! Haah…!"
Hyena panted and clicked her tongue.
A group robbery—so, ordinary criminals…
In this era, where monster attacks left many gaps in public safety, villains weren’t the only ones committing crimes.
Thinking she was out of luck, Hyena took out her wallet and threw it at the criminals.
"Huu… Huu… Take it and let me go. I just want to go home."
"Huh? Look at this, she’s being reasonable. Nice."
"Hey, this wallet’s got a lot of cash."
Please, let them just be desperate for money, driven to crime by hunger.
As Hyena tried to slip past the men rummaging through her wallet, the armed men blocked her path again.
"Hold up. You live in District 3, right?"
"You look like some rich family’s daughter. Let’s squeeze some money out of your parents."
"Haah… I don’t have parents. They’re already gone."
"Oh? An orphan? Even better!"
"No one to report us—let’s take her and have some fun. She’s cute."
"Keugh… I like feisty ones like her."
Ugh, seriously. Hyena told them they’d gain nothing by holding her, but the criminals seemed determined to prove they were scum.
Just as Hyena reached into her pocket—thud—a sound came from the shadows at the end of the alley.
"W-What the—? Huh?!"
Whoosh! A black figure rushed forward, instantly knocking the knife out of the hand of the man in front of Hyena.
Then—thud thud thud!—like popcorn bursting, the robbers were sent flying through the air, slamming into the walls.
"Ugh! Kehk! Agh! Gahk!"
As they screamed and clutched their injuries, a large, beast-like man stepped forward.
"...Do you have parents?"
"Ugh, aaaah…! What the hell, you bastard…!"
"Guess not."
"Eh? Mr Han Mu-ryo…?"
Emerging from the darkness was Han Mu-ryo, the superpower human who had recently appeared at the free meal center.
Moving with surprising agility for his massive frame, he grabbed each man’s hand one by one and crushed them.
"Kyaaaak!"
"Agh! Aaaah!"
"Huff…! Stop! That’s enough!"
"Why should I stop?"
"P-Please… Spare me…"
"Grrrr…"
Crunch, crunch… Ignoring Hyena’s pleas, Mu-ryo kept crushing the criminals’ hands until blood dripped from his own. Then, he turned to look at her.
Maybe it was because they were facing each other in the dark, but the usually gentle Mu-ryo now radiated a heavy, murderous aura. Swallowing hard, Hyena trembled as she spoke.
"T-The police… The law will punish criminals. You can’t do this."
"The police aren’t here."
"That doesn’t mean you can resort to violence!"
"Even after they pointed knives at you?"
"...This is excessive. It’s vigilantism. You’re an superpower human, too."
"Strange. I heard thieves get their hands cut off."
"T-That’s… Too much."
"Too much?"
"Well, maybe that’s fair punishment, but these days, with the monster crisis…"
"Hmm."
Mu-ryo blinked his wide eyes like a curious beast, pausing in silence.
After a tense moment, he stood up, leaving the groaning men behind.
"Fine. I’ll leave one hand."
"Hiiii…!"
"Ugh, aaaah…! Police, call the police…!"
"Haah…"
As Hyena sighed in relief, the robbers staggered to their feet and limped away.
Mu-ryo stared at her silently, then gave his usual blunt greeting.
"You’ve gained weight since I last saw you."
"T-That’s rude!"
"Just joking. So you’re a superpower human."
"It’s nothing special… I can’t hunt monsters or catch villains."
Beep beep beep beep— Pulling out her phone, Hyena reported the robbers’ escape direction and coordinates to the police before looking up at Mu-ryo.
Was it the night fog? Or the blood she’d just seen? Unlike in daylight, he now seemed dangerous and sharp.
Her heart pounding, Hyena placed a hand on her chest and asked,
"Why are you here, Mr Mu-ryo…?"
"I was hunting a monster nearby."
"Huh? But there was no alert."
"Because I killed it before the alarm went off."
Was this another joke? Monster alerts sounded the moment a monster entered the detection range, and heroes only knew where monsters were after the alarm.
Even Starlight, who could sense monsters, had never claimed to detect and kill one before it appeared.
After a moment of thought, Hyena’s face suddenly turned red.
"D-Don’t lie, Mr Mu-ryo… And, you shouldn’t follow women like this."
"Follow? I don’t see any footprints."
"No, I mean… Stalking. You know what that means, right?"
"Stalking?"
"Y-You know, when you secretly follow a woman you’re interested in… Oh, never mind."
As Mu-ryo innocently tilted his head, Hyena’s face burned even hotter, and Heat Haze rose from her head.
Her embarrassment made her lose control of her ability, raising her body temperature.
Noticing this, Mu-ryo stared at her head and swallowed.
"Looks delicious."
"You shouldn’t say things like that to women."
"Mhm."