Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Shocking Debut (2)
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'Sorry, Mom.'
I inwardly apologized to my mom, who stared at me with eyes wide in shock. Sanctuary Corp's stock would take a hit from this incident, but I had no intention of letting the experiment end peacefully.
I'd subdued all the guards who had blindly fired at me from outside. No one was dead.
No matter how much they'd shot at me, I had no desire to kill them. After all, they were employees hired by Bal Jeong-nam's biological parents.
I needed to leech off them for a lot from here on out—I didn't want to give them any casualties on top of that. Besides, though both my parents were villains, neither had blood on their hands from murder.
"....!"
Turning my head, I spotted Cruemora Doctor beyond the glass, his face etched with unmistakable panic.
My plan was to corner him into such an extreme situation that he'd inject animal genes into himself.
In every movie where a scientist villain was born, they were always backed into desperate straits.
Like having the research they'd devoted their life to stolen by the company, or staring death in the face.
I believed the reason scientist villains emerged was that desperate longing in the heat of extremity.
In their desperation, their research became the only solution left—a fervent wish for success or escape from the crisis—and that transformed the scientist into a villain.
Sorry to my parents and to Cruemora Doctor, whom I'd just met today, but they'd have to sacrifice for my amusement.
'...Though I'm not that sorry, really.'
This world felt so real, but ultimately, it was a game existing for my entertainment. I never forgot that.
The guilt I felt stemmed from Bal Jeong-nam's memories forcibly implanted in my head.
"Kyaaah!"
"People are collapsing!"
"Run!"
The shareholders, witnessing Sanctuary's guards sprawled behind me, fell into panic and bolted. They'd finally realized I was a villain.
'This... is kinda fun, huh?'
Seeing people tremble in fear at the sight of me stirred a subtle thrill. It was a perverse, twisted taste, but what could I do? It was genuinely enjoyable.
Savoring their terrified gazes as they tried to put as much distance between us as possible, I slowly made my way toward Cruemora Doctor.
The guard with the doctor hurriedly locked the door, but it was pointless. Against the strength of a level 10 Body Enhancer, the door might as well have been paper.
"Kuhahaha! Die! I shall bring death upon you heretics who defy the will of God!"
"....?"
At that moment, a dark-skinned man in the crowd flung his arms wide and burst into mad laughter. What the hell was this guy?
'Hm?'
And from this lunatic cackling away, an inexplicable unease crept over me.
'Mom...'
Mom was close to him.
The instant I confirmed it, I set Cruemora Doctor aside and charged at the guy.
When Bal Jeong-nam kicked down the lab door, superpowered terrorist Wikaido Vinden realized his comrades had arrived and it was time to commence the holy war.
'But why's he alone?'
He found it odd that there was only one comrade, but Vinden assumed others were launching simultaneous attacks elsewhere.
Though chosen by God as a brother in faith, even Vinden didn't know all his comrades. He didn't even know the faces or names of those assigned to this operation.
The biggest obstacle for superpowered terrorist groups was the Hero Association. They thwarted terror plots at every turn, dismantling countless groups.
The key to that was the S-rank hero from the Hero Association, Memory Hunter. By reading memories, he uncovered terrorists' allies and hideouts.
Because of this one hero, terrorists had to remain ignorant of each other, following orders from above without prior contact or discussion.
Thus, Vinden mistook the timely arriving Bal Jeong-nam for a fellow terrorist and saw no reason to doubt his solo appearance.
"Kuhahaha! Die! I shall bring death upon you heretics who defy the will of God!"
Revealing his true colors amid the crowd, Vinden laughed maniacally and activated his superpower.
Thorny Vine
Thorns sprout from the body, sharp enough to shred flesh. Up to 5m length; shorter vines allow more simultaneous control.
Shrrrrrrk—!
Thorned vines burst from his body, shredding his clothes.
Vinden's superpower, Thorny Vine, sprouted razor-sharp, iron-hard thorns from the body capable of tearing humans apart in an instant. He could extend them up to five meters, with shorter lengths allowing more vines at once.
"Die, all of you! Heretics defying God!"
Vinden swung the vines to slaughter those around him in one go.
'Hm?'
The moment the thickly thorned vine lunged to rip Stephanie apart, Vinden spotted a comrade charging at him.
"Don't come this way—go kill the doct—"
He tried ordering his comrade to take out Cruemora Doctor. But the words never finished.
Bam—!
"Guhk?!"
The hammer-like fist of the man in black spandex smashed into Vinden's face, knocking him out cold with a single blow.
'Has this psycho lost his damn mind?'
I sighed inwardly in relief, staring at the unconscious superpowered fool. I had no idea who he was, but he'd just tried to slaughter people with his power.
And Stephanie—my mom—was in his attack range.
I might like Batman, but that didn't mean I wanted his family situation. In other words, I needed parents like Bal Ji-un and Stephanie Yu.
They were my bottomless money pit.
Why else would I choose chaebol parents with my selection? It was all so I could splash cash freely while playing villain.
But on my first day as Bal Jeong-nam, Mom nearly dies?
A superpowered person was only super when using their power; without it, just a normal human. And Mom's powers were stealth-focused.
'He's not dead, right?'
Tap tap.
I nudged the downed superhuman with my foot. Nose crushed, face caved in, but his chest rose and fell—he'd live.
'Is mom okay... oh shit.'
I turned to check on her and our eyes met. Everyone else had fled, but Mom alone stayed, staring at me.
"Who are you?"
Mom spoke.
"....."
I didn't answer. She might recognize my voice and figure out who I was.
Today was my first chat with her, but she'd talked to my character for 30 years. She'd spot my identity from tone, inflection, everything.
"Not with that guy... so why save people? Aren't you a villain?"
"....."
I kept my mouth shut. No hints allowed.
What now? Run? But that'd derail cornering Cruemora Doctor into villainy.
As I hesitated—
"Get down!"
"....?"
"Huh?"
Crackle-crack!
The lab temperature plunged like the Arctic, floor icing over. The frost snaked toward me like a serpent.
'Danger!'
My instincts screamed not to touch that chill. I leaped back, covering nearly ten meters in place.
"Vice President Stephanie Yu? I'll handle this. Get out now!"
"You're... Ice Queen?"
Mom muttered in shock at the mysterious woman before her. Ice Queen?
I examined Ice Queen closely.
She wore a transparent mask like ice covering eyes and nose, hiding her face completely. Like Mom's active skill, Fox Mask—something special.
Then Mom said something odd.
"Why are you here? I wasn't told you'd come."
'What?'
Mom, so composed before me, was visibly rattled. Ice Queen coming unannounced? Hard to brush off.
'I'll look into it later.'
But figuring it out now was impossible. Too much unknown.
"Explanations later! Get out of here first!"
"...You will explain. You have to!"
Mom bit her lip and fled down the opposite hall. The lab had another door opposite the one I'd smashed.
'The doctor...'
And my target, Cruemora Doctor, had already bolted.
'Damn.'
My plan to push him to villainy evaporated. I could chase, but Ice Queen wouldn't let me.
Ice shards orbited her like asteroids.
"....."
I stared, then casually turned to leave. Hoping she'd get the hint.
But—
"Where do you think you're going!"
A hero of justice wouldn't let a villain slip away. The moment I turned, her attack flew.
Pak! Pak! Pak!
Chill-laden ice slammed into my back.
'Ugh! Freezing!'
HP and Pain Resistance dulled the pain, but not the cold. Should've picked Cold Resistance at level 7! Who saw this coming!
"Igloo."
⟨ Igloo ⟩
Crackle-crack!
The moment Ice Queen murmured, the lab froze over. Even the shattered door filled with new ice—not a door, a wall.
"No escaping."
"....."
Ice Queen glared with icy eyes. I'd planned to leave peacefully, but now...
"Block me, and it'll hurt—a lot."
"You'll suffer enough to wish for death."
"....."
Hitting women wasn't my thing... but she was a hero, not a woman. Fair game.
"Groooarrr!"
"Haat!"
Fist met ice in collision.
While Ice Queen blocked Bal Jeong-nam, Cruemora Doctor fled to his lab with his assistants.
As a key figure at Sanctuary Corp, his lab was fortified with cutting-edge tech and fully isolatable from the outside.
He planned to seal it off until the chaos ended.
"Doctor, you okay?"
"The chimera! What about the chimera? It's safe, right?"
"Yes, all secure."
Cruemora prioritized his achievement—the chimera—over his own safety. Only after confirming the caged animals unharmed did he exhale in relief.
He'd claimed before the shareholders he could inject chameleon genes into any animal, but that was a lie.
Over a thousand experiments, and these survivors were all that remained.
The shareholder demo was to secure more funding and expand.
"Isolate us first."
"Yes, Doctor."
Back in the lab, he sealed it immediately. His assistant flipped a wall switch, dropping a barrier to block all entry.
"Cruemora Doctor?"
"What? ...Huh?"
He reflexively answered the call, then realized it wasn't his assistant or guards.
"Who—"
Slash—!
"Kyaaah!"
"Guh, guk!"
"....."
Before shocked Cruemora could turn, something emerged from his shadow, slitting a guard's throat and choking out the assistants.
Now, only Cruemora remained sane in the lab—and
"Nice to meet you. I'm Shadow Killer."
"....."
Legacy Bon, the villain known as Shadow Killer.