Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Villain and Gold
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Whoosh-!
Every time I swung my fist, rabbits went flying in all directions. A few crashed into the flower beds, but the gate kept spitting out fresh ones endlessly.
"Arghhh! Why won't these things stop coming?!"
Take out one, and two took its place. Knock out two, and four filled the gap.
"Where the hell does that tunnel lead? A rabbit factory?"
Kang Hyunwoo was fighting hard beside me too. He was picking off one or two at a time, but it wasn't enough. There were limits to what a D-Rank Hero could do. No matter how hard we tried, their numbers showed no sign of thinning.
At this rate, not just the vegetable patch but the whole Grimoire Park would be devoured by the rabbit horde! They'd probably dig burrows everywhere!
'Hmm, what now?'
I quickly ran the calculations in my head. I needed a strategy worthy of a great villain.
Negotiate with carrots? But those teeth... they don't look like veggie lovers...
'Then... just feed them that puny hero!'
Kang Hyunwoo blocked three blade rabbits at once and glanced my way.
But on second thought, it wasn't such a great plan. Hundreds of rabbits, one hero. They'd each get a fingernail's worth if they shared. Might just make them angrier from the tease.
"Grimoire! Watch your back!"
I jumped in shock at Kang Hyunwoo's shout and whipped around. Rabbits were using each other as stepping stones, leaping straight for my horns.
"Eek! Why my horns?!"
I slashed them away with a hand chop. They were clearly after gnawing my horns!
"How dare these rude furballs touch—no, paw—this body's horns?!"
As I frantically knocked rabbits off, the vegetable patch in front of me grew more and more devastated. The furrows I'd worked so hard on collapsed, uprooted seedlings buried in the dirt.
And my limbs were starting to feel heavy bit by bit. Ugh... did I burn too much stamina on farming?
The battle was at its fiercest.
"What's that?"
A flurry of activity caught my eye from one side of the park. At first, I thought it was dumb cops or rubberneckers.
But they moved with professional efficiency, quickly setting up cameras and lighting gear.
"It's dangerous! Monsters are appearing—evacuate now!"
Kang Hyunwoo shouted, but they ignored him and kept working.
Filming in this situation? Were they staking their lives on ratings?
"What are those reckless fools? I get wanting to film this body, but the timing is just..."
"Camera ready!"
"Sound check complete!"
"3, 2, 1—live broadcast starting!"
The main PD snapped his fingers, and all the gear whirred to life. A red light blinked on the camera.
"Hey, this body is busy right now! Photos or autographs after the rabbits are dealt with... huh?"
That instant—
Glint.
Suddenly, radiant golden light poured down from the sky. What was this sudden special effect?
A woman descended slowly from the heavens. Golden wavy hair fluttered in the wind. She wore a red suit hero costume adorned with flashy gold ornaments. Golden particles swirled around her, keeping her afloat.
Kang Hyunwoo stared in shock and muttered.
"S-Rank Hero Golden Princess...!"
Hmm... S-Rank? Way below this body, sure, but leagues above a D-Rank Hero.
"Citizens, don't worry. Golden Princess is here!"
With a wave of her hand, the golden particles gathered into hundreds of golden spears.
"Golden Rain!"
The next moment, the golden spears rained down like arrows.
Shiiiik-!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The golden spears poured like rain, flying toward the blade rabbits.
No matter where the rabbits fled, the spears pursued and pierced them precisely.
In seconds, dozens, hundreds of blade rabbits vanished.
"Oh, ho... not bad at all..."
Wait a sec, though...
"Hey! My garden's getting pierced too! Stop! Aim properly! That's where the lettuce is planted!"
My shouts did nothing. The golden spears stabbed without distinguishing between rabbits and my garden.
"Nooooo!"
I screamed and rushed to the garden, but it was too late.
The Grimoire Garden, made with the old folks, was utterly devastated by the rabbit assault and the golden spear barrage.
Golden Princess descended gracefully to the ground. Her intent to show off her elegant entrance was obvious.
"Viewers, hello. This is S-Rank Hero Golden Princess, Serena. I'm here on-site today to protect peace in S City. Citizens, you can rest easy now."
She flashed a dazzling smile at the camera. Her lines and expressions were perfectly rehearsed, like reading from a teleprompter. A far cry from this body's natural villain charisma—artificial, almost.
"Today's 'Golden Hero Time: Miracle of Gold' is coming to you live from S City Central Park. We're bringing you the raw action from a sudden raid by D-Rank monsters, the 'blade rabbit' horde!"
This body's sharp mind pieced it together. This wasn't just filming—it was a live TV broadcast!
'Golden Hero Time'... Golden Princess's own variety show, huh.
Up close, Serena shone even brighter. Golden wavy hair, flawless makeup, taller than me, and that gold-adorned hero costume... it screamed expensive.
And me... filthy farmer clothes, baggy overalls. Hair matted with sweat and dirt...
'This is bad... I always wore my cool villain costume for my YouTube lives! Why TV debut in farmer rags?! All Everlin's fault! Should've seen this coming!'
I compared her sparkling hero suit to my farmer getup.
'Hmm... objectively, no bias... the costume might be... just a tiny bit inferior...'
I stroked my horns.
"But this body has horns! Overall, overwhelming victory!"
And Golden Princess? Name's gold, hair's gold, powers are gold... gold addict much?
She approached us.
"Are you okay? You two bravely bought us time."
"No need. Just doing what anyone would. I'm Endure, Kang Hyunwoo."
"Hey!"
Unlike this spineless D-Rank Hero, I glared at her with fury blazing in my eyes.
"Sticking iron—no, gold stakes in my garden! Trying to sever a villain's spirit?!"
I pointed to my golden-spear-ravaged garden. The plot I'd slaved over all day, where I'd promised to plant tomatoes tomorrow, was now a forest of gold spears.
The rabbits had trashed it first, sure, but she delivered the finishing blow!
"Pardon? Your garden??"
Kang Hyunwoo quickly explained.
"Grimoire made a vegetable garden in the park today. With the elderly folks, put a lot of care into it."
She looked flustered for a moment, then switched to a broadcast-friendly expression. The PD was whispering instructions in her ear.
"Oh. A community project, huh? I didn't know... sorry."
"Viewers, I've just learned this cute little hero girl was tending a park garden with local residents. But the monster outbreak ruined this beautiful project... so tragic."
She brought a hand to her mouth in a feigned pity gesture. Every move dripped with fakery.
"Not a citizen project—this was this body's evil deed! And you landed the final blow! Compensate me! Gold bars, now! Pure gold, 99.9%!"
Kang Hyunwoo chuckled awkwardly and interjected.
"Grimoire, we probably don't need that much..."
"What do you know! A villain's garden repair fee is set by the villain!"
"Um... what's your name?"
Her voice was syrupy, camera-aware.
"Hmph, quick to ask! Hear me, arrogant hero! This body is Grimoire, the great villain who will conquer the world! Kahahat!"
I tilted my chin up, hands on hips, striking my most menacing villain pose.
"Grimoire? Such a cute name."
Her words boiled my blood.
"Cute?! A villain's name is cute?! Think this body is a plush toy?! This name strikes fear and terror into all heroes! You should be kneeling in awe!"
I stomped in protest, but Serena was already directing the camera team.
"Camera 3, come in closer. This angle shows my quirk's power best."
"Hey, why aren't you filming me? I'm the star!"
One crew member answered irritably.
"We're Golden Princess's exclusive team. No other heroes."
"Heroes? This body is a villain!"
They barely reacted.
"How many subscribers you got?"
"Uh... th-that's... 30k...?"
"Serena has 10 million Instagram followers."
A staffer sneered.
"Should've brought Everlin. With that smashing maid, I'd keep villain dignity even here..."
I grumbled under my breath. But now wasn't the time.
Shiiiik—
Then, a racket echoed from the gate again.
"Huh? More still?"
Blade rabbits kept pouring from the rift.