Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Villain and Omen
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Seo Jin-ho offered to drive me all the way to Crown Villa, but of course, I turned him down.
Villains don't accept help from heroes!
...Of course, that's just the principle of it.
But Goldie wouldn't let up, insisting on giving me a ride, and when she dangled the promise of burgers and milkshakes from the drive-thru, I had no choice—really, no choice at all—but to climb into her shiny gold sports car.
Of course, I couldn't risk exposing the location of a villain's secret base, so I got out firmly at the neighborhood entrance. With both hands full of burgers and milkshakes! The burgers were double patties with extra cheese! As expected from a rich hero.
"Everlin! This great one has returned! Hear the tale of the mighty villain's triumph!"
The moment I opened the door to Crown Villa 301, I bellowed in a booming voice.
Darkness and White King leaped from my shoulders and darted into their mouse holes like lightning. Home sweet home, indeed!
Everlin stood at the entrance in perfect posture, greeting me. As always, her maid outfit was impeccable, without a single wrinkle.
"Welcome home, Master. How did the assessment go?"
I puffed out my modest chest with pride.
"Kakakat! This great one is now officially a B-rank villain!"
Everlin's face flickered with slight surprise.
"B-rank? Are you satisfied with that ranking, Master?"
"At first, I was furious, of course! Me, not SSS-rank?!"
I flopped onto the sofa and continued.
"But Goldie explained it to me. B-rank stands for BADDEST-rank! The worst of the worst villains!"
Everlin's eyes wavered for a split second before returning to their serene calm.
"Of course, Master. BADDEST... You truly are the greatest villain."
She smiled as she said it.
"And with a plus rating, no less. Most impressive."
"Right? Everlin always knows this great one's true worth!"
I pulled out the thank-you gift from the Hero Association.
"Feast your eyes on this! Another trophy! A Hero Association calendar! A pathetic bribe from heroes trying to win me over! Add it to the villain calendar collection!"
Everlin took the calendar politely and headed to the living room. The desk already held a row of calendars: Black Lotus Bank, Lotus Department Store, Grand Mart, City Library, Park Management Office...
She slotted the Hero Association one in among them.
"Perfect... Proof that all these places are under this great one's domain!"
I gazed at the calendars for a moment, a strange thought crossing my mind. It kinda just looks like a calendar collection hobby...
I quickly shook my head side to side.
"No! These are conquest markers! Symbols of the territories this great one will claim! Once conquered, I'll stamp them with my horn!"
I clenched my fist toward the future.
"Soon, all these places will fall under this great one's rule! The Hero Association will be annexed into my territory—it's a done deal!"
Everlin bowed with a smile.
"Of course, Master. Now, I'll prepare dinner. There's a special dessert today to celebrate your victory."
"Villain life is nothing but victory after victory!"
I sank into the sofa with a satisfied thud, exhaling deeply. Something felt different now. This great one was officially recognized as a villain!
Today's the start of 72 hours... Time to prepare for the Azure Dragon Mountain operation.
As a villain spy infiltrating the heroes, I'll uncover every one of their weaknesses! That's what the ultimate villain does!
"Everlin! Starting tomorrow, this great one dives into hardcore hell training! To defend the Azure Dragon Mountain waters!"
"Pardon? Defend the water?"
"No, I mean... to expand villain territory! First step to making S City mine! Turn the Azure Dragon Mountain monsters into my minions and have them attack the heroes! Kakakat!"
Yeah, that sounds way more villainous.
The heroes needing this great one? Hilarious. But I won't miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance. That's top-tier villain strategy!
The day of the Azure Dragon Mountain operation had finally arrived. The villain training I'd planned for days? Uh, well, I spent it gaming, reading comics, and snacking, so zero progress! But my heart was totally ready!
"Teaming up with heroes to save the world? Not very villainous, but... I can't let other monsters steal my territory, S City!"
Darkness and White King nodded from my shoulders. Hmm, even these two sensing the gravity? This is serious.
At the base of Azure Dragon Mountain, an overwhelming scene unfolded.
Military tents packed tight, mobile labs, comms gear, armed vehicles everywhere. Like a war movie set.
"Kakakat! This could make a decent villain HQ! My forward base needs this vibe—villain flags and skull decor mandatory!"
Military drones and surveillance choppers patrolled the skies nonstop. A massive controlled zone ringed the mountain, with civilian no-entry signs everywhere.
Though in this day and age, that wouldn't stop everyone.
Buzz buzz—
"Isn't that Golden Princess over there?"
"Sakura Samurai! Strike a JK pose!!"
"Where? Oh wow, it is! Gotta post on Insta!"
Human stupidity never fails to amaze me. The world's on the brink, and they're taking selfies!
"Utterly hopeless idiots."
Some looked like YouTubers streaming live with clickbait titles like 'SHOCK! Azure Dragon Mountain Monsters! S-Rank Gate Live from the Scene!' A gaggle of silly college girls posed with V-signs in front of the barriers, hashtagging '#AzureDragonMonsterExperience #YOLOtoday'. In the distance, news crews set up tripods and tested mics for live broadcasts.
Tsk, pathetic. But fine! Perfect chance to broadcast this great one's heroic villainy worldwide!
I strode into the command center with majestic flair.
"Attention all! The great Grimoire has graced you with his presence! From now on, move with perfect discipline under this noble one's command! All will proceed smoothly!"
A few heroes gave me weird looks but soon focused on their tasks.
Hmph, fools blind to a villain's charisma!
Soldiers eyed me curiously too, but when Potbelly Chairman nodded, they saluted with smirks.
"Saluting a villain? Weirdos!"
But inwardly, I was pleased. This great one is special! Recognition wherever I go!
The command center buzzed even more. Giant displays updated with mountain topography and gate energy data nonstop. Potbelly and key heroes huddled around the conference table.
Dark Circles Doc explained wearily from under her black bags.
"Energy levels rising 7% per hour. Faster than expected. At this rate... gate fully opens tomorrow noon."
I glanced at the graph. Red line shooting nearly vertical. Not good.
"S City at risk. Worst case... all of Korea wiped out. Maybe the world. Or not."
"Eek! All of Korea? My entire territory gone?!"
In one corner, heroes prepped for battle. Goldie stood tense amid gold bars she'd hauled from all over S City.
Sailor-suited high schooler polished her katana with uncharacteristic seriousness. The scholar hero sketched talismans in the air, deep in meditation.
Huh? Kang Hyunwoo’s here too? Briefing with other B- and C-rank heroes. Our eyes met; he smiled and approached.
"Kang Hyunwoo! Here to witness Grimoire's glory?"
"Hey, Grimoire. Got assigned to this op too. As a D-rank, I'm on civilian evac at the base."
"Hmph! This great one handles VIP gate-closing duty! Leagues above small fry like you!"
"Heard about it! If we survive, chicken's on me!"
Chicken...? Hmm, this guy might make decent minion material. Slave tier to start, of course!
Dark Circles Doc approached suddenly, holding a weird device.
"Hold still."
Without explanation, she attached something near my horn. A small metal gadget clung lightly.
"Gray Matter energy detector. Lets us know when your horn emits unique energy."
"Daring to stick a toy on this sacred horn?!"
I was pissed, but if it detects energy, useful. All thanks to my glorious horn—saving the world!
"We'll need your power when the gate opens. Ready?"
"Naturally! This great one was born ready!"
I declared boldly, though my voice quivered slightly.
Truth is... no clue how to close the gate. Last time was pure luck...
Then—every device blared alarms.
Beep-beep-beep-BEEP!!
Warning lights flashed wildly.
Screens showed energy spiking dramatically. Red line vertical.
"Impossible! Way faster than predicted! Sudden surge—something accelerating gate formation!"
Everyone looked skyward. Me too.
"The sky... it's tearing...?"
Directly above the peak, faint red cracks yawned open like a grotesque wound, forming a rift.
"Th-that... the gate? Bigger than I thought! That size... what massive horror's coming out? No way... stronger than me? N-no! Impossible! Nothing in this world surpasses I, Grimoire!"
Air warped around the rift, ominous energy spilling out. Winds howled suddenly; ground trembled faintly.
Fear and tension etched every face. Goldie's paled; scholar's beard quivered.
Darkness and White King exchanged wary glances, more alert than usual.
"All units, battle stations! Repeat: All units, battle stations! Gate opening!"
Potbelly Chairman barked into the radio.
"Unprecedented pattern in gate energy waves!"
"Doesn't match any gate data we have! Completely new type!"
"This is the omen of 'Heaven and Earth Reversal' from ancient texts... A calamity to upend the world!"
The rift, starting as a small vortex, morphed into a massive circular portal gaping like jaws.
It grew; red glow intensified. Inside the darkness, faint silhouettes of huge moving shapes.
Grrr... Kyaaak! Kieeek!
Monster roars echoed from afar.
"Those... tentacles?"
"How many? Dozens? Hundreds? Still growing!"
"Gate expansion accelerating! At this rate, much sooner than—"
Grooooaaar—!
Above all, the ear-shattering cry of some unearthly beast.
C-can this great one pull this off?
Slowly, very slowly... backing away.
"Y'know... suddenly remembered, urgent business at home."
Stealthily—
One step, two... toward the exit...
Heroes turned to me in unison.
"Oh right! Left the stove on! Electric bill nightmare! Everlin'll scold me!"
Squeak?
Darkness and White King stared at me like I'd lost it.
"And... faucet running in the bath! House might flood!"
My steps quickened. Everyone looked baffled.
"Wait, Grimoire."
Seo Jin-ho blocked my path.
"Time to show B-rank responsibility! We need your power!"
"What?! Idiot! Villains have no responsibility!"
I waved dismissively.
"This great one is a villain! Villain! Not a hero!"
"Villain or hero, we need you now."
"Hmph! World ends? Don't care! I'm out!"
Then Goldie landed before me.
"Is our Grimoire scared~? Not so brave a villain after all?"
"Scared? Me? Absurd! Just heading home for leftover snacks...!"
"Thought you were some amazing, terrifying villain... Guess just a plain B-rank~?"
This Goldie!!
Bubbling rage!
How dare she mock me?!
"No! This great one is no ordinary B-rank! BADDEST-rank villain! Yeah! S City is mine! Those monster scum invading my precious turf? Unforgivable! I'll wipe them out myself!"
Fist clenched; world tinted gray. Horn burned hot.
Beep! Bweeep!
Dark Circles Doc's device on my horn wailed.
"Uh, hold on?"
She tapped her tablet frantically and looked up.
"This... Gray Matter resonating with gate energy? 99.8% match within margin..."
Her shout drew every eye—heroes, soldiers, researchers—to my horn.
Wha? Why's everyone staring like that?!
"Th-this great one did nothing...!"
Doc's face twisted in confusion.
"What? Gray Matter doesn't close the gate... it's interacting with it..."
Suddenly, intense gray light burst from my horn. Brighter than ever!
"Energy hit critical! Gate fully opening!"
"......"
No time to flee now. Only option: face it with my power...
Ironically, saving the world was essential to conquest plans. The villain path is complicated!