Joker on the Wanted List
Several days had passed since the hospital terror incident. Public opinion of the Hero Association, which had hit rock bottom after the department store attack, had somewhat recovered. The reason? Their swift response to the hospital terror minimized casualties and subdued the terrorist. There were deaths, sure, but far fewer than in the previous incident.
The villain behind this attack was reported to have been taken down by Spica. Well, they couldn't exactly say a werewolf did it, so yeah, that made sense. Oh, and there were quite a few articles about me in the news too.
Ha... so much to say about all this. For starters, somehow I'd ended up labeled as part of the Villain Alliance. Witnesses at the scene testified that Nam Hyunsu had protected them from the werewolf. But Nam Hyunsu wasn't registered with the Association, so he wasn't a hero. The Association stayed mum on it, and online, people were praising him as an unsung hero.
With the narrative like that, I naturally got slotted in as a Villain Alliance member. The Association isn't run by idiots—they probably know Nam Hyunsu was the villain and that I fought him to save people. But they didn't bother correcting the story. Probably to remind everyone that the werewolf's a villain, rather than some ally of humanity.
That's why they credited Spica with taking down Stormbringer instead of me. And thanks to this mess, I've been added to the Association's wanted list. A-Rank threat level. Alias: 'Joker'.
Joker? Out of nowhere? Is it because of that wolf joke I scratched into the floor? Obviously, the Association investigators found it. Joker sounds kinda cool, I'll admit, but getting an alias isn't something to celebrate. I was finally winning Spica over, and now every hero's gonna be gunning for me.
They also announced plans to deploy a White Knight for terror response. White Knight is one of the hero ranks. Officially, the international ranking system only has Junior, Mid-level, and Senior. But some Seniors are on another level entirely—in power and achievements—so countries created their own top-tier labels. America calls them Champions, Japan has Yokozuna. Ours? White Knight, named after some legendary hero from the past to honor his legacy.
For heroes, achievements mean strength. Not absolute, but no one with that kind of title is weak. And now those White Knights are mobilizing to wipe out the Villain Alliance. No idea what they've been doing until now, but I sincerely hope this puts an end to it all. I never want to see people dying so casually in front of me again.
As for Supporter activities, my team's been shuffled. Makes sense—Nam Hyunsu’s dead, Seo Chaerim’s hospitalized with serious injuries. I was the only one unscathed, so of course the team changed. (Fun fact: I recovered in a single day. Werewolf perks are insane...)
The new teammates aren't bad, but you can tell they're terrified. Back-to-back terrors in two days, tons of deaths—who wouldn't be? At this rate, the team's gonna reshuffle again soon. Seo Chaerim's constant bitching used to annoy me, but these silent types just patrolling wordlessly? It's soul-crushingly boring. Hours of walking without chatter is harder than it sounds.
Chihuahua... come back soon. I'll tease you less from now on.
Speaking of Seo Chaerim, there's still unfinished business. The day after the hospital incident, I called Hwang Yerang and asked to meet. I wanted answers about Betrayer, their real identities, the works. But she said she was too busy. She'd contact me when she had time. Could've handled it over the phone, but I had a gut feeling I needed to meet face-to-face.
Right after the incident, Marie called too. Worried if I was hurt, apologizing for not picking up earlier. She's too damn nice sometimes. I flipped it and asked about Spica—news said she took down the villain, but those injuries looked brutal even for a hero. No lasting damage, I hoped. Turns out she's hospitalized and recovering fine. Tough as nails, so she'll be out soon.
Come to think of it, I wondered about that Night hero whose nuts I kicked, but didn't ask. Felt too awkward. Quick search: Night's a Junior hero—the lowest rank. Explains the sloppy moves and openings. Still, inexperienced or not, his power was legit. That sword could've seriously hurt even me. Talented guy—kinda feel bad if I neutered him. And losing so humiliatingly in front of everyone... did I crush a promising sprout?
This time I got tangled in the terror by chance, but I can't rush to every one. If a hero's already on scene, they'll peg me as the enemy. And no guarantee it'll happen nearby enough for me to respond fast. I vowed to protect people, but I can't always be the one stepping up.
So, for survival's sake, time to seriously rethink my career path. Supporter gigs pay decent for now, but can't do this forever. Reality bites—a sigh slipped out.
After hours of patrol, my legs were jelly. Dragging myself home, I heard rustling from somewhere. No one around, so if it was a monster, perfect chance to handle it quick. But it wasn't a monster.
It was a stunningly beautiful foreigner, butt-naked, glancing around nervously without a stitch on. What the hell is this?
Brain froze, couldn't process. I stood there gawking until our eyes met. She froze too, then...
"Kyaaaaah! Pervert!!!!!!"
...screamed like a damsel. Back in high school, before getting isekai'd—back in reality—we'd joked about hoping for a female flasher after seeing some naked dude on the news. Horny teens, thought it'd be hot. Nope. Reality? Fear over arousal. Naked in public? That's next-level crazy. And in this world, with superpowered freaks everywhere? Who knows what grudge this nutjob's packing.
I screamed bloody murder and bolted without looking back.
"Wait! Misunderstanding! I'm not a pervert!"
She chased after me, panicked. "Gah! Stay back! Help!!"
"Perverts don't kill people! And I'm really not one!"
Crazy pervert logic! She was fast—full sprint and she wasn't falling behind. Getting closer. Legs heavy from all-day walking, but I pushed, lungs burning, side cramping. Didn't stop. But the gap closed.
Just as she caught up—
"Freeze!"
Marie appeared out of nowhere, pinned the naked psycho, and wrenched her arm back.
"What the hell's going on here, pervert?"
"Even if you ask me, I..." Why ask me? I'm the victim!
Gasping for air, explaining to Marie, when the pinned woman started thrashing.
"Hold still! Don't move!"
"Misunderstanding! I'm not a pervert!"
"Hah. Who else chases a guy naked at night in the middle of nowhere, boobs bouncing everywhere?"
Boobs bouncing? Her phrasing... And déjà vu? Nah, just my imagination.