The Unhinged A-Rank and the High-Speed Chase
A-Rank Hero Triple Power (1) 【 Potential: A 】
There it was. A clear, capital 'A' that hadn't even smudged. "......." Even Ayoung, usually the picture of composure, stood with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape, unable to hide her shock.
"Th-this must be a typo from the previous person's file, right, nyang?!" Namiyang jumped up, shouting.
"No way! Even our Master, who’s got muscles for days and is fast as hell, only has a B+ potential! How does that pigeon kid, who couldn't even throw a proper punch and just spent her time diving through the air, get an A-Rank potential? Are the evaluators all out of their minds?!"
Namiyang’s protest was perfectly reasonable. No matter how you looked at it, Eunbyul showed absolutely no signs of being a combatant. Giving her an A-Rank potential—the equivalent of a national strategic weapon—was logically impossible to accept.
While Eunbyul stood frozen in a daze, Ohu held the document up high and began to read aloud the 【Reason for Potential Grade Evaluation】 section, which the examiners had filled out in dense, cramped handwriting.
"Subject: Han Eunbyul. The ascent speed of the ability Flight was originally fixed, regardless of the subject's weight......." Ohu’s voice echoed through the waiting room. "However, recent training with Last Moment has added physical capability enhancements, and significant acceleration changes have been observed in the Flight ability."
"Acceleration changes?" Eunbyul asked, confused by her own ability.
Ohu swallowed hard and read the next passage.
"In other words, the subject's Flight ability is not pure gravity resistance...... It is estimated to have a unique gimmick that mechanically absorbs the physical energy generated by the body and converts it into vector acceleration. Simply put......."
"If it's vectors, then perhaps......." Ayoung seemed to have an inkling of what this meant.
"It is estimated that the stored energy increases cubically in proportion to weight."
"Master, my brain is melting, nyang.... This is way too complicated......."
"It requires further research and training, but......." Ohu pointed to the last line of the document, a hollow, disbelieving smile spreading across his face. "The growth curve of this ability is judged to have a mechanism similar to the awakening case of the current A-Rank hero, Triple Power. Therefore, the maximum reachable potential is calculated as A-Rank."
"As expected, Triple Power......." Ayoung looked at Eunbyul, confirming her hypothesis. "This is good."
"Because Eunbyul has great potential?" Ohu assumed that was the reason. But Ayoung pulled up the KHC regulation book on her tablet screen.
"The crew composition plan I mentioned earlier—the need for a manager, medic, and mechanic—was only regarding auxiliary personnel. However, according to KHC regulations, there is one essential condition that must be met for special recruits to gather, register as an official crew, and exercise legal authority."
Ayoung underlined a passage on the screen in red.
"It is the clause stating that at least one official B-Rank or higher hero with rich field experience and proven performance must be included as a core combat member of the crew. Simply put, it means a veteran with experience must act as the person in charge and mentor to prevent new heroes from committing suicide by grouping up."
"Ah......." Only then did Ohu nod. Currently, Unmarked’s combat personnel consisted only of himself and Namiyang, who were rated C-Rank, and Eunbyul, who was rated D-Rank. All of them were rookies and absolute beginners.
"Wait a minute." Ohu asked, puzzled. "Instructor Last Moment is B-Rank, isn't she? She agreed to join us as our exclusive medic earlier. Doesn't that satisfy the condition?"
"If we couldn't find a mentor, I was planning to register Ms. Last Moment as a loophole, but I expect it would be difficult." Ayoung shook her head. "Ms. Last Moment is a special case. Her official potential grade was only judged as C-Rank, but she is a hero who overcame that limitation through sheer skill to earn a B-Rank license. The Association respects her tenacity, but it’s hard to recognize her as the core combat power to lead a crew. She remains strictly in a support position as a medic or instructor."
Ayoung looked at Ohu, Namiyang, and the bewildered Eunbyul in turn. "In other words, we need one veteran combat hero of B-Rank or higher who has both the power and the track record. And...... as it happens, we’ve just gained the connections and the personnel to resolve this situation."
"Connections?"
"Yes." Ayoung’s eyes sparkled with interest. "As of this morning, Triple A, the crew with the highest performance in South Korea, has been abruptly disbanded."
"......Ah, because of Mr. Triple Axel."
"Correct. The leader, Triple Axel, left the country to undergo S-Rank promotion screening. S-Rank heroes are classified as part of the International League and cannot concurrently engage in general domestic crew activities. With the leader gone, the crew naturally entered the process of dissolution."
Ayoung’s gaze shifted to the name written in Eunbyul’s guidebook. "With Triple A disbanded, the remaining two A-Rank heroes are now free agents. One of them is...... the senior who will create synergy with Eunbyul’s ability: Triple Power."
Ayoung’s voice was filled with aspiration. "The person in the world who knows best how to train the method of converting Eunbyul’s Flight ability into vector acceleration is Triple Power herself, who reached A-Rank through a similar mechanism. Furthermore, she is a mechanical engineering genius who designs her own suits and equipment. If we could somehow recruit her into Unmarked......?"
Ayoung clenched her fist. "The Association’s official crew approval, a mentor to awaken Eunbyul’s ability, and the issue of an exclusive mechanic for the crew—all of it would be solved at once."
Even Namiyang’s jaw dropped at Ayoung’s blueprint, and Eunbyul’s heart pounded as if it would burst at the thought that she might be trained directly by an A-Rank hero. However.
"......I don't know." Ohu crossed his arms and scratched his chin with a skeptical expression. "The plan is good, but isn't it too unrealistic? Why would an A-Rank hero who worked in the top-performing crew in the country join a fledgling crew like us, who just got our licenses?"
It was unrealistic. "Besides...... it doesn't make sense that a top-performing crew would just disintegrate this morning because one guy, Triple Axel, left. Shouldn't the remaining two just continue to lead the crew?"
At Ohu’s point, Ayoung adjusted her glasses, looking slightly troubled. "That is......." Ayoung cleared her throat and opened her mouth to explain. "The personalities of the other two, excluding Triple Axel, are...... very, very unique and uncontrollable, to the point where it's hard to call them heroes. Especially in the case of Triple Power, whom we need to recruit......."
Before Ayoung could even finish her sentence.
And then.
"SENIOOOOOR――――!!!!"
"......?!"
A woman’s scream, her voice completely hoarse, rang out loudly from the lobby of the second evaluation hall.
"WHEEEERE DID YOU GOOOOO!!!!"
Crash! Smash!
"Eek! Triple Power, please stop!!!"
Sounds of furniture being smashed and people screaming erupted one after another from the lobby. Ohu and his group were startled and looked out into the lobby through the waiting room window.
"Wh-what is that......?" Eunbyul covered her mouth.
The evaluation hall lobby was in shambles, as if it had been bombed. The top of the information desk was split in half, and steel fences were bent and scattered. And in the middle of that chaos stood a small woman wearing greasy work goggles on her head and a baggy flight jacket stained with soot.
She was the person in question, who had flown here at breakneck speed the moment she saw the news interview. She was a South Korean A-Rank hero and a member of Triple A: Triple Power.
"No, Senior!! How could you just leave like that without saying a word!! How am I supposed to work with that trashy bastard!!"
The A-Rank hero was sobbing, tears and snot streaming down her face. The area around her was in such a mess that it was hard to believe the destructive power was coming from such a small frame. She grabbed a KHC staff member by the collar, lifted him into the air, and began to shake him.
"Spit it out! Where did our Senior go?! Which airport is it!! If you don't tell me right now, I'm going to smash your head in!!"
"Th-that's Incheon, Incheon! International flights from Korea are all from Incheon!" The staff member, legs dangling in the air, managed to get the words out despite being held by the collar.
"Oh, right.... Then when did he leave!!!!"
"He, he left a while ago...... and he booked the flight immediately...... I, I think he’s already finished immigration and boarded by now......!" The shell-shocked staff member stammered out the facts, trembling.
"......What?"
The moment she heard the staff member's answer, Triple Power, who had been rampaging and trying to destroy the entire lobby, stopped dead in her tracks.
"He...... boarded......?"
Swoosh.
The strength left Triple Power’s hands, and the staff member fell to the floor, landing hard on his backside.
"Ah......." Triple Power slumped to the floor as if she had suffered a total burnout. Even though she had been destroying the hall and threatening people just a moment ago, she now collapsed like a withered green onion, her shoulders sagging helplessly.
"It's over....... Senior abandoned me....... How am I supposed to handle that crazy bastard all by myself now....... My life is over...... Waaaaah......."
She began to sob sorrowfully, hitting the floor with both hands. It was closer to a toddler who had lost her mother in a supermarket throwing a tantrum than an A-Rank hero.
Ohu, watching the miserable sight through the window, let out a dry laugh. "Certainly...... her personality is fucking weird. That's an A-Rank?"
He finally understood why Ayoung had been so troubled when she tried to explain earlier.
"Well, anyway, this is our chance. If we go and sweet-talk her while she's mentally drained and withered like that......."
Just as Ohu was about to formulate a recruitment strategy.
"......?"
Triple Power’s sobbing, which had been echoing across the floor, suddenly stopped. The withering didn't last long. Not even a minute later, Triple Power, who had been sprawled on the floor, suddenly stood up.
"No way!!!" Her eyes held the same intensity they had when she was threatening the staff member earlier. "That flight, there's a huge gap between boarding time and actual departure time, right?! Plus, with all the villain terror threats lately, airport luggage checks and security screenings are super strict and take forever! If I go at full speed right now, I can catch him before the plane takes off!!"
Triple Power activated her miracle logic circuits and began to charge up. "Wait for me, Senior! I’m going to stop you from leaving, no matter what!!"
BOOM!!
Triple Power kicked off the floor and shot out through the lobby’s revolving door like an arrow.
Whoosh-!
Following the trajectory of the A-Rank hero, stacks of documents flew through the air, and the remaining glass windows cracked with a sharp clinking sound.
"......." Ohu and his group stared blankly at the spot Triple Power had swept through, their jaws hanging open.
"......That was her flying away just now, right?" Eunbyul pointed at the shattered lobby door with a trembling finger.
"Wow, she’s a truly hopeless lunatic. Her mood swings are insane, nyang." Namiyang also clicked her tongue in disbelief.
But they couldn't afford to be lost in their thoughts. Ayoung’s eyes turned urgent as she shouted.
"We have to chase her and catch her right now!"
"What? Chase that?"
"The news of Triple A’s disbandment is already out as a breaking news report! At this very moment, every large crew and corporation in the country will be scrambling to snatch up Triple Power! If we’re late, we’ll definitely lose her!"
At Ayoung’s urgent shout, Ohu’s mind snapped back to reality. Even if that woman was a bomb full of madness and mood swings, she was the only one who could train Eunbyul and build her equipment.
"Let's go! Run!"
At Ohu’s command, the four of them dashed across the lobby and sprinted toward the parking lot. Moments later, their pickup truck roared to life, pulling out of the evaluation hall with a loud engine growl, beginning a high-speed chase toward Incheon International Airport, where Triple Power had flown off to.