Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The Smiling Man's Arrest
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Oh, this is something!
"Evacuation complete, Hero Valkyrie!"
"Good. Then let's head out right now, seniors! And Muyoung! You stay here and guard the cadets!"
Valkyrie returned to the scene alongside the other S-Rank Heroes, Guardian and Ignition.
Heroes going to rescue a villain(?) from the clutches of villains.
It was utterly bizarre, but logically speaking, it made a fair bit of sense.
Since he'd turned himself in, they could at least offer some protection.
More than that, he might actually become an ally.
Or at least, they could keep him from siding outright with the enemy.
A Catastrophe-Class villain no longer a villain?
As heroes sworn to protect the world and its people, it was a gamble worth taking!
"Valkyrie! I'll take the lead!"
"No, senior! I'll go first!"
"You sure?"
"If there's even a chance the Smiling Man is under attack, we have to prioritize him!"
"Never thought I'd live to see the day a hero rescues a villain!"
Valkyrie was just as frustrated. But there was no helping it.
The Clan Boss and the Smiling Man had clashed head-on.
A situation where the surrounding area could've been reduced to rubble at any moment.
Yet aside from the collapsed road, things were surprisingly intact.
'Either the Clan Boss or the Smiling Man... one of them should've died... but no.'
It seemed the Smiling Man simply hadn't resisted.
That was the only explanation. Which made helping him even more urgent.
"Smiling Man...!"
The sight that greeted Valkyrie as she arrived at the crumbled road was...
"Anyway. Your strength really is brutally overwhelming, isn't it?"
The Smiling Man, straightening his torn and dirtied clothes here and there.
The Clan Boss was nowhere to be seen.
Valkyrie hurriedly glanced at Guardian and Ignition.
"... ."
*Shake, shake*-
The two S-Rank Heroes hadn't sensed any presence either.
She had vanished just as quietly and secretly as she'd appeared.
What a monstrous woman.
'And this guy, unscathed after facing that monster head-on... he's a monster too.'
She gradually lowered her heightened battle senses.
She stored away the spear and shield she'd prepared in advance and approached the Smiling Man.
No traces of Mana Threads. Not a trap.
He even had both hands raised obediently, as if surrendering.
"Valkyrie."
Guardian approached from the side and held something out.
Handcuffs designed for Awakened, with ability-sealing effects active.
Not foolproof, but they suppressed abilities to some degree.
*Arrest him yourself. I gladly yield the honor.*
"Smiling Man."
Valkyrie deftly cuffed the Smiling Man's hands.
"You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..."
"Oh. My god. I've seen this so many times in movies! Miranda rights! Experiencing it firsthand feels so weird! Hahaha!!"
"...be used against you. You have the right to an attorney..."
In truth, villains were usually half-dead by the time they were captured.
What villain would surrender to a hero without a fight?
They resisted to the max, inflicted maximum damage, and then got caught.
The higher the rank, the harder the capture.
That's why the Smiling Man's lack of resistance shocked everyone.
"Hahaha... Never thought we'd actually catch the Smiling Man."
"You must be Hero Guardian. Your story was quite intriguing too. A hero approaching Ulleungdo fully prepared to fall. I applaud you!"
"First time in my life getting praise from a villain..."
Ignition beside him wore a similarly dumbfounded expression.
But the Smiling Man didn't seem to care, chattering on.
"Hero Ignition! First time seeing you in person! You've been S-Rank for a while now. How are we strangers?"
"...Because I've mostly been on overseas support missions."
"Are you three the only ones here? My god. Three S-Rank Heroes all for me. I'm so honored!"
"There's one more."
"Really? Who?!"
"Muyoung. ...Wait. Why the hell am I answering this bastard's questions?"
Because the Smiling Man had masterfully lightened the mood himself.
Keeping the heroes from feeling tense or hostile.
It was astonishing. To let their guard down so completely against a villain.
"...Everyone, snap out of it."
Valkyrie nodded at Guardian's words.
"We just head to the nearest police station like this, right?"
"Hold on, Valkyrie. Just got word—Union wants us to bring him to their branch."
"What the hell? Of course we go to the police station!"
If Union bounty hunters had caught the Smiling Man, maybe.
But they were heroes operating under direct orders from above.
Union butting in? Utter nonsense.
"They said they'd just do a quick investigation and hand him over."
"Are you insane? That's ridiculous."
"And they'd give us the full bounty on the Smiling Man."
"...Whoa. Almost tempted for a sec."
As S-Rank Heroes, they lacked for neither money nor fame.
Still, 100 million dollars—1500 billion won—was on another level.
Guardian and Ignition both dazed at the staggering figure.
"...You're not actually thinking of doing it, right?"
"Of course not."
"Still kinda disappointing."
Rumors said many heroes had defected to Union.
National heroes weren't bad, but had clear limits.
Join Union? Far more comfortable.
Let Union handle the annoying bureaucracy; just do the work.
Like going from civil servant to corporate bigwig.
"Argh! Let's just go to the police station already. Hurry!"
The S-Rank Heroes escorted the cuffed Smiling Man.
The cadets watched from afar.
"Smiling Man..."
"... ."
Seo Ha-eun and Jin Seo-ah looked especially grim.
Like they might rush over and uncuff him any second.
Kang Yuna had to hold back Seo Ha-eun, while Lui Jin held Jin Seo-ah.
"Cadets? Come with us."
"Us too?"
"You were part of the Smiling Man's capture conditions."
And so, the cadets headed to the police station alongside the S-Rank Heroes and Muyoung.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
This laughter wasn't from the Smiling Man.
It came from the police chief greeting Valkyrie and the other heroes.
My god. The Smiling Man captured. And coming here of his own accord, no less.
Even a local arrest would've been a win, but this was jackpot.
Newspapers, news, reports up the chain.
The news of the Smiling Man at this station would spread.
It'd play a decisive role in his promotion review!
"Welcome, Hero Valkyrie! I heard you went to capture the Smiling Man, but I didn't expect you'd bring him here!"
"This is the closest station. Anyway, this guy first..."
"Shall I lock him in holding? We have a cell for ability users!"
"No. Rather than that... I want to talk first."
"You want the interrogation room! Right this way. Oh, the other heroes can wait in my office! Coming right up!"
Moments later, Valkyrie faced the Smiling Man alone.
She'd asked them to turn off all CCTV in the room.
To hear his reasons for surrendering, she needed an unmonitored atmosphere.
"...There. Now we've got privacy. Smiling Man."
"Indeed. Alone in a dim room like this with a beauty like you. Oh, how can I not have naughty thoughts?"
Words from none other than a Catastrophe-Class villain.
A flicker of wariness rose, but she soon chuckled.
"If you were gonna do it, you would've by now. You've had plenty of chances."
"Exactly! Hahaha!"
"Don't laugh. Not funny at all..."
"And truth be told, you're not my type anyway. Hahaha!"
"... ."
*You're not my type either, you know?*
She wanted to shout it, but Valkyrie held her tongue.
It felt like saying it would mean losing somehow.
"Sigh. Whatever. Let's get to business. Why'd you surrender? Why let yourself get arrested so easily? And what happened with the Clan Boss earlier—why'd you fight, and how'd you part so quickly?"
"One at a time? I'm not going anywhere."
"It's because I think you might bolt."
This wasn't the act of someone without a plan.
He surely had a hidden card. Or some ulterior motive.
At first, she'd suspected the Clan Boss too.
"First, the reason for surrendering..."
"The reason?"
"It'd hurt my pride if bounty hunters started fighting over my reward. Thinking they'd earn money I've never touched? It twists my gut! Hahaha!"
"... ."
Was she imagining his answer sounded like this?
*I don't want to see heroes fighting each other over my bounty.*
*Better I surrender and prevent that mess altogether.*
"Oh, and for the record, I'm surrendering for the murders of Holy Knight and Light Dagger."
"Anything else?"
"Hmm. Well, that's it for now. Who knows? I might fall for the good cop act. So, when's the seolleongtang coming out? I hear the police station's seolleongtang and kkakdugi are legendary."
"How many movies has this guy watched?"
But now that she thought about it, she was getting hungry.
Since things had come to this, maybe a bowl of seolleongtang for real?
With the Smiling Man of all people—it might actually be fun.
Valkyrie tempted, Smiling Man luring her in.
"... ."
"... ."
But the two never got to eat that seolleongtang.
BOOOOM!!-
Just like at the cafe earlier. Another massive explosion.
Collapsing buildings and screams echoing from all directions.
"Hey, it wasn't you, right?!"
"Oh! Absolutely not!"
"Then what the hell is it this time?!"
"Probably the dogs I bullied last time coming for revenge after running away. Hahaha!"
"Dogs? You're laughing right now?!"
"Of course! My name's Smiling Man—I have to smile!"
Perfect timing—the protagonists were here at the station too, right?
We gave Union a smackdown, so next up.
Time to feed our cadet friends some Seven Evils experience.
Ah, of course, still too dangerous, so I'll just rip off limbs and toss 'em over one by one!