Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Ally-to-Be Mid-Boss
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What is a hero!
It can be said to be like the twinkling stars in that sky.
The one that always shines in the same place, even in the deepest darkness!
Whether it's rain, snow, or a raging storm. The existence that leads people to the end!
[Ability Awakeners! Apply to Hero Academy!]
[You too can become a hero who saves the world!]
Kang Yuna was that shining star. The apostle of justice.
Yes. She wanted to become what people call a 'hero'.
She grew up watching heroes who saved the world.
That feeling soon turned into admiration and became a goal that was part of her.
After awakening her Ability, Kang Yuna worked hard to enter Hero Academy.
She passed the document screening. Took the theory exam. Passed the first practical test.
And today, the day of the final exam to become a hero had dawned.
"I'm off!"
"Yuna, fighting!"
"You can do it! Our Yuna is the best!"
Responding to her beloved parents' cheers with a hug, she headed energetically to the exam venue.
Her body felt incredibly light today. At this rate, she could pass the final exam!
'I should get there early and warm up lightly.'
It takes a little over 20 minutes on foot via the main road to the exam venue.
But taking a detour cuts it in half.
Having already scouted the shortcut to the exam venue, Kang Yuna quickened her steps.
Just as she entered the alley, a voice came from ahead.
"P-Please, spare me!"
"We won't kill you. We won't kill you, right?"
"Of course. Why would we kill a beauty like this."
"Come quietly. If you cry cutely like 'ahh~' later, it'll all be over."
Dozens of years after the first Awakener appeared, a third of the Earth's population had become Awakeners.
Unfortunately, that overflowing power wasn't always used for good.
Turn on the news, and there were always incidents related to it.
Villains, those who used their powers for vile purposes like right now, were the culprits.
'Villains!'
Normally, she should report to the police and wait for heroes.
But it was too late now. The woman would be dragged away.
Thinking of what the villains might do to her, her body moved before her mind could catch up.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
"What the."
She too dreamed of becoming a hero.
She couldn't just ignore villains committing evil right in front of her.
A hero she admired had said: If you can't stop small evils, you can't stop great ones either.
"Damn it. A hero?"
"These guys who don't do their jobs and just take paychecks, why do they come to alleys like this?!"
At first, the villains panicked, mistaking Kang Yuna for a hero.
But they soon realized she had no hero badge.
"Wait. She's not a hero."
"Yeah. No badge. ...Oh. Wait. She looks pretty cute too?"
"Let's take her too."
"Yeah. Yeah. The boss will like two."
The villains leered with sleazy grins and charged.
A 1:3 fight. But Kang Yuna didn't back down.
'The terrain isn't disadvantageous! The narrow alley actually favors me!'
Hero principle: Never retreat with a villain in sight.
To uphold that, she had to use not just her Ability, but the terrain too!
"Hah!"
Her kick landed squarely on the first villain's jaw.
As he flew back, he crushed the second one beneath him.
"Argh! You damn pig bastard! Snap out of it!"
"You be quiet too!"
She struck the nape of the pinned villain hard.
"Ow! Damn it! That hurts! Stop hitting!"
"I-I thought you'd pass out like this?"
Was her strength lacking? Kang Yuna struck the villain's neck again.
Finally, as he lost consciousness, she let out a sigh of relief and looked ahead.
It wasn't hard. She hadn't made it to the final exam for nothing.
'They're not strong! I can do this!'
Her first real fight by chance. Calming her pounding heart, she glared at the last villain.
"You idiots! What if you get taken down by someone who's not even an official hero!"
"Surrender. If you don't surrender peacefully, I'll use physical force."
"Don't come closer!"
The flustered villain suddenly grabbed the throat of the fallen woman nearby.
It happened so suddenly that Kang Yuna couldn't react in time.
"Move even a little, and this woman dies."
"Eek!"
"You said you'd really kill her?"
The villain pulled a knife from his pocket and pressed the blade to the woman's throat.
A wound opened immediately, a trickle of blood flowing down.
The hostage woman paled. Kang Yuna, watching, went white as a sheet too.
"P-Please spare me. Please... spare me...."
Because she dreamed of being a hero. Because she admired the apostle of justice.
She couldn't abandon the hostage and attack the villain.
What should she do? What could she do in this situation?!
While Kang Yuna hesitated, the downed villains got up.
And before she could resist, they grabbed her from behind.
"Got her!"
"Hold her tight! You! Resist, and this woman's done for!"
"You cowards! Taking hostages!"
"Kuhaha! To us, that's a compliment!"
One of the villains Kang Yuna had downed approached, fuming.
He inspected her face closely, then growled.
"Hey. This won't do. We need compensation here."
"Damn it. My head hurts. What're you gonna do."
"Right here. Strip this bitch naked. Take pics and videos, spread 'em around. Dare touch us, hero wannabe? Make her regret it."
"Oh. That's good."
"If her body's as pretty as her face, lifetime collection material. Kehihi!"
Disgusting villains! Are you even human?!
Kang Yuna struggled, but the hostage threat made her collapse helplessly.
She couldn't bear to watch someone bleed to death right in front of her.
Even if it was a foolish choice. For Kang Yuna, who'd dreamed of being a hero her whole life, it was agonizing.
'Should I have just ignored it and walked by? Should I have just reported and waited?'
Regret flooded her. But Kang Yuna shook her head fiercely.
Rather die herself than abandon another. That was a hero.
She had no intention of giving up that dream, even in death.
"Well then, shall we start with a peek at our aspiring hero's underwear?"
The moment the villain reached for the buttons on Kang Yuna's top.
Ping-
"Huh?"
A sound like thread pulling rang out, and suddenly the villain's body floated into the air.
No one—neither them, the hostage, nor Kang Yuna—could grasp what happened.
Bam!-
"Guh!"
The villain crashed to the ground, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.
"Busy from the morning, aren't we all."
"Who... Gasp!"
The villains looked around and recoiled in horror at something.
Blue threads connecting buildings. A man sitting there, chin propped on his hand.
A bizarre smile played on his lips, impossible to read.
He seemed endlessly carefree, yet those half-closed eyes gave off a strange aura.
One villain recognized him and cried out in terror.
"T-The Smiling Man!?"
Smiling Man. Hearing that, Kang Yuna looked up between the buildings.
'No way it's really... it is?'
Slim features. Pale skin. An appearance impossible for a villain.
It was really the Smiling Man. A figure shrouded in mystery among countless villains.
Officially Highest Danger Class. But rumors said Catastrophe Class.
Whatever it was, one thing was clear: he was a monster among monsters.
"S-Smiling Man! We're villains like you! Not heroes!"
The Smiling Man gave no reply to the villain's shout.
He just looked down with that eerie smile.
Sensing something, the villain drew daggers from his coat.
"Damn it! Why are you doing this to fellow villains!"
He hurled over ten daggers in seconds.
Impressive for third-rate thugs who only bully women.
In this narrow space, dodging would be tough.
Thud thud thud!-
"Wh-What?"
What just happened?
The villains. Kang Yuna. Everyone gaped in shock.
Something fluttered, and all the daggers bounced away.
Clang! Crash!-
The thrown daggers clattered to the ground.
The villain who threw them was yanked into the air, dangling helplessly.
"Damn it!"
As things went south, the last villain tried the same trick.
Grabbing the woman as hostage again to escape.
"Hey! Smiling Man! If you don't want civilian murder charges, back off! I don't know why you're messing with a fellow villain, but move and she dies too!"
The Smiling Man, watching, gave a sly smile.
"Do as you please."
"You bastard! Who do you think I am!"
You think I won't?! You'll be the one who killed her!
He slashed at the hostage's artery with the knife, putting all his strength into it. Or tried to.
But like a lie, his arms, legs—nothing moved as he willed.
They jerked and creaked, freezing in place.
"Wh-What's this..."
"Do you know puppet theater by any chance?"
That's the situation now. The Smiling Man waved his hand gently in the air.
Elegant, delicate movements. Like playing piano keys in midair.
His body jerked against his will, moving away from the hostage.
'Mana Threads!'
Kang Yuna gasped. The Smiling Man's Mana Threads were embedded in the villain's body.
He'd seized control and was playing with him like a puppet.
An ultra-high difficulty Ability. Even one thread was notoriously hard to handle.
Yet the Smiling Man wielded several.
"I hate seeing blood in the morning, but you leave me no choice."
"W-Wait! Smiling Man! Hear me out..."
Thwack!-
The threads ripped forcibly from the puppet's body.
Blood sprayed from the villain as he toppled.
The hostage woman collapsed right after.
Kang Yuna quickly supported her neck, preventing further injury.
Not hit by Mana Threads. Just overwhelmed by shock.
"Quite the tear-jerking self-sacrifice."
As she laid the woman down, a light voice came from above.
Mockery? Provocation? Kang Yuna tensed and looked at the Smiling Man.
A villain. A top-tier Highest Danger Class monster.
Far too dangerous for an aspiring hero like her to face.
Gulp-.
A ferocious aura rose from him, the kind she'd fear even in dreams.
She wanted to run. Beg for her life. Her legs shook; sweat poured like rain from tension.
But Kang Yuna endured. Stood tall, protecting the woman.
Even if she died here. She was going to be a hero.
Sacrificing for someone wouldn't be a bad end.
Clap!-
"Impressive. You withstood head-on the pressure I sent to make you faint."
The Smiling Man clapped. The aura vanished in a blink.
"Hah!"
Freed from the crushing pressure on her chest, Kang Yuna collapsed.
But she didn't hit the ground. Something caught her.
The Smiling Man had approached unnoticed and supported her.
"Why..."
"Sometimes looking up at the stars. I know how that feels too."
"What does that..."
"It's like that. Miss Kang Yuna."
Kang Yuna jolted in shock.
This man. Knows my name? How?