Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Ally-to-Be Mid-Boss
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A man holds at least one romance in his heart throughout his life.
It's romance, plain and simple. Even if it's a bit foolish, that's fine. Because it's romance.
Even if it's a little strange, that's good too. Romance is like that, after all.
"This is it."
An enemy who becomes an ally. That was Kim Yushin's romance.
He had been deeply impressed by a tokusatsu show he watched as a kid.
A powerful enemy who appears and causes conflict and confrontation every time.
But in the decisive moment, the scene where they show up with the line, "Just this once!"
"The author knew what he was doing."
There was a novel he was reading. Our Hero Academy, commonly known as UHA.
What captivated Kim Yushin wasn't the protagonist. It was the mid-boss opposing them.
An overwhelming strength that could crush the leads multiple times.
Yet, as a villain, their ambiguous stance of not finishing the job.
And the moments where they secretly helped the hero protagonists.
"This is what romance is."
Finally, in the decisive moment, that mid-boss appeared before the leads.
They dramatically blocked the new villains who were pushing the heroes back.
"Help? Hahaha. Don't misunderstand. I didn't help you."
"I just didn't want anyone taking my prey away from me."
So what if it's cringy? So what if the logic falls apart?
That's how romance works.
"...But that doesn't mean I wanted to be the protagonist of that romance."
Kim Yushin. No, the Smiling Man had no choice but to flash an awkward smile.
"That's how it is. Miss Kang Yuna."
This guy... knows my name? How?
Kang Yuna hurriedly put distance between herself and the Smiling Man.
Why does a villain know about a hero aspirant?
"..."
The more she looked, the stranger the man seemed. He was smiling, but it didn't feel like a real smile.
She couldn't tell what lay beyond those invisible eyes, which made her chest tighten with unease.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
She didn't answer the question. He was suspicious. This wasn't right.
The Smiling Man. She'd heard about him even before preparing to become a hero.
He was one of the villains to be most wary of. He even had a record of repelling S-Rank Heroes.
What's peculiar is that, despite being a villain, he had no history of involvement in various crimes.
But one thing was certain: the Smiling Man was hostile toward heroes.
She remembered all the heroes grinding their teeth, calling him "that damn squinting bastard!"
"Looks like you're fine."
"...Smiling Man."
"That's what they call me."
And yet, just today, that Smiling Man had helped her.
Why? For what reason? Questions bubbled up in her mind.
"Why... why did you help me?"
Why did you help? The Smiling Man let out a small chuckle.
Was it a whim? Conflict? Or perhaps twisted affection?
"What are you...?"
At the same time, his hand traced another graceful line.
Kang Yuna clamped her mouth shut. At some point, Mana Threads had wrapped around her neck.
She could vividly feel them slowly tightening against her skin.
In this state, a single twitch of his finger would kill her.
'...What is this?'
But strangely, there was no further hostility.
The threads gripped her neck but didn't strangle or draw blood.
It felt more like an order to stay put and not move.
"Don't wonder about a villain's motives."
The Smiling Man spoke in that eerie, gentle tone.
"You should be on guard first. What kind of hero aspirant doesn't even know that?"
Was it mockery? Or advice? Ah, obviously the former.
As if a villain like him would give advice to a hero aspirant.
But it didn't quite sound like sneering either. His voice was too soft for that.
Wheeee-!
A siren. Police were somehow swarming in.
And not just that. Right after, someone appeared behind the Smiling Man.
"Hey! Release that girl now! Make any funny moves, and you'll be fried electrocution-style!"
Crackle. A chilling sound of electricity surging. A special badge gleamed on his chest.
A hero. He'd arrived at the perfect timing—who knew how he'd found out.
"Remember what I said."
But the Smiling Man didn't care about the hero at all.
His gaze was fixed solely on Kang Yuna.
"Last warning! Release her now...!"
"What a noisy slave."
Boom!
Mana Threads shot toward the hero at an unimaginable speed.
The ground shattered and caved in with a roar. It was a blow that would have killed instantly.
"Urk! What power...!"
Villains harassing civilians in a deserted area early in the morning.
They were basically petty thugs. Most were utterly insignificant.
Yes, most. And this hero had the rotten luck of encountering one that wasn't.
"Wait. You're... n-no way? The Smiling Man?!"
Am I seeing this wrong? Is this villain using hallucinations?
He reflexively zapped his own thigh with a burst of electricity.
It hurt. His mind sharpened. The scene before him hadn't changed.
Which meant this wasn't a hallucination—it was reality.
'What kind of disaster is this!'
The hero gritted his teeth. The villain before him was extremely hostile toward them.
An enemy even S-Ranks couldn't handle, and now he was facing him!
Was he going to die? He'd only had the hero badge for a short time, and now this monster?
But the Smiling Man's retreat was faster than the hero's despair.
Before he could even call for backup, the man had vanished without a trace.
"What the hell just...?"
The hero stared at the empty alley and slowly slumped to the ground.
The Smiling Man? He was supposed to be some third-rate villain. Why was that monster here?
"Oh!"
Then he spotted Kang Yuna sitting dazed in the alley.
"Are you okay?!"
"Y-yes. I'm fine."
"Those guys in the back... Wait. These faces... Aren't these the villains who've been active around here lately? Why are they all... Wait, are you a hero?"
It happens sometimes. An off-duty hero bumps into villains by chance.
It turns into sudden overtime—a terribly exhausting situation.
But looking closely, there was no special badge indicating a hero.
She wasn't a hero. Yet she'd fought the Smiling Man.
And behind her were the villains she must have taken down first, sprawled everywhere!
"What's your name?"
"K-Kang Yuna."
"Miss Kang Yuna, sorry, but could you come with me to the station? We need a statement on what happened. These villains and even the Smiling Man are involved. Please."
At the hero's request, Kang Yuna checked the time.
Good. She still had about 30 minutes before the exam.
Forcing a victim to give a witness statement was too harsh.
It might be better to just explain what happened herself.
"Please make it quick. I have the Hero Academy entrance exam soon."
"Thank you! And you'll be my junior soon? Knowing I have a junior like you makes me feel secure! Hahaha!"
He handed the villains over to the arriving police and fellow heroes.
"Impressive. How did you even think to face the Smiling Man?"
"...Huh?"
"To save a civilian. Even if they were low-rank villains, a hero aspirant fighting them is heartwarming enough. But to prepare to fight the Smiling Man too?"
"Wait, that's not—"
"Truly brave. Even I, a formal hero, couldn't do that!"
"..."
The one who actually saved me was the Smiling Man...?
Some massive misunderstanding. A very solid one, at that.
"... "
High above, amid the forest of soaring buildings.
The Smiling Man. No, Yushin was watching someone.
'Kang Yuna.'
In this grand ensemble drama, she proudly claimed her own narrative thread.
A dreamer of heroes. The epitome of a true hero. A will that must be carried on.
Someday, she would reach the S-Rank she'd always dreamed of.
Without any political maneuvering. Without external help or favoritism.
Through her own will and ability. Through her faith and conviction in justice.
Of course, her path wouldn't always be filled with hope and light.
All sorts of trials, hardships, and sometimes despair awaited her.
'Crises are what temper the steel. But Kang Yuna's were a bit too much.'
Less a hymn to humanity, more like a tale of human suffering.
She could show plenty of growth without all that.
That's what Yushin thought, but he didn't carelessly post it in the comments.
Getting isekai'd was a plot twist too familiar to readers.
But now he'd been hit by it. He woke up isekai'd.
Since it happened, tweaking the story a bit was self-defense.
'This is more efficient. And way more satisfying.'
Koreans are a race specialized in efficient leveling, after all.
Readers are fated to chase ever more stimulating payoffs.
If you wake up in an unfamiliar world without knowing why, you deserve this much freedom.
"Smiling Man."
The space beside him rippled, and a man in black attire appeared.
"Assembly order. The boss is looking for you."
Just as heroes formed the Union, villains formed Clans.
Groups are advantageous over loners. For the good and the bad alike.
"I see. Do me a favor and relay a message to the boss?"
Yushin stood up. Without a hint of hesitation, he unleashed Mana Threads.
Whoosh!
A red thread line etched beside the man's face.
A little further, and his body would have been bisected.
"Tell him I'm a bit busy."
First rule of ally-to-be enemy
Ignore the boss's words completely.