Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: What on Earth is His Identity?!
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Monsters emerge, and villains stir up trouble.
To the citizens, it's a story akin to a nightmare.
To the heroes, it's a phrase that brings exhaustion.
They are all entities that inflict horrific damage on the world.
No matter how you look at it, there's no way to think positively about them.
However, there's one place. A place where people are smiling.
"Support for each branch is on par with the administrations of various countries."
"In some nations, it has even surpassed the administration's approval ratings."
"Good. Very good. Perfect. Absolutely perfect!"
The Union. The hero alliance that serves as the central hub for heroes.
It started as a mere gathering, but now it's on a whole different level.
An organization that even the UN couldn't achieve, encompassing the entire world.
Some even call it the world government.
The reason it grew to this extent in less than a few decades.
Simple. There are too many evil forces threatening world peace.
Monsters appear and harm people, villains cause chaos.
Every country needs heroes for their citizens.
And heroes need an organization to back them up.
The Union perfectly targeted that need and achieved tremendous success.
Now, monsters and villains have become the source of their support.
At first, the Union might have existed for the heroes.
But now, it's the opposite—heroes exist for the Union.
Even though monster appearances have noticeably increased recently.
And massive rifts are forming among villains, heightening the chaos.
Leading to rising hero casualty rates.
In the end, the world has no choice but to need the Union.
—Or so they thought with smug confidence just the other day.
"What the hell is this?!"
Shocked screams erupted from the Union headquarters.
They hurriedly contacted the Korea Branch to verify the facts.
Please, no. It can't be true. Please. Please!!
"...Confirmation shows it's true. The villain, Smiling Man, rescued heroes, sidekicks, and two civilians..."
"You stupid low-rank monkeys! Why did you air that on live TV? What were the branch idiots doing?!"
"Well, they were originally filming S-Rank Hero Valkyrie. Unfortunately, all the accompanying reporters were from that branch..."
"Arghhh!"
If the Union's power and prestige grew strong thanks to monsters and villains.
Then conversely, they could weaken because of them too.
Like if monsters suddenly vanished and heroes were no longer needed.
Or if the possibility arose that villains could save people too.
"Contact the Korea Branch immediately! Stop it. Tell them to stop it! Use any means necessary to prevent public interest in the villain from rising!"
With the headquarters barking orders, the branch's response was a given.
The Korea Branch went into full emergency mode, as if their feet were on fire.
"From now on, flood the airwaves with footage of past villain terrorist attacks. Schedule special broadcasts to incite outrage against villains. Under no circumstances should any friendly atmosphere toward villains emerge!"
"Slip some money discreetly to citizen groups. Get them to organize protests or whatever with victims of villain attacks! Make it clear villains are societal evils not to be dealt with!"
However, despite their efforts, the mood in Korea veered off in an unexpected direction.
It was chaos. Not just in reality, but online too.
Countless comments poured under the related videos, igniting a firestorm.
Those showing intense hostility toward villains immediately counter.
They even bring up all the heroes Smiling Man has killed so far.
But others raise opposing views.
It's weird to think a villain would save people out of feeling wronged.
But the fact that he helped heroes is undeniable.
The footage of Smiling Man's exploits is right there on camera.
Why? For what reason did a villain save heroes?
Not only ordinary citizens but even heroes were left bewildered.
No villain has ever done this before.
Instead of harming heroes, extending a helping hand.
"This can't go on! Get negative articles up somehow!"
The Union Korea Branch, in desperation, contacted media outlets and experts.
Mobilize everything to reverse this atmosphere.
As a result, articles and commentaries mocking and downplaying Smiling Man's feats appeared.
But there was one thing even they hadn't anticipated.
People craved far more sensational topics than expected.
Villains are evil, heroes are good? Sure, that's obvious.
Because those who torment us and those who protect us are clear.
But that monotonous narrative has dragged on for decades.
And suddenly, a massive bombshell drops right in front.
It started with mass-produced shorts and low-effort videos.
Setting aside talk of heroes killed by Smiling Man.
Just chattering about how reliable he'd be as an ally.
Not great reactions followed, but bad press is still press, right?
Words build on words, and more words pile on, twisting the situation oddly.
He only rescued one hero, one sidekick, and two civilians.
Yet the situation unfolded as if he'd saved an entire nation.
People's attention kept turning to Smiling Man. To the 'villain'.
The Union Korea Branch, unable to block Smiling Man himself, decided on another tactic.
Shift the focus elsewhere related to him.
In other words. Our sidekick is so amazing even Smiling Man had a whim for her!
Such an outstanding person is a Hero Academy cadet! Look forward to her!
And please support the Union that backs the Academy too!
It was a transparent strategy, but it yielded some meaningful results.
After all, a Hero Academy cadet is somewhat better than Smiling Man...
"What the— This again?!"
Union members gasped and clutched their heads in shock.
The one cup of coffee Smiling Man held during the live broadcast.
Prominently emblazoned on it: the Omega Coffee logo.
People were buzzing about Smiling Man's actions.
Then suddenly, Omega Coffee's stock price skyrocketed.
Hwiun's stock, which had acquired Omega Coffee, rose too.
They'd been relieved that interest in Smiling Man was waning.
Then stocks poured fuel on the fire, making it blaze higher.
Human madness can veer anywhere unpredictably.
"Oh."
Yushin checked his phone with a satisfied heart.
Just in case, he'd shown the coffee logo, and the effect was great.
"This coffee tastes pretty good, so I thought I'd try investing in that stock thing."
"Hahaha? I wouldn't recommend that, sir?"
What does good taste have to do with buying stocks?
Moreover, Angelstar is the undisputed king of the coffee industry.
Yet he remembers the boss deciding to buy Omega Coffee stock anyway.
"The boss's bank account getting fatter is the Clan's money too, right? Hahaha!"