Chapter 182: The Reason for the Favor (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 182: The Reason for the Favor (4)
Uh, well. A terrorist attack happened.
To be honest, calling it a “terrorist attack” makes it sound like a big deal, but I didn’t really feel that way.
For one, this was a world where such attacks happened all the time. Another reason was that, judging by the guns in their hands, there was a high probability they weren’t Awakened.
It sounds ironic, but in this world, you’re actually safer when the terrorists are carrying firearms.
Guns are much easier to deal with than high-level superhumans.
Well, of course, that’s only from a superhuman’s perspective. To a normal civilian, getting hit by a bullet or a superhuman’s strike results in death all the same.
If the guns were loaded with Mana Bullets or if the shooters had gun-related Talents, it would be a different story. But why would someone rich enough to afford Mana Bullets be committing terrorism against ordinary citizens?
Ah, maybe they’re thrill-seekers?
“You’re all hostages! Don’t even think about calling the police, or you’ll regret it…!”
Looking at their desperate faces, however, the possibility of them being thrill-seekers seemed low.
Honestly, I wasn’t in a great mood.
Getting caught up in this crap right after hearing my mother’s name felt like the world was mocking me.
Even putting that aside, I doubt anyone would be happy about being caught in a low-level terrorist attack.
“Everyone, get up and gather to one side…!”
Looking around, I saw customers trembling in fear and staff members with looks of pure panic.
Come to think of it, a high-end restaurant like this should have at least one superhuman guard. Given how strangely slow the response was, something must have gone wrong.
Of course, there was a chance the terrorists had neutralized the guard, but it was nearly impossible to take down a superhuman guard with such crude firearms.
“You there! Didn’t you hear me tell you to get up and gather!?”
Why the hell are they screaming so much?
I let out a short sigh and stood up. Ha-ni, sensing the mood, followed suit.
If I was going to take them down, I needed to ensure the hostages’ safety first.
They probably thought gathering everyone in one spot would make them easier to manage, but from a protector’s standpoint, it’s actually easier when the targets you need to shield are concentrated.
“I told you to get up! Are you deaf!?”
I was already standing, so I looked toward the source of the shouting, wondering what the hell they were talking about. To my surprise, there was a man still sitting and enjoying his meal.
“Yawn.”
He cut a small piece of medium-rare steak, popped it into his mouth, and took a sip of the red wine he had poured earlier with a look of bliss.
“Mmm, the steak is delicious and the wine has a lovely bouquet. I walked into this place without any expectations, but it’s a winner.”
Judging by how he acted as if the gun pointed at him didn’t matter at all, it wasn’t hard to guess he was a superhuman.
“You bastard…! Do you really want to die!?”
“Mmm, could you please refrain from making that noise? You sound like a stuck pig. It’s ruining my meal.”
No matter how oblivious a person might be, when someone acts that confident, they usually assume the person has something to back it up. Realizing from his relaxed attitude that he might be a superhuman, the terrorist’s face turned pale.
“And if I may offer some advice: if you’ve pointed a gun at someone, you should pull the trigger instead of making threats. There’s a one-in-a-million—no, a one-in-a-hundred-million—chance that if your opponent is off-guard, you might actually kill someone stronger than you.”
Perhaps feeling a sense of dread at the sight of the man smoothly slicing his meat, the terrorist backed away.
“That’s an even worse decision. If you’ve picked a fight, you should see it through to the end. Even if you run, if your opponent is stronger than you, your life depends on their whim anyway. Running just wastes your energy. You might as well resist or prostrate yourself.”
Before long, the meat and wine on his plate were nearing their end.
Whether he thought the end of the man’s meal would be the end of his own life or he was just desperate, the terrorist reached out to grab a hostage.
Naturally, since we were the last to stand up, Ha-ni and I were the closest. He must have thought the girl would be the weaker target.
He lunged toward Ha-ni with what he thought was agility, but of course, his hand never reached her.
I caught it and snapped it before Ha-ni even had to dodge.
“Huh…? A-Agh…!?”
Ah, I might have been a bit too aggressive because I was annoyed, but Ha-ni didn’t say anything, so I guess it’s fine.
As the man writhed in pain, the man who had finished his meal wiped his mouth and burst into a pleasant laugh.
“Haha, a masterpiece. One arm seems like a cheap price to pay for failing to recognize someone stronger than yourself, but not bad.”
What is he talking about? I wouldn’t have broken it if he hadn’t tried to touch Ha-ni.
His comrades pointed their guns at the hostages a beat late, like something out of a cartoon, but honestly, it was far too late.
“Shoot! Kill one of them as an example…!”
The moment the fallen man screamed, the guns pointed at the hostages spat fire indiscriminately.
Yes, they only spat fire.
Startled when a wall suddenly appeared and deflected all the bullets, they began to fire wildly.
Of course, mere bullets couldn’t pierce a wall made from Ruyi.
Finally, as if they had run out of ammunition, they dropped their guns and slumped to the floor.
“The struggling of the foolish is quite amusing. When you try something and fail, you should look for a new method. It’s no good to blindly repeat a method that has already failed.”
By this point, even the hostages seemed to have grasped the situation, their eyes beginning to shine.
They thought they were doomed, but it turned out there were superhumans among the diners.
They probably felt like they were watching a hero show.
“Hmm, well, it seems you’ve exhausted all the resistance you’re capable of. No regrets, I hope?”
That was when the atmosphere shifted completely.
“Still, you gave me a brief laugh, so I shall repay you. I’ll make it as painless as possible.”
The moment he reached out and pointed his finger downward, a squelch echoed through the room.
To put it more bluntly, the things that used to be terrorists had become crushed lumps of meat—no, stains.
Seeing the pools of blood flattened against the floor as if someone had crushed insects, the man let out a pleasant laugh and looked at me.
“Mmm, I’m glad to meet such a promising junior in a place like this. That was a very clean move. Not a shred of hesitation.”
Junior.
He called me that, but honestly, I wasn’t exactly thrilled.
Was I the only one who realized there was a massive gap in perception between us right now?
Everyone else in the room naturally assumed he was a hero, but in my eyes, he didn’t look like a hero at all.
Of course, it’s not uncommon for high-ranking heroes to kill villains on the scene.
But it’s almost unheard of for a hero to unilaterally slaughter non-superhuman terrorists—especially those who had completely lost the will to fight—like this.
The people were still intoxicated by the fact that their oppressors were dead, failing to properly register that people had just been killed right in front of them.
The few who were somewhat sane seemed to have noticed that he killed people as naturally as breathing, but that was it. They didn’t seem to have any intention of running or doing anything else.
“Mmm, nice to meet you. You look young, but you’re very promising.”
“You flatter me. I think you’re overestimating me a bit.”
“No, if anything, words aren’t enough. It’s not easy to be this complete at your age. Cold-headed, without a hint of hesitation. And even that attitude, as if you’re just shooing away an unpleasant bug.”
He gave a thin smile.
“I can guarantee it on my name. You will become a magnificent ‘Villain’ in the future.”
At his words, the madness in the room subsided slightly.
They thought they were being rescued, only for the man who killed the terrorists to declare himself a villain.
…I figured as much.
His actions were way too violent for a hero.
“Ah, no need to worry. For starters, I’m different from those idiots. Even a villain shouldn’t be like an unruly colt running wild for no reason. I just came here to eat today, so I’ll leave after I’ve finished my meal.”
He raised both hands as if he had no intention of doing anything and smiled at the hostages.
From that simple gesture and smile, the people sensed a chilling dissonance.
Ultimately, saying he wouldn’t kill them because there was no reason was no different from saying he would kill them if there was a reason—and that reason could change whenever he felt like it.
“Assuming, of course, that you don’t do anything to displease me.”
Fear is an emotion that spreads more easily and quickly than one might think.
The moment he declared himself a villain and the madness died down, the terrorists-turned-blood-puddles entered the people’s vision, and that sight instantly transformed into terror.
“Hiii…!”
The moment someone let out a sound of pure dread, the fuse was lit.
And the foul criminal before us smirked at the sight of them fearing him.
Then, as if he had nothing to do with this fear—as if he truly just wanted to enjoy his meal and they were getting scared all on their own—he shook his head. He mocked them with exaggerated movements before turning his gaze toward me as if seeking agreement.
“I don’t know why they don’t believe me when I say I’ll let them live. Don’t you think they’re foolish?”
No, it’s awkward for you to ask me for agreement.
Honestly, I don’t even know why he’s acting so friendly.
But the atmosphere wasn’t exactly right for me to tell a dangerous-looking villain, “Actually, I’m a cadet and an aspiring hero, so I don’t think we’re ‘senior and junior’ villains.”
And besides.
Who the hell is this guy?
The ability he just showed was by no means weak.
Judging by his attitude, he was clearly a major psycho, but I had no memory of someone like this in the original story or before my regression.
“You don’t look happy. Is something bothering you?”
Because I didn’t know who he was, I didn’t know the nature of his ability or how to prepare for it.
The most I could guess was that he was likely one of the characters from the settings Seo-ha hadn’t shown me, but that wasn’t nearly enough information.
Just as he approached me with a look of concern—
“I’m warning you. Get away from him!”
A woman burst through the restaurant doors and stepped between us.
“Professor Cathy…?”
Indeed, it was Professor Cathy.
* * *
Cathy, who had been monitoring the restaurant via drone from a distance, had forgotten her original purpose and sprinted toward the restaurant the moment she spotted him calmly enjoying his meal.
“Unnie!?”
“Don’t come! Wait here!”
She called for maximum backup and threw herself into the fray with grim determination.
Because the villain in that room was a madman who would commit mass slaughter without a second thought if he felt like it.
There was no way she had misidentified him.
She didn’t know how he had escaped from the lowest floor of Alcatraz, where he should have been rotting, but she could worry about that later.
The moment she arrived on the scene, that thing waved its hand slowly in greeting, as if meeting an old friend.
“Hmm? Ah, is it the young lady from back then? You’ve grown quite a bit. I’m glad to see you’ve become a fine woman and a fine hero.”
He didn’t look that old on the surface, but no one knew his true form or age anyway.
“How on earth did you escape?”
“Escaping a mere prison is child’s play if I set my mind to it. I’d love to say that coolly, but actually, it’s thanks to a rather impressive helper. Even though I look like this, I’m on a leash, so I can’t even act as I please.”
“So, what is your objective?”
“I don’t like repeating myself, but well, I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll give you a special answer. I just came to eat. I cleared away the trash that was in my way, and those people just got scared on their own.”
He remained as inscrutable as ever, but it seemed his claim of being in a good mood wasn’t a lie.
If it were, he was a villain who would have already slaughtered everyone in the room.
“You survived facing me before, so you should be able to tell that I’m being sincere right now, yes? I’m in a good mood because I met a clever junior, so I’ll just leave. How about it? You won’t be able to stop me on your own anyway.”
She wanted to say things would be different this time, but his words were the undeniable truth.
If there were no hostages, she would have at least tried to buy time, but she couldn’t gamble with their lives. A busy downtown area with a constant supply of new potential hostages was the worst possible place to face him.
“Haha, is there a need to hesitate?”
Pro forma, to avoid causing massive public unrest, villains are not given ranks higher than S-rank.
However, there are inevitably differences even within the S-rank.
There are many slang terms among heroes for those above S-rank, but the most famous title among them was this:
Calamity-class Villain.
Each one was a disaster akin to a natural catastrophe, and at the same time, they were monsters in human skin who couldn’t be easily executed for various reasons.
The man before her was one of those beings.
“Ah, right. If I just leave, it might be a bit difficult for our junior to get away. Favors should go to those worthy of receiving them.”
But then, he suddenly began to act strangely.
“Junior, I’ll save you specially, so take my hand. No need to be modest. That hero is still a bit too much for you to handle.”
He walked over as if it were the most natural thing in the world and reached out toward a boy.
Specifically, toward her student and someone precious to her: Kang So-hyun.
“…Cadet Kang So-hyun?”
“…What? Cadet?”
“Ah.”
The three voices overlapped, and a moment later, the incarnate calamity brushed his hand over his face as if he had seen something impossible.
“What on earth is happening? Such a rare talent was being wasted. Everything has its proper place, so how can such a perfect, already complete villain be playing at being a hero cadet? This is a waste. A tragedy. Yes, it’s enough to be called a tragic accident.”
He looked at him with genuine pity.
…Our So-hyun is so kind, what nonsense is he talking?