Chapter 375: The World’s Fastest Fall (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 375: The World’s Fastest Fall (2)
Locked in her cell, Kang Na-hyun stared blankly ahead.
If only her mana hadn’t been sealed, she would have tried to escape somehow. Unfortunately, without mana, she was nothing more than a slightly sturdier-than-average human.
The lack of mana made her vision blur from hunger and thirst. Her head spun with a constant stream of foolish thoughts.
She was at a point where she wondered if she would have turned traitor like the others by now if she had been subjected to actual torture.
…Whether it was a blessing or a curse that the villain didn’t use such methods, she couldn’t say.
The way he tried to tempt her with food was annoying, but it wasn’t unbearable. She felt she could hold out a little longer.
“…I wonder if So-hyun made it back safely.”
She really should have followed him, even if she had to force her way along.
What if he got hurt? Would he worry that she had disappeared after he came all this way for nothing?
“…Worry? Since when were we on such affectionate terms?”
She was deluding herself with happy thoughts just because things were difficult. Until the beginning of this year, he was a younger brother who would glare at her as if he wanted to kill her whenever she approached. He was a kid who wouldn’t even exchange a proper word with her. Would he really worry just because she was gone?
— Elder Sister, did someone bully you? I’ll crush them for you.
…The problem was that she had seen a shadow of their mother in her drunken brother that day.
That was why these stupid thoughts kept popping up.
Right, it was better if he didn’t worry. What if he volunteered for a subjugation team out of concern?
She knew her brother had grown much stronger, but simply being strong wasn’t enough to defeat that villain.
If a subjugation team were formed, they would have to face countless criminals and even S-rank heroes who had turned traitor. If he were to get hurt because of a mistake…
Two thoughts crossed her mind simultaneously, and the irony was almost laughable.
The first was that she would have no way to face her mother if something happened, and the second was the simple, pure wish that her brother wouldn’t get hurt.
Both were her true feelings, which was why they felt so half-hearted.
“…Yeah, it’s better if you don’t come.”
Of course, to be honest, she wanted him to come.
But it was too dangerous, so he shouldn’t.
She hadn’t even been by his side when he actually needed help.
Their mother had asked her to look after him. If she couldn’t be of help, she should at least avoid being a hindrance.
The door creaked open.
She had made up her mind, yet she felt disgusted by her own weakness—the way she felt a faint spark of hope every time that door beyond the bars opened.
Especially since the person who appeared was the complete opposite of her brother—the piece of trash who was essentially the cause of this entire mess.
“Still acting like this? You’re putting me in a very difficult position.”
Flash.
Who could have predicted that a hero touted as the Association President’s right hand would be pathetic enough to be deceived and defeated by a villain, only to hand over his entire team on a silver platter?
“You piece of trash. Don’t talk to me.”
When she glared at him with pure rage, he shook his head as if he found her reaction absurd.
“…Do you really think I actually surrendered? I’m only pretending. I’m waiting for help from the outside so we can strike from the inside at the same time.”
“…What?”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell the team, but haven’t you heard the saying that to deceive your enemies, you must first deceive your allies? For now, just pretend to surrender to him and conserve your strength.”
“…You’re saying this has all been an act?”
“Of course. Do you think an S-rank hero is a pushover? Just say ‘I understand’ the next time he comes. Don’t worry, none of the other team members have actually turned traitor.”
His words weren’t entirely nonsensical.
“Eat some food and drink some water. Don’t be a burden when the opportunity comes. If you just hold on a little longer, the rescue team will…”
“Ha.”
It meant he possessed at least the minimum amount of logic required to prey on a weakened person’s mind and exploit their wavering resolve.
“…Why are you laughing? Is something strange?”
“It is. How did you get in here without any surveillance?”
“That’s because I’ve consistently shown him my loyalty. I tricked them into thinking I could persuade you…”
“Stop talking nonsense. If that were really the case, you should have been conscious of the fact that there might be surveillance. You wouldn’t be speaking so openly. You’re acting this way because, subconsciously, you don’t believe there’s any surveillance at all.”
The way his face contorted at those words was quite a sight.
“Seeing how you’ve been subtly telling me to show a submissive attitude, is that the villain’s talent? If it’s the kind of special talent where you have to obey once you give an affirmative answer, then it makes sense why everyone turned so suddenly. I guess you didn’t really intend to obey at first either?”
Flash, who had been listening silently, let out a hollow laugh as if he found her ridiculous. He stepped forward and opened the cell door.
“You really are just like your brother. That look in your eyes, that attitude… it makes me feel like shit. I held back with your brother because of the cameras, but you know I don’t have to do that with you, right?”
“And what exactly can you do?”
“…I can at least show a tied-up woman what pain feels like.”
Honestly, she was scared.
He was a man with a foul reputation who had frequently made unwanted advances toward her.
Still, she had a strange certainty that he wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on her.
“I wonder if that villain gave you permission to touch me?”
Seeing his reaching hand flinch, it seemed her hunch was right—he had been told not to touch her.
“…Fine, he did say not to touch you as I pleased.”
Saying that, he pulled out what looked like a pill from his pocket.
“I use this often when I play with women. Let’s see if you can keep acting like this after you take this.”
…She knew he was a crazy piece of trash, but she hadn’t expected him to go this far.
“It’ll work even better on an empty stomach. How fortunate.”
“Mmph…! Ugh…!”
When he tried to force her mouth open to insert the pill, she bit his hand hard. His eyes rolled back in rage as he raised his hand toward her.
“You little bitch…!”
“Why don’t we stop there? I don’t believe I ever told you to act like that.”
Fortunately, she wasn’t struck, thanks to the villain’s intervention.
“…My apologies. I didn’t expect her to bite, so I lost my cool.”
“Ah, well. Mr. Flash, do you know something? I find it a bit distasteful when incompetent people throw around the word ‘surely’ or ‘I never thought’ so carelessly.”
“…Ugh.”
“Incompetent. Yes, incompetent. You didn’t think deeply about it, nor did you prepare thoroughly, so what do you mean ‘you didn’t expect’? You were bitten because you deserved to be. Overusing such excuses is nothing more and nothing less than proving your own incompetence.”
The villain’s chuckling sound was strangely eerie.
“Should I be truly disappointed in you, Mr. Flash? Are you, a former S-rank hero, going to show me a level of incompetence that exceeds even my expectations?”
“No…! No, not at all! Yes.”
“Oh, don’t be so serious. Don’t worry. I have good news for you, even though you’re trembling like a newborn fawn.”
“Good news? What is it…”
“Yes! Contact has been abruptly cut off from our colleagues guarding the perimeter of the island. It seems an intruder is making their way here.”
“An intruder? So soon after the subjugation team was dealt with…? It should take at least another week to put together a new team.”
“Hmm, who knows? Maybe it’s mercenaries, a private team, or perhaps Yuseong pulled some strings since Kang Na-hyun is here. But that’s not really important.”
“Pardon?”
“What’s important is whether our dear Flash can stop that intruder or not, don’t you think?”
Flash looked flustered for a moment, but he soon answered with a confident attitude.
“There are bastards who look down on me because I’m ranked around 70th among S-rank heroes, but looking at it another way, it means I’m the 70th strongest hero in existence.”
“Haha, how reassuring. Then I can look forward to good news, right?”
“I’ll take a few villains… I mean, colleagues with me.”
…An intruder? Who could it be? If a subjugation team had already failed once, it wouldn’t be easy to form a new one.
To be honest, even if a subjugation team had arrived, she didn’t feel very hopeful.
Flash, who was leaving with such confidence, might have had a terrible personality, but his skills were undeniable. He was one of the Association’s aces.
His innate talent was threatening enough, but considering the artifacts he wielded, it didn’t seem like ordinary people could stand against him.
“Ah, well? It’s a bit strange for me to ask, but are you alright, Na-hyun? Your face looks a bit red.”
“…Huh?”
Now that he mentioned it, her head did feel a bit dizzy.
“…Oh dear, it seems you ingested a bit of that medicine earlier. It must be quite painful. I’ll try to find an antidote.”
Her body felt hot…
The thought that it was because of that bastard Flash made her feel even more feverish.
…I don’t know who you are, but even if you lose, I hope the intruder at least messes up that bastard’s face.
Kang Na-hyun offered a prayer, trying her best to ignore the rising heat.
* * *
After briefly taking care of the enemies we encountered upon infiltrating, I looked around and saw a somewhat familiar sight.
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Alcatraz in one piece.
In the 1st Timeline, it had been destroyed without a trace, looking more like an independent nation for villains.
It seemed the villain who occupied Alcatraz this time was a different person from the one back then.
“…Hey, So-hyun. I’m asking because I don’t quite understand, but how exactly are we here right now?”
Suddenly, Cathy Noona started asking something strange.
Actually, it wasn’t just Cathy Noona; the others were looking at me with quite a bit of disbelief as well. To be honest, even I found what I had done to be a bit absurd.
“We came on a cloud.”
“…Is a cloud something people can just ride on?”
Well, I don’t know. Usually, they can’t, right?
— Well, it wouldn’t be easy to explain the mysteries of the Nimbus Cloud technique to an ordinary human.
I mean, if you think about it simply, we didn’t use a portal, yet we literally flew to an island in another country in the blink of an eye. It’s no wonder they’re surprised.
“Isn’t this, like, incredibly exhausting? You’re not overdoing it again, are you?”
Actually, before I got the Golden Hoop, I couldn’t even dream of using other Taoist arts besides the Cloning Technique because the consumption of Innate True Qi was too severe.
But now, perhaps because I had obtained all of Sun Wukong’s artifacts, the consumption had decreased, and thanks to my vessel becoming vast, it didn’t feel like I was overdoing it at all.
“I’m fine. I told you, I’m perfectly okay.”
However, there was one thing I was worried about. Despite Sun Wukong saying that no human would be my match anymore, I didn’t really feel like I had become that much stronger.
— Don’t worry. That’s only because you haven’t released the first seal yet. Once you do, you’ll definitely be able to feel the difference.
Well, it would be best if I could resolve this without releasing something like a seal, but I suppose it won’t be that simple.
Just as everyone seemed to be calming down and we were about to head inside, I felt a presence approaching from a distance.
“…Huh?”
The moment I locked eyes with the man who appeared, he flinched for a second as if in fear, but he soon feigned composure and kept his distance from me.
“Flash.”
“…Kang So-hyun.”
An S-rank hero—no, I guess I should call him an S-rank villain now.
I thought I’d have to go deeper to find him.
Seeing him right at the start of the island, it seemed luck was on my side.
“So the intruders were you guys?”
Since there’s something I need to take from him and something I need to hear…
“Ah, wait. Just listen to me—”
“I’m not listening, you bastard. Shut your trap.”
“Huh?”
Should I start by giving him a light thrashing?