Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Efficient Resource Management
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"I... I can't hold out any longer. Damn it...."
The villain, her entire body soaked in exhaustion, breathed heavily.
About half the blood she had shed came from wounds she had inflicted on herself. The other half oozed from the ragged bullet holes torn into her flesh.
Her blood formed a barrier that blocked the hail of bullets raining down. Without the wall created by her ability, none of the surviving villains would have made it this far. There were no cover spots to dodge bullets in this long corridor.
But even she was only human in the end. No one could survive losing more blood than the body could handle.
"Urgh...."
She collapsed.
"Hurry, run!"
Karlea urged Jenny on. The two of them barely reached a fork in the hallway.
Here, they wouldn't get shot at immediately. The villain who had been holding up the barrier had just died, so they wouldn't last long, but still.
Karlea gave a bitter smile.
"Listen. I never thought I'd be the one telling someone this... but we might have to use everything we've got. It'll be rough later, but better than dying right now, right?"
Jenny nodded.
Enduring a lewd penalty to gain points, then using those points to enhance her ability.
Among the team that had entered the basement, only two could choose that option, including Jenny.
There weren't many people who could select penalties to begin with. Lewd ones were even rarer. Just as the traits one could choose reflected innate talent, penalties were much the same.
On top of that, villains had every reason not to avoid lewd penalties.
Every villain gathered here had committed at least one crime, been caught by police or heroes, and thrown in prison.
And when choosing a lewd penalty, there was no obligation to become Lee Seong-ha's slave. The aftermath would be tough, but it beat rotting away in a cell for life. Better to live as a whore letting her body get used however.
Diana had at least picked virgins to offer to Seong-ha, which was why a few hadn't chosen lewd penalties "yet."
The other person besides Jenny was the woman with the electric chainsaw. She had sensed the crisis but got shot and died before she could choose a penalty.
"...I've already chosen one."
"Really?"
Jenny bit her lip hard.
-Electra Complex.
She would come to see a random older male as "Daddy." On top of that, an intense desire to have sex with "Daddy" would burn inside her.
She would feel the urge to act spoiled toward Daddy just like a real daughter, and if the designated "Daddy" spoke firmly, she couldn't refuse any demand.
Like all lewd penalties, picking the wrong one could end her life right there—a dangerous gamble.
"Yeah? Did it make you stronger?"
"...It won't help much."
She had gained points from selecting the penalty. With enough leeway, Jenny might have used them efficiently.
"Actually, I've already spent them."
"On what?"
"Physical enhancement type. Wasn't that efficient, though."
"Ha.... This is insane."
For an Awakened to use points efficiently, they had to consider synergies.
If choosing a trait that added damage to ice spells, they needed a way to cast ice spells first. Physical abilities worked best the same way.
To pick a trait that let you punch and damage even massive foes, you first needed the agility and stamina to survive long enough to land that punch.
But the situation had been too dire.
'An ability to deflect bullets on contact....'
It had no effect on superpowers used by other Awakened, and it was useless against laser weapons even from the same gun category.
Deflecting didn't nullify all the impact either, so getting hit by an assault rifle or machine gun would still mean agony.
But she had no choice. It was the right call.
Her shoulder still ached. She'd already taken several bullets. Without this ability, those shots would have pierced her body and stopped her cold.
"What now.... I'll stay behind and buy time, so you run. That seems best."
"What?"
"I've already been hit."
Blood was flowing from Karlea's abdomen.
Immediate treatment might save her life, but enemies were already closing in from afar. No chance for that.
"Take this. USB. You hate Clearbrand, right? Taking this might change something."
Even facing death head-on, Karlea stayed calm. Jenny bit her lip.
"Thanks."
"Yeah. Run. You don't wanna die with me, right?"
"Don't worry."
Jenny pulled a steel ball from her pocket.
It was far better made than the crude weapons she'd prepared for her terrorist act. Jenny gave a bitter smile.
"Anyway, seems like there's no one left I need to protect now...."
They had their backs to the wall at the end of the corridor.
"Guess it's time."
Jenny peeked out and rolled the steel ball. Bullets poured in immediately, but she dodged and activated her ability.
"...Explode."
That was the last.
The steel ball rolled toward them.
"A bomb!"
They were prepared for villain ambushes.
The villains here had brazenly shouted that they were "on the same side as the heroes," but in the end, they fought back when facing death.
Their ability-based counters were threatening, but they had also considered guns or explosives.
Flame Man's sidekick, Wally, activated his ability right away.
'Good, he reacted!'
Wally hadn't died before using his ability. So no one would get hurt by that explosion.
A massive barrier created by his power filled the corridor.
'Inside this.... Even an anti-tank missile couldn't break through!'
Wally had no combat training or superior physical stats. But his ability was incredibly valuable to heroes.
Energy barrier. Nothing special, just incredibly sturdy. That alone was enough. Few heroes could erect a barrier instantly without prep or conditions.
He had saved countless lives with it.
During bomb terror attacks to shield civilians, or when a villain group targeted Flame Man and his team after getting exposed—he'd protected them all with his barrier.
This barrier had never been breached.
'Blocked!'
He felt the barrier withstand the blast. It seemed less dangerous than expected.
But in that instant, he saw the countless shards embedded in his body.
'Huh?'
The shards had pierced and torn right through the barrier. Into his body, his comrades', even the walls.
The armored guards' bodies and the corridor walls were pocked with countless tiny fragments.
'Why?'
Wally never learned the reason.
He collapsed. Many others fell with him.
"Aaaah!"
"As expected, it breaks through at this range."
Jenny clutched Karlea tightly. Her own back was embedded with quite a few shards.
"Feels like a few got my arms and legs.... Ngh, whatever. Pointless now."
Karlea gave a bitter smile.
She was dying anyway. Without an Awakened's tenacious vitality, she'd be dead already.
The blood from the shards in her limbs wasn't enough to kill her. The gunshot in her lower abdomen would do that.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. This ability doesn't hurt me. Just annoying."
Jenny looked at Karlea with sad eyes.
She had killed so many. Far more than when she'd been hunted as a designated villain.
And Flame Man was a hero even she admired.
Not a diehard fan. But she'd read his comics. Cheered for their exploits.
Being villains didn't mean they empathized with other villains. They liked heroes and hated villains too. They just ranked themselves: "I'm not as bad as that one."
Flame Man was the real deal. Not like the money-grubbing, justice-ignoring trash heroes overflowing in America.
She had killed him. That saddened her.
More than that, the disappearance of those around her hurt.
She hadn't grown attached. They hadn't known each other long. Villains herded from various prisons, some who hated her, some she hated.
Still, living together even briefly bred camaraderie.
Jenny was from the casino team.
She and her teammates had never worn bunny girl outfits in their lives. Normal people only did that for cosplay with lovers, and none here had lovers.
They'd awkwardly shuffled cards in unfamiliar clothes, laughing hysterically while learning "bunny girl poses." Leaning butts on tables to spin and serve menus.
She'd gotten mad at snoring villains in the dorms. Another had lent her a towel when she forgot hers for the showers.
All dead.
If things had gone like this here, the villains deployed elsewhere were probably all gone too.
"Ha...."
Jenny walked bitterly through the corpses. Then she realized a shredded wall had collapsed.
"Grrr...."
"Oh."
The room sealed by a steel wall must have held a grotesque lifeform. And the wall binding it was gone.
"Graaaah!"
No time to pull out a steel ball. A dog-like creature made of dark, congealed blood lunged at Jenny.
'Is this... the end?'
She had bombs left, but even if they didn't harm her, the shock at this range would be too much.
'....'
She might survive thrashing desperately. If she steeled herself for death and found a way to drop the grotesque.
But Jenny was too exhausted.
The creature gaped its maw. Jenny closed her eyes.
"Grraaah!"
Some immense force hit. Opening her eyes, Jenny saw the grotesque was gone.
A single person—no, something exerting an overwhelming presence too vast for a mere human—was flying there.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah...."
Jenny's mouth fell open.
She couldn't not know who it was. Anyone on Earth would recognize her.
Everyone's hero, Lee Ha-seon, was here.