Chapter 14
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Terror (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Don't you think the villains have been acting kinda weird lately?”
“Why?”
“It feels like there are more of them who are stronger than their listed threat levels.”
Aeros tilted her head, looking puzzled at Shadow Step's words as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“What are you talking about? Superpowers don't usually get stronger out of nowhere, right?”
“That's true, but... still, they seem stronger than what the scouts reported. At first, I thought it was just bad estimates, but you can only chalk it up to mistakes so many times. It's getting hard to call it errors anymore.”
“Is that so?”
“And more importantly, they found some weird substance in that villain we caught on the mountain the other day. They detected the same stuff in that bull-headed one we nabbed a few days ago too. No idea what it does exactly, though.”
A weird substance...
Aeros pondered it for a moment before snapping her fingers like she'd just figured it out.
“Then isn't that the reason?”
“You... acting like you're onto something when you're just repeating what I said—what's going through that head of yours?”
“Hey, it could be... What am I supposed to do if I can't think of anything?”
“I have no idea how you even became a hero...”
Aeros puffed out her cheeks at Shadow Step's exasperated tone.
“Anyway... something shady's definitely going down.”
“Just be careful, that's all. Or hey, maybe we should take some too? Bet it'd make us stronger.”
“Shut it.”
A week had passed since that incident.
Afterward, I'd taken a break from my activities.
Sure enough, posts started popping up questioning why I'd suddenly gone quiet.
Just one week off, and people were already talking about me. Guess my notoriety had shot up pretty high.
Not a bad feeling...
If anything, it felt good.
Like I was grateful people were paying attention to me...
I even kept checking if more posts would show up.
Refreshing Hero Gallery and news sites nonstop, wondering if anything new about me had dropped—it hit me then.
Am I an exhibitionist or something?
What do you call this? Ego surfing?
Way better than I worried it'd be.
They say searching yourself is taboo for influencers, but the public opinion wasn't that bad when I looked.
Sure, some criticized me for vigilantism—saying unlicensed superpowered folks are just criminals, no different from private sanctions. Blind hate existed too.
But most were favorable toward me.
Their criticisms weren't wrong, though.
Heroes licensed by the Hero Association mostly operate with government approval, protected by law like police.
Legal work.
Me? I'm operating illegally. Turning a blind eye from a national standpoint is a no-go.
Sword Fairy said she'd subdue me last time, after all.
Subdue...
Usually, they say “arrest” for unlicensed operators, not “subdue.”
Maybe she doesn't harbor that much malice toward me.
Hard to say without knowing more about the government and Hero Association.
“...Boring.”
I used to enjoy making coffee at the cafe.
Lately, it just felt meh.
Because I discovered something more fun?
Fun stuff...
Like using this overwhelming power to take people down... moving my body...
No way that's fun...
I shook my head, denying it inwardly.
Before this body, I was just a college kid doing workouts and odd jobs to get by.
No way getting this strong flips my personality.
Definitely not.
As usual, I headed to the cafe for my shift.
I'd just done handover and was minding the shop when...
Ding-a-ling.
“Welcome...”
The door opened, and a familiar face stepped in.
Do-yoon froze for a split second upon recognizing her, then smoothed his expression back to normal.
“Hello.”
“Oh, hi.”
Do-yoon greeted first, so Lee Seo-yul returned it and ordered the same parfait as last time via kiosk before sitting down.
Didn't expect him to greet me right away...
She calmed her oddly racing heart, fiddling with her phone while keeping a straight face.
...It bugs me... Is this really okay?
Last time was pure coincidence.
This time? She came on purpose.
'Observe the unlicensed hero and build trust. Recruit if possible; minimize subduing...'
That was the latest directive from the Association.
Unlike the prior “subdue” order, this one gave leeway—build trust, recruit if feasible.
If that's the case, they shouldn't have sent the subdue order last time...
Association's typical sloppy handling?
Poor Sword Fairy got the short end.
A stickler for rules, she'd just followed orders.
But after she failed, they flipped the script.
If they're reacting this strongly, there's gotta be some big reason.
Build trust...
Seo-yul glanced at Do-yoon while pretending to use her phone.
Is stacking it up like this even right?
Customer and part-timer? Felt weird knowing his secret.
He was diligently making a parfait in his apron, but those peeking muscles reminded her of his clash with Sword Fairy.
Strong...
He was undeniably strong.
Freakish strength that seemed to shatter human limits, plus overall speed.
Most shocking? He'd taken multiple slashes from her sword without issue.
Even she, an A-Rank psychic with strong mental fortitude, would've crumbled under repeated hits.
How insanely tough was his mind for Sword Fairy's blade to bounce off?
Pretty cool...
Other guys never stirred much in her, but Do-yoon was different.
Somehow... inhuman.
Couldn't quite put it into words, but yeah.
“Here's your parfait.”
Lost in thought while sneaking glances, he'd finished and approached with it.
“Ah... thanks.”
“Enjoy.”
She watched him return to his spot, then looked down at the parfait.
Who'd link that guy from back then to this one?
S-Rank Hero Martial God.
Retired physical superpower legend, now an old-timer.
The man who'd shown overwhelming power evoking that ancient figure—and this guy making parfaits—displayed equal or greater might.
Why's someone like that doing unlicensed hero work...?
Right then—
[Disaster Alert: Multiple villains of unknown rank appeared in XX District OO around 1:49 AM. Terrorism suspected. Nearby civilians, evacuate immediately.]
[Nearby heroes, deploy at once.]
“...!”
Does this damn world ever give a break?
Hated abandoning the fresh parfait, but she couldn't ignore a dispatch call.
Especially since...
Unknown rank?
Disaster texts for unranked threats were rare.
Something big was brewing.
Until she knew what, an A-Rank like her had to step up.
Time to move.
“S-Sorry, gotta step out for a bit.”
“...Pardon?”
Do-yoon looked flustered at her sudden exit, but no time to explain.
She left the untouched parfait at the counter and bolted.
Activating her gear, Kinesis switched to hero suit and rocketed toward the alert location.
Hoping for minimal casualties.