Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Terror (2)
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"What the hell..."
The guy who loved parfaits so much left without even finishing his?
It was hard to believe he just said it was good because he didn't want to eat it. Something must have come up.
'Maybe... some incident broke out nearby.'
If it was something happening around here, I should've gotten a message too, but since I didn't, it probably wasn't near me.
And it wasn't just anyone—it was Kinesis who went. No need for me to step in.
Part of me wanted to go handle it myself, but she was an A-Rank Hero, after all.
Considering how hero rankings are even harder to gauge than villains', someone like her should wrap up the incident without much trouble.
'If she left in such a hurry, it must be a big deal.'
Just in case she came back, I stuck the parfait in the fridge so she could eat it later.
I planned to hand it over if she returned.
After putting the parfait away, I flipped on the cafe's TV.
If it was a major incident in Seoul, it'd probably be live on the news. Something big enough for Kinesis to handle personally would definitely make the broadcast.
Sure enough, as I switched to the news, a live feed popped up right away.
[Breaking News: Villain Rampage in Seoul OO District]
'There it is.'
I turned up the volume.
[...Yes. About 20 minutes ago, an unidentified individual presumed to be a villain began indiscriminately destroying nearby vehicles and structures. The exact motive is still unknown, but based on the attack patterns and the villain's appearance, it's believed to be in some kind of unexplained berserk state.]
'That's pretty far from here... and it looks serious.'
Lately, incidents like this seemed to be on the rise.
Even when I handled them myself, there were way more villains who acted half-insane rather than ones with any real intelligence.
I'd brushed it off at first, but thinking back now, it felt a bit off.
'Come to think of it, the ones who seemed normal all ended up like that after taking some weird drug...'
And the ones who took it always got a massive power boost.
Was this the same kind of thing?
[At least 12 injuries confirmed so far at the scene, with firefighters and emergency responders unable to approach. Ah! Just moments ago, A-Rank Hero Kinesis from the Hero Association has arrived.]
She made it.
[Can you see it? A-Rank Hero Kinesis is now blocking the villain's path. She's levitating surrounding debris to form a defensive wall... Yes, hold on! There's a clash! Collision confirmed! Collision confirmed!]
The moment she arrived, she used her superpower to raise objects around her into a defensive line and charged straight at the villain.
"Whoa..."
Hard to see from afar, but she seemed to be holding her own.
Come to think of it, I'd only ever fought myself—never really watched someone else battle it out like this.
No wonder she was A-Rank. She was seriously strong.
She casually lifted and hurled dozens of building chunks and cars that the villain had smashed, wielding power worthy of her rank.
'What would happen if I took a hit from that...'
Honestly, since that official notice came down, she probably got it too. She didn't try to take me down even after seeing me, so I doubt we'd ever fight...
'But you never know...'
Maybe I should learn more about her now.
The footage was distant and grainy, but still.
'A-Rank Heroes really are on another level...'
Her fighting style was completely different.
The Sword Fairy I'd met before was incredibly skilled too.
I'd only dodged her attacks because my physical abilities far outstripped her technique...
I held up fine when her sword grazed me, so I could probably tank a few hits, but I wasn't sure to what extent...
More importantly, unlike Sword Fairy, who attacked directly with her blade, Kinesis used telekinesis for offense. Dodging that? Not so sure.
Probably couldn't.
'The villain...'
Even against Kinesis, it was holding its own, trading blows evenly.
Was this okay?
[...As you can see, a few civilians are still trapped at the scene. The Association is analyzing whether this is a lone actor or if someone's manipulating them.]
[...Yes, the villain rampage in Seoul OO District remains unresolved with no clear cause identified. The Hero Association has dispatched A-Rank Hero Kinesis for emergency response, prioritizing situation control and civilian rescue.]
The screen switched to footage of people being pulled to safety, one by one.
'Some folks still haven't escaped...'
Should I go?
It'd been a while since something big enough for live news coverage.
'If I stepped in, it'd stir up more buzz about me.'
The thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head.
I was in the middle of my cafe shift right now.
Couldn't just leave the place empty.
[Requests for mental-specialized agents are ongoing, and the suspect's identity is still unconfirmed.]
[Debate continues on whether this is isolated berserk behavior or organized involvement, but with public safety paramount, authorities are urged to act swiftly and decisively.]
"What do people think...?"
I pulled out my phone and switched to a YouTube livestream.
- Holy shit, this is bad
- Been forever since something this scale ㄷㄷ
- Can't live like this anymore, fuck this, time to leave Korea
- Fact: Korea's still one of the best places to live ㅇㅇ
- Kinda scary, this okay? Why just Kinesis? Where's everyone else?
- All the current government's fault!! President step down!!
- Feels like Kinesis is getting pushed back little by little?
- This ain't something one A-Rank can handle...
- You think A-Rank is weak? Next up's only S-Rank monsters... Look at those flying building chunks
'No... something's off...'
The camera focused on Kinesis in the live feed.
Couldn't see details, but her power output was visibly waning.
'Her opponent... physical type, huh?'
It was punching through everything Kinesis threw at it.
Looked like a war of attrition for now, but...
'Kinesis looks more exhausted...'
Nearly 10 minutes in, no real progress.
If anything, Kinesis's attacks had slowed noticeably compared to the start.
She'd probably gone all-out from the jump after gauging its strength.
Since it didn't work, she was bound to falter as time dragged on.
That was when it happened.
KABOOM!
A massive, unidentified explosion bloomed across the screen, like something out of a disaster flick.
The feed cut off amid the anchor's panicked scream.
- ?
- What?
- WTF happened, turn the broadcast back on!!
- This okay?
- Looks bad...
- Isn't it time for Thunder Emperor?
- Not Thunder Emperor level, but Sword Fairy at least...
- Or Isis? Getting scary now...
"...That explosion just now..."
Was this fine?
I wanted to believe it was, but a nagging doubt said otherwise.
If it wrecked a distant camera, it must've been huge up close...
Taking that point-blank...
No time to hesitate.
I bolted from my seat and out of the cafe.
Slapped up a note saying "Temporarily closed for personal reasons," flipped the sign to closed, and leaped into the sky.
Planned to be back in under 10 minutes.
Would text the boss that I'd stepped out briefly.
Right now, I couldn't shake the urge to go, no matter what.
'Hope this works.'
Unlike before, I grabbed my mask.
Ordered it online just in case and always kept it in my bag—never thought it'd see action like this.
'Guess... I really do like this stuff?'
I wanted to fight more.
Test how strong I really was.
This power... I wanted to use it to save people.
Dream was opening a cafe or whatever.
Maybe that was just talk from before I got this body.
Honestly, I didn't know myself anymore.
But one thing was crystal clear.
'If I sit here doing nothing, I'll regret it forever.'
This was the time to step up.
Deep down, that's what I knew.