Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Strange Phenomenon (1)
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A-Rank Hero status came with its first order of business: tidying up my part-time gigs.
"I see. Thanks for all your hard work."
The logistics center wrapped up easily enough.
All I had to do was show up, say I wouldn't be coming back, and that was that. Nothing complicated about it.
They even told me to come running if anything came up—they'd be waiting. And with that, our contact ended.
Waiting like that... did that mean I'd been damn good at the job?
'I've been killing it lately, though...'
Not that I'd slacked off much before the mess in Seoul threw everything off.
Next up: the cafe.
Honestly, this was the one that worried me most.
Especially since I'd only been in this world a short time back then, and my face was probably still on the cafe's CCTV footage. It'd kept me up some nights.
Nothing ever came of it, though, so I'd let it slip my mind.
No word after all this time meant they probably had no intention of checking it.
The internal CCTV files would get wiped eventually anyway.
Hell, they might already be gone.
I had no clue how long they kept footage, so I couldn't be sure.
Solving it like this felt almost ridiculous.
As I mulled that over on my way into the cafe, I bumped into a familiar face.
"Seo-yul?"
"Ah... Do-yoon?"
It was A-Rank Hero Kinesis herself, Seo-yul.
"What brings you here...?"
"Just grabbing dessert like always... Are you switching shifts?"
"Nah... I'm thinking of quitting for good."
Her smile froze mid-expression.
"W-what happened...?"
"Got a real job now. Won't have time for this anymore."
Just last time, hadn't a villain popped up while I was on shift, forcing me to bail?
Sure, I wasn't an official hero then, and it was all to save her, so technically on me if you nitpick.
Either way, hero work meant no side hustles.
I'd planned to keep barista-ing, but this new gig took priority. Best to drop one clean or keep it as a hobby.
"I... see... Oh, so the new nameless A-Rank Hero—that's you?"
"Whoa... I never even mentioned going hero, and you figured it out?"
This woman was sharp.
And nameless? Me?
'Didn't pick a name back then, so defaulting to nameless makes sense, I guess...'
Apparently, hero names were on me to choose.
Did that mean Grandpa picked "Martial God" himself?
Bit embarrassing to self-title something like that, right?
"Hmm..."
"Timing fits, plus it listed physical-type hero. Wild, though... Didn't you say you were powerless?"
She glanced around, confirmed we were alone, and whispered it.
Tell me about it.
So much had happened...
"Chairman helped me out personally."
I left it at that.
Couldn't exactly say I'd sparred and beaten the Chairman, could I?
Only top Hero Association brass knew about that scrap with Grandpa.
Not pride on his end—he said it'd draw too much heat if word got out he'd lost to me. Better to keep it quiet for now.
So I just wasn't saying anything.
"Ah... um... congrats..."
Seo-yul managed an awkward smile and congratulations.
Wait.
"Seo-yul?"
"Yes?"
"Something wrong?"
Call me paranoid, but she didn't seem thrilled about me becoming a hero. Had to ask.
Her personality? No jealousy or hard feelings over my sudden rise.
No reason for it, and she wasn't the type.
Best guess: worrying about me. But even that felt like a stretch...
"Oh, no, it's nothing... just..."
She panicked visibly, shaking her head.
After a beat of eyeing me weirdly, she deflated a bit.
"...We'd always meet here, but if you quit the cafe... no way to run into you anymore..."
"Ah... that's what it was? Just call me."
Hold up.
Had we not swapped numbers last time?
I pulled out my phone to check and blinked in surprise.
We really hadn't exchanged contacts back then.
"Whoa, total shock... Thought I'd saved it. Nope."
That explained it.
Realizing we'd skipped that step, we swapped numbers right there.
I smirked inwardly at her name popping up in my contacts.
Hey, trading digits with someone this pretty and sweet? Not complaining.
Hell, it was a win.
Lifetime of zero girl connections, and now two in my phone.
Both A-Rank Heroes, no less.
'Kinda scummy thinking it like this...'
Maybe 'cause they were both drop-dead gorgeous.
"Hehe... thanks."
Post-swap, she beamed.
No need to thank me that much—I'd wanted her number too.
"No biggie. Hit me up anytime."
"Yeah... I... um..."
Um?
She started to say something, choked, and trailed off. Then shook her head like it was nothing, dropping her gaze.
She headed inside, saying she'd see herself in.
'Uh...'
I still needed to talk to the boss, so in I went too.
"!!"
Of course, she freaked when I followed her in.
Transformed, she seemed all stiff and emotionless. Who'd guess this was her real deal?
Adorably flustered. Cute as hell.
A-Rank Hero or not, the missions hitting my queue were mostly routine stuff.
Truth be told, monster subjugations topped the list.
"Whew."
Between recent scraps and Grandpa's post-hospital lessons, I'd gotten way better at controlling my power.
Now I could zero in on just what I needed, even in the city.
"Solid results. Good work today."
They even assigned me an operator.
A guy, for some reason.
'Would've preferred a woman...'
Bit drab, no?
Felt like I knew who'd pulled this, but nah—guy in his position wouldn't stoop to petty crap like that.
No way.
Coincidence, probably.
"When are you picking a hero name, Do-yoon? Sooner the better."
"Nothing's clicking."
"If you want, leave it to the Association. We'll sort it."
"Oh..."
Handy.
Thought I had to pick from scratch.
...Wait.
"How'd the Chairman pick his?"
"Huh? The Chairman... you mean Martial God?"
"Yeah."
Curious, right?
Doubt he named himself that.
"As you suspect... Association picked it. Or rather, the public started calling him that, and it stuck as his moniker."
"Ah..."
So the masses dubbed Grandpa "Martial God."
Made sense, thinking back to that insane punch he showed me.
He said it was him maxing out his technique to recreate his prime haymaker.
Prime era? Threw those like casual jabs.
Even called that one "holding back."
Dunno how much he hyped it, but the guy was a monster.
Internet quotes painted him as a living legend for a reason.
"Got it..."
"...New mission just dropped."
"New one?"
"Yes. But it's not mandatory. Shady details everywhere."
The operator's face soured a bit.
"Lately, E- and D-Rank heroes took an 'anomalous phenomenon' investigation. Every single one who went inside the building... vanished."
"Hm..."
What the hell?
"Too risky, so they're looping in an A-Rank. You in?"
No clue what it was, but backing down? Nah.
Felt like prime experience fodder.
"I'm in."
Hero life's short—might as well go all out.