Site Survey
Han Jua stared silently at her reflection in the mirror. A hideous burn scar ran along her side—one that hadn't been there before. There was no need to question who was responsible. It was the mark she had branded onto herself.
To staunch the bleeding, she'd cauterized it in desperation, but even as the master of those flames, this self-inflicted stigma refused to fade.
"Ugh…!"
Her fingertip brushed the edge of the scar absentmindedly, and a sharper pain than expected made her wince and groan involuntarily.
"It hurts… more than I thought."
It was only natural. Those were the flames she'd used to promise eternal agony to villains, branding them with heat matching the weight of their sins. What had been torment for others couldn't possibly feel sweet to her. The only difference was that the branded target wasn't a villain this time—it was herself.
"…Hatred breeds more hatred, huh."
Recalling the words of the B-rank hero who'd tried to teach her, Han Jua let out a self-mocking laugh. And with it, a man's voice echoed in her ears like an auditory hallucination. It was the taunt from Sigma, newly designated by the Hero Association as an S-rank villain of the highest danger level.
She wanted to deny it, but there wasn't a single flaw in his words. A hero blinded by a villain, allowing destruction around them—it was laughably pathetic.
To be honest, until he'd pointed it out, Sigma had been the only target in Han Jua's world. Shamefully, even when she'd heard the faint cries for help from citizens buried in the rubble, the scales in her heart had tipped heavily toward the villain before her eyes.
If Sigma hadn't said anything. If he hadn't snapped her out of it, she surely would have chased the villain to the end, ignoring everything else.
"…What the hell makes someone a hero?"
The thought made Han Jua despise herself utterly. No matter how blinded by hatred she was, she'd forgotten her core duty as a hero—the most basic one.
"I wonder if that citizen made it out okay…."
The worry came too late, and she wasn't sure she even deserved to feel it. If she'd just fought more carefully. Or at least lured the enemy away from residential areas, no one would have gotten caught in the crossfire.
Her gaze returned to the scar in the mirror. From now on, every time she looked at herself or the area throbbed, she'd remember that day. This brand, meant to ensure the sinners she punished never forgot their crimes amid lifelong pain, was now working the same on her. A punishment forcing her to relive the moment she'd shirked her hero's duty.
And maybe that's why this hideous mark felt more fitting on her than anything else right now.
"Pfft, protecting something worthless like that…."
Remembering the Association Chairman's words—that the whole incident was the villain's doing, and Han Jua had merely gotten caught up trying to stop him—a bitter chuckle escaped her. She'd have felt some relief if she'd been disciplined or put on trial, but that option was off the table, leaving only frustration.
She could have stood by her principles or rejected the Chairman's offer—but
—not yet. Not until she found that bastard. Not until she killed him. She couldn't step down from this position.
So until then, she'd just have to get a little more shameless.
I'd said it was no big deal to casually pull off a terror attack, but it wasn't easy at all. Planning ahead, preparing everything accordingly—that was tough enough, but the real key was Nova, right?
To track Nova's movements, schedule, and even her mood that day, I had animals on her 24/7 in three shifts. And I dug for info through the Core Relic—Stella.
"Eugh, that's creepy."
"Hey!"
Makina shot me a look of disdain, but what could I do? Sure, this world was from Tanaka-kun's novel and I had the original knowledge, but that was all three years in the future. Korea was destroyed by then, and the main stage was Japan.
If this world had Korea as the main setting and Nova as a protagonist or key side character, I could've predicted her path. But our Nova was an extra villain who didn't even register.
To turn an extra villain into the protagonist, I had to collect data from the ground up and craft trials suited to her level. That's why I was busting my ass with my abilities—though I drew the line at invading privacy. No matter how much intel I needed, prying into personal lives crossed it. Besides, Stella flat-out refused private queries.
"…How do you even know that?"
"So, is the investigation I asked for done, Makina?"
"Hey, don't change the subject!"
Anyway, at first I thought focusing on Nova would solve everything. Fighting absolute evil to protect Korea, earning acclaim, walking the flower path—that'd make Tanaka-kun's stomach hurt big time. Plus, the original novel barely mentioned Koreans, and no named ones at that, so I figured no big deal.
"Here's the list of A-rank and above heroes you asked for, plus Association secrets. Security was decent, but nothing to me."
"As expected of Makina! I knew I could count on you!"
"Hmph!"
But even if they weren't in the original, I couldn't ignore Flare's skills. My Core Relic-armed subordinates outclassed her in raw output and specs, but her ability use and battle-honed instincts were variables I couldn't dismiss. When she clashed with us, if I hadn't intervened, poor Accel Unicorn might've been in real trouble.
Part of it was her extreme, reckless style, but that stemmed from lack of intel. Original characters? I knew their powers, tactics, counters. Local heroes with no names? No blueprint.
My terror would grow Nova and ultimately protect this country, but it was still crime. One overlooked variable, and I could get caught or killed anytime. Had to be thorough.
"Thanks for the hard work, Makina. I'll handle the rest—get some rest."
"Tch, I was gonna anyway."
Animals handled Nova surveillance overload; hacking covered other heroes.
"Hmm. Nothing special on the A-ranks."
"Yeah. But the S-rank is the issue."
"Definitely a wildcard."
"Right? My take is…."
A few weeks ago she was grumbling, but after seeing Nova shine, Makina got proactive. Sense of duty, plus betting on Nova's potential. Different motives, same goal—stopping absolute evil. We were in the same boat.
To reward her faith and make this S-rank villain's debut legendary, this terror had to be spectacular.
"So, tomorrow: site survey."
"Huh? Site survey?"
Makina blinked in surprise.
"Obviously? Blueprints and reports are one thing—seeing and feeling the place yourself is worlds apart. Especially for our stage this time. Better scout every corner ahead."
Sure, strategic reasons on the surface. I put on a stern face and added,
"Plus, you've barely rested since coming to Korea, Makina. Always cooped up staring at monitors."
"…Whose fault is that?"
"Yeah, yeah, you've suffered so much because of me, oh genius engineer."
I'd brought her for my goals, but it bugged me she'd never seen the outside since waking. Site survey as an excuse to hang out? Not bad.
"Hmph! If you're begging that hard, Jinwoo, I'll grace you with my presence."
She grumbled, but her eyes sparkled, lips twitching with excitement. Heh, if my little one was this hyped, time to have some real fun. Oh, and not forget the actual surveying, of course.
Sweat trickled down my back.
How did it come to this?
I'd come out lightly for site survey with Makina and some tasty food. Now we faced a crisis of a lifetime.
"Uh, so, um…."
Lee Seoha—no, Nova—clung to my sleeve, stammering, at a loss for words.
And
"…Feels like I've seen you somewhere. You look kinda familiar."
Han Jua—Flare—rested her chin on her hand, staring at me curiously.
What the hell was this?! I was just out for terror prep and a outing with Makina—
'Why the fuck are Nova and Flare here?!'