L City Tower Under Siege
The tower's screen blared nonstop headlines.
Footage looped endlessly on screen: Nova cornering the villain who'd trashed the area near Jamsil Station, her moves flashy and decisive. Every outlet raced to hype her exploits, and online communities were already flooded with her name.
"As expected of our Nova. She's a full-blown superstar now."
Slurp.
I couldn't hide my pride as I shoveled a huge chopstickful of ramen from the pot. Hard to believe this was the same Nova who'd been treated like yesterday's leftovers in the corner of the Hero Association just a short while ago.
Her stock had skyrocketed lately. Sure, her idol-level looks were buzzing, but what really struck a chord with the public was that desperate, noble sight of her stopping a runaway train with her bare body to save civilians.
Headlines scrolled with cringey tags like The True Hero of Our Era and Star of Hope, but this time, it didn't feel half bad. Proof of her popularity.
With that kind of recognition, she could've gotten cocky, but reports said she was still rolling up her sleeves for the gritty jobs, helping civilians just like always. Made me all the more satisfied.
I knew picking her as the protagonist was the right call.
"But it's weird. Where's Flare? How come it's all Nova?"
Makina, watching TV beside me, tilted her head in confusion.
Well, yeah. That day at the restaurant, both of them had bolted the second they heard about the villain, leaving me behind.
"Why? Nova was the only one who could actually fight properly on site."
"So why was she the only one who could? Flare looked ready to burn everything to ash right then and there."
Makina had a point if you thought like a normal person. Flare had forgotten her civilian guise the moment "villain" hit her ears, flames practically bursting from her.
"Flare wasn't in her hero suit. Without the Association's face-obscuring tech, she'd blow her cover wide open."
Given her habit of punching holes in criminals' sides, Flare probably had twice the grudges of other heroes. No matter how strong she was, she couldn't live under constant assassination threats.
That's why heroes never patrol barefaced without gear—unspoken rule of the trade.
"Nova, on the other hand? She just transforms somewhere out of sight, and boom, done."
"Hmm, yeah, that makes sense."
Unlike other heroes who had to swing by the Association for their custom suits, Nova just clicked her Core Relic, and she was full kit. As long as no one caught the transformation, it was nothing compared to the round trip.
In that sense, Nova had almost no restrictions as a hero.
Back then, it was crude masks and helmets. Now, science-powered obfuscators. In the future, maybe full transformation suits like Nova's?
Whatever, that's later.
"So, what're we gonna do?"
Makina scraped the pot clean of every last drop of broth, wiped her mouth roughly, and asked.
"About what?"
"What else? You gonna declare your ability voluntarily?"
"Ahaha..."
Yeah, that was a problem too. Ability registration wasn't just recommended—it was mandatory. Since two state-certified heroes had spotted me, no dodging it now, like it or not.
Lucky they mistook it for simple healing, but that didn't lighten the load.
Once registered, you'd get slammed with Association virtue classes and mandatory service at agencies for a while.
For me, prepping terror to grow Nova and leveraging original story knowledge? Every day counted—no room for wasted time.
"What can I do? If I don't, those two'll hunt me down with fire in their eyes."
They already had my full ID. If Nova or Flare reported an unregistered user, I'd be rotting in jail.
Too much hassle to fake a new identity forever. Better to register, crying all the way.
"If they rate me B- or even C-rank, it won't be too bad. I can stall through it."
"C-rank? Dude, your power's at least S-rank. How's it gonna come out C? You think their meters are junk?"
Makina snorted in disbelief, but I just smirked leisurely.
"Heh, that's why I recruited the world's top genius engineer, right?"
My gaze landed obviously on her, and she caught on quick, scowling.
"...Ugh, why'd I follow a guy like you? My fate sucks."
"Kek, data fudging's your specialty. Count on ya, Makina."
Monday at the Association meant a whirlwind of training crap after. Better knock out backlog now.
Site scouted, plan locked in head—execution time.
"Hey, Kang Jinwoo! It's Friday!"
"Friday? Gonna hit the town for boozy Friday?"
"No! Saying you'll handle it before Monday registration means you're pulling some stunt this weekend!"
Sharp kid, as always.
Yeah. Post-registration, months under Association watch—too busy. Weekend was the window for big terror.
"Weekend's tomorrow and the day after! You saying you're prepping and dropping a massive terror act overnight? Crazy? Sane?"
Makina cornered me in shock, but I just smiled.
"Hey, Kang Jinwoo!! Answer me!"
"Let's do this, Makina."
"Waaah!! Not my problem! You shitty villain bastard!"
Heh, easy now. I'll grind too—just two all-nighters, piece of cake. Probably?
Sunday afternoon, warm sunlight bathed L City Tower, Jamsil's landmark, buzzing more than ever.
The weekend crowds packed the interior—no room to breathe. Lovers arm-in-arm shopping sweetly, families heading to the observatory with kids in tow, friends laughing on rare outings—their happy chatter layered into peaceful noise across floors.
Right as they savored everyday leisure...
────Rumble rumble crash!
A deafening roar tore eardrums; the ground screamed. Massive quake swallowed the whole tower. Glittering display cases shattered, glass raining down.
"Kyaaah!"
"Wh-what?! Earthquake?!"
Chaos erupted; instincts drove them to exits. But despair waited there.
Crunch, shiiiik─!
Thorned vines thicker than a man's torso burst through marble floors, weaving instantly to seal every entrance tight.
Escape gone.
"The exit!"
"Guh, this crap!"
They tore at it desperately, gashed by sharp thorns, bleeding—but endless.
But it didn't stop. Vines from deep underground slithered like giant snakes up the exterior, multiplying terrifyingly fast.
Transparent walls vanished under grotesque plant stalks; the building morphed into a colossal green pillar.
Finally, a massive tree pierced the penthouse, spearing across Jamsil's sky.
Overwhelming, awe-inspiring grotesquery froze the fleeing masses.
That hopeless silence shattered as every speaker in the building hissed─ then a man's voice boomed.
Utterly calm, drowsy—that's what made it chilling.
"Nice to meet you. Name's Sigma. Heard the Association officially dubbed me an S-rank villain recently? Eh, grade from others, but feels good."
People held breaths, staring at ceiling speakers.
"So, to celebrate becoming an S-rank villain, I'm taking over L City Tower today. Ah, no need to freak. I do care about lives... somewhat."
"Just."
He paused, chuckling low.
"Planted bombs all over. One flick of my finger, whole place crumbles. So behave, yeah?"
Casual as dropping weather talk, then eager:
"Now, everyone—sit tight and wait for the heroes?"