Hero Union Senior Meeting
The day after she visited her younger sister, Eun Seol finished her university classes and headed straight for Hero Union headquarters, requesting a full briefing on the aftermath of the Myeongdong terror attack.
The one who answered her was the A-class hero Skull Crusher.
"Valkyrie. You said you had questions about the Myeongdong terror case?"
"Skull Crusher, sir!"
"What is it you want to know? You handled most of it yourself. I doubt there's much left that would surprise you."
"It's what happened after I left that bothers me! Sure, one shop got completely wrecked, but the street itself wasn't that badly destroyed when I was there. The commercial district they showed on the news, though... What on earth happened after I left—"
"According to the investigation team's analysis, not long after you departed, the explosives the bastards had planted in the underground water pipes detonated in a chain reaction. Fortunately, that was right before the investigation team was scheduled to deploy, so there were no additional casualties—but there was nothing we could do about the street getting torn apart."
Eun Seol couldn't accept that explanation.
If they had already planted explosives in the underground water pipes, the terrorists' behavior made even less sense.
"Then that makes it even stranger. If they had already sneaked explosives into the water pipes underground, why would they need to go inside at all? They would have been caught in the blast themselves."
"Among villains and terrorists, there are plenty of lunatics who don't care about their own lives. It's been that way since long before ability users ever existed. Nothing new under the sun."
"But those guys—when Kid G pointed a gun at them, they threw their hands up in a panic. That means they do value their own lives... Ah!"
The moment she let slip that she had seen Kid G at the scene, Valkyrie sucked in a sharp breath.
The fact that Kid G had appeared at the Myeongdong terror site was something she still hadn't reported to her superiors.
Skull Crusher didn't miss it. He turned the question right back on her.
"Kid G? You're saying Kid G showed up at the scene? That's the first I've heard of it."
"Ah... Well, that is..."
"I'd like a detailed explanation."
Crushed under the sheer physical presence of Skull Crusher—whose massive frame radiated intimidation just by standing there—Eun Seol flinched without meaning to and ended up spilling everything that had happened that day.
When she finished, Skull Crusher didn't scold her. He simply stood in silence for a while.
"I... I'm sorry, Skull Crusher. I wasn't deliberately trying to hide it..."
"No, it's fine. For a hero as young and inexperienced as you, that situation would have been plenty confusing. When I first became a hero myself, I couldn't even tell what I was supposed to be looking at half the time."
He gave her shoulder a light pat.
"But don't go thinking that Kid G helping you at the scene somehow proves his innocence. There are villains who stage whole false-flag operations using disposable pawns. You don't think Kid G is some special exception, do you?"
"Of course not."
"Good attitude. The moment a hero's sense of justice starts to waver, they can no longer protect the citizens. And on that point, Valkyrie, I personally have very high expectations for you. Not just me—the S-class heroes, the upper ranks of the Union and the government, all of them."
"Th-that's... There's no way. You're giving me too much credit."
"I'm not exaggerating. Among the new generation of heroes these days, there's no one else quite like you. Ability, results, the way you treat civilians, your diligence—every angle you look from, the expectations resting on you are enormous."
"Th-thank you."
Under the praise of an A-class hero like Skull Crusher, Eun Seol had no idea what to do with herself, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger.
Skull Crusher started toward the conference room at headquarters and beckoned for her to follow.
"Perfect timing. There's a meeting about to start—come along. I was actually on my way to fetch you, so you've saved me the trip."
"Huh? Me too?"
She had come to demand the truth about the ruined Myeongdong street and had ended up without a proper explanation, somehow surrendering the entire conversation to Skull Crusher without even realizing it.
For all that she was a rising star, she was still only a twenty-year-old kid.
Caught off guard, Eun Seol fell into step behind Skull Crusher and headed for the Hero Union conference room.
Taking her place at a meeting of the Korean Hero Union's senior leadership, Eun Seol sat quietly in a chair set against the wall under a barrage of curious stares.
Moments later, Union Leader Kim Seyeol entered, followed closely by a woman of indeterminate age with blonde hair coiled into a neat military bun, and a black-haired man with his hair slicked straight back, hands shoved in his pockets, strolling in with a distinctly cocky gait.
The instant Eun Seol saw those two, she had to physically swallow a scream.
N-Nightingale...! Dimension Walker...! Is this a dream or is this real?!
With two S-class heroes walking in, she had to forcibly rein herself in before she completely forgot she was a hero and switched into full fan-girl mode.
Once everyone was seated, Kim Seyeol spoke first.
"Thank you all for attending despite how busy you must be. Time is short, so let's stick to the essentials and wrap this up quickly."
"Hmm? I don't recognize this one. Who's the kid sitting over there? Some new headquarters hire?"
The cocky slicked-back man—Dimension Walker—spotted Eun Seol and asked the room, drawing every gaze her way.
Eun Seol flushed scarlet with panic and tried to answer, but Nightingale beat her to it.
"That's the B-class hero Valkyrie. The one who charged in first and suppressed the Myeongdong terror attack. Maybe try taking an interest in the juniors once in a while? Oh, and you really did well out there, Valkyrie. Thank you for your hard work."
"Ah, is that right? I'm terrible at remembering the juniors' achievements."
N-Nightingale knows who I am...!
Overwhelmed with emotion, Eun Seol shot to her feet and bowed deeply. A round of applause rose from the assembled heroes in her direction.
When the clapping died down, Kim Seyeol acknowledged her contributions and moved to the agenda.
"Despite Valkyrie's efforts, Kid G continues to operate freely. And just a few hours ago, he had the audacity to send us this card. Han Juyeon?"
Han Juyeon projected a scan of the card that had arrived at Union headquarters onto the screen.
On the white card, only a short sentence was written.
If the Hero Union is truly on the side of justice, watch your step.
Unlike his usual vague phrasing, the message this time was strikingly direct.
Th-that bastard sent something like that to headquarters?! Is he declaring war on the Union?
Eun Seol stared at the card in horror.
At the same time, a question rose in her mind—but Nightingale asked it for her.
"What are the odds this is someone impersonating Kid G?"
"It's not impossible, but..."
"Looking at the wording, I don't see any chance it's a fake. It's obviously Myeo—"
"Dimension Walker. Valkyrie is listening."
At Nightingale's warning, Dimension Walker made an exaggerated zipper-over-his-mouth gesture.
Eun Seol couldn't shake the feeling that she was sitting somewhere she had no business being.
Whether he noticed her unease or not, Kim Seyeol continued.
"Now that Kid G has brazenly sent us a warning like this, we cannot rule out the possibility that he will strike at us as well. With Oblivion showing signs of activity, we don't have the luxury of assigning S-class and A-class heroes to security detail. For now, we'll increase the number of security personnel at headquarters. Of course, if we leave Kid G unchecked, incidents like the Myeongdong attack may happen again—so first, we'll share with you what we've learned about Kid G's abilities."
At those words, Eun Seol's eyes lit up.
If they understood Kid G's powers, it might make catching him that much easier.
Operator Han Juyeon took over the briefing.
"Based on calculated cross-referencing of every reported sighting of Kid G—the times, locations, and travel times between those points—we strongly estimate that Kid G possesses a cloning ability. The supporting evidence is as follows—"
While Han Juyeon laid out the reasoning behind the cloning conclusion, Eun Seol nodded along, replaying every encounter she had ever had with Kid G.
There really was no other explanation that fit.
Inside Lee Jeongseok's mansion, she had clearly been holding Kid G in the second-floor vault room, watching him with her own eyes—while Lee Jeongseok's security forces radioed that they were chasing Kid G down the fifth-floor hallway.
"As for a second ability, it has been confirmed with certainty that Kid G possesses a door-opening ability. The relevant testimony was provided by Valkyrie, seated in the back there. She has witnessed it several times firsthand, and we also have footage recorded during official operations. We'll send the files to each of your emails."
Dimension Walker tapped the desk lightly, looking intrigued.
"Wow~ Cloning plus a door-opening ability? How far does that door-opening thing go? Can he open a person's skin? If you're unlucky enough to get his hand on your chest, does your heart just crack open and you die on the spot?"
The applications of an ability depended entirely on how you used it—even something that seemed trivial could hold endless potential.
Dimension Walker was renowned for that kind of thinking, so the moment he heard "door-opening," he immediately pointed out that Kid G might possess terrifying lethal force. Eun Seol, who had never considered that angle at all, broke into a cold sweat.
"There have been no reports of him applying that ability to a person so far."
"Really? Lacking imagination, is he? What a shame."
"Dimension Walker. You're the only one who could hear about an ability like that and immediately go to such a horrific place."
"Oh? Suddenly it's my fault? As if you're any better, Nightingale."
"Quiet, both of you. The point is that Kid G has cloning and door-opening abilities. And based on all testimony so far, it also appears he possesses some form of teleportation-related power..."
"One person cannot have three separate abilities."
At Nightingale's correction, Kim Seyeol nodded.
"Of course. That is likely a secondary effect of one of the other two—but given how useful it is, the headache remains the same. And given the nature of Kid G's ability combination..."
Dimension Walker finished the thought for him.
"He's specialized for thievery... right, Chief?"
"Exactly. By design, he is an extremely difficult target to catch. If we truly committed everything, it wouldn't be impossible, but..."
Nightingale's lovely face twisted into a frown.
"But Oblivion is about to become active, so we don't have the resources—and he carefully avoids any civilian casualties, so we have no justification for playing a powerful card. Is that it?"
"Precisely as Nightingale says. If we recklessly play a major card, the Villain Alliance could take advantage of the opening."
"Leave that part to me!"
Eun Seol, who had been listening quietly, shot to her feet.
"I've faced Kid G multiple times and let him get away every single time, and I'm ashamed of myself for it... but I will catch Kid G with my own hands! So that none of you have to waste another thought on him—I will end this myself! I've let him slip too many times and it's mortifying, but I will see it through!"
A brief silence fell over the room. Only then did Eun Seol feel the embarrassment hit, and she hung her head.
Nightingale started the applause, and every participant in the meeting joined in to encourage her.
"How reassuring. With abilities like those, capturing him alive wouldn't be easy for any of us either. We understand."
"Nothing beats the fire of a rookie hero. Us jaded old-timers could never pull off an attitude like that. It's refreshing. I like it."
Kim Seyeol offered Eun Seol a small smile.
"Then the Kid G matter will continue to be left in Valkyrie's hands, as it has been until now. To be honest, I called you to this meeting specifically because I wanted to entrust the Kid G case to you.
We'll revisit this if Kid G ever escalates into more serious terrorism. For now, that concludes the Kid G discussion. Next is our response to Oblivion... and we also need to coordinate with the government side... Miss Valkyrie, from here on we'll be meeting among ourselves, so you're free to go."
"Ah... Yes, Union Leader! I'll take my leave!"
Eun Seol rose from her seat, clutching her racing heart, and slipped out of the conference room.
Having stood face-to-face with two S-class heroes—beings who were practically the stuff of dreams even among other heroes—and learning that they held expectations of her, Eun Seol burned with even greater determination.
The past few days had been gloomy and heavy, but after seeing her sister yesterday and attending this meeting today, she was fully recharged, her resolve to capture Kid G blazing brighter than ever.