The Muse Arrives
“What the hell? Why are they all out here?” After clearing the entrance, I peeked inside the abandoned factory and spotted over ten villains huddled together. Sure, it made sense for the grunts to be loitering around. The real problem was that Dr. Oh was among them.
Dr. Oh’s hideout had been dug deep underground and turned into a bunker. His personal lab sat at the very bottom, as expected. So seeing him out here like this felt off.
“Ah, so you’ve just moved in. Haven’t even finished digging the bunker yet.” Something felt wrong, so I scanned the area again. A few of them were using their powers to clean the place up. They must have just claimed this spot as their new base.
“Does this change the plan?” I had no idea why Dr. Oh had relocated here without any preparation. Even I couldn’t figure that part out. Whatever. They all had their reasons. Their scattered state made infiltration easy, but I’d need to tweak the plan.
My original idea was to slip quietly into his underground lab, assassinate him, and burn every scrap of research he’d done. With him out in the open like this, I had no choice but to switch tactics. I’d have to charge straight in and wipe them all out. No witnesses meant assassination was still technically on the table, but the body count was about to jump. Annoying.
I decided to look on the bright side. If they were this unprepared and exposed, taking them down would be simpler. Plus, if I’d shown up even a little later, I might have missed them entirely. Couldn’t exactly deal with a Dr. Oh who wasn’t here, right?
“...Huh? Wait, why is she... over there?” I was about to rush in when I stopped. Dr. Oh was talking to a bound woman, and something about her looked familiar. It was Ji Seoeun—the same girl who’d been training with me in the practice room just yesterday.
Why the hell was Ji Seoeun here? My head started spinning.
“Screw it. I’ll beat the crap out of that bastard first and think later.” Deep thinking had never been my strong suit.
Ji Seoeun
Ji Seoeun was cursing her own carelessness. She should have been suspicious the moment the buyer demanded an in-person deal. This was the result of agreeing without any precautions. Now she was tied up and dragged to this remote dump.
“Any proper superhuman would understand my great cause. This world is clearly broken. Why are superhumans so oppressed? We should be the true rulers of this world.”
What annoyed her most was the strange man spouting nonsense right in front of her. She couldn’t make sense of a single word. He was lost in his own little world, banging on about some grand cause and oppression. A villain who’d just kidnapped his trading partner had no business talking about a “great cause.”
“Materialization, huh. The conditions are a bit tricky, but it’s perfect for joining my great cause. You’re qualified to walk alongside my glorious path. I thought you were just some gun maker, but landing a catch like you... It seems even God is blessing my journey. Don’t you agree?”
She couldn’t brush off his words. He’d seen straight through her hidden ability. Even if she escaped, trouble would follow. First, she had to get out of here alive. No plan came to mind for slipping past this many villains in the middle of nowhere. She was completely screwed.
All she’d wanted was some quick cash by selling a few low-grade firearms. How had it come to this? She’d been stalling for time, but even that was running out. The moment of choice was closing in.
“You possess a valuable power, but if you won’t join my cause, there’s no helping it. You’ll have to disappear. Last chance. Will you join my great cause?”
“Time. Need it.”
“No. Time’s up. Join my glorious cause or die a meaningless death.”
The ultimatum had arrived. Did she really have to serve under this lunatic? Still, buying time was better than dying right now—
-Creak.
Just as she resolved to survive and look for an opening, the factory door opened and a woman stepped inside. Her face was hidden behind a mask. Someone else was here? She hadn’t expected anyone to find this remote place, so the sight was almost welcome. Maybe this stranger could be her lifeline.
The relief lasted only a second. Seeing that the visitor was alone made her spirits plummet. She’d hoped men would follow, but there was no sign of backup. Worse, the woman seemed out of her mind. Anyone with half a brain would call the police in a situation like this, yet she’d walked straight in. Had she reported it from outside? Even then, why enter? Was she suicidal? Ji Seoeun looked again and felt an odd sense of familiarity.
The mask couldn’t hide those striking features. One glance at those eyes and beauty poured out. She was an unforgettable beauty. When had she seen someone this stunning? Right—at the company. Plenty of gorgeous trainees worked there, but the most striking was Na Yeri. The others were pretty, but that girl didn’t even seem human. No wonder her registered power was Beauty. At first Ji Seoeun had laughed at how ridiculous it sounded, but seeing her in person proved it true. That level of looks couldn’t exist without a superpower.
Yes. There was only one woman in her memory who looked this impossibly beautiful.
“...Na Yeri?”
She laughed at herself the moment the name left her lips. Why would Na Yeri be in a place like this? But the more she stared, the more certain she became.
“What the—who’s that chick?”
Even the crazy man seemed baffled. His attention had completely shifted. At least it bought her a little more time, though it wouldn’t last. He’d lose interest soon and come back to threatening her.
“Uh... huh?”
The real shock came next. Na Yeri suddenly charged the group of men, a machete in one hand and a filleting knife in the other.
“Kuh!!”
-Bang bang!!
One man dropped in disbelief. The rest drew their guns without hesitation, but the barrels jerked wildly through the air. Bullets struck only the ceiling, robbed of purpose.
“...A superpower?”
Anyone could see it was an ability at work. Telekinesis? Wind? But hadn’t Na Yeri’s power been registered as Beauty? Was she also—
“Shit, fuck!”
“Kill her!!”
Na Yeri spun the gun barrels away and closed the distance in an instant, crashing into the largest cluster of men. She began cutting them down one by one. Fighting at close range made it hard for the others to shoot without hitting their own. It was the smartest move against a numerically superior, armed group. Still, it left her open to being surrounded.
“...Surrounded. But why so relaxed?”
She was surrounded, yet the surrounded side looked far more at ease. Because the ones doing the surrounding were the ones getting beaten. Four bodies already lay on the floor.
The atmosphere froze. Even the villains who’d been casually clearing machinery rushed over. The abandoned factory turned into chaos in seconds. Tension replaced the earlier playfulness on their faces. Three more dropped amid the noise, each felled in a single stroke. Her swordsmanship was terrifying. How could an idol trainee handle a blade like that? And those ghost-like movements—what were they?
Now the real superhumans moved in earnest. They’d watched with amusement at first, but they’d realized their opponent wasn’t ordinary.
“...Dangerous.”
This was a crisis. Anyone caught in a melee like that could be ambushed by a power and killed instantly.
“...Huh?...Huh?”
Her worry proved pointless. Na Yeri sliced through incoming fireballs, gracefully sidestepped crackling lightning, and dodged blades of wind with light steps while carving through her enemies without mercy.
“...What the hell is that monster?”
For once, Ji Seoeun had to agree with the man’s words. Only one thought came to mind: insane.
“....Insane.”
Like a lone wolf among sheep, Na Yeri tore through the crowd. There was no hesitation in her strikes, no wasted movement. That was why the brutal slaughter looked beautiful—sharp, lethal, and elegant. They said anything pushed to its extreme became art. This was the pinnacle of the art of killing. Just watching made her chest swell. Inspiration flooded her mind like a broken dam.
“...Muse.”
Yes. This was her muse. Today she had finally met her true muse—the ultimate treasure she needed to capture, the wellspring of her inspiration. All her previous misfortunes had led to this single moment.
“You... who the hell are you—kack!”
Her muse smashed through the wall of men and reached the crazy doctor. Before he could finish speaking, she drove a fist straight into his head. She was far tougher and cooler than Ji Seoeun had expected.
And because of that... even more magnificent.