Chapter 155: Floor 31: Lee Do-hee, Hero Deployed
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155: Floor 31: Lee Do-hee, Hero Deployed
I was kinda hoping someone would attack me~
But despite my expectations, no one messed with me.
Under the protection of my masked guild members, I safely made my way to the center of the Tower.
"Well then, I'll be off!"
I entered the Tower to the cheers of a massive crowd.
I stopped by the waiting room to organize my inventory, then headed straight for the 31st floor.
[Recommended party size is 8 members.]
From the 30th floor onward, the maximum party size is eight.
That's how much the difficulty increases, but it's no problem for me.
"I'll go alone."
The solo play bonus is a reward you can only get by proceeding completely alone. So, I'll keep challenging it by myself.
Swoosh~!
*
31st Floor.
This floor's theme is 'Civilian Protection.'
'Ah... right, I remember now. The 31st floor is...'
"Kyaaaaaaah!!!!"
My eyes shot open at the sound of someone's scream.
"Kuhahahaha!!! What are you going to do now, Pink Spear?"
A man in a ski mask who looked like a villain was pressing the muzzle of a gun to the head of a woman who looked like an ordinary office worker.
'What is this situation...'
Looking down, I saw I was wearing the kind of spandex tights a hero would wear.
'Hmm... so I'm a hero.'
First, let's get rid of the nuisance.
Shwoook...! Splat!
The spear I threw in an instant struck the villain in the face, ending the situation with ease. He died without even having time to react.
I spread my energy to scan the surroundings, but there didn't seem to be any more enemies.
"Hiiieeeek!!!"
The hostage, splattered with the villain's blood, collapsed in shock.
'Oops...!'
I caught her with my soft chest, successfully completing the hostage rescue mission.
And right on cue, a system message arrived.
[Tiring~]
[You are a hero. Stop the villains' evil deeds, minimize civilian casualties, and defeat the final villain.]
'Seriously, these damn messages are always a step behind.'
The trial of the 31st floor always has the same rules and rewards, though the setting and era change.
The key to the 31st floor is protecting civilians.
The fewer civilian casualties, the higher the grade of the reward.
The Tower automatically adjusts these numbers based on the trial's difficulty, so I don't have to worry about anything else. If I just focus on civilian safety, I'll automatically get a high-grade reward.
[Tiring~]
[Difficulty assessment complete. Reward tiers have been set.]
[0 Civilian Casualties: EX-rank
1-100 Casualties: SSS-rank
101-1,000 Casualties: SS-rank
1,001-10,000 Casualties: S-rank
...
..
.]
'At least it tells me beforehand now.'
This trial used to get a shit-ton of complaints because it would only tell you the criteria after you were finished. Looks like the administrator patched it.
And as the status window appeared, the past memories of this body began to surface.
Her real name is also Lee Do-hee. Her hero name is Pink Spear.
A very intuitive name.
The kind of name that screams, "I'm a pink-haired woman who uses a spear!" to anyone who sees it.
As you might expect, the setting is a superhero world teeming with heroes and villains.
This near-future era is centered around a massive metropolis called Metro City, with the outside world having turned into a wasteland.
Apparently, it's the aftermath of a past war.
The city's name is Raven City, a mega-city with a population of 30 million.
A colossal barrier, large enough to stop an invasion of giant titans, has been erected at the city's border, and a dome-shaped magnetic shield above protects it from harmful substances coming from the outside.
It's a kind of isolated world where everything has to be resolved within the city.
This massive Raven City is further divided into 16 districts.
The district I'm in charge of is Raven-5.
The districts are connected like a snail's shell; the closer to the center, the lower the number, and the lower the number, the wealthier and more developed the district.
In short, Raven-1 is the wealthiest district located in the city center, while Raven-16, right up against the outer wall, is little more than a slum.
And Raven-5, the district I'm responsible for, has a population of 3 million. It's a middle-class district with the largest population in Raven City.
'Hmm... that's enough background information for now. Time to deal with this.'
I naturally pressed the communicator on my wrist to contact headquarters.
"Ah, ah, HQ. Villain has been dealt with."
[Understood. We'll send a cleanup crew, so you can rest now!]
A cheerful, youthful female voice came from the communicator.
'So this is my sidekick. But she's an F-rank ability user, so all she can do is provide voice support.'
"Roger. I'm clocking out."
[Good work, Pink Spear.]
'Alright, time to turn back into a civilian.'
The memory of how to transform came back to me.
I ran into a nearby empty alley, pressed a switch on my wrist, and the spandex suit automatically came off, changing me back into my everyday clothes.
My hair turned from pink to black, and my eye color changed to red.
'So this is civilian mode.'
And I just realized this hero spandex suit is actually an item.
<Pink Spear's Hero Suit>
All Stats +10
Equipment Defense +30
Landing enabled.
Storable in wristwatch.
Communication function.
Automatic repair function.
Automatic cleaning function.
'Oh... this is nice. It feels more like a functional suit than a defensive one.'
Enjoying the convenience of the future, I headed home.
The top floor of a fairly tall apartment building in the city. The inside was very spacious, but no one else lived there.
Most heroes don't have family or close relatives. Even if they do, their appearance changes when they transform, so there's little chance of being discovered.
'Looks like this body also lost her family to villains.'
And it seems she was seriously injured and just got discharged from the hospital today.
I sifted through the memories in my head while leisurely enjoying a cup of high-quality blend coffee.
Just as I was halfway through my coffee,
[Beep-beep-beep!!!]
The alarm on my wristwatch went off.
'Haa... at this rate, I won't have any time to sync with my onahole clone or grow my dildo...?'
This was originally a trial for eight people.
It looks like I'll have to work eight times as hard.
My peaceful plan to leisurely chat with my viewers and ask for strategy tips has been shattered.
[Pink Spear, D-rank villain at the mart in C-6 Block. Indiscriminate slaughter of civilians!! Please deploy immediately!!!]
"What? How dare that bastard!"
I checked the system window and saw that the EX-rank was already gone.
Not that I was expecting it, anyway.
I remembered exactly how to deploy.
I live on the rooftop of a high-rise apartment.
I opened the slanted window at the end of the room and jumped right out.
I felt the suit automatically lift my body slightly to prevent impact.
'So this is the suit's landing function. Does it increase air resistance?'
Thud.
I landed lightly on a nearby rooftop and started running, leaping quickly from one building to the next. I stacked my strength and agility buffs five times.
[1.5km ahead! It's a hardener-type ability user! An immediate execution order has been issued, so kill on sight!]
"Oh? You should have told me sooner."
I stopped running and summoned my spear.
I could spot the guy rampaging in the distance.
'There he is.'
A C-rank hardener-type ability user, codename: Stoneman.
I could see him shrugging off the police's pistols and tasers with his rock-like skin.
His hair was all gone, perhaps a side effect of his ability.
Just as he leaped high into the air to crush a police officer firing a pistol,
I imbued my spear with energy and threw it with all my might.
Kaboom!!!
The spear shot forward like a rocket, trailing a pink aura.
Flying far beyond the speed of sound, the spear smashed straight through the side of the mid-air villain.
"Retrieve."
I immediately retrieved the spear before it could cause any collateral damage and started running again.
"HQ, villain neutralized. I'll finish up and complete the mission."
[What? You haven't even arrived... huh? You really did take him down?]
I remember the original owner of this body being quite strong, but not as strong as me. Her level was probably just enough to solo the 31st floor.
When I arrived at the scene, the villain was twitching, his upper and lower body separated by my spear throw.
Even then, he was trying to crawl with his upper body to attack a citizen, so I immediately put him down by smashing his head.
Splat!
"Hoo... kill confirmed."
I made a cool entrance from the sky, completing the mission.
"Waaaaaah!!!"
"It's P-Pink Spear!! Hooray!!!"
"Pink Spear is back!"
The citizens and police officers who hadn't managed to evacuate cheered wildly.
"Hmph... this is nothing. It's what a hero ought to..."
Just as I was feeling proud and about to acknowledge the crowd's cheers,
[Pink Spear, villain spotted in J-11 Block! A truly heinous villain who is low-kicking passersby and running away!!]
'What kind of pathetic villain is that...'
"Wait, hold on a second."
There was something more important.
I couldn't do anything about the dead, but I could see quite a few seriously and lightly injured people.
If the seriously injured died, they would be counted as civilian casualties.
'This is why I spent a fortune learning a custom skill!!'
[Wave of Healing]
An area-of-effect healing skill.
For me, overflowing with divine power, a skill of this level was a piece of cake.
A pink aura spread out from me in all directions.
It was absorbed into the bodies of the bleeding and dying, and their wounds healed rapidly.
"Ooh...! The pain is gone..."
"Pink Spear? You have healing abilities too?"
"Thank you for saving us!"
"Pink Spear!! Pink Spear!!"
"This is what a hero is..."
"Hmph, I have urgent business to attend to, so I must be going!"
As expected, good deeds are always satisfying. For the first time in a while, I felt a pleasant sense of fulfillment from the citizens' cheers.
I made a slow exit, pleasantly wiggling my large butt.
Seeing the people unable to take their eyes off my retreating figure, I could practically hear my reputation soaring.
'This is what being a hero is all about...'
[Pink Spear... don't tell me you had a second awakening!!!?]
My sidekick must have been surprised by my healing ability; she was quiet for a long time before finally asking.
"Ahem, yeah. Something like that."
[Wow... you should get re-evaluated for your rank! Seeing how your physical abilities have improved, you could definitely be an S-rank hero!]
"Right. More importantly, where did you say that low-kick villain was?"
[Ah, I'll guide you there!!]
'I am a hero. The one responsible for the safety of this city's citizens.'
Hearing the citizens' cheers firsthand made me feel a surge of professional duty.
Of course, the real reason was the reward grade.
*
Before long, I found the low-kick villain.
C-rank villain, Soccer Boy.
Special ability: Lower body enhancement.
'What is he even doing...'
He was literally just kicking passersby in the leg, knocking them over, and running away, over and over.
The police? They can barely handle an F-rank villain.
With a C-rank villain weaving quickly through the crowd and causing a disturbance, they couldn't shoot and couldn't keep up with his speed.
"He-he! Low kiiick~~!"
Thwack!
"Kyaaak!!"
A woman hit by his low kick stumbled and fell pitifully, limping. It looked like he was deliberately targeting women with thin legs.
'That son of a bitch...'
I quickly jumped and landed in front of him.
"Hah...! Pink Spear... I-I surrender! Don't stab me, I'll come quietly!"
When I pointed my spear at him, he immediately surrendered, apparently valuing his life.
As I slowly lowered my spear, he let out a sigh of relief.
But I wasn't done with him.
"Let's see how you like a low kick, you bastard!!"
"Wha-?"
Craaack... Splinter!
My low kick severed Soccer Boy's leg below the knee, sending his upper body spinning into the air.
'This is the low kick of justice.'
The price for daring to harass our citizens.
Suck it up!
"Villain neutralized."
Soccer Boy's spinning torso fell from the air.
Thud!
"Guaaaargh..."
[... Good work.]
The takedown was a bit forceful, but it wasn't a big deal.
Punishment? Who the hell is going to punish me?
Recalling the memories, I realized that in this damn district...
I was the only hero.
'Fuck, if I'd known this, I would've brought a party!!'
Pink Spear, the sole A-rank hero in Raven-5, the district with the largest population.
She spends all day running around catching villains.
Villains appeared day and night.
[D-rank villain, Shotgun Lover, has appeared!! Civilian casualties are expected. Please deploy immediately!]
'Damn it, my precious personal maintenance time!!'
I'd defeat one villain, and another would appear.
[E-rank villain, Poison Gas Fart Villain, has appeared! Nearby citizens are in distress! The police can't enter the building!]
Shouldn't there be at least a C-rank or D-rank hero here?
The police handle the F and E-rank villains, but their own casualties are increasing, and I have to go deal with any F or E-rank villains they can't catch.
If the police force shrinks, their deterrent effect on villains will weaken, and more hidden villains will emerge. I need to find a solution.
The next morning.
As soon as the sun rose, I stormed into the Hero Association of Raven-5.
The association building was half-destroyed. I went straight to the director's office through a window frame that had no glass.
"What the hell is going on? Why aren't reinforcements coming?"
I'm definitely not angry because I can't secure time for my milking dildo masturbation!
Of course, I knew how things got this way from the previous owner's memories.
An S-rank villain had killed every hero in this district except for me.
That same S-rank villain was the one who had seriously injured this body's previous owner.
And as soon as I woke up, all the heroes who had come from other districts as support just up and left, basically saying, 'Your district is your problem now~'.
"The next batch of heroes is on their way. Just hold out for one week."
"One week... Understood. I suppose I can wait that long."
Right, what could possibly happen in a week?