Chapter 195: Return
Chapter 195: Return
Everyone had made it out safely, but I was in a gloomy mood. After all, I had moved specifically to save the Operator. Since I failed to rescue him in the end, I felt like there was no point in having headed to the Villain Association alone and making my comrades worry.
“That’s not true. We gained quite a lot.”
“Even if we didn't manage to save the Operator…”
As I sat there slumped with a dejected face, the Association Chairman and Shin Tae-geon approached to comfort me. For the record, everyone who had entered the Villain Association, including myself, was now gathered in the Chairman’s office. We were there to review what had happened inside and discuss our future countermeasures.
“You don't have to comfort me. It’s just that I wasn't good enough.”
“I’m not just saying that to be nice. The information that Dark Elf Ceylon—the villain we used to call the Magic Tool Maker—gave you is actually useful. That’s why I’m saying this.”
“Sniff, really?”
A few tears escaped before I could stop them, and as I wiped them away, the Association Chairman patted my head. I was so used to being handled roughly and getting excited by it that being treated with such kindness felt like a strange, refreshing contrast. But since even I knew it would be inappropriate to get excited in this situation, I just kept my head bowed in silence.
“The origin of the powers obtained by those called superpowered individuals—both Heroes and Villains. The existence of the Gates. Even clues on how to further strengthen those powers and reach a 2nd Awakening… You can’t say we came away with nothing after all that.”
“Mmm…”
I nodded along to the Chairman’s words, but I still felt a pang of guilt whenever I thought of the Operator. I couldn't stop wondering if things would have been different if I had moved just a little faster. I kept getting swallowed by those thoughts.
‘…No.’
I soon shook my head, denying it. Let’s look at the facts, not emotions. At the top of the Demon King’s Castle, the Hypnotist had said it clearly: the Operator had been under hypnosis from the very moment he was kidnapped, long before I arrived.
This wasn't the Hypnotist of the past; he was someone who had completed his 2nd Awakening and whose hypnosis abilities had improved tremendously. There was no way the hypnosis placed on the Operator would break so easily. In the worst-case scenario, if I had forcibly secured the Operator and brought him out of the Gate, he might have been controlled by the Hypnotist and ended up crushing all my fellow Heroes.
‘Just imagining it is terrifying.’
If the Operator, having completed his 2nd Awakening, was being operated like a remote-controlled robot by the Hypnotist, that really might have happened.
In that light, leaving the Operator inside the Gate might have been the wise choice…
‘No, I still can’t accept it.’
I knew better than anyone that this was just an excuse. In my heart, I wanted to snatch the warp portal leading to the Villain Association from Kang Young-hoon right now and go back in.
I shot a gaze smoldering with that desire toward Kang Young-hoon, who was sprawled in a corner. He shook his head and tossed the ‘Pocket’—the passage to the Villain Association—onto the floor.
“I know what you want, but it’s already lost its effect. Those guys aren't idiots; they wouldn't leave the access rights active for a traitor like me.”
“So you’ve been discarded, too?”
“It’s nothing new. They probably planned to dump me from the start. I told them constantly—the moment I find a girl I like and decide to make her my lifelong cock sleeve, I’m quitting the villain business and getting out.”
“…”
This time, it was Kang Young-hoon who shot a gaze smoldering with desire toward me. Regardless of the circumstances, having a man who was a former Villain Association executive and my former classmate look at me like that was a bit overwhelming. Saying he’d make me his lifelong cock sleeve… in a way, that was almost like a marriage proposal…
“A-Ahem… Then what are you going to do? We have to find another way.”
“Floss, calm down and listen. It’s impossible to go looking for the Operator right now.”
“…”
I was about to vent my emotions at the Chairman’s firm words, but I shut my mouth. Let’s look at the situation objectively. I was being too driven by emotion right now. In times like this, it wasn't a bad idea to listen to the Chairman, who was clearly more of an adult than I was.
“Right now, the Hero Association needs internal reorganization. Even if it was due to the Hypnotist’s power, an A-Rank Hero turning into a villain is an unprecedented disaster. No matter how much we try to suppress it, an incident of this scale will soon be known to the world. As the Chairman, just thinking about dealing with the media already gives me a headache.”
“I… suppose so.”
“It will be chaotic for a while. Of course, the Villain Association might take advantage of the confusion and attack immediately. However, I don't think the probability of that is very high.”
I felt like I knew the reason. It was because of the Operator.
“Yes, that boy’s 2nd Awakening ability was practically godlike. In terms of weaponry, you could call him a nuclear bomb. However, the Villain Association—or more accurately, the Hypnotist—cannot fully control him yet.”
“That’s true. It was the Operator who let us escape in the first place.”
My mental attack had played a part, but it was certain that the hypnosis wasn't perfect. To put it another way, the hypnosis had almost broken from just a few words.
“A nuclear bomb you aren't confident in handling is a path to self-destruction. My guess is that the Villain Association will also refrain from any conspicuous activity for a while. In other words, both sides have been given a grace period.”
Time for the Villain Association to perfect the Operator as a weapon, and time for us to manage the chaos.
“But surely, once this grace period ends, the Villain Association will trigger an incident on a scale incomparable to anything before. It will mean the testing of their weapon is complete. It might be incomparable even to the Common Sense Alteration Zone incident.”
“If it’s more than that… that’s not a scale we can handle.”
“I am certain they will try to occupy not just this country, but even overseas. When that time comes, we’ll have to cooperate with foreign heroes, so I’ll have to start laying the groundwork in advance…”
I understood what the Chairman was saying. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but worry about the Operator. Perhaps sensing my inner thoughts through my eyes, the Chairman stroked my back with his large hand and spoke.
“The breed known as Heroes are those who have the confidence to endure this much, no matter who they are. You’re like that, and so am I. Unless they have a weak disposition like Queen, the Operator won't break easily.”
“Why is the arrow suddenly pointed at me again…?”
Queen grumbled and then clamped her mouth shut.
Meanwhile, I didn't quite agree with the Chairman’s opinion. This was because the Operator wasn't exactly someone with a burning hero spirit. Knowing that fact actually made my resolve even stronger.
‘I will save him, no matter what.’
To do that, there was something I had to do during the ‘grace period’ the Chairman mentioned.
It wasn't enough to just lay the groundwork for cooperation with foreign heroes, stabilize public opinion, or fix the internal chaos. The Heroes fundamentally had to become stronger.
Luckily, the route to making the Heroes stronger was right in front of us. Hadn't we just found out through this raid on the Villain Association? The existence of the 2nd Awakening, and the path to reaching it.
‘They said the answer is to use your abilities more often and increase the variety of ways you use them.’
As if he were thinking the same thing, Shin Tae-geon stepped forward. Perhaps because he felt his superpower was quite powerless in actual combat despite being useful in daily life, Shin Tae-geon showed the most interest in the 2nd Awakening among everyone here.
“That method for the 2nd Awakening the Dark Elf Ceylon mentioned… can you tell me again?”
He didn't need to be obsessed with strengthening his superpower. He was already the president of a major pharmaceutical company and in a position to have whatever he wanted. He could have expensive houses, cars, luxury goods, and as many women as he wanted to fuck.
So I didn't really understand why he was acting like this, but Shin Tae-geon revealed the reason himself.
“Chairman, I would like to join as a Hero as well.”
“President Shin, you…?”
“To wash away my past sins, and also…”
Shin Tae-geon glanced at me. Why was he looking at me the moment he announced he wanted to be a Hero? I thought about it and came up with the most plausible reason.
‘Is he doing this because he feels sorry for me?’
Regardless of the circumstances, it was true that Shin Tae-geon had committed villainous acts using his invisibility and taken my virginity. But since that was something I had intended to some extent, there was no reason for him to feel guilty. However, if he wanted to become a Hero to wash away that feeling, I had no reason to stop him.
“Sigh, President Shin. Just because you become a Hero doesn't mean you’ll get to see Floss that often…”
“A-Ahem. Chairman. You know that’s not why.”
“What do you mean I know? It’s obvious. Good grief, man…”
“…Huh?”
What were they talking about? I tilted my head, having no idea.
‘I feel left out.’
When did those two get so close without me? Why are they talking in riddles?
“Anyway, starting today, I plan to put effort into various areas to trigger my 2nd Awakening as you described. If I succeed, my invisibility will be enhanced… Not only will I be undetectable by you, Floss, but I might even be able to move around without a physical form, transcending mere invisibility.”
“Usually, if an invisibility power awakens, it’s that kind of thing. Passing through walls and such…”
“If even a rookie Hero like me is going to do this, don't you have any plans?”
“Ugh.”
I bit my lip slightly. No plans? What a ridiculous thing to say.
‘Of course I want to do it too, the 2nd Awakening.’
But my superpower was different from the others. For example, the more the Operator used his Status Window, the more his 2nd Awakening progressed. Kang Young-hoon would get closer to his 2nd Awakening the more he used his Time Stop, and Shin Tae-geon would naturally reach it by using his invisibility more frequently.
But I couldn't even begin to gauge my power. What exactly was my superpower in the first place? Was ‘transforming into a Magical Girl’ my power? Or was the ‘superhuman physical ability’ I gained after transforming my power?
If it was the former, the journey to the 2nd Awakening wouldn't be hard. I’d just have to transform and revert repeatedly. The problem was that I instinctively felt the latter was my true power.
‘Then… what am I supposed to do?’
As I fell into deep thought, Shin Tae-geon spoke up tentatively.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“No, I was just wondering what the trigger for my 2nd Awakening would be… I think it would be an action that fits the image of a Magical Girl…”
“Then it’s simple. If the image of a Magical Girl itself is the superpower, wouldn't your 2nd Awakening progress the more you defeat the forces of evil?”
“That would be the standard way, but honestly, it’s not good news. We just predicted that the Villain Association would be in a lull for a while. If there are no forces of evil, it means I have no room to grow stronger.”
Shin Tae-geon’s face stiffened, as if he hadn't thought that far. Falling into contemplation along with me, he spoke after a long silence.
“…Then, how about pursuing the image of a Magical Girl in a different direction?”
“A different direction?”
“Magical Girls don't just defeat evil; they also have an image of serving the citizens…”
“Mhm, serving the citizens?”
At that moment, Shin Tae-geon stopped talking, and a certain kind of image flashed through my mind.
An image of me kneeling down, sucking and stroking the cocks of citizens gathered all around… and ‘serving’ them as a cum toilet.
“…Are you crazy?”
I spoke harshly, but in truth, I didn't exactly hate the idea…