Chapter 51: The Aphrodisiac King (3)
Chapter 51: The Aphrodisiac King (3)
Thud.
I dropped through the vent and immediately scanned my surroundings. I had already sensed it, but as expected, there was no one around.
"Ugh."
The bathroom attached to the Aphrodisiac King's hideout was in terrible condition. I wasn't sure if it was because it was built underground, or if it was designed with such shady intentions that they couldn't hire a proper contractor.
I frowned at the foul odor. The hideout's bathroom was probably this rank because so many henchmen used it. Moreover, there didn't seem to be any distinction between the men's and women's rooms.
'Or maybe the subordinates are just all men?'
Considering the nature of the organization, that was a possibility. I’d caught plenty of junkies before the Aphrodisiac King, and I’d rarely seen women in gangster organizations that peddled drugs.
If that was the case, I had inadvertently walked into the men's room again. Having originally been a man, I didn't feel much pressure about entering a men's room to begin with, and now, even in this female body, it wasn't my first time. Besides, since I was invisible, there was almost no tension at all.
'I need to deal with the Aphrodisiac King and get out of here quickly.'
The plan was simple. Move cautiously through the hideout, find the Aphrodisiac King's room, knock him out, and return to the bathroom. In the process, I’d put any other henchmen I encountered to sleep, then carry the Aphrodisiac King out through the vent. Done.
Meanwhile, Shin Tae-geon was supposed to turn invisible as well and steal the Aphrodisiac King's drugs, but I didn't need to worry much about that part. Ultimately, the most time-consuming part of the mission was finding where the Aphrodisiac King was, so I had to move fast.
"…Ngh."
Unfortunately, just then, I heard footsteps approaching the bathroom. No matter how invisible I was, I couldn't hide the sound of a door opening, so I ducked back into a stall.
Creeeak—
The door opened, and two men walked in together. It seemed they had just come to relieve themselves, but they began to share information that was, at least to me, very important and special.
"Ah, that's the spot… Still, it's nice that work is a bit easy today."
"That's only because the Boss is out. I wish he'd just stay gone."
"That would be nice, but I think he said he'd be back soon today. What did he say he was doing?"
"He was making a fuss about picking up a newly developed drug. I don't know what it is, though."
It seemed the Aphrodisiac King was currently out. Given that he was "picking up" a new drug, was the production happening somewhere other than this hideout? Perhaps there was a separate laboratory.
I wasn't particularly curious about the effects of the new drug, but the news that the Aphrodisiac King was out didn't sit well with me. He needed to return before my invisibility wore off…
'He said he'd be back soon, so I should wait a bit.'
The duration of my invisibility was about an hour. He had to return within thirty minutes at the latest for the mission to proceed normally. If he didn't show up by then, I’d have to go back to the vent to consult with Shin Tae-geon or retreat and try again another time.
"…B-Boss?!"
"When did you get back?"
Fortunately, the situation I feared didn't happen. The henchmen leaving the bathroom ran straight into their boss. Even though it was through the door, I could hear their entire conversation.
"I just got here. But I'm pretty sure I told you to guard the door?"
"He-hehe… Well, it was an emergency."
"You're grown men, not schoolgirls. Why are you going to the bathroom in pairs? Get back to your posts."
"Ye-yes, sir!"
The Aphrodisiac King was definitely back. But I couldn't relax. If anything, my heart started thumping harder with urgency. If the Aphrodisiac King went inside and locked the door, and had two guards standing in front of it, it would be nearly impossible to get in, even with invisibility.
'I have to go now.'
If there were guards in front of a closed door, invisibility alone wouldn't cut it. I’d need to bring a hero with the superpower to phase through walls like a ghost. And if it came to that, I’d obviously be replaced by another hero, and my dream of getting revenge on Shin Tae-geon would go up in smoke…!
I couldn't let that happen. Hearing the footsteps fade, I hurriedly opened the door and squeezed through the narrow gap.
Leaving the bathroom led to a cramped but long hallway. The Aphrodisiac King and his two henchmen were already several paces ahead, likely heading toward his room. I silenced my footsteps and trailed behind them.
'There's only one way to infiltrate without being caught.'
I had to stick right behind the Aphrodisiac King when he opened the door and slip in before it closed.
Honestly, I wanted to just knock all three of them out right here and take the Aphrodisiac King, but this place wasn't that deserted. I didn't know what or how much he had hidden in these rooms, but henchmen kept popping out from everywhere.
"Oh, how have you been? Is Test Subject No. 25 doing alright?"
"Yes, sir. Everything is fine. The development work is currently proceeding smoothly."
"Make sure it's done right. I have high expectations for that one."
Even if there were many of them, knocking them all out wouldn't be difficult, but since I didn't have an accurate head count, the best move was to minimize the scale of the incident. From the sounds of it, there were even citizens being held as test subjects in some rooms. Since they could be taken hostage, it was better to avoid a fight.
'Follow the Aphrodisiac King into his room, subdue him, and on the way out, deal with the two henchmen at the door. Then, bolt at full speed before anyone else notices.'
What happened after was important too, but for now, I decided to focus on my role. If the other henchmen discovered what I’d done late enough, Shin Tae-geon would be able to finish his task. If that proved impossible, I could just return with a proper hero squad and wipe this place out quickly.
'Once the Aphrodisiac King is subdued, we won't have to worry about him self-destructing, and unlike me, who only knows how to fight like a brute, the other heroes will be better at hostage care.'
Of course, that would depend on how quickly the other heroes arrived, but anyway.
After exchanging brief greetings with every subordinate he passed, the Aphrodisiac King finally stopped in front of a door that looked imposing even at a glance. While the other employees went into rooms that looked like they smelled of rot, the Aphrodisiac King's room was conspicuously flashy and grand.
"I'm going to be busy for a while, so don't let anyone in. Got it?"
"Understood!"
This was good news for me. I had successfully managed to follow right behind the Aphrodisiac King and enter the room with my flexible movements. Then again, neither the Aphrodisiac King nor his henchmen would ever imagine that a naked, invisible hero was following right behind them.
"Whew."
Despite saying he’d be busy and not to let anyone in, the Aphrodisiac King simply loosened his tie, leaned back in his chair, and started staring at his phone. I scoffed silently at the sight and scanned the room.
'Whoa, there's a lot.'
The first thing that caught my eye was a display case filled with flasks. Countless drugs of different colors and quantities were lined up. Each bottle had a label, and true to his name, the Aphrodisiac King boasted a very blatant and honest naming sense.
[Oral Aphrodisiac (10x Sensitivity)]
[Anal Enema Aphrodisiac (30x Sensitivity)]
[Infinite Stamina Potion]
Of course, there were also drugs similar to the ones Michael had taken. Things that granted low-tier superpowers or boosted intelligence… things like that. Seeing those made the various poisons tucked away in the corner look almost normal. I could see why Shin Tae-geon was so worried about these leaking out.
'What's that?'
Meanwhile, on the top shelf of the display case, the new drug the Aphrodisiac King had just brought back was on display. It stood out because it didn't have a label like the others. Come to think of it, he’d gone out today specifically to get this.
'It's probably just some weird aphrodisiac.'
In any case, there was no way in hell I’d ever drink some mysterious, suspicious drug, so I didn't pay much attention to it. Besides, my body was naturally resistant to drugs anyway.
'The Slime Aphrodisiac only worked because I was broken and forced to take it for days; normally, it hardly affects me.'
Beyond the display case were various trophies from his glory days at Shinhwa Group, and finally, another bathroom attached to the room caught my eye.
'That crazy bastard. He gave his employees that trashy bathroom while he uses a clean one like this?'
I wasn't trying to praise Shin Tae-geon, but the contrast between him and this guy as an organization boss was stark. At least that invisible groper guy had the sense to bow his head and seek out the Hero Association when his company was in danger. The fact that he wouldn't even share a bathroom showed the Aphrodisiac King's fastidious nature.
'Now that I look at him, his face looks a bit petty, too.'
I approached the Aphrodisiac King as he lay in his chair and examined his face. I hadn't had the chance to look properly while infiltrating, but his impression wasn't great. Maybe it was the round glasses, but he had the image of a strict researcher or scholar.
'He's so scrawny, it’d probably hurt if he poked you with those bones… Ah, wait, not that.'
Since when did I start naturally thinking about how a man would feel in bed? I decided I needed a sexual detox for a while—though I knew it was a resolution I’d never actually follow through on—and prepared to take down the Aphrodisiac King in one blow.
Even so, I was a hero, and ambushing an enemy who was completely unaware felt a bit wrong, so as a small mercy, I decided to knock him out instantly and painlessly.
'Don't worry. I'm an expert at this, at least.'
Just as I raised the edge of my hand to strike his jaw with precision—
'…Huh?'
I realized there was a photo of a woman on the Aphrodisiac King's phone. And that he had his hand in his pants, fiddling with something. And then I realized that the woman in the photo was Magical Girl Floss—me.
'He told them not to let anyone in so he could jerk off…? Wait, was he a fan of mine?'
It wasn't just a photo; it was a lewd edit. And I knew that specific image. It was an R-18 composite of me that had been posted to the Female Hero Gallery Back Alley just two days ago. If he was looking at that, he was definitely…
'N-now is not the time for this.'
It was my first time meeting a toxic…? fan in real life, so I was a bit flustered, but I still had a job to do.
Being a fan didn't mean I could let him off the hook. In fact, if he was a perverted fan jerking off to lewd edits of me, giving him a proper lesson was exactly what a true hero and magical girl should do.
As I steeled my resolve again, the Aphrodisiac King began to mutter strangely to himself.
"Yes, I knew you'd come. I've known for a long time. Perhaps since the day I resigned."
The Aphrodisiac King's eyes suddenly flashed wildly. He pulled a spray bottle out of a drawer and began spraying it indiscriminately around the room.
"I always kept this hidden in my room. Because I thought you might come. This was the very first drug I developed, you know?"
I was caught in the mindless spray, but I couldn't tell what had changed.
An aphrodisiac? Poison? Or… what?
"Invisibility Cancellation! Yes, Shin Tae-geon, I made this just to screw you over! How do you like that?! You let your guard down and came close because I acted a bit, you're so careless… Huh?"
The Aphrodisiac King shouted confidently, but the moment our eyes met, his expression froze as if by magic.
Wait, our eyes met?
I was definitely invisible, and it hadn't been an hour yet. How was it possible for our eyes to meet…?
'…No way?'
My doubt quickly turned into panic. I stared at the Aphrodisiac King with eyes that clearly showed my confusion, and the Aphrodisiac King stared back at me with a similar look.
Actually, comparing him to me was an insult. He looked far more horrified than I did.
"Not Shin Tae-geon… F-Floss…?"
I had a feeling I knew exactly what was going on. My naked body was reflected in his eyes.