Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Why Did I Think the Hero Route Would Be Normal? (2)
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"To obtain a hero license, you normally need to go through a complicated process, but we'll skip that this time."
"Special treatment?"
"Think of it like a provisional license."
Hmm. Like being treated as a company intern?
"So... what do I do with this?"
"Build up a track record. Prove that your abilities are safe."
......No matter what, I doubt it'll feel safe.
"Can I take any mission?"
"Check the mission details. You should only move on villains whose approximate stats are public. It'd be good if you could gauge talent compatibility too, but that'll come with experience."
"Then how about something low-key like this... 'Street Cleaning Mission' to build up my record..."
"No."
Isabella stops my finger as I try to click on the Street Cleaning Mission.
Sob...
Please let me get by with volunteer work.
"Even the pettiest villain is fine. Aim to take down villains."
"What if I shoot and they die?"
"Even in the worst case, it doesn't matter. The Hero Association will handle it."
Really?
Just shoot? Come to think of it...
In countries where guns are legal, they shoot if a criminal's hand even goes to their pocket.
"There's something you need to keep in mind when you're doing hero work. Don't think of villains as people."
"Then what should I think of them as?"
"Obviously."
The silver-haired student council president, like a goddess,
struck a chord in me with her classic heroine-giving-a-lecture line.
"They're the evil that must be rooted out from society."
I got an explanation about the Villain Special Act.
Korea's villain punishment laws are harsher than in other countries, allowing villains to be shot on the spot in the worst cases.
Why is that?
Because disasters caused by individuals with dangerous talents bring greater catastrophe than mass shootings.
At minimum hundreds, at most thousands die.
They say hundreds of thousands died in Australia from an awakener's rampage.
"Villains who've resolved to become villains often have high stats already, so guns don't work on them much."
"How do you catch those?"
"I said even petty villains are fine. Anyway... taking down villains will get you a lot closer to your freedom."
"......Understood."
Street cleaning won't get me out from under watch as a student of interest. It looked like it'd be some pretty hardcore volunteer work.
"If things get dicey, I'll help. I don't plan to throw you into anything too dangerous."
"That's a relief. I thought since you hate me, you'd push me to the brink of death."
"I said 'if things get dicey'?"
Dicey means near death!?
"What a thorny path."
"I heard you want to be a proud big brother to your little sisters."
"Yeah..."
"Gotta wipe those penalty points, right?"
"......"
Haaa.
Feels like there's really no escape now.
"Your authority, Personality Excretion, is extremely effective against villains. I know because I've experienced it."
"...Yeah."
"The higher the stats and talent, the harder they are to subdue. The teacher rates your abilities very highly."
The teacher? Seridwen?
"I think there's a good chance you'll end up working for the Correction Bureau too."
"......You're suddenly pushing me hard."
Give the poison, then the antidote?
Isabella stepped back a pace, straightened her back, and said refreshingly,
"It means your future depends on your choices. Whether you rot away as criminal scum, a villain remnant..."
"......"
or become a proud big brother."
As we got off the subway, Isabella said,
"Have you decided on your hero name?"
I flinched.
"Uh, no?"
"It's best if you choose it yourself. Once others decide it for you, you can't change it."
"......Is that how it works?"
"Yeah."
White Devil.
She didn't name it herself.
What about me? Onahole Man? Personality Excretion Man?
No normal options among the candidates.
I'll think about that slowly...
'Low chance of running into a villain today anyway.'
"Kyaaak! It's a villain!"
I flinched.
Do I have to go out? Nah?
Gunshots rang out a few blocks away.
The student council president headed that way, so I grabbed her arm without thinking.
"It's dangerous! Let's get out of here quick!"
"If I run, who stops them?"
Criminals in black masks were exchanging fire with police on the main street, straight out of a movie scene.
"This is A-31, engaging villains!"
"Villains have seized the Hunter Association building by force. Coins are the target!"
"Send heroes! Hurry!"
Unbelievable.
Is this the Korea I know?
Kwaaang!
The police car set up as a barricade at the front gets hit by an RPG from a perp and flies into the air.
"President! You okay?"
"Wait here. This is my mission."
What are you doing? I felt dizzy.
In a situation where realistically you should leave it to the military and run,
she walked elegantly toward it in her riding outfit like she was going to greet her horse,
talked with the police in cover—even standing straight—then strode right into the middle of the street amid the villains' gunfire.
"President!!"
I shouted before I knew it.
"I told you to watch."
Are you really okay? Isn't this dangerous?
A schoolgirl walking alone into a hail of rifle fire?
'Am I the weird one?'
"We'll shoot if you come closer!"
Ignoring the villain's warning, Isabella kept walking forward.
Then, something white sprayed out from around her lower back.
"Shit! It's White Devil!"
"Grab the coins quick! What are you doing!"
"Just run! If we don't go now, we're all dead!"
The villains were panicking.
The mysterious liquid from Isabella's lower back soon clung to her body, forming a suit.
She transformed...
That's the student council president's masterpiece...?
Rifle bullets rained down to stop her arming,
but even before the suit, she was ignoring them as far as I could see.
Isabella in her white full-body suit, green glow from the mask's eyes.
Only her silver hair flowed long behind.
Whoa. So cool.
A transforming heroine!
A slightly modulated voice echoed from the mask.
"Surrender. I'll wait 10 seconds. 10, 9..."
"Damn it! Pour everything on her!"
The villains—no, terrorists—unleashed every means they had at Isabella.
Multiple explosions went off, and even from 50 meters away, I felt my guts shake from the blast.
But Isabella stood firm like she was in a gentle breeze.
'......Amazing.'
After the promised time passed, Isabella moved.
Her form was so fast it was only visible for a split second even with eyes wide open,
and in an instant, all the villains were subdued.
"H-Hiiik!!"
Isabella methodically beat each one into pulp with her fists...
"Don't come closer! If you don't want to see this bitch die...!"
even the last villain putting on a pathetic hostage act, handled with a swift kick.
To normal eyes, it'd just look like she suddenly appeared there.
'Her whole body is a human weapon. Our president...'
"Kuaaaak!!"
A criminal whose arm flew off wailed pathetically.
"That's enough."
"You fucking bitch!"
The guy pulled an SMG with his other hand and unloaded into the hostage woman.
Isabella closed in faster than he could pull the trigger and crushed his remaining arm too.
"Kuaak!"
"If you'd stopped there, you could've kept your last arm."
Situation over.
Isabella, back after shedding the suit, looked exactly as she had when we got off the subway.
"Lucky today. No A-rank villains."
"That wasn't A-rank?"
"If they rely only on guns, they're not that impressive a villain."
"......"
No. I definitely saw RPGs and grenade launchers too?
Complete terrorists?
"Can I be your fan, President? That was totally cool."
"Didn't you say you hate heroes?"
"Of course you admire cool heroes. I just hate doing it myself!"
Isabella dodged away like I was gross.
"Don't cling."
"President, you're really cool."
"......Haa."
Soon the police riot squad rescued the hostages safely.
One rescued by Isabella even came to give thanks in person.
The president gave curt interviews to reporters, then came back to me.
"The interview took longer than catching the villains."
"Top heroes need image management too."
"Didn't look like it. You weren't smiling at all. Bet you were thinking 'this is annoying, go away' inside?"
Isabella turned to glare at me.
"Heroes don't think that."
"Bet you did 100%. Never once thought 'get lost, you're annoying'?"
"......"
The president walked away from the scene without answering.
I'd only seen her as the heroine character who always bullied me,
but watching her in action like this, I couldn't help but fall for her a bit.
Isabella. An incredible heroine.
How much responsibility does she shoulder at such a young age?
"You're next."
"Pardon?"
"Villain intel just came in nearby."
"President, you know rifles kill me, right?"
A barely C-rank-plus me taking a grenade launcher?
Any normal person would die instantly—wouldn't it just be more painful writhing first?
"Quit whining. Come here."
"No! I can't do it. No way."
"Intel says the villain used to be an Etsol Academy student. Moved his territory around here."
"Who is it?"
[Serial Exhibitionist Kusina]
A red-haired woman appeared on the screen.
Height 163cm, I-cup bust...
Serial exhibitionist? What?
"Petty villain, yeah."
"From what I remember, she was a girl bullied for her exhibitionist talent."
"Exhibitionist talent..."
"The more she exposes, the stronger she gets. Caught once, rehabilitated for a year, released, and reoffended."
Tough.
Serial exhibitionist shows up on my provisional debut day? A rather cute Etsol Academy girl as my target?
Who'd believe that's coincidence?
"You can handle it, right?"
"Handle what? Go beat her up?"
"If she resists, you can kill her. No problem."
I flinched at the student council president's hardline statement.
......No. Doesn't seem like such a vicious criminal.
"Good chance to build your record."
"She's pitiful. Bullied too..."
"Cut the naive thoughts."
Eek!!
Isabella grabbed my tie and went into lecture mode, eyes gleaming.
"Villains are the evil that must be rooted out from society."
Something felt off about the vibe.
The villain assigned to me happening to be a serial exhibitionist,
and Isabella's firm attitude.
'No way...'
[Hero Quest - First Villain Onahole Collection!]
[Turn I-Cup Virgin Pussy Kusina Into an Onahole★]
Onahole Academy was a lewd game beyond my wildest imagination.
No way she'd hit me with a grenade launcher.
Unless I get a chance to smack a beauty with Personality Excretion!
The busty girl from our academy assigned to my debut battle—such viciousness!
Why did I think the hero route would be normal?
The route to legally turn "female villains" into onaholes!
That was Onahole Academy's perverted hero route.
'Ugh. Realized too late!'
Should've bailed when the Student of Interest project hit!
Student council president legally pushing me to onahole-ize a female villain...?
And I possess "Personality Excretion," which original protagonist (former) Sanghyeok couldn't have.
The protagonist with an overpowered authority that shouldn't exist in this scenario.
Shove that into a cute villain girl?
Imagining what happens after makes me dizzy.
I thought a justice-filled student council president wouldn't allow this plot.
Figured the hero route was better than some sleazy villain route with a bad aftertaste,
because I trusted Isabella's character. But...
"President. You're telling me to Personality Excretion a female villain? For real?"
"Excrete on her."
I'd overlooked it.
How cruel people can become under the banner of "justice."