Villain Encounter # 1
Villain Encounter # 1
The ramen was fucking delicious.
The flavor from the crab created a sublime synergy with the ramen soup. This was true seafood ramen.
"Whoa! That crab flavor is absolutely amazing! Let's hit up a famous marinated crab place next time, guys!"
"Heh heh heh, let's do that."
Leona was crazy about crab again. Seeing her face so purely delighted, she looked like an absolute angel.
"Ugh. But I can't eat any meat. I'm so fucking full."
Yu-ri leaned back in her chair and said.
"Honestly, I feel like I'm gonna die too. Let's eat it tomorrow morning."
"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea."
The meat we bought earlier was left completely untouched. We could just eat it tomorrow morning, recharge some energy, and then use that power to play in the sea, right? We were planning on a two-night, three-day trip anyway, so it's actually good to have a bit more food.
"Ahh, but being full makes me so sleepy. It's getting dark out too. We can just watch some TV and then head in to sleep."
We rented two rooms.
The room Si-hoo and I shared, and the room Leona and Yu-ri shared. It was a pretty big place, so we were all separated.
I'd thought about setting off fireworks tonight, but we could just do that tomorrow. I was tired too.
* * *
And so night came, and Leona and Yu-ri headed back to their room next door. Now it was just me and Si-hoo left in the room.
We took turns washing up, made our beds, and lay down when Si-hoo spoke.
"Geun-cheol. You were trying to take off my swimsuit today, weren't you."
"What?! What the hell are you talking about!"
What kind of bullshit distortion is this bastard making up!
"You pretended to wrestle earlier and grabbed my swimsuit!"
"Hey! That was just a strength contest, that's all! Do you really think you and I need to worry about shit like that!"
"Of course you have to worry about it! I'm a girl!"
"You're publicly a guy!"
"Even so!"
What a fussy guy.
"Huh? Even if you treat me like a guy, you should still handle me a little more carefully."
"Hngh... That's a pretty tough request, you know?"
This was genuinely difficult.
"Fine. I'll try. But if other people catch on that I'm watching out for that, all careful and considerate, you know what they'll think."
"Hmm?"
"They'll assume I'm a homosexual. Try to understand my position here."
"What kind of reasoning is that!"
"What do you mean, what kind! It's fucking important!"
That was exactly what I was secretly worried about. If I started tiptoeing around Si-hoo out of care and ended up being misunderstood, how the hell was I supposed to live? So, I just kept treating her normally.
"But hey, Si-hoo."
"Yeah?"
"You gonna sleep with those bandages on?"
"Oh, these."
Right now, Si-hoo was lying down with the bandages still wrapped.
Isn't that uncomfortable?
Given how big a thing it's compressing.
"What if Leona and Yu-ri barge in to wake us up in the morning? It's better to keep them covered when I sleep."
"Is that so?"
"Why? Geun-cheol. Do you want me to unwrap them?"
What the hell kind of bullshit is this!
"Fuck off!"
Why the hell would he unwrap them!
"If not, why are you cussing me out?"
"I was just surprised, that's all."
Ah, fuck. Now that the topic's up, I can't stop thinking about it.
"Anyway, I'm going to sleep."
I forced my eyes shut, suppressing the squishy and wavy thoughts bubbling up in my head. Let's just sleep. Si-hoo is my friend, my friend...! I'd always known her as a guy...!
* * *
The next day.
Right after waking up, we gathered to devour the meat, then started getting ready to go back out to the sea to play.
"Alright, then! Let's have some fun today too!"
Leona, with a cardigan over her bikini and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, shouted excitedly as if rallying troops. We responded with a cheer of our own. Let's have a blast at the beach today as well. We could just enjoy ourselves today and head back tomorrow. Summer is meant for playing in the water until you're completely exhausted.
With that thought, we headed to the beach.
"Hohoho, there are so many people again today."
"You can say that again. It's so lively."
The beach was absolutely packed. It was all thanks to superhumans like us protecting civilians from monsters.
"More than that, seeing no parasols around is so refreshing. Right?"
Just as Yu-ri said.
"It really is."
"Heh heh heh, so clearing out all that junk was worth it, huh?"
I nodded involuntarily. How refreshing and nice is it to just get rid of all that crap? It's completely cathartic.
Even my heart felt cleaner.
This is what the ocean is all about.
ㅡSwoosh.
I dipped my foot right into the water.
A wave surged in, then the water receded, licking my foot as it passed. The feeling of the sand between my toes washing away cleanly was truly pleasant.
"So, Kim Geun-cheol."
"Hmm?"
While I was enjoying the sensation, Leona came over next to me.
"What?"
"Ah, no. It's nothing. Should we set off those fireworks this evening?"
"Yeah. I was about to suggest the same thing."
"We're on the same wavelength, then. Let's set off fireworks tonight."
"Heh heh heh, sure."
Hearing about fireworks, I suddenly remembered when I was young, I used to hold those stick-type fireworks like a gun and shoot them into the sea.
Now, we're superhumans.
Wouldn't it be fine to aim fireworks at each other and play a shooting game? No, wait. Wouldn't that be fucking awesome? This absolutely has to work. If I tell Yu-ri, she'll definitely give the go-ahead.
"Ahhh, but seriously. This is so wonderful. Coming to the sea with friends like this."
"What, Leona. Is this your first time?"
"Yes. Actually, even though I've been here with my mother, coming with friends is a first—"
That explained why she was so good at catching crabs.
Just as that thought registered—
ㅡFwish!
From somewhere out there.
ㅡFwishishishishish!
An intensely violent sound that shouldn't exist burst out.
ㅡSwoooooosh.
Goosebumps prickled all over my body and my senses went on full alert.
Leona's eyes widening next to me seemed to happen in slow motion. At the same time, the murmuring of the civilians playing on the beach also sounded long and drawn out,
ㅡFwoosh.
And when time began to flow normally again.
"A gate! No, you've gotta be fucking kidding me! A gate has appeared!"
Leona pointed towards the sea and shouted!
"Oh, fuck!"
A gate had opened over the sea! And right next to the beach, at that! If it's that close, the monsters falling out of it will make landfall any second!
We came here to play, and this shit happens again!
ㅡKyaaaaaaaah!
ㅡAaaaaaah!
ㅡUwaaaaaaaaaaah!
Total chaos.
Screams erupted. The people who had been playing on the beach threw down their tubes and sprinted for the buildings, and those who had been swimming fled as if chased by sharks.
It was nothing short of a mass exodus.
"Our weapons! Let's go get our weapons! Hurry! Woo Yu-ri, Lee Si-hoo! This way!"
Leona reacted quickly.
"Leona!"
"Yes!"
"Wait. Before we go get our weapons. Let's just rescue the people still swimming out there."
Rescuing civilians comes first. The monsters haven't even come out yet. It shouldn't be too late if we quickly rescue the swimmers and then go grab our stuff.
"The people swimming...!"
Leona looked towards the sea.
"Then let's go fast! We'll just pull them out and then head straight for our weapons! We're dead in the water without weapons, anyway!"
"Let's do that! Yu-ri! Si-hoo! Let's just save the people still swimming, then go for our weapons!"
"Okay!"
"Got it!"
ㅡFwoosh!
We immediately kicked off the ground with full force and dove into the sea. I kept checking the gate. It's still okay for now. We just have to save them fast and get our weapons before the monsters appear!
"Huaaack! Save me!"
ㅡSplash, splash!
I swam towards the person thrashing about.
"Stay still!"
"Aaaaaaaack! Saaaaave meeeee!"
"Oh, you fucker!"
But as I try to save this bastard, he's pulling my head down and trying to drown me! You goddamn son of a bitch!
"Saaaave meeeeek! Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaah!"
"I said stay still!"
There's an old saying that a drowning person becomes possessed by a water ghost, and this guy was going all out trying to drag me under.
This ain't gonna work.
Time for an exorcism.
ㅡWham!
"Gack...!"
I slammed my fist into his face, performing an exorcism of silence, then hoisted him onto my back and swam out to the beach.
"Fuuh!"
Looking around, Leona, Yu-ri, and Si-hoo were also rescuing people who'd gone completely limp. And without exception, every single one of them had a bloody nose. My friends all had the talent of exorcists too. Looked like they'd each landed a refreshing haymaker to the face.
"Oh my! Thank you!"
Just then, rescue workers came running.
"Give them here! I'll carry them!"
"Hurry!"
I immediately handed the limp person over to a rescuer. Around the time my friends were coming ashore.
ㅡGooooo!
The gate began to shudder.
ㅡSwoooooosh!
ㅡSplash, splash!
And then it started spewing out monsters. Huge clusters of monsters were dropped into the sea in heaving chunks, like filth being discharged.
"Gueeeeeek!"
"Keeeeeeek!"
You've gotta be fucking kidding me!
"Kim Geun-cheol! Let's go get our weapons now! We rescued everyone!"
"Alright!"
"Let's move, fast!"
Still, that was a relief. A quick look showed the beach was empty. Everyone must have fled. We didn't need to control civilians and evacuate them ourselves. We don't know the area or where the shelters are. The locals will handle that.
So now we just have to get our weapons.
ㅡFwoosh!
And so we ran to the parking lot. It was where Leona's flying car was parked, occupying a few rented spaces in a large outdoor parking lot that doubled as its landing pad.
That's where our weapons and light clothes were. The parking lot was closer than our lodging, so we'd stored them there.
"Young lady! You need to evacuate!"
When we arrived, the chauffeur said to Leona.
"No! I have some work to do here! Find a safe place to park the car and run if you think it's dangerous!"
"Yes!"
Wait, he just obeys, no questions asked? I thought the chauffeur would protest like, "But still, young lady...!"
"Leona. Don't you have any bodyguards?"
Yu-ri asked.
"Not right now! Here, here! Hurry! Let's get our stuff out first!"
ㅡWhirr!
We popped the trunk right open and grabbed our clothes and weapons. Leona and Yu-ri, who had been in bikinis, threw on shorts and hoodies, then put on socks and sneakers. Si-hoo and I did the same.
And finish by taking out our swords—
"Let's take these too!"
"Holy shit! What is all this!"
ㅡWhirr!
A secret compartment inside the trunk opened, and out came submachine guns and a bazooka!
"You know the emergency escape hammers on buses or subways! It's similar to those! You could call them innovative safety tools for escaping emergencies!"
"What's equipped on a bus is definitely not for combat!"
"Who cares about that! Anyway, do you guys know how to use these!"
"Yeah!"
ㅡClack!
Yu-ri and Si-hoo grabbed submachine guns.
"Ah! Kim Geun-cheol, your proficiency is lower, so a pistol!"
"Uh, okay. But Leona? What about that bazooka?"
"With this, you can safely take down a D-rank monster from a distance. Give them a few shots and they're done for in no time."
ㅡShlick.
Leona said proudly, holding the bazooka in one hand. It looked heavy as hell just by looking at it, but she was holding it like it was a flyswatter.
"And on top of that, this!"
"That's the Camouflage Cloak!"
"Yes!"
ㅡSwish!
Leona shouted as she draped the Camouflage Cloak over herself. It was an entire armory unto itself!
"First, let's secure a vantage point! We'll assess the situation and then respond! Follow me!"
"Got it!"
Let's just trust Leona and follow her lead!
"She really is the class president. Her command is so good."
"Seems like the training at the training camp paid off."
Yu-ri and Si-hoo said, chuckling together.
Maybe it was a result of going to the training camp?
We could keep our cool even in a situation like this.
ㅡFwoosh!
And so, we scrambled up the wall of a villa right in front of the beach and reached the rooftop in an instant.
"Whoa. Kim Geun-cheol? You're climbing walls now? And you used to suck at jumping."
"I've been practicing like a motherfucker... Whoa, fuck! Guys! Look over there!"
"Huhk!"
We looked.
ㅡBzzzzzt.
ㅡBzzzzzzzzt.
Over the sea, there were no fewer than five gates floating there.
"This is insane! How can there be so many...!"
ㅡWooshoosh!
Monsters kept pouring out, and civilians were evacuating far behind us. Still, the monsters were taking time landing. Given the distance from the civilians, the evacuation should go smoothly. The military and other superhumans would arrive soon too.
ㅡAeaeaeaeaeng!
The emergency siren blared soon after.
"The military will be here soon. Let's observe the situation until then."
"Wait! Over there! Look behind us!"
"Huh?"
As soon as Si-hoo yelled, we turned to look back.
ㅡBzzzzzt!
It wasn't just the beach.
Over that downtown area further inland.
Gates were opening there too.
"Holy shit!"
This means we're practically surrounded by gates appearing on two fronts, the beach and the city behind us! And there must be civilians over there too!
"Good heavens! Just by the look of it, over 10 gates have appeared! How long is it going to take to resolve this!"
ㅡSwooooosh!
It was too late to retreat now. Both gates were already spewing out monsters.
"This isn't good! The military will have to push through from that side first to enter, but trying to break through right now looks pretty dangerous. What should we do?"
It was time for a tactical discussion.
And then it happened.
ㅡFwoosh!
As if that weren't enough, another gate formed over the sea.
ㅡTsk.
But what came out of it was nothing else.
"Monsterkin! It's a monsterkin!"
"Hey, fuck! That's an Altaraid!"
Yu-ri spat out a curse.
"This is maddening! An E-rank monsterkin species!"
Altaraids are more dangerous than Antillery.
But fuck, that wasn't only monsterkin coming out!
"Oh hell, hey! Guys! Aren't those fucking humans?!"
"Huh!"
"No way...!"
'Humans' were also emerging next to the monsterkin.
Humans draped in black coats.
"Villains! It's villains!"
Villains had appeared.