Villain Encounter # 8
Villain Encounter # 8
I finished everything and threw myself onto the bed.
"Heh heh heh. Ryu's gonna have a seizure, I bet."
Next time I see him, he's definitely gonna throw a fit about why I cut off mid-sentence. The bastard's patterns are so predictable.
"Ugh."
Ham Woong-cheol, that crazy psycho bastard. Thinking about him makes my blood boil again. Fine. Namsan-style interrogation, great, sure. But was it really okay to use that on me after I did a good deed?
When I go equipment shopping with Instructor, I am going to bleed that son of a bitch dry. The instructor is thorough as hell about stuff like that, so I'll be able to buy whatever I want.
This is an opportunity.
There's going to be more fighting from now on. And after going up against villains for real, I've realized I'm still vulnerable to firearms. My friends are all experts who can shrug off automatic rifles, but I can't.
So let's buy some good defensive gear.
"Right."
Now that I think of it, I can just look it up. I went straight to the computer, pulled up a hero equipment store website, and started browsing.
"Ooh."
Right off the bat, weapons worth tens of millions, hundreds of millions of won are on display. Looking through them, they're all advertising high magic power conductivity using materials from this-or-that monster.
Some of them had crazy cool sci-fi-style gimmicks too. But I'll pass on weapons for now. Let's check out armor first.
"Brands, huh?"
When I clicked into the armor section, there were all kinds of brands... Wait, what the hell is this?
"Power Tank Top?"
[We Take Full Responsibility for Your Defense — Power Tank Top!]
What kind of name is that?
I got curious and clicked.
[Power Tank Top Standard VER: Sale Price 20,000,000 won]
"What the hell... a tank top costs twenty million. Let's see."
Gotta be something special for that price, right?
Visually, it was just a black sleeveless undershirt. The fabric looked a little thick, but at the end of the day, it was just a black tank top. With that thought, I played the promo video.
My jaw dropped.
The man on screen was striking a Saturday Night Fever pose. He was smiling, wearing the Power Tank Top, when suddenly a man in a fox mask appeared and—
—Bang!
—shot the man in the stomach with a rifle!
"Aaaaaagh!"
The bastard screamed, but no blood flew. Did that thin tank top actually block a bullet? Just as I thought that, the fox-masked man spoke.
"You saw that, right? This is a tank top made using material from Palios, a C-rank monster. As you can see, the moment a bullet hits, it hardens and protects the wearer. Test Man. How was it?"
"Gaaaagh...! Ah, shit! That hurt way too much, Boss! Ah, this! This is bruised! What the hell! You said it blocks everything! Aaagh fuck! It hurts like hell!"
Test Man, having torn off the tank top, was writhing in pain. But his abdomen only had a bruise—no other injuries.
This is insane.
The wearer was writhing in agony, sure, but honestly, that made it more convincing. It proved that the thin tank top stopped a rifle round and all you got was pain and a bruise.
"Hey. You just blocked a rifle round with nothing else. Doesn't that feel incredible?"
"Gaaaagh! Boss, it hurts too much!"
It did look incredibly painful, but that's it. No further damage.
"Anyway, the functionality doesn't stop there. Now, next Test Man."
The next test subject came out. According to the introduction, he's an active hunter. He struck a pose, and the boss fired.
The result—
—Fwoosh!
Total defense.
"Whoa."
The hunter channeled his mana into the tank top, increasing its defensive power. He didn't even flinch.
"As you can see, even a small amount of mana like this dramatically improves defense! The mana efficiency is exceptional! More efficient than wrapping a shield directly onto your skin, so buy now!"
(Purchase Qualifications.)
(Must be an active hero, hunter, or cadet.)
(Upon purchase, an annual maintenance obligation conducted at the facility is imposed. Equipment loss may result in penalties under the Superhuman Technology Leak Prevention Act.)
(Report loss immediately.)
"I'm buying this no matter what!"
I'm buying everything like it!
* * *
That was while I was absorbed in shopping.
"Geun-cheol."
"Gah!"
Kitty suddenly rested her chin on my shoulder as she spoke, and I nearly fell over in shock. Why does she show up so quietly?
"Hey! You scared me!"
"Sorry, Geun-cheol."
Kitty, hands behind her back, smiled as she apologized.
"No, I mean, it's not about you being sorry. Ah, Kitty, perfect timing, actually. I was meaning to talk to you soon anyway."
"Is it because of what happened?"
What happened?
"You knew?"
"Roughly?"
"Were you surveilling m—"
In that instant.
A chill ran down my spine.
"Don't tell me."
Kitty, you little—don't tell me.
"Did you collude with the monsterkin villains?"
The whole incident at the sea. Did Kitty support that? It's entirely possible. These guys are experts at making gates.
"Fufufu, Geun-cheol."
"..."
Kitty laughed ominously.
"You think I'd tell you?"
So I grabbed Kitty like an American football, tucked her under my arm, and charged for the bed.
"Touchdown!"
"Huh? Hnn?"
I slammed down onto the bed and switched to spanking position. I laid Kitty face-down across my thighs and spread my palm wide open.
"If you don't talk, I'm firing this!"
"W-wait! Geun-cheol! I was joking!"
Kitty, suddenly frantic, yelled with genuine fear in her voice.
Seeing her like this, she really is just a kid.
"Really? For real joking?"
"Kitty doesn't lie. I mean it. Believe me."
She was shining her eyes at me, practically begging to be believed. Fine. I'm not conducting a professional interrogation anyway, so I'll just take her word for it.
"Fine. I'll believe you this once."
I lowered my hand.
"...My back."
"Hm?"
"Rub my back."
Rub my back, she said.
"Fine."
—Rub, rub.
I rubbed Kitty's back.
"This is so comfortable, Geun-cheol."
"You're a total cat, aren't you."
Kitty went completely limp, pleased, and started humming.
"So now tell me. What's the deal with that thing this time?"
"Geun-cheol. Those white monsters—they seem to be called Voiders. Is that right?"
"Uh... didn't the villain say that? I think so."
"Yeah. The humans who know about them seem to call them that."
"You know what they are?"
"They're monsters that create special gates or abnormal gates."
I already know that.
"That characteristic is why my sister is keeping a close watch on them."
"Keeping a close watch, huh... But they're way too good at using gates, Kitty. Not just the Voiders—the villains too. They were opening and closing gates and warping around like it was nothing."
Did Void Princess help them?
I asked with that implication.
"Yeah. Monsterkin technology is advancing day by day too."
A noncommittal answer.
"Really? So now you and your sister are getting overtaken by the monsterkin?"
"Geun-cheol. There's no way that's true."
"Heh heh heh. Listen to that tone."
She's got pride, I guess.
"Anyway, Geun-cheol. The important thing is that those Voiders are going to appear more frequently from now on. That's actually what I came to tell you."
"Hm... Is that right."
So in the end, those Voiders are what cause the Dimension War. If that's the case, they might be some kind of advance force.
"Humans and monsterkin alike are all acquiring information on the Voiders. Very busily. My sister finds that fact... uncomfortable, but..."
"Kitty."
"Hm?"
"These Voider things keep showing up, right?"
"Yeah. They're appearing in a lot of places."
"From what I saw, there were a few different types. Could something like their boss show up?"
"Hmm... I don't know. Maybe. Geun-cheol."
Her reaction is ambiguous.
Does she not know?
Well, yeah. Kitty's actually kind of an airhead, so there's a lot she doesn't know.
"Anyway, Geun-cheol. It's vacation now. Aren't you going to play with Kitty?"
"Kitty, you gotta earn it, dummy."
Even if I wanted to play, my schedule's way too packed.
"I'll be good. Geun-cheol. Play with me."
"Well, then, how about we mess around on the computer a bit before bed."
Guess that's how I'll spend tonight.
* * *
"Hoo."
Lee Si-hoo let out a sigh.
"Geun-cheol must have been really hurt."
To be interrogated that viciously by a Namsan agent. He's definitely in a foul mood. When he told the story, he described it in detail with exaggerated expressions, as if he'd been deeply wronged, but Lee Si-hoo knew.
That the exaggeration was to hide his sadness.
"Is there a way to cheer him up?"
She just wanted Geun-cheol to bounce back quickly.
"Those damn Namsan agents."
She was the Sovereign Commander's daughter... technically. But she was just one of countless unofficial children scattered around. So she couldn't offer any help, or leverage, or anything.
"He keeps making me do the male disguise. And I can't even use him as backup. This seriously pisses me off."
She felt the anger rising anew.
"Haah. I wanted to enjoy the beach one more day."
Then the incident broke out and they just had to come back. The beach had been so much fun. Enough to want to go again next time. But thinking of the beach brought other thoughts to mind.
"...Swimsuits."
She'd been stuck in that suffocating full-body gear the whole time.
"I'd like to try wearing a bikini too."
If she wore a bikini, what would Geun-cheol say about it?
Lee Si-hoo had that thought.
* * *
"Oh, come on, Instructor! I'm the class rep! Please show me! Besides, I'm a party to this too! I think I have a right to see it!"
Lee So-ra pressed her fingers to her temple as she watched Leona protesting.
"Leona... You've been hanging around Kim Geun-cheol so much your speech patterns are starting to resemble his. How did a foreigner end up with that 'aigoo' stuck in her mouth?"
"Ah, well. Geun-cheol says it all the time, so... Fufufu."
Leona was scratching the back of her head bashfully, and Lee So-ra had no idea how to react.
"Anyway. Leona. What happened there is... strictly speaking, classified. It's a record of a Special Operations Division agent interrogating someone. I can't let you view it freely."
"But isn't there some way?"
She'd called her out here just to make this request.
Leona at the start of the semester definitely wasn't like this, Lee So-ra thought, pressing her throbbing head.
"Honestly, I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility right now. I went to the beach with my friends, and something like that happened."
"..."
"Engaging in combat was my decision. Using a weapon was my decision too. And in that situation, they used it as an excuse to put Kim Geun-cheol through hell. If I don't know the full details of that..."
She knew it was classified.
"It doesn't make sense. As a human being, as a friend, and as a noble, I believe I have a right to know what concerns me."
But looking into Leona's resolute eyes.
"That's why I'm asking, Instructor."
She felt she had to do it.
"Isn't there some way?"
"Hoo... I suppose it can't be helped."
"Gasp! Does that mean—!"
"Well, it's Ham Woong-cheol's fault anyway. I'll bear this much."
What even is superhuman society? Superhumans you know ask for a favor, you grant it. You look out for each other. Isn't that how it is? In the first place, classified or whatever, Lee So-ra was confident she could smash through all of it.
"Fine. I'll make a special exception and show you the interrogation record."
"Oh my god! I knew it, Instructor! You're seriously so cool!"
"You really are a carbon copy of Kim Geun-cheol... But Leona. It might be a bit shocking, so brace yourself."
"Huh? Shocking?"
Leona's face turned grave.
"Shocking... It's that kind of thing."
As she tried to explain, Leona nodded to herself, coming to her own understanding.
"He went through that much hardship. Kim Geun-cheol."
To be more precise, it was closer to the opposite.
Ham Woong-cheol was the one who went through tremendous hardship.
She'd beaten him until his whole body was black and blue.
Ham Woong-cheol is a powerful hero, and correspondingly tough, so she'd beaten him well past normal. He'd suffer for a few weeks since she'd done it personally, but that's just how life is for superhumans.
Especially for a hero in the rigidly hierarchical Special Operations Division. As a group that carries out professional violence, they don't hold back. Lee So-ra had a record of delivering that kind of beating to juniors who pulled shit, multiple times over.
These days there's talk about human rights and eliminating violence-related abuses, but in Lee So-ra's opinion, that was bullshit.
To handle Special Operations Division bastards, violence is indispensable. How do you even begin to eradicate mutual violence in superhuman society? For superhumans, violence is as natural as breathing.
"No... well, you'll see when you watch."
"Thank you so much!"
Lee So-ra had already retired from the Special Operations Division, but that fact was irrelevant. The superhuman Lee So-ra was going to view Special Operations Division materials—what did laws and regulations have to do with it?
Likewise, beating up Special Operations Division agents who tried to stop her was nothing at all.
If the Minister came down, that'd be a little awkward, but ever since that incident, the Minister won't show his face in front of Lee So-ra no matter what.
Because he'd clearly get beaten to death.
* * *
This matter is clearly the fault of the Special Operations Division, and it is acknowledged that several of the interrogation pretexts relate to you, Leona, and that a significant portion was unjustly conducted. In order to preemptively prevent a future protest at the national level, I have no choice but to show you these classified materials.
If you understand, answer and play the recording.
"Yes."
Leona answered those words.
Truly a trustworthy and sincere teacher. Deep gratitude and respect welled up within her. Viewing these classified materials was, in truth, her absolute right, but due to various circumstances, actually seeing them would clearly have been difficult.
Instructor Lee So-ra had resolved it in one go—how could she not be grateful?
'Now, let's see.'
Leona pressed play.
And watched Kim Geun-cheol being interrogated.
'Oh no... He's trembling.'
Just as she'd heard, Agent Ham Woong-cheol was spouting nonsense while applying pressure. The sight of the normally energetic Kim Geun-cheol cowering in fear was so pitiful it was hard to watch.
'Isn't this guy insane! What kind of crazy bastard acts like that! He needs to get beaten to death!'
At the same time, rage surged up. The more she watched, the more Agent Ham Woong-cheol was, quite literally, spewing bullshit beyond all common sense and treating him like a criminal. Just as she was thinking she needed to pummel him right away—
Kim Geun-cheol exploded.
"Huh?"
As if his patience had hit its limit, he was hurling abuse at the agent, going on the offensive.
"That's it! Kim Geun-cheol, good job!"
A superhuman never lets an insult slide. Watching him handle it admirably, she even felt proud.
But.
Gradually—
The level of profanity escalated.
—Your mother!
—Your mom!
Having unleashed his true rage, Kim Geun-cheol concentrated his assault on Agent Ham Woong-cheol's mother, unleashing unrestrained family insults with the limiters off.
"..."
And so Leona watched the interrogation record to the end.
—Clack.
She closed the laptop.
"Haah..."
A sigh escaped Leona's lips.
"Honestly. It's just nothing but mother insults."
And along with the sigh.
"...They say a person's insults reflect their own complexes."
Tears began to fall.
"Hic...! Hnk, huck...!"
Leona covered her mouth with her hand and sobbed.
"Why do you make me so sad...! Kim Geun-cheol!"
He must know the sorrow of being without parents better than anyone. That's why he used those words, knowing they were the most wounding.
Understanding that heart made her unbearably sad, and she couldn't hold back her tears.
"Huuuuck! To gain this kind of trauma on a day that was supposed to be fun...! What am I supposed to do now!"