Villains Lurking in the Shadows – Helpful Game Tip 164
[Villain] These are villains who have awakened hero abilities but use them solely for their own selfish gain. Villains hiding their awakened powers live all over the world. If you spot a villain, call the Association's report line at 17539 immediately!
— Helpful Game Tip Upon Reading. 164.
A fist slammed into her face.
Boom!
The punch whipped up a gale-force wind inside the office. This guy had already sent countless monsters to the afterlife with that fist of his. But for the first time, it was blocked.
Vrrr—
The veil around the girl's neck had risen just in time, intercepting the bald man's punch.
"D-Deok-bae hyung?!"
The surrounding goons shouted the name of the man who'd thrown the punch. Deok-bae flushed red as he yanked his shoulder back. It wasn't just a simple jab—this was a full-power strike channeling his shoulder and waist, enough to shatter a C-rank monster in one hit. It should've crushed the girl's skull.
But it didn't even scratch her, let alone pierce the veil.
Thud!
"Aaaagh!"
Deok-bae clutched his exploded fist and collapsed onto the sofa.
"Wh-what the hell?"
The other thugs could only gape in confusion. What they'd seen was unbelievable: Deok-bae getting shoved back by that flimsy scrap of cloth, his fist bursting open.
The girl—Phoenix—grabbed the veil covering her face and pulled it down, crossing her legs casually.
"I told you to chill out. I'm thinking right now."
"You little monster bitch?!"
One guy swung a golf club at the back of Phoenix's head.
Clang!
The club bent against the veil that had whipped up to block it. The man dropped it, collapsing as his hands tore open from the pain.
"Gaaah!"
"V-villain?!"
A young man shrank into the corner of the office, terrified. As far as he knew, there were no blue-haired high school girl heroes in Korea. And no villains like this in the local underworld either. Their boss, Deok-bae, had this district locked down tight as a villain.
"Nah, not a villain. Or... should I just say I am?"
Phoenix furrowed her brow, lost in serious contemplation. Meanwhile, Deok-bae shook off his daze, clenched his fist again, and stood.
"Raaargh!"
His roaring punch flashed toward Phoenix's gut like lightning—faster than the veil could react.
Tap.
Phoenix's tiny hand stopped it cold. She gripped his fist lightly, fingers hooked like claws around a basketball.
"Aaaagh!!"
Deok-bae screamed in agony. Phoenix let go with an incredulous laugh.
"All that bulk, and you're whining like a baby."
Phoenix picked up a half-empty paper cup and flicked it toward the door.
Splash! Thwack!
The cup sliced through the air, grazing a guy's nose as he tried to flee, embedding into the wall. Mana-charged concrete crumbled from the impact.
"Uh... ugh..."
The man with the sliced nose slumped to the floor without a sound, pants soaking with a sharp, acrid stench.
"Ugh."
Phoenix wrinkled her nose briefly, then closed her eyes.
"...I was really trying to live quietly."
Phoenix rose from the sofa and squatted in front of the piss-soaked guy.
"Hey. Got some questions."
"Y-yes! Ask anything!"
The guy dropped to his knees, ready to grovel.
"Normally, next you'd drug me and rape me, right? What happens to the women after that?"
"Th-that's..."
He glanced at the others—especially Deok-bae. Phoenix sparked a tiny flame in front of his face and smiled.
"No answer means death~♪"
"We sold 'em! Passed 'em around ourselves first, then to the madam!"
"Wow. And the men?"
"M-men have no value, so we just took their money and buried 'em..."
"Holy shit. Real trash."
Phoenix nodded in mock admiration, then spread her fingers.
"Okay, next question. If I'd been drugged and helpless, what were you gonna do to me?"
"Huh?"
"Bzz. Fail."
Phoenix snapped her fingers with a smile.
Whoosh!
"Aaaagh!!"
Blue flames erupted over the man's body. He thrashed around the office in agony while the others scrambled out of his way.
"Haaagh!"
Even on fire, he flung open a window to jump, only to despair at the security bars.
"No one tried that? Jumping out the window and hitting the bars. The tinted film blocking the view outside—kinda knew it was bad."
"Kyaaagh!"
Ignoring Phoenix's sarcasm, the man kicked off a table and lunged at her.
"Tch."
Phoenix clapped her hands. He burned to ash mid-leap.
Poof.
A pile of soot on the carpet was all that remained—until Phoenix's wave incinerated even that.
"M-monster!"
The young man trembled in the corner, yelling. The girl had casually erased a man from existence.
"Who's the monster? You're the trash in human skin."
Phoenix approached the man with torn hands. He dragged himself backward until he hit a cabinet.
"Okay, same rules. Hesitate, say 'huh?' or 'me?', you die. Got it?"
He nodded frantically.
"Same question. If I'd been drugged and helpless, what were you gonna do?"
"D-Deok-bae hyung first, then... sex in turns..."
"Rape. Don't sugarcoat it—talk like you normally do, or die."
"W-we were gonna pass you around! All day! Till my balls were drained dry!"
He spat as he desperately confessed. Phoenix continued with her inscrutable, benevolent smile.
"How? What positions?"
"Uh, w-well, th-th-then aaagh?!"
"Can't answer straight. Fail."
The golf club guy stuttered and burned to ash.
Phoenix headed to the wall corner. The young man gulped, unbuckled his belt, and dropped his pants. Phoenix paused wordlessly at the bizarre act.
"I-I was gonna shove it in your mouth first! Cum once, flip you over—"
"Don't wanna hear it."
He vanished in flames without a scream.
"One left. Deok-bae, huh? Puhuhu. So, Deok-bae ajusshi. How were you gonna eat me?"
"...I wasn't planning to."
Deok-bae glared, dangling his ruined fists.
Phoenix smirked widely.
"Wow. Should've said lying means death first."
"Think I'm bullshitting? Sorry, but I don't fuck crazy bitches like you."
"Oh? Look at this guy's attitude."
Phoenix faced Deok-bae.
"What, you're different from them? Still a human trafficker kidnapping and selling people."
"...Different. I just—"
"Recyclable trash vs. incinerator trash—still trash."
Deok-bae bit his lip, blood trickling from trembling lips.
"Fine. Kill me. My fault for meeting a monster like you."
"Who said I'm killing you? You're not incinerator trash yet."
Phoenix grabbed his collar and hurled him into the wall.
Crash!
The wall crumbled; Deok-bae rolled into the hall. Phoenix hopped lightly over the debris and nudged him with her foot.
"Ah. You're alive—get up. You still have one job, ajusshi."
"...If I don't wanna?"
"Huh? Don't wanna? Do good, and I might let you live. For real."
Deok-bae's pupils shook. His stoic resolve crumbled at the lifeline.
"Recyclable, right? I favor ability users. Your choice: reborn or scrapped. Answer in 3 seconds. Three—"
"I'll do it."
Deok-bae staggered up. Phoenix just laughed.
"What do I do?"
"Oh, nothing big."
Phoenix scanned the room.
"Where's the scumbag who took Kim Sang-ah earlier?"
Ho-cheol lit a cigarette. A naked woman trembled unconscious on the shabby bed.
"Hyung, feeling good?"
Seok-pil asked, grossed out. Ho-cheol sprawled on the bed.
"You don't get it 'cause you haven't tasted married women. Women peak in their ripe thirties..."
"Yeah, I don't do grannies over 20."
"Fucking pedo."
Ho-cheol stroked Sang-ah's back, adjusting position.
"You sure you won't? I'm in a good mood—backdoor's open."
"No interest. And..."
Seok-pil smirked, wiping his lips.
"Told you? Fresh high school girl too. You'd ditch this hag for her looks and sell her to the madam."
"That hot? Can I go now?"
"Get Deok-bae hyung's okay. He's handling her."
"Deok-bae 'hyung'? Bullshit. ...Why bring up that bald prick?"
"You two still not cool?"
"Hey, we're both selling people for cash, right?"
Ho-cheol leaned back.
"Fuck 'em, hit 'em high! World sells itself—why not eat? That prick awakens good powers and acts all highbrow. Fucker shoves a baseball bat up his ass!"
"Deok-bae doesn't share women."
"Still sells people for cash! If he registers as hero, I'll expose all his dirt. Just wait—"
"Ugh. Too good even for trash."
The door slammed open. A blue-haired girl strode in.
She pinched her nose at the cloying night-flower stench, eyes on the passed-out Sang-ah.
"Yeah. No questions needed."
Phoenix snapped; flames bloomed over Ho-cheol.
"Gaaah!!"
He screamed, flinging Sang-ah aside. He bounced around the tiny room, rolling to extinguish—but the flames roasted him relentlessly.
"Guh..."
Phoenix watched him char to a slump, then turned to Seok-pil.
"Hi. We meet again?"
"Fuck! What?!"
Seok-pil grabbed a camera pole, aiming at Phoenix. The smartphone at the end shook, filming live.
"...Sigh."
Deok-bae, who'd followed, grimaced at the burnt stench.
Seok-pil cheered briefly at Deok-bae—then realized.
"You traitor fuck!"
"Sorry."
"No loyalty! Ho-cheol hyung saved your dying ass! Betraying 'cause you awakened high-rank powers?!"
"Shut up."
Phoenix snapped; Seok-pil burned to nothing, just like in the office. Deok-bae felt dizzy.
"My turn?"
"Kinda."
Phoenix clucked at Sang-ah on the bed.
Clap.
Flames rose around Sang-ah. Deok-bae startled—then more at what burned.
"Cleanup done."
The blue flames precisely incinerated Ho-cheol's messes. Phoenix shook Sang-ah awake.
"Wake up. Come on."
"Uh... ngh..."
"Lawyer Kim Sang-ah."
"Ah! Aa."
Sang-ah snapped alert, staring blankly at Phoenix, then her state—remembering.
"A... aaaagh!!!"
She buried her face in the blanket, howling like a beast. Phoenix glanced at Deok-bae and exited. He followed silently.
The wind was bitterly cold.
"Hoo."
Phoenix gazed at the cloudy sky, smiling bitterly.
"How's it feel? Seeing people suffer because of you."
"I'm sorry."
"Really? Then why do this shit?"
Deok-bae avoided her eyes.
"Needed money. Lots."
"Money justifies this?"
He clenched his burst fist.
"No excuses. It was the fastest way to big cash."
"Hmph."
They stood silently outside.
"Hm."
Phoenix peeked inside, pointing at Deok-bae.
"Let's go in."
Phoenix opened the iron door.
"...Thanks for saving me."
Sang-ah bowed, wrapped in the blanket. Ho-cheol's corpse was unrecognizably shattered.
Phoenix smiled softly, meeting her eyes.
"Anger gone?"
"...Anger? With this?"
Sang-ah glared, grinding her teeth.
"If he'd lived, I'd have eaten him alive. Him and his helpers."
Deok-bae stepped back involuntarily at her venom. Phoenix shrugged at him, pointing.
"This guy's an accomplice."
Sang-ah exploded off the bed at Deok-bae, now dressed, wielding a stun gun.
Deok-bae closed his eyes calmly as she charged.
"Whoa, not yet."
Phoenix extended a hand, halting her. Sang-ah dodged, but Phoenix grabbed her nape and tossed her onto the bed.
"Aaaagh! Don't stop me!"
"Whoa, calm down. I wanna make a 'deal' with you."
Phoenix held out her palm.
"Want this guy to suffer worse than anything before dying? Pain so bad death seems mercy. Begging 'kill me' hundreds of times."
"Do it now!"
Phoenix shook her head at bowed Deok-bae.
"He's a decent ability user. Body enhancement, talented. Even trash can be recycled."
"What?! Kill him!"
Sang-ah pointed wildly. Phoenix's endless smile made her cling and wail.
"Please, kill him. You're human—you know what they did?!"
"Ah, yeah, about that."
Phoenix tossed her back.
Her constant smile felt inhuman.
"I'm kinda emotionally stunted? Value 'efficiency' big time. One question decides: kill or spare."
"What kinda deal is that?!"
"My rules. Pass. Deok-bae, let's go."
Deok-bae startled as she grabbed his arm without hesitation.
"Wait!"
Sang-ah blocked superhumanly fast.
"I'll answer! Anything!"
She glared murderously. Phoenix rubbed her hands, grinning eagerly.
"Great. Any question okay?"
Phoenix spread her arms, beaming. Paradoxically beautiful to Sang-ah.
"I wanna use him as a subordinate. Instead of killing, what'll you give me? More profit than sparing him, and he's dead."
A beautiful, devilish smile.