Hero Employment Support Center

Heroes were no longer needed in this country. Or more precisely, just one was enough. The greatest hero in history, who burst onto the scene like a comet—Lumion. Thanks to her alone, the actual villain emergence rate in the country hit 0%. Her infamy spread beyond our borders to the rest of the world, to the point where even the monsters crawling out of interdimensional rifts vanished without a trace.

Roughly a year after Lumion's debut, society dubbed this era the "peace gap" and declared the end of the hero age. Now, a full year after that. On the surface, they're announcing sporadic villain and monster incidents, but the hero profession has lost all meaning anyway.

I, a former hero aspirant, had to find a new way to make a living too. My Euneng was woefully inadequate to survive the cutthroat hero industry anyway, and a mouth doesn't feed itself on dreams alone.

Luckily, right after high school graduation, my homeroom teacher recommended a solid job for me. Perfect for someone like me who knew the hero ecosystem inside out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but could never become a hero himself: the Hero Employment Support Center.

Originally, it was a department that "encouraged" low-performing heroes to switch careers—a glorified layoff office. But thanks to the flood of unemployed heroes after the peace gap, every district office now had at least one team. Stable gig, right? Hell no. The crazy customers exploded too, giving me a headache every damn day.

Yeah. The woman slamming her fist on the table right in front of me was one of those countless pains in the ass.

"Then what about heroes like this body! What the hell are we supposed to do?!"

"What do you mean? You watch the news, right? 'Heroes on hiatus' is trending these days. Our center helps heroes like you (read: unemployed) reintegrate into society..."

"Hah, but!! This body wants to be a hero! This body never even imagined doing anything else!"

"Keep it down. I can hear you fine."

I pinched my throbbing brow and habitually twirled a pen in midair out of habit. A translucent ballpoint shape formed at my fingertips, only to scatter like heat haze moments later.

The Materialization of Imagination—my Euneng that temporarily projects imagined things into reality. It had zero physical force, couldn't swat a mosquito. And it drained mana like a leaky bucket, so sustaining it long-term was impossible. Total trash-tier ability.

Anyway, I gripped my real pen instead of the vanished illusion and scanned the troublesome customer in front of me.

Flaming red hair like wildfire. Blood-red scales dotting her skin. Not just fangs, but teeth sharp all around. Horns jutting from her wild hair. Even her casual shout rattled my skull... Probably a body transformation-type Euneng.

"Red Dragon? Or maybe a Hongryong from China?"

"Red Wing! This body is Red Wing!"

Hero name that makes your mouth water. Wonder if she'd get chicken franchise sponsorship.

"Ah, right. So, Red Dragon lineage then. Real name?"

"Hmph? Asking for this body's true draconic name on first meeting? What an insolent human!!"

The client twisted her skinny, dried-squid body with a shady glare. What the hell was her deal?

"...Do you actually think you're a real dragon?"

"This body isn't just some believer—it's a real dragon!"

"Ah, got it. Concept noted."

"It's not a concept!!!"

These ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠types pop up sometimes. The kind you can't reason with, trapped in their own world. Common among heroes, too. Living high on their own hype.

Just play along with the script.

"Red Wing. Race: self-proclaimed Red Dragon. Gender... female, I guess."

"Dragons have no such thing as gender!!"

"That's the kind of statement that'd make dragon otakus worldwide sob. Take it back."

"I... I take it back! But what's a dragon otaku?"

"Moving on."

I jotted down quick notes amid the light back-and-forth.

"Hmph, not bad... For a mere human, you've dug up quite a bit about this body...!"

I ignored Red Wing as she revved up her nonsense and got to the point.

"As I mentioned earlier, our center helps former heroes like you blend back into society safely. First step: helping you land a regular job in a civilian field..."

"No, no! Did you shove what I said up your ass? This body has zero intention of quitting hero work!"

"Deny it all you want, doesn't change facts. If you're pissed, go charge out, beat Lumion senseless, and keep her hospitalized for a year or so."

"Lu-Lumion...?!"

Her shoulders jerked like she'd heard a cursed name. Reminded me of my own childhood, naked and chased out into a winter night.

"Th-that's impossible... Just thinking that monster's name makes me sick."

Full-blown PTSD, huh. Fair enough. Lumion debuted by rounding up top-ranked heroes and beating them like rats to sort the hierarchy. Getting dusted by a high schooler? Yeah, she'd hate remembering that.

"Since Lumion's debut, real villains and monsters have dried up in this country. If you wanna keep playing hero, you'd have to force her retirement first. Impossible, right? So follow my guidance and snag a new job quietly."

"Urgh... Fine. Can't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠risk my life picking a fight with her for nothing..."

"Nah, heroes risk their lives by default."

"Pfft! Unless it's some off-spec monster like Lumion, no villain exists that can kill this body!"

"Ah, sure. You're the best."

Mechanical reaction as I spread the prepared documents on the table.

"Even if you don't wanna think about it, hear me out. Fail to complete this job placement program properly, and the government could revoke your hero license by force."

"Wha—really?!"

"Yup. We're a government-linked national project, after all."

First step: Select a fitting reemployment spot based on her abilities and issue a government recommendation letter. We had plenty of partnered companies. Mostly reliable... probably.

"Body transformation Euneng. Dragon theme too... The Magic Association would drool over this."

"Magic Association...?"

The Magic Association. Unofficial hero group packed with mana-based heroes. Shady bunch pulling all sorts of stunts under the banner of "unlimited magical advancement."

"Dragon scales, horns, blood—prime magic reagents. Think of it like live-model part-time work..."

"Screeeech!! Magic Association!! This body hates those crazy bastards!!"

She sprang up hissing like a venomous snake. Must've had a nasty run-in with them before. Dragon otakus gonna dragon otaku.

"Hmm. That one's a no-go."

I slashed a red X over the Magic Association lab test subject recruitment ad. The referral bonus was juicy. Shame.

"You don't have to stick to your specialty. Any preferred civilian jobs?"

"Well, this body wants to be a hero...!!"

"Told you no. Should I call Lumion?"

"Eek...!"

Found the ultimate cheat button. Gotta use it on other dim customers too.

"...Simple office jobs are pretty open, but you didn't give proper education details earlier. You graduated high school, right?"

"No!"

"...You at least finished mandatory education?"

"What's mandatory education?"

"Sigh..."

Goddamn lizard brain.

"Hey! I heard overseas, like across the sea, monsters are still rampant! How about aiming there?!"

"Across the sea? Japan? Dream on."

"Wh-why...!"

"International hero dispatches are tacitly banned unless it's a national-scale disaster. Plus, Japan's crawling with yokai, so shaman-types have it locked down. The cliquishness is no joke. Step through their entry gate looking like that, and they might exorcise you before customs."

Look at those savage horns and tail. Sure, Eastern dragons get divine treatment... but dragons are Western, and Red ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dragons have always been giant unruly lizards. Japan wouldn't let that slide.

"I-is that so..."

Red Wing's shoulders slumped. Overseas transfers weren't impossible, but heroes counted as national assets—export procedures were a nightmare. Way beyond my paygrade.

"Just once!! Let this body take down a villain one last time! Then I'll seriously consider switching jobs!"

"...What even's the point? A peaceful society without villains—that's the utopia heroes always wanted, right?"

"Th-that's true, but..."

Pure justice without direction is more dangerous than pitch-black evil. Power not for protection, but to wield power itself. Born without even a knife hilt to grasp, her arrogance made my blood boil.

"Sigh... You seriously gonna be satisfied with one last hurrah and sign the retirement papers clean?"

"Uh... Probably?"

"Nope. Thanks for coming. See yourself out."

"N-no! For real! One more takedown, and I'll retire without regrets! Promise!"

"Sigh, fine. I wasn't planning to pull this stunt again..."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Actual villain emergence: 0%. Rephrase that, and it means fake villains still pop up in the shadows somehow. Block supply, demand overflows—market floods with knockoffs.

"Ever heard of Villain Proxy?"

"Villain... proxy...?"

"Yeah. For folks who wanna keep LARPing as heroes despite villains going extinct. Someone gets paid to play the villain, then gets neatly beaten by the client hero. Like a giant WWE show?"

"Aha! No clue what you mean!"

Ugh, can't even headbonk her with those horns. For real.

"Simple terms: adults paying to play pretend like kids."

"Aha, I know pretend play! Sounds fun?"

Her vertical pupils sparkled like a kid with a new toy.

That happy over it?

"So! Who plays the villain?"

"They hire usually. Lots post on sites like Hero Jobs. Need a hero license or industry cert to even view it—normies don't know."

"Oho! This body knows that! It's on my phone right now!"

"Yeah, figures. So normally, you post a request on the board, find a matching proxy..."

Before I finished, Red Wing whipped out the latest smartphone from her pocket—papapapak!—and hammered the screen with speedy fingers.

Doesn't know mandatory education but handles phones fine. Infuriating.

"Excuse me, client. Hear me out first."

"Found one!"

"Pardon?"

"Matched! With a villain proxy within 1km of here!"

"No need for th—"

"Let's go meet 'em! Flying there takes seconds!"

Red Wing grabbed my hand, face lit with excitement. She barely tugged, but my arm nearly ripped off.

"Wait, hold o—!!"

The cozy office blurred past at lightning speed. And then...

—Fwoooosh!

A fierce gust hit as Seoul's vast skyline filled my view.

"L-let go of me, you crazy woman!!!"