Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Shall We See the Face of That Great Trickster?
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A franchise fast-food joint in downtown S City.
Thanks to its spot in the bustling district, customers streamed in and out constantly. As a chain, it guaranteed a decent burger every time.
"Mm."
Skinny-fit blue jeans, a pitch-black crop top, a small sheer cardigan draping her shoulders, and round glasses to top it off.
A woman with a fresh fashion sense and bewitching beauty sat quietly in one corner of the shop, sipping her cola.
Chae-ryeong, one of the Dark Knights' top executives—the "Four Knights"—and wielder of the supernatural ability "Doppelganger."
She had slipped away from the café swarming with agents trying to arrest her, using her ability. Now, before heading to another hideout, she was quenching her thirst.
'It was a nice little spot I fixed up... Guess I can't go back now.'
The café she'd just left had been her casual side project, doubling as a backup hideout for any emergencies with the organization.
'Where the hell are the others...?'
Unlike the other Four Knights executives, who had been operating in different areas right up until the raid, Chae-ryeong had stayed at the hideout attending to Leader Kaiser.
Just before the Hero Union's ambush hit, she had abandoned the hideout with Kaiser and holed up at the café.
Over the past few days at the café, using her clones to gather intel, Chae-ryeong had realized the encirclement was tightening. She was fully prepared to move to another safe house.
'Phew... Good thing I got Kaiser to evacuate first.'
Sensing the Hero Union and agents closing in, Chae-ryeong had moved Kaiser ahead of time to an organization-owned villa on the outskirts of S City, a few days prior.
And so, today's capture operation launched—with Ice Queen Seol Lu-mi, Ignition Yoon Do-hwa, and dozens of Hero Union agents in tow.
She had planned to escape via smoke grenades from pre-installed dispensers and the back door, but the agents stationed around the café building spotted her.
Yet her supernatural ability "Doppelganger" wasn't just simple clone creation.
She could make up to three clones that shared all five senses—sight, smell, and more. She could even swap positions with them.
When the real body was in danger, she swapped places with a clone prepositioned elsewhere.
That's why she let the agents "capture" her—it enabled a ninja-like body-swap tactic.
'I've got one clone in that villa right now with him... Guess I should head there.'
Chae-ryeong finished her cola and stepped out of the burger joint. She tried to swap positions with the clone she'd placed at the villa where Leader Kaiser was staying.
'...Huh? W-What's this? That's not right...'
Chae-ryeong panicked as the swap failed—but the failure to swap wasn't the real issue.
The clone that should have been inside the villa with Kaiser was completely gone.
'Why is my clone suddenly gone...? I placed it right there...'
- Clap!
The trigger for activating her "Doppelganger" was a simple clap.
She could always head back to the villa from here, but the inexplicable disappearance of her perfectly made clone felt off.
Yet her claps echoed emptily down the street, over and over. No clones appeared—not even anyone who vaguely resembled one.
'What's going on...? Did the Union do something to me while I wasn't looking? No, that can't be...'
Contrary to Chae-ryeong's flustered thoughts, the Hero Union had no game-changing tech to suppress supernatural abilities.
The Hero Union had poured astronomical sums into researching supernatural abilities, enlisting countless ability users and researchers for decades of relentless study.
Fundamental questions like how humanity acquired these powers, what varieties existed in the world.
Efforts to control them, even create artificial ones.
But the Union and other research groups had uncovered next to nothing about the secrets of supernatural abilities.
They could only pinpoint when these powers first emerged in humanity and catalog their endless varieties.
If the Union had such convenient tech from the start, subduing villains like Chae-ryeong wouldn't have been such a hassle.
'Never had this happen before... I need to get to the villa.'
Putting aside her unease, Chae-ryeong decided to head for the villa where Leader Kaiser was holed up. She started scanning the street for a taxi.
- Vroom!
It didn't take long. An empty taxi soon rolled up and stopped in front of her.
- Click.
"Whoa there! Where can I drop you off, miss?"
The kindly looking cab driver asked for her destination.
'The villa's in a quiet spot near the highway into B City from S City... I'll say B City Airport nearby.'
"To the back gate of Seonnam University, please."
"Seonnam University back gate? Ah, you're a college student, huh? Haha! I'll get you there in a flash!"
Chae-ryeong started to say B City Airport but caught herself and gave the back gate of Seonnam University in downtown S City instead.
'W...What's wrong? My mouth's not doing what I want.'
Her ability not working was unsettling enough, suffocating even. Now her words weren't coming out right either.
'Something's off. I tried telling the driver to go somewhere else... but my mouth wouldn't move.'
As if cursed to silence, Chae-ryeong could only grimace, unable to speak.
"Miss? You okay? Feeling stuffy? Want me to crack a window?"
The driver, spotting her furrowed brow in the rearview, figured she looked uncomfortable.
"Ah! No, I'm fine. Just lost in thought for a sec..."
She desperately wanted to demand he take her elsewhere—or just pull over right now.
But for all her efforts to force the words out, the taxi arrived mercilessly fast at Seonnam University's back gate.
"Here we are."
"Keep the change..."
Chae-ryeong hurriedly shoved a 10,000-won bill at the driver, flung open the door, and stepped out in front of the university's back gate.
"Seonnam University... The Hero Union HQ's nearby. This is dangerous..."
It was about a 30-minute drive from Seonnam University to the Hero Union headquarters.
Lingering here too long could get her nabbed again by Heroes or agents hell-bent on hunting down Dark Knights executives like her.
"Gotta grab another cab quick and head to the airport...! My feet!"
Besides the Union HQ, another notable spot near Seonnam was the base of the villain "Dominator," who commanded two A-Rank Heroes as his slaves.
The villain group Utopia's hideout was close by.
"Gah...?! No...! Why are my feet moving on their own?!"
'My mouth earlier... My body's not listening at all...!'
It wasn't just that her body wasn't responding to her thoughts.
It felt like someone else was forcibly controlling her movements. Chae-ryeong had lost authority over her own body.
One step.
Another step.
After trudging for over ten minutes, she arrived at a commercial building. Chae-ryeong halted in front of a building she'd never seen before.
"Where is this...?"
Her feet, now stopped, pivoted toward the building's stairs and pushed open the large glass door, heading underground.
'What the hell is down here that my body's dragging me all the way...?'
The entrance to the basement level had no signage or nameplate—just a plain door handle and a household-style digital lock.
- Beep beep... Ding!
As if expecting her, the lock chimed cheerfully.
- Creeeak.
A woman in her birthday suit—pale skin fully exposed—wearing crisp white leggings and an apron, topped with a headpiece over her purple hair.
The cute stranger bowed her head, greeting Chae-ryeong with a smile.
"You've arrived. The Master is waiting for you."
"M-Master? Who are you? Why are you here in a place like..."
This woman, dressed in some lewd cosplay, beamed and ushered her inside, saying "the Master" was waiting.
'What is this place...? Why am I being drawn here?'
Chae-ryeong tried to calm her growing anxiety, but she couldn't fathom why her body had led her here.
Even as she followed the maid-cosplayed woman, she glanced around, trying to scope out the place.
'Looks like a fancy office inside... or maybe a cocktail bar.'
Passing the dimly lit entrance revealed plush sofas and a sleek bar table.
"Hey there."
A man lounging on the sofa waved at Chae-ryeong.
"Finally meeting you face-to-face. Dark Knights executive 'Trickster.' Or should I say Chae-ryeong to get your attention?"