Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Interlude
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[Did anyone watch Deacon's broadcast yesterday?]
Dark Knight was fucking awesome
But the news says Bolt Man took him down lololol just ridiculous af rn
Recommend-8 Disrecommend-4
(Comments)-12
[For real lol Bolt Man just ate one hit and passed out, did jack shit]
[What about Deacon? And wasn't it Bolt Man who finished him?]
[Nah nah nah Dark Knight did it all. Bolt Man fought a bit at first then got hit and KO'd]
[Dark Knight at that level has gotta be S-rank right? And at this point shouldn't they recognize him as a hero lol?]
[What S-rank, he's barely A-grade at best. He won cuz mage vs assassin good matchup]
[^A-grade^ ^Bolt Man^ then why'd he get wrecked?]
[Just GOAT]
[So what's Deacon anyway]
[The guy on Black Streaming who streams hero-villain fights]
[Sigh if you don't know Black Streaming why even lurk on Hero forums?????]
[But he was badass af. K Pharma Villain seemed super strong but boom one-shot insta-gibbed~]
[There are full videos out dude why you capping lololol Hero Association is the most hated org]
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Seoul, some PC bang.
A girl with her hood pulled low over her face trembled.
Every time she read posts online about "Dark Knight," her head felt like it would explode from the delusions flooding her mind.
"Dark Knight-nim. I really want to meet you. Hnngh."
Her name was Yoon Mi-so.
She was an infamous ability criminal known by the moniker B-rank villain "Darkness Jumper."
"Darkness Jumper" was a psycho who got off on others suffering irrational pain.
An extremely dangerous figure who attacked heroes, civilians, and villains alike without discrimination.
That's how the world saw her.
The "Dark Knight" that Yoon Mi-so knew was a man who pursued justice.
He seemed so noble that she wanted nothing more than to drag him into the gutter.
She was curious.
Just how pure was "Dark Knight"?
Would he keep up his vigilante work steadfastly even if the people turned against him?
Crushing the goodwill people had toward "Dark Knight" utterly.
That was her first plan.
"Hehehe. Just imagining it is too good. Hnng. Hnnh."
Yoon Mi-so was already deliriously happy from the mere thought.
She savored this mental ecstasy alone in the empty PC bang.
Thud.
Her violent twitching had knocked the chair next to her, sending a corpse tumbling to the floor.
A man dead from multiple stab wounds.
The PC bang's epoxy floor was pooled with blood everywhere.
The part-timer was slumped half over the counter, spilling blood.
Near the kiosk, over a dozen people lay tangled in death.
What if a battle royale suddenly started in the PC bang where only one could survive?
That had been "Darkness Jumper's" little event just moments ago.
Of course, she'd told the winner she'd let them live before killing them anyway.
They'd barely escaped with their lives after she massacred everyone else thanks to the sudden villain attack.
But the look on their face when they realized they were just toys.
That was the happiness "Darkness Jumper" craved.
***
A lot had changed since that day.
First off, the laws on Awakeners had shifted dramatically.
[Owners of necromancy-related skills must wear electronic ankle monitors at all times and undergo mental evaluations at the Hero Association at least once a month... Government pushes forward ignoring concerns.]
Necromancy hatred had spiked because of Ma Bo-seong.
No one batted an eye at treating them like potential criminals.
[Heroes and Hunters now permitted to carry bladed weapons in everyday life; opposition party protests...]
With Gates reappearing worldwide, the old ban on carrying swords had been lifted.
Heroes could only carry weapons on dispatch before.
The logic was for immediate response to Gates that could pop up anywhere.
[Starting this year, Hero Academy curriculum adds Hunter-related courses; academy student council protesting...]
Hero Academy had originally been a Hunter academy.
It just changed names when Gates stopped appearing, so teaching Hunter knowledge again wasn't weird.
The students had changed a lot too.
The damage from the "K Pharma Villain" attack had been severe.
1 teacher dead.
23 students dead.
12 students with irreversible injuries.
Plus the "Gigantic Ancient Forest" incident.
Worst casualties in academy history.
So the academy took drastic measures.
Since it was early semester, they mass-admitted waitlisted students.
New faces filled the spots of the missing ones.
After end-of-day homeroom, the homeroom teacher called me aside.
He still looked like everything was a hassle.
"Do you know why I called you here alone?"
"No idea."
"We got a report that you assaulted another student."
My mind flashed to beating up that explosion guy a few days ago.
I played dumb for now.
"Must be some misunderstanding."
"Yeah, sure. Honestly, I don't care if you assault someone or even kill them. But starting tomorrow, I'm not Class B's homeroom anymore. Got fired cuz of the 'Gigantic Ancient Forest' shit."
"Oh... sorry to hear that."
The academy made the right call.
This guy as a teacher was kinda...
Teacher Song Si-yeol sighed and continued.
"I've ignored all reports about you so far. Too much hassle, and I like capable kids who don't need hand-holding. But the next teacher probably won't. Behave yourself."
"Got it. You looking out for me?"
"Yeah."
I bowed my head, and he yawned as he left.
'A report? That trash kid still hasn't learned his lesson huh.'
Wanted to go beat him right now, but since he was sneaky reporting behind my back, maybe not go straight at him.
I recalled today's schedule first.
Dinner meetup at a nearby restaurant.
Some friendship gathering hosted by Yang Min-seo.
Gotta get an apology from Yang Min-seo.
For having Ji So-yeon tail me.
Planned to bring it up there.
Headed to the restaurant, the meetup spot.
Pretty far, so arrived around 5 PM.
Lobster specialty buffet restaurant.
Entry $420 per person.
Weirdly charged in dollars.
As I tried to enter, a waiter blocked me.
He eyed my outfit up and down with a slight smirk.
"Terribly sorry, but all tables are reserved today."
"Huh?"
Something felt off.
'Yang Min-seo definitely said here.'
Checked my smartphone again.
Yep, right place.
"Any reservation under Yang Min-seo?"
The waiter shook his head without checking the list.
Blatant dismissal.
"Sorry, but if you keep this up outside the shop, it'll be trouble. Could call the cops for business obstruction. Important guests arriving soon."
"Your tone's kinda rude."
Annoyed.
Assuming I look like a pleb who can't afford fancy lobster?
Was about to show him what for.
Then Yang Min-seo appeared behind me.
With Ji So-yeon and Oh Ha-na in tow.
Put the attitude away.
Too embarrassing in front of people I know.
"Oh, you're already here."
"Yeah, perfect timing. They said a group reserved the whole place? Might need to go somewhere else."
Explained the situation.
"Is that so?"
Yang Min-seo stepped past me and asked.
"Should be under Yang Min-seo?"
The waiter sighed.
"Sigh. Sorry, but a group booked out the entire restaurant."
"That's us? Why not check the list? Get the manager."
His face went pale instantly.
Manager came quick, bowing to Yang Min-seo.
"Really! So sorry! Miss!"
Turns out this buffet chain was her uncle's.
She took the desperate apology from the middle-aged man like it was her dad and brushed it off no problem.
"Sigh, whatever. Train your staff better, and the event I mentioned before—it's ready right?"
"Of course. You'll get the best show."
We sat at the table.
Soon not just our group but familiar faces started arriving.
Class B students.
"What? You invited the whole class?"
"Not the whole... just the qualified ones."
Mostly C-grade and up, hardly any D-grades.
Decided to stuff myself with lobster.
Would grill her on the Ji So-yeon thing once the mood settled.
Killing the vibe from the start while freeloading felt wrong.
Mid-bite into the lobster's white flesh.
Suddenly the lights went out.
"What?"
"What's going on?"
Students murmured.
Then staff entered from the entrance with a huge cake.
Yang Min-seo stood up.
She spoke from the center of the restaurant.
"This dinner is to celebrate the birthday of our group member 'Shin Noda,' who one-shot Luna Bear and saved his classmates. Everyone, congratulate him!"
'What?'
I was stunned.
March 14th.
Now that I thought about it, yeah, it was Shin Noda's—my—birthday.
But I'm not her boyfriend or anything, why a surprise birthday party?
Feels off.
I gaped, mouth hanging open.
Others reacted differently.
"Wooo!"
"Shin Noda! Shin Noda!"
Cheers.
♪♬.
Soon it turned into the birthday song, everyone riding the vibe singing my name.
"Happy birthday~ Happy birthday~"
I felt equal parts embarrassed and touched.
Never thought I'd get a surprise like this at my age.
In the noisy excitement, Yang Min-seo leaned close and spoke.
"Sorry about having Ji So-yeon tail you. No bad intentions, just wanted to get closer..."
"What? Ji So-yeon told you?"
"Yeah. Even about the weird dungeon."
I rubbed my head.
How loose-lipped is she.
"Yeah, she's the shy type. So... this event as an apology?"
"Partially, but not just that. You deserve this praise. You're strong and righteous. The 'Gigantic Ancient Forest' story's all over school already? Newbie one-shot Luna Bear."
Too busy with other stuff to care about rumors.
'I'm famous now.'
Kinda impressive.
Yang Min-seo smiled softly and continued.
"Want a birthday gift? Anything you wish for?"
"Nah, this is more than enough. No need."
"It's fine. Was planning the dinner anyway. Don't hold back, tell me."
"It's okay... Wait, actually. Know a Park Sang-jin?"
She tilted her head thoughtfully, then asked carefully.
"Ah. The explosion ability student? Kept hitting on me so didn't invite him here..."
"That guy picked a fight telling me to leave your group, we had some trouble. Seems he's reporting me to the academy? Claiming assault. Can you do something with your influence?"
"Ah, got it. Makes sense if he came whining to me... I'll handle him."
Can't even hate the girl.
Sat back down and inhaled more lobster.