Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Association
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Korean Superhuman Ability Association.
A conference room with a clear view of Seoul.
The association chairman had, as always, sent out notices summoning all heroes ranked A-class or higher.
The 'Dark Knight' effect was tremendous.
Record-breaking attendance.
Meetings weren't mandatory, so turnout usually hovered around 30% at best. But this time, a whopping 80% showed up.
Heroes ranged from close friends to near-enemies, so the atmosphere wasn't great.
If there was one thing they all had in common amid their varied uniforms, it was their grim expressions.
All because of the Dark Knight's hero murders.
Villains killed heroes from time to time, but the Dark Knight—who they'd assumed drew a line somewhere—had crossed it, and that shocked them.
They weren't entirely hostile toward the Dark Knight.
Heroes were human too, and they knew irredeemable villains existed.
Some even appreciated how he scratched their itch.
Until he started killing heroes.
In recent days, the Dark Knight's actions had grown increasingly radical.
Hero murders and a detention center raid.
He had clearly crossed the line.
The association wasn't authoritarian—it was meritocratic.
It valued the opinions of the strongest heroes above all.
Today's meeting would decide the Dark Knight's fate.
The chairman sat at the head of the table.
Korea's first hero and association chairman, 'Mask Rider.'
He was a man in his thirties who had both arms replaced with prosthetics.
His youth wasn't a barrier to the chairmanship—his symbolism was.
Mask Rider was the first A-rank awakener to criticize and punish illegal hunter activities.
When he started, it was private vigilantism, much like the Dark Knight's.
The difference? He strictly adhered to a no-kill principle.
Soon, more awakeners joined his cause, and government recognition birthed the hero system.
"More of you showed up than I expected."
Mask Rider addressed the three S-rank heroes in Korea.
S-rank hero 'Invincible Under Heaven' Gu Jun-cheol.
A man with skills that reduced damage by up to 80% and vampiric damage absorption.
He had extensive experience as a hunter in the past.
This was his first meeting since the association's founding.
That spoke volumes about his interest in the Dark Knight.
Gu Jun-cheol met the chairman's eyes and gave a slight nod.
The A-rank lineup was dazzling too.
Led by 'Voltman' and 'Office Lady,' even the rarely seen 'Silver Tail' was there.
Nearly all A-rank heroes had gathered.
Voltman sneered at Silver Tail, whom he hadn't seen in ages.
"Tired of your celebrity gigs? What's this, actually doing hero work now~?"
"......"
Silver Tail glared at him with a stiff expression.
"Whoa, easy there. Don't hit me."
He barely did hero work yet basked in glory as Korea's first hero idol(?), so plenty of heroes despised him.
A nearby hero held Voltman back.
Whisper whisper.
He murmured into Voltman's ear.
"Hey, hey. Word is he's dating Medusa."
"What? Medusa? Ahem."
Voltman pretended not to hear and busied himself reading the pamphlet on his table.
It featured the Dark Knight's status window (estimated).
Insane stats.
Voltman had to nod. Only numbers like these explained how the Dark Knight beat that 'K Pharma Villain.'
The chairman clapped twice to refocus attention and began the meeting.
"You've all heard about Dark Knight murdering Medusa."
Crunch.
Silver Tail ground his teeth.
The cunning Hwang Ha-rin always played the innocent, sweet girl around Silver Tail.
So he believed all her charges were false.
The recordings? Born from Dark Knight's threats.
"That kind Ha-rin could never..."
Silver Tail tormented himself with guilt, wondering if he'd saved her by going to her that day.
The chairman spoke with a hardened face.
"Her past and crimes don't matter. Even if guilty, it's our job to expel her as a hero and let the law judge. Dark Knight killed a hero—that fact stands."
"Also, about the detention center raid..."
Mask Rider brought up a projection.
The facility burned to the ground.
Each cell held charred corpses curled like shrimp.
"Investigations point to a Dark Knight copycat. Too much evidence it only looked like him."
Invincible Under Heaven asked,
"How will the association respond?"
"We've coordinated with police, but we won't release full results. Just that innocents were among the victims. Public sympathy for Dark Knight is too strong. We need to temper it."
"You've changed."
"Does Invincible Under Heaven disagree...?"
"No. If that's the association's stance, I'll follow. No room for a Dark Knight type anymore."
Invincible Under Heaven saw echoes of the old chairman in Dark Knight.
He'd assumed the chairman would like him.
"Next, Dark Knight's identity. Refer to the documents before you. Estimated status window based on eyewitnesses and footage."
------------[Status Window]------------
◈ Name
Dark Knight
◈ Stats (Estimated)
[Strength A++]
[Agility S++]
[Intelligence S++] - Near-infinite skill use. Minimum S-rank mana pool.
[Luck ?]
[Overall A++]
◈ Skills (Estimated)
[Mist Form A++] - Body turns to mist (physical attacks nullified)
[Short-Range Teleport C] - No long-distance movement observed
[Fire Magic A++] - Blue flames incinerate foes instantly
[Info Block B] - Facial features, height, build unreadable even up close
These are estimates only and not precise.
Please keep this in mind.
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"Whoa..."
"Hmm..."
They murmured in quiet awe.
Before gates reappeared, dungeons were under guild and agency control.
All new awakener growth passed through their hands.
No structure for a sudden A-rank to emerge.
Dark Knight was an irregular.
"Ex-hunter maybe?"
Someone muttered, but Invincible Under Heaven shook his head.
"No top hunter like that."
The chairman stated firmly,
"Then he's a foreigner."
"Makes sense. We don't track foreign intel perfectly."
"Could be an overseas villain..."
Voltman countered,
"But he writes Korean on his Post-its."
"Anyone can learn Hangul in a week, even idiots. He studied."
The chairman moved on.
"The key issue: what to do about Dark Knight. Medusa's death is tragic, but known facts show she wasn't hero material. Normally we'd pursue killers full-force, but this case is murky."
Silver Tail bristled at 'not hero material' but stayed silent.
He was weak among A-ranks and slacked on hero work, so his voice carried little weight.
This was why Invincible Under Heaven came.
With many hunters retired and a power vacuum, he worried about strong gates.
"Gates are back. Global tensions are rising. Why not recruit him first? If the chairman agrees."
"Fine by me. Thoughts, everyone?"
No one else objected.
Hard to oppose when S-rank Invincible Under Heaven stepped up.
"Agreed."
"Agree."
"In favor."
"We follow the chairman's decision."
Only Silver Tail opposed.
"That bastard must be caught and face justice. How can you all take a criminal's word that Medusa was guilty? It was coerced!"
Office Lady replied politely.
"Zhang Seo-yoon's petrified corpse exists, and her accomplices confessed to crimes with Medusa. Killed by the fake Dark Knight, but still."
"No way. The body could be Dark Knight's fake, confessions bought..."
"Enough. I get you're grieving your lover, but facts are facts. Medusa tarnished hero honor."
Other heroes nodded.
Silver Tail swallowed his anger and sat.
Mask Rider announced the outcome.
"Then it's decided. Prioritize Dark Knight's capture, but if outmatched, attempt dialogue first. Official notices to agencies today."
A concession to Silver Tail.
With that, the chairman ended the meeting.