The Feeling of the Subordinate

Let’s imagine you’ve been in a horrific car accident. You were just going about your day as usual, mindlessly scrolling through your phone, when suddenly your body was violently jolted and your vision flashed white. That was the last thing you remembered. When you opened your eyes, your throat felt like it was burning, your eyelids were so heavy from the stitches that you could barely lift them, and an indescribable pain engulfed your entire body. And your legs were gone. A part of your body that had been perfectly fine just moments ago was missing. You could no longer walk as you once did. You could no longer lead a normal life. That terrifying realization, that collapse of the mind, overwhelmed the physical pain. How could one even express that sense of loss? Who could possibly understand?

But if there was an even more serious problem in this case, perhaps it was the fact that no one knew what she had truly lost. Due to the explosion, everyone at the scene except for Yoo Chae-mi had died. She had survived only because she had been kidnapped and was lying down in the backseat, which had lessened the impact of the blast. Of course, she had still been five minutes away from death. Yoo Chae-mi underwent emergency surgery, and thanks to the best medical technology available, she returned to her original self a week later without a single scar. The people around her, who had been worried sick, were all relieved and celebrated her miraculous survival. But only one person knew that something had been lost. Something far too important.

Ellie was dead. The cause of death was likely shock. She hadn't been able to withstand the agony and had vanished along with her consciousness. Lena, who hadn't been able to find her, had acted like a madwoman for days after waking up. For the next few days, she had been a hollow shell, staring blankly into space. And then, she began to feel hatred enveloping her.

“...Those hero bastards.”

The kidnappers were nothing more than a handful of ash. They hadn't posed any threat to her. If it hadn't been for the heroes. If only that bastard hadn't been there. Heroes were always like that. People who flaunted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their abilities, made massive amounts of money through fame, and sought to feel superior. The only difference between them and villains was whether they were inside or outside the law. But there was no one left to blame. The punks who had kidnapped her had no backers, and that hero was just an individual who hadn't even debuted yet. Everyone was dead, so there was no one left to take responsibility.

“...‘Become hard.’”

Lena commanded her own fingertips. Her skin instantly hardened to a degree that made titanium look like paper. If only she could have said those words a little sooner. The flow of her thoughts continued. By the time she felt regret, and regret, and even deeper regret:

“Ms. Yoo Chae-mi, you’ve been cleared for discharge.”

She saw the face of a nurse smiling brightly as she delivered the news. Hearing that name, she realized. From the beginning, she hadn't been Yoo Chae-mi. That was Ellie’s name. She was merely a fragment of a Word Spirit. The control of consciousness had been Ellie’s from the start. She had only been able to see the world because Ellie had allowed it. This body, this knowledge—it had all been Ellie’s from the beginning. No, it had been Yoo Chae-mi’s.

If I am merely an ability called Word Spirit, then it stands to reason that I should use that Word Spirit to put everything back in its place. Lena began to accelerate. She honed her intellect even more sharply. To obtain El Corporation as Yoo Chae-mi had wished, she threw herself into the family’s power struggle. To mobilize every possible means, she founded the Divine Tree and seized control of the underworld. She carefully preserved her body, keeping it in peak condition. Because this body, which was not her own, had to be returned to Yoo Chae-mi someday. She never skipped training to strengthen her Word Spirit. The range of her influence was limited to physical laws. But she believed. If she became stronger, and stronger, and stronger. Someday.

‘Come back to life.’

Even that Word Spirit, which infringed upon the authority of God, would become reality. The strengthening of her Word Spirit hit a wall. At some point, it stopped growing. That was why, as soon as she took the position of CEO of El Corporation, she initiated the Sky Lens Project. And that was why she despaired at its failure. Seeing the wretchedly mangled corpse of the tester before her, she lost hope. It was as if a warning had been delivered that those who challenge God receive divine punishment. No, it wouldn't have been a warning. Analyzing the tester’s corpse, she ultimately failed to discover what the substance that had transformed the body was, or what the cause had been. It was a state beyond even treatment. She had ruined the very body she was supposed to return to Yoo Chae-mi, and despite having the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ability, she couldn't resurrect her from her suffering. That was the ending she deserved.

The reason Lena could still stand as El-Lena was because she was entangled with this man. Georgius. No, Jung Ui-seok. The hateful hero had been betrayed, turned into a villain, and was now desiring her. ‘How truly ironic.’ They say that if a coincidence repeats, it becomes fate. She had to admit it. The moment his scythe touched her neck, she had already lost to him. Her petty pride had simply prevented her from saying those words aloud.

“I want to save Yoo Chae-mi.”

El-Lena, without even thinking to hold onto the fighting spirit slipping out of her body, finally spoke the name. Yoo Chae-mi wanting to save Yoo Chae-mi—there could be no greater riddle than this. It would be normal to assume she was playing with words. However, Jung Ui-seok stroked his chin, appearing lost in serious thought.

“Yoo Chae-mi, Word Spirit. Twins... no. If it’s a matter of physical conditions. I see. You had a personality that was the original owner of the body, El-Lena.”

Jung Ui-seok deduced the answer in an instant. El-Lena let out a hollow laugh. What on earth is this man? What is he?

“Is that the answer? Reviving a lost personality. I’ll have to interfere with the concept of the mind. Mental Manipulation Liberation. I’ll have to raise my level quite a bit to reach that stage. It will take time, but it’s possible.”

Possible. The moment she heard those four syllables, a glint flashed in El-Lena’s eyes.

“Become my comrade, El-Lena. Then your wish will be granted.”

Jung Ui-seok held out his hand to El-Lena. She stared at it blankly.

“However.” Jung Ui-seok added. “We villains value betrayal over faith, and contracts over loyalty. Since you’ll betray me once you achieve your goal, I’ll put one more collar on you before then.”

Seeing that beast-like expression and hearing that cold voice, El-Lena understood for the first time in her life. The feeling of the subordinate. The stinging sensation tightening around her throat.

“If you understand, take it.”

It felt as if a dog collar had already been fastened and was tightening. The fantasy of that leash being held in Jung Ui-seok’s hand shimmered before her eyes.

“...‘I cancel it.’”

El-Lena declared. At the same time, her stiffened Dark Matter body began to move again. She released all the Word Spirits she had cast during the battle.

“Geo.” El-Lena said, slowly raising her right hand. “Put on as many as you like. The moment they are undone, I will bite you to death.”

Jung Ui-seok raised the corners of his mouth, as if he liked the answer. El-Lena finally took Jung Ui-seok’s hand. She added one last sentence.

“...From now on, call me Lena.”

“Good. The new switch sample, not bad.” Shin Yu-kyung wore a satisfied smile. The training ground. Both Shin Yu-kyung and Kang Ye-rin had become quite strong very quickly. They were already S-class heroes, yet they knew no limits. Watching them, Ji Se-hwa felt a bit of impatience. Her own growth was slow. Of course, it was better than Choi Min-seo, who wasn't here, but—

‘...I don't even need this kind of thing in the first place.’

She was still confused. The reason she had become a hero in the first place was for a stable life. It was an opportunity to quit her tiresome punk life and get a stable job. She hadn't believed everything Jung Ui-seok said about S-class talent or whatever. She had never been interested in justice, peace, or the safety of citizens from the start. If expressed by inclination, Ji Se-hwa was closer to Chaotic/Neutral. If a villain organization had scouted her before Jung Ui-seok, she would have become a villain without hesitation. It was just that Jung Ui-seok had taught her that peace must be protected, so she had come to think that must be right. She had no convictions. Others were not prioritized over her own safety. But as she did it, she became increasingly greedy. Seeing her bank balance pile up, she felt a desire for a little more, a little more. The more the numbers grew, the more at ease she felt. She didn't realize that there was no limit to those numbers. She still didn't know that the amount of wealth that had to be sacrificed for a false sense of security was infinite.

‘What should I do about that bastard Jung Ui-seok?’

She still hadn't made up her mind. She had judged Jung Ui-seok to be an enemy, acted hostile, and even tried to kill him. But she had learned that the Association President had deceived her when she made that decisive judgment. If that hadn't been the case. Even if her relationship with Jung Ui-seok remained bad, it might not have escalated so extremely. Then perhaps, wasn't the relationship between her and Jung Ui-seok not what it seemed when they first met? At that time, Jung Ui-seok had taught "good" and "justice" to her, who had unclear values. She hadn't realized it, but Jung Ui-seok had played the role of a father to Ji Se-hwa. If she acted like a hero even now, wouldn't Jung Ui-seok recognize it? That expectation remained in Ji Se-hwa’s heart. The current situation was that she couldn't manage those ambivalent feelings, nor could she make up her mind, so she couldn't even focus on training. Of course, no matter what she did now, there was no way Jung Ui-seok would recognize it. Kang Ye-rin was aware of that fact and was racking her brain for a different approach, but Ji Se-hwa’s level of thinking hadn't even reached that point.

“I feel like my ability has evolved,” Kang Ye-rin said, clenching and unclenching her fist.

“Evolved?”

“Yes. Before, it was just decelerating time inside the sphere.”

Shin Yu-kyung threw a shuriken at Kang Ye-rin. Kang Ye-rin used her ability. As the shuriken entered the sphere that had formed around her, its movement stopped dead.

“This is... did time stop?”

“The duration isn't long, though.” Kang Ye-rin caught the stopped shuriken and returned it to Shin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yu-kyung.

“That’s amazing. If you drag them into close-quarters combat, it’ll be significant.”

The atmosphere between Kang Ye-rin and Shin Yu-kyung was good. Watching them, Ji Se-hwa clicked her tongue for no reason. Just then, the three people’s transformation devices rang.

“This is!”

“It’s a dispatch request. The Galactic Empire has been invading recently, but not to the extent that we were needed.”

Ji Se-hwa also checked the contents. And she furrowed her brows.

“Executive level...! Let’s move, quickly!”

At Kang Ye-rin’s command, Shin Yu-kyung and Ji Se-hwa nodded.

“Cancer’s ability range is a 500-meter radius. It’s a dome shape with a diameter of 1 kilometer.” Lua reported to me. We were looking down at the scene from an airship using optical camouflage. It was Yeouido.

“Geo, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dragon King Squadron has arrived.”

“Confirmed.”

If an executive-level threat appears, they’re bound to show up. I think it will be a good stage.

“It’s a narrower airship than it looks. Geo, how long do I have to wait?” A complaining voice came from behind me. Her attire was the usual white uniform, but red embroidery was stitched onto it.

Currently, Lena is a member of Squadron Vengeance and is receiving my buff effect.

“Wait just a little longer. Shouldn't we watch how incompetent the Dragon King Squadron is?”

I calmed her down with those words. Let the curtain rise. It is the first step toward villains ruling the world.