Money Tends to Follow (7): The Versus Debate
Who wins in a fight between a lion and a tiger?
Who wins between an ordinary man with a dagger and an ordinary man with a baseball bat?
What about a top-tier martial artist versus a professional baseball player armed with a bat?
Since ancient times, the "versus debate" has been one of those topics that never fails to get people's blood pumping. It is childish, yes, but it appeals directly to human instinct. And the community forum used by players of Hisisi was packed with people who lived entirely by those instincts.
An arena of armchair experts, arguing with veins popping in their necks over countless variables like terrain, weather, compatibility, and mental state. Kang Jin-ho was one of the veterans who had survived in that battlefield for a very long time.
He hadn't focused solely on "combat mechanics," so he didn't know every single microscopic detail, but he had a clear grasp of the general information.
And now, back to the present.
Thwack! Crack!
"Urgh..."
Marionette stumbled backward, staring down at her torn dress, while Inspector Mieru calmly wiped the blood from his knuckles with a handkerchief.
"Whew. Got blood on me. Filthy."
One was panting heavily, while the other was leisurely grooming himself. It was glaringly obvious who held the upper hand.
Inspector Mieru, an information-type esper, and Marionette, a brainwashing-type esper. Since neither belonged to a combat class, an ordinary observer might not know who would win.
But I do.
This uncertainty did not apply to Kang Jin-ho, a veteran player of Hisisi. He had a solid grasp of the relative strength of every hero and villain in the city.
Marionette? She possessed an excellent ability and knew how to utilize it effectively... but her physical capabilities were, at best, on par with an ordinary athletic medalist.
On the other hand, what about Inspector Mieru? He had never neglected his physical training during his career, and as a police officer, he held high-ranking belts in judo and jiu-jitsu.
Marionette found it difficult to maintain physical contact for more than ten seconds in this state, and Inspector Mieru's emotional reading wasn't particularly useful in a direct brawl. With both sides unable to leverage their abilities for combat, the outcome would be decided by pure physical performance.
If it comes down to a physical struggle, Inspector Mieru wins every single time.
Knowing this, Kang Jin-ho had confidently walked in here without calling for backup.
"Damn it, damn it!!"
Marionette's face turned pale. Even if she wanted to flee, Inspector Mieru was blocking the stairs—the only exit—and in close-quarters combat, she was simply no match for him.
To begin with, Marionette was not a direct fighter. Her usual caution when executing plans, and her habit of choosing only weak heroes or ordinary citizens to play with, all stemmed from her weakness in direct combat.
I must have been out of my mind, crawling out here myself!
Marionette regretted her decision. Normally, she would have watched the situation unfold from a distance and spoken the trigger word over a walkie-talkie or radio. But today, she had wanted to witness the thrilling sight of the police department's ace tearing the genius rookie to pieces with his own hands.
That malicious desire had created a fatal opening, leading to her current crisis.
Winning... is impossible. I have to escape.
Marionette assessed the situation coldly. Defeating Inspector Mieru was out of the question. Maintaining contact for ten seconds to trigger her brainwashing was also impossible. Her best bet was to escape, but Inspector Mieru was clearly guarding against any attempt to flee.
...A hostage.
Her eyes stealthily darted toward Kang Jin-ho. Inspector Mieru was an esper, but that patrol officer was supposed to be an ordinary human, right...?
"Where do you think you're looking!"
Thud!
"Kh...!"
Taking advantage of her distraction, Inspector Mieru lunged forward and delivered a swift kick. Marionette barely managed to block it, but she couldn't prevent her blocking arm from going numb.
Shouldn't he have won by now?
Meanwhile, Kang Jin-ho was watching the fight with a growing sense of unease. Based on the data he had accumulated while playing Hisisi, Inspector Mieru should have wrapped this up by now. Yet, while the inspector clearly held the advantage, the fight was dragging on. He should have won already; why couldn't he land the finishing blow?
Of course, Kang Jin-ho had made one crucial mistake here.
The "Inspector Mieru" in Jin-ho's memory was based on the character after Jin-ho had put him through the ringer in the game, allowing him to grow significantly. Conversely, because Jin-ho had always arrested Marionette during the very first incident once he became a veteran player, his memory of her was based on her weakest, completely un-leveled state.
Comparing Inspector Mieru at his peak to Marionette at her lowest, combined with the inspector's focus on preventing her escape, naturally caused the fight to drag out.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Marionette wildly swung a dagger she had kept hidden beneath her dress. Inspector Mieru managed to react and dodge, but he was forced to take a large step back.
A brief opening was created. Inspector Mieru took a defensive stance, keeping his eyes on the stairs to block her escape route, but...
"Get over here!!!"
With her eyes wide and crazed, Marionette brandished her blade and lunged toward Kang Jin-ho, who was hiding in the distance!
While Marionette's physical abilities were considered weak for an esper, that was only when compared to other espers. She charged forward at a speed an ordinary human could never match, swinging her dagger in a wide arc toward Kang Jin-ho!
"...!"
"No!"
The world seemed to slow down. Inspector Mieru was sprinting toward them too late, and Marionette was swinging her blade with a manic grin. Kang Jin-ho tried to move his body to react, but he was too slow. The gap in physical specs was simply too vast.
...I should have stayed further back. I messed up.
As Jin-ho lamented his mistake, watching the blade hurtle toward his chest—
Ping!
A message window flashed before his eyes.
Calculations have been completed.
For the temporary defeat of the 1st-class villain Black Flame, you are awarded 100,000 Karma.
Whoosh!
At that exact moment, Kang Jin-ho took a precise half-step back, effortlessly dodging the swinging blade.
Crack!
"Cough..."
Pivoting on his heel, he channeled the centrifugal force into a brutal counter punch, burying his fist deep into Marionette's solar plexus. Hit squarely in her vital spot, Marionette's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed instantly, unconscious.
It was an unbelievably clean and rapid response for something done purely on instinct. It was a level of physical prowess that was impossible to believe came from an ordinary human.
"...Officer Kang?"
Inspector Mieru, who had been sprinting toward them, skidded to a halt, his mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief.
"...What was that? Just now?"
Indeed, he had dodged the attack and delivered a knockout punch with a speed and power that defied belief for an ordinary human. Even if Inspector Mieru were asked to replicate that exact movement, he wasn't sure he could pull it off on the first try.
To put it bluntly, that was a maneuver impossible for anyone who wasn't an esper.
"...Did you say you were going to get an esper evaluation soon?"
"...Yes."
"...You should go get tested as soon as possible. It is illegal to knowingly delay an evaluation after awakening an ability."
Inspector Mieru let out a deep sigh as he spoke. What had he said to Jin-ho when they first met? That he was the only "real" esper here? If he could take those words back, he would have swallowed them in a heartbeat.
At this point, the only thing Inspector Mieru could confidently say he had over Kang Jin-ho was his rank.
Leaving the handcuffed and unconscious Marionette behind, Inspector Mieru finished a phone call and turned to Jin-ho.
"I've requested backup. The rest of the team will be here shortly."
"Understood. Thank you."
Kang Jin-ho replied, but his mind was in absolute chaos.
Just moments ago, he had had no way to dodge that incoming blade. He had been completely helpless, staring at the weapon aimed at his chest.
...But I dodged it.
He had dodged an unavoidable attack. He had struck an unreachable enemy. As the one who had experienced it, Jin-ho felt it more clearly than anyone else: the moment that message window appeared, his physical state had undergone a monumental transformation.
Does gaining Karma gradually improve my physical abilities...?
He had received a massive lump sum of 100,000 Karma for defeating Black Flame. Until now, he had only received small amounts of Karma in increments, so he hadn't noticed, but it seemed his physical stats scaled directly with his accumulated Karma.
...But will this register as an esper ability?
Jin-ho's biggest concern right now was whether his Karma and status window would be classified as an "esper ability" during an official evaluation. Getting stronger and improving his combat capabilities? That was fantastic. It was exactly what he wanted. In a city teeming with villains, he absolutely needed the martial power to protect himself.
The problem, however, would arise if the evaluation deemed him "powerless."
Right now, Jin-ho's physical condition was at the absolute peak of human limits—essentially on par with a professional athlete. But how could someone who had been a perfectly ordinary, average young man suddenly possess the body of an elite athlete... without being an esper?
Lately, he had been recklessly exploiting his game knowledge to solve cases without any restraint. If he turned out to be powerless, it would be incredibly suspicious.
So suspicious, in fact, that Eun-young would "become curious."
Just thinking about Eun-young sent a shiver down his spine. This half-constructed building was pitch-black. It wouldn't even be surprising if she was watching him right this second.
"...Is it possible to bribe an evaluator to get certified as an esper?"
"Pardon? What did you say?"
"Nothing..."
As Jin-ho let out a heavy sigh—
"Heh... Hehehe..."
An eerie laughter echoed from behind them. Marionette had regained consciousness and was glaring up at them from the floor.
"You will regret this."
Her voice was a venomous mix of rage and humiliation.
"Do you have any idea who is backing me? You couldn't even begin to imagine. I'm sure you've heard of Director Baek?"
"...Director Baek? Isn't that just an urban legend?" Inspector Mieru asked, his expression hardening.
Director Baek. A legendary figure whispered about in the underworld of Light City—a "villain consultant" and a criminal mastermind. Rumor had it that even the most incompetent villain could evade the heroes and secure a perfect alibi if they received his counsel.
However, Director Baek had never been officially registered in the Hero Association's database because no one had ever managed to catch a glimpse of him.
That was why Inspector Mieru had dismissed him as a mere urban legend.
"You are going to die. You won't even know why you're dying!" Marionette shrieked, drool dripping from her mouth. "He will avenge me. He will return this humiliation a thousandfold, and destroy you both in the most agonizing way possible!!!"
Her venomous curse echoed through the empty construction site.
An invisible, mastermind genius actually existed? Inspector Mieru swallowed hard, momentarily overwhelmed by the weight of her words.
But Officer Kang... is deep in thought.
Glancing sideways, Mieru noticed that Jin-ho showed no signs of fear. Instead, he looked incredibly grave, as if weighing a heavy dilemma.
To Mieru, who could read emotions, this reaction was highly unexpected. Shouldn't he feel at least a sliver of fear or apprehension?
Instead, Jin-ho was calmly analyzing the situation. He was likely already calculating how to deal with Director Baek. Even though he had only just learned of this mysterious threat, he was already seriously contemplating how to defeat him.
...He truly is on a different level.
While Inspector Mieru was marveling at Jin-ho's extraordinary mindset, Jin-ho was indeed wrestling with a highly serious dilemma.
It had absolutely nothing to do with Director Baek, though.
...What on earth am I going to say to Eun-young?
If Eun-young asked how he had managed to guess that the trigger word was "Orgel," what excuse could he possibly give her?