This Beast... ♡!! (4)
Incheon International Airport had always been the largest in Korea—before unification, after unification, before the Hero Era, and after it. Its prime location next to one of Northeast Asia’s premier economic hubs, its clean layout, its reasonable service, and its excellent amenities made it an ideal final destination or layover point. As a result, the airport was perpetually packed, weekdays and holidays alike. But today…
“Hey, stop pushing!”
“Gyuki! Gyuki! Look over here!”
“Security! Do not cross the line!”
The usual congestion had been cranked up to pure pandemonium. The kind of frenzy normally reserved for a global star’s visit or a G20 summit. What fueled the chaos even more than the arrival of an S-class hero was the fact that this particular S-class hero came from Japan—Korea’s eternal rival, whether anyone liked it or not.
Japan. The country that had exploited Korea economically, physically, militarily, and diplomatically from pre-modern times through modernization and into the present. Even though relations had become relatively stable and Korea held a clear lead in producing heroes, the deep-seated rivalry still lingered in the Korean psyche. It would probably remain until the day the nation fell.
And now that country had dispatched an S-class hero. A brand-new one, at that. A single lip-service comment from him could generate a year’s worth of patriotic news. If he ever naturalized, it would be decades of national pride distilled into one glorious cup. After all, S-class heroes were rarer than nuclear warheads, more powerful than nuclear warheads, and just as strategically secretive—an asymmetric force of unmatched value.
“Mm. I would like to thank everyone who came to see me. I’m overwhelmed by your warm—no, your passionate support!”
The bull-headed giant towered above the sea of reporters like a Babel tower rising from a forest. His golden mane swayed as he flashed a perfect smile—for a cow. Camera flashes erupted in a storm. After bathing in the light, he continued.
“I have come here to put an end to the frequent international-scale terrorism and the growing anxiety of citizens. Japan and Korea are brother nations. I stand here today with the firm belief that together we can overcome any external oppression!”
Gyuki spoke fluently, staring straight into the cameras. Japanese officials who knew his true nature stood with their mouths agape, staring in stunned silence. On the surface, however, he was the perfect archetype of a hero.
It was the rhetoric of a politician. At that moment, citizens from both nations—anti-Japanese, pro-Japanese, anti-Korean, pro-Korean—were all cheering as one. They say superstars drive both fans and haters insane. An S-class hero, rarer than a nuke, more expensive than a nuke, and just as precious, had just delivered a passionate “declaration of peace.” In this moment, he was driving every fan and hater in both countries completely mad.
After all, heroes were celebrities, and S-class heroes were superstars.
Black Lotus crunched loudly on a nacho, eyes glued to the TV.
“…That’s not true, Akiko. He spoke pretty well just now.”
“He only speaks well when he’s trying to seduce women.”
“Maybe he’s trying to seduce one right now.”
Maybe. Perhaps one of the female reporters was his type. Black Lotus shook her head slowly as she watched Gyuki being interviewed on screen.
“What a disgusting bastard. When he returns home, I’ll have to cut his throat.”
“You can’t do that, Akiko. Hold back. Don’t lose to the black dragon on your left hand!”
“Pfft. Black dragon my ass. You really want to die, husband?”
Meanwhile, far from the frenzied patriotic atmosphere at home, Botal Rabbit lay with her head on Iron Colossus’s thick thigh, munching snacks while watching the same broadcast.
“Wow, Colossus. Look at him go. He’s really good at talking.”
“Mm.”
“He’s a physical type too, right? Just looking at him you’d think so. Did he actually memorize the whole script? He looks so dumb.”
The assumption that physical types were stupid was a prejudice, but appearances mattered. Who would expect ‘intelligence’ or ‘logic’ from a giant with a bull’s head? Even his personal fan club probably didn’t expect it.
Botal Rabbit watched him for a moment, lost in thought. What if Iron Colossus had been standing there instead, surrounded by foreign reporters?
—Iron Colossus, sir! Just one comment on your impressions of our country!
—Mm.
She couldn’t picture anything beyond that. He would just nod curtly, finish the interview, carry out his original mission, wrap everything up in a single day, and fly home. Yeah… even she had to admit this rock-headed man wasn’t exactly the ideal image for elevating national prestige. He was simply a lovable man. And that was more than enough.
“Pfft.”
She lay on his thigh, kicking her legs lazily in the air, then suddenly burst into giggles.
“Now that I think about it, it’s hilarious. We already have seven S-class heroes. Why is everyone losing their minds over one more? If a villain really smuggled himself in, wouldn’t it be enough to just send the relevant data and issue a warning instead of dispatching a hero?”
Since the criminal extradition treaty didn’t apply to superhuman criminals, the country that caught them simply handled the matter. In rare cases where a bounty existed, they might hand the criminal over, but that was uncommon. Nations viewed high-grade superhuman prisoners as assets that strengthened their own power. America even fitted high-grade awakeners with bomb collars and forced them into hero teams.
It was another classic patriotic TV question. But Botal Rabbit’s ears perked up. There were only seven S-class heroes total, and public recognition from a foreign S-class was extremely rare.
“Yes!”
She thrust her fist into the air with a cheer, then immediately pulled out her phone and began tapping away furiously. Iron Colossus glanced over. She was mass-texting the other S-class heroes. The general tone was:
It felt like she was stacking up karmic debt in real time, but if it made her happy, that was all that mattered. Iron Colossus gave a blunt nod.
Gyuki’s interview ended successfully. The reporters on TV looked ecstatic at the mountain of headlines they’d just been handed, and YouTubers were probably scrambling to churn out patriotic videos.
One had already gone up. Iron Colossus gave a short nod and blocked the video.
While domestic public opinion boiled over with unexpected festival-like excitement, the Korean Hero Association remained ice-cold. There were many tasks—preparing protocols, arranging investigative cooperation—but one thing had to be confirmed first.
“Is the Oracle Institution still silent?”
“Yes, Mr. President. They say they still can’t see anything…”
“That’s… quite strange.”
Hero Association President. Chairman of the irregular council of Division 7. The foremost figure among Korea’s S-class heroes. Greywing. This mature hero in his late fifties pressed his fingers to his temples, deep in thought.
“A villain’s smuggling that the Oracle Institution failed to detect. And Japan noticed it first.”
“Correct.”
“It feels off, doesn’t it?”
The Oracle Institution boasted a 98% accuracy rate in future prediction. No other nation on Earth possessed a prophecy agency with that level of precision. Yet it had missed the smuggling of a red-listed villain. Even as Japan’s official announcement and the lightning-fast dispatch of an S-class hero unfolded at breakneck speed, the Institution had remained blind.
“If the villain simply passed through Korea without causing any trouble…” a researcher at the meeting table offered cautiously.
No matter how powerful the Oracle Institution was, it was not omnipotent. It could only predict large-scale events like terrorist attacks in advance. Small crimes, special villains like the “Eight Bomber,” or villains who simply lay low without committing any crimes often slipped through its prophecies. According to the data received about this smuggled villain, he was a Chinese A-class named Red Point—a flashy long-range terrorist who specialized in hit-and-run tactics. He did not possess any high-risk abilities like “prophecy evasion.”
In short, he was neither a petty criminal nor an international kingpin. A threat, but not one that could shake a nation. The kind of villain who would naturally avoid committing terror while being chased by S-class heroes. But if he had chosen to go into hiding within Korea now that all smuggling routes were frozen, a villain could not stay quiet forever. Once an A-class villain began causing chaos, the Oracle Institution would inevitably notice.
Yet right now the Institution was detecting nothing. Which meant—
“What if the villain himself is a bluff…?”
“Pardon?”
“This Red Point. What if the very information about his smuggling is fake?”
“But Mr. President, then why would Japan take the extreme step of dispatching an S-class hero?”
“That… is what we need to find out.”
They had gone so far as to risk leaking their own hero and engage in international investigative cooperation, all while running a bluff. It was a dangerous gamble.
“It was too fast.”
The terrorist incident at the Japanese Association had occurred only three days ago. Immediately afterward, every Japanese broadcaster simultaneously broke the news that a villain had smuggled himself out. The very next day, the dispatch of S-class hero Gyuki was confirmed. Considering Japan’s bureaucratic administrative system, that speed was abnormally swift.
“Call Botal Rabbit.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
Greywing stared at the TV screen where Gyuki was saying, “The hero I respect most is Botal Rabbit,” and sank into thought. If every word carried political intent, that statement was suspicious too. Why specifically name Botal Rabbit? Because she was a physical fighter? Because she was beast-type? Because she was simply strong and famous? Or was there something connected to Botal Rabbit that he wanted?
The fastest way to find out was to place the target he desired right beside him. In other words, assign her as his close support under the pretext of tight protection, then look for openings to extract information.
“Gather every piece of local intelligence related to Gyuki and send a cooperation request to the TSS team.”
“What about the HT team?”
“Isn’t that team basically just Iron Colossus aside from Botal Rabbit? Colossus isn’t a combat specialist, nor is he skilled in these political matters. There’s no need to send them a separate official letter.”
And so Iron Colossus was quietly removed from the case. After Botal Rabbit was appointed as Gyuki’s supporting partner, the bombshell news of international investigative cooperation between S-class heroes swept across the entire nation.