Chapter 247: Smile
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 247: Smile
"Nice to meet you, Smile. I was actually hoping to see you, so this works out great."
I continued the call while signaling Hornet.
At the mention of the name 'Smile,' Hornet looked over and quickly grabbed her smartphone to contact the police to trace the call.
As Elly leaned in close to listen, a creepy, voice-modulated tone came through the speaker.
"I guess you like school life? You seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit."
"That's right. So take your time getting caught. Let me enjoy it a little longer."
Setting aside the fact that my infiltration was blown, how did he figure out it was me?
Even if I used the name Jeong Yeon-woo, it shouldn't have been easy to pinpoint me so quickly.
In this body, I moved around the Clan in secret. The only people who knew my true identity were Black Unicorn, Lee Ru-da, Song Ha-el, and Seo Han-na.
None of them were stupid enough to leak information... Kwon Ye-jin? No... Even if Ye-jin is bad at this sort of thing, she keeps her word if I tell her not to say anything.
Then did the leak come from the police side...?
It’s the worst kind of suspicion to have, but the face of the detective I’d clashed with was the first to come to mind.
"Ahahaha, I knew I liked your sense of humor."
"Thanks. Everyone else says my humor doesn't land and just curses at me. It feels like we're on the same wavelength—want to meet up?"
"Eyy—no can do. I want you to enjoy school for a long time. You've been making more friends, too. Even making plans to go out together."
The more we talked, the more questions I had.
I had been constantly checking for Awakened in the vicinity using Mana Detection while walking around the school, but I hadn't sensed anyone.
There were no surveillance cameras other than the ones installed by the police, so how had he been watching me?
After the detective who was disciplined for arresting Jo Ga-young was removed and Oh Eun-yul took over, I had stopped wearing a wire entirely.
There were many times I had to change clothes in front of students, and Go Eun-chae often touched me without hesitation, so wearing one on my body was awkward.
Actually... half the reason was because of the Female Teacher Series I couldn't talk about...
Anyway, the 'plans to go out' Smile mentioned were discussed after I had already removed the wire.
"Ah, is it about time for the call to be traced? Let's call it a day. Watch your back, and don't die."
"Why don't we talk a bit longer so I can see your face?"
"Ahahaha, you really are a riot."
Smile cackled and hung up.
However, the trace was already complete.
As soon as Hornet received the information from the police, she veered the car toward the tracked location.
"You son of a bitch!! Learn how to drive!!!"
I screamed at her from the passenger seat as she drove like a maniac, but Hornet just rolled down the window, gave a cool middle finger to the world, and slammed the accelerator.
Since we'd drawn so much attention, we wouldn't be able to use this car anymore.
I’d already swapped cars three times because I couldn't have the same vehicle loitering around.
Screeeech—!
"He's here."
I was currently in Jeong Woo-sung's body, so I couldn't afford to run wild recklessly.
Hornet gave me a quick nod and immediately sprinted into the subway station.
"Should I go too?"
"No, it's dangerous. Stay with me."
I couldn't send Elly into a place where I didn't know what was waiting.
Her greatest threat was always humans, not monsters.
Since the school uniform was too conspicuous, I changed into the clothes I had prepared and put on a plain mask to hide my face.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Hey! You can't just park here!"
Hornet, what have you done?
Because she had ditched the car right near the sidewalk, the vehicles trying to make a right turn were honking and causing a scene.
Unable to watch any longer, a pedestrian approached the car and pounded on the passenger window, venting their frustration.
"He looks really mad. Tell him your mom had an emergency bathroom situation."
I grabbed the giggling Elly, tucked her into my inner pocket, and rolled down the window.
Bang—!
A gunshot rang out, and a bullet embedded itself in the pedestrian's forehead.
The pedestrian’s head snapped back, then slowly lowered as a grotesque smile spread across his face.
"How did you know?"
Kwoooong!!
As I lunged out of the driver's side door, the Villain kicked the car with full force.
The car spun through the air as if it had flipped while going 160 km/h. I kicked through the windshield and managed to escape safely.
While the car tumbled behind me, the Villain drew a dagger and charged, his eyes stained with madness.
As he approached, Elly leisurely put on a pair of sunglasses and pointed at the Villain with her hand shaped like a gun.
"Boom."
Simultaneously, a blinding flash erupted from the forehead of the man who had been hit by the bullet earlier.
I was the one who activated the magic circle I'd planted via the bullet, so why are you the one posing, Elly?
But there was no time to argue.
Joining up with Hornet would be best, but I lacked the strength to force my way through, and the risk of involving nearby civilians was too high.
Though it didn't permanently blind him, the flash obscured the Villain's vision, and I immediately sprinted toward the opposite side to escape.
"Where do you think you're going, Gunslinger?!"
The Villain, seemingly wary of Hornet as well, collapsed the subway entrance I had intended to enter and gave chase.
I kept running toward a less crowded area while fitting a communicator into my ear.
"Villain sighting near Dogok Station. Requesting backup. I am the target."
"Sending standby Heroes immediately."
"Exclude Black Unicorn. My cover is blown anyway, but send Heroes who aren't associated with Square Garden."
"Understood."
Oh Eun-yul spoke urgently, and I switched the channel to Square Garden.
"Is anyone in the situation room?"
"Yes, standing by."
Thank god. I thought the room might be empty since they’d finished a Dungeon conquest this morning and had no schedule, but Ryu Ji-hye had faithfully remained at her post.
"I'm under attack by a Villain. Estimated Rank B, Energy Discharge type. Moving from Dogok Station toward Guryong Station."
"Sending support."
"No, the police are already sending backup. Square Garden, stay on standby and find me a place near Guryong Station with no people."
"Understood."
The frantic sound of keyboard typing erupted over the communicator.
Wow—was the entire staff in the situation room? I'm touched.
Having analyzed the surrounding data in an instant, Ryu Ji-hye spoke to me immediately.
"Activating location tracking due to emergency. Position confirmed. Do you have AR equipment?"
"Don't run, Gunslinger!!"
I dodged a mass of blue energy fired by the Villain and put on sunglasses similar to Elly's.
"Lead the way."
"AR system active. Guiding you through Gaepo Park toward Daemosan. Please be mindful of civilian safety while passing through the park. I cannot display surrounding details as I cannot obtain local data."
I wanted to avoid crowded areas, but I had no choice.
With schools and apartment complexes clustered on both sides, this was the best option.
"Also, Hornet might be in trouble, so force a connection to her."
"Understood."
"Gunslinger~ Look over here~"
The Villain laughed maliciously, aiming her hand not at me, but diagonally toward a different target.
"Kyaaaaak!"
She was targeting a young child playing in the park.
A man who had come out with his daughter screamed, and without a second thought, I gritted my teeth and lunged.
I tossed Elly from my inner pocket into the air and blocked the energy about to strike the child.
Kwoooong!
"Cough— Cough... Ugh..."
I neutralized half of it, but I couldn't block it all.
"Waaaaah!"
The child in my arms burst into tears of terror.
You're not hurt.
Even though I shielded her with my body, it was lucky.
Blood coughed from my mouth trickled down under my mask, making it hard to breathe.
"Thank you, thank you so much."
The man, presumably the father, bowed repeatedly to me while hugging his daughter.
"It's danger... cough, it's dangerous... please leave quickly..."
Fortunately, the man didn't hesitate and ran away.
"Are you alright?"
Ryu Ji-hye's urgent voice came through. I discarded my broken sunglasses and struggled to my feet.
"The AR device is broken. But I guess I don't need guidance anymore."
The mountain was just across the road, but seeing her behavior, she would clearly threaten more civilians if I ran. I couldn't retreat.
"I'm sending support."
"No, it's fine. Just send an evacuation warning to my entire current location."
"The warning has already been issued. And because it's dangerous, I've sent support under Situation Room authority. Arrival in 7 minutes. Avoid engagement as much as possible."
I told her not to...
But since it was to save my life, I couldn't really complain.
And since things had escalated this far, hiding my identity was going to be impossible anyway.
As I stood my ground, forcing strength into my trembling legs, the Villain approached with a mocking clap.
"Wow—impressive. A tear-jerking display of heroism. No wonder people like you."
Ignoring her sarcasm, I checked the ammunition in my JP-12.
"I wonder what kind of scream a Gunslinger makes when his guts are being pulled out, ohohoho..."
This bitch is even crazier than I thought.
The Villain touched her cheeks as if she couldn't contain her excitement, her face flushed with pleasure.
The way she looked at me—not as an attractive man, but as a delicious piece of meat—was disgusting.
"Aren't you going to take out Ascalon?"
"I didn't bring it. Besides, there's no reason to use it on someone like you."
When I smirked, the Villain's expression hardened.
I love how these pleasure-killers have such high pride; they get triggered so easily with just a little poke.
I pulled my mask forward, and the pooled blood spilled out in a stream.
"Are you okay? You got the call from the situation room, right? Why don't you retreat?"
Elly, who had tucked herself back into my inner pocket, asked while healing me with all her might.
"If I turned my back on a brat like that, I'd have to quit being a Hero."
"True. She is a total scrub who can only spit out a few bouncy balls."
Though she was worried, Elly played along and mocked the Villain.
"You little bitch! You want me to turn you into an insect specimen?!"
"Kyahahahat! An insect specimen? That's the best you could come up with? You have zero sense. An insect specimen? Pfft— Scrub~ Scrub~ Your skills are scrub~ Your sense is scrub~ Your chest is scrub~"
Okay, I think that's enough...
I just wanted to shake her composure, don't make her too angry.
But it was already too late.
At Elly's sing-song taunts, the Villain's face twisted into that of a demon as she lunged at me.
To be precise, she was targeting Elly, not me.
It's easy to handle an opponent when you know exactly where the attack is going.
I dodged the Villain's strike, which was baited by Elly's aggro, and swung my own blade.
The Villain's sword, which had clashed with mine several times, moved eerily. It looked like it was aiming for Elly, but suddenly snapped toward my throat.
Exactly as I expected.
Just as Elly said, it was a pathetic, predictable trick from someone with no sense.
The problem, however, was my body.
Because my physical stats were halved, even though I anticipated it, my reaction was slow, and I ended up with a slight cut.
Even as I struggled to dodge, the Villain's assault continued. I was kicked in the leg and slammed face-first into the ground.
Kwoooong—!
The Villain fired a point-blank blast of blue energy at me while I was down.
Amidst the violent gale and the shockwaves spreading in all directions, I retreated while shielding Elly.
"Cough—"
It's frustrating to get hit even when I see it coming.
I forced myself to stand and glared at the Villain.
"Wow—you're really good at dodging. I love the ones who run away like bugs. It makes catching them so much more rewarding."
As blood spilled from under my mask, the Villain's sadistic tendencies flared up again, and she smiled.
I ripped off the mask that was making it hard to breathe and threw it on the ground.
I kicked away the mask, which was wet enough to make a splat sound, and looked at the Villain with a grin.
"Hey, is it okay for you to be acting so relaxed? You're out of time."
"Support? It's fine. There are still several minutes left. That's plenty of time to finish you off."
"No, I mean your time is up now."
The Villain tilted her head, not understanding my words.
Crack—
The physical transformation I experienced every day began, and my body started to contort of its own accord.
"Ugh... that's so creepy."
Even Elly, who had seen it just as many times, looked disgusted as if she still hadn't adjusted. The Villain frowned at my grotesque appearance and charged.
"Hey, you piece of shit! Don't you know transformation etiquette?!"
While my body was twisting, I shouted while desperately dodging.
Bang!
A shot rang out from the JP-12. Tentacles erupted from the ground, but they were immediately erased by a blue energy sphere as the Villain closed the distance.
Bang!
Another bullet flew, embedding itself in the ground between the Villain and me.
Pang—!!
It wasn't as powerful as Hornet's, but an Air Blast exploded, pushing us both back.
"Whew—transforming while in pain is definitely a workout."
Having returned to my original body, I looked at my now-shortened clothes and smirked.
You didn't follow transformation etiquette? You're dead.