27 – Incident (1)
It wasn’t just Han Soo-jung who was surprised to see Lee Seo-jin defeat the villain in an instant.
Although they were injured, the three members of the first team, who were looking for an opportunity to counterattack, were also very surprised.
We’ve been on the same team so far, but we’ve never seen anything like this before.
In their memories, Lee Seo-jin always struggled and struggled to deal with the villains.
For the first time in his life, he couldn’t help but admire his overwhelming skills.
“You… Are you Seojin Lee?”
Stupid question.
Then Lee Seo-jin, who had been immersed in it, returned to normal, looked around, and spoke kindly to the first team members.
“Yes. I am. Why?”
I was still bewildered at the answer he gave with a smile, but when they realized that it was Lee Seo-jin, the members of Team 1 began to admire him.
“Wow. That’s ridiculous. That Lee Seo-jin? The one who always struggles with swords?”
“When did you become so skilled?!”
“It’s amazing… Spring comes after hard work, isn’t it?”
“Uh… Huh? Ah. No. What. With this much.”
Lee Seo-jin shook his head as if it was no big deal at the sudden praise.
However, on the other hand, he was suspicious of the enemy who fell too easily.
At least I should have been more tired or struggled than I am now, but I felt like I won easily.
‘How much did my skills return?’ There was a part that was unclear to me, so I asked the team members a question.
“By the way, do these guys have an A rank? I think they fell too easily.”
“Right. I don’t know about the other guys, but the captain over there had that ability.”
“Really? Hmm… Something’s a bit strange… It doesn’t sound like an A rank. Originally, A ranks aren’t so easily defeated, are they?”
“I guess that’s what I heard.”
The other team members nodded as if they partially agreed with the opinion.
As Seojin Lee was thinking with suspicion, a member of the team next to him said as if he remembered something.
“Ah. That’s right. Those guys drank some potion and suddenly became very strong. They looked like S ranks.”
“S rank? You mean you’ve become that strong?”
“Yes. That must have been a huge side effect. Maybe that’s why I’m weak now…”
There are many things that enhance the power of superhumans.
One of them is a stimulant, which artificially amplifies the mana absorption rate of the body, absorbing the surrounding mana floating around like air to become stronger.
Because it was artificial, the effect and duration were average, and above all, there were side effects.
But even a little bit of strength was enough to decide the difference between victory and defeat in a fight.
Heroes knew their bodies would be damaged, but a lot of them were looking for them.
“But you wouldn’t sell things like stimulants to villains? It’s illegal.
“Couldn’t it be through a secret route in a black market or something? Or an independent development?”
“Whatever it is, I think it’s serious.”
“I agree.”
The three team members unanimously nodded.
Lee Seo-jin also felt unusual, but he himself has left the association.
I was in a situation where I couldn’t help even if I tried to help, and a case like this was really special.
I decided to leave the rest to them, and the situation ended like that.
※
After Han Soo-jung joined, the members of Team 1 decided to go to the treatment center to receive treatment.
After going together, when the reception was over, Lee Seo-jin and Han Soo-jung were talking separately.
“Thank you very much, senpai.”
“Thank you. It’s okay for me to intervene, right?”
“Of course. In the first place, it’s rare to find fault with something like this. Seniors know that too, right?”
“I know. Just in case.”
Originally, outsiders are not allowed to intervene in the affairs of the association, but there were cases where external support was ruthlessly overlooked in a truly emergency situation.
No matter how hard we have to distinguish between public and private life, heroes are valuable talents.
Of course, you could ask for compensation or intervene later on as an excuse for helping.
At the association, ‘What did we get? Haven’t you ever done that?’ I would never admit it in that way, so it just felt like an individual helping each other.
Aside from that, the things we discussed earlier are a bit annoying in my heart… Will there be anything?
If a report goes up to HeroGo, they will surely be able to deal with it well.
“I’m glad I was able to help my teammates too. How is everyone doing?”
“In this day and age, one treatment facility is awesome, so everyone will be cured in no time.”
Because of the technological development caused by mana and the self-resilience of superhumans, it was only the outside, but it must have been fine on the inside.
“I’m glad. Nothing special.”
“Whew. That’s right. Villains appearing in groups… I didn’t know that an anomaly like this would appear. It’s not a precursor symptom…”
“…Well. I don’t know again.”
Suddenly, Sujeong Han’s words caught my heart.
When I look back, I remember that there was nothing special like this.
… No At this time, did I catch the villain at random, so the situation overlapped?
It was a flaw that there weren’t a few impressive parts that came to mind when I looked back at the memories of my previous life.
“Then I’ll go. Be careful too.”
“Don’t worry. If a report goes up, we’ll probably take action.”
“Well, the Association isn’t just for idiots.”
It was a little awkward, perhaps because the memory of my previous life remained after I said it.
At this time, I remember that the association was competent, but I want to know how it becomes a mess later…
“Good job.”
Han Su-jeong stared at Lee Seo-jin as she turned around and waved goodbye with a handshake.
And then, before they completely distanced themselves, they shouted and waved.
“I’ll buy you a meal next time!! Thank you. Seojin sunbaenim!”
To that cry, Seojin Lee responded by shaking her hand.
But there was one thing on her mind.
It was about the sister left behind.
‘… Will everything be fine?’
※
Left behind in her shop, the sister continued to stare blankly outside of her.
It looks so empty that I wonder where it hurts.
If it was like before, I would have waited anxiously, thinking that they might have left it because they didn’t like it.
Now, Lee Seo-jin, who went to fight the villain, was watching with concern.
“…Isn’t there a big deal with your brother?”
“There won’t be. So let’s trust and wait.”
In the meantime, the sisters obtained information through various media.
There was news about heroes and villains, and there were also negative articles.
Because news of who was killed or injured in a fight and famous heroes didn’t always win.
There was also a video that was brutally defeated, and although there are censorship and control, it was difficult to block the vast Internet.
“…Haa…”
“…Whoa…”
Her sister sighed as her anxious thoughts grew more and more even when she was still.
I thought a lot and had a lot of hope.
I had an obsession, but when I faced it as reality, I didn’t have the courage yet.
They were so pathetic that they had no power and were trying to hate them.
They were mentally mature sisters for their age.
But not all mental aspects have matured for their age.
I was still younger than my age when it came to the opposite s*x I liked and other people.
I didn’t grow up receiving love, and I didn’t have anyone to give it to.
Now, when the sisters were young, they were like children waiting at the door when their parents left and returned late in the evening.
Please come in safely.
I hope you don’t get hurt anywhere.
I earnestly wished that the person I loved the most would not leave them forever.
How much time had passed like that?
I saw a familiar car stop in the distance.
When the door opened slowly and I saw the face I missed so much, the shadow on my face had disappeared before I knew it.
When I saw Lee Seo-jin coming this way, I hurriedly ran out of the store.
“Brother! Are you here?! You’re not hurt anywhere?!”
“Older brother, are you okay?”
The sisters greeted Lee Seo-jin with a bright smile.
If you have a hard time, forget it.
If you get hurt somewhere or something bad happens, I hope it disappears.
She wanted her to stay the same as she had always seen, and as if reading her mind, Lee Seo-jin stroked her sister’s hair and smiled at her.
“It’s okay. I told you. I’m strong.”
“hehehe. Thank God.”
“I was really… worried.”
“…Sorry, but I hope you understand that I couldn’t take you.”
When Lee Seo-jin noticed with a little nervousness, she finally realized that nothing had happened, and her sister returned to her original self.
“Hey! Stupid oppa! You don’t even know our feelings.”
“You don’t know how broken I am… I’ve been waiting all day and my tears are in my eyes…”
“Ehh?! Ooh. Did you cry?”
Seeing Lee Seo-jin hurriedly looking at her, the two of them smiled softly.
That you don’t have to worry anymore.
I will always come back to you even if something like this happens in the future.
The sisters realized once again that they had an older brother who was more trustworthy than anyone else.
“Hung~ How we cried!”
“That’s right. The old man brought me an armful of towels because I was tired from crying.”
“Is that so? I’m sorry… But I couldn’t help it. If you guys got hurt, I’d be more…”
Looks and words that show sincerity.
The sisters felt happy that the person they liked cared about them as much as they worried about them.
But there was still a small lump in my heart.
May they be strong too.
I hope you become stronger than your brother so that I can protect you by your side.
I hope you don’t let your precious person go helplessly… I put it in a corner of my heart and prayed earnestly.
“Okay. Oppa. I’ll see you.”
“Huh? Really?”
From noble mtl dot com.
“Of course! Buy me tiramisu instead! A very big one!”
“Do I have to buy strawberry cake?”
“…hahahaha. Okay. Okay. I’ll buy you whatever snacks you want this time.”
“Really?”
“Older brother is the best!”
As if it was like that, the three of them smiled and created a friendly atmosphere.
The moment he is about to move his steps to say thanks to Baek Tae-hwan for taking care of him so far.
Kwaang…
Koogu Palace…
A roar began to be heard from somewhere in the distance.
※
A department store mall in the afternoon when the sun goes down.
At the restaurant inside the tall building, many people were waiting for dinner time to come.
Among them, an orange-haired man wearing checkered clothes and glasses was going to wait and enter when it was his turn.
But I couldn’t.
As I was about to enter, an employee with a troubled expression approached me and handed me an apology.
“Sorry, sir. Our restaurant is full.”
“Yes? There are plenty of seats inside?”
“That. That’s… Because Blank, an S-rank hero, borrowed it to treat his acquaintances to dinner today…”
Sudden notification without prior notice.
Since the man was already in the last turn, he had no choice but to wait a long time.
I wanted to respond to the hero’s power, but when I looked at his outfit, he didn’t seem to have much strength.
The employee was also thinking the same thing, and seemed to want it to pass without incident.
“Haa… I waited a long time.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make up for it.”
“No. We should yield to the hero who protects social order. Good job.”
The man who said he understood with a nice smile said goodbye and left.
After that, I went downstairs and came out of the department store.
When I got a little farther away, I looked up and looked around and saw the overall appearance of the department store.
“…S-rank heroes. Really. It’s a world where strength is the norm. Well. Not everyone is like that… But look at this. They do as they please regardless of the order. Giggles.”
An evil smile that seems to mock.
As the man smiled and looked at the department store, someone approached him.
“Neutral. All preparations are complete.”
A dark-skinned, large man.
Looking at the man with a stern expression, the orange-haired man called Neutral smiled and replied.
“Ah. Steelon. Is it over? It’s over quickly.”
“The setting was already completed a long time ago. If it hadn’t been for your wish to have a tasteful meal one last time, I would have gone ahead.”
“Ahahahaha. I’m sorry. But is this also aesthetic in its own way?”
As the two were talking, someone else approached without showing any signs.
“I… I’m here…”
“Oh. The Explorer. You’re welcome. I’m going to do it now.”
“Explosions…Explodes…Fun…So…You have to watch it.”
Neutral nodded his head while looking at the short man who exudes an atmosphere of ‘I’m infringing on my sound’ at a glance.
Looking at the department store, I made a gun shape with both hands and started counting slowly from 3.
“3… 2…”
When the number 1 came out of his mouth, Neutral acted like he was shooting a gun.
And that moment.
A huge explosion started happening at the department store.
Kwaang─!!!!
Pung-! Bang-!!!!
Starting with the first explosion, a series of explosions began to occur.
As if not leaving a single survivor behind, the explosion engulfed the building in an instant, and debris fell and began to collapse.
Three people watching.
In particular, he was a neutral looking at me with a smile full of joy.
“hahahaha… I worked for a hero, so I can die for a hero, right?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
The neutrals smiled once each and then turned around and walked away, and the other two started walking along.
“Are the preparations for the next event going well?”
“Of course. Next time, we’ll go all-out.”
“And… A villain… Will emerge…”
“hahahaha. That’s right. Getting hit twice by these trivial bombings would take a toll on your hero image.”
“It could be a signal for the silent villain alliance to move.”
“Well, I don’t know… Let’s try.”
Neutral looked up at the sky.
The sun was setting in the distance and night was coming.
“A grand opening ceremony announcing the downfall of a hero.”