episode_0017

Arriving at the address, I found myself in front of a relatively clean villa.

Click.

Does the body remember?

I naturally opened the door lock of the unfamiliar house and stepped inside.

Even though I opened it myself, I felt a bit taken aback.

In this new world I entered, my house was empty.

No refrigerator, computer, or bed.

There were hardly any other appliances or furniture.

Not even the usual microwave, dining table, or fan.

So, a question arose in my mind.

“Why did I rent a room in a place like this?”

The house was not far from the bustling area.

So, even though I didn’t know the details, this room must not have come cheap.

With already tight finances, did I really need to rent a room in a place like this?

Setting aside my doubts, I sat down at the computer first.

Since I had gathered a lot of information from the computer during the last quest, I was sure I could find a lot of information on this computer as well.

And my expectations were not wrong.

‘Hero Gallery.’

That was the name of the site that was the only bookmark on this computer.

As the name suggested, it was a site filled with news about various heroes and villains.

Although it was full of news, there were also rumors and misinformation mixed in, requiring self-discernment.

First, I searched for information on the female hero.

The search method was not difficult.

Red hair, missing pants.

Just by searching like this, various information appeared on the site.

“Choi Gaeun.”

She seemed to be famous even on the Hero Gallery.

The reason was her eye-catching red hair, decent appearance, and the lack of shame in her missing pants fashion.

I wondered why she insisted on such fashion, but it turned out her ability was body enhancement, especially strengthening the power of her legs. Due to this ability, she needed to wear light clothing as most pants would quickly tear due to the enhanced strength.

She was the only one who could make bold judgments, focusing on efficiency without caring about people’s gaze.

Ironically, the people on the Hero Gallery did not think her outfit was bold.

Among the heroes in this world, there were heroes who exposed themselves more for popularity.

There was also other information.

According to recent rumors, many villains seemed to be gathering in Myeongdong.

There were many stories about the reasons, but all were just speculations with no proper opinions.

“…Could it be.”

Was it possible that I was a villain in this world, or that I wanted to become one?

There was a possibility.

With only 600 won in my account, could I not be a villain?

Moreover, the purpose of the quest was to corrupt the hero.

Corrupting a hero usually meant turning them into a villain, right?

All the clues seemed to suggest that I had to become a villain.

And after completing two quests.

Usually, following those gestures would greatly help in progressing through hidden quests and other quests.

“…So how can I become a villain?”

Even on the ‘Hero Gallery,’ where I had been gathering most of the information, there was no mention of the method.

They only talked about the suspicious gathering of villains in Myeongdong.

Among them, there were two places in Myeongdong that were frequently mentioned.

One was a hotel, and the other was a certain alley.

“This place…”

It was a familiar place.

It was an unforgettable place because it was there just a few hours ago.

It seemed that this place was indeed a suspicious location.

Come to think of it, what did I ask for?

I definitely seemed to be trying to make some kind of deal.

“…Maybe I should get a weapon first and then go?”

It was a short experience, but it showed me how dangerous this hero world could be.

At least I felt like I needed a weapon to protect myself.

The problem was that there were no weapons to speak of in this empty house.

The only thing I could find was a frying pan.

I felt embarrassed just thinking about swinging a frying pan like a villain.

I made up my mind that I would definitely buy a decent weapon once I had enough money.

I was still reading the numerous articles on the Hero Gallery with great interest.

It was different from the previous world.

Perhaps because it was a world where heroes, villains, and abilities existed, there was no shortage of captivating news and stories.

Most of all, it was interesting to see the heroes and villains.

The heroes here were almost like idols.

They were commonly seen on broadcasts, and for some reason, they all had exceptional looks.

As for the villains?

There were some villains who had exceptional looks as well, but they were fewer in number, and their fans seemed to support them from the shadows due to their villainous acts.

Perhaps because the Hero Gallery was an anonymous site, it was not uncommon to see fans of villains as well.

“Ah, he was quite strong, wasn’t he?”

Gaeun was classified as an A-rank hero.

Excluding S-rank, she was the highest-ranked hero.

That’s probably why there was a fan base that liked strong men.

Still, I was relieved.

In some hero stories, there were many villains and heroes with abilities that were impossible to deal with, but at least in this quest world, such abilities did not exist.

Most of the heroes here had abilities that seemed worth trying.

In preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, I carefully memorized the weaknesses of the heroes before venturing into the streets of Myeongdong at night.

After some contemplation, I decided to bring the frying pan with me.

“So, that’s what it meant.”

Late at night, as I walked through the bustling streets of Myeongdong, I was experiencing firsthand what I had read on the Hero Gallery.

First of all, there were many foreigners.

This was not particularly important as it was the same in the morning in Myeongdong.

What was important was that there were many people who looked like villains in the streets of Myeongdong at night.

To be precise, there were many people who looked like villains.

Of course, it was just my feeling, but seeing men with tattoos all over their bodies or groups of people in leather jackets that looked like thugs, it would be strange not to suspect them as villains.

Moreover, while the streets were crowded with people in the morning, at night, the alleyways were bustling.

Every alleyway was filled with hazy cigarette smoke and people with rough appearances.

Because of this, ordinary people did not even glance towards the alleyways.

They were afraid of getting into a confrontation for no reason.

With familiar steps, I was able to find the alleyway where I had been before.

And that alleyway had a slightly different atmosphere from the others.

More people were gathered closely together in the narrow alleyway as if blocking the path.

To pass through, I had no choice but to bump into the people standing in the alley.

Despite the tension not completely dissipating, I was able to maintain a calm expression.

After taking a deep breath and swallowing my saliva, I adjusted the position of my bag slightly so that I could easily access the frying pan and entered the alleyway.

“Ouch.”

“Hmm…”

“You’re not a hero, are you?”

“First time seeing you?”

Every time I bumped into the people blocking the path, they would send me suspicious glances and mutter a word or two.

It wasn’t just rough-looking men blocking the path.

“Ouch…♥”

A seductive woman with slightly heavy makeup and a rose tattoo brushed against me as I passed by, whispering something strange in my ear and slipping something into my back pocket.

Startled, I turned around to see the woman gently stroking the front of my pants.

“You’ve got something good there. If you’re looking for work, come to the address written there~”

I reached into my back pocket and felt something thin as I pulled out a business card.

[Imply Violet BAR – Violet]

“Hey, not a hero, move aside.”

As Violet handed me the card, the crowd blocking the way quickly dispersed.

The narrow alleyway suddenly opened up.

As I passed through the now-clear alleyway, I saw a massive iron gate that I hadn’t noticed earlier in the morning, hidden deep inside.

It was a gate that didn’t seem to belong in the alley.

As I approached, two well-built men on either side of the gate opened it for me.

And inside was truly a villain’s paradise.

An underground world filled with villains.

Perhaps this huge place was where villains gathered.

“Imply Market…”

The word “Imply Market” that I had casually heard earlier came to mind.

It seemed that villains referred to this massive place as the Imply Market.

Among the many villains passing by, I saw some that I had seen in the Hero Gallery.

True to its name, the Imply Market seemed to sell proper weapons and suits that I had been searching for.

Of course, the prices, being sold by villains, were exorbitant.

“…Looking for work, are you?”

I fidgeted with the business card.

My next destination was already decided, without a doubt.