Chapter 27 – Virtual Reality – The Hero (5)

The broadcast ended as abruptly as it had begun, without any warning.

Instructor Yang Joya glanced at the stiff Guild Master and wiped away her cold sweat with a sigh.

Wow… That was a close call.

If we’d been just a little later, who knows what we might have heard.

She shuddered, suddenly thinking:

I’m an instructor.

Why am I here doing psychological counseling with the Guild Master?

Isn’t this overstepping my bounds?

It’s totally unprofessional, right?

But her moment of clarity was short-lived.

‘She’s pitiful.’

When she first saw the girl, she was just a child the Guild Master had asked her to look after.

A girl with a pretty face who couldn’t bring herself to speak to her classmates.

A girl who flinched and backed away whenever she received attention or gifts.

A girl who fumbled with virtual reality and computers as if it was her first time using them.

…Anyone who could see all that and not feel sympathy couldn’t be human.

No wonder Instructor Yang’s goal had been to see the girl smile brightly.

Of course, that didn’t include the bloodthirsty, murderous grin she’d shown when facing the wooden doll or the villain.

She’d known the child lacked normal common sense, but who could have guessed she’d execute the villain like that?

“…Good work. Stop the device and bring the child here.”

To be honest, executing the villain wasn’t the main issue.

It’s a harsh world with plenty of evil people, after all.

The villain who’d appear later in “The Hero” was the worst in Korea’s history.

He’d used his spirit ability to steal citizens’ skin and jump from body to body when people thought he was dead, among other unimaginable atrocities.

He’d killed over a hundred Awakened and innocent citizens.

After that, it became legally acceptable to confirm-kill extremely vicious villains.

The problem was how the girl went about confirming the kill.

If she’d just shot him, it would have been one thing, but…

‘Her methods are too brutal.’

To melt someone to death without a moment’s hesitation.

The image of the villain bubbling and melting away…

It was behavior unimaginable for anyone but the most hardened psychopath.

Hiss-

As the virtual reality device disconnected, the girl stumbled to her feet.

“Hehe… How was that? I killed the demon!”

Maybe it was because the game had been so lifelike.

The girl bounced over to the Guild Master, grinning from ear to ear.

“Does this mean you’ll let me kill real demons now? Oh! And I learned there are people who aren’t demons on the internet too! I met this nice mister…”

The girl chattered away excitedly.

She had no idea the Guild Master and instructor had been watching in real-time.

Unlike when she’d first heard the word “demon” and gone berserk, her eyes were now clear and bright, just like normal.

In other words, killing the villain had broken her brainwashing.

The Guild Master swallowed a sigh that was about to escape.

Damn.

Once the brainwashing surfaces, does it only break when she kills a demon?

It was horrifically vicious brainwashing.

“Aren’t you tired? Even in virtual reality, using your ability like that must have been exhausting.”

The girl tilted her head at his attempt to change the subject.

“Um…”

She glanced at her hands and feet, but her nails were fine.

Even though she’d used quite a bit of blood, she didn’t feel drained at all.

Wow, the heretics’ technology is amazing!

No wonder heretics are so strong if they train like this!

[You crazy bitch, what do you mean you’re fine?! Do you really want to die?!]

Oops.

She’d been wondering why Mia hadn’t shown up despite her reckless use of abilities.

Was she saving up to scold her all at once later…?

The previously confident girl lowered her head sheepishly.

“I’ll go rest…”

Mia’s going to chew me out, isn’t she?

But she had hurt Mia’s body, and she couldn’t ignore that sin.

It was the same in the cult.

Even the girl, treated like a saint, had clear rewards and punishments.

So, will I be whipped on the back as usual?

Oh, right.

It’s Mia’s body, so physical punishment won’t work.

The girl groaned, racking her brain.

How could she atone to appease Mia?

“Alright. Go rest for now. I’ll order some drinks for you.”

The Guild Master’s gaze turned to the sisters standing blankly nearby.

“Um… Should we order them?”

“Are you suggesting I should?”

What a mean Guild Master…

No money to spare, so you’re taking it from your employees?

This is workplace bullying, unfair!!

While Han Yuyeon fumed internally, Han Dayeon made a quicker decision and approached the girl.

Swoop!

True to her small frame, the girl was light as she was lifted by her side, flailing.

“Eek!”

“Our little one needs to put on some weight, huh?”

But, but I need to go atone!

Oblivious to the girl’s thoughts, Han Dayeon hugged her close.

The girl was enveloped in her arms.

“Eek… Your, your chest is touching me…! It’s lewd…!”

Lust! Demon of lust! Release me! Asmodeus!!

“Hehe. Isn’t it soft and nice?”

Meanwhile, Han Yuyeon, with her small chest and small heart, grumbled as she filled a basket with 12 kinds of fresh fruit drinks and snacks the girl might like.

-“Come with me for a moment.”

The Guild Master took Instructor Yang to another room.

He sealed the virtual reality room completely with telekinesis just in case, creating an environment where no one could eavesdrop. Only then did he carefully begin to speak.

“I think the child is a victim of the cult’s brainwashing.”

“The cult…!”

Since they believed everyone except those who believed in the Almighty God were heretics, they arrogantly called themselves simply “the cult” without any special name.

In other words, they were pretty much crazy.

“Weren’t those cult bastards wiped out?”

Even the usually calm Instructor Yang’s expression hardened, her aura turning sharp.

“Yes. That’s what I thought too, but it seems some cockroaches survived.”

The Guild Master openly shared everything he knew about the girl.

An ability in the equivalent exchange category.

An Irregular who also possessed physical enhancement abilities.

Moreover, about the keyword for her brainwashing being “demon”…

“Ah, I noticed something suspicious too.”

“Did she show any strange reactions during the lessons?”

“Yes. Every time she used her abilities, the shape of her pupils changed.”

“Then… Lightning-induced sparks, divine punishment, and continuous flashing lights might also be brainwashing keywords.”

They exchanged new information like this.

The most important thing was that this experience allowed them to be certain about the range of the girl’s reactions.

“It seems the brainwashing activates even without the direct keyword ‘demon,’ as long as it’s something the child considers demonic.”

At this point, both the Guild Master and Instructor Yang clutched their foreheads and let out deep sighs.

If there were specific keywords, they could just be careful about those.

But this meant… it all depended entirely on the girl’s thoughts and will.

To be honest, it wouldn’t be surprising if even ordinary troublemakers were judged as demons and murdered.

“What did that small child do to deserve this…”

“They must have coveted her equivalent exchange ability.”

As things stood, even if the girl gained freedom and returned to society, it would be impossible for her to live a normal life.

“How did the employees react?”

“Honestly, very badly.”

The reaction of the Chungseong Guild members was a prime example.

The anonymous internal message board was on fire with this hot topic.

[Did anyone watch “The Hero” broadcast just now?]

Did she melt and kill the villain at the end?

– Yeah, looking at it frame by frame, it seems like some kind of acidic liquid

– Why would they show something so cruel?

– Whatever it is, they must be trying to test something

– Looks like there’s a villain hiding in the company

[I’m a 10-year-old girl, but actually a psychopath killer?]

Surprisingly, it’s all true.

– Isn’t it an AI-generated character? How can someone smile while melting another person to death?

– If nothing else, she’s got the perfect temperament to become a villain

[Theories about the identity of the acid-attack kid]

The internal broadcast lasted about 30 minutes. This means it must have been from a position that can freely turn on company broadcasts without repercussions. Only the Guild Master and team leaders of each strategy team have this authority.

But even if a team leader could start a broadcast, it’s impossible to proceed without the Guild Master’s permission. If it was an independent action, they would be punished and the broadcast would have been cut off immediately. The fact that it was turned off at the end suggests it was because the child showed more cruel actions than expected.

Apparently, the Guild Master brought some kid into the headquarters around lunchtime today.

Enchanting ability and physical enhancement ability. Decisive actions in killing people, excellent combat skills and judgment. In many ways, it felt like she had been raised as a killing machine from a young age.

I cautiously guess that this broadcast was to gauge public opinion for this kid’s debut.

– Good analysis

– If this is true, I’m against it. It doesn’t make sense that someone who takes human life so lightly could care for others.

– Yeah, the problem is that her cruel nature isn’t just towards villains but might be the same towards other people too.

– I don’t understand what the Guild Master is thinking this time.

The girl clearly only shows aggression towards those she sees as evil.

However, only the Guild Master and Instructor Yang, who knew the truth, understood this fact. To others, she seemed like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.

It was fortunate that her face had been hidden for confirmation.

If her identity had been revealed and she’d encountered other people, everyone would have been visibly uncomfortable.

Perhaps some villain might appear, cornering the girl or trying to kill her before she became stronger.

“Hmm… So what do you plan to do?”

The Guild Master made a bold decision.

“The child’s abilities being revealed is inevitable. If we continue like this, she’ll end up clashing with villains and those cult bastards.”

Fixing the cult’s brainwashing is extremely difficult.

Most of those who were brainwashed only found freedom in death, either by suicide or being killed.

“A child belonging to Chungseong Guild and a child controlled by Chungseong Guild. Just this much difference, and people will misunderstand on their own.”

“Ah…!”

Given the situation, they decided to split the girl’s identity into two.

A girl with a cruel nature, but controlled by the guild as a villain hunter due to her excellent abilities.

On the other hand, a girl who lost her parents but didn’t give up, recognized for her abilities and became a guild member full of dreams.

The difference would be a mask.

“As it happens, I have an item that’s perfect for this.”

『Persona』

An item obtained from defeating a Gate boss, it had been gathering dust in storage with no use.

It was perfect for hiding one’s identity, changing not only the wearer’s appearance but also their aura according to their hidden inner self.

“Hmm…”

A smooth, ivory-white surface.

Crescent-shaped holes for eyes and mouth that let light through.

Honestly, it looked quite creepy for something a cute girl would wear.

Although they knew it was necessary for the girl’s sake…

It’s a sin to cover up that adorable face!

Instructor Yang fumbled for reasons not to put the mask on her.

“Well. Even with the mask, her build and behavior won’t change, right? Anyone with a keen eye would figure it out quickly. So isn’t it unnecessary to make her wear an uncomfortable mask?”

Of course, this was also part of the Guild Master’s intention.

Ah, not the part about the girl’s cute face, but these obvious flaws were intentional.

“If there are those who try to uncover her identity, their intentions are likely not good. This way, we can initially filter out those with malicious intent trying to discover the child’s identity.”

This much should be enough to weed out the incompetent ones.

With the power of Chungseong, with the power of S-class Awakened like the Guild Master.

“Similarly, those who want the child’s life, like the cult. They won’t need to touch the beloved girl of Chungseong Guild. It’ll be easier for them to deal with her when she becomes the Persona that citizens are uncomfortable with.”

The practical problem was how to persuade the girl to wear this Persona mask.

—