Ch.108Episode 22. Comfort (6)

Drops of Nokjon’s blood splattered onto the floor. He staggered, once again putting distance between us.

“Ugh—!”

“I told you this is just the beginning. What are you doing?”

What a shame. I couldn’t cut him completely.

The moment my sword dug into his thigh, he quickly pulled his leg away, so my strike only managed to slice through his thigh muscle.

But that’s fine. With a wound on one thigh, his speed should be reduced.

I don’t need to worry about the others. They couldn’t even follow my movements with their eyes.

“Didn’t you say you were the fastest in the world? Then I’ll take that title now. You’re slower than me.”

“Fuck! What are you doing?! Kill that bastard!!”

“Don’t move.”

I pointed my sword at those who reluctantly began to move despite Nokjon’s orders.

“From now on, anyone who rushes at me should be prepared to give up at least one or two body parts.”

Crack!

Sparks flew from the tip of the blade, preventing them from making any rash movements.

In the end, fighting is all about momentum.

Now that I’ve shown them an overwhelming performance, the atmosphere naturally shifted in my favor.

“You all know, right? Physical loss can’t be fixed with potions. Oh, there is a way. Doctors with medical skills could perform surgery. But would doctors really reattach body parts for villains like you?”

No one could answer my question. They knew there were no doctors who would treat villains.

“Absolutely not. They’d just give you some potions to keep you alive and send you to prison. Then you’d live and die as disabled people.”

Akcheon is an organization involved in all sorts of crimes, so they’re punished most severely among villains. Even with a limited sentence, they’d get at least several decades.

In fact, I believe the Association President’s influence played a significant role in this.

After all, they messed with the family of the most recognized human. That says it all.

“H-hey, is a hero allowed to do this?”

“Yeah. I can. It’s self-defense.”

“That’s bullshit!”

“If you don’t like it, you should have become a hero instead of a villain.”

Despite what I said, causing physical loss would bring significant consequences for me too.

While self-defense provides some mitigating circumstances, excessive response raises questions about a hero’s character and qualifications. That’s why I try to limit myself to breaking bones when possible.

“File your complaints in prison, villains. Oh, but Nokjon, since we had an agreement, I’ll be taking that right leg of yours.”

I pointed at his right leg as I spoke.

His leg was trembling slightly. I seemed to have cut deeper than I thought. Though his black clothes and shoes made it hard to see, there was quite a pool of blood on the floor.

“You fucking idiots! Are you letting a hero’s words sway you?!”

“Nokjon. If you’re upset, come at me yourself. With that famous speed of yours.”

As I kicked off the ground, he moved too. But he was much slower than before.

After all, both abilities and skills are integrated into the human body, so they can’t function efficiently in an abnormal state.

Slash—!

When I felt the sensation of cutting through flesh and bone at my fingertips, his right leg completely separated from his body.

“AAAAARGH!!”

He screamed, clutching at his leg. Having lost one of his supporting legs, he lost balance and fell.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”

“Fuck! FUUUCK!!”

Seeing Nokjon writhing in pain, the others began trembling when they met my eyes.

“Shut up.”

Thud!

I crushed his face with my boot. His nose bone shattered and he lost consciousness. I controlled my strength appropriately, so he wouldn’t die. Though he might have a concussion.

“There, it’s quiet now. Have you all made your decision?”

I poured a potion over his face and leg as I spoke.

“Once you’re in prison, it’s over. Rather than that—”

“Oh? That’s too bad.”

I clenched my fist in front of the one who was speaking. It was quite amusing to see him babbling without even realizing I had approached.

Wham!

The villain who took my punch flew into a solid cement wall and slumped down.

“Oh, didn’t I mention it?”

I smiled at the dumbfounded guys. They couldn’t see it because of my mask, but they could probably tell I was smiling from my eyes.

“Whether you come at me or not, you’re all getting beaten up here anyway.”

I discarded my sword and charged my fists with electricity, making them spark.

“Grit your teeth, trash.”

I’m going through hell because of you all. Time to vent a little.

* * *

When I gave the signal, the heroes waiting outside entered the building. They looked around to assess the situation and froze like statues.

They were shocked to see the villains sprawled out in the chaotic scene I had created.

“I’ll leave the cleanup to you.”

“Ah, yes…”

They seemed unsure what to do as they saw Nokjon’s crushed face and severed leg. I could see them taking out their phones to call someone.

“Excuse me, Yujin.”

“Yes?”

“If the Association people see the state of this scene, you might have to write an incident report. Given the circumstances, there might be some leniency, but…”

He trailed off, suggesting even leniency was uncertain. For other heroes, this might have complicated things, but not for me.

Because the Association President has my back.

I’m here in the first place because of him.

If he doesn’t grant me leniency, I’ll grab him by the collar and shake him.

“It’s fine. Please handle the cleanup appropriately.”

I answered nonchalantly and pressed the button on my earphone microphone.

“Mr. Yang Myungho, the Black Room Product wasn’t found at the transaction site. They said they changed locations urgently after confirming I came to Jeju Island. How’s the situation at the hideout?”

[We’re still engaged in combat. There are more people than expected, so it’s not easy to penetrate. Have you completed the suppression on your end?]

“Yes. It’s finished. I’ll leave the cleanup to the local heroes and return to the lodging immediately.”

[You’re going to the lodging instead of coming here?]

“I have something to check.”

After all, there’s a possibility that villains too powerful for Kang Sujin might have attacked the lodging.

“I’ll head to the hideout after checking.”

While it’s important to capture villains and check on the progress of Operation Comfort, Jeong Iyeon is more important to me.

Others might think that as a hero, I should prioritize the operation to capture villains, but that’s not the case for me.

It would be putting the cart before the horse to save all the Special Class members but neglect the protagonist.

I dashed away. Feeling the electric energy enveloping my body, I sprinted toward the lodging at high speed.

The power is gradually overloading. The scenery around me kept changing every few seconds.

I had never run this fast before, so I felt slightly dizzy.

In less than two minutes, I arrived near the lodging and began to hear explosive sounds.

Outside the building, Kang Sujin was overwhelming her opponents with her spear. Seeing several people already down, it seemed she was facing multiple enemies alone.

Just as I was about to feel relieved, Kang Sujin spotted me running and raised her voice.

“Instructor Yujin! Iyeon first…!”

As soon as I heard her words, I jumped up using the wall as a foothold.

The yard was already in pieces. The swimming pool that had been filled with water and the well-maintained plants were all destroyed.

In the devastated space, a familiar white-haired woman was facing off against a man covered in steel, holding a sword and shield.

Clang!

Another explosive sound rang out.

Jeong Iyeon blocked the steel villain’s fist with her shield but couldn’t penetrate his steel-transformed skin with her counterattack. Being too close, she couldn’t put enough power into her strike.

“Jeong Iyeon!”

“…Instructor!”

Boom!

I struck the villain’s back with my fist as I landed. I looked down at him, buried in the ground from the impact.

“What do you think you’re doing, you son of a bitch.”

His entire body was made of steel, but the part I struck was dented. He couldn’t withstand the impact.

I grabbed him by the hair and lifted him up. The villain’s skin, which had been in a steel state, had now returned to human form.

He spat blood and writhed. Whether his spine was broken or not, he couldn’t speak and twisted his face in pain.

I slammed his head into the ground once more before releasing his hair.

I could interrogate him later. Checking on her condition was the priority now.

“Jeong Iyeon, are you okay?”

“Ah, yes.”

She seemed bewildered by my sudden return to the lodging. I examined her body to check for injuries. Fortunately, she seemed fine.

“Thank goodness.”

I gripped her arm tightly as I spoke. Just as Jeong Iyeon, who was staring up at my relieved expression, was about to speak—

“Phew. Finally took care of them all. What kind of bastards attack in a mob like this?”

Kang Sujin grumbled as she entered through the broken wall.

“…It seems it was because of me.”

“Because of you, Instructor Yujin?”

If someone had been watching me since I arrived in Jeju Island, they might have seen me taking selfies with Jeong Iyeon and thought we were lovers spending time together.

Perhaps they planned to capture her to blackmail me. Since they couldn’t handle me with force.

“How is this your fault? The problem is these trash committing crimes without a second thought.”

“Is that so? More importantly, are you okay, Kang Sujin?”

“…Yes, I’m fine. Just a slight cut.”

She showed her forearm with a smile as if it was nothing. I took out a spare potion from my pocket.

“I have a potion. Take it.”

“I will. My husband wouldn’t like it if I got a scar. But it seems like I’m always the one drinking the potions you bring. Hehe.”

If she could joke like that, her condition must not be bad. That was truly a relief.

“I can give you as many as you need.”

She took the potion from me and drank it. Now I could finally relax. It seemed like I could put my mind at ease.

“Iyeon, how many did you take down?”

Completely unaware of the state of mind I returned with, Kang Sujin was asking Jeong Iyeon about her achievements.

“Um… if I count this villain, then two. But he had a tricky ability, so I was trying to find a solution… then Instructor came and took him down in one go, like yap!”

She pointed at the man at my feet.

What’s with the “yap”? How cute.

“I see. You did well. You could be a hero now.”

What nonsense, to someone who was struggling against a steel transformation ability.

“I’m still far behind Mom.”

“True. Woohyun! Where are you?”

“I’m here.”

I saw Jeong Woohyun waving from the second-floor balcony. He seemed to be in good condition.

“I think…”

“Yes. We should end our trip here.”

I continued as soon as Kang Sujin started speaking.

“What?”

“The lodging is wrecked like this, and it’s dangerous to stay here.”

I completely agreed.

Even if they were destroying the hideout, the threat hadn’t disappeared. We never know when they might attack again.

“Let’s go back as soon as the operation is over. The Association should cover the damage to the lodging.”

“What about the aquarium…?”

“Later.”

Even if visiting the aquarium alone with me meant a lot to Jeong Iyeon, I didn’t think it was worth risking danger here.

“I promise.”

I extended my pinky to her, and after looking at it for a moment, Jeong Iyeon gently hooked hers with mine.

“You have to keep it, okay?”

“I will.”