Ch.30You’re Not Bad! – 1

“…So, you’re saying someone tried to socially destroy me? Is that it?”

“I didn’t go that far, but don’t you think so? In my opinion, it’s one hundred percent likely.”

Indeed, I also think it’s one hundred percent accurate.

A civil servant committing sexual harassment? And not just anything else?

This wouldn’t end with just getting severely pressured within the department.

Reporters would pounce on it with glee, and the headlines would be massive.

Moreover, from what I heard, they were planning to frame me for sexual assault beyond just harassment.

It’s not even comparable to drunk driving. It wouldn’t just end my career as a civil servant, but my entire life.

Literally, it was an underhanded scheme to completely “destroy” me as a person.

“What a strange brother you are. All these weird people gathering around! Do you have some kind of protagonist pheromone or something?”

That protagonist is Hyunwoo Lee, not me, which makes this quite unfair.

The Elder goes to Hyunwoo, and you should go to Hyunwoo too.

My skin is tingling all over. Sujin Hyun is one thing, but Rina Lee is even more terrifying.

At least she’s a superpower user, not a villain. If she were a villain, then probably…

‘Probably, the world would be filled with mint chocolate.’

She’s also a ruthless mint chocolate enthusiast with unpredictable tension.

She’s definitely crazy in many ways. The villains gave her a fitting nickname.

“Brother, do you have any idea who might be behind this? You seem to have made quite a few enemies.”

“Well, I might have people I hold grudges against, but I don’t think there’s anyone who would hold a grudge against me…”

Actually, that’s not true. Thinking about it now, I might have made one recently.

The “grudge-holder” I’m thinking of seems like someone who would use such methods and more.

And since they have the backing to do so, I’m not just making assumptions.

“From your expression, it seems like you do have someone in mind?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“Who is it? I mean, why would they do this?”

“Actually, recently, I demoted a student from Gold to Bronze at the Academy.”

“Huh? Ah, ahaha! Pfahahahaha!! Ahahahahah!!”

At my answer, Rina suddenly clutched her stomach and started laughing.

For someone who calls herself a stunning beauty, her laugh is surprisingly rough.

She was cackling like a truly insane person.

“Um, Rina?”

“Ahahah! Oh, oh that’s so fucking funny!! Heeheeheek! Bronze demotion!! Bronze, he says! Ahahahah!!”

It’s a bit strange to hear “so fucking funny” come out so naturally from a Westerner’s mouth.

I know very well that her content is as Korean as anyone’s, but still, it can’t be helped.

Yet somehow, she says it so perfectly that it suits her.

“No! Ahah! How on earth! Ahahah! A Gold student got demoted to Bronze?”

“The student was acting so arrogantly. So we had a duel with conditions. If he won, he could have whatever he wanted. But if he lost, he would be demoted from Gold to Bronze.”

At my answer, Rina looked like she was about to roll on the floor laughing.

She was laughing so hard that passersby were wondering what was happening.

Thanks to this, people who didn’t initially recognize Rina started gathering around.

Unlike last time, she wasn’t in disguise and was even wearing the uniform given to S-rank superpower users.

If someone doesn’t recognize Rina in this state, they’re not Korean citizens but spies.

“Um, Rina. People are gathering around.”

“Ah. This popularity of mine. It’s so tiresome, but what can I do?”

I wonder if she also has a setting where she suffers from chuunibyou.

Meanwhile, Rina even strikes poses for people to take pictures freely.

“Anyway, if that happened, I understand. Wow, Gold to Bronze. Even I would want to kill someone for that.”

“Is it that serious?”

“I’m an Academy graduate too, you know. Though I graduated early. Anyway, unless someone voluntarily accepts demotion, such things rarely happen. Especially not from Gold to Bronze, not even to Silver. Wow! Even I would have murderous thoughts!”

Screech—!

Suddenly, a vehicle urgently parks beside us.

I wondered what was happening, and then someone jumped out of it.

“Miss Rina! You need to go to the Association right away! We don’t have time to be standing around here!”

“Don’t rush me. I said I’ll go when I’m ready. If you keep pushing, I might just not go at all.”

“If, if that happens, the Association President will literally kill me!”

“It’s okay. At least I won’t kill you.”

What’s going on now? I really can’t figure out what this woman is all about.

One moment she seems like a skilled superpower user, the next like a high school girl still stuck in her chuunibyou phase.

Then she radiates the aura of the strongest among the strong, unapproachable.

“Brother, actually, I’m being dragged to the Association right now.”

“What?”

“I told you, I had a ‘conversation’ with those guys yesterday. But I had such a serious conversation that those people got quite broken. Because of that, our Association President is very angry.”

When she says “broken,” it sounds like she nearly killed them.

I can somewhat understand why the Association President is angry.

Even though they were bad guys, they weren’t villains, so there was no justification for a superpower user to intervene.

Not only did she intervene, but she also beat them to a pulp, which must have created quite a predicament.

“So I decided to wear my uniform for once. I usually don’t wear it because it’s tacky, but when I’m going to get scolded, I should wear it once. How does it look? Does it suit me?”

The black uniform Rina is wearing is only given to S-rank superpower users.

It looks ordinary on the outside, but the material is anything but common.

It’s made from only the highest quality materials derived from monster byproducts.

‘It can block most weapons and magic attacks, right?’

Thanks to that uniform, the already powerful S-rank superpower users become even stronger.

It would be great if they could mass-produce and distribute them.

But it costs an astronomical amount to make just one, so that’s impossible.

I heard that one uniform costs about the same as the Academy’s annual budget.

The Academy is already extravagant, but that uniform is an even more extreme expenditure.

‘That’s how important and precious S-rank superpower users are.’

Of course, from Rina’s perspective, it’s embarrassing, cumbersome, and uncomfortable.

She seems to view it as just another dark piece of clothing.

“Miss Rina!! Please, please! We only have 20 minutes left!”

“Ah, really. If I just run, I can make it in 5 minutes. Stop rushing me! Can’t you see I’m talking to this brother here?!”

…Should I escape? More and more people are gathering.

At this rate, I won’t be in the news as a sexual harasser civil servant, but for being with Rina.

Woong—

‘Huh.’

For a moment, a strange sensation came over me.

It felt like the ground trembled slightly, but it was so momentary that I thought I might be imagining it.

“What? You noticed it too, brother? As expected, you’re not an ordinary person. You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

That’s what Rina said before she suddenly took off her uniform and threw it to her secretary.

“Ugh! M-Miss Rina?”

“Wear that and run quickly. Even if there’s a problem, you won’t die.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

Rumble—

Cars that were moving fine suddenly stopped, streetlights and electronic displays went dark.

Along with an eerie sound, the world began to ripple significantly.

This phenomenon, this sound—yes, it was “that” which I saw right after being possessed.

“W-what? A Gate appearance?! How is this possible with suppressors in place?!”

“Aren’t you going to run? If you get caught up in this, I won’t take responsibility.”

At Rina’s words, the person who was her secretary covered himself with the uniform and immediately fled.

That’s the right move. Non-powered individuals can never, ever deal with Gates or monsters.

What about guns, cannons, or missiles, you ask?

Unfortunately, unless an attack is infused with superpowers, it’s all useless.

That’s why being a superpower user became the most prestigious job in this world.

And why superpower users with even slightly superior abilities look down on those below them.

Rumble—

“Hah, really.”

Wasn’t there still a year left? But we’re already seeing precursor symptoms?

I wonder if there was such a scene in the novel, but I can’t remember.

Perhaps it was a part that wasn’t mentioned because the focus was on the Academy.

Naturally, Gate suppressors are installed around the city.

The effective radius isn’t very wide, but its effect is definite.

Research shows it reduces the probability of Gate formation to less than 3 percent.

Thanks to this, Gates rarely form in places where people gather.

“Rina, has this happened before?”

“No. This is my first time seeing it too. Maybe there’s a problem with the suppressors?”

That’s entirely possible. Suppressors become useless if the power supply is cut off.

The amount of energy they consume is truly beyond imagination, given their effectiveness.

That’s why villains also prioritize power supply stations, though they don’t actually target them.

‘If they did, they’d also get completely wiped out by monsters.’

Meanwhile, a dark void appeared not far away.

That huge maw is the Gate. With its appearance, the world completely changed.

It’s the advent of hell for humanity, and at the same time, a milestone marking a new era.

“Handsome brother?”

“I’ve told you multiple times, it’s Seojin Baek.”

“Why? Don’t you like this nickname? All men usually do. Are you perhaps a woman disguised as a man?”

“Let’s drop it.”

If I continue talking, I might die from frustration.

“Anyway, Seojin brother. It looks like there’s more than one Gate. That one looks interesting, and the one next to it is a hot one. Let’s do this: I’ll handle that one, and you take care of one.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Aren’t you a superpower user? You should step up at times like this.”

“No! That’s true, but I’m not a field agent, and I don’t even know the Gate’s rank!”

Why do you think superpower users are divided into ranks?

Each rank is meant to handle Gates and monsters of similar levels.

D-rank users handle D-rank Gates and monsters, A-rank users handle A-rank Gates and monsters.

That’s why no one can complain about rank supremacy.

“Ah, it’s okay. You can do it. From what I see, Seojin brother, I think you’ll do well!”

“Hey! No, what nonsense are you talking about!”

But Rina didn’t listen to me and soared into the sky.

Boom—!

‘…Did she just stomp her foot once and fly up like that? The ground is a mess now.’

I wondered if she was really the same species as me.

Hiss—

Meanwhile, the Gate that Rina described as “hot” finally revealed itself.

Soon, monsters will pour out from beyond it.

I briefly wondered if it would work and decided to try using The Third Eye.

But no characteristics manifested. Ah, I’m doomed.