Ch.3Chapter 1. Villain Executioner (3)

Those with special abilities, or rather, those with the power of mana, cannot be controlled by modern weapons.

“Mana is a clearly different extraterrestrial substance from existing concepts! It’s a material of an entirely different dimension from any modern energy source!”

Because it’s a substance from another world, mana cannot be controlled by any modern force.

To put it simply.

“An E-rank 17-year-old high school girl with special abilities equals the power of one tank.”

Even E-rank, not the lowest F-rank, possesses tank-level lethality and destructive power.

Even F-rank users can protect themselves from incoming bullets with mana shields, surrounding their bodies with shields that can withstand continuous gunfire until their mana is completely depleted.

A-rank users are jokingly said to possess division-level power.

S-rank users are called national power-level, living nuclear weapons.

In this situation, with all ability users being under 25 years old—whether born with abilities or awakening them while growing up—there was no way to guide these children onto the so-called “right path.”

“Stop using your ability!”

“What are you going to do? You can’t kill me, right? Frustrated? Angry? Even if you bring a gun, it’s useless, right?”

“What kind of way is that to talk to an adult?”

“Adult? Haaaa, you powerless nobody! I’m a far superior being! Give me a gift card so I can spend on Goranistarz!”

“Y-you crazy…!!”

The world situation expanded beyond conflicts between nations to essentially become a battle between good and evil, order and chaos, the old generation and the new.

“Well-behaved good children become heroes, while juvenile delinquent bullies become villains.”

Those who use their abilities to maintain the existing world order.

Those who use their abilities for their own benefit.

“This world isn’t a battle between heroes and villains.”

Someone once said about this world.

“It’s a battle between kids who won model student awards and juvenile delinquents.”

Villains are invariably juvenile delinquents who gained abilities, while heroes are good children who were model students praised by teachers when they awakened their abilities.

That’s not wrong.

[Villain Red Scarf-Jung Gong-in is a combustion ability user who, after burning animals to death at age 10, was raised in the ‘Child Ability User Mental Training Institute’…!]

Even the guy currently rushing to set fire to my apartment—Seoul Banpo Xi—is like that.

A psychopath.

A sociopath.

Or an ability supremacist.

Firmly believing that since he has special abilities, why should he follow existing order and laws, he’s now trying to prove himself through terrorism.

[We’ve invited Dr. Ahn Jung-eun, a special ability crime psychologist. Why is Red Scarf targeting Banpo Xi specifically?]

[Banpo Xi is symbolic. When he entered the mental training institute, Banpo Xi was famous on the internet as a symbol of wealth.]

[So he’s trying to send a message by attacking the wealthiest apartment complex?]

[Exactly. Since Busan has many heroes, he’s trying to commit terrorism in a place he remembers as relatively wealthy with fewer heroes…]

“So the kid has no common sense but his knowledge is stuck in 2010?”

The reason my apartment is in danger of terrorism is just because of a misunderstanding.

“That’s juvenile delinquent level thinking for you.”

It’s absurd, but looking through actual historical terrorist incidents, attacks based on misunderstandings are surprisingly common.

Especially when it’s a juvenile delinquent arsonist who thinks he’s superior because he awakened special abilities.

[What’s the current situation in Seoul?! Reporter Han!]

[…Yes! This is Han at the Han River in Seoul! Emergency evacuation orders have been issued for the Seocho-dong area and other targeted locations, and Seoul citizens are in chaos!]

“Of course they are, with a tank coming toward Seoul at 200 km/h.”

He’s “running” up the Gyeongbu Expressway at an insane speed, but there’s no way to stop him.

“It’s chaos.”

Coming down the stairs and going outside, I see people leaving Banpo-dong in terror.

“Heroes!! Where are the heroes?!”

“Damn it, they’re all in Busan! Isn’t there anyone? There must be at least one hero who came home!”

“What is the pursuit team from Busan doing?! Catch that guy right now! Don’t let him reach Seoul!!”

He’s currently fleeing from the heroes in Busan.

While heading to Seoul to commit terrorism, he’s simultaneously outpacing the heroes from Busan with his abilities, mana, and speed.

[What’s the situation with the heroes from Busan?!]

[The heroes were barely keeping up, but Red Scarf caused a vehicle accident resulting in casualties…!]

“Tsk.”

Heroes are those who received good child awards.

If a thief runs away and pushes down a passing grandmother, heroes are the kind of people who would stop chasing the thief to provide first aid to the bleeding grandmother.

[The casualties have already exceeded 20 people…!]

“This kid is determined not to live in Korea anymore.”

He’s crossed the line by far.

It’ll be difficult for him to live in the world of light from now on.

“…Is he planning to defect?”

But what about the darkness?

Places that fear Korea’s rapid growth and would accept Korean villain defectors?

“Is this guy perhaps trying to escape to China or Russia?”

After terrorizing Seoul and crossing the sea while pretending to be dead, he might reappear with a name like “Jian Gouing” or “Jung Gorblainseky.”

There are actually many such people.

After all, heroes in Korea receive disproportionately fewer benefits compared to their abilities than in other countries, and other nations are willing to pay enormous sums to accept Korean ability users.

Originally, that’s also the “setting” of this novel.

“This small peninsula really received too many blessings.”

According to the setting, it’s because “that thing” is sleeping underground where Sejong Island is located, but the Korean peninsula is a place blessed with mana.

[Why is Red Scarf doing this? If he became a hero, he could be an A-rank hero protecting an entire city, or if he went abroad, he could be a hero protecting that entire country!]

Thanks to this, abilities that would make someone a unique hero and national savior in other countries can reduce them to just another common A-rank villain causing social disturbances in Korea, like Red Scarf.

“Check the hero navigator! Aren’t there any heroes in Seoul?!”

“Damn it, there’s no one in the capital area! The hero who was originally in Seoul is on an overseas business trip!”

At this point.

We can only watch as Seoul becomes a sea of flames.

Bababa bababa bam.

My smartphone rings.

It’s not the default ringtone, but something that sounds like an opening song from a tokusatsu series.

“…Ugh.”

The smartphone screen displayed a large ‘Ω’ character.

Moreover, the image embedded in the middle of the text was a ‘black dragon’.

I quickly moved to a secluded area away from people’s attention and carefully answered the phone.

“…Yes, Chairman. I’ve answered the call.”

[Oh my, Manager Do. Have you been well?]

A somewhat youthful voice comes through the smartphone.

If someone were eavesdropping, it would sound like a woman from a third-generation chaebol family.

Of course, it’s code to hide her identity.

The entity on the other end of the line is the head of the world domination organization “The Syndicate,” the “Dark Demon Dragon.”

“Yes, I’m doing well, thanks to you. How are you resting comfortably, Chairman?”

[Thanks to you, Manager Do, I’ve been sleeping soundly these days. Hmm. But Manager Do, there’s something urgent that needs to be handled.]

“If it’s your directive, I’ll follow immediately. What is it?”

[You know the red muffler, right? I think you need to collect that~]

Red muffler.

This is also code.

However, it’s not an agreed-upon code but rather a figurative expression that requires some thought.

“Collect it, or clean it up?”

[Oh my, look at me. Since it’s something to be thrown away, don’t bring it back to the company. Understand?]

I asked whether it was collection or cleanup, and was told it was “something to be thrown away.”

[Our environment, keep it green, keep it green. Please put it in a garbage bag and dispose of it properly. Hmm, then I’ll leave it to you!]

The call ended.

Although it’s a sudden directive, I can’t just sit still after receiving instructions.

‘The location should be around Chungcheong Province by now.’

If I intercept in Seoul, my identity might be exposed, so I should head south a bit.

Vroom.

I got on my bike parked in the parking lot.

This is my beloved steed “Dark Knight,” bought with my first salary from The Syndicate.

The reason for this ridiculous name is that the chairman named it.

I was just going to call it “Rattler,” but—

“…Huh?”

Something felt chilling down my spine.

And simultaneously, someone approached from behind me—

Thud!

“Ouch…!”

Someone bumped their head against my back.

Worried it might be a new assassin, I quickly turned my head.

“Who….”

“I-I’m sorry…!”

A black-haired woman with her hat pulled down low bowed deeply toward me with her hands clasped together.

“I’m sorry, but could I borrow your bike?! It’s urgent, I’ll compensate you!”

“Why do you need my bike…. Wait.”

I quickly looked the woman up and down.

“…Snow White?”

A wild heroine has appeared…!