Ch.4141. The Feeling of Being the Underdog

Let’s imagine you’ve been in a terrible car accident.

You’re going about your day as usual, mindlessly scrolling through your phone when suddenly your body violently shakes and there’s a blinding flash before your eyes.

That’s where your memory ends.

When you open your eyes, your throat burns with thirst, your eyelids feel heavy as if sewn with thread, and an indescribable pain engulfs your entire body.

And your legs are gone.

The body parts that were perfectly fine just moments ago are now missing.

You can no longer walk as before.

You can no longer live a normal life.

That horrifying realization, that mental collapse, overwhelms even the physical pain.

How could one express such a sense of loss?

Who could possibly understand?

But in this case, there was an even more serious problem.

Perhaps it was that no one could understand what she had lost.

Everyone at the scene except for Yoo Cha-mi died in that explosion.

She survived with relatively minor injuries because she had been kidnapped and was lying down in the back seat.

Of course, she was still just five minutes away from death.

Yoo Cha-mi underwent emergency surgery, and thanks to the best medical technology, she returned to her normal self a week later without any scars.

Everyone around her who had been worried expressed relief and blessings for her miraculous survival.

But only one person knew something had been lost.

Something incredibly important.

Elli had died.

The cause of death was probably shock.

Unable to endure the pain, her consciousness had simply disappeared.

Lena, unable to find her, went berserk like a madwoman for days after waking up.

For several days after that, she remained in a daze like a broken person.

Then she began to feel hatred enveloping her.

“…Those damn heroes.”

The kidnappers were nothing but ashes now. They posed no threat to her.

If only the hero hadn’t been there.

If only that bastard hadn’t existed.

That’s just how heroes were. People who show off their abilities, make enormous amounts of money from fame, and feel superior.

The only difference between them and villains was whether they operated within or outside the law.

But she didn’t even have anyone to blame.

The punk kidnappers had no backing, and the hero was just an individual before his debut.

They were all dead, so there was no one to hold accountable.

“…’Harden.'”

Lena commanded her fingertips. Her skin instantly hardened to a degree that would put titanium to shame.

If only she could have said these words a little faster.

The flow of regret continued.

While she was feeling regret upon regret, and even deeper regret…

“Ms. Yoo Cha-mi, you’ve been cleared for discharge.”

She saw the face of a nurse smiling at her as she delivered the news.

Hearing that name, she realized.

She had never been Yoo Cha-mi from the beginning.

That was Elli’s name.

She was merely a fragment of language command.

The control of consciousness had always belonged to Elli. She could only see the world because Elli had allowed it.

This body, this knowledge, everything had belonged to Elli from the start.

No, they belonged to Yoo Cha-mi.

If I am merely a language command ability…

Then it would be logical to use that command to put everything back in its place.

Lena began to accelerate.

She honed her mental abilities more and more sharply.

She jumped into the family power struggle to take over L Corporation as Yoo Cha-mi had wanted.

She established the Holy Tree and took control of the underworld to utilize all possible means.

She carefully preserved the body and maintained it in optimal condition.

Because this body that wasn’t hers would someday have to be returned to Yoo Cha-mi.

She didn’t neglect training to strengthen her language commands.

The range of her effectiveness was limited to the laws of physics.

But she believed.

If she became stronger and stronger and stronger…

Someday.

‘Come back to life.’

Even that language command that invaded the authority of God would become reality.

The enhancement of her language command hit a wall.

At some point, it stopped growing.

That’s why as soon as she secured the chairman position of L Corporation, she initiated the Skylens Project.

That’s why she despaired when it failed.

Looking at the horribly mangled corpse of the tester, she lost hope.

That the dead cannot be brought back to life.

It felt like a warning had come down that challenging God would bring divine punishment.

No, it wasn’t just a warning.

After analyzing the tester’s corpse, they couldn’t determine what had transformed the body or what had caused it.

It was in a state that couldn’t even be treated.

She had ruined the body she was supposed to return to Yoo Cha-mi, and despite having the ability, she couldn’t resurrect her from the pain.

That was the fate she deserved.

◈ ◈ ◈

The reason such a Lena could still stand as E.lena was because of her entanglement with this man.

Gerogius.

No, Jung Ui-seok.

A hateful hero who, after being betrayed, became a villain who wanted her.

‘How truly bizarre.’

They say when coincidences repeat, it becomes fate.

She had to admit it.

The moment his scythe touched her neck, she had already lost to him.

It was just her petty pride preventing her from saying that word.

“I want to bring Yoo Cha-mi back to life.”

E.lena finally spoke that name aloud, not even trying to hold onto her fighting spirit that was draining away.

Yoo Cha-mi wanting to resurrect Yoo Cha-mi—what a riddle.

Most would think it was just wordplay.

But Jung Ui-seok seemed to be deep in serious thought, stroking his chin.

“Yoo Cha-mi, language command. Twins… no. If it’s about physical conditions. I see. You have another personality who is the original owner of the body, E.lena.”

Jung Ui-seok deduced the correct answer instantly.

E.lena couldn’t help but laugh hollowly.

What on earth was this man?

“Correct. Resurrecting a vanished personality. We’ll need to interfere with the concept of mind. Mental manipulation liberation. To reach that level, I’ll need to raise my level quite a bit. It will take time, but it’s possible.”

Possible.

The moment she heard those four letters, a gleam flashed through E.lena’s eyes.

“Become my comrade, E.lena. Then your wish will come true.”

Jung Ui-seok extended his hand to E.lena.

She stared at it blankly.

“However.”

Jung Ui-seok added.

“We villains value betrayal over loyalty, contracts over brotherhood. Since you’ll betray me once you achieve your goal, I’ll put another collar on you before that happens.”

Seeing that beastly expression and hearing that chilling voice, E.lena understood for the first time in her life.

The feeling of being subordinate.

The tingling sensation of having one’s throat squeezed.

“If you understand, take it.”

She already felt like a dog collar was tightening around her neck.

The illusion of that leash in Jung Ui-seok’s hand flickered before her eyes.

“…’Cancel.'”

E.lena declared. At the same time, Dark Matter’s frozen body began to move again. She released all the language commands she had cast during the battle.

“Geo.”

E.lena slowly raised her right hand and answered.

“Put on as many as you like. The moment they’re released, I’ll bite you to death.”

Jung Ui-seok seemed pleased with her answer, raising the corner of his mouth.

E.lena finally took Jung Ui-seok’s hand.

She added one final sentence.

“…From now on, call me Lena.”

◈ ◈ ◈

“Good. The new Switch sample isn’t bad.”

Shin Yukyong wore a satisfied smile.

In the training ground, both Shin Yukyong and Kang Yerin had grown significantly stronger in a short time. Despite already being S-class heroes, they seemed to know no limits.

Seeing them, Ji Se-hwa felt a bit anxious. Her growth rate was slower. Of course, it was still better than Choi Minseo, who wasn’t present.

‘…I don’t even need this stuff in the first place.’

She was still confused.

The reason she became a hero in the first place was for a stable life.

It was an opportunity to quit her miserable punk life and get a stable job.

She hadn’t fully believed Jung Ui-seok’s claims about her S-class talent.

She never cared about justice, peace, or citizen safety from the beginning.

In terms of alignment, Ji Se-hwa was closer to chaotic neutral.

If a villain organization had scouted her before Jung Ui-seok, she would have become a villain without hesitation.

She just thought that since Jung Ui-seok taught that peace should be protected, that must be right.

She had no convictions. Others didn’t take priority over her own well-being.

But as she continued, she grew more greedy.

Seeing her bank balance grow, she wanted more and more.

The more the numbers increased, the more at ease she felt.

She didn’t realize there was no limit to those numbers.

She still didn’t know that the resources that needed to be sacrificed for false security were infinite.

‘What should I do about that bastard Jung Ui-seok?’

She still couldn’t make up her mind.

She had judged Jung Ui-seok as an enemy, opposed him, and even tried to kill him.

But when making that critical judgment, she learned that the Association President had deceived her.

If that hadn’t been the case…

While her relationship with Jung Ui-seok would still be bad, it might not have become this extreme.

Then perhaps her relationship with Jung Ui-seok when they first met wasn’t the real one?

Back then, Jung Ui-seok had taught her about “good” and “justice” when her values were unclear.

Though she wasn’t aware of it, Jung Ui-seok had played a father figure role for Ji Se-hwa.

So if she acted like a proper hero now, would Jung Ui-seok acknowledge her?

Such expectations still remained in Ji Se-hwa’s heart.

Unable to sort out these ambivalent feelings or make a decision, she couldn’t focus on her training.

Of course, at this point, nothing she did would make Jung Ui-seok acknowledge her.

Kang Yerin recognized this fact and was racking her brain for a different approach, but Ji Se-hwa’s thinking hadn’t even reached that level.

“It feels like my ability has evolved.”

Kang Yerin said, clenching and unclenching her fist.

“Evolved?”

“Yes. Before, I could only slow down time within the sphere.”

Shin Yukyong threw a shuriken at Kang Yerin. As Kang Yerin used her ability, the shuriken entered the sphere that formed around her and stopped moving completely.

“This… did time stop?”

“The duration isn’t long, though.”

Kang Yerin grabbed the frozen shuriken and returned it to Shin Yukyong.

“That’s amazing. It would be quite effective if you could pull enemies into close combat.”

The atmosphere between Kang Yerin and Shin Yukyong was good. Ji Se-hwa clicked her tongue watching them.

Just then, the transformation devices of all three women rang.

“This is!”

“A dispatch request. There have been invasions from the Galaxy Empire recently, but they weren’t serious enough to require our intervention.”

Ji Se-hwa also checked the content and frowned.

“An executive level…! Let’s move quickly!”

At Kang Yerin’s command, Shin Yukyong and Ji Se-hwa nodded.

◈ ◈ ◈

“Cancer’s ability range is a radius of 500 meters. A dome shape with a diameter of 1 kilometer.”

Lu-a reported to me. We were observing the scene from an airship using optical camouflage. It was Yeouido.

“Geo, the Dragon King Sentai has arrived.”

“Confirmed.”

Of course they would appear when an executive-level enemy shows up.

This should make for a good stage.

“This airship is more cramped than it looks. Geo, how long do we have to wait?”

A complaining voice came from behind me.

Her outfit was the same white uniform as usual, but with red embroidery.

[Evil Sentai Formation Status]

[Sentai Name: Vengeance]

[Leader: ‘Gerogius’ Jung Ui-seok]

[Member: ‘Dark Matter’ Lee Lu-a]

[ ‘E.lena’ Lena ]

Currently, Lena is receiving my buff effect as a member of Sentai Vengeance.

“Wait a little longer. Shouldn’t we see how incompetent the Dragon King Sentai is?”

I calmed her down with those words.

Raise the curtain.

This is the first step toward villains ruling the world.