Ch.80Chapter 4. How to Conquer a Hero (1)

A week had passed since the treasure hunt incident.

Ermina Sternfeld had lawyers from her home country come to defend her.

She had become an ordinary person.

Her brilliant future as an A-rank ability user had vanished, and now she was left to live what she considered a pathetically powerless existence.

The Korean language is truly a matter of subtle differences.

A single character difference can create a stark contrast in nuance and feeling within a word.

Ability user and non-ability user.

This is from the perspective of someone with abilities.

Ability user and ordinary person.

This is from the perspective of someone without abilities.

But ability “supremacists” who possess abilities themselves refer to non-ability users or ordinary people as “powerless ones.”

Those not born with the blessing of abilities.

Unlike themselves who would lead the new generation, these were obsolete beings of the old era who should be eliminated and disappear.

This mindset, combined with adolescent confusion and environmental influences, led some to treat those without abilities as “disabled.”

If those with physical deficiencies are called disabled,

Then to ability users, ordinary people are those “lacking abilities.”

From an ordinary person’s perspective, this view is extremely unpleasant and detestable, but would telling such people their thinking is wrong actually change anything?

Not at all.

Nothing changes.

Abilities are something one is born with, and losing an ability is supposed to be impossible.

Occasionally there were reports of such incidents in North America, but people didn’t pay much attention as they were considered rare coincidences.

But.

Now the situation has changed.

Whether this is a misunderstanding or truth remains unknown.

However, circumstances suggest it, the person who could confirm it says nothing, and the subject who could be questioned about possessing such power has disappeared without a trace.

-Could the Goblin possibly erase abilities?

That’s what people started thinking.

And the same goes for the Syndicate Yimemangryang.

With the Tavern Owner’s help, I briefly left Sejong Island for Busan, then came straight to Seoul and entered my home.

“Ah, this is Manager Do Ji-hwan.”

And I greeted them.

“It’s been a while since I’ve greeted you directly. It’s good to see you, Chairman. And Directors.”

Through video conference, using a special relay device in my Seoul home that bypasses government surveillance, I exchanged greetings with the head and executives of Yimemangryang.

None of them show their faces directly.

Each wears a mask fitting their concept, but I’ve already separately confirmed all the faces beneath those masks.

I’m wearing a mask too.

The reason for wearing masks is that each person needs to maintain their concept in their position, or they’re in situations where they can’t reveal their faces.

It’s definitely not because we’re uncomfortably wearing masks just to maintain a concept for a Syndicate meeting.

[Was it difficult to get out? It shouldn’t have taken a whole week.]

“It was harder than expected. People were coming and going from Germany to Sejong Island, and with an A-rank ability user losing her power, the entire island was on high alert.”

[We were on alert too. Even with reports coming in, we needed to verify them.]

The woman who heard the report directly, Qiongqi, displayed a document on the screen.

[Ymir. This woman purified Ermina Sternfeld after she became a demon?]

“Yes. I suspect she might be responsible for the ‘Zenros’ incident that occurred in North America.”

[And her method involves directly extracting the demon seed residing in the possessed person’s body?]

“Yes.”

Though I couldn’t provide visual evidence of what I witnessed, I described the situation in detail.

“She inserted her hand, glowing with gold, into Ermina’s abdomen. Her hand, made of mana, penetrated Ermina’s abdomen without drawing blood. It didn’t affect the human body, but instead she grabbed the demon seed and extracted it into a golden orb.”

[Yeouiju.]

At the Chairman’s words, the other executives momentarily froze.

It was surprising enough that the Chairman, who rarely speaks, had spoken, but the word itself was no ordinary term—it was related to the Chairman’s own ability.

[There’s no need to be surprised. Whether sealing abilities in orbs or sealing demons in orbs, the mechanism is the same.]

[Just because the mechanism is the same doesn’t mean anyone can do it, Chairman.]

[Then worldwide, only I and this woman called Ymir can use this technique.]

Ymir used the Chairman’s technique.

While extraction is the opposite of what the Chairman does, the concept of removing something from an ability user is the same.

[Ymir. Platinum Sun. Solar Platina. And now she’s in a teacher-student relationship with Manager Do?]

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

This is where the real proposal begins.

[What do you think, Manager Do?]

“I believe she’s worth bringing into the Syndicate.”

[Excluding personal feelings?]

“Yes. Her abilities are exceptional, and she doesn’t seem determined to follow the hero’s path. Beyond everything else, if Pandemonium… Wijungcheoksa keeps trying to recruit her, I think it would be better for the Syndicate to recruit her first.”

A capable woman.

Moreover, with abilities similar to the Chairman’s.

[How strong was her magical power?]

“At least S-rank, I believe.”

[Well, with that enormous mana pouch, it would be strange if she weren’t S-rank.]

“……”

Regardless of the mana pouch, Ymir simply has abundant mana.

[So what’s your plan, Manager Do? How do you plan to recruit her into the Syndicate?]

“I will offer myself to bring Ymir to the Syndicate’s side.”

[Hmm….]

The Chairman let out a sigh that seemed to be testing me.

[Manager Do. Let me ask you something.]

“Please go ahead, Taowu.”

[So you’re saying you’ll seduce Ymir, make her only look at you, and then ensure she doesn’t betray the Syndicate?]

“Yes, that’s correct.”

A bombshell statement.

I’m now on the execution platform, about to be dissected by these women.

[Is that the best you could come up with?]

“Among the resources I have, isn’t this the most certain way to persuade her? ‘The end justifies the means.’ That was your saying, Director.”

[Still, I’m somewhat against the method being seduction.]

One of the directors immediately rejected my strategy.

[No matter how capable she is, do we need to go that far to recruit her? What about other methods?]

“What methods are you suggesting?”

[Acting like a proper villain. Taking hostages, making a straightforward recruitment offer as a member of a large organization, or making her an offer she can’t refuse!]

“Those are all valid approaches, but unfortunately, according to my investigation, Ymir currently has no weaknesses.”

I displayed a small window showing Ymir’s personal information from the Tavern Owner’s investigation.

“She has no family. She grew up in a foster care facility in Canada, and that orphanage was completely wiped out in a villain attack, with no survivors.”

Although Ymir hasn’t directly spoken about it yet, she has no family.

There was so little information about the protagonist’s background that I wondered if this was correct.

It was a moment when I wanted to kill the author for not revealing the protagonist’s backstory before she came to Korea.

“Ymir is someone who craves affection. Especially now, she’s being ostracized by her peers for being an E-rank ability user from abroad. Her looks may not match those of everyone here, but she’s attractive enough to sit alongside the board if a position were added, which is why she faces jealousy and envy.”

Objectively speaking, she could rival even the Chairman in looks, but saying that might immediately turn me into a Goblin, so I decided to moderate my words.

“I plan to exploit this point. If my proposal is approved, I will do everything in my power to seduce Ymir and make her one of our Syndicate members.”

[Manager Do. Are you planning to build a harem?]

“How could I dare dream of such a thing? However.”

I stood up and bowed respectfully.

“I will dedicate myself fully to serve the Syndicate and help realize the Chairman’s grand vision.”

[Good.]

The Chairman’s answer came down.

[Subjugate Ymir. Make her work for the Syndicate. Don’t be picky about methods—use everything at your disposal. But.]

The Chairman added a condition.

[Tell her you’re married.]

“…Pardon?”

What did she just say?

[Tell her you’re married. If she still genuinely tries to seduce you even knowing you’re married? Then I’ll acknowledge it.]

“Chairman?”

[Think about it. Whether a married man tries to seduce her or not, if she knowingly dates a married man, that becomes ‘adultery’.]

“……”

The Chairman.

[I like it. Making her carry an indelible sense of debt in her heart. There’s no easier way to turn someone into a villain.]

Something.

[Why not tell her you have a child too?]

“Chairman, should I come over there right now?”

[No, no. I’m being serious right now. I’m not angry. I’m really being serious, so listen carefully.]

I can’t figure her out.

At the same time.

[Make Ymir carry the psychological burden of being ‘the other woman’ for the rest of her life. Isn’t that true ‘villain corruption’? Dating a married man with a child.]

She knows exactly how to target human weaknesses.

[Make her into someone no one but the Syndicate would accept.]