Alpha (2)

Bang!

An intense exchange of attacks aiming at each other continued.

Alpha, Heart Queen, and Viktor.

All three had connections in the past, but that didn’t mean they held back in their attacks.

If they held back against each other, they would never be able to win against such opponents.

Clang!

“[Don’t interfere.]”

“You’re the one who shouldn’t interfere, uncle.”

Although Alpha had told both of them to come at him, it didn’t lead to teamwork.

A competitive relationship aiming for one person’s life.

Naturally, there were no common combinations or assists, and there were many cases where they interfered with unintended attacks, effectively creating a 1 vs 1 vs 1 situation.

“Haa.. haa.. haa..”

Thanks to this, it could be seen as a beneficial situation for Alpha, but if you ask whether he had the upper hand, that wasn’t the case.

‘..I’ve lost a lot of strength.’

Due to the continuous battles, a considerable amount of fatigue had accumulated in Alpha’s body.

On top of that, as time passed, the side effects of the drug were approaching.

At this rate, he was in a state where he could collapse at any time, even without their attacks.

‘No.’

That wasn’t the ending Alpha wanted.

This was a kind of atonement.

It was to ease the hearts of those who had been harmed because of him.

‘I..’

He had to die by the hands of Viktor and Heart Queen themselves.

To apologize for the damage that my very existence had caused them.

“..Phew. This is pathetically miserable.”

For that, he could willingly act the villain.

“..What did you just say?”

“[Alpha..?]”

Alpha caught his breath and looked at them.

“Was that the extent of your anger?”

He curled one corner of his mouth exaggeratedly, feigning mockery.

“Seeing you two fight each other when you were talking about killing me, I can’t help but find it amusing.”

Alpha’s sudden change bewildered the two.

But Alpha continued without minding that.

It might seem strange, but he had to provoke them like this to make them cut ties with him themselves.

He looked at Heart Queen.

“Yoon Jisoo, didn’t you say you wanted revenge on me? With your current state, you won’t be able to kill me.”

The Queen’s face hardened rapidly at Alpha’s words.

“Or are you still trapped in old memories? Thinking that there might be some misunderstanding?”

“……”

At Alpha’s mockery, the Queen’s mouth, which was about to say something, closed instantly.

His words were her concerns that made it difficult for her to face him with only hatred.

In the past, Alpha and the Queen’s family were all close.

Until exactly one night passed.

‘..Mom?..Dad?’

‘……’

The corpses of her parents lying face down towards Alpha with cold appearances.

‘U-Uncle.. Mom and Dad aren’t breathing..’

A strange anxiety flowed.

She wanted to believe it wasn’t true.

That’s why she might still be half in doubt even now.

Tap.

‘Don’t touch them..’

But at the same time, I needed someone to hate then.

I thought that perhaps the beginning of hating him might be entirely my own doing.

‘..I.’

“It seems you still don’t understand well, so let me make it clear for you.”

But as time passed, the desire to believe that Alpha hadn’t killed them grew stronger.

Because she hadn’t directly seen the death of the two.

So somewhere in her heart, she thought there might be a misunderstanding.

It was certainly too late to turn back, but even at the very end, she hesitated to attack him.

However.

“It’s certain that I killed your beloved mother and father, your family, with my own hands.”

The wavering she had held deep in her heart all this time.

The anger she had carried out simply because there was no one else to hate.

What if it turns out that all of her thoughts were the truth?

“How about it, do you still have complex feelings towards me?”

When a story solidified by long doubt and accepted facts is revealed to be true through the words of the person involved.

She wanted to believe it wasn’t true, and at the same time, the thought of hating someone disappeared in an instant.

Drip. Drip..

Heart Queen had become the little child who looked at her weak, dead parents back then.

Ku-ung-!

“[That’s enough.]”

“Viktor.”

When sadness began to show in her eyes.

Viktor rushed at Alpha as if to tear his mouth.

Viktor wore a more serious expression than ever before.

However, the wavering in his two eyes could not be hidden at all.

“Viktor.”

Alpha called his name again and showed him a sardonic smile.

“Are you satisfied with the position you took after killing me?”

At that, Viktor’s eyes widened.

At the same time, Alpha’s eyes flashed red as if filled with anger.

“[..I.]”

“I lost everything. Money, honor, position, and people.”

“……”

“Aren’t you really resentful?”

His voice didn’t use an exaggerated tone or raised voice.

An emotion filled with resignation or sadness.

He dug up and brought out emotions that had been weathered and dried up over a long time.

“That this happened only to me.”

However, even though he showed emotion, he wasn’t truly immersed in that emotion.

Because he knew his place too well to indulge in self-pity.

“Viktor. I will burn the world.”

He could use his emotions solely to stimulate their hearts.

“I will see the end after breaking and destroying everything that broke me.”

“[..You know you shouldn’t do that.]”

“What if I want to keep doing this without stopping?”

Alpha’s resolute words.

Viktor could finally answer by putting on his knuckles.

“[..Then I have no choice but to stop you. Because I’m a hero.]”

Whoosh!

And almost as soon as Viktor’s answer ended, a barrage of doll attacks was unleashed towards Alpha.

“..I’ll kill you no matter what.”

Seeing her with an even thicker concentration of hatred than before, it seemed Heart Queen had finished her thoughts as well.

“Good answers.”

And Alpha looked at them with satisfaction.

Heart Queen and Viktor gathered mana to prepare their ‘techniques’.

“Гром (Thunder).”

“Puppet Theater.”

The attacks of the two that followed were directed at Alpha.

---

“Cough, kuh-huck..”

To put it simply, that’s how it was.

Alpha’s defeat.

The poor condition that had started before facing them finally became his downfall.

“Ah.. It seems he’s been betrayed.”

“The hairy uncle was alone, so it couldn’t be helped.”

Meanwhile, Maker and Polia watched Alpha lying on the ground from afar.

Alpha collapsed even though not enough time had passed for proper exhaustion to set in, and Viktor and the Queen talking about something around him.

He wasn’t dead yet, but it seemed he couldn’t get up despite not having proper side effects due to the accumulated shock to his body.

Or maybe he’s pretending to be down now that he’s achieved his goal.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll have to save him somehow, right?”

The goal was a situation where he escapes with just his breath intact.

Or even if he dies, he was hoping for a situation where it would be easy for him to extract.

“Do you have a way?”

“There are many ways to help him.”

From simply going down there himself to extract him, to methods of making a deal with Heart Queen and escaping.

He knew well the methods that would help Alpha and greatly increase his chances of survival if implemented.

‘The problem is that most of those methods involve risks that require giving up the artifact or my life.’

Given Maker’s personality of valuing his own survival more than others, he had no intention of making that kind of sacrifice unless the return was great.

“I’ve already prepared an easy method.”

Fortunately, Maker had already laid out some insurance in preparation for this situation.

‘In the original work, it was a situation that happened by chance, but I can’t rely on such luck.’

Maker drew up magic with his fingertips.

And as if resonating with it, a intense light began to emit from Alpha’s inner pocket.

“—! What is this..!!”

At that, those who were talking to each other couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions.

“—! ——! Wait-“

And just as Alpha was about to say something belatedly.

“Let’s shoot a melodrama together, shall we?”

Maker smiled brightly and created a clear sound by rubbing his thumb and middle finger.

-Click.

A huge light then swallowed them up.

---

From the moment I had memories, I was a child who received everyone’s envy.

“&%&=% is amazing! An ability user!”

“@$^#^& is so lucky to have superpowers! I wish I could fly like in cartoons!”

“Hehe..”

Ability users who were said to appear in one out of 20 people at that time.

It was an era when persecution and contempt towards them were still evident everywhere, and I experienced it too, but I had no worries.

Ku-ung-!!

“..Hero qualification test. Perfect score.”

I must have had some talent, after all.

“Normally, you could be considered A-class with this test, but due to current policies, B+ is the limit..”

“That’s fine!”

An overwhelming talent that emerged around the time when the profession of hero, separated from the police, was gradually spreading.

[Rising hero, B+ class hero Alpha.]

[The man who successfully stopped the villain’s terrorism. Zero casualties!]

[B+ class hero Alpha, how far will his groundbreaking progress go?]

It was enough to naturally draw people’s attention, even if I didn’t particularly try to show it.

“That bastard’s got some nerve.”

“Look at him walking around with his head held high already.”

And people’s thoughts weren’t always positive.

Various gazes mixed with jealousy and contempt.

“……”

But even under such gazes, I didn’t feel intimidated.

[Alpha, a hero more brilliant than even A-class.]

Because at those times, I just had to prove myself with my own abilities.

I continued to make outstanding progress.

“Brother! Make me your lackey! No, your assistant!!”

“[Hello! Are you that promising rookie from Korea?]”

I made various connections and saved people together with them.

“Thank you!! Really, really..!”

Sometimes I became friends with those I saved and drank with them.

“Hey! Hey! You dropped this!”

“……”

“..Won’t you take it?”

“Ah.”

And I met my unforgettable first and last love.

It was a smooth life.

[A-class hero Alpha! Proudly achieves S-class hero status with public support!]

[Now S-class hero Alpha, Korea’s proud hero.]

[The world’s attention on Alpha’s progress. Just how far does his potential go?]

Social status and fame too.

“Ah! You’re here?”

-Waa! Waa! Waa!!

“You’re going to be an uncle, so hold her once. Her name is Jisoo, Yoon Jisoo.”

Friendships too.

“Oppa, shouldn’t we get married at this point?”

“..Suddenly?”

“..You don’t want to?”

“No, no. I like it, I do like it.. but I should at least give you a ring or propose..”

“Ta-da! I’ve already prepared it! You just need to come!”

And love too.

It was an ordinary life I had felt all my life, and at the same time, a happier life than anyone else’s.

‘Ah..’

Because Alpha knew well that it was an excessively blessed life, he had constantly prayed.

That this happiness would never stop.

That this life with the people he loved would not crumble.

However, the arrogant god did not listen to Alpha’s prayer.

Happiness crumbled very suddenly one day.

“Oh my god, Alpha!”

“Good heavens, what’s going on!!”

People calling him with all sorts of fuss as he appeared at the association.

“..? What’s going on, everyone?”

I didn’t understand their behavior at the time.

What’s going on? Did a strong villain issue a challenge to me?

Or is there a villain trying to negotiate on the condition that I come?

Their subsequent words were completely different from my assumptions.

“Your personal information has been leaked! Your identity has been revealed!!”

“..What did you say?”

It was from then on.

That the hell called modern times unfolded for me.

And it was the starting point of being broken, ruined, and becoming the current situation.