Chapter 177: Isabella’s Agony [R-18]

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At that same moment.

“S-rank Magical Beast spotted near Sinsa Station. Requesting support!”

A grotesque, three-meter-tall magical beast, its skin a deathly white and swollen like a drowned corpse, tore through a Gravity Wave and began to stalk the streets of Seoul.

But instead of fleeing, people were busy filming it.

Even though the monster possessed enough power to kill dozens of people with ease, the crowd felt no sense of crisis.

“Wow. It must be a magical beast.”

“It’s so ugly.”

“What rank do you think it is? B-rank?”

There was one reason for this: they were in the heart of Seoul.

The moment a magical beast appeared, hunters who would jump out of bed at the mere mention of “Magical Beast Steel!” would come flying in droves.

The fact that it had torn its way through a Gravity Wave meant it was a significantly overgrown beast, yet people were more afraid of a B-rank villain.

Some experts suggested changing the name “magical beast,” believing the term gave off an impression of mindlessness.

“Villains,” on the other hand, inspired more fear in citizens because they felt like a direct threat, hiding within society to inflict harm.

It was similar to how, in modern society, people fear a madman or a murderer more than a tiger or a lion.

And a commonality between magical beasts and tigers was that an ordinary person would almost never see one with their own eyes.

“We have a response from Essol Academy’s ‘White Devil’! She’ll be here in thirty seconds!”

“Tie it down with restraint gear!”

Instead of tasers, the police used special net guns to restrain the magical beast.

It was standard procedure for dealing with them.

For most magical beasts, this was enough to immobilize them.

But an S-rank magical beast was different. With a light swing of its flaccid arm, it tore through the net, which was said to become as strong as steel the more it stretched.

“Whoa~. That thing is strong.”

“Did you get that on camera?”

“The shot came out so good.”

While the citizens chattered idly from behind the police line, a white reaper with flowing silver hair descended upon the S-rank magical beast’s head.

CRASH!

All that remained was a deep crater and the mangled remains of the monster’s corpse.

“…”

Police Officer Shin Kyung-ah stared blankly at the scene before speaking into her radio.

“…S-rank magical beast, neutralized.”

Time elapsed: four seconds.

Even if the White Devil hadn’t come, the hunters would have surely beaten it to a pulp.

Unlike villains, magical beasts were profitable. If a gold bar appeared in the middle of Seoul and it was finders-keepers, people would rush to it like mad.

However, since hunters didn’t typically coordinate with the police, they tended to dispose of the corpses “carelessly,” leading to an endless stream of complaints from residents.

Thus, it was standard procedure for a hero to step in and clean up alongside the police.

“It’s the White Devil.”

“Wow. She really is a student.”

“She’s pretty, but so dignified…”

“This is my first time seeing her in person.”

Even if a hero destroyed a bit of the road, people would celebrate it, calling it “the spot where the White Devil landed.”

Such a positive image was built by many exemplary heroes, and in this day and age, Essol Academy’s Student Council President, Isabella, was the prime example.

The mask of her masterpiece-grade, full-body Devil Suit retracted, revealing Isabella’s bare face.

Officer Shin Kyung-ah gasped in admiration.

A student, really younger than me… took down that huge monster… in a single blow…

Annihilation.

That single word summed up her performance.

“What’s the status of the casualties?”

“A father and daughter who witnessed it… two critically injured. The doctor says they’re unlikely to survive…”

“…”

Even as everyone was praising the White Devil with cries of “Ooh,” the appearance of a magical beast also meant that someone had died.

On a slow day, ten people died. On a bad day, a hundred. People died so often it was practically routine, but the crowd gathered here didn’t care.

It was just another thing that happened.

And they simply thought it had nothing to do with them, who had come out onto the streets today.

“Understood. I’m heading to the next area.”

“Ah… um, what about the Magical Beast Steel? Should we collect all of it as usual?”

The Magical Beast Steel dropped by a monster that had fully matured within a Gravity Wave was of extremely high quality.

An individual couldn’t just pocket it all, but even a small share was enough to significantly enhance a masterpiece weapon.

It was a rare opportunity.

“Yes, please.”

But Isabella had always refused that opportunity.

Kyung-ah knew this, yet she asked anyway. It wasn’t just her; everyone found Isabella’s refusal strange.

Just then.

“…No.”

Isabella turned her back.

“This time… please collect it for me.”

“Ah, yes?! Yes, ma’am!”

Kyung-ah’s expression brightened. She now had a story to tell her seniors when she got back.

I thought she was a hero like a saint… but she’s human, just like me.

Isabella stared at the fallen Magical Beast Steel, lost in thought.

…My sister, whom I met again after five years, was strong…

So strong.

She had never imagined the gap between them had grown so wide.

Grit…

Was it because people lauded her as the strongest hero that she had lost her sense of urgency? Perhaps.

The number of villains hiding in Korea was countless.

She knew she couldn’t catch them all, but she had believed she could win against any of them. Her father had told her she possessed a natural gift, and his daughter Isabella had firmly believed his words. Of course, she had put in the effort.

But she had never been desperate.

Had her sister been desperate? What thoughts had gone through her mind as she turned 50,000 people to ash?

The more that question grew, the more Isabella wanted to meet her sister and talk.

I have to get stronger…

Isabella had believed she already had enough.

When she first became a hero, she had collected Magical Beast Steel. She took every last scrap, leading to criticism from some quarters. “That hero takes everyone else’s work and monopolizes all the Magical Beast Steel for herself.”

Such complaints never ceased. They were, of course, baseless nitpicking.

But before Isabella became as well-known as she was now, she had been the target of immense envy and jealousy for being a pretty and talented female student, which had even led to acts of terror against her.

So she stopped taking it.

The defiant Isabella of that time had seemed to be shouting at the world, “Are you happy now? Shut up.”

Isabella had enhanced her masterpiece using only the Magical Beast Steel she obtained within the academy. She fought villains.

And she had never lost.

Was it thanks to the rookie hero’s audacious yet overwhelming star power? Isabella had instantly become the most famous hero in Seoul.

But…

She had lost.

Zenobia was strong.

The S-rank villains hiding in the shadows might be even stronger. The thought sent a chill down her spine.

Once she realized how easily the things she was protecting could be destroyed…

Greed sparked within her.

More, more.

She would get there faster than anyone else.

And whatever it was, she would swiftly eliminate it before it could harm anything else.

As a “merciless executioner.”

“What should we do with the Magical Beast Steel, Hero-nim?”

“Put it under my name.”

…Never again.

I won’t let them hurt anyone ever again.

Isabella’s motivation burned fiercely.

The number of magical beasts seemed to be surging today.

This was because the academy had authorized support for Gravity Wave amplification devices for the first and second-year students for a few weeks, increasing the frequency of their appearance on the streets.

It was all thanks to the achievements of Isabella and Kim Sang-hyeok.

In response, more police and heroes had been deployed.

During this period, if any problems arise, there will be a lot of talk. People will ask if we’re endangering residents for the sake of academy students…

However, when the academy produced significant enough results, those restrictions tended to loosen.

Thanks to this, the academy students might now encounter dungeons of incredible opportunity.

Someone might even meet a demon merchant and have their life changed.

Good.

Isabella began to move again. It was then.

“Hero-nim!”

“!?”

The magical beast she thought she had defeated revived, rising once more!

Isabella immediately slammed her fist into it, trying to blow it away without a trace. But its hideous form didn’t collapse, flowing like water instead.

It managed to grab hold of Isabella.

“We will have our revenge. We…”

“…”

The voice was bizarre.

A direct warning from the villain coalition?

Isabella, looking disgusted, struck the monster again with her arm, scattering it.

“Hero-nim! Are you alright?”

The police officers rushed over belatedly to check, but the magical beast, now just a puddle on the ground, didn’t move.

“I’m fine.”

“What do you think that was? A warning… from the villain coalition?”

“…They’re probably just flustered after losing their leader. There’s no need to worry.”

“Of course! I saw you up close, you were absolutely ferocious. No villain could survive that.”

“…”

Right. She had no choice but to be ferocious.

Isabella had lost once. She engraved that fact into her mind again and again.

Because next time, it had to be the villain groveling on the floor, begging.

Hm…?

As Isabella patrolled the different districts, she noticed something strange.

…There’s a hero dealing with magical beasts and villains at a speed similar to my own?

What’s more, the traces were strangely concentrated near the Forbidden Zone.

Were they walking a tightrope, unaware of how dangerous the Forbidden Zone was?

Feeling slightly annoyed and curious as to who was keeping pace with her, Isabella began to track the unidentified hero.

Who is it?

After finding the second set of tracks, Isabella found herself pouring considerable effort into the chase.

She felt she would find them soon.

The target wasn’t skilled at erasing their tracks.

If it’s a hero challenging the Forbidden Zone, I have to stop them.

This speed was unusual.

It was as if they were carefully but surely destroying and advancing, peeling away the outer layer of the Forbidden Zone.

And it seemed to have been going on not just for today, but for several days.

Found you.

Isabella’s analysis was correct.

An unidentified hero was exploring the Forbidden Zone alone. They weren’t a villain, but this was still an illegal act.

A small, petite girl with a gray hood pulled down deep over her head was walking somewhere.

Isabella blocked her path.

“…”

“Why are you exploring the Forbidden Zone?”

“…Student Council President.”

She was surprised, but didn’t show it.

She had already considered the possibility that the person was a student.

“…Quintia.”

Quintia, the Sword Saint’s daughter.

With her crimson hair and red eyes, a feature she shared with her mother, shoulder-length hair, a slender frame, and a doll-like beauty…

To think that she, who should have been receiving the highest praise at the academy after winning the exchange event, was wandering the Forbidden Zone like a ghost.

It was difficult to understand her actions.

“I heard you were supposed to be on an expedition abroad.”

“That’s none of your business, President. Please move.”

“I can’t do that.”

Now that she had seen a student here, she had to make her stop exploring the Forbidden Zone.

Whether it was out of curiosity or something else.

“Don’t you know what happens to people who get curious about the Forbidden Zone?”

“I’m sure you know that most villains or Gravity Waves are no problem for me.”

“…”

What is she searching for so desperately…?

Revenge…?

Nothing much came to mind. Isabella had been curious about Quintia, hailed as the most brilliant talent among the first-years, but they knew nothing about each other.

“The very fact that you’re here catching villains and resolving Gravity Waves is the problem.”

“I’m not doing this for fun or out of curiosity. This is truly important to me.”

“…Important?”

“I can’t tell you. This is my problem. So… please move.”

Quintia drew her sword.

Isabella tensed considerably. Quintia’s skills were already beyond the level of a student.

What on earth was she thinking, wandering around here? Even for Quintia, exploring the Forbidden Zone had to be an enormous risk…

Just then, a call came through on Isabella’s hero app. It was an emergency summons.

“…”

“Please pretend you didn’t see me. I’m begging you.”

“Report your survival to the Student Council office once a day. If you don’t, I’ll immediately come looking for you.”

“…Yes!”

Her eyes held a look that couldn’t be stopped.

In Korea, where everyone lives in relative peace, she’s risking her life to explore the Forbidden Zone…

It wasn’t something to be praised. The very fact that she had survived without becoming a corpse spoke volumes about how incredible Quintia’s talent was.

She looked like someone who needed to be stopped, but…

Right now…

She seemed to be on a set of rails that no one could stop.

“Don’t feel wronged. You heroes started it first.”

After letting Quintia go, Zenobia’s words came to mind.

…We were the ones who started it?

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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