Chapter 31: Teacher

The ground cracked open, and the earth seemed to spiral into the storm.

Buildings that were once standing firm shook as if an earthquake had hit, eventually being ripped from their foundations.

A towering typhoon made up of 40-story buildings, cars, and signposts bloomed in the center of the street.

“Unbelievable.”

Even from several kilometers away, I could feel the intensity of the mana. I couldn’t imagine how powerful the storm must be at the heart of the event.

It wasn’t just a joke when they said that if the Empress were to walk through, the entire villain army would suffocate from mana poisoning.

The more surprising part was that even she was holding back her full strength, so it wouldn’t affect the citizens. If she used her full power, she could wipe out the entire area in an instant.

The gap between a top-tier hero like her and someone like me felt further than ever. She was at least two levels above me in terms of power.

[On the other hand, the villains aren’t much to worry about.]

There were thousands of them, but most were low-tier. These weren’t the elite fighters recruited by Telon, but rather the scum of Nova’s underbelly.

“But it will be enough.”

Lisa was a hero who pursued justice even more rigorously than Gwangmyeong Reminis. She wouldn’t be able to unleash her full power unless the safety of the citizens was secured.

The citizens were, in a sense, a handicap for her.

If the citizens had been evacuated beforehand, the situation would have been very different…

“Was it planned?”

The situation fit together too perfectly.

The fact that Lisa had been deployed at the exact time the army approached, and how late the evacuation alert had been sounded.

And where were the other heroes?

If they had secured the citizens’ safety, it would have reduced the burden on Lisa significantly.

If all this wasn’t just a coincidence…

“Could it be the Villain Association and the Hero Association are in on it?”

…Was I overthinking it?

[What can we do? Even the Hundred-class villains are scattered among the assault teams. Their combined force could pose a serious threat, even to you, my lord.]

Sitting atop the roof, I stood up.

Ugh.

Stretching both arms upwards, I shook the stiffness from my bones. I brushed off the dust that had settled on my butt and took a step forward.

“I need to check.”

Whether this was just paranoia.

If it wasn’t… then I might have to reconsider my plan entirely.

---

---

The junior reporter yanked the senior reporter’s hand.

“I said no filming! We need to move, hurry up!” “Dammit!”

Though Lisa was doing everything she could to block the invasion, it was impossible to stop an army of a thousand.

Villains circumventing Lisa’s position began to scan the civilians with hunger in their eyes.

There were many reasons why villains targeted civilians.

Whether it was to satisfy their murderous urges or to take slaves, it was clear that once caught, the citizens were doomed.

Peter and Emily poured every ounce of energy into running for their lives. People running for survival were faster than you’d think.

Despite carrying equipment, their youthful energy allowed them to overtake the stragglers.

“Take me with you… please…”

A young man in a wheelchair begged as he struggled.

“…”

An elderly man sat down, staring at the ground blankly.

“I can’t run anymore…”

A woman, buried in her own weight, stopped to catch her breath.

What would happen to them now?

Peter fought to suppress the thought, exerting all his mental strength.

“Huff…”

A sudden feeling of helplessness struck him.

Even if he ran like this, wouldn’t the result be the same?

He didn’t have the stamina to cross the entire area on foot.

‘Why aren’t the heroes coming?’

Quite some time had passed since Lisa arrived. The screams from behind continued to grow louder and closer.

‘Why? What’s going on?’

The taxes paid under the guise of donations. The fame that accumulates effortlessly, and the treatment that exceeds anyone else’s.

All of it was for this moment.

‘They’re heroes, after all!’

A hero isn’t just someone who claims the title as their profession. They’re the ones who should have long since stopped a villainous attack and saved the citizens. It’s their duty.

While gnawing at these thoughts, Emily glanced over her shoulder.

She turned back forward and suddenly grabbed her camera.

The lens was aimed at herself.

“Hehe! Mom! Thank you for raising me until now! I love you!”

“Stop it! At a time like this…”

“What do you mean ‘at a time like this’!?”

Finally, a disgusting voice started coming from behind.

“Don’t let a single one get away!”

“That red-haired reporter! Anyone messing with me dies!”

Emily, who had dyed her hair a pale orange just a few days ago, looked like a corpse, her face empty of expression.

“Don’t you have a knife or something to stab me with?!”
“You can’t win anyway!!”
“I’m the one you’re going to use it on!?”

At last, the sound of running footsteps reached their ears. Emily’s eyes showed resignation as she slowed her pace.

‘Hero, why aren’t you coming?!’

Peter grit his teeth as he pushed her forward.

He had become a reporter because he admired heroes. He wanted to spread their noble deeds, uncover villain information, and help the heroes however he could.

And this was the result?

‘Who…’

At this point, he didn’t care if it was a hero or not.

‘Anyone…’

Peter screamed in his mind, more desperately than he ever had in his life.

“Someone, please help!”

The answer came almost immediately.

“Sure.”

Clang!

The villain who was about to stab Peter in the neck flew through the glass of a nearby large supermarket.

Whoooosh—

The road ahead looked as if a massive icebreaker had passed through, splitting the pavement in a straight line from far off.

“…….”

The girl casually stepped out of her kick stance. Her legs, moving fast enough to grind the cement, were enveloped in smoke as she stopped.

Thump.

The girl looked up at Peter from a height just below his head. The moment his eyes met her jet-black, crystal-like gaze, a subtle shiver ran through his heart.

Thump.

Even the panicked citizens, running for their lives, noticed the change.

One by one, they stopped in their tracks and turned their heads.

Dozens, hundreds of pairs of eyes fixed on her.

With some, there was an earnest glimmer of hope.

Thump, thump.

---

A hero.

The word naturally surfaced in Peter’s mind.

Hero.

Peter lost his words.

It was the same feeling of awe that had struck him the first time he’d seen a hero.

He spent several moments choosing his words carefully.

Then, he tried to ask the small hero who was quietly watching him.

“You…”

Are you a hero?

But those words remained unspoken.

“Damn it! How dare you mess with Lex!!”

Out of nowhere, a villain, furious from losing a friend, charged at the girl with wild ferocity.

But the girl, seemingly unaware of the danger, kept her gaze fixed on Peter.

In the end, Peter, panicking, was the first to shout.

“Behind!”

“…….”

The girl, barely audible as she exhaled, was about to turn her body when—

“Don’t cowardly attack a child from behind!”

A new shadow descended from the sky.

Boom!

The villain who had been seeking revenge for their friend quickly followed them into the afterlife.

The girl, who had reduced the villain to mush upon her arrival, became the center of attention once more.

She grinned, as if pleased by the reaction, and confidently placed her hands on her hips.

“Magical Leaf, the hero of victory, has arrived—!”

That was just the beginning.

Bang!

At the same time as a gunshot rang from the rooftop, one villain fell.

“Uhhhhh!”

A giant, over 10 meters tall, trampled a villain who had been attacking civilians as though squashing an insect.

“The hero has arrived. Everyone, don’t worry!”

As Magical Leaf laughed proudly, hope blossomed on the faces of the citizens who had been exhausted from running.

They all knew the truth—whether fast or slow, death was inevitable if they stayed as they were.

Thus, four heroes found themselves facing off against villains in the streets.

“Magical Leaf, Castle Road…”

Emily muttered, her fists clenched tightly, trying to suppress her joy.

Emily seemed oblivious, but Peter was sure that the sniper from the rooftop was none other than Hero Reaper.

There was no other sniper in this branch.

“Ugh…”

As the tension released, Emily collapsed to the ground. Tears began to fall from her eyes, which she covered with her hands.

A hero.

They really came.

‘But why only four?’

There were more than 100 heroes affiliated with the D-8 Area Branch.

Currently, the majority of heroes, except for the special class, were concentrated in District D.

‘And who is that?’

Peter’s attention shifted to the black-haired girl, the one who had helped him earlier. She was now looking down at her leg, which had just sent a villain flying.

Her physical abilities were certainly not those of an ordinary hero.

But even Peter, a senior reporter for the Hero Department, had never seen her before.

“You are…”

At that moment, the eyes of Magical Leaf, who had relaxed her stance, shone brightly.

Peter instinctively grabbed his camera. It was the instinct of a reporter.

Magical Leaf was one of the top prospects in the Hero Association, someone who could make headlines with just a word or a gesture.

“First time seeing you? Military branch, right?”

Her gaze sparkled with interest as it turned toward the girl.

Military.

At that, Peter’s doubts evaporated.

If she were a hero, Peter would have known her. And if she weren’t affiliated, her abilities would be too extraordinary for someone her age.

The only answer was clear.

She was undoubtedly a rising star in the elite military forces.

The girl remained silent, but that line of thought made sense.

“I thought all the heroes had left?”

For the first time, the girl spoke. Her diction was precise, and her voice carried clearly.

In that brief moment, Magical Leaf’s emerald eyes met Peter and Emily’s.

“Ugh! Justice will never forsake the citizens!”

She exaggeratedly formed a scissor motion with her arms, puffing out her cheeks.

“More importantly, lend me your strength! Protecting civilians is a soldier’s duty, isn’t it?”

“…….”

The girl seemed to ponder, pursing her lips.

The cooperation between soldiers and heroes.

‘I have to capture this.’

The reporter inside Peter burned brighter than ever.

Every word Magical Leaf spoke was a scoop, and his instincts screamed at him.

‘That girl.’

The flowing hair, the pale skin, the petite frame, and her extraordinary strength that had earned her a place in the military at such a young age.

‘She will definitely make headlines.’

She had all the perfect conditions to capture people’s attention.