Chapter 33: Teacher

The city is an unfavorable environment for heroes.

If they recklessly unleash area-of-effect attacks, even the civilians could get caught in the crossfire.

A hero, whose duty is to protect justice, harming civilians? That would be like burning down the entire house to catch a single bug.

So, for heroes operating in urban settings—especially those whose main strength lies in wide-range abilities—the limitations are extreme.

And Lisa was an ability user who could control storms that swept across entire regions.

The city was a deeply disadvantageous environment for the Empress.

She was also a hero capable of single-handedly taking on an army.

“You want me to gather all the people in one place?”

Owen’s tone was laced with disbelief after hearing my request.

“Yup.”

“All the civilians in Area D-8?”

His voice implied the absurdity of the task. Do you hear yourself?

Out of Areas A through E, D had the widest territory.

Even for someone with Owen’s caliber of power, gathering all the scattered civilians from such a massive area into one spot was no easy feat.

I understood why he’d find it ridiculous—but I went ahead and added another condition.

“Before Lisa is taken down.”

Owen crossed his arms.

“…And what about you?”

“I need to prepare the technique, so I can’t move.”

My plan was simple.

I’d gather everyone in one location and concentrate the darkness into that narrow space to neutralize Lisa’s power.

It wasn’t going to be easy.

In the novel, Lisa had only ever gone all out once. And back then, the description made it sound like a natural disaster that warped the very terrain and weather.

When it came to one-on-one combat, Reminis was the strongest, but in large-scale battles, no hero surpassed Lisa.

I had to absorb that kind of talent completely. I needed to summon every last ounce of power I had.

Owen looked convinced after hearing my plan.

But in the end, he still shook his head.

“It’s impossible. It’s not about willpower—it’s a matter of capability. This is beyond what I can do.”

“Hmm.”

“…I’m not a monster like you.”

“Weren’t you the one preaching about respecting the will of the strong just the other day?”

“Ugh! Shut up!”

He claimed it was a matter of capability—but if it’s him, it should be possible.

“Use your talent.”

I casually proposed the solution.

Watching Owen’s face twist with disgust, I confidently declared,

“I’ll take care of the scanning.”

But Owen still looked deeply uncomfortable.

He did have an excellent talent, but once he used it, he’d be bedridden for days.

For someone like him, who had a goal to defeat Kizel, even those wasted few days would feel like a luxury he couldn’t afford.

[Hold the brat’s hands and beg him.]

‘Why?’

[Just do it.]

That advice was unusually vague coming from Yu Hyesun, but I decided to go along with it just this once.

“Just once. This is a once-in-a-lifetime request.”

I clasped both his hands tightly and gave him the most earnest, pleading look I could muster.

“…”

The boy glanced at our joined hands, then slowly looked up at my face again.

For some reason, his expression looked complicated.

“…Haah.”

Shaking his head, he turned away—clearly reluctant, but ready to move.

“Don’t forget everything I did for you.”

“Of course.”

Owen shook his head as he looked at my beaming smile.

“And once this is over, go back to your original body quickly.”

“You said you didn’t like it ‘cause it was ugly.”

“Ugly suits you.”

My face went blank.

Owen walked away, looking quite satisfied.

[Just when I thought he’d matured a little… he’s still a brat.]

‘…Am I really ugly?’

[Same old banter, my lord. Just ignore it.]

Well, it wasn’t exactly the right moment to be chatting about looks anyway.

‘Help me out.’

[Leave it to me.]

I picked up my phone.

From the other end, I heard Owen’s voice again—he’d only just left.

–Where to?

[Let’s start with the eastern sector—it’s the most urgent.]

Relaying Yu Hyesun’s words to Owen, I gathered my focus.

“Hoo…”

My mana was still insufficient.

Because I didn’t get the Dragon Orb during the Evaluation Match.

To make up for the lack, I needed to manage my magic as efficiently as possible.

I concentrated on every single speck of mana coursing through my body.

『Reminis is totally overrated lol』

The moment that comment appeared, the woman responded immediately.

“Hey! This is not that kind of chatroom!”

Instantly, dozens of hook-shaped reactions flooded the screen.

『??: Isn’t “Empress” a bit much for Lisa…?』

『Actually, this is that kind of chatroom.』

『Has Reminis even done anything as a hero? Genuinely curious; I can’t think of anything』

The chat window was now overflowing with disrespectful comments that would make any hero fan seethe with rage.

The streamer, Rena, who had been watching with amusement, finally decided to intervene after about three minutes.

“From now on, anyone badmouthing heroes I respect is getting banned~”

The torrent of insults stopped almost immediately, having run its course.

Humming to herself, Rena brought up a new window on her monitor.

It was a photo.

Deep in the forest, a red sword and a black sword clashed.

At the center, two girls stood locked in a tense standoff.

Their faces were pixelated, but anyone in the know would instantly recognize the scene.

The final round of the 22nd Evaluation Match.

The showdown between Scarlet Flame and the Challenger, Iran.

“Cool shot, right? I randomly stumbled across it online, and it just spoke to me!”

『Randomly』

『How long until she gets arrested?』

The chat lit up again.

In an age where internet streamers came in all shapes and concepts, hers still stood out.

Even among the endless flood of sensationalist media, this broadcast was something else.

『This makes no sense.』

『How is that supposed to be a 16-year-old ability user??』

Instead of feeling fear or disgust toward villains, the viewers cheered and marveled.

At the very top of the screen, the stream title hovered into view.

---

[Wanna watch Dark vs Flame? ※Hero-respecting chatroom]

“Today, I’ll be reviewing this photo~ Of course, keep in mind I have no idea what this is, and everything I say from now on is pure fantasy, okay?”

The stream was technically a photo review.

The host was Housecat Rena.

She had appeared out of nowhere a year ago, with no prior fame, yet quickly rose to prominence with a provocative and unique concept. Now, she was a well-established mid-tier streamer.

“Looking at this picture, it seems like… a tournament fight, maybe? Probably some organization running a selection test for top-tier talents. I bet the grand prize was something like a Potion of Mana or whatever…”

『Less buildup, more storytelling plz (banned account)』

Rena instantly deleted the chat and furrowed her brows, feigning anger.

“Storytelling? I told you, it’s just my imagination!”

『yikes』

『Say the wrong thing here and you’re toast, folks』

Eventually, Rena launched into her imagined scenario.

An elite pyromancer appearing out of nowhere in a selection tournament.

And the dark-element rival who stood against her.

『Huff huff Scarlet Flame noona.. (banned account)』

『stfu』

『stfu』

『bruh stay in your lane』

“Anyone bringing up those kinds of villains gets banned.”

Once she settled the chat down, Rena continued.

“Don’t you think that dark girl’s kind of tragic, the more you look at her?”

『For real. If she’d made it, she could’ve been on par with Scarlet』

『But hey, lots of talents flame out. Could’ve been one of those cases』

『Still. Facing Scarlet at that age? That’s serious skill』

『Could’ve put those heroes in their place lol (1-time chat restriction)』

Rena happily scrolled through the comments with amused eyes.

Then, just as the excitement reached its peak, she pulled out the day’s main topic.

“Okay, listen. Total headcanon, but what if that dark girl had only just started training when—”

[10,000 won donation from Renacat!] [Noona! Turn on the news!]

The donation broke her rhythm, and Rena sighed inwardly.

Still, as a professional, she kept her cool and didn’t let it show.

She offered a sweet-eyed smile and read out her thanks.

“Thanks, Renacat. All your donations go straight to feeding my freeloading house pets and the boss cat~”

『Bruh what a vibe killer』

『So how long had the dark girl been training?』

『Wait, what?』

『Guys go check the news rn』

『Huh? Is this for real?』

『Isn’t that the B Area hostage situation chick?』

『Whoa she’s gorgeous』

Suddenly, the chat exploded in chaos.

Noticing the shift, Rena’s eyes filled with suspicion.

She immediately opened the main portal and clicked on the trending news tag.

“What—?!”

The moment she read the bold headline, she shot up from her chair.

[<Breaking News> During the D-8 Area raid, a dark-element villain interfered. Thousands of citizens abducted; mass killing threatened.]

She clicked the attached video, mesmerized, and her expression froze.

Civilians gathered in a plaza, trembling.

The camera slowly panned over their faces—full of fear and confusion.

Then, suddenly, it tilted upward.

In the sky, a familiar girl hovered, her gaze calm and regal as she looked down at the people.

–Wanna play a little quiz game?

The voice, laced with mana, echoed clearly through the feed.

–Question.

Darkness surged ominously from the girl’s outstretched hand.

Moments later, thick shadows erupted into the blue sky like black ink spreading in water.

–In 30 minutes, how many people do you think will still be alive?

Darkness consumed the world in an instant.