episode_0076

076.

Swoosh.

The damp rain was falling steadily.

Seong Yura, trapped inside the heavily armored escort vehicle, couldn’t see outside, but she could hear the sound of rain seeping in little by little.

The inside of the vehicle was getting uncomfortably humid.

Feeling frustrated, Seong Yura let out a deep sigh and tried to stretch her stiff body to relax, but she realized the state of her body that she had momentarily forgotten.

Because Seong Yura, now wearing the containment suit for high-level ability users, couldn’t move properly due to muscle relaxation.

Glancing around, she saw several heavily armed special police officers watching vigilantly.

As specialized police officers responsible for handling criminals, they possessed skills beyond active heroes. In a situation like this, there was no way to avoid their watchful eyes and do anything else.

“Wandering around like this, will I end up imprisoned in Rabilintos in the end…?”

Rabilintos, the special prison located on an island near the East Sea.

This prison, fittingly named a labyrinth for imprisoning monsters, was a fortress built to isolate criminals who posed a serious threat to public safety and order from society.

Although there were concerns about human rights violations in terms of the law, and opposition from human rights organizations and the like, it was an essential place in South Korea where the death penalty was not effectively enforced.

This was because criminals with powerful abilities could not be safely detained without extraordinary measures.

Escapes were common in regular prisons.

But Rabilintos was different.

Surrounded entirely by the sea, escape was nearly impossible, and the detention facilities were installed deep underground, hundreds of meters below the surface.

Furthermore, the prison was filled with a special ore that suppressed abnormal abilities and magic.

Being a rare and valuable ore, it couldn’t be distributed in adequate amounts to all criminal prisons, but Rabilintos was constructed to detain and monitor the worst criminals in South Korea, so it received an excess supply of the ore.

Once you entered, there was no way out of the labyrinth.

That was Rabilintos.

“Well, in a situation like this, being imprisoned in Rabilintos might actually be a blessing.”

Seong Yura forced a bitter smile in her mind.

Being aware of how the situation outside was unfolding, Seong Yura couldn’t help but feel truly bitter and unable to erase the smile.

“At least if I’m imprisoned in Rabilintos, my neck… huh?!”

Kwaaaah, agh!

With a loud pounding in her ears, a sound of something exploding echoed. The escort vehicle shook for a moment.

The police vehicle escorting the convoy had been overturned by someone’s attack.

Ah, so they’ve finally come.

Seong Yura let out a deep sigh.

“W-what’s happening?!”

“Someone’s attacking from outside!”

“What kind of lunatics dare to…”

The armed police officers were in disarray.

Attacking a convoy of this size directly was evidence of having sufficient firepower.

“Damn, this is crazy!”

Kwaaaah, aaaaah!

This time, the rear escort vehicle was shot down.

The armed police officers gritted their teeth. Holding their personal firearms tightly, they had tense expressions. Some were urgently requesting backup.

“Ugh, ugh?!”

And with a screeching sound of tires, the escort vehicle overturned.

The massive vehicle rolled vigorously.

The people inside the vehicle were tossed around like rags.

Finally, the convoy came to a sudden stop as if it had collided with something, and the armed police officers, struggling to regain their composure, stood up and took a combat stance.

Someone was forcefully opening the rear door of the vehicle.

Despite being made of thick gloves and security devices, the other party was casually opening the rear door.

The criminals who had attacked the convoy began to reveal themselves. They were masked, and instinctively, it was clear that they were not to be underestimated.

The special police officers immediately opened fire without warning.

“Fire, fire!”

“What are those things?!”

Bang, bang, bang!

Not only bullets but also supernatural abilities rained down.

However, the criminals effortlessly blocked the bullets and supernatural abilities, ruthlessly taking down the special police officers.

With each attack from the criminals, the police officers coughed up blood.

“Ahh, ahh?!”

“Cough, cough, cough!”

“Save me, save me…! Ah?!”

How much time had passed?

All the special police officers and the criminals being transported were lying lifeless on the ground like slabs of meat.

Seong Yura rose from the pile of bodies and raised her head.

And there, she saw a familiar face.

Although his face was obscured by a mask, there was only one person Seong Yura knew who would wear such a mask.

“…Alex.”

“What’s up, Seong Yura. You survived that chaos?”

“Thanks to you.”

“Anyway, it’s been a while. How have you been all this time?”

The blond masked man shrugged nonchalantly.

Seong Yura clenched her fists and bit her lower lip for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

“What’s a villain like you doing here?”

“Well, someone said they got caught, so I had to stay put. After all, stealing is my specialty, you know?”

Alex Kim.

One of the members of the rebellion.

Specializing in theft, he had gained a notorious reputation. Some called him a master thief or a villain.

But he was more of a rogue than a thief.

A ruthless rogue who would do anything to take what he wanted, even if it meant taking someone’s life.

“Beom Taekyung, you’re here too.”

“Miss, have you been well?”

Beom Taekyung, who had been among the group of criminals, raised his hand in a friendly gesture.

He was an accomplice of Seong Yura, faithfully carrying out his missions for her as long as he was paid. As long as he was paid well, he had no worries about betrayal.

Yes, as long as he was paid.

“You came all the way here too.”

“Well, it turned out that way.”

Beom Taekyung scratched the back of his neck with a wry smile.

Aside from Beom Taekyung, there was a familiar presence. It seemed to be the group of people who had gone to the abandoned building when Jinhyuk and the others attacked.

“Have you already found another job?”

“Well, what can I do? You were taken away like this. But still, well, I got a good job. I’m pretty skilled, you know. I have experience.”

“What about James?”

“Well, he got quite a deep wound, heard he got hit by some Valentine or something? Is it true?”

“Beom Taekyung.”

“Isn’t it ridiculous to talk about such things when you’re in this situation? Even the direct subordinates have become idiots. But why bother saving you? What’s the use of a lady who has lost money, power, and authority?”

Seong Yura bit her lower lip.

His words were twisted by the current media scandal, revealing all sorts of corruption and wrongdoing, leaving him with nothing.

As a result, those closely related to Seong Yu were trying to distance themselves, fearing they might also be implicated.

Just like this.

“That noble lady followed her around so closely. So, there was nothing I could do, you know. She could have caused trouble later on for no reason.”

“You.”

Just as Seong Yu was about to raise her voice, Alex interjected.

“Oh, Seong Yu.”

He smirked and chuckled.

“It’s a pity that there are quite a few important people who would be in trouble if you were alive. Especially when they see you raking in the money like this.”

“Huh.”

“Moreover, Seong Yu, you know my identity, right? No, not just me. The little lady from the martial arts family and the self-proclaimed hero maniac too.”

Alex spoke with a mischievous smile, saying, “You know too much.”

“Even if you don’t speak, there might be psychics who can read your memories during interrogation. Oh, have you spilled everything already?”

“If that’s the case?”

“Haha. Bluffing won’t work. I know you’ve been exercising your right to remain silent.”

Indeed, Seong Yu had not said much all this time.

“It’s regrettable that things turned out this way for you, Seong Yu.”

“Amusing. Shouldn’t you wipe that smile off your face and speak?”

“Ahaha. Caught me? I was wearing a mask.”

Rebellion is a group formed out of necessity.

Most members had little camaraderie with each other. Except for Yoo Da-hee.

“Does Yoo Da-hee know about this?”

“She probably doesn’t, right? But what does it matter? I don’t have to watch out for Yoo Da-hee. She’ll understand later.”

“… ”

“Don’t be too disappointed, Seong Yu. Honestly, where would I use you now that you’ve lost power, connections, and subordinates? Besides, your personality isn’t great either. It’s not worth keeping you around. Even the high-ranking people dislike you.”

“Is that so.”

“It’s a shame about that gentleman James under you, but the high-ranking people don’t want you to end up in prison, do they? You should have been more careful. You’ve created too many enemies.”

“Thanks for the advice now.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Alex smiled mysteriously and checked the time.

Oh, has it gotten this late already?

If they kept stalling, reinforcements from the heroes and police might arrive. It seemed like it was time to wrap things up.

“So, Seong Yu. Any last words?”

“… ”

Seong Yu closed her eyes slightly, looking up at the sky beyond the vehicle.

Heavy clouds filled the sky, shedding tears of rain. She quietly watched the scene unfold.

And suddenly, a memory came to mind.

The day she first met Rok San-neu, it was raining like this.

When she was filled with venom as if abandoned by the world, Rok San-neu’s smile, gently greeting her, had never been forgotten.

That compassionate smile was the very image of what Seong Yu had once dreamed of.

“If you ever meet Rok San-neu, tell him. Tell him that I suffered for a long time under the spell of a strange woman.”

“Oh, yes, of course.”

Seong Yu closed her eyes with a faint smile.

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced through the air, and a dagger plunged into her heart. The cold sensation tortured her heart.

Seong Yu’s body slowly collapsed.

“Goodbye, Seong Yu.”

He wiped the blood off incessantly.

The blood flowed and mixed with the pooled blood on the ground, becoming increasingly blurry.

“So this is how it ends.”

All the efforts made in the past to survive felt futile. It seemed that in the end, one would reflect on the past as life reached its conclusion.

Sigh, ugh, it’s really not funny at all.

Seong Yura is a villain, a villain. How many have died at her hands? She does not regret her actions or feel any guilt.

It’s just pitiful.

To meet death as a loser.

“Well, congratulations. Roksan… Anyway… You won.”

She lost consciousness, listening to the sound of raindrops falling, mirroring the past fading away.

This was the end of the villain Seong Yura.

***

Inside the VIP ward.

I sat next to Soyeon, watching over the situation.

“Why isn’t he waking up? I’m starting to worry.”

It had been weeks since Soyeon was admitted to the hospital.

But Soyeon showed no signs of regaining consciousness. The hospital said there was no specific problem.

No problem, but why has he been sleeping for weeks? But I knew it was pointless to ask the doctor. For now, all I could do was wait and see.

Just like when he first awakened in the game and couldn’t regain consciousness for a while.

“Hehe. You’re really sincere, aren’t you? It’s been weeks, Jinho.”

“Hmm? Oh, Yuseolhyun, you’re here too.”

“I think Soyeon is about to wake up soon.”

“I hope so.”

Yuseolhyun walked over and sat nearby.

She looked at my face for a moment.

A bit awkward.

“…Is there something you want to say?”

“No, nothing.”

Yuseolhyun smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by the subtle smile in her eyes, I let out a deep sigh.

“…Really, nothing to say?”

“Well, actually. I kinda like it.”

“What?”

I blinked in confusion, and Yuseolhyun added with a chuckle.

“Even in this Seong Yura incident, the information you provided about Seong Yura’s connections, illegal funds, and high-ranking officials in various fields was quite interesting. I enjoyed it a bit.”

“Oh, really? That’s good.”

“The ability to foresee the future. It’s truly remarkable. It’s a bit disappointing that you can’t see the future when you want to.”

Yuseolhyun had some trust in my precognitive abilities, but this incident seemed to solidify that trust.

That meant I could ask Yuseolhyun for more favors in the future.

It wasn’t a bad thing at all.

“If this much pleases you, then it’s good, right? Of course, your face isn’t my type.”

“What did you say.”

Yuseolhyun chuckled and made a joke.

She had been making more and more of these kinds of jokes lately.

Compared to when I first met her, it was a significant improvement.

She seemed to have no interest in useless people. She didn’t even seem to want to talk to them.

“Anyway, are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“The remnants of Seong Yura. They may seek revenge, even though they seem scattered. You never know.”

“Criminals like them don’t seem to have much loyalty to seek revenge.”

In reality, apart from a very small number, Seong Yura and her henchmen were mostly connected by money.

And for the Rebellion members, there probably wouldn’t be much of an issue right now.

From the start, they were more like a small group gathering than actual comrades. A relationship of cooperation for their own purposes. Therefore, they wouldn’t bat an eye if one or two of them died, as long as it didn’t cause any harm to themselves.

Because true comrades were rare, they wouldn’t launch a full-scale attack in the game until the protagonist’s group had defeated and imprisoned several other members.

“Of course… we’ll have to hire some guards.”

“Oh, really?”

“I’m thinking of hiring guards who are at least former heroes.”

“That’ll cost you a pretty penny, where are you getting all this money… oh right, you were rich, weren’t you?”

Having money meant being able to hire competent heroes, which was a much better advantage in the game than in real life.

Of course, top-tier heroes were a precious asset with only three digits in all of South Korea, so they wouldn’t be easy to hire.

“Well, in the end, the guards will just be a temporary measure. We’ll definitely need Soyeon’s help to properly fend off the Rebellion members. Ah, she needs to level up quickly. Before the next incident occurs.”

“But how is Soyeon doing? Any changes?”

“She’s the same. According to the hospital, she seems to be dreaming…”

“Dreaming?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

Dreams.

What kind of dreams could Soyeon be having?

I don’t know, but I hope they’re good dreams.

Since Soyeon would have to face powerful enemies in the future, I could only hope that she would rest peacefully while she was asleep.