Villain Hides His True Colors

A secret room with only a round table. Holographic emblems could be seen appearing one by one.

Heavyweights who would usually only gather at most once or twice a year had gathered again in just a few days.

After confirming that all the emblems were present, a woman in a wheelchair spoke.

“I’m sure you’ve already heard the news…There’s a problem this time.”

Not long ago, they had made a plan to identify the ‘Warrior’ by using the ‘disaster’ that was predicted by Oracle.

For this reason, the large-scale disaster that was currently taking place at the hero exam in Pyongyang wasn’t the problem.

Rather, they had anticipated this disaster to happen.

After all, this much of a sacrifice was cheap in comparison to identifying the Warrior who could affect the fate of the world.

But…

“What happened? Didn’t you say the incident would definitely happen in Pyongyang?”

“Yeah! Terrorist attacks are happening at some test sites in China! Because of that, my position is very awkward right now.”

As Oracle had predicted, the demon army had certainly carried out terrorism at the test site. However, the incident wasn’t limited to just Pyongyang.

Terrorist attacks believed to have been the work of the demon army were happening at the ongoing hero exams around the world.

And as a result, the death toll was rising, and as the number reached tens of thousands, the damage could be said to be very severe.

However, it wasn’t the number of such victims that those who were gathered here now were worried about.

“Could the Oracle’s prediction be wrong?”

That would be the collapse of their vested interests. The malfunction of Oracle.

The woman replied.

“No. That’s not true. Oracle’s prophecy was correct again. Just…the interpretation of the prophecy was wrong.”

The prediction that the demon army would attack the hero exam. They had predicted that an event would occur in Pyongyang after piecing together the facts and fragmented information.

However, the disaster had actually occurred on a global scale.

The fact that they didn’t expect the demon army infiltrating Earth to be on such a scale had caused a mistake in their judgment.

It has become difficult.

And the most important thing right now was, because of this, the Warrior could no longer be identified.

The number of people who were active in this disaster were dozens of people.

Should they assume all of them were Warriors?

“No, doesn’t that mean there are several Warriors who can change the Oracle’s predicted future?”

“That’s right. And as you all know, that’s absolutely impossible.”

“Hmm…Maybe none of them are Warriors. If all of these incidents are defined as a single event, then no one has stopped it.”

…It’s as if the demons are one step ahead of us.

The woman’s expression, which had always been cold and stiff, wrinkled.

They already knew there was a Warrior in this world.

The world-class foresight that was thought possible only by themselves.

However, if they were to infer from what had happened this time, it was clear that the demons knew not only of the presence of the Warrior, but also that they would operate to identify the Warrior.

That was how such a large-scale smoke screen operation was able to be carried out.

Or…There’s a traitor inside.

“What should we do now? We can’t just leave it like this?”

There was silence inside the conference hall. And after a while, the woman spoke.

“It would be best to put the Warrior issue on hold for now. More than that, we can’t just sit still after the demons had carried out such a massive terrorist attack.”

“We will designate them as the ‘black’ grade, the most wanted enemy of mankind, and issue a wanted order for all beings involved.”

“Hmm…fine. Let’s do that for now.”

“And I think we need to deal with the public sentiment from anxious citizens. This will reduce trust in the World Government if left unattended.”

“That’s obvious, but um…what should we do?”

“We have to turn our eyes on the survivors and those who have died by making them heroes.”

“I see. It’s time to lift the carrot rather than the stick. If so, please contact the Hero Association to compensate the candidates…”

Thus, they continued their meeting on what needed to be done in the future.

Soon after, in the secret room where the holograms had disappeared, the woman let out a long sigh.

Maybe…the prophecy in 20 years might change too.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Hey! Be careful moving the wounded!”

“We’re out of blood packs! Ask for more to be transported!”

Rescue workers were running around frantically on a white snowfield.

Samaria had contacted the Hero Association to report the situation at Pyongyang’s test site after she had disposed of Dr. Jaegal.

As a result, several heroes with space transfer or healing ability were quickly dispatched.

And while the injured were being treated, a transport aircraft was flying toward this place to pick up the candidates.

Samaria was watching everything with a blank look.

How should she express how she felt right now?

She felt as if she had been deprived of the food that she had saved for a long time by someone else.

If I had tamed Noah a little earlier…

Late regret flooded in. She felt a heartache when she recalled the boy’s face.

With a more beautiful appearance than a woman, and a lacking personality that resembled her.

In addition to that, even the uniqueness of being a Warrior.

The boy who might have been the best toy in her life had disappeared with the devil.

Someone’s voice came from behind her back.

“You were here.”

Looking back, it was Pamir. His shining armor was plastered with the blood and bodily fluids of monsters.

Shaking off a piece of monster flesh, he spoke.

“All the monsters were taken care of, then at some point, the portal disappeared.”

“…I see.”

“What happened here?”

“That’s…”

Samaria thought for a moment about what to say regarding Noah. The scene where he was taken by the devil was only witnessed by her.

She didn’t want to share this information with anyone. So she said with a moderate mix of truth and false.

“Choi Noah took care of the corrupted hero who was the supervisor here. But…After that, a portal suddenly opened and a lot of monsters began to pour out.”

“Like the monsters I’ve dealt with?”

“Yes. While fighting against such monsters, the portal suddenly disappeared as Choi Noah was sucked into it.”

“Hmm…Is that so? Could it have been linked to the portal I destroyed?”

Pamir nodded as if it was a possibility. Unexpectedly, he seemed to have been convinced of her words.

Why is this obsessed fanatic so calm?

If it was the personality she was familiar with, he would have asked more persistently about Noah.

As soon as she thought that, Pamir continued.

“I roughly understood what happened here. I’d like you to report the details yourself. I have somewhere to be now.”

“Where?”

“I just received a call from headquarters. Terrorist attacks are currently occurring simultaneously in test sites around the world.”

“What?”

He explained to her what he had just heard from headquarters a moment ago.

Oracle’s prophecy of the terrorist attack they had thought to be limited to Pyongyang was actually a worldwide attack.

As a result, there were currently numerous casualties, and the director at headquarters was busy trying to deal with the situation.

“I don’t think it’s going to be easy to conclude that the boy here is a Warrior. The number of people who are active in this terrorist disaster is very high. It will take a long time to investigate each one of them.”

Pamir turned his back, clicking his tongue.

“I’m a little busy right now, so I’ll go first. Oh, and I’ll tell the headquarters about your cooperation this time. Maybe you can come back too.”

“…I see. All right.”

At the end of her words, Pamir took out a space transfer artifact and used it. Staring at the place where Pamir had disappeared, she thought to herself.

Choi Noah isn’t a Warrior?

No. It couldn’t be.

She wasn’t sure what others thought, but she had witnessed the devil kidnap Noah herself.

He wouldn’t have done it for no reason.

Regardless of what had happened at the other test sites, it was here that the mastermind had appeared in person.

On top of that, the portal that was installed here was definitely because they knew we were coming.

Wasn’t that enough proof that Pyongyang’s test site was more important than anywhere else?

As expected, Noah is the Warrior.

That was her conclusion.

But… 

What was the use of that anymore? The devil had already taken him away.

Anger began to boil deep within her when she recalled that fact again.

Pak–!

That, or this guy. Why does everyone keep interrupting my interest?

All the forces were trying to take away the only interest that comforted her heart.

Now even the world was trying to take it away from her. Violent mana swirled around her body.

But it’s too early to give up.

The reason was unknown. Just an ambiguous intuition.

A strange bond from the moment she first saw him, it told her so.

Noah was still alive.

She didn’t have the ability to read fate or predict the future, but strangely enough, she was convinced.

Right. He’s not someone who would die so easily.

Then, what did she have to do?

The answer came to mind shortly after.

He was of the same kind as her.

And…If he was really alive…

He’ll only think of what benefits him.

The sacrifices and dedications she had shown so far had only been seen as her having some kind of intention.

Using this as an opportunity…I need to prepare a place for him to come back.

She began to plan for the future with the assumption that Noah was still alive

As someone who was more obsessed with him than anyone, she couldn’t give up her toy yet.

* * * * * * * * * *

An unprecedented attack on the Hero Association. The whole world was shocked as a result.

People who had originally thought the demon army to be just a distant terrorist organization now were beginning to recognize them as dangerous beings that could threaten their own lives.

For this reason, the Hero Association had pushed ahead with their existing schedules to calm the anxious citizens.

And as if everything was fine, they planned to turn the hero appointment ceremony into a big and elaborate event.

As such, that also included the Pyongyang branch.

At a three-story auditorium of the Pyongyang branch. Currently in attendance were those who had survived the exam, and the numerous media personnel and citizens.

“I sincerely congratulate all of you who have passed the exam.”

“You all who will become official heroes after a year of probationary work.”

However, unlike other branches, one peculiar thing that stood out was that all the candidates in attendance were dressed in black.

“I will now announce and appoint the successful candidates for the hero exam.

Sounds of applause echoed.”

It was a joyous moment when a new hero was born and when the candidates realized their dreams.

But among the candidates, no one smiled.

They simply looked at the podium with pained expressions.

Citizens who saw their appearances quietly stopped clapping. And in such a cold atmosphere, the appointment ceremony continued.

The exam numbers of those who had passed the exam were called, and those who came up took their hero license one by one.

Instead of cheering for joy, the candidates who had passed the exam quietly kept their mouths shut as if they had made a pact.

The auditorium was engulfed in silence. In such an awkward atmosphere, the Branch Manager sweated as he spoke.

“Then, next, the A-Rank hero Saintess Samaria will personally award hero licenses to those who have achieved excellent grades.”

Samaria, wearing a black clergy uniform, took over the microphone from the center of the stage. Unlike usual, her clothes were modest without any exposure.

Hero license. Among them, especially in the case of the high rank exam, they were divided into D-Rank and C-Rank.

***

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

And for C-Rank, there was a tradition that it was to be awarded by the highest rank hero of the branch.

Samaria spoke.

“Candidates who have performed well in this exam will be called in order.”

“Examinee No. 00187, Examinee No. 004587…”

Those who were called rose to the podium one by one.

The total was five. Gesturing at them, she continued.

“These candidates who have performed well will be given a C-Rank hero license.”

She shook each person’s hand as she handed them their hero license.

In the meantime, a woman who had received her license suddenly began to wept.

“Heeuk…”

A woman with colorful hair. It was Exam No. 04589, Saki.

Soon after, she collapsed on the stage and wailed loudly.

“Waaah! I don’t deserve this! The real hero isn’t me!”

Suddenly, the ceremony stopped.

But no one rebuked her. The feelings of those who were gathered here were the same as her.

Sniffling cries could be heard all around the auditorium.

“Heeuk…”

“Shit…Why is it like this…”

Every candidate who took the exam at the Pyongyang branch began to recall one person’s face.

Examinee No. 13579. A genius who had scored perfect in all subjects at the young age of only 13.

At first, they were just jealous and busy being wary of him, but at some point they began to sincerely follow the young boy.

The spirit of sacrifice and outstanding leadership that the boy had showed on the last test. They could still vividly recall him throwing his body and blocking the destructive light.

They wouldn’t be standing here now if it wasn’t for the boy.

And thanks to him, despite the disaster, there were more successful candidates that had passed this exam than any other in history.

“Fuck! I can’t accept it!”

Suddenly, Mousin threw the hero license in his hand on the floor.

It was the license that he had wanted for as long as 10 years and had wanted to obtain regardless of the means.

“We haven’t seen his body yet! He couldn’t have died!”

All of their last memories were blurry.

At some point they had lost consciousness. And Noah’s figure was already gone by the time they had opened their eyes.

Only through Samaria’s testimony, it was inferred the fact that Noah would have died.

Perhaps that was why it was even more difficult to accept his death.

“I have to go look for him again! He could be dying somewhere in the snow!”

There were voices of sympathy here and there at Mousin’s words. In an instant, the interior of the auditorium turned noisy. 

At that moment,

Boom–!

A violent mana burst from Samaria who stood on the stage.

With the aura of an A-Rank hero, the interior immediately regained its silence.

Then, she calmly spoke.

“Like all of you…it also pains me.”

“I’ve been observing him for a long time.”

“Do you all remember the Lake Town’s hotel terrorist incident? Even before Noah became a hero, he didn’t spare his body for the citizens.”

“Even though he was young, he had a better sense of justice than anyone I know…He was a true hero.”

“Therefore, I was looking forward to the day he became a hero.”

She quietly continued her words. Her voice penetrated everyone’s hearts.

“In fact, his grades were unprecedented. If only the last test could have been completed safely, it would have been a new record that would remain in the history of the Hero Association.”

“But he…”

“He sacrificed his body to save those here. Yes…He didn’t bend his beliefs even until the very end.”

The candidates recalled Noah’s figure. The scene of him blocking the terrifying ray of destruction directly with his body.

And those who recalled watching him at home during the hotel incident. The back of a young boy who had saved the citizens.

“Keuk! Damn it!”

“Heuk…young master. Why did this have to happen?”

Mousin, who was indignant, sat down and wept. Next to him, his group also sat down and wept.

Samaria’s voice continued in their ears.

“Because of that…I had filed a petition with the Hero Association Headquarters.”

“There’s no hope for the birth of true heroes on this land if we don’t recognize these outstanding talents.”

“As a result…”

“The Hero Association had decided to issue him an unprecedented hero license.”

“He is to be given A-Rank, citing that he had saved numerous lives, achieved new records in all tests, and that the villain he faced this time was a corrupted A-Rank hero.”

“Perhaps it’s meaningless now…But I still wanted to honor his noble spirit this way.”

She took out a black glossy A-Rank hero license.

“Because he was someone who is more than qualified.”

In response to her words, everyone bowed their heads with a solemn look.

Saki, who was crying on the podium, and Mousin, who was crying under the podium.

Only one person’s face came to mind in everyone’s head.

“For the victims of this incident and the hero Choi Noah who had protected all of us. Let’s have a moment of silence.”

Everyone inside the auditorium bowed their heads.

At that moment, a bright voice was suddenly heard that didn’t match the solemn atmosphere.

“Aaaaahhh!”

Who had dared to make such a fuss during this moment of remembrance?

The expressions of those who were praying for the loss of Noah turned fierce, and they all immediately looked to one place.

Then, there…

“My reward!”

Noah, who everyone thought was dead, could be seen entering the auditorium.

* * * * * * * * * *

I couldn’t hide my excitement as I looked at the message window in front of me.

[Challenge – Hero’s Journey]

Condition: Obtain a Hero License.

Time: 1 year.

Reward: Varies depending on Hero Rank.

[ Condition for the Challenge – Hero’s Journey has been met. ]

[ Reward will be given depending on the result. ]

[ D-Rank – 1x Random Box (Low). ]

[ C-Rank – 1x Random Box (Medium). ] 

[ B-Rank – 2x Random Box (Medium). ] 

[ A-Rank – 2x Random Box (Medium), 1x Random Box (High). ]

Jackpot!

Just two medium-grade boxes were enough to make me dance, but I couldn’t believe I was getting a high-grade box too.

A smile beamed across my face.

I had been at home avoiding the hassle for a while, and was only now able to come get my license after the hassle had ended.

In any case, I never could have imagined that it would be A-Rank.

Soon, cheers suddenly erupted around me.

“””Waaah!”””

“Hmm?”

Looking around everywhere, the people gathered in the auditorium were rushing at me like a group of fanatics.

It looked like I was watching a bunch of zombies.

“He’s alive! Choi Noah is alive!”

“Hahaha! Of course! I knew he wouldn’t die! I believed him!”

“Young master…I’m sure you were crying a moment ago…”

People lifted me up as a group. Thanks to this, I climbed to the podium riding the waves as if I was a rock star.

A crazy woman holding a microphone was smiling insidiously at me. As expected, this woman gave me an uncomfortable feeling.

She smiled insidiously and whispered softly to me.

“Did you plan this kind of outcome? As expected, you’re the same kind as me.”

What was this woman talking about? I had felt it before, but she was out of her mind.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Huhu, I guess so. We can talk about this slowly next time. First now…”

She said and handed me the black glossy hero license. A shining letter A could clearly be seen on its surface.

“Why don’t you say something to the people here.”

“What should I say?”

“Hmm, anything is fine. Something like how do you feel about being a hero or what kind of hero you want to be.”

When I turned my head, the reward I saved was looking at me enthusiastically.

Hm…what kind of hero did I want to be?

Was there such a thing? I had never cared about that before.

Well, it would be better to give a simple answer here.

After a moment of thought, I received the microphone from Samaria. Then, I looked at the cameras that were shining on me and shouted.

“Everyone! I’ll do my best to be a kind hero who kills bad guys!”

As a result,

“””Waaaah!”””

[ Reputation has increased. ] 

[ Reputation has increased. ] 

[ Reputation has increased. ]

.

.

.

In front of my eyes, messages of my reputation increasing began to rise steadily.

And so, unique in this world.

I had become an A-Rank ‘trainee’ hero.

* * * * * * * * * *

[Everyone! I’ll do my best to be a kind hero who kills bad guys!]

Cheonma Palace, located somewhere in China. After returning home, Eugene was now watching Noah through a broadcast.

Haha, as expected, he became a hero.

A light smile bloomed across her lips.

She felt as if her heart would sink when she had heard news of the terrorist incident. However, her friend was able to safely pass the exam in the end.

I guess that kind of disaster was nothing for someone like him.

Not only that, Noah had received the A-Rank hero license.

Except in the early days when the Hero Association was just established, there had been no other people who had received A-Rank from the start since then.

The highest rank that could be obtained for passing the hero exam was C-Rank.

This was by design and was set up by the Hero Association’s vested interests for ranks to be raised by accumulating merits.

But Noah broke that common sense. He had acquired the A-Rank hero license from the start.

As to be expected of my best friend.

Even though it wasn’t her, she smiled as if she had become an A-Rank hero.

As she watched Noah, suddenly, ‘that day’ came to mind.

At that time, she wasn’t aware of it at all because of the circumstances, but looking back on it now, she wanted to crawl into a hole.

Her ears became bright red.

I was just helping my best friend.

Alone in her room, she made an excuse for herself.

Then, she gently touched her lips.

No way…He won’t remember, will he? No. Even if he remembers, it was honorable. I had no ulterior motive.

Since that day, whenever she thought of him, strangely, she would feel a shortness of breath and the bandages around her chest would tighten.

But she didn’t hate such symptoms.

And behind those emotions, a sense of shame came.

On the subject of friendship, Noah was moving farther and farther away from her.

Me too…I can’t fall behind.

Soon, she picked up an intercom.

“My baby! Wait a minute. Papa is taking care of his work…You son of a bitch! Cut here, cut here, and cut here too. Okay. No, not there but here!”

“…”

“Huu, it’s done. Yes, yes, what’s wrong my baby? Did you want to hear papa’s voice, so you called…”

Eugene cut off her stepfather’s words and spoke.

“Stepfather. The place you mentioned the other day…I want to go inside the Cheonma Trial Space.”

(TN: Cheonma Trial Space is where the successor to Cheonma goes to earn the rights to inherit the title Cheonma after completing the trial.)

With the determination to stand side by side with her friend, she decided to give up everything and entered the Cheonma Trial Space.

* * * * * * * * * *

A messy office.

Kim Taehi sat in front of her desk where documents were piled high like a mountain as she scrolled the wheel on her mouse.

Soon, an article caught her eyes.

[The birth of the world’s first A-Rank trainee hero?!]

In the article, the very familiar face of a boy appeared.

Black hair and purple eyes.

A child who hid behind a smile. She could feel his desperate pain.

It was Noah.

He eventually became a hero.

She smiled lightly as she looked at the picture of Noah.

Since the Lake Town terrorist incident, she had spent every day praying for the boy to regain his happiness.

Fortunately, the prayer was effective, and Noah hadn’t gone down the wrong path and had become a splendid and dignified hero.

Huu…I can’t nag him anymore even if I meet him.

In just a few months, he had become an A-Rank hero who was higher than herself. Of course, he was a trainee hero with no experience, but the weight of the A-Rank wasn’t light either.

I want to give him a congratulatory present…Hmm, if I send it out of the blue, he’ll feel burdened, right?

Since then, she has been waiting to hear from the hotline she had given him, but the child has yet to contact her.

She thought the boy would find this kind of goodwill burdensome since he was at a really sensitive age.

Aye, I’ll just buy him a meal next time we meet on the field.

They will inevitably encounter each often in the future once he becomes a hero.

She gave up her desire and sighed.

Soon, a voice of her aide was heard from outside her office.

“Chief Kim! He’s here! Shall I send him in now?”

Ah, come to think of it, it was today.

Not long ago, a new police officer had been assigned to the counterterrorism department where she was working.

At first, she thought he had applied without knowing fear, but it turned out that he had a long decorated career and even had a superpower, so she decided to accept it.

In addition, he looks quite useful from his eyes in the picture.

Different from how she was looking at the monitor screen, Kim Taehee’s expression quickly returned to that of a ‘tyrant.’

“Come in!”

Squeak–

A large man entered and shouted loudly.

“Attention! This is Go Changsu who was assigned to the counterterrorism department! I ask for your guidance from now on!”

“Huh?”

And standing there, it wasn’t the sharp guy she had seen in the police profile but a bearded man that looked like a bandit.

* * * * * * * * * *

A single room with no lights, let alone furniture.

There was a boy sitting in such a dark room.

Pale skin like a corpse, he looked to be 17 years old.

It was the one who had participated in the hero exam, Examinee No. 00187.

And on the hero license in front of him, written along the word C-Rank was the boy’s name.

Fernando.

He stared blankly at the license in his hand. And then…

Whoosh–!

A person’s shadow could be seen walking out from the darkness. A well dressed man with a mustache.

Captain belonging to the special force of the demon army. It was Azazel.

However, on his neck, unlike usual, it was wrapped in a thick bandage.

“What happened?”

Fernando asked, looking at the bandage. Azazel smiled awkwardly and replied.

“Haha, something like that happened. Please don’t ask for more details.”

“Okay.”

Fernando nodded calmly. He simply asked because he saw it. In the first place, he wasn’t very interested in Azazel’s matters.

“Well, congratulations on passing the exam! Oh, and this is a small gift, but please accept it.”

Boom–!

Azazel threw a naked woman in front of Fernando.

“Heup! Hmm!”

“You should be hungry this time because you’ve worked hard, so hurry up and eat it.”

Fernando looked at the woman who had fallen in front of him. The woman was crying with a frightened look on her face.

“Who is she?”

“She’s a B-Rank hero active in the Sinuiju area. I think you’ll be satisfied if you taste it.”

“…Her crime?”

“Haha…Right. That was more important to you. This woman has illegally operated a gambling house using her status as a B-Rank hero. Oh, and when I looked at her memories, I found that she had committed murders secretly. Is this enough?”

“…Enough.”

Soon Fernando began to eat the woman alive.

Crunch–Crunch–!

The sound of bones breaking resonated in the empty apartment.

After eating for a while, Fernando wiped the blood stains off his lips and asked.

“Huu…I’ve become a hero like you wanted. What should I do now?”

“It was a good thing to make you a hero just in case. Let’s see…All right. What you have to do now is…Be as close as possible to Choi Noah.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes. That’s right. And…I’ll let you know the next plan when the time comes.”

“Okay.”

Azazel’s eyes flashed purple as he smiled at Fernando.