Villain Hides His True Colors

Jane used to cry a lot when she was young.

She would burst into tears if things didn’t go her way, or even if something trivial happened that she didn’t like.

And each time her brother would smile and pat her on the head.

She liked the rough touch of her brother’s hands.

Even on nights where she recalled their parents and tears were about to burst, when her brother’s calloused hands touched her, somehow she was able to fall asleep without anxiety.

But…

Her brother’s warm hands were now tossed on the streets like trash.

There was a pile of dismembered body parts scattered like weeds, and skewered in the plaza was a disheveled head with all kinds of graffiti.

Teeth pulled out and hollowed eye sockets.

…Her brother’s face, which could always be seen smiling, was so horribly broken to the point where even seeing it was terrifying.

[Aahh!!!! No, no, no, no…]

She screamed, frantically gathering the scattered pieces.

And like a jigsaw puzzle, she tried to stick the mutilated parts together, but naturally, her brother never returned to its original appearance.

[P-Please…Pleeease! Oppa!]

She held the mutilated body in her arms.

Puk–!

Rotten gas that was accumulated bursts out, splattering sticky blood like jelly in all directions.

[Ah, ah, ah, a-ah…]

No words came out as blood drenched her face.

Soon, her brother’s head turned to her.

[This is all because of you, Jane.]

[O-oppa…]

[If you hadn’t cried because you didn’t have enough allowance, I wouldn’t have worked this hard…Do you know how painful it is to be cut alive?]

As her brother’s eyes dripped with blood, she knelt down and sobbed.

[Heuk…I-I’m sorry, oppa…I-it’s my fault. I’m really sorry…]

[You’re always like that. Do you think crying will solve anything? I’m already dead.]

[Heuk, I’m sorry I cried…B-but I really don’t know what to do…]

Her brother coldly looked at her.

[If you’re really sorry…You should die like me!]

[Wh-what do you mean…Kyaak!]

Her brother’s tongue lengthened and wrapped around her like a snake.

As it secreted a sticky fluid, her flesh that came in contact with it began to decay at a rapid speed.

[Kueruk, n-no…d…don’t do this, oppa.]

Before she knew it, there was a strong lingering smell of rotting corpses.

Along with the terrible smell, she felt herself suffocating more and more. Her consciousness was getting farther and farther away.

And in her ears, she heard her brother’s voice filled with resentment.

[Jane…I’ll curse you for the rest of your life.]

At that moment, she realized that she was suffering from another nightmare.

It was the same nightmare she had always experienced.

The landscape in the dream scattered like a flock of ants and the consciousness that had returned settled in its place.

Soon, she slowly raised her eyelids and cursed in a submerged voice.

“…Fuck.”

Her body was covered in sweat even though the weather was still rather chilly.

The damp, cheap underwear she wore stuck unpleasantly to her body.

“Damn it! I’m already in a bad mood to start the morning!”

She roughly took off her underwear and wiped herself with a towel.

Afterwards, she immediately took out a cigarette and lit it. Smoke floated in the room.

She frowned as the smoke slowly spread in the air.

“Fuck…What’s wrong with me these days?”

Was it after she had met the boy? It seemed the frequency of her nightmares had increased again these days.

And that was probably because of what he had said to her.

[I’ll save you, noona.]

“Tsk, putting on air.” 

In fact, it wasn’t that she had never thought of revenge.

However, what did it mean to start? It meant fighting against two cartels that dominated the vast land of Kowloon.

Even if she was to give everything she had, realistically, it could be said that the possibility of success was slim to none.

At most, she would only be able to bring down one or two low level members before dying.

It would just be a meaningless death.

On top of that, there would be no one to take care of her younger brother if she dies. Then John, who won’t be able to earn money for his medicine, would also die. 

This had forced her to give up the thought of revenge even though she had nightmares every night.

So, she would rather forget. As if it had never happened, she stopped thinking of revenge.

That was how she had lived for the past year.

And perhaps because of that effort, she thought she could live without her older brother to some extent…

However, that wasn’t the case.

“I can’t believe I said that to a child…I briefly lost my mind there.”

She didn’t know how powerful Noah was, but this revenge wasn’t something a child could accomplish.

No matter how ignorant she was in this area, she knew well the strength of Blue Mage and Red Blood Alliance.

They were vicious and vast cartels that even heroes outside would find hard to suppress.

Not only that, some of the cartel members even included notorious villains from the outside.

She couldn’t believe she had asked a child who looked as young as John to face such villains.

Even if he was a hero, he must still be a stranger to this world.

Perhaps she had lost her reason for a moment after seeing the enormous amount of money he had taken out.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought up such a silly request.

Yes…it’s only because of the money.

It was clear he would fail in taking revenge anyway.

And, on the contrary, from her standpoint, wouldn’t it be helpful if he died while doing such a dangerous thing?

Then he wouldn’t be able to ask her to return the money he had left in her house.

And besides, wasn’t he the one who had come to her first?

So whether he really dies or not, it had nothing to do with her. 

Damn it…

She rationalized herself to relieve her guilt.

But…

[Leave it to me.]

Why did it bother her so much? And why did she feel he would be able to accomplish what he had said?

…No, let’s stop this ridiculous delusion.

She shook her head to force the thought of hope out of her mind.

If he failed after she set a high expectation for nothing, she felt as if the thought of revenge she had suppressed so far would rear its ugly head again.

She sighed as she rubbed out the cigarette in her hand. 

Anyway, how long do I have to stay like this?

He had demanded that she not take a single step out of the house the same day he said he would take revenge.

So she obediently did as she was told since she had accepted the money, but…

It was hard to guess what he was doing outside.

Recently, she had been hearing a lot of gunshots. By any chance, was it related to him?

It was a mystery.

But one thing was certain, he would have blood all over his body whenever he stopped by the house.

And it was quite a long time ago, so he might be in a really dangerous situation by now.

No, perhaps he has already been captured and tortured?

The cartels never give those who rebel against them an easy death…

She recalled the miserable state her brother was in.

And overlapping it was the smiling face of the boy.

“Fuck!”

She anxiously pounded the floor. The styrofoam dented and left a mark.

“Fuck…Why did I do that?”

She realized she really shouldn’t have asked him.

Why did she say such a thing then? Was she really possessed by something?

She folded her knees and buried her face.

I don’t need revenge or anything…Just please come back safely.

Then she would be able to say that everything she had said was nonsense…

***

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

As she thought as such, suddenly a strange sound appeared in the room.

Shiii–!

A sound as if a soft cloth was brushing against something.

Startled, she immediately looked up.

And there, a dark shadow in the shape of a person was wriggling and growing in size.

“?!”

It was the first strange sight she had seen in her life.

What was that? Why was such a thing in the room?

She sprang back with her eyes wide open. However, as if the darkness was responding to her movements, it continued to follow her.

Looking closely, she saw that it was connected to her body. To be exact, it was attached to the area where her shadow should be.

“G-go away!”

She tried to throw the lighter she was holding at the shadow, but it went right through.

Did a ghost really appear?

Then, as she faced the horror, a familiar voice came from the shadow.

“Noona, I’m done with the preparation, so can you come over here for a second?”

The boy who said he would save her. It was Noah’s voice.

“Ch-Choi Noah? H-how is your voice…N-no, more than that, what do you mean preparation…”

Didn’t you say you wanted revenge? I’ve wrapped it up for you, so just come and get the last hit.”

“Wh-what the hell…W-wait a minute!”

Before she could finish, the shadow swept her.

Soon, the surrounding landscape twisted and she felt herself falling.

“Aahh, euaah…Ah?”

She struggled with her arms floundering in the air. Then, she suddenly realized that she was alive and well.

“H-huh?”

She slowly looked around. A world full of darkness.

The shadow she had seen a moment ago was swaying everywhere.

“What the hell is this place…”

At that moment, she heard a faint groan.

“Kuaak…”

“Kyaak!”

She stepped back with a startled look.

And when she looked down, she could see something wriggling on the ground

A stumpy creature like a caterpillar.

Taking a closer look, she realized that it was a man without limbs.

She became speechless by the sudden sight.

But, more surprisingly, the identity of the man wriggling in front of her eyes was none other than Vlad, the boss of the Red Blood Alliance.

The very person who was responsible for the torture and murder of her brother.

An absolute existence she thought she would never be able to reach even if she tried all her life was now crawling on the ground like a bug.

“Wh-what the hell is going on here…”

Though she could see it with her own eyes, it was hard to accept the reality.

Why was he dying in a place like this? Was this a hallucination?

Don’t tell me…Did that kid really…?

As she was thinking to herself, something was thrown in front of her.

Thud–!

It was another person.

“Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!”

He had all his limbs twisted and was frantically struggling.

And…

It was another person who would never be found in such a state.

A cold-blooded person who had sold out her brother as a scapegoat to the Red Blood Alliance, it was none other than the boss of Blue Mage.

The notorious Chris was now shedding tears.

This…is it a dream?

Otherwise, what was happening shouldn’t be possible. She would rather believe that dogs could talk.

Soon, Noah appeared in front of her.

“Hehe, I’m glad you’re here, noona.”

He looked at her with a bright smile.

“Wh-what the hell is going on…?”

“Hmm? Aren’t they the ones? You said you wanted revenge.”

“Th-that’s true, but…How…”

“Well, I just caught them.”

She even wondered if he was playing a joke on her because of how calm he was.

But if what he had said was true…

Who the hell is he…How can he be so strong?

A child who wasn’t even a junior high school student had grabbed the two bosses of Kowloon at the same time?

It would have been hard to believe if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes. 

She stared blankly at him for a while.

And then, he held out a pistol.

“Go ahead. I made it so you can get the last hit.”

“…”

She took the pistol from him. The weight of it made her realize the current situation.

Can I really get revenge? Was it this easy?

She thought she would never be able to do it even if it took her a lifetime. However, it was now possible in less than two weeks after the child had come.

As she stood still for a while, Noah spoke.

“If you don’t want to do it yourself, should I finish it for you?”

In response to his words, she shook her head.

“No, I’ll do it myself. Thank you for doing this…Really, thank you.”

A moment later,

Bang–!

Bang–!

Bang–!

.

.

.

She pulled the trigger again and again until all the bullets were emptied.

* * * * * * * * * *

“…I don’t know how to repay you. Really…Heuk!”

Jane said to me in tears.

Her eyes were red and bloodshot, perhaps because she had cried for a long time after having taken care of the two cartel bosses earlier.

At this rate, she might burst into tears again if I left her alone, so I calmed her down.

“Well, it’s not over yet, so you don’t have to thank me ahead of time. But, noona, I’ve been curious about something for a while.”

“Heuk, yes, yes. Feel free to ask.”

“Why are you naked?”

“Wh-what do you mean…Kyaak?!”

Jane, having finally noticed, sat down with a short scream.

“Th-this…the reason…”

Her face became blazing red as she covered herself.

I thought perhaps like me, she had taken off her clothes because she didn’t want to get blood splattered on her, but judging from her reaction, it didn’t seem like it.

After blushing so much for a while, she breathed a short sigh and collected her breath.

With a serious look, she started talking again.

“Anyway, if it weren’t for you…I might have given up the thought of revenge for the rest of my life. I’m sure I would have been haunted by nightmares every night while living in guilt.”

“So…I know it won’t be enough no matter how many times I say this, but I’d like to express my sincere gratitude.”

“Thank you for helping me take revenge.”

She said with a bright smile.

I hadn’t noticed because she had been making wrinkles in the middle of her forehead until now, but seeing her smile like this, she gave off a very different impression.

Anyway…

Why was this girl talking like it was all over since earlier?

The mistake seemed to be because she had forgotten, so I reminded her.

“Noona, your revenge hasn’t even started yet, so what do you mean it’s over?”

“What are you talking about…? I’m sure I just killed the two cartel bosses with my own hands…”

Jane looked puzzled. It seemed it wasn’t because she had forgotten, but rather because she didn’t know.

The real meaning of revenge.

And, the save Challenge wasn’t completed yet, so how could her revenge be over?

It seemed this girl wasn’t able to properly grasp what she wanted.

I sighed softly before calling Elizabeth who was next to me.

“Noona, let’s begin the next phase.”

“Yes!”

The shadows surrounding the area instantly got sucked back into her body.

As a result, the space that was separated from reality disappeared and the landscape of the construction site came back into view.

Here, Red Blood Alliance and Blue Mage members were still engaged in a fierce battle.

“Kuehaha! Let’s end this once and for all!”

“You son of bitches! Die!”

“Kuaak! M-my arm! My arm!” 

Bullets came and went everywhere, while some villains with abilities could be seen running wild.

Seeing this, Jane jumped up and looked around, forgetting that she was naked.

“Wh-what?! Why are people all of a sudden…Kyaak!”

Bang–!

After blocking the bullets flying toward Jane with my hands, I spoke to Elizabeth.

“Noona, please do what we talked about earlier.”

“All right! Leave it to me! But…This is really tiring, so be sure to keep your promise, okay?”

“I got it.”

“Yes!”

Elizabeth closed her eyes and murmured something. After some time,

Shiii–!

Along with the sound of a soft cloth rubbing against the ground, a vast darkness began to cast overheard.

The sight was similar to what I had seen when I first met her in the first round.

As if it was being veiled, the sun-lit sky was gradually eroded by the shadow.

Those who saw the strange phenomenon, one by one, stopped and looked up at the sky.

The constant screams and gunshots died down and were replaced by voices filled with fear and shock.

“Wh-what the hell is that?!

“Hey, smurf bastards! What the hell are you trying to do?!”

“Fuck! Isn’t it you red sons of bitches doing this?”

And Jane, too, burst into shock.

“What’s that! Did you do that thing in the sky?!”

“Take a good look. Noona.”

“What the hell am I supposed to be looking at?! What are you going to do?”

Meanwhile, the darkness that had spread, finally, covered the construction site in the form of a large dome.

The sight was like the end of the world had fallen. In the darkness where nothing could be seen, I pulled out Red Velvet Curse.

Wuung–!

An eerie aura resonated.

Red Velvet Curse in my hand was vibrating constantly in response to .

Hehe…It seems I’ll be able to grow this properly today.

Smiling deeply, I spoke to Jane.

“Noona. Real revenge is…”

Swiik–!

The head of a person nearby flew away as bright red blood splattered on Jane.

“Like this.”

“A-ah.”

Soon, I rushed at the countless experience that stretched out in front of me.