novelraw Chapter 242 : Chapter 242
Chapter 242 : Chapter 242
Chapter 242: Villain Professor
At Ho-cheol's words, Ji-an's eyes sparkled as she clung to his arm.
“Mister. Me too? Maybe me too? Then me too? Me too, me too, me too?”
Of course, Ji-an herself had little interest in saving others.
However, at the fact that not only her beloved Ho-cheol but also the two she had finally started talking to were going out, she simply wanted to tag along no matter what.
Ho-cheol would normally tell her to just quietly continue her basic training, but there was no harm in asking!
However, contrary to her expectation, Ho-cheol nodded without even a shred of hesitation.
“Of course, I was planning to take you too.”
“Eh?”
Instead, it was Ji-an who panicked and let out a dumb sound.
Seeing Ji-an's puzzled expression, Ho-cheol smirked and ruffled her hair.
“Human lives are the most important thing. Even if you slack off a bit or do a half-hearted job, just doing that much can save several more people.”
Even if Ji-an's strength had degraded compared to the past, it had only dropped from a level that overwhelmed S-ranks to a level on par with them; within this organization, her individual martial prowess was second only to Ho-cheol.
Above all, her Trait was more specialized for saving others than either Ho-cheol or the other two students.
Mindset or strength didn't matter in saving people.
The act of saving itself was the key.
“So.”
Ho-cheol lowered the hand that was ruffling her hair and extended it with his palm facing up.
Then, as if inviting her, he asked Ji-an.
“Will you help?”
To others, no—even to Ji-an herself—there was an absolute hierarchy in their relationship, with Ho-cheol being superior.
However, conversely, Ho-cheol alone didn't think so.
He merely acted as a guardian because he had lived a little longer, was a little stronger, and had experienced a little more.
Clearly, he and Ji-an were not in a vertical relationship, but an equal one, standing side by side.
Even if he needed her help, he would only request it; he had no intention of forcing her.
The choice and action were entirely Ji-an's share.
Ji-an forgot to answer and just stared blankly at his outstretched hand.
Ho-cheol chuckled softly and wiggled the hand he had extended up and down.
“Hm?”
Only then did Ji-an belatedly snap out of it.
“I still don't feel any sense of reward or necessity in saving people, but...”
The life of one person whose face she at least knew was more precious than the lives of hundreds or thousands of strangers.
Perhaps this wouldn't change no matter how much time passed.
Still.
“If it's precious to you, Mister, then it's definitely precious to me too.”
She smiled brightly and placed her hand over Ho-cheol's.
His hand was rough, as if proving his hardships until now, but it was definitely warm.
“I want to protect it too now. So let’s protect it together.”
“Thanks.”
Ho-cheol, reminded of a sudden worry, stroked his chin as if bothered and asked.
“That doping, is it really safe?”
Seed Doping.
Ji-an called it that because it was literally seeds she had grown rather than drugs.
Ji-an jumped up and down as if falsely accused.
“I grew them little by little when I didn't have to use my strength, so it's really okay!”
No matter how much one gathered strength, the body had limits.
However, if one could accumulate strength separately externally like this, it was much more convenient to draw out output beyond one's limits.
Especially since Ji-an's Trait was also easy for injecting and storing power.
“Of course, after eating it, a severe sense of exhaustion comes, but. Should I say it’s like being slightly drunk on power? It’s just because the strength drains out after the sudden pleasure of using it wildly, so there’s no big problem.”
“Then that’s a relief. You probably won't have to eat it, but just in case.”
“Ay, I made plenty, so it’s fine.”
Ji-an stomped her feet and tightly hugged the hand of Ho-cheol she was holding.
Watching that scene, Ye-jin asked, looking a bit aggrieved.
“...You don't say such cool things to us?”
Da-yeon didn't say anything either, but nodded slightly as if agreeing.
Ho-cheol detached Ji-an, who was clinging to his chest, and scoffed as if absurd.
“What’s cool about that. And you guys are aspiring heroes in the first place. You should be following me saying you want to do it even if I tell you not to.”
If you want to be a hero, you should naturally do well.
Why the fuss?
***
Looking out the window at the pitch-black night sky, Ho-cheol let out a shallow sigh.
According to the intel, less than a few hours remained until the terror attack by the villains instigated by the Association.
To think things would blow up on the very same day.
Normally, in cases where this kind of incident was triggered, it was natural logic to go through quite a long preparation period, such as preparing to cut ties or making plans.
To start things in just one day—one could roughly tell how desperate the Association was.
He sat on the windowsill.
His gaze was directed outside the window, but the scenery outside didn't register in his eyes at all.
Even if he resolved the series of events happening now, he organized the remaining piled-up problems one by one.
Smiley's resurrection, the Hero Association's corruption, conflict with Association executives.
In fact, the things happening right now were merely trivial enough for Ho-cheol to attach the expression 'just' to them.
It was only because his personal feelings toward Smiley remained strong that he was taking the difficult way around, and was mentally distressed.
From a broader perspective, it was hard to see it as such a difficult matter.
The Association also had more positive roles in its function itself if only the rotten parts at the top were cut out, and since he had shaken up the S-rank heroes this time, he would probably be able to handle it more easily through them.
Rather, it was what came after that worried him.
The special gate and the giant monster that the Society had been observing separately.
That was an existence of a different league, so powerful and absurd that even Ho-cheol could not handle it at all.
Once that monster started moving, it was a national-level disaster.
Right now, a monster of a similar level had appeared in Africa, and because of that, the entire continent in that area had turned into a land of death.
The only being who could originally confirm that was the leader of the Society, but since that guy was currently captured by Ho-cheol.
In the end, Ho-cheol was left holding the bag.
This was also why Ho-cheol was aiming for the normalization of the Association.
The current rotten-to-the-core Association would probably, even if they obtained information about this monster, judge the situation only in a direction beneficial to themselves, let alone moving properly.
Since cooperation itself was impossible with bastards who only cared about political and financial gain.
He had to break it down as quickly as possible and rebuild it properly.
And [Eclipse] was also a significant problem.
Compared to that giant monster, it was a little better, but that didn't mean it was safe by any means.
His activity had stopped abruptly starting a few months ago.
While leading the Unhappy organization, Ho-cheol had persistently tracked him as well, but there were bizarrely no traces.
And the last place his sighting information came from was a certain port.
Getting on a ship that specialized in smuggling people in and out of the country was the last of him.
Only that he went overseas; his destination was unknown.
The executives of other organizations who heard that information expressed the opinion that since Eclipse had gone overseas, there was no need to worry anymore, but Ho-cheol was the opposite.
At least the eyes of Eclipse that he had faced at the end were definitely not those of a loser who would give up everything and disappear into a foreign country.
Eclipse would definitely return.
That was not simply Ho-cheol's prediction but a certainty.
And the last worry.
His students who would be advancing to their third year next year.
Although he was currently acting as a villain and couldn't guarantee if he could hold the pointer and act as a professor again.
Even if he could never step on the threshold of Clington again, it was natural to worry about the students.
Even now, whenever he had a spare moment, he would plan next year's educational curriculum or plans for the students, but there was no helping the worry that arose needlessly.
Just as he was planning for the future for quite a while.
Beep-beep-beep— Beep-beep-beep—
On Ho-cheol's desk, the clock cried out noisily.
It was already time for the scheduled terror to occur.
Since the Association would pull some tricks so the assigned heroes would arrive as late as possible, Ho-cheol had to arrive first and stop the villain before casualties occurred.
Leaving the room, Ho-cheol reached for the mask he had placed next to the clock.
However, just before grabbing the mask, his hand paused.
His curled fingers trembled slightly.
He stared intently at the mask.
Just a pure white mask with no distinct features or patterns.
That mask wasn't simply for hiding his identity.
Regardless of what his essence was, how he would live.
It was a signpost distinguishing his mindset.
Wearing this mask, he acted as a villain regardless of what mindset he held.
Unscrupulous acts, crimes.
He had chosen all those things himself.
And himself without the mask was clearly dignified before anyone.
That was why Ho-cheol took off the mask when revealing the Association's corruption, when facing Smiley, and when dealing with other obvious evildoers.
Then what was he today?
After some deliberation, he sighed and made a decision.
Ho-cheol turned and left the room.
Through the crack of the slightly open door, moonlight from the hallway shone on the desk.
The pure white mask twinkled as it caught the moonlight.
***
In the silent dawn, a crimson pillar of fire soared into the city center along with a roar that shattered the stillness.
The ground shook, and distinct cracks were engraved on the outer walls of buildings.
“Whew, one shot isn't enough?”
The villain who had caused the terror upon the Association's request scratched the back of his head as if troubled.
He had been designated a few buildings by a 'sponsor' whose name he didn't even know and received orders to demolish them.
Since he had received the down payment clearly and had also received the weapons to use, in fact, he could just detonate the other bombs right away without thinking about it, but a strange regret remained.
Just in case the building collapsed with one shot, the remaining bombs were all his share.
But unfortunately, it seemed difficult to pocket them.
“Can't be helped.”
He failed to line his pockets, but still, jobs where one could earn money this easily were rare.
How could there be such an easy job?
Just install and detonate a few bombs to collapse a few buildings, and it's billions.
Furthermore, who on earth was that sponsor to even specify the exact time the heroes would dispatch?
If he just pulled out by then, there was no chance of him getting caught.
The villain pressed firmly on the button of the detonator he was holding in his hand again.
Now was the timing for the installed second and third bombs to explode, but.
Click—
“Hmm?”
The bombs that should have exploded immediately were silent.
Flustered, he pressed the button several times, but the bombs planted underground remained silent.
“Dammit. Why aren't these going off now?”
He contacted his colleagues who were in charge of each bomb, but only unpleasant static flowed from the radio connected to them.
“What the.”
Only then did the villain also sense that something was wrong.
Just as he was about to move his steps to check the nearest bomb.
Rumble—
Thick vines soared from the ground and tightly wrapped around the building that was about to collapse.
“...What is that.”
The villain, flustered by the situation unfolding before his eyes, forgot to walk and muttered dumbly.
“The bombs won't go off. One is frozen, one had all its energy sucked out. Ah, and your friends were all caught a long time ago.”
A low voice came from behind.
The villain, belatedly coming to his senses, started in surprise.
He turned around, gripping his weapon.
“What are you? A hero?”
“No. Being called a hero scratches a bit of a nerve.”
Ho-cheol, who walked out from under the shadows, lightly massaged the back of his neck.
I’ll decline that expression on my end too.
At the answer that he wasn't a hero, the villain was a little relieved.
In fact, Ho-cheol's attire and the vibe he gave off were quite far from a hero.
He sighed softly and waved his hand dismissively.
“What. You in the same line of work? Then don't interfere with someone else's job and get lost.”
“But I’m not a villain either.”
“Then what are you?”
Instead of answering that question, Ho-cheol closed the distance in an instant and grabbed the villain's neck.
“The nuance is a bit strange, but.”
“Keu-heuk. Kek—!”
As his breath stopped and his consciousness faded, Ho-cheol's brief remark lingered in his ears.
“Just call me Villain Professor.”