novelraw Chapter 284 : Chapter 284
Chapter 284 : Chapter 284
Chapter 284: The Traitor (2)
Ho-cheol and Wolf-Fang arrived at a city quite far away.
This time, the burn mask was too conspicuous, so Ho-cheol instead took it off and acted in his usual attire.
The important thing was not to be caught entering and leaving the Swordmaster's office with his original face.
Wolf-Fang asked from behind Ho-cheol, who was walking ahead.
“But how did you find the traitor? I couldn't see anything.”
He had checked the database Ho-cheol had looked at on the way, but there were no circumstances or evidence to conclusively judge anyone as a traitor.
Ho-cheol nodded as he climbed the building stairs.
“I don’t have clear evidence either. But there’s such a thing as intuition. I smelled something suspicious vibrating strongly, so I had to check.”
“A suspicious smell, huh.”
In addition, when reviewing the vacation dates, the details of their absence, and their routes, there were several suspicious points from Ho-cheol's perspective, such as deliberately avoiding days and routes that overlapped with his own activity period.
However, explaining these details was bothersome, considering Wolf-Fang was a Villain.
If this useful tip were to get out, other Villains might use it later.
He couldn't allow that.
“Just know it as such.”
Ultimately, Ho-cheol cut the conversation short.
Before long, they arrived at the rooftop of a building.
“Where is this?”
“This building's rooftop happens to overlap exactly with his patrol route. Let’s watch from here first. See what kind of guy he is.”
Of course, he was only expected to be the traitor, not confirmed 100%.
He needed to test the waters first.
How long did they wait?
Ho-cheol, who had been leaning against the railing and observing the city, stood up straight.
“He’s here.”
It wasn't difficult to spot the S-rank Hero he had marked as the likely traitor.
S-ranks rarely acted with pretension, giving commands from an office; they all worked on the ground just like other Heroes.
If anything, the Swordmaster, who stayed holed up in his office and covered more than half the city with a single sword, was the strange case.
Ho-cheol narrowed his brows as he watched the Hero patrolling the city far below.
“...A familiar face.”
“Well, all S-ranks are like that, aren’t they?”
“No. Looking at the records, he was promoted to S-rank when I was counting ceiling stains in prison, so unless I met him while I was a professor, there shouldn't be any connection. And yet, seeing how faint the memory is, it feels like I saw him long ago.”
Muttering to himself, Ho-cheol searched his memory for a long time.
Only after several more minutes did he finally recall it.
More accurately, the memory returned after seeing the Hero use his Trait.
A small whirlpool appeared at the Hero's feet, lifting his body gently.
It was the common wind-manipulation Trait.
However, individuals who applied the Trait like that were extremely rare.
Ugh— Ho-cheol was so startled that he forgot to control his strength, and the railing he was holding crumpled.
“That guy was his Sidekick.”
The Hero Database had absolutely no record of his activities before he became a Hero.
Since there was no record of him working as a Sidekick, it was impossible to recall him.
Wolf-Fang asked awkwardly.
“...The Sun you mean?”
“Yes. That’s right. Now I remember clearly.”
It had been almost ten years ago.
Naturally, the memory was faint.
But now that he had recalled it, it was as vivid as yesterday.
He was the former Sidekick of Byeong-hoo, of The Sun.
His devotion was beyond loyalty—it was closer to fanaticism.
As Ho-cheol recalled, his ability was lousy, but that was only by Ho-cheol’s standards.
He was capable of achieving A-rank status without difficulty whenever he decided to become an independent Hero.
However, that alone wouldn't have been enough to etch him into Ho-cheol's memory.
There was only one reason he remembered him: the synergy with Byeong-hoo.
If Lee Byeong-hoo had teamed up with another S-rank Hero, Ho-cheol might have been slightly pushed back, but he could still deal with both of them depending on the situation.
But instead of an S-rank Hero, this guy was there?
Ho-cheol wouldn't have hesitated for a moment to throw a couple of subordinates out as a distraction and retreat.
Not only did he increase the power of Byeong-hoo's high-firepower suppression fighting style, but he also spread transparent walls of wind to obstruct the opponent's movement, making him feel something beyond a mere compatibility issue—it was an intense unpleasantness.
It wasn't just unpleasant; he had almost died several times.
How many masks were destroyed back then?
Thinking about it again made him angry.
Should he go down and punch him a few times?
As Ho-cheol suppressed his anger, Wolf-Fang jumped up, finally understanding the situation with disbelief.
“Wait. Boss. Something is strange. How can that former Sidekick become a Hero? Especially when his own Hero turned into a Villain? Even if he didn't go to prison with him, shouldn’t he have been fired?”
At Wolf-Fang's astonished question, Ho-cheol rested his chin on the railing and gave a brief answer.
“He probably rendered a great service in the arrest operation.”
This didn't require specific information; the picture was roughly clear just from the circumstances.
His Hero defected to become a Villain, yet the Sidekick, far from being fired, became an S-rank Hero?
There was only one possible scenario.
He continued speaking listlessly.
“I wondered how that man was caught, but it seems he allowed himself to be caught.”
In fact, Ho-cheol had always been highly skeptical about Byeong-hoo's arrest.
Was he the kind of person who could be easily caught even by dragging along three or four S-ranks and a group of A-ranks?
He could have easily annihilated them all and left leisurely.
The only reason he was caught was probably because he couldn't bring himself to kill the Sidekick who had blindly trusted and followed him until then.
Wolf-Fang still couldn't understand.
One question was answered, but a new one immediately arose.
“...Then doesn't that make the probability of him being a traitor even lower?”
The Hero he respected and trusted the most had fallen.
He was captured and sent to prison by the subordinate he trusted the most.
It was impossible to doubt the relationship between them, as they were such sworn enemies.
However, Ho-cheol instead fidgeted with the hand propping up his chin, suggesting the situation was even more suspicious.
“That’s true. Or, conversely, he has returned to being The Sun of that era, whom he respected in the past.”
In that case, he would gladly betray the Heroes and work for Byeong-hoo.
The current Byeong-hoo seemed relatively sane compared to back then.
“Either way, it’s troublesome.”
He originally planned to slowly close the distance and gather information, but realizing the situation, he quickly gave up on that idea.
For a guy who knew this side of him, that kind of approach would only instill unnecessary vigilance.
Ho-cheol, who had been contemplating for a long time, turned around.
“Let’s go back.”
The original plan was canceled.
He had to change the plan, but Ho-cheol felt no regret.
He wasn't a god, after all, and it was impossible for every plan to perfectly align.
Whether he was a Villain or a Hero, the success of any plan ultimately relied 30% on his own ability.
The remaining 70% depended entirely on how he responded to the variables that occurred.
Since the other side didn't know this, and this side did, this information would be useful at any time.
“Should we just leave him alone?”
“No, we can't do that. He’s equally suspicious.”
At this point, where he couldn't fully categorize him as black or white, he was a gray that leaned heavily toward black.
But monitoring him carried a high risk.
He was an S-rank, so wouldn't he notice even that?
That guy, the Sage, was busy looking for Lee Byeong-hoo right now, so he didn't have time to take on extra work either.
Ho-cheol lightly tapped the railing.
“Send a completely unrelated low-level organization to this area. And tell them to constantly cause trouble. For about two weeks, make sure he can't sleep for even an hour a day.”
Since there were no other Hero Offices near the S-rank Hero Office, he would have to personally respond and apprehend the Villains even for minor incidents.
Wolf-Fang asked back, as if wondering if that was necessary.
“Wouldn't it be better to just put him down instead...”
Thwack!
Before his sentence was finished, Ho-cheol smacked the back of Wolf-Fang's head.
“It's not confirmed, and he’s doing his job properly right now, yet you suggest putting him down?”
The intense pain brought tears to Wolf-Fang's eyes, and he squatted down, clutching the back of his head.
Watching him, Ho-cheol sighed.
Although he was teaching him to act somewhat like a proper person while taking him around, he felt frustrated whenever this kind of Villain-style remark popped out.
Was a Villain ultimately just a Villain?
“Don't do anything reckless until it's confirmed.”
“Ugh... Understood.”
***
Ho-cheol headed to the organization’s headquarters instead of returning to the Swordmaster's office.
He had no worries about the afternoon alibi.
Wolf-Fang, who had the burn mask, would take care of it just fine.
Even though he had only been gone for two days, quite a lot of tasks had piled up.
He originally delegated the work of the Villain organization entirely to the subordinates below and paid no attention to it.
However, the appearance of Byeong-hoo changed the situation completely.
He had confirmed long ago that Byeong-hoo was also mobilizing a certain number of Villains.
It was said that the faction he had established before crossing over to Africa was moving again.
Of course, if he were in his right mind, he wouldn't mobilize them, but he had to find ways to keep them in check beforehand.
As he was busy with paperwork, he raised his head.
“Surely not...”
Ho-cheol spun the pen he was holding as he looked at the open doorway.
Lee Byeong-hoo.
He was standing at the entrance of Ho-cheol's office.
He leaned his shoulder against the door frame, standing at an angle.
He glanced inside and offered a brief comment.
“It’s humble.”
“Why don't you call it frugal?”
“It’s very similar to my own office.”
“Then call it humble.”
Seeing Ho-cheol refusing to concede a single word, he chuckled.
“How did you find this place?”
“Why ask how I found it when you didn't even try very hard to hide it?”
“Is that so.”
Ho-cheol put down his pen and leaned back against the chair’s backrest.
“So, what is your business?”
“I already warned you not to do anything reckless at Christmas, but I thought it might be more effective to meet you face-to-face and talk.”
Byeong-hoo, who had been smiling leisurely just moments ago, spoke seriously.
“This matter is simply an ideological confrontation within the Hero internal structure, merely growing pains for a new order. There is absolutely no room for you to intervene, so stay quiet. Then I will allow you to continue your Villain-slash-professor play.”
“Seeing that Lee Byeong-hoo came all the way here and is rattling on like that, you must be quite nervous, aren't you?”
Byeong-hoo’s eyebrow twitched at Ho-cheol's sarcasm.
“You are still a master at flapping your mouth. But this time, I only came to deliver a simple warning.”
A fist-sized sphere of light floated above his head as he spoke.
That glowing sphere, burning like The Sun, shone brighter than any lamp.
“So, if I say no, are you going to fight me? In someone else's house, how rude...”
Ho-cheol replied, rising leisurely from his seat.
No, he tried to rise.
Ho-cheol froze in a half-risen, awkward posture.
Sweat poured down Ho-cheol’s forehead as he looked at the small Sun.
The sweat wasn't merely due to the heat.
Ho-cheol parted his lips.
“That is.”
He realized that the small Sun was not just deployed as illumination or for attack.
“Yes.”
Byeong-hoo answered briefly, resolving Ho-cheol’s doubt.
“As long as this Sun is floating, all Traits lose their power.”
Byeong-hoo also captured a Giant Monster of a similar nature to the one Ho-cheol had defeated when he crossed over to Africa.
And the new technique he mastered then, that property which even vaporized Traits, perfectly "transcended" the existing Traits.
“I simply call it Domain.”
He had seen and experienced various drugs and metals that interfered with Trait activation numerous times, but the limitations of their interference were clear.
It was on the level of trying to extinguish a wildfire with a few buckets of water.
But this was different.
Even Ho-cheol was unable to activate his Trait.
It was like a tsunami sweeping over a wildfire.
Ho-cheol clenched and unclenched his hands several times, then nervously clicked his tongue.
“The balance is a mess, this thing.”
However, Ho-cheol did not lose his composure.
“But surely you aren't so cowardly that only you can use your Trait, right?”
If neither of them could use Traits, the winner would ultimately be him, the one physically superior.
“Of course, I can only sustain this, so I can't use any further Traits...”
Saying that, Byeong-hoo reached into his pocket.
In a fight between man and man, without any Traits, who would win?
Size?
Muscle?
Reaction speed?
None of that.
All that was needed to kill an opponent in a no-Trait situation was simply...
“This changes the story.”
The strength to move just one finger was enough.
“Now. Do you feel like taking my warning seriously?”
Click—
A gun emerged from Byeong-hoo's pocket.
The pitch-black muzzle was aimed at Ho-cheol.