novelraw Chapter 165 : Hero Jae-hee (1)
Chapter 165 : Hero Jae-hee (1)
December 24, 2050.
Christmas Eve, late morning.
Hero Tower, Residential Floor—Common Area.
A massive Christmas tree stood in the center of the room, a real one complete with a giant star and twinkling lights.
“Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm…”
Jae-hee lay on his stomach on the carpet next to it, dressed in a baggy sweater and humming to himself as he diligently scribbled on a piece of paper.
Miss Never was using him like a giant cushion, resting her head on his back as she read a book.
Death-Medic, who had just slept in, emerged from her room with a drawn-out yawn and saw the scene.
“Well, now,” she murmured. “You and Boy are getting real cozy, aren’t you, big girl?”
“Ah, Medic sis, you’re up?” Jae-hee, pinned by Miss Never’s head, could only greet her with a nod.
Miss Never shifted her position and mumbled, “It’s cold. I’m just using this guinea pig for a pillow…”
“Is he warm? Maybe I’ll get in on that.”
Death-Medic came around to the other side and flopped down, also using Jae-hee’s back as a pillow. She pulled out her phone and started scrolling.
This wasn’t the first time this had happened, so Jae-hee paid them little mind and continued to focus on his writing.
Today was not only Christmas Eve but also a day with no Gate sightings. It was a rare day off for the New Five Heroes.
“So, what are you up to, Boy?” Death-Medic asked, her interest finally piqued after she’d finished scrolling through social media.
She rolled onto her side to get a better look.
“Oh, this? It’s a letter.”
“A letter? To who?”
“To the prison.”
“The prison…?”
Miss Never, lying on the other side, also rolled over, her own interest sparked. “Right, you got out of prison. Are there a lot of bad boys there?”
“A lot? They’re all bad people…”
“Oh my god, are you seriously trying to track down the mother lode of bad boys now? Get a grip!”
“It’s Christmas! What do you want me to do when I’m feeling so lonely?”
Death-Medic and Miss Never lay on their stomachs on either side of Jae-hee, peering at the letter he was writing.
“One for my master, one for my roommates… Hmm, should I write one for the commander, too…?”
Jae-hee’s handwriting was a wobbly, illegible scrawl. In a modern Korea where illiteracy had skyrocketed, it was an accomplishment that a boy with no formal education could read and write at all.
Still, chicken scratch was chicken scratch.
But he pressed down hard on the paper, pouring his heart into every word, a sight so cute and admirable that Death-Medic and Miss Never couldn’t bring themselves to tease him. They just watched from the side.
The letter’s contents were utterly trivial: a long, rambling account of everything he’d done since arriving, what he’d eaten, and so on.
“Pfft. Not even a surveillance report is this detailed, kid.”
“It’s for my master.”
As if reflecting his talkative nature, the letter to Ghost was already over five pages long. He was trying to write down everything that had happened, and the letter just wouldn’t end.
I wonder if Master is doing okay…
Maybe it was the deep winter chill, but he found himself thinking of her more and more.
I might never see her again…
Lying on his stomach, kicking his heels together, Jae-hee lost himself in his letter-writing.
Death-Medic yawned and settled back down, once again using his back as a pillow. “Anyway, I wonder if it’s really okay for us to be relaxing like this.”
Miss Never chimed in, “Why not? The world’s at peace…”
The unrest that had followed the President’s national address had stabilized as if by magic.
People were accepting the ten-year stay of execution more easily than expected. Perhaps ever since the first Gates opened thirty years ago, the thought that the end was near had been subconsciously planted in everyone’s minds.
Hunter Guilds across the country had halted their movements, and the military had lifted its state of high alert.
On this Christmas Eve, the world was at peace.
«…I came in just in case.»
Noon.
Captain Nerd, in his robot body, stopped by the residential floor. He’d spent the entire morning in the situation room. He surveyed the lazy atmosphere, shook his head, and clocked out.
«If nothing’s wrong, I’m leaving. I have an appointment…»
“Ah, see you later, bro!”
“Bye, Nerd-Cap~”
“Take care, Captain-kun~”
The moment they confirmed Captain Nerd was gone, the three exchanged a look and shot up from their spots.
“Yay! Nerd-Cap’s departure confirmed!”
“Shall we begin the great Christmas operation, then…!”
“Proceeding as planned…!”
Just as the three were about to put their suspicious plan into motion…
WEE-OOO! WEE-OOO!
A loud emergency siren blared, and red lights began to flash.
“Huh? An emergency alarm?”
“What? They said there were no Gates today.”
While Death-Medic and Miss Never looked bewildered, Captain Nerd, who had just left Hero Tower, shot back in like a thunderbolt.
«There’s a fire!» he yelled.
“Where?”
«The department store right next door! We have to go save them!»
The words were barely out of his mouth before all the on-duty heroes were scrambling. Jae-hee hurriedly followed.
We’re Hunters, not firefighters—not a single person voiced such a thought.
Flames engulfed the upper floors of the department store next door. Thick smoke billowed out, plunging the area into chaos. Fire trucks sprayed water and civilians aimed fire extinguishers, but it was nowhere near enough to contain the blaze.
«Emergency mission! We have to suppress the fire! Where’s Rain Man?!»
“On a classified mission in another region…!”
«Of all the times for him to be gone!»
If Rain Man were here to summon a downpour, this would be over in an instant. But as luck would have it, he was away.
«What kind of Domain Break can we use in this situation?»
“Mine’s small-scale and for medical use. The rest of yours are either for killing or would bring the whole building down!”
«It’ll take a few minutes for the standby mechs to get here… Guess we’re doing this the hard way until then. Tch.»
Captain Nerd issued orders.
«I’ll assist with extinguishing the fire from the air. Medic, you handle the emergency patients. Miss Never, find the survivors!»
“I’m the most useless one here…”
«Don’t talk nonsense. Accurate recon is the most important thing. And Boy, you…»
Just as Captain Nerd was about to give Jae-hee an order, a figure came charging from the distance.
“URRAAAAGH!”
Chosen One smashed through a burning wall with his shoulder and entered the department store. He was dressed as Santa Claus, as if he’d just come from a volunteer event.
«…Follow that Santa and rescue the survivors!»
“Yessuh!”
Captain Nerd’s robot took to the sky, spraying fire-retardant foam.
Death-Medic set up a temporary aid station and began treating citizens suffering from smoke inhalation.
Miss Never urgently rappelled up the side of an adjacent building to search for survivors inside the department store.
And Chosen One and Jae-hee charged directly into the building.
His Santa beard fluttering, Chosen One roared, “I shall clear the path! You get the survivors out!”
“Leave it to me!”
«Aah. This is Miss Never. I’ll start guiding you to the survivors’ locations. First, go straight ahead and…»
It was an emergency operation thrown together in seconds, but the heroes coordinated with practiced ease, as if they had done this countless times before. All Jae-hee, the rookie, had to do was focus on his own role.
“Help! Which way is the ex—?”
“Sorry! This might make you a little dizzy!”
“Huh? Whaaaaaa?!”
Whenever Jae-hee found a survivor, he’d instantly wrap them in the nearest cloth, blanket, or curtain, grab the bundle by the scruff, and toss it right out the window.
Captain Nerd, having already worked with him on a previous mission, was ready each time, deploying safety mats to catch them.
Chosen One charged ahead like a tank, clearing a path. Through the sectors he opened, Jae-hee moved like the wind, finding survivors and getting them out.
“You still holding up, Boy?!”
“Yeah! Haah! Not… haah… at top… haah… speed yet!”
“Just hang on a little longer! Only a few floors left!”
They moved up floor by floor, smashing through walls and saving people.
«That’s the last one! But there are over ten civilians trapped in that sector…!»
A burning pillar had collapsed between the emergency exit and the sector, leaving the survivors to stomp their feet in panic.
“HRAAAAAAAGH!”
Without a second’s hesitation, Chosen One grabbed the pillar with his bare hands. With a tremendous roar, he heaved it overhead.
“Boy!”
Jae-hee was already in a crouching start.
“Going to top speed…!”
The next moment…
FWOOSH!
A gale ripped through the room, and all ten survivors were suddenly outside the window.
Jae-hee, having entered his high-speed state, had shattered the reinforced glass and carried every last one of them out in the blink of an eye.
«Okay, I think that’s everyone. You two get out of there now…»
Miss Never, scanning the entire department store, stopped short, her voice turning urgent.
«Goddammit. There’s one more.»
“Where?”
«Top floor, in the corner. A mother and daughter… they were hiding, so I just found them. But…»
Her voice trembled.
«…it’s too late. The fire’s already spread too far…»
“Miss Never!” Chosen One bellowed. “Direction!”
Snapping back to her senses, Miss Never said, «Northeast from your position! One floor up! Fifty meters!»
“Boy!”
Santa drew his Twin Dragon Sword and slammed it against the wall in front of him.
CRACK!
The burning wreckage blocking their path collapsed, ceiling and all, creating a path to the floor above.
“Don’t talk about limits! This is what we do!”
“…!”
“One more time—run!”
The entire top floor was engulfed in flames, all of which seemed to be converging on the spot Miss Never had indicated.
But Jae-hee was already running.
Faster than the fire could spread.
He had long since passed his physical limit. But having forgotten he had even surpassed it, the Boy entered a runner’s high, becoming a single gust of wind as he sprinted with all his might.
The figures of a mother and child, huddled at the end of the hallway, grew closer in an instant.
Just then…
CRREEEAK!
A steel frame from the ceiling gave way and fell directly into Jae-hee’s path.
He gritted his teeth. Dodging meant losing speed. Losing speed meant he wouldn’t be able to save them.
But in the next moment…
BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!
Five shots rang out, so close together they sounded like one.
Miss Never fired five consecutive rounds from her anti-materiel sniper rifle, blasting the falling steel frame and suspending it in midair for a fraction of a second.
That split second was all he needed. Jae-hee slipped under the frame as if sucked through the narrow gap.
The Boy’s eyes met those of the small child held in her soot-covered mother’s arms.
As the child’s eyes widened in surprise, Jae-hee flashed a grin.
“Hey there.”
He swept the mother and child into his arms, crashed through the window, and leaped outside.
KRA-KKOOOM!
The inferno lunged after them, its fiery tongue licking at their heels.
But it couldn’t reach the Boy in flight.