Chapter 12

〈 Chapter 12 〉 Part 1 (11)

[Villain]

These are the villains who awakened to a Hero’s power, but use it solely for their own gain. There are many such Villains around the world who hide their awakened powers and live normal lives. If you spot a Villain, please call the Association hotline at 17539 immediately!

– [Helpful Game Tip. 164.]

A fist connected with a face.

KWAH-AHNG!

The punch sent a gale-force wind through the office. He’d already used this fist to send several Monsters to their graves long ago.

But for the first time ever, the punch was blocked.

UUUUNG…

The veil hanging from the Maiden’s neck suddenly rose up and intercepted the bald man’s fist.

“Wha, Deokbae hyungnim?!”

The goons around him shouted his name. The man known as Deokbae blushed furiously and pulled his shoulders back.

It wasn’t just a simple punch – he had put the full force of his shoulders and hips into it, unleashing an all-out Full Strength punch. A C-Rank Monster would have been obliterated instantly by that punch aimed to crush the girl’s skull.

But not only did the punch fail to scratch her, it couldn’t even pierce the veil.

KOOOONG!

“AHHHHH!!!”

Deokbae clutched his exploded fist and collapsed onto the sofa.

“What… what is this?!”

The surrounding goons could only stare in confusion. What they saw defied belief – Deokbae being thwarted by a flimsy piece of cloth, his fist exploding.

The Maiden Phoenix lowered the veil covering her face and crossed her legs.

“So, can everyone just be quiet for a moment? I’m thinking here.”

“What the hell kind of monster is she?!”

One of the men swung a golf club down on Phoenix’s head.

KAAANG!

Just like before, the golf club bent against the veil that rose up to protect her head. The man dropped the club, his hands torn apart, and fell to his knees.

“GGGGRRRAAAAAAAH!!”

“V-Villain?!”

The Young Man cowered in the corner of the office, trembling in fear.

As far as he knew, there were no heroines with blue hair attending high school in Korea.

But even in the underworld of this area, there were no Villains like this one. After all, Deokbae was the undisputed boss of this territory.

“Nope. Not really a Villain… Ah, should I just call myself one?”

While Phoenix furrowed her brow in serious contemplation, Deokbae regained his senses and stood up again, balling his fists.

“GRAAAAAAAAAHHH!”

With a roar, he threw another punch faster than lightning straight at Phoenix’s abdomen. It was faster than the veil could react.

TCH.

Phoenix’s tiny hand caught Deokbae’s punch. She gripped his fist lightly, as if holding a basketball.

“AAHHHHHHH!!!”

Deokbae screamed in agony. Phoenix released him with an expression of mild irritation.

“For someone your size, you sure do whine a lot.”

Phoenix picked up a half-empty paper cup and hurled it toward the door where someone was trying to escape.

SWISH! POW!

The cup cut across the man’s nose bridge and embedded itself in the wall. Concrete debris crumbled off the wall where the Magic Power-infused cup struck.

“Ugh, huuuuhh…”

The man with the sliced nose collapsed without making a sound. His pants quickly became soaked, releasing an acrid smell.

“Tch.”

Phoenix wrinkled her nose momentarily before closing her eyes.

“…I really just wanted to live quietly.”

Phoenix stood up from the sofa and squatted in front of the man who wet himself.

“Excuse me, I have a question.”

“Yes! Anything you want to ask!”

The man knelt down, ready to kowtow.

“Normally, after drugging and raping women, don’t you pass them around? So what happens to the women after that?”

“W-well…”

The man glanced nervously at the others, especially Deokbae. Phoenix smiled while conjuring a small flame in front of the man’s eyes.

“If you don’t answer, you’ll die~♪”

“I’ll talk! We passed them around among ourselves until we got tired, then handed them over to Madam!”

“Oh wow. And what about the men?”

“N-no, men didn’t have any value so we just took their money and buried them….”

“Wow, you guys were real trash.”

Phoenix nodded in apparent admiration before spreading her fingers.

“Well, let’s move on to another question. If I had been drugged and pickled, what were you planning to do with me?”

“Huh?”

“Bzzt. Wrong answer.”

Phoenix smiled sweetly and flicked her finger.

WHOOSH!

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Blue flames erupted all over the man’s body. He ran around the office screaming in agony while the other goons scrambled to get out of his way.

“HAHHHHH!”

Even while burning, the man tried to open the window and jump out, only to despair when he saw the metal bars blocking his escape.

“You know, there’s always that one guy who tries to escape through the window, sees the bars, and gives up. Looking at how you even covered the windows with film so it’s completely dark outside, I thought you guys were really extreme.”

“KYAAAAAAH!!!”

The man launched himself at Phoenix, kicking off the table in desperation at her taunting words.

“Tsk.”

Phoenix slapped her palm. The man froze mid-leap, his entire body bursting into flames and turning to ash right there.

POOF.

The pile of ash was the only evidence the man had existed, which Phoenix promptly erased with a wave of her hand.

“Mon-monster!”

The Young Man trembled in the corner, shouting. The Maiden had literally erased a person from existence without batting an eye.

“Who’re you calling a monster? You’re just trash wearing human masks.”

Phoenix approached the man whose hands had been torn apart. He tried to crawl away on his butt but bumped into a cabinet.

“Now then, same rules apply to you. If you hesitate or say something stupid like ‘Huh?’ or ‘What?’, you die. Got it?”

The man nodded frantically, practically shaking his head off.

“Same question as before. If I had been drugged and incapacitated, what were you going to do?”

“W-we were going to take turns, starting with Deokbae hyungnim…”

“Rape. Don’t try to sugarcoat it. Just tell it like it is or I’ll kill you.”

“We were going to pass you around all day! Until we were completely drained and couldn’t produce a single drop more!”

Spittle flew as the man desperately answered. Phoenix continued asking questions with an enigmatic smile.

“How? What positions?”

“A-aah?! Wh-what position?! B-bzzt…”

Before he could stammer further, the man with the golf club turned to ash. Phoenix walked over to the corner next.

The Young Man swallowed hard, unbuttoning his pants and pulling them down. Phoenix stopped in her tracks, watching silently.

“I-I was going to start by shoving it in your mouth! Then flip you over after a round…”

“Shut up.”

The Young Man didn’t even have time to scream as he was consumed by flames and disappeared.

“So now there’s just one left. Name’s Deokbae? Pfft. So Deokbae uncle, how were you planning to eat me?”

“…I wasn’t going to.”

Deokbae hung his broken fists by his sides, glaring at Phoenix. Phoenix grinned widely, mocking him.

“Wow, you should have said that lying gets you killed earlier.”

“Does it look like I’m bullshitting? Sorry, but I don’t fuck crazy bitches like you.”

“Ooh, look at this one talking back.”

Phoenix leaned close to Deokbae’s face.

“So you’re different from those guys, huh? Still doesn’t change the fact that you’re all human traffickers selling people.”

“…Different. I’m just-”

“Just what? Some people are recyclable trash, others are incineratable trash, but trash is still trash.”

At Phoenix’s words, Deokbae bit his lips until blood trickled down.

“Fine. Kill me then. My mistake for running into a monster like you.”

“Who said anything about killing you? You’re not incineratable trash yet, uncle.”

Phoenix grabbed Deokbae by the collar and threw him into the wall.

KA-BOOM!

The wall collapsed as Deokbae tumbled into the hallway. Phoenix gracefully leaped over the wreckage and nudged the fallen Deokbae with her foot.

“Hey, you’re still alive so get up. Uncle still has one more thing to do.”

“…What if I don’t want to?”

“Hmm? You don’t want to? I might let you live if you behave. Really.”

At Phoenix’s words, Deokbae’s pupils dilated dramatically. The composure he showed in the face of death became embarrassing as the will to survive wavered with the lifeline thrown at him.

“Recyclable trash, remember? I give special treatment to ability users. Whether you get reused or discarded depends on your choice. Answer within three seconds. Will you do it or not? Three-”

“I’ll do it.”

Deokbae staggered to his feet. Phoenix just smiled at the sight.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Oh, nothing much.”

Phoenix scanned the surroundings.

“Where’s that creep who took Miss Kim Sang-a?”

* * *

Hocheol lit a cigarette. On the rickety bed, a naked unconscious woman trembled.

“Boss, is this okay?”

Seok-pil asked with feigned disinterest as Hocheol sprawled out on the bed.

“Ah, you’ve never had a married woman, haven’t you? Let me tell you, a woman hits her prime at 30…”

“Nope. No grandmas over 20 for me.”

“Crazy pedo bastard.”

Hocheol stroked the unconscious Sang-a’s back, adjusting his position.

“You gonna really pass on this? I’m feeling great today, so I’ll let you use my ass if you want.”

“Really not interested. And…”

Seok-pil wiped his lips with a smirk.

“I told you, there’s also a fresh high school girl waiting for you. Once you see her face, you’ll probably sell this auntie straight to Madam, right?”

“Is she that good? Damn, can I go now?”

“Get permission from Deokbae hyungnim first. Though he’s decided to handle this one.”

“Deokbae ‘hyungnim’? Bullshit. Why bring up that bald bastard now?”

“Hocheol, you and Deokbae hyungnim still haven’t made peace?”

“Hey, let’s be honest, we both sell people just to make money, right?”

Hocheol reclined against the bed, shifting positions.

“Take what you want, pluck what you fancy. Since we’re selling the whole world anyway, why not grab our share? That bastard thinks he’s so high and mighty because he awakened some good abilities! That prick with a baseball bat stuck up his ass!”

“Deokbae hyungnim doesn’t sleep with women, though.”

“Whatever, a guy who sells people for money! Shit! If I register him as a Hero, I’ll expose all the evidence I’ve been collecting on him! Anyway, once I catch him-”

“Wow, this one’s not even worth recycling.”

The door slammed open as a blue-haired Maiden waddled in, pinching her nose against the overwhelming night jasmine scent but keeping her gaze fixed on the unconscious Sang-a.

“Alright, no need for introductions.”

Phoenix flicked her finger, and flames erupted all over Hocheol’s body.

“KKKRRRAAAAHHH!!!”

Hocheol screamed, throwing the unconscious Sang-a onto the bed. He rolled around the cramped room, bumping into walls and furniture, trying futilely to extinguish the flames consuming him.

“GGGRRRAAAHHH….”

Phoenix watched Hocheol burn until he collapsed into a charred heap, then turned her gaze to Seok-pil.

“Hello there. Acquaintances, aren’t we?”

“Shit! What are you?!”

Seok-pil grabbed the nearby camera stand and pointed it at Phoenix. The smartphone attached to the end violently shook as it recorded the scene.

“…Tch.”

Dukbae, who had just entered behind Phoenix, wrinkled his nose at the overwhelming burnt smell. Seeing Dukbae, Seok-pil briefly cheered up before realizing the situation.

“Shit you little bastard! You betrayed us?!”

“Sorry.”

“You traitorous son of a bitch! Hocheol hyungnim saved your life when you were dying in history class! And now you betray him because you awakened higher abilities?!?”

“Quiet.”

Phoenix flicked her finger again. Blue flames engulfed Seok-pil, who burned away without leaving even ashes, just like Dukbae had seen several times in the office.

“My turn next?”

“Kind of, yeah.”

Phoenix looked at Sang-a lying motionless on the bed and clicked her tongue.

CLAP.

When Phoenix clapped her hands, flames erupted around Sang-a’s body. Dukbae was momentarily surprised, but became even more shocked when he realized what exactly was burning.

“Cleaning done.”

The blue flames meticulously incinerated every trace Hocheol had left behind. Phoenix gently shook Sang-a’s shoulder to wake her up.

“Come on, wake up. Snap out of it.”

“Uh, uhn….”

“Attorney Kim Sang-a.”

“Ahh! Ahhh.”

Sang-a woke up, blinking confusedly at Phoenix before remembering her situation upon seeing herself.

“Ah…AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

She screamed like a wounded animal, burying her face in the blanket. Phoenix exchanged a glance with Dukbae and stepped out of the room, followed silently by Dukbae.

The wind was bitterly cold.

“Hmph.”

Phoenix looked up at the cloudy sky, her expression somewhat troubled.

“How does it feel? Watching people suffer because of you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you? Then why do these things?”

Dukbae avoided Phoenix’s gaze as he replied.

“I needed money. …A lot of it.”

“Does needing money justify doing this?”

Dukbae clenched his shattered fists.

“I won’t make excuses. This was simply the fastest way to make a lot of money.”

“Hmph.”

With that, the conversation ended. They stood silently by the door for a moment.

“Hmm.”

Phoenix glanced inside and gestured for Dukbae to enter.

“Let’s go in.”

Phoenix opened the iron door and walked back into the room.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Sang-a bowed deeply from the bed, wrapping herself in the blanket. Hocheol’s corpse on the floor was unrecognizable, having been pulverized beyond form. Phoenix met Sang-a’s gaze with a gentle smile.

“Did this satisfy your vengeance?”

“Vengeance? With this?”

Sang-a glared at Phoenix, grinding her teeth.

“If that bastard was still alive, I would have eaten him alive. Him and all the bastards who helped him.”

The chilling tone in Sang-a’s voice made Dukbae involuntarily step back. Phoenix shrugged at Dukbae and pointed at him.

“This man was also one of them.”

Upon hearing that, Sang-a kicked off the blanket and lunged at Dukbae. She was already dressed in her original clothes and held two tasers in her hands.

Dukbae closed his eyes resignedly as Sang-a charged at him.

“Not yet.”

Phoenix extended her hand, stopping Sang-a in her tracks. Sang-a tried to dodge around her but Phoenix grabbed her by the nape and threw her back onto the bed.

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down. I want to make a ‘deal’ with you.”

Phoenix stretched out one hand forward.

“If you wish, I can make this man suffer more excruciating pain than anything in this world before dying. Pain so terrible he’d prefer death. Pain that would make him beg ‘Please kill me’ hundreds of times.”

“Then just kill him already!”

Phoenix shook her head, looking at the penitent Dukbae.

“This man is a decent Ability User, seems to have talent in Body Enhancement type. Even trash can be recycled if it’s useful.”

“WHAT?! Kill him! Kill him NOW!”

Sang-a screamed, pointing at Dukbae. As Phoenix continued smiling, Sang-a clung to her, crying and pleading.

“Please, kill him. You’re human too, right? Don’t you understand what that bastard did?!”

“Ah, actually there’s something…”

Phoenix threw Sang-a back onto the bed again. Despite the continued smiling, Sang-a felt that Phoenix was anything but human.

“You see, I lack empathy terribly. So I prioritize ‘efficiency’ greatly. Which leads to my question – depending on your answer, I’ll decide whether to kill or spare this man.”

“What kind of question is that?!”

“Here’s the deal. Take it or leave it. Dukbae, let’s go.”

Without hesitation, Phoenix turned around and started dragging Dukbae by the arm, surprising even him.

“Wait!”

Sang-a rushed forward with superhuman speed, blocking Phoenix’s path.

“I’ll answer! I’ll answer anything!”

Sang-a glared fiercely at both Phoenix and Dukbae. Phoenix rubbed her hands together, smiling expectantly.

“Good. Any question goes.”

Phoenix spread her arms wide and smiled brightly. Strangely, despite everything, Sang-a found her smile incredibly beautiful.

“Since I want to use this man as my subordinate, what can you offer me instead of killing him? If it’s more beneficial than sparing him, I’ll kill him for you.”

Beautiful, demonic smile.