Class 3-2.
The classroom was left in ruins.
The investigators who arrived late were scratching their heads.
“This is some deep-seated hatred. It wasn’t an ordinary grudge, it seems.”
“The fact that they were burned to death gives off a certain vibe. There’s a strong possibility that this was one of ‘Fire Man’s arson victims.”
“Do you know how many victims this guy has? There are countless property victims, and the death toll is in the triple digits.”
They were the ones responsible for investigating this case.
The investigators shared a sigh as they contemplated the daunting task ahead.
“Mr. Kang Hyunseong! I’ve compiled all the witness statements.”
“Alright, good job.”
Detective Kang Hyunseong took the documents.
<The culprit was clad in a black robe, and nothing of what was underneath could be seen.>
<'Fire Man' likely summoned this new student with a grudge against fellow students.>
<The perpetrator declared that they would punish ability offenders.>
<They fought with a kitchen knife before ultimately burning their victim.>
<A New-Arc Academy student attempted to assist 'Fire Man' by striking the intruder with a chair.>
<The perpetrator's voice sounded strange, like it had been distorted.>
He felt a sense of something close, yet elusive.
“Sounds like this is indeed one of ‘Fire Man’s victims. Despite possessing a flame ability, the culprit chose to stab their victim, likely to inflict pain.”
“Right.”
This kind of case was common. Crimes driven by deep hatred often ended with the victim suffering a painful death.
“We should look into those who recently underwent Awakening, or anyone displaying such signs. Especially those with fire-based abilities.”
“Ugh. It’d be better if we could narrow it down to Awakened Ones.”
*
Since then, I have taken down criminals one by one, growing stronger in the process.
Though there were stronger individuals out there, those too reliant on their powers were taken care of with Laura’s help, while others were subdued by sealing their abilities and using surprise attacks.
A year has passed.
The much-anticipated Academy entrance exams are just around the corner.
A bustling city center’s renowned café.
It was a café I frequented regularly.
Sipping on coffee, I muttered inaudibly to myself.
“Status Screen.”
—————-<Status Screen>—————-
◈ Name
Shinnoda
◈ Stats
[Strength 042C]
[Agility 224 D]
[Intelligence 337E]
[Luck 659 E]
[Overall D]
◈ Skills
[Succession 366 A]
[Dragon Heart — A]
[Telekinesis 223 E]
——————————–
Growth achieved in just one year.
This level of development is akin to consistently using the ‘Orb of Growth’ found in dungeons.
The Orb of Growth is a sphere obtained by defeating monsters in dungeons; in ‘Hero Name: ZEUS’, characters are advanced by consuming these.
“Even this isn’t enough to reach the protagonist’s entrance specs.”
Each character has a differing initial stat configuration.
Protagonists and key characters begin at an Overall Rank C and are considered rookies at this level.
A normally-starting Awakened One like myself could never catch up through orthodox methods.
“As for the entrance exam, I’ve reviewed everything necessary. Maybe I’ll do some web surfing.”
While fiddling with my tablet, I entered a community forum site.
Hero Korea.
The most popular hero-centric forum in the country.
I immediately clicked on the top article, and it sent a chill down my spine.
“…”
—————————————
<Is Dark Knight Really a Hero? Discussion about Dark Knight by Araboza>
Some of you probably only discovered the existence of Dark Knight through recent viral videos, but I’ve known about and supported him from way back.
Here’s a list of the villains Dark Knight has dealt with so far:
Confirmed:
C-rank Villain ‘Fire Man’ – Murder, arson
D-rank Villain ‘Iron Blood Invincible’ – Murder
C-rank Villain ‘Blood Circus’ – Murder
D-rank Villain ‘Incubus’ – Rape, blackmail
C-rank Villain ‘Grandmaster’ – Organized crime leader, murder facilitation, etc.
E-rank Villain ‘Pet Hater’ – Animal abuse
B-rank Villain ‘Psycho’ – Murder
Uncertain:
E-rank Villain ‘Heroin Body’ – Drug trafficking
Dragon City’s ‘Knifing Gang’ (non-Awakened individuals) – Murder, robbery
D-rank Villain ‘Homicide’ – Murder, illegal firearm possession
Though Dark Knight’s trademark is burning the criminals at the end and leaving a post-it note, in three instances, this wasn’t done. However, there are multiple eyewitness testimonies describing a dark-robed figure, so these are classified as uncertain.
Why do heroes bother capturing villains? They either break out of jail repeatedly, or get early releases after showing ‘repentance,’ only to return to crime.
These types deserve to be permanently isolated from society. LOL.
People who think all villains should be killed like Dark Knight gets 100 upvotes. LOL.
Upvotes – 14236 Downvotes – 745
(Comments) – 1148
<Fire Man's arson destroyed my apartment; the place was completely gone. It was an 18-billion won house, and now I'm renting. I felt like killing someone every day. Dark Knight made me feel so relieved.>
<Watching these so-called heroes mess around without burning the villains gives me the urge to slap them. Haha.>
<Dark Knight is the real hero. Are current heroes just civil servants? LOL>
<Didn't Pet Hater just kill stray dogs and cats? He was a good janitor. Killing dangerous assistants is a bit extreme though.>
<Wasn't the Grandmaster guy caught by this guy? That's insane. His gang has at least 2000 members nationwide.>
<Why don't we just execute all ability offenders?>
<He doesn't take money, he eliminates villains. God, Dark Knight, what battle are you engaged in? Sob Sob.>
<Dark Knight is only Batman, period.>
<Who is this guy anyway? Is the hero a woman?>
<He only catches small fry. Still praising him so much, huh? Haha.>
<According to statistical facts, the recidivism rate for ability offenders is 82%.>
<Dark Knight or not, this is just a murderer. Are you guys crazy??>
.
.
.
—————————————-
It caught me off guard.
Knowing the anonymity of internet forums, I expected plenty of backlash.
While my actions weren’t for personal gain, seeing others happy as a result of my work made me feel warm inside.
I clicked the next article down the page, ‘Dark Knight’s Shocking True Form.jpg.’
A page loaded with a single image.
“Hmm…”
Apparently, an SNS user’s ‘Dark Knight’ fan art.
An image of Dark Knight gently biting the neck of Silvertail, who was behind him.
Silvertail is a cute wolf-eared and tailed hero with a pretty-boy style, and thus has a large female fanbase.
I recently learned he has also started an idol career thanks to his popularity.
Scrolling down to the comments, I found a flood of positive responses.
Praise for the artist was endless.
Since ‘Hero Korea’ was a predominantly male community, it was clear they weren’t used to such content.
Even me, honestly.
I stopped browsing and sipped my coffee, casually scanning the café interior.
I’ve spent nearly the entire last month drinking coffee here.
The reason? To establish a connection with the protagonist.
In the story, the protagonist works part-time at this café.
Born into a poor rural family, he arrived in Seoul in a study-abroad fashion to attend Academy and supports himself through part-time jobs.
However, he is nowhere to be seen.
Despite carefully observing the café’s staff for nearly a month, I couldn’t locate him.
‘Hmm…’
A troubling thought surfaced.
What if…
What if…?
What if the original protagonist doesn’t exist and I need to take his place to defeat the Demon King?
That would be catastrophic.
Defeating the Demon King without the ‘Guardian of Species’ doesn’t feel right.
I can’t even tell if it’s possible, even at a SSS rank.
“Sigh.”
A female part-time worker wiping the table with a cloth caught my eye.
Pink hair, youthful expression.
A curvaceous figure.
Definitely someone with potential.
‘Pink.’
Even in this game-like world, such bright hair colors aren’t overly common.
Extras usually have plain brown or black hair.
My natural hair color is brown, now dyed to a blonde hue.
In any case, this worker must have some significance.
‘I’ve never heard of her. That should be impossible.’
After all, I’ve spent nearly 6000 hours playing ‘Hero Name: ZEUS,’ so I should remember even the most minor characters.
With renewed interest, I approached her.
“Excuse me, when does your shift end? Would you like to grab some dinner with me?”
“Eh?”
She was clearly surprised.
She nervously turned toward the counter, but it was busy handling customers.
“Well, I’m a student….”
“How old are you? I’m a student too.”
“Middle 3…”
“Huh? I’m in Middle 3 too. We’re the same age then. Would you share your number? It’s fate, and I’d like to treat you to a meal.”
I opened up my smartphone dial screen and handed it to her. Reluctantly, she punched in her digits.
Once I had my phone back, I added her as a contact and asked.
“May I know your name?”
“Park Hayeon.”
“Ah. I’m Shinnoda.”
Park Hayeon seemed inexperienced with giving out her number.
It’s understandable; middle school students don’t often exchange numbers.
“When does your shift end?”
“7 p.m.”
“I’ll pick you up then. Hope it isn’t too much pressure.”
“Yes.”
