Chapter 25

<If DarkKnight is this strong, shouldn't they be S-rank? And shouldn't they be recognized as a hero by now?>

<What S-rank? They'd barely make it to A-rank with their performance. They won because of a type advantage against an assassin vs. wizard.>

<Then why did A-rank Voltman lose?>

<They're just the GOAT.>

<So what's Deacon anyway?>

<That’s the kid from Black Streaming who broadcasts hero vs. villain fights.>

<Eff, if you don't know about Black Streaming, why are you watching hero fights????>

<Still, K Pharmaceutical Villain was insane, though. Like, completely demolished. Poof, straight to execution.>

<Not really. How many leaked videos are there? Stop spreading rumors. The Hero Association is unbearable.>

—

In a certain PC café in Seoul

A girl, her hoodie pulled deeply over her face, trembled.

Every time she read the posts about ‘Dark Knight’ online, her head felt like it was going to explode with the rising delusions.

“DarkKnight… I must meet you someday… huhuhu.”

Her name was Yoon Mi-so.

She was known as ‘Darkness Jumper,’ a B-rank villain infamous for her powers.

The public perceived her as a mentally unstable individual who took pleasure in making others suffer unnecessarily—a very dangerous person who attacked heroes, civilians, and villains indiscriminately.

But the Dark Knight that Yoon Mi-so knew was someone who pursued justice.

Someone so lofty and noble she wanted to drag them into the gutter.

She wondered:

How virtuous was this ‘Dark Knight,’ really? Would they stay committed to their vigilante activities, even if disliked by others?

Her first plan was to utterly demolish the goodwill people had toward ‘Dark Knight.’

“Hahaha, it’s so exciting just thinking about it… huhuhuuuu…”

Yoon Mi-so was so overwhelmed with happiness at the mere thought of it.

She enjoyed this twisted ecstasy all alone in the empty PC café.

Tuck.

Because of her wild movements, the chair next to her slipped, dropping a dead body onto the floor.

A man stabbed multiple times, lifeless.

The epoxy floor of the PC café was covered in pools of blood.

At the kiosk, over a dozen people lay collapsed, tangled with each other.

What if a Battle Royale suddenly started at the PC café where only one person could survive?

This event had been hosted by ‘Darkness Jumper’ just moments before. Of course, after promising to spare the winner, she’d promptly killed them.

Because even if they survived and escaped death from the villain who suddenly appeared, they’d realize they were nothing more than toys to her. That realization was the happiness she pursued.

*

Much had changed since that day.

First, the law regarding Awakened Ones had been drastically adjusted.

<Those with Necromancy-related skills must wear an electronic bracelet and undergo a psychological evaluation at the Hero Association at least once a month... The government ignored public concerns and pushed forward.>

Mabo Sung’s actions had worsened the stigma against necromancy.

Potential criminals were treated harshly with no public objection.

<Permission granted for swords and blades to be carried by heroes and hunters in peacetime. Opposition parties protested...>

Due to the reappearance of Gates, the abolished right to carry weapons was reinstated worldwide. Initially, heroes could only carry weapons during emergencies, but for immediate response to unexpected Gates, the new rule was deemed necessary.

<Starting this year, Hunter-related subjects will be added to Hero Academy curriculum. The Student Council objects...>

The Hero Academy, originally known as Hunter Academy, changed its name after Gates stopped appearing—it made sense to incorporate hunter-related knowledge again.

The students had changed as well.

The attack by ‘K Pharmaceutical Villain’ caused significant casualties.

One teacher died.

Twenty-three students died.

Twelve students suffered irreversible injuries.

And the ‘Gigantic Forest Incident’ happened afterward.

The academy suffered the most casualties in its history.

In response, the academy took drastic measures.

Since it was the beginning of the semester, they decided to admit most of the reserve students, filling the gaps left by the missing students.

My homeroom teacher called me aside after the dismissal ceremony.

He still looked like he found everything unbearably tedious.

“Do you know why I called you?”

“Hmm, not really.”

“A report came in saying you assaulted another student.”

The memory of beating up someone with explosion abilities a few days ago surfaced. I played dumb.

“Something seems to be misunderstood.”

“Yeah, sure. To be honest, I don’t care if you assault or kill someone. But, starting tomorrow, I won’t be your homeroom teacher anymore—I got reassigned after the incident in the Gigantic Forest.”

“Ah… Okay, that’s unfortunate.”

The academy finally did the right thing.

He wasn’t really teacher material…

Song Si-yeol sighed and continued.

“I’ve ignored all complaints about you so far. Mostly because it was too much trouble, and I liked having a capable troublemaker like you. But the next teacher probably won’t be as lenient. Behave yourself.”

“Yes sir. Are you worried about me?”

“Yeah.”

I bowed, and he left with a yawn.

‘There were complaints? Guess that thug still hasn’t recovered.’

While I wanted to beat him up again right now, given his habit of filing reports afterward, I thought it would be better to avoid a direct approach.

I recalled my schedule for the day.

I was supposed to meet up for dinner at a nearby restaurant.

A social gathering organized by Yang Min-seo.

I had to apologize to Yang Min-seo for assigning Ji Soyeon to spy on her.

That’s what I planned to address when I met her.

I headed toward the designated restaurant.

It took a while to get there, so I arrived around 17:00.

A lobster buffet restaurant.

Admission cost was 420 dollars per person.

Strangely, the restaurant calculated the fees in dollars.

As I tried to enter, a waiter blocked my path, looked me up and down, then smirked slightly.

“I’m truly sorry, but all tables are reserved for tonight.”

“Huh?”

I felt something was off.

‘Yang Min-seo clearly said it would be here.’

I double-checked on my phone.

It was the right place.

“Is there no reservation under Yang Min-seo’s name?”

The waiter shook his head without even checking the list, his tone dismissive.

“I apologize, but you’re obstructing business. If you continue, I will have to call the police. Some important guests will be arriving soon.”

‘What a load of crap.’

I was annoyed.

Was he assuming I couldn’t afford to be here based on how I look?

Just as I was about to show him what a scene looks like, Yang Min-seo appeared behind me with Ji Soyeon and Oh Haena in tow.

I decided to drop the argument—it felt embarrassing to make a scene in front of them.

“Wow, you’re here early.”

“Hey, good timing. Someone reserved the place, so we might have to go somewhere else.”

I explained my situation.

“Oh, is that so?”

Yang Min-seo stepped up and asked.

“Isn’t there a reservation under Yang Min-seo’s name?”

The waiter sighed deeply before answering.

“Ah… I’m sorry, but a large group already rented the entire restaurant.”

“Why? You didn’t even check the list. Call the manager.”

His face went pale immediately.

Soon the manager arrived and groveled in apology at Yang Min-seo’s feet.

“Extremely sorry! Miss!”

It turned out this buffet chain was operated by Yang Min-seo’s uncle.

While she received desperate apologies from the middle-aged manager, she didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable.

“Hmph. Alright, just train your staff better next time. Oh, and prepare the event we previously discussed properly.”

“Of course, it’ll be the finest production.”

We took our seats.

Soon familiar faces began arriving—it was our classmates from B Class.

“Wait, did you invite everyone from our class?”

“Not everyone… Only those who are qualified.”

Indeed, the group seemed to be mostly C-rank students, with hardly any D-rankers present.

I decided to focus on eating the lobster and address Ji Soyeon’s spying later when the crowd settled down.

Starting with a commotion over food would just ruin the mood.

As I was about to indulge in the succulent white flesh of a lobster, the lights suddenly went out.

“What?”

“What’s going on?”

The students began murmuring.

Then, from the entrance, several staff members appeared carrying a large cake.

Yang Min-seo stood up.

She addressed everyone from the center of the restaurant.

“This dinner is to celebrate the birthday of our classmate, ‘Shinnoda,’ who defeated ‘Luna Bear’ with one punch and saved our peer. Everyone, congratulations!”

‘What?’

I was shocked.

March 14th.

Indeed, it was my birthday.

What kind of surprise party was this when I wasn’t even her boyfriend?

It was embarrassing.

I opened and closed my mouth, speechless.

The reactions from others were completely different.

“Whoo!”

“Shinnoda! Shinnoda!”

Cheers erupted.

And soon, the cheers turned into the birthday song.

“Happy Birthday to you~ Happy Birthday to you~”

Amidst the excitement, everyone sang the song in my name.

I felt both awkward and deeply moved.

I couldn’t believe I’d receive such a surprise party at this age.

Amid the cacophony of excited students, Yang Min-seo leaned close to me and whispered.

“I’m sorry about using Ji Soyeon to spy on you. There weren’t any bad intentions—I just wanted to get closer… That’s all.”

“Huh? Ji Soyeon told you that?”

“Yes. Including the part about the strange dungeon.”

I rubbed my temples. How loose-lipped could she be?

“Figures, she’s cautious like that. So… is this event also your way of apologizing?”

“It’s partly that, but not entirely. You deserve such recognition. You’re strong and chivalrous. Word has spread across the school about how you single-handedly defeated the ‘Luna Bear’ as a freshman.”

I hadn’t had the time to keep track of such rumors.

‘So I’m famous now.’

I was slightly impressed.

As Yang Min-seo continued with her pleasant smile,

“Wouldn’t you like a birthday present as well?”

“Eh, you did so much already. Presents are unnecessary, thank you.”

“It’s fine. I planned to host the gathering anyway. Just name it.”

“Unnecessary… Well, do you know Park Sang-jin?”

She tilted her head slightly while thinking.

“Ah, wasn’t he the one with explosion powers? I didn’t invite him because he’s been bothering me repeatedly…”

“There was some trouble between him and me. He seems to have filed a complaint against me with the Academy. Something about assault. Isn’t there a way to handle this?”

“I see… If he’s doing the same to me, I understand your concern. Leave it to me. I’ll take care of it.”

What a frustratingly likable person she was.

I returned to my seat and resumed devouring the delicious lobster.

—