###
In the Monster Era, those who possess special abilities are naturally expected to become heroes that hunt monsters… However, reality was not so simple.
The special abilities of these awakened individuals vary greatly.
There are those who awaken with abilities specialized in monster hunting, and others who can merely produce small sparks at the tips of their fingers.
###
Individuals with weak abilities often lead lives not too different from ordinary humans, while some possess skills like healing, regeneration, or detection that are far removed from monster hunting and thus contribute behind the scenes.
And then there are those awakened individuals who neither wish to live as normal people nor possess a sense of mission to protect humanity.
Those who join crimes for their own gain are called villains by the world.
###
District 9 was akin to a hideout where the villains of W City gather.
Simultaneously, it was also the largest entertainment district in W City.
Among these places, the Nine-Dragon Castle stands out, created by remodeling a closed-down apartment into a structure resembling a fortress.
This so-called comprehensive entertainment center has everything: underground parking spaces that house clubs and casinos, tournament arenas in the apartment’s central hub, rooms with views where one can watch and enjoy the company of escorts.
Here, whoever pays the men in suits with distinctive Nine-Dragon Castle emblems can purchase drugs at any time.
###
Such places, where villains thrive, are like tumors in the city, and Nine-Dragon Castle is the largest of these tumors within W City.
Nonetheless, Nine-Dragon Castle has endured until now ironically because the existence of villains has been beneficial to W City.
The villains operate the Ninth District almost like an autonomous zone, hunting down monsters that appear, allowing resources to be directed elsewhere to clear out monsters from other districts.
Villains provide more benefits in return, as long as their power does not grow overly excessive, and a certain level of tolerance towards certain damages is exercised.
—
“Still, isn’t it unnecessary to leave those villains alone in the current situation?”
—
Yuanna placed a tablet on the desk in front of the Deputy Chief of Police and spoke.
—
“Previously, when you mentioned the idea of thoroughly cleaning up the villains, you said that since I am the only S-Class Hero in W City, it would be better to rely on the villains.”
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
“So now, wouldn’t it be fine to eliminate them?”
—
On the screen of the tablet placed by Yuanna was a picture of Black Cat captured by surveillance cameras.
Next to it was a graph quantifying the reduction in monster damage due to Black Cat’s actions, supporting Yuanna’s argument that, if Black Cat could function as a useful tool, much like the concept of “using a cat, black or gray, as long as it catches mice,” now that Black Cat was handling the job, there was no longer a need for the villains.
—
“Hmm… that would be difficult…”
“Why is it difficult? The villains only deal with monsters in the Ninth District, while Black Cat is roaming the entirety of W City dealing with them?”
“Of course, Black Cat is ironically helpful to W City now, but Black Cat is, after all, a monster, isn’t it? It could turn on us at any time. On the other hand… the villains, though they are villains, are still humans we can negotiate with.”
“Are you saying they communicate? Hah, this is absurd. And speaking of communication…”
—
Yuanna paused mid-sentence, realizing that revealing the fact that Black Cat could communicate, a secret known only to her, would be unwise.
—
“…If we’re talking about communication, Black Cat is actually far more obedient. Just give it a few strikes, and it immediately runs away in fear.”
“That’s not communication; it’s afraid of you.”
“Anyway, there is no longer any need to maintain the villain organization. If we don’t take this chance to eliminate the criminal organization, it might be impossible to reverse the situation.”
—
The existence of villains can lead newly awakened individuals to abandon heroism.
Fighting monsters with their lives on the line, and villains exploiting humanity; if these tumors are not removed quickly, they will grow, reducing the number of heroes who protect the citizens.
—
“The number of villains drawn to crime is increasing while the number of supporters of heroes in W City is decreasing. Especially, young awakened individuals are prone to superiority complexes, and if we fail to impose strict penalties for crimes, they may become reckless…”
“These are the weaker awakened individuals. You could easily handle them.”
“Handle? No, we aren’t considering rehabilitation right now.”
“Rehabilitation! Yes, well said! Even if someone becomes a villain, rehabilitation is possible, isn’t it?”
“Huh? Are you even in your right mind?”
“My point is that there’s no need to waste time chasing down villains. If you’re destined to be a hero, you’ll be a hero, and if you’re destined to be a villain, you’ll become one. In the time it takes to eliminate villains, why not hunt monsters? Contributing to the birthrate will naturally increase the number of heroes.”
“…Chief? Have you been to Nine-Dragon Castle?”
“What nonsense! What are you insinuating?”
—
Yuanna concluded that the Chief had definitely been to Nine-Dragon Castle, embracing women there, given his absurd arguments. Despite the Chief’s calm denial, his erratic pupil movements and accelerated heartbeat betrayed him to Yuanna’s superhuman senses.
—
“Alright. I’ll go see the Director. Have some shame.”
“Will Director agree differently?”
“…Director has also been to Nine-Dragon Castle, hasn’t he?”
“How dare you insinuate such things! Director is female—why would she go to such a place?”
“Really? How many reports have you read that you think I don’t know about? They sell men there too.”
“Hmm…”
—
Realizing the deep-rooted influence of the villains, Yuanna turned with a troubled heart. The Chief, realizing his misstep, cleared his throat and called her back with a reproachful glance.
—
“Look, Starlight, you don’t understand the whole situation… Nine-Dragon Castle is a member of the Villain Association. Unlike A City, W City only has you as an S-Class Hero.”
“And?”
“Only A-Class Heroes are sufficient to escort our city councilors when they go to other cities. What if you cause trouble here, and other villains affiliated with the Villain’s Association retaliate against us?”
“Ultimately, you’re just worried about protecting yourself and ignoring the suffering of the public. Fine, I’ll deal with it myself. Punish me or do whatever you like.”
“Starlight, stop it already… If you continue like this, do you think your family will remain safe?”
“Director Kim, are you threatening me?”
—
Yuanna unconsciously summoned her powers, glaring at the Deputy Chief. The elegant, high-class carpet unsuitable for the Monster Era began to blacken from her powers, and the room rapidly filled with intense heat.
Still, the Deputy Chief remained calm.
—
“This isn’t threatening, it’s stating facts… Not only your family but mine could be in danger if this escalates. So… stop. Starlight, it’s already too late to eradicate villains from W City as you want.”
“…”
—
Hearing sincerity in the Chief’s voice, Yuanna reined in her flames. The Chief finally wiped his perspiring forehead with a handkerchief.
—
“And… did you not hear the rumors? The ruler of Nine-Dragon Castle, Gu Seoryong, is already said to be at the top level of A-Class and might soon reach S-Class. Do you have confidence in defeating him? You know well… villains are experts in combat. You are specialized only in monster hunting.”
“In that case, we should eliminate him now, before he becomes even stronger.”
“Let’s think about this positively… if we leave them alone, there’s a possibility W City might gain another S-Class supershuman.”
—
The Deputy Chief defended the villains while drinking his cooled tea.
—
“Gu Seoryong has gathered the villains and confined himself to the Ninth District, effectively creating a negotiable villain leader. The Ninth District itself could become a safe zone. It’s not a bad deal, is it?”
“Director, could you say that openly in front of journalists?”
“I could, but journalists wouldn’t handle the truth.”
—
Indeed, journalists feared retaliation from the villains and avoided covering the issues excessively. The only exception was A City, where Cage, with his overwhelming pride, personally fought villains, labeling them as “those discarding the dignity of supershumans” and fighting them relentlessly, making A City close to a villain-free zone.
—
Whenever situations like this arose, Yuanna increasingly doubted the correctness of Cage’s methods. The idea of superhuman autocracy, where powerful supershumans led and governed lesser humans, seemed increasingly valid.
Simultaneously, she knew such governance was unjust. Supershumans, despite their powerful abilities, were still human beings and should stand equal to ordinary humans.
Humans were equal, so one human should not dominate or unjustly punish another.
But… simply being equal was not enough to eliminate villains, these monsters disguised as humans.
—
###
“Hey! Who are you?”
—
Following the scent of the necklace, I arrived at District 9 and tried entering an apartment in a sparsely populated area.
However, the men guarding the entrance stopped me from entering.
The men, as tall as my shoulders, approached me with menacing stares but soon widened their eyes in surprise.
The two men standing in front of me, looking up, spoke nervously.
—
“Ah… what brings you here?”
“There’s something I must find here.”
“Huh, huh… are you a customer? I assumed you were a physically enhanced supershuman….”
—
The men sighed with relief and inspected my clothing.
—
“…Did you come from a construction site?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, you’re definitely a customer… regardless of who invited you or what you seek, Nine-Dragon Castle has almost everything. However, we’re closed at the moment. Please come back tonight.”
“Hmm… I’ll do that.”
—
There’s no rush. I had already confirmed that my necklace and the loan sharks were inside this apartment, so I decided to wait patiently until nightfall.
Fortunately, there wasn’t much time left until sunset, and the wait wasn’t long.
As night fell, cars began lining up in front of the apartment, and more people gathered around waiting for entry.
—
“It’s not open yet? The sun has set! Hurry up and open!”
“Not yet.”
“I need a prime spot! My business will fail without it!”
“Casino patrons please stand in this line.”
“Open the gate! Open the gate!”
