Being a Villain is My True Calling

‘Where could she be?’

With light footsteps, I ventured into the slums.
While some beggars would glare at me, they soon clicked their tongues upon noticing the gun in my hand.

‘If I had appeared defenseless, they would have immediately tried to rob me.’

This area lacked CCTV coverage, and the residents didn’t possess smartphones.

A squalid place even heroes avoided patrolling.
Unlike the abandoned buildings scattered elsewhere, this entire district itself had been discarded.

District F.
Serving as a central hub connected to the other districts, but inhabited solely by the forsaken.

Hence, I was currently in my Maker guise.
Without CCTV or smartphones, there was no risk of heroes tracking me down, and appearing vulnerable would only invite trouble.

‘Anyway, if my calculations are correct, she should be around at this time. But where could Ga-yeon be?’

Polyia, the villain who would emerge 5 years into the original story.
Her real name is Lee Ga-yeon.

Her ability is somewhat special compared to others.

‘A multi-ability user.’

It’s not unheard of for multi-ability users to exist.
Albeit extremely rare, there were individuals born with two or three abilities.

But beyond that.
Possessing 10, 20, or an innumerable number of abilities.
She was the future S-rank villain, Polyia.

‘Of course, being a multi-ability user isn’t necessarily advantageous.’

An ability is like a seed planted in the ground.
Depending on the soil’s fertility and the amount of water provided, it can either grow into a towering tree or wither away.

If a single-ability user plants one seed, a multi-ability user plants two or more seeds in the same soil.
How would those trees grow?

They would likely compete for the soil’s nutrients, fighting each other.

‘Innate multi-ability users can stabilize their abilities.’

Blessed with fertile soil from birth.
They can evenly distribute the nutrients, consuming precisely half each.

In exchange, they may pale in comparison to single-ability users of the same type.

But what about artificially created multi-ability users?
Those not born as multi-ability users, but manufactured?

‘She, whom I’m about to meet, is precisely such an exceptional case.’

“Kyaaaaahh!!”

Lost in contemplation, the faint scream of a woman reached my ears.
Turning towards the sound, I saw a man looming over a woman’s prone figure.

“Heheh… stay still, you bitch!”

“Kyaaaaahh!!”

Riiiipppp-riiiippp-

The man tore at the woman’s clothes as she thrashed.

“No, nooo!!”

“Uhuhuh! You want it too, don’t you, bitch? Acting all coy!”

“Someone, please help!!”

“Who’s gonna help who in these slums? I’ll be the one ‘helping’ you! So stay still…!”

“I’ll have to decline.”

Click

Banggg-!

Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger towards the man.
A crimson torrent erupted from his head.

“Ah, ah… ah.”

“Are you alright?”

Reduced to a heap of flesh, I kicked the man’s remains aside and addressed the trembling woman.

‘Tsk. Doesn’t seem to be Ga-yeon after all.’

At this age, she should still be in middle school.
While the woman appeared young, she seemed around 20 years old, so it couldn’t be Ga-yeon.

“Th, thank you! Really, thank you so much!”

“Think nothing of it.”

After a momentary daze, the woman finally regained her senses and expressed gratitude.
While I accepted her thanks nonchalantly, I was mildly surprised.

‘Even in a world where life holds little value, she’s unfazed by witnessing a murder before her eyes?’

“Phew! That piece of trash! Serves him right, that bastard! Pheweet!!”

Ah, I see. She’s completely unbothered.

Rather than expressing any remorse, she spat loudly, as if ridding herself of a foul taste.
Watching her demeanor, I found myself feeling repulsed instead.

‘Is this the civic mindset in the hero world? This aspect will be challenging to adapt to.’

Using my ability, I created a thick fur coat and handed it to her.

“It’s chilly out. That outfit seems inadequate for such weather.”

“Eh? Ah, ah… th, thank you…”

The woman who had been gleefully spitting moments earlier now blushed shyly, thanking me for the coat with demure politeness.

‘…I should convey my purpose and depart swiftly.’

“By any chance, have you seen a young child in this area?”

Following the woman’s directions, I explored the slum alleys.
Periodically inquiring with others when her information ran dry, I wandered the streets.

And so, several hours had passed.

‘Where could she be…?’

In the original story, she had first appeared five years after the start, during winter.

There had even been mentions of New Year’s in the slums, so my timing should be roughly accurate.

‘By now, she should be depleted of energy, unable to properly flee.’

According to the original story, the deranged individuals pursuing the young Ga-yeon had eventually cornered her.

To escape them, she had continuously used her spatial translocation ability, eventually draining nearly all her mana.

In that psychologically and physically weakened state, someone had come to her rescue.
A clichéd development, but clichés persist for a reason.

‘The problem is locating that protagonist…’

“Over there…!!”

It seemed I had finally found her.

In the direction of the voice, I saw a young girl glaring defiantly at a middle-aged man, panting heavily, while he leered at her with an unsettling gaze.

‘It doesn’t appear to be the dramatic timing yet.’

Perhaps I should observe a bit longer?

“Co, come on, be a good girl…? Un, uncle’s not a bad person!”

“……”

“Ju, just, this, this place, haah… a ki, kid like you, being here…”

“……”

“I, I’m ju, just worried, that’s all!”

Step

As he chuckled and took a step forward, the girl trembled, eyeing him warily as she backpedaled.
She extended her arm, but nothing manifested from her hand.

“Why, why, ru, run? Why run? Huh? Di, did uncle do something…?”

“Stay away…!”

Reacting to her words, the man began stomping his feet erratically.

“Wh, why? Why? Wha, what did I do…? No, nothing! I didn’t do anything!! You bi, bitch! Fucking bitch! You, you’re the same!! You called me a re, retard too!! A retard!!!”

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

Banging the ground forcefully with his feet, the man gritted his teeth.

“I, I wanted to touch too! Me too me too me too!!! Me toooo!!!”

He then charged towards the girl, tackling her to the ground.
Despite her desperate attempts to push him off, using her tiny fists to strike and bite his arms, she was overpowered.

“Me too! I’ll touch you too! Me toooo!!!”

Even as tears streamed down her face, the girl refused to stop resisting.

The instant the man raised his hand to tear her soiled clothing…

Click

“Preying upon a child who has yet to mature. What depravity is this?”

With a hint of anger in my tone, I aimed my gun at the man’s head.

Banggg!!

Once again, I pulled the trigger without hesitation.

‘…Keep composure, keep composure.’

I was absolutely furious.
Why? Because I had witnessed a vile wretch attempting to assault a child before my very eyes.

However, I couldn’t allow the girl to sense my rage.
After enduring such a terrifying ordeal, further distressing her would be unacceptable.

“…Are you alright?”

Forcing an awkward smile, I bent down to meet her at eye level, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible.

“……”

The girl simply gazed at me with tearful eyes.

“Here, please use this if you’d like.”

“…Hic.”

As I created a handkerchief and offered it to her, the tears she had been holding back began silently streaming down her cheeks.

‘All according to plan.’

Embracing the weeping girl, I smirked.

I brought her to the cafe.

“Would you like something to eat?”

“……”

Perhaps embarrassed from her earlier tears, or only now becoming wary of me.
She maintained her silence, merely observing me.

Why the unresponsiveness? We had already exchanged introductions on our way here.

“Nothing you’d like, Ga-yeon?”

“……”

“I could prepare something truly delicious.”

Despite appearances, I had attended culinary school.
Simple dishes were well within my capabilities.

“…No.”

She curtly declined, reminiscent of her earlier refusal to eat.

“…If I finish… I’ll have to leave, won’t I?”

‘Ah, so that was it.’

After voicing her thoughts, she hung her head and poked at her pasta.
An unnecessary concern.

‘I have no intention of letting you leave.’

If that were the case, I wouldn’t have brought you here in the first place.

However, from her perspective, it was an understandable apprehension, so I quietly acknowledged it.

Then, I carefully chose my next words to address her.