Being a Villain is My True Calling

Months later, inside an abandoned building.
Those analyzing a corpse stood up and greeted a woman who entered.

“Ice Queen, you’ve arrived!”

“There’s no need for such a welcoming.”

Observing their respectful greetings, Ice Queen shook her head with a weary expression.

“Who is the victim this time?”

“Yes, the victim is the B+ rank villain, Toxin!”

Ice Queen inquired about the deceased, and the man provided a concise response.

“Calling me here must mean he was behind this again, I assume?”

“Yes, although the cause of death differs, the gun without a serial number that you warned us about, and the disappearance of a few surrounding objects, point to Maker being responsible once more!”

The man handed her a gun devoid of a serial number.
It was certainly Maker’s doing.

“Phew…”

After a momentary sigh, Ice Queen approached the corpse.

“The B+ rank villain, Toxin…”

The latest victim was Toxin, a high-ranking B+ villain.

‘An upper-tier ability user capable of creating various types of poisons.’

While he had yet to develop lethal toxins, his ability’s potential danger had earned him the B+ ranking.

And there he lay, eyes rolled back, tongue lolling out, dead.
His entire neck was discolored with bruising.

“Haah. Another unusual death.”

Over the past month, Ice Queen had witnessed Maker’s villain hunting spree, resulting in diverse forms of casualties.

From poisoning to bludgeoning.
Drowning and incineration… and now, strangulation in this latest case.

‘Almost as if conducting a series of experimental killings.’

Despite the varying methods, the perpetrator was identifiable thanks to the signature phenomenon of objects inexplicably disintegrating into dust – a hallmark of his ability.

The abandoned, serialless gun was likely used to subdue the villain before being discarded.

“…There’s nothing more to investigate here.”

However, aside from the gun, no other traces remained, leaving her unable to glean any additional information beyond Maker’s involvement.

“…I suppose that’s the case? My apologies for the unnecessary summons…”

“No, while only temporary, I am assigned as his ‘handler,’ so any potential lead, no matter how small, is worth pursuing.”

“Your understanding is appreciated.”

“Please, do not bow so deeply. I merely speak my sincere thoughts, without empty platitudes.”

Having said that, she exited with a lingering sense of frustration.
She then aimlessly wandered about.

‘Just how many has he killed by now?’

Another fruitless investigation left Ice Queen vexed.
While the deceased were undoubtedly villains, irredeemable scum, this was unacceptable.

Regardless of the circumstances, he had taken lives.
Whatever his motives or intentions, he was a murderer.

‘What is he even thinking?’

Some sort of experiment? Or perhaps…

-…This is why I despise heroes.

…did he have ulterior motives?
It could potentially be an order from his organization.

“Haah…”

Unable to make sense of it, trailing his elusive trail, Ice Queen let out a deep sigh of frustration.

‘And this issue needs to be addressed as well…’

Opening her smartphone revealed videos of Maker killing villains in various ways.

-Kyaah!

-That trash got what he deserved!!

-As expected of Maker!!

And these videos were spreading across the internet.

“Where are these videos even coming from?”

Maker’s killings didn’t simply end with the loss of life.

Whenever he eliminated villains, and the association attempted to control the narrative through media coverage, an anonymous user would inevitably surface, disseminating videos.

Consequently, Maker’s supporters proliferated, praising the anonymous leaker, creating the current situation.

Hours later, even if the association censored the videos and photos, the materials had already spread beyond containment, rendering their efforts meaningless.
Ice Queen was exasperated.

‘Tracing the source is difficult due to their use of the dark web.’

Whenever the association published articles condemning Maker, videos would surface as if in rebuttal.

‘It doesn’t seem like Maker himself is behind this…’

Based on his tendencies thus far, he was unlikely to be the driving force behind the video releases.
It was more probable that his organization was handling it without his knowledge, or that a third party was involved.

However, Eclipse had no reason to portray Maker in a positive light.

‘So it naturally points to a third party hacking into CCTV footage and leaking the information…’

But why…?

Whenever Maker was involved, Ice Queen couldn’t help but sigh deeply over the headaches that ensued.

“Here I come.”

“Bring it on.”

Within Eclipse’s training grounds.
Ahn Yeri and Ga-yeon were engaging in a sparring match.

Kuguguguung-

With Ahn Yeri’s permission, Ga-yeon manipulated the ground, rapidly closing the distance.
Building momentum, she swung her sword towards Ahn Yeri’s neck.

Whoooosh-!

“You’re, you’re putting too much killing intent into it…”

Ahn Yeri lightly evaded while speaking.

Undeterred, Ga-yeon utilized her abilities.

Woooong-

Instantly warping behind Ahn Yeri’s blind spot.

Chaaang-

“Ai, aiming for the back is, a trademark of warp-type ability users… predictable.”

Ahn Yeri casually blocked the strike.
Ga-yeon increased her speed without pause.

Chaang- kaang! kang!

Intermittently using her telekinesis to hurl rocks at Ahn Yeri while attempting close-quarters swordplay.
However…

“…Swordsmanship won’t work against me.”

Paak!

Ahn Yeri lightly kicked Ga-yeon, sending her tumbling away.

“Use, use your head a bit… you’re still a stiff kid.”

“Hmph.”

Ga-yeon snorted lightly at the instructive remark.
She then activated her abilities once more.

Woooong-

Warping behind Ahn Yeri again using spatial translocation.
Anticipating this, Ahn Yeri twisted her waist, preparing to swing her sword.

“The same tricks won’t…”

“This time is different.”

Kuguguung-

Just before Ahn Yeri could swing, Ga-yeon manipulated the ground beneath her feet, lifting it slightly.

Without hesitation, she executed a midair somersault, vaulting over Ahn Yeri’s front.

Taking advantage of the delay as Ahn Yeri recovered her sword stance…

Wheeeeng-

…Ga-yeon used her wind manipulation to obscure Ahn Yeri’s vision while accelerating her sword swing.
Additionally, she fixed Ahn Yeri’s sword in place with her telekinesis, preventing her from swiftly retrieving her weapon.

“My victory.”

Ga-yeon declared her triumph.

Kaang!

“Eh.”

Just as Ahn Yeri swiftly discarded her sword and deflected the attack with her palm…

“That’s cheating.”

Ga-yeon’s cheeks puffed out indignantly.
A flustered Ahn Yeri scratched her head.

“…Eh, eh? Why? Di, did I do something wrong…?”

“We agreed to only use swords. You used another weapon.”

“Thi, this was just for defense…”

“Cheating.”

As Ahn Yeri attempted to explain, Ga-yeon’s cheeks puffed out even further.

“You can’t bully older sisters, Ga-yeon.”

At the sound of the man’s voice, the girl and woman turned towards the source.

“Brother.”

Upon seeing him, Ga-yeon tossed aside her sword and scampered over.

“Have you been training diligently?”

“Yup.”

Ga-yeon proudly affirmed, prompting Maker to chuckle as he affectionately stroked her head.

“Oh, you’re back, Maker…?”

“Yes, I’ve returned, Yeri. Has her training been progressing smoothly?”

Removing his hat, Maker patted it, causing dried flakes of blood to fall like dust, suggesting he had recently completed a mission.

“Yes, yes.”

“I can do more than just spatial translocation now. I’ve learned close-quarters combat too.”

I’ve gotten much stronger.
Ahn Yeri nodded, affirming Ga-yeon’s words.
In her own assessment, Ga-yeon had indeed grown significantly compared to her initial state.

“In that case, do you believe she is now ready for mission deployment, Yeri?”

Maker’s question carried an undertone of anticipation.
Ahn Yeri pondered briefly.

‘While I can’t say her combat is efficient… she does have a knack for finding weaknesses, and she’s gradually becoming accustomed to utilizing her abilities. She still tends to separate her abilities from her own self, but…’

That should resolve itself through further experience.
Ultimately, Ahn Yeri felt that Ga-yeon was unlikely to be overwhelmed in the field.

“…Yes. If not, not solo missions… but group, group missions should be fine…”

“Very well, then.”

Smiling wryly at Ahn Yeri’s response, Maker lowered his gaze to meet Ga-yeon’s intent stare and extended his hand.

“Ga-yeon, care to join me for some exciting terrorism?”

“Okay.”

Without hesitation, Ga-yeon nodded and grasped his hand.

“Are the preparations complete?”

“Yes, they are.”

In Astra’s office.
I had come to seek her final approval for the upcoming act of terrorism.

‘Ga-yeon’s training has at least covered the fundamentals.’

Additionally, I had finished testing the capabilities obtained from the research facility.

“This act of terrorism is bound to be quite entertaining for you.”

“…I don’t particularly enjoy such distasteful amusements.”

This time, I intended to utilize the intriguing materials acquired from the research facility.

‘The legacy you requested. I’ll put it to good use.’

I smirked.
Astra regarded me with an incredulous expression.

“Well… do your best. If this terrorism is successful, I plan to transfer command authority for future acts of terrorism to you, Maker.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“It means you won’t need to seek permission for each individual act of terrorism moving forward.”

Of course, important matters would still require reporting, but…
Astra smiled at me.

“How does that sound?”

“Quite appealing.”

While I had already intended to put in full effort, this act of terrorism now carried additional incentive to excel.