Villain Hides His True Colors

A dark closed room.

On top of a huge round table, holographic emblems began to rise one by one.

If a person who understood the meaning of these emblems saw it, they would be truly shocked.

From the emblem of the imperial monarch who once conquered the continent to the emblem of a giant corporation who was at the cutting edge of science and technology.

These were the actual rulers of Earth who were controlling the World Government from the dark.

Soon, a woman in a wheelchair with tubes all over her body entered the room.

And when she stopped in front of the round table, the meeting finally began.

“It seems like everyone is here. I think everyone can guess as to why I had organized today’s meeting.”

Someone impatiently spoke.

 “Okay, let’s get straight to the point. How come a devil has appeared on Earth at this time?”

“According to the Oracle’s prediction, shouldn’t it be 20 years from now? Could the Oracle have been wrong?”

In response to the person’s words, the conference hall chilled.

What they called the Oracle was actually a tool that could predict the future by connecting the brains of superhumans with prediction abilities.

For the first time today, this absolute ability that allowed them to control the world had failed in its prediction.

And, they realized that the vested interests they have maintained so far may collapse if there was truly a problem with its prediction ability.

For a while, the people who were gathered noisily expressed their opinions. Then, the girl who was watching all of this spoke.

“The Oracle’s prediction was for the invasion to be 20 years from now, and the prediction itself is still valid.”

“Then, what do you call the devil incident today?”

“The full-fledged invasion will be in 20 years. It never predicted there won’t be any pawns before that. Perhaps there were already demons that had entered Earth.”

“Did you leave that part out even though you knew? Why didn’t you use your hands when you knew the demons would be coming over?”

“That’s because I didn’t want to cause any variables. Don’t we already know the definite future in which mankind wins? Then what’s so important about what’s going to happen in the meantime?”

“That’s certainly the case. Even if we are pushed back by the demon army, mankind will eventually win.”

“Yes. That’s the key point of ‘The Great Reset’ that we’ve planned.”

Like the girl said, Earth’s vested interests have long predicted the demon invasion.

As a result, it was predicted that mankind would suffer great damage but eventually win. 

And if mankind was going to win anyway, rather than spend resources and prepare for the future, they even came to the idea of using it as an opportunity.

Using the demon army, they planned to reduce the supersaturated Earth’s population and create a perfectly controlled society.

The name of the plan was The Great Reset.

“So as we’ve always done, we just have to wait for the already confirmed future. However, the problem with this matter is…rather than the concern with the demon race, it’s about finding the cause of the twist in the prediction.”

“Do you have any idea what it might be?”

“The Oracle’s future prediction is to see the fate of this world. And as you all know, there are certain existences who can interfere with the fate of the world.”

“Ah!”

When the girl’s word fell, exclamation bursts out everywhere in the meeting room.

“Ah…I see. It was like that.”

“Hm…if this old man is understanding it right, do you mean that there is a person born with the ‘Emperor’ constitution on Earth?”

(TN: Emperor Star is the constellation Polaris. Removed the Star part because I didn’t want to come across an Emperor Star’s star situation.)

“It’s certainly possible for a Warrior to change the fate of the world.”

No matter if it was called Warrior or Emperor, born with the energy of a star, they could be said to be existences that could change the fate of the world. 

For this reason, the deviation in the Oracle’s prediction could be explained if a Warrior was involved.

Those who realized that the Oracle wasn’t broken breathed a sigh of relief.

Which meant the measure to maintain their vested interests was still in good shape.

“It’s also understandable why the demons suddenly made a move. From their point of view, Warriors are like natural enemies.”

“Um…If so, would it be better to remove the Warrior variable?”

“No. In our Empire, there are ways to tame Warriors left by our ancestors. If we use it, we’ll have another new card in our hands.”

“Oh? Is that so? As expected, this is the specialty of nobles living in the fantasy world. Then, if we think about it in the direction of taming the warrior…”

The moment everyone regained their peace of mind and continued their conservation in a friendly manner, the girl spoke again.

“Everyone’s judgment is too optimistic. Why do you all think that the person who appeared this time is a Warrior?”

“What do you mean? Other than the Warrior, who else in the world…ah!”

“You guessed it. If a Warrior is a person who positively changes the fate of the world, on the contrary, there are also existences who will destroy the world. And we don’t know which existence it is yet.”

Beast of Chaos, in other words, the Celestial Wolf.

(TN: Author used the word Sirius, but I wanted to keep it in line with the previous Emperor Star. Celestial Wolf is the constellation Sirius.)

Its name varied from dimension to dimension, but they all knew.

Sometimes, contrary to Warriors, existences that would lead the fate of the world to destruction may emerge.

Those who belatedly realized that fact cursed.

“Shit! What should we do now? What if a Warrior wasn’t born, but the Beast of Chaos?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to find it right now and kill it? If it joins the demon army 20 years from now, the future of mankind winning will also be twisted.”

“No…There’s still time left, so it’s not good to move hastily no matter what its identity is. In the worst case, the tip of the knife may fall on us if we cause an unexpected change.”

“Is there any other way?”

The girl answered.

“First, Pyongyang is the origin of this incident. So…For the time being, it’s best to keep an eye on it and wait for the Oracle’s prediction.”

As such, their meeting continued late into the night. 

* * * * * * * * * *

I checked my status window after a long time.

Body: 3.00 -> 3.38 (+0.38)

Dexterity: 2.29 -> 3.04 (+0.75)

Mana: 2.35 -> 3.12 (+0.77)

Spirit: 2.30 -> 3.13 (+0.83)

Hehe…great.

After catching Pero and Hongir, my level rose by nine, and in the months since then, I had hunted whenever I had time and was able to gain two more levels.

I could have reached level 40 if I continued farming, but at some point, the monsters stopped respawning.

Perhaps because rumors had spread among the gangsters, but the hunting grounds seemed to have dried up.

Nonetheless, all of my stats still reached 3.

And because of that, my body’s durability had increased further.

Now even if I were to jump off a model tower that humans were said to be the most afraid of, my legs would only feel a little numb.

(TN: Model Tower / Mock Tower is a training exercise where you glide at a really high height.)

Next, I checked my skills. The skills I currently have were as follows.

In addition to these, I also had , , , and from my items.

And…

Thanks to having leveled up 11 times, I had acquired two new skills.

First, for the Level 30 Skill Selection, I was able to acquire the long-awaited qigong technique.

There were definitely more useful skills starting from level 30.

Classification: Mortal

Grade: D

Description: Improved breathing method of ‘Inner Heart’ based on a half-baked martial art. Fatal disadvantage of falling into qi deviation the more you’re plagued by a heart demon.

*Side effects disappear when a person with strong mental strength or a lunatic who has already gone crazy learns this technique.

In fact, I had hesitated to choose this at first because I was worried about the side effects, but I boldly chose it with the idea of using it as synthesis material if it didn’t work out.

And fortunately, there didn’t seem to be much of a problem so far.

For a while, I continued to hunt using mana in Guangcheng District, and there were no side effects such as qi deviation or my mind turning evil.

I guess it was probably thanks to my Spirit being above 3.

Anyway, for Level 35 Skill Selection, a Special Selection had appeared due to the achievement.

Classification: Magic

Grade: B

Description: Consume mana and mental energy to create a divine shield.

*Very effective against ‘evil’ and ‘demon’ properties.

Hmm…

In fact, I had agonized over it when I chose this skill because I wasn’t sure about it.

I naturally preferred to use a knife to cut rather than blocking and hitting with a shield.

It was different from what I was used to, but in this round, my ultimate goal was to fight the demon army.

I thought this kind of concept play wouldn’t be bad.

Well, I could make use of the holy option and synthesize it later.

Anyway, after I checked my stat again, I could feel the practicality of my strength.

Just from my physical ability alone, it would be possible for me to become a D-Rank hero right now…

In addition, while other heroes had one or two superpowers, I could already use 13 skills.

If it was like this, I could very well be assigned to C-Rank right from the start.

But above all, my goal was to reach A-Rank before I turned 20.

Moving from B-Rank to A-Rank would be a tough barrier, but it was a plan that was perfectly possible at my current pace.

Hmm…By the way, where should I use this?

The last precious strengthening skill consumable to advance a skill one stage.

It would be a waste to use it now, so I left it there. But in fact, these days, the urge to just yell was growing stronger.

However, I’ll have to endure it until the next skill comes out.

Since it was a rare item, it would be best to use it on a high-grade skill if possible.

While I organized my thoughts, I heard Elizabeth’s voice from the side.

“Noah! We’re almost there.”

As I looked out the window at her words, I noticed a forest of tall buildings.

Justice Town, the fourth main city of Neo Pyongyang. Including the Hero Association, it was a place where various guilds and equipment companies were located.

Our car stopped in front of a building resembling a glass pyramid. It was the Hero Association’s main building.

And I…for the foreseeable week will be taking the Hero Licensure Exam here.

During the first round, I had came here to terrorize…

I couldn’t believe I was here to become a hero. For some reason, I felt emotional.

Once the car stopped, the door opened on its own. And handing over a large bag, Elizabeth spoke.

“There are snacks and food inside, and I brought a change of clothes, so wear them.”

“Thank you, noona.”

I pushed the bag she had handed to me into my inventory.

“Noah, good luck on your exam!! If you pass and come back, I’ll make your wish come true! Hehe…Of course, even if you fail, I can fulfill your wish…”

Thud–!

I closed the car door, ignoring Elizabeth, who was talking nonsense even before the exam. Soon, the car automatically left for somewhere.

Applicants who were going to take the same exam as me could be seen crowding around the main building.

Perhaps because it was a job where they could hold honor and money as a hero, the number of people who wanted to take the exam was rather high.

I should get going now.

As soon as I thought as such, I heard a familiar voice from the side.

“Choi Noah!”

Turning my head, I saw Eugene showing his face through the window of a black limousine.

Soon, an entourage of cars following it stopped. Large people in black suits descended and lined up next to the limousine.

After that, the limousine’s back door opened and Eugene appeared.

“””Good luck on your exam, successor!”””

They all bowed their heads at the same time as their loud shout drew the attention of the surrounding applicants.

However, as if it was natural, Eugene nodded and walked between them. No, it seemed that he was rather enjoying it.

After exiting the line of black suits, he approached me at a rapid pace.

“My friend! I thought you would be here!”

“Well, it’s been a while, Eugene.”

“Seeing that we met by chance like this, does this mean we’re friends who can connect without having to say anything?”

“…”

***

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

This brat who I hadn’t met in a long time chattered noisily. Was he always this talkative?

“I’m taking the high-rank hero exam this time. What about you?”

“Me too.”

“As expected! I thought so. With this, I can compete fairly with you this time. Isn’t it also fun to compete with close friends?”

“Hmm…Well, that’s true.”

He had been talking nonstop for a while, but suddenly, he stopped.

What was it?

His gaze was fixed on one place. And at the end of his gaze was the bracelet that he had given me.

“That bracelet…You were wearing it.”

His eyes were unusual. Don’t tell me he wanted it back because he regretted giving it to me?

No way.

So far, I had never been deprived of anything that had come into my hands.

I glared at him with a stern look.

“To me, this is already the same thing as my life. I can’t trade it for anything. Obviously, this is the bracelet you gave me. I still haven’t forgotten about it. But don’t even let me start on what I’ll do if anyone tries to take this bracelet away.”

“Heu-eum…I-is that so?”

With my impenetrable defense, the corners of his mouth twitched little by little.

Seeing that his face was turning red for some reason, he seemed to be quite embarrassed that his intention was blocked.

He lowered his head for a moment as if to force himself to fix his expression. Soon after, he changed the subject.

“I-I’ve been living in China these days.”

“China?”

“Because my adopted father lives in China. Oh, also everyone calls me Cheon Yeosin now.”

(TN: Yeosin means goddess.)

It seemed his stepfather’s last name was Cheon. In fact, I wasn’t very interested in where he went.

However, I could see a sword hanging from his waist.

A pitch black Chinese sword with a white thread hanging from it. At a first glance, it was giving off an unusual energy.

This Golden Goblin had brought another treasure.

(TN: Golden Goblins are found in ARPGs and they drop gold/loot.)

Come to think of it, I thought it was time for him to pay his friend’s fee.

I cut off the chatterbox and asked.

“What’s that? The sword on your waist.”

Suddenly, the brat proudly puffed out his chest.

“Ha, you mean this? This is a treasure sword that my stepfather gave me as a gift. The name is Soma Sword. It’s a very good item even for me who has high standards.”

Hm…

Soma Sword. I like the name too.

There was a sword with a similar name in my old collection.

I asked him.

“Can I borrow it for a day?”‘

“H-Huh?”

With a difficult look, he continued.

“Th-that’s…I’m sorry. My stepfather forbade me from taking this off my body, so even if you ask me, I can’t lend it to you.”

“Forbid you? Was there really such a thing? It’s because you don’t want to lend it to me, right?”

“N-no! I’m telling the truth. I wouldn’t lie to my friend! Trust me.”

He looked at me with a tearful face. Looking at that, there really seemed to be something.

That was too bad.

For the time being, I didn’t think it would be bad to leave this brat with my Soma Sword a little longer.

“Hmm…Okay. I hope you let me know when the ban is lifted.”

“Of course! I’ll let you know first.”

It was only then that his face glowed and he talked about this and that again.

Soon, I asked him what had been on my mind for a while.

“But why are you taking the exam in Pyongyang when you said you live in China?”

“…”

For some reason, this brat stopped talking for a while.

* * * * * * * * * *

Saintess Samaria manipulated a tablet and examined the faces of the applicants who will be taking the exam this time.

While scrolling down like that, she unconsciously blurted out.

“There are quite a few young applicants this time.”

Perhaps they had been influenced by the articles on Noah. Only the Pyongyang branch had seen an increase in young applicants.

In particular, there were two 13-year-old applicants, which was the minimum age to take the hero exam.

Both of them were also taking the high-rank, D-Rank exam.

It was really unusual considering that the average age of those taking the high-rank exam was 30.

Cheon Eugene.

She looked at the profile floating on the tablet.

Coincidentally, this young girl was also one of the children that was involved in the hotel incident on the same day as Noah.

And what happened since then was that she was adopted by the Cheonma Order in China.

I don’t know why this girl came all the way here to take the exam…

However, she was certain of one thing. Even if this child were to obtain a hero license, she would never belong to the Pyongyang branch.

Since she belonged to the Cheonma Order, it was highly likely she would act independently.

And…

She manipulated the tablet to float the next profile.

There was a beautiful boy with black hair and purple eyes smiling.

Choi Noah.

Looking at Noah’s picture, she took out a cigarette and lit it. The long spout of smoke spread through the office.

The way he looks is just my taste.

She had constant articles written on Noah ever since the hotel incident so that interests in the boy wouldn’t die down.

So now, everyone in the Pyongyang hero industry was very interested in what Noah looked like and what kind of person he was.

However, unlike them, she saw something different.

If she could make the flower that everyone wanted into her own…

“Haa…”

Thinking of how she would tame the boy, she already felt like her whole body was heating up.

“Ah…I can’t wait.”

She let out a hot moan with a glaze in her eyes.

* * * * * * * * * *

It’s often said that being a hero requires three virtues.

Wisdom, the understanding of various laws to work as a hero.

Integrity, the ethical quality to be a hero.

Courage, the combat capability that actually determines your hero rank.

And among them, I was currently sitting in the 1st test room to test my wisdom.

The supervisor spoke.

“As you all know, any and all electronic devices will not be allowed here at the test site. And please be careful because there are barriers installed that can detect whenever superpowers or magic is used.”

“Also, if you are caught cheating, you’ll be disqualified from taking the hero exam for the next three years, so please be mindful of this.”

The high-rank hero exam was a fairly difficult exam with an average age of nearly 30.

Everything from the number of subjects to the test time was different from the low-rank hero test that could be passed with your eyes closed.

For an ordinary 13-year-old child, passing a test like this may be impossible, but I was a second time gamer. No one could match my career as a gamer.

So for me, who could memorize numerous boss patterns, this won’t be difficult.

As soon as I thought as such, a man in his mid-30s next to me glanced at me.

“…Even children are coming to take the exam these days. Hey! If you make any noise during the exam, I’m going to end your life after this is over. It’s my 10th try this time, so keep in mind that I don’t hear you.”

“…”

Instead of answering, I checked the man’s exam number.

No. 18218. I kept his number in my mind.

I should kill him after the exam.

Soon, the supervisor who was looking at the clock spoke.

“The test starts now.”

I looked at the tablet on the desk as problems appeared. This was the moment to prove my efforts.

This was nothing. It was going to be a piece of cake.

[Question #1.

Immediately after A kills B with the intention of robbery, if C who was passing by threatens B and extorts A’s wallet and money, in the process of suppression, they are recognized as accomplices…]

“…”

Except for me, I could hear the chaotic tapping of keyboards around me. Even the No. 18218 guy was solving the questions at a high speed.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if they knew the answers or were just pretending.

After looking at the question for a while, I opened my status window.

…Now that it was like this, let’s go with Plan B.

*Elizabeth

Then, in front of my eyes, Elizabeth who only I could see appeared.

She raised her glasses that she had gotten from somewhere and confidently spoke.

“I was waiting!”

She began searching the internet as she called out the answers to my question at a frightening speed.

“Question #1, 3! Question #2, 5!”

Well…Since there’s a Strategy Guidebook, there’s no reason not to use it, right?

I wasn’t doing this because I didn’t know. It was just because I was lazy.

It was normal to use the internet during the quiz stages.

I faithfully wrote down the answers she gave me, and that was how the 1st test ended safely.

And I…In the 1st test, which boasted the highest difficulty ever, became the only perfect scorer in the country.