Villain Hides His True Colors

Myeong Yugon was born in Kowloon Walled District, Hong Kong’s largest slum.

Shanties all clustered together like matchboxes and rancid filth littered the streets.

A place where criminals left out of society gathered, it could be said to be a place like a human garbage dump.

For this reason, there was no such thing as a dream for the children who were born here.

Men were gang members while women were prostitutes.

And for those who couldn’t do either, they were inevitably reduced to a cold corpse on the streets.

As such, children living here had no sense of purpose and lived day to day simply going with the flow.

However, Myeong Yugon was different.

In a place like Kowloon Wall District where there was no hope or dream, he had a different ambition than others.

Every night, while looking up at the tall buildings in the city, he would vow to himself to one day stand up there and look down at the people.

And…Fortunately, he had the ability to aspire for such an ambition.

The name of his ability was .

It was an ability that allowed him to produce parasites in the palms of his hands and turn an infected host into his faithful slave.

Thanks to this ability, he was able to escape the shadow of the Kowloon Walled District and join the international crime syndicate, Eighth Layer Hell.

He had jumped on the dangerous opportunity to establish a name for himself without hesitation, and had been on the rise for over a decade ever since.

And now, to carry out one of the missions set by the organization, Myeong Yugon had become a hero.

The organization, which had begun to expand its power in earnest, envisioned a project to plant spies inside the Hero Association.

In particular, if he used his ability, he could easily recruit several heroes.

If I can complete this mission…Perhaps I’ll be able to get a job as an executive.

The process of becoming a hero was harder than he had thought, but he was able to get here after a lot of hard work.

And now that he had come this far, it could be said that the hard part was over. Starting now, all he had to do was infect as many people as possible with his parasites.

He looked at the first victim of the plan. It was the rare genius who was being talked about nonstop in the media.

…Choi Noah.

His position in the organization would certainly rise if he could manipulate Noah.

He already knew from various articles how capable he was.

But that didn’t matter.

No matter how much of a genius he was, it was as good as done once he becomes infected with the parasites.

The narcotic ingredients produced by his parasites will gradually become more addictive to the host, and eventually, the host will become corrupted to the point where they won’t hesitate to kill even their own parents.

Also, in case of an emergency, he could also use the parasites to take away the host’s life…

It’s over as long as it penetrates his body.

He was confident of infecting Noah.

Hadn’t he already infected even retired A-Rank heroes?

No matter how powerful a person was, they couldn’t always be on guard.

And Noah was still an immature child, so he thought it wouldn’t be too difficult to infect him with the parasites.

If I give him a little praise, I’m sure he’ll be full of himself and shake my hand.

Meong Yugon approached Noah with a friendly smile.

“Choi Noah! It’s really nice to meet you like this! I’m your fan! Can I shake your hand?”

For some reason, Noah just stared at him. It seemed he still wasn’t used to such celebrity treatment.

With a more friendly look on his face, Meong Yugon continued.

“Haha, oh my. I was so happy to see you… Let me introduce myself first. My name is Myung Yugon from Incheon.”

He reached out his hand to Noah.

On the surface, it was just a normal handshake.

But now, in his palm, there were parasites he had hidden secretly in advance.

Noah looked at his hand for a moment before reaching out his hand.

Haha, caught you.

Parasites waiting under the palm of his hand stuck out through the skin.

And at that moment,

Swiik–!

Pak–

Before he knew it, there was a drawn sword in Noah’s other hand.

“Huh…?”

At the end of his gaze was Noah, who was observing his hand that had been cut off.

Meong Yugon stared blankly at the sight. It was difficult to understand the situation.

“Bugs?”

An instant passed. One step later, terrible pain began to pour in.

“Kuaaak! M-my hand…!”

Meong Yugon cried out, grabbing his own wrist that had been cut off.

The hand that had brought him here today had been cut so vainly.

He glared at Noah with bloodshot eyes.

“Keu-keuk! S-son of a bitch, how dare you! I’ll kill you!”

Meong Yugon no longer cared about the plan.

He had to contact the organization right away, and only when Noah was killed would he be satisfied.

But…

Swiik–!

He could no longer carry on his thoughts.

Huh…?

The world spun.

A pool of blood on the ground quickly drew near him and the little boy suddenly looked as tall as a giant.

And next to it was his body, which was staggering with its head cut off.

N-no…How can it end like this.

But the world in his eyes was getting dimmer and dimmer.

And thus, his ambition, which he had carried with him for more than 30 years, had ended in an unexpected place.

* * * * * * * * * *

Psh–

Blood sprayed out of a cut neck like a fountain.

A man’s torso fell and Shirahui’s whole body became covered in blood.

“…”

The blood that had just come out of the human body was hotter than she could have imagined.

From the blood that touched the cold air, white evaporation rose.

Shirahui touched her cheek with her trembling hand. The palm of her hand became covered in a vivid red as if it had touched paint.

“Uh…Uh…”

She couldn’t help but to stutter.

The body of the man whose head was cut off fell in front of her. It was the very same man who was smiling and chatting here just a second ago.

Gurg–Gurg–!

Whether or not the man’s heart was still beating, blood was still spurting out from the cut neck.

The sight was clearly imprinted in her mind as if it was in slow motion. Even if she had wanted to turn her head, her eyes were fixed as if she was possessed by something.

She could even see the cross section of the cut neck.

Multiple blood vessels and vertebrae embedded in a cross shape, and a hollow hole in the middle.

Gurg–! Gurg–!

The moment she saw it, an uncontrollable feeling of wanting to vomit overcame her.

“Uwaaak–!”

She poured out all the contents in her stomach on the spot. Between the gradually spreading pool of blood, pieces of cereal she had eaten this morning became mixed in.

What should have been a normal day had turned into an extraordinary encounter.

Th-this…what the hell…

She couldn’t think straight. Everything in front of her right now felt like a scene from a movie.

Nothing that she had studied in the theoretical exam came to mind.

Could she still save the man if she applied first aid now? What was she supposed to do with a person whose neck was cut off like this?

After a brief moment of countless thoughts, at last, her mind finally understood the current situation.

I-I’m…dead.

Thump, thump, thump–

Her heart began to beat like crazy.

She had been prepared to see a dead body some day. Everyone who deals with villains were bound to encounter murders and the equivalent terrible scene on a daily basis.

And from the moment she had decided to become a hero, she knew to some extent that such a situation would come…

But she never could have imagined that day would be today.

Furthermore, this was the Hero Training Institute. What kind of crazy person would kill in a place like this?

The sudden development left her unable to think properly. She could hear screams all around as her vision blurred.

Meanwhile, her gaze met the decapitated head on the ground. She felt as if she would vomit again.

“Uwaak–!”

However, only bluish gastric juice poured out as if there was nothing else left.

“Haa…haa…”

Her breathing became ragged. She wanted to get out of here quickly, but her legs felt weak and she couldn’t move.

As she stared at the ground, soon, Noah’s sneakers came into view. Slowly raising her head, she found Noah looking at her.

“Didn’t you say you had something to tell me earlier?”

Swiik–

Noah casually shook off the blood on his sword. Bright red blood scattered over the sand of the training ground.

His expression wasn’t much different from before.

A bright expression. A look with no traces of tension.

His manner was too calm, as if he had taken care of a natural matter.

Maybe she was the weird one? For a moment, she felt as if her common sense was wrong.

“Why aren’t you saying anything when you called me first?”

“Th-th…Th-that…”

Noah came a step closer. She unconsciously took two steps back.

Thump, thump, thump–

She was terrified of the blade Noah was holding in his hand. She felt as if her neck would fall to the ground at any moment now.

None of the skills that were taught by her father came to mind. It had simply turned blank.

“What’s the matter? Are you all right?”

Noah drew nearer. Then, at that moment, her legs became weak and she collapsed.

“Aaak! N-no! Help! It was my fault!”

“Hmm?”

Shirahui burst into tears. These were the first tears she had shed since the age of seven when her mother had died. However, it was impossible to make a rational decision.

And in that instant,

“Rahui!!!”

Yeom Gangjun’s voice came from behind her back.

Shirahui looked at Noah’s expression. He still had his sword drawn.

An enormous flame in the shape of a dragon flew toward Noah.

Boom–!

Yeom Gangjun, who had charged with his whole body engulfed in fire, was hopelessly blocked in front of a giant shield created by Noah.

“Keuk…I won’t give up!”

With his hands on fire, he continued to strike the shield.

Boom–!

Boom–!

“Excuse me. I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

“Don’t lie, villain! Hurry up and release Rahui!”

“Why don’t you believe me?”

“I don’t compromise with villains! Take this!”

“Huu…I can’t stay like this forever, but I can’t kill him either…”

Noah sighed briefly before turning his head to look at Shirahui. Soon, he stretched out one hand and waved it in the air.

“?!”

Shirahui, who was absent-minded, felt as if someone was grabbing at her body.

Soon, her body began to move against her will.

“Wh-what’s this? N-no!”

Her body moved in front of the thick shield. Beyond that, Yeom Gangjun, who was violently emitting flames from his mouth, could be seen.

“Noona, I think this happened because of you, so please solve it for me. I can’t just keep defending myself like this.”

“Wh-what are you…!”

At the end of Noah’s words, the shield that had been preventing Yeom Gangjun’s attacks disappeared.

Then, a hot flame flew toward Shirahui. And Yeom Gangjun, who saw this, hurriedly tried to recover the flame.

“Rahui!! Keuk!”

Was it because the ability was forcefully canceled? An explosion occurred in Yeom Gangjun’s mouth and he fell to the ground.

Black blood leaked out from the corner of his mouth. The white suit he hadn’t worn in a long time was stained with bright red blood.

“Aahh…Gangjun-oraboni…”

(TN: Oraboni can be what a female refers to an older male who is close to them.)

“Ah, noona saw that right? I really didn’t do anything. Don’t try to change the story later, okay? But it seems that misunderstandings are piling up.”

Noah said as he approached Shirahui.

“D-don’t come…”

The feeling of being controlled earlier had disappeared, but somehow she couldn’t move a step.

Pa–Pa–

If he swings his sword like this, she’ll die.

She recalled the body of the man who had fallen to the ground a while ago. There was no doubt that her head would roll across the ground too.

“N-no…!”

In the end, Shirahui, who couldn’t overcome the pressure, fainted on the spot.

* * * * * * * * * *

Dokgo Hakju was a career-oriented person. However, his current position as the Director of the Hero Training Institute held no real power.

At one point, he was aiming for the Chief position at Korea’s Hero Association Headquarters, but he was pushed out of the power game and was then assigned to the position called ‘Director’ at the Hero Training Institute.

Why do I have to look after the trainees in this place?

For him, who had the reputation of an A-Rank hero and was a 6-Circle mage, he had no choice but to be dissatisfied with his current treatment.

The word often on his mind these days was ‘persevere.’

Each morning when he woke up, he would vow to himself. That one day, he would return to the fierce political arena called the Hero Association.

To do so, it was important to continue the number of ‘accident-free’ days here for now.

Well, there’s no way there would be an accident at a training institute like this anyway.

As he thought as such, suddenly, he heard people screaming.

“Kyaaaak!!!”

“M-murder!!!!”

Wh-what? Murder?

Dokgo Hakju doubted his ears. Who in the world would commit murder at this gathering of trainee heroes?

He immediately turned to the direction he had heard the screams. And there, he saw the boy who had read the pledge earlier with a sword now in his hand.

And, there was also a decapitated head next to him.

Wh-what’s this?

The word ‘no accident’ flashed through his mind.

He was shocked, but his body was already using magic and preparing for the next action.

His body moved to the scene in an instant. There were already other professors besieging and shouting at the boy.

“Now! Release the hostage!”

“If you don’t surrender, I’ll shoot!”

Next to the boy, a girl hung limp in the air. He then noticed the girl’s familiar face after taking a closer look.

It was the girl who had achieved second place in the hero exam, and was the only daughter of Lightning Sword.

Shit!

With the plan to return to the Hero Association one day, he was going to use this opportunity to build a network with Shirahui, so the present situation could be said to be delicate.

“No, it’s really a misunderstanding.”

“Then, release the hostage first and drop your weapon!”

Noah used the girl like a shield and swung her in the direction of the attacks.

“Keuk!”

“Y-you coward!”

And whenever that happened, the professors would be forced to suffer as they stopped their attacks.

Such a sight made Dokgo Hakju’s hair stand on ends. His dream would be as good as finished if that girl was hurt by mistake.

Dokgo Hakju, who had judged that it would be dangerous if he continued to watch the situation, shouted loudly.

“Everyone stop your attacks!”

“B-but…”

“Didn’t you hear me?! I said stop!”

The professors backed down with reluctance.

What should I do with this…

It seemed the situation would be resolved only if he intervened directly.

He stood in front of Noah as his robe fluttered.

Noah, the boy who had achieved a new record in all subjects and passed the hero exam by an overwhelming margin. However, Dokgo Hakju was actually one of the people who doubted the boy’s performance.

The Pyongyang branch must have pulled something.

Since he knew this political game better than anyone else, he had already noticed the various tricks related to Noah.

In short, he was a hero the Hero Association had manufactured.

But why did such a fellow do this?

Dokgo Hakju couldn’t understand Noah’s intentions at all. Was he a villain who had infiltrated the Hero Association?

He couldn’t believe such an incident had happened while he was the Director. He was so annoyed that he couldn’t help but curse inside.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

No…it’s an opportunity.

For him who was stuck in such a quiet place he finally had a chance to make a contribution. What if he beat the boy himself and reported it to headquarters…?

Dokgo Hakju, the man who saved the daughter of an S-Rank hero.

He looked around. Reporters were constantly pressing their camera shutters to capture the crisis. Several hero families who were visiting the ceremony could also be seen.

A picture was drawn. He stepped forward one step at a time.

“How dare you cause trouble here! Right! You’re a villain who has infiltrated the Hero Association!”

“What? I’ve been telling you. The guy I killed a while ago was a villain. He attacked me first.”

“How dare you lie!”

Dozens of magical blades emerged around Dokgo Hakju. The blades of mana vibrated finely, creating a sound similar to a swarm of bees.

It was a magic unique to Dokgo Hakju and one which had earned him the nickname Blade Mage.

“You don’t need arms or legs to be interrogated anyway. Don’t ask me for mercy.”

***

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

But at that very moment, dozens of trainees suddenly blocked him and began to cover Noah.

At a first glance, the number was close to 80.

Frowning at the sight, Dokgo Hakju asked.

“Now…What are you all doing?”

“Stop bullying Noah! Baldy!”

Shouted a woman with colorful hair.

“Wh-what did you say?”

From the way she talked like a toddler, she didn’t seem to be a woman in her right mind.

“If you touch him, everyone here will die today.”

“Oh, my.”

Dokgo Hakju laughed in vain. Where was this trainee hero getting her confidence from to threaten him?

That was what he had thought.

“?!”

However, he began to feel an unusual energy from the woman’s body. The others didn’t seem to notice, but he did.

As she had said, the moment such an energy explodes, most of the people here will disappear without a trace.

Th-the hell…

But that wasn’t the end of what confused him.

“You can’t touch Choi Noah. Director.”

A guy in his mid-30s said proudly in front of him.

“…If you all don’t get out of my way, I’ll take it as collusion and attack accordingly.”

“Go ahead! Feel free if you’re going to do it.”

The man took off his shirt with a big smile and sat on the ground as if he was really prepared to die.

Then, the man looked at him with an insidious smile.

“Oh, by the way, my father is Deiros Maewa. I’m sure you’ve heard that he’s the Chief Superintendent General. And that friend over there is the son of the Deputy Mayor of Sinuiju, and that friend…”

A series of unpleasant names flowed from the man’s mouth. As time went by, Dokgo Hakju’s expression became more and more distorted.

Shit…it would be awkward if I try to deal with it, but I can’t back down like this.

Dokgo Hakju was in a real dilemma. If it weren’t for the reporters and people around him watching…

But a hand of salvation was given to him by none other than the person who had caused the disaster.

“It’s all a misunderstanding. You can examine the body here. This villain tried to attack me, so I defended myself.”

“…Can you take responsibility for that?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’m someone who always thinks about all the possibilities so that innocent victims don’t happen. Ahem. Professor Susahak, please go and confirm it.”

A woman standing among the group of professors hesitated before approaching the decapitated corpse.

She closed her eyes for a moment as if she was looking into something, and then shouted so that everyone could hear.

“I-it’s true! This is a villain from the organization Eighth Layer Hell!”

People were shaken by her words. Such a name that belonged to a notorious crime syndicate was enough to make many people tremble.

Because of their systematic structure and intelligence network, currently, the Hero Association had them labeled as ‘Red’ grade, which was a stage before ‘Black’ grade.

“Ooh! As expected! Noah saved everyone again this time!” 

“Thank you very much, Noah!”

On the other hand, those around Noah looked at him with bright smiles.

Camera shutters exploded from all directions. Then, standing in the middle of the crowd, the boy grabbed the decapitated head and shouted.

“Everyone! He’s dead! You can all relax now!”

“””Waaah!”””

“…”

The grotesque sight made ordinary people frown while the trainees from the Pyongyang branch cheered enthusiastically. Such differences in temperature created a strange sight.

They’re not normal either…

Thus, the atmosphere was finally settled after the Hero Association had officially dispatched investigators.

Glaring at Noah who had taken his credit, Dokgo Hakju spoke.

“Even if this was for a greater good, you should be held accountable, as you had caused such a commotion.”

“Me? Why? I caught a villain.” 

“Don’t ask! Damn, it’s impossible to talk to a child like you who can’t understand. I’m going to call your guardian right now!”

“Hmm…All right.”

He didn’t like the boy. How dare he question him when he was a junior who had just become a trainee hero?

If the boy had reported it to him, wouldn’t the credit belong to him?

Insolent brat.

And he had even made the extreme choice of murder. This case was clearly in violation of the oversuppression law and could be brought to court.

I better take this opportunity to clean up his act.

He thought as such as he held out his phone.

“Hello! Are you the guardian of the hero trainee Choi Noah?!”

And a little later… Putting down his phone, he looked at Noah with a bright smile.

“Hoho, Mr. Noah. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? How is Lady Fortune doing? If you need anything in the future, just tell me anytime.”

Thus, the appointment ceremony for the trainees, which was more flashy than any other in the past, came to an end.