I offered a casual reply.
“By introduction.”
“An introduction, you say.”
The Doctor, feigning deep thought, rested a hand on his chin.
“Only a handful of people would even know I’m residing here at the moment.”
Yet, despite his words, no hint of suspicion truly clouded his expression.
“Did Blackgrave send you to be used in my experiments? Or perhaps Houndstooth? Hmm, not that it truly matters.”
Dismissing the matter as trivial, the Doctor immersed himself in his preparations once more.
Bound to the operating table, I exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.
My conviction that a mere pretense would suffice had proven accurate.
The Doctor was a man who wouldn’t spare an iota of interest for anything beyond his research and experiments.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been classified as an S-rank villain solely for an ability that allowed him to discern powers by tasting a subject’s blood.
Who had sent me, or hadn’t, was an utterly trivial concern to him.
Moreover, the likelihood of an ordinary person stumbling upon a newly opened secret laboratory was virtually zero.
Still, Blackgrave and Houndstooth.
Though not counted among the greatest evils, they too were villains who had earned notoriety in their own right before the regression.
Were they, too, products of the Doctor’s creations?
“Ugh.”
A sharp, stinging pain flared without warning.
The Doctor, having approached unnoticed, swiftly sliced my arm with a keen scalpel.
A small pool of blood welled up, then began to drip steadily onto the floor.
“Ptui, ptui.”
The Doctor, having dipped a finger into the beaded blood and brought it to his tongue, suddenly grimaced.
“A dreadful taste.
Your affinity for abilities is appalling, young man.”
“Appalling…?”
“This isn’t just waste… it feels like I’ve licked the inside of a toilet bowl.
Horrible, a taste like this is utterly unprecedented in my life…”
Instead of answering, the Doctor merely grumbled on, a disgruntled expression etched on his face.
My heart plummeted.
While I had long been aware of my lack of talent, hearing such words from a self-proclaimed authority figure made their weight all the heavier.
‘No.’
‘You are my only hope right now…!’
“Then… the surgery isn’t possible…?”
I asked cautiously, wary of provoking the madman.
He stopped abruptly, turned, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
“You.
You seem to know what kind of person I am, don’t you?”
“I do.
Aren’t you a scientist?”
“The only one to have successfully performed surgery to create artificial superhumans.”
“Indeed.”
“I was already aware of my lack of talent.
So… is the surgery impossible?”
“Impossible? Nonsense.
Though I may face setbacks, nothing is impossible for me.”
The Doctor grinned, his mouth stretching into a wide, ear-to-ear smile.
The metallic implants revealed between his ragged gums only added to his grotesque appearance.
“Excellent, I’m pleased.”
With renewed fervor, he began rummaging through his surgical tools once more.
“Usually, those dragged into my lab are pitiful lambs, unaware of the fate awaiting them.
Seeing them tremble like that doesn’t exactly fill my heart with joy.
But a volunteer as confident as you? That’s an entirely different matter.”
‘You crazy bastard.’
I swallowed the curse building in my throat.
So he knew, yet he continued those atrocious experiments anyway.
“You’ve arrived at an opportune moment.
I just so happened to have a new drug I needed to test.
I only just finished developing it recently.
You’ll be my first test subject.”
He spoke, lightly swirling a flask that held a translucent liquid.
“This is my gift for those like you, whose affinity for abilities is close to zero.
You may consider yourself fortunate.
It increases the probability of gaining an ability by several times the conventional rate.”
His cackling laughter echoed through the operating room.
“However, you’ll also have to endure a proportionally increased amount of pain.
You’d do well to brace yourself firmly.
Lose consciousness for even a moment, and you’ll die from shock.”
“How… terribly grateful I am.”
“Hehehe! Keep your thanks.
Now, let’s begin.”
Click.
A dull button press sounded, and the operating table slowly began to recline.
The metallic surface felt exceptionally cold today.
The clinking of surgical instruments sounded even colder.
Beyond the operating room lights, the Doctor’s shadow flickered into a hazy silhouette.
A cold sweat trickled down my entire body.
The Doctor’s surgeries were already infamous for their low survival rates.
Now, the pain would be multiplied severalfold.
It would be a lie to claim I felt no tension, but there was no turning back now.
I glanced sideways.
Beyond the mirror, Yuha’s severed head smiled brightly at me.
I blinked.
Yuha vanished as if she had never been there, leaving no trace.
“Let me tell you, I don’t use anesthesia in my surgeries.
The higher the adrenaline levels in the body, the more stably the drug reacts.”
The Doctor’s warning merely drifted around my ears like a hazy fog.
“And as for which ability will manifest, that’s a realm even I cannot yet predict.
If you have a preference, pray and pray again.
That part, truly, is up to the heavens.
Of course, that’s only if you survive, hehehe…”
‘It doesn’t matter.’
I was already focused on only one thing.
Somehow, I had to endure this surgery, survive, and seize an ability.
No matter what hellish agony I faced, I had to persevere and endure.
If only I could prevent Yuha’s death, I would willingly sell my very soul.
No, perhaps I had already sold it.
Given that I had returned, defying the flow of time.
All I could do was hope and wish.
I would never allow that hell to repeat itself.
“Huh?”
My gaze then fixated on something directly before me.
Two thick needles were precisely aimed at the center of each of my pupils.
“Ah, I forgot to mention something.”
The Doctor’s voice was utterly nonchalant, as if he were simply offering a casual jest.
“The drug will be injected through your eyeballs.
It’s easier that way.
And the reactions are quite amusing.”
“What…?”
“But there’s no need to worry.
Your eyesight will return once the surgery is successful.
Now, then…”
“What in the… Aargh!”
-Thud!
Before I could even brace myself, the needles plunged directly into both of my eyes.
An excruciating pain, as if my entire body had been submerged in a vat of acid, accompanied it.
My vision plunged into utter blackness.
****
-Woojin! You’re going to be late! Wake up quickly!
“Haaah…!”
Yuha’s voice struck me like a bolt of lightning.
Upon the operating table, where I had no idea how many hours had passed, I barely managed to regain consciousness amidst the chaos.
“Haaah, haah…!”
My screams must have been so violent that even my breathing sounded rough, like metal scraping metal.
I frantically scanned my surroundings.
The operating table and my body were drenched in blood; the entire area was soaked.
Ragged suture marks marred various parts of my skin, and a stabbing pain, as if I were being pierced by knives, afflicted my entire body.
Though the scene was horrific, like something out of hell, it wasn’t true hell.
I had already witnessed that.
Only then could I be certain.
I… was still alive.
“Cough, cough…!”
I crossed my arms, checking myself.
The long surgery was over, yet instead of exhaustion, an unsettling impulse and an inexplicable surge of vitality pulsed through my body.
“Ha, hahaha, hahahaha…!”
A hearty laugh, filled with pure delight, echoed through the room.
“It succeeded.
It succeeded again.
Hahaha! I truly am a genius! Haha!”
“Hmph, haah…”
“The surgery was a resounding success.
And congratulations to you as well.
On becoming the superhuman you so desperately desired…!”
The Doctor, as if unable to believe it, pressed a hand to his forehead, his cackling laughter continuing unabated.
“So.
What ability did you gain?
Tell me quickly.
You’ll know right away.
For superhumans can instinctively recognize their own abilities!”
The Doctor’s laughter continued to ring in my ears.
Bzzzt.
My smartphone, which I had tucked into my pocket, vibrated with an impossible buzz.
I idly pulled it out.
The Doctor didn’t even seem to notice.
After all, his laboratory was saturated with all manner of jamming signals and security devices.
Despite clearly indicating no signal, the screen displayed a notification for a new message.
[Message]
[Ability: Hypnosis successfully acquired!]
“…What?”
I could only stare at it blankly.
Hypnosis.
To me, those two syllables were utterly unforgettable.
Marionette.
The villain who, before the regression, not only dragged my life into hell but also bestowed upon me a horrific and miserable end.
A pure crystallization of madness and malice, whose potent ability eventually earned her the title of a great evil, contributing to the world’s downfall.
For Hypnosis was precisely her ability.
****
-Ding.
A girl entered the sparsely populated convenience store, opening the door with a jingle.
She possessed a seemingly innocent and amiable appearance, making it hard to imagine her frequenting such a dangerous area.
The girl walked straight to the counter.
Without even choosing an item, she stared intently at my face, then parted her lips.
-You’re a handsome oppa (TL Note: A Korean term used by females to address an older male friend or brother, or a male romantic interest).
-Um… customer…?
-Good!
I’ve decided.
Oppa, from today… you’re mine!
Clack!
The girl snapped her fingers, producing a sharp, piercing sound.
My pupils instantly dulled, losing their light.
Then, following the humming girl, I began to walk weakly out of the convenience store.
And my consciousness, flung into the abyss, watched every single moment of it.
That was the day hell began.
“Ugh…”
I shivered, as if struck by a chill.
This was a terribly cruel joke.
All I had wanted was the power to protect Yuha and change the future.
But of all things, Marionette’s ability had come to me.
‘…No.’
However, I quickly changed my mind.
This wasn’t a joke; it was fate.
It was a divine revelation, a call for me to atone for the mistakes of my past life.
And gradually, something akin to hunger began to invade my brain.
An unfamiliar sensation I had never experienced before.
A feeling that made me want to leap from the operating table and slaughter everything in sight.
My reason felt light, ready to fly away at any moment.
My throat burned with an unceasing thirst.
If I remained in this state, I wouldn’t be able to live a normal life; I would tear everyone I encountered to shreds.
-Bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzzt.
[Warning]
[Thirst 95%]
[Critical level reached]
[Thirst is eroding your mind]
[Your body craves the ability’s blood]
[Satisfy your thirst]
‘I see.’
I understood immediately.
This was a side effect of my artificial superhuman surgery.
The powerful mental after-effects that nine out of ten recipients of the Doctor’s surgery experienced.
It seemed this was how it manifested.
‘Kill others to satisfy the craving.’
Interpreting the message was not difficult.
But how vicious it was.
I was now profoundly realizing why the Doctor’s surgery was disparagingly called the ‘villainization surgery.’
Perhaps I should be grateful that I hadn’t gone completely mad like Marionette.
No, perhaps I had already gone completely insane, and that was just how it seemed.
-Bzzzt.
[Important Character Notification]
[The Doctor]
[Owner of the Secret Laboratory]
[S-rank Villain]
[Real Name: ???]
‘Important character,’ huh…
“Hahaha, it seems your body is itching for something.”
A voice, much like that of a benevolent grandfather, spoke.
“If you need something to sate your desires, just say the word.
There are plenty of suitable subjects inside.”
Despite the tone, the content was anything but.
The Doctor seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
Unaware of what was to come.
“Come to think of it, have you decided on a name?
With your appearance, a name should be chosen carefully…”
“Marionette.”
“Hm?”
I replied instantly.
Regardless of the side effects, the surgery was a success.
Therefore, my next course of action was as good as decided.
And there was a perfect target right before my eyes.
“That is my name.”
Clack!
And I snapped my fingers.
A small, piercing sound spread through the air.
Instinctively, I knew how to use it.
Just as the Doctor had said.
[Skill: Puppet Show used on target…]
[Success!]
“What is this?!”
A voice of uncharacteristic alarm burst from the Doctor’s lips.
His body, frozen solid in mid-air, was stuck in a somewhat comical pose.
“A, an manipulation-type ability?
Congratulations.
You’re quite lucky, aren’t you?
Manipulation-type abilities are extremely rare to manifest.
Un, understand now, just stop this…”
“…”
I did not reply.
Sensing something, he desperately continued.
“H-hey!!
If you kill me, you won’t survive either!
If you don’t regularly receive the drugs I created…!”
[Message]
[Body Collapse Rate 12%]
[Follow-up treatment recommended]
“I know.
You’re going to say my body will crumble and I’ll die, aren’t you?”
I knew it without him saying.
That was why villains couldn’t kill him, despite his abysmal combat strength.
The villains born from enduring the artificial superhuman surgery had an immense attachment to life.
They could not defy the Doctor and the drugs he provided.
The Doctor cleverly exploited such villains, firmly maintaining his position.
Thus, he repeatedly performed the experiments he so desired, ultimately contributing to the world’s destruction.
“H-he knew that, then why…?”
The Doctor mumbled, his voice a little dumbfounded.
“I’ll be fine.
I can just ask the Saintess for healing.”
“The Saintess… surely not…!”
The Doctor, chewing on my words, cried out as if realizing something.
“You were involved with the Cradle…!
But you’re far too young…”
“I’m scheduled to enroll this year.
Not in the Hero Department, but the General Studies Department.”
“H-hey!
I understand you have something to rely on!”
He quickly added, seeing me raise my finger.
“You’re even more audacious than I thought.
I concede.
Your meticulously planned follow-up strategy is quite impressive.
But there’s still something you don’t know.
The Saintess will soon…!”
“It’s fine.”
However, I cut off the Doctor’s words again, without hesitation.
“She won’t die.
Much to your disappointment.”
“Y-you even knew about that plan…? Just who are you…”
The Doctor’s voice was clearly shocked.
I spoke no more and raised my right hand.
“Doctor.
Slit your throat with the scalpel and commit suicide.”
And with a flick of my finger, I offered a brief farewell.
Clack!
[Skill: Puppet Show used on target…]
[Success!]
The Doctor’s trembling arm squirmed, creeping through the air.
His thick fingers reached for the sharp scalpel beside the operating table.
Then, he picked it up, sharpened its blade, and began to bring it to his own throat.
“N-no…!”
“Why are you so flustered?
It’s what you’ve always done.
And what you would have continued to do.
Perhaps it feels different when it’s happening to you?”
The Great Evil.
S-rank Villain, the Doctor.
Without you, Marionette would never have been born.
She wouldn’t have made me her puppet.
And Yuha wouldn’t have died hesitating over such a piece of trash like me.
So this… is your well-deserved retribution.
“Please, please…!”
The Doctor pleaded.
His pleas did not reach me.
They merely sounded like the squealing struggles of a pig.
“I’m not meant to die in a place like this…!
There’s still, still so much I need to do… Ugh, cough…!”
Slish.
The faint sound of flesh being cut spread through the air.
Soon, blood began to gush like a fountain, yet his hand, unheeding, plunged even deeper into his own neck.
“Gag, cough…”
His pleading voice mingled with frothy blood, eventually fading.
Finally, a crunch sounded as the scalpel scraped against bone.
And with a thud, the massive figure collapsed.
