This was undeniably the greatest crisis Fearless had ever faced in her heroic life.
Yet, even amidst such peril, she desperately sought a solution.
Not merely to preserve her own life, but to achieve the optimal outcome.
Though she racked her brain relentlessly, no path to victory emerged.
It was utterly impossible for both of them to escape this predicament.
Fearless made her decision without hesitation.
‘Then, I must at least save the junior hero…!’
Her body was already battered beyond recognition, but she could surely buy them a little time.
Aid was truly on its way, with only moments left until its arrival.
If she sacrificed herself, then Psyche alone might be saved.
Just as Fearless, having reached this grim resolve, prepared to make her stand,
a shadow fell, stepping in front of her.
“Ah, it seems you still haven’t learned your lesson after what I did to you earlier.”
Psyche, stepping forward as if to shield Fearless, snapped at the villain.
While her words sounded somewhat awkward, the resolute will behind them was undeniably clear.
“D-do you really think you can take on both of us by yourself right now?”
‘What?’
Struck by Han Sua’s strangely phrased question, Fearless scrutinized the villain once more.
And then, something that had been obscured by her own urgency finally came into view.
Indeed, just as Psyche had implied, the suit of the villain known as Marionette was torn and shattered in various places.
‘Had he already fought a fierce battle with Psyche before arriving here…?’
Fearless couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.
‘He was clearly using a manipulation-type power… which might mean he’s surprisingly vulnerable in direct combat…!’
She had always acknowledged Psyche’s overflowing potential, but currently, Psyche was merely a student and a provisional hero, still ranking as a C-class hero.
Yet, not only had she single-handedly dealt with half of the Crescent Moon’s members, but she had also managed to land a blow on Marionette, who could even manipulate the formidable S-class villain Stingray like a mere pawn.
“Ugh…”
The villain’s frustrated grimace, unable to retort, served as undeniable confirmation.
Hope once again flickered across Fearless’s face.
A brief standoff ensued.
Before long, the faint wail of emergency sirens could be heard in the distance.
It was the support from other agencies that she had so desperately awaited.
‘They’re here…!’
Fearless finally let out a cry of certainty.
The villain, too, seemed to sense their presence, standing rigidly and staring in the direction of the approaching sounds.
“…Tsk, is this the end?”
A palpable regret emanated from Marionette as he turned his body once more.
He then uttered a sinister curse toward the two heroes.
“Do not think this is the last of it. I will surely repay today’s debt someday.”
It was a villain’s declaration, chilling and spine-tingling to merely hear.
Moreover, the entity before them possessed more than enough power to carry out such a threat.
His words were not empty boasts, but rather a grave and terrifying death sentence.
Yet, Psyche, though still awkward, responded with an undeniable air of defiance.
“G-go on, try it… I’ll just stop you again…!”
While her courage was commendable, her inexperience seemed to betray her, as she appeared utterly unaccustomed to such psychological warfare with a villain.
“…”
The villain remained silent.
After standing there, glaring at the two of them, he eventually turned and vanished into the swirling smoke.
Silence descended upon the area.
All that remained on the scene were the two heroes and the corpse of a villain with a shattered head.
It was only a few minutes later that heroes from the neighboring agency arrived.
“Two injured individuals found! Identified as Hero Fearless and Psyche!”
“Check their condition and prepare for hospital transport! The rest of you, conduct a thorough search of the perimeter! Be prepared to not let a single one escape!”
It was an unprecedented, monumental incident.
The field training ambush was thus drawing to a close.
****
[Skill: Machine Manipulation in use…]
[Skill: Cognitive Impairment in use…]
I limped forward.
The suit had already reverted to its bracelet form.
Just as I stepped back into the building,
“Cough, cough…!”
I could no longer suppress it, and a gush of blood erupted from my mouth.
“Cough… Ugh, Han Sua. Just how hard did you hit me?”
I couldn’t help but voice my complaint.
‘First, hit me.’
Han Sua, her face had looked quite satisfied earlier.
It wasn’t even a hypnotic command, just a request.
Had she been holding a grudge?
Well, it wasn’t as if the recent regurgitation of blood was entirely her fault.
[Warning]
[Thirst: 43% (-20%)] – Warning threshold reached
[Body Collapse Rate: 30% (+12%)] – Immediate follow-up action recommended.
The notifications chimed.
Thanks to using my power to kill a fair number of villains, my thirst level had decreased, but my body collapse rate had significantly increased.
That must be why I coughed up blood.
I had certainly overexerted myself.
Previously, I had only fought once every few days, and mostly against minor thugs, but today I had faced powerful opponents consecutively.
Among them was even the A-class villain, Baron.
Before my regression, he was a member of Stingray’s Crescent Moon, committing all sorts of atrocities until the world’s destruction.
Even then, if Han Sua hadn’t fought him with a readiness to die and weakened him, my hypnosis wouldn’t have worked.
[Power: Hypnosis proficiency has increased!]
[Skill: Puppetry proficiency has increased!]
.
.
.
Several notifications announcing increases in proficiency followed.
Well, if I continue like this, perhaps one day my hypnosis will even work on A-class, and eventually S-class, villains in their prime.
In any case, this provides a sufficient alibi for both sides.
As for Kim Woojin, the ordinary student, he was dragged away, assaulted, and injured for provoking a villain.
And the villain Marionette, who had infiltrated by recruiting Stingray, fought a battle with Psyche, suffered an unexpected blow, and was consequently defeated.
Perhaps due to overworking my body, my vision blurred significantly.
I ultimately couldn’t go any further and simply collapsed onto the ground.
Then, I softly murmured a name that came to mind.
“Han Sua…”
It was largely thanks to her that this incident was resolved so successfully.
Especially earlier, the way she single-handedly confronted the villains was truly heroic.
This was a side of Han Sua that I could never have known from a mere newspaper paragraph before my regression.
Ultimately, she, too, had been struggling fiercely.
Struggling to break free from her predetermined fate.
Although she had been burdened with all sorts of infamy before her regression, this time she had succeeded in achieving the heroic self she so desperately desired.
I found myself smiling.
I thought it fortunate.
That Han Sua was a hero, not a villain.
And that I was able to save her.
The scene earlier had been my gift.
It was an unprecedented, monumental incident: an A-class hero’s agency had been attacked.
The events of today would become a widespread topic of discussion.
The true culprit behind this ambush, Marionette, would garner even more attention from the Bureau of Management as a heinous and vicious villain.
And naturally, Han Sua’s reputation would also soar, having thwarted Marionette’s plot and even landed a decisive blow.
Not infamy as a villain, but prestige as a hero.
Well, Marionette is slated to become Flame Mist’s archenemy, but perhaps this much is acceptable.
“Haa…”
A sigh of relief escaped me naturally.
Once again, I had altered another branch of the future.
I had saved Han Sua and cleared her name.
While fully preserving the heroes’ combat strength, I had also successfully instilled a clear sense of fear towards villains.
And the infamy for orchestrating this attack? I had completely devoured it all.
Hwaryeon, the original mastermind, must feel like a dog chasing a chicken right now (TL Note: A Korean idiom meaning to miss an opportunity or have one’s efforts come to naught).
The same must be true for the individual within the Hero Management Bureau.
So, the conclusion is… this time, too, everything ended exceptionally well.
My vision spun.
As my consciousness and thoughts gradually blurred, I heard a familiar *ding*—the sound of a notification.
[Event Calendar]
[April 9th, Cradle Field Training Ambush Incident → Deleted]
Excellent.
I smiled, satisfied.
With that, the world sank into darkness.
****
In some cluttered room, a man and a woman huddled together as one.
The man, gently stroking the woman’s hair, had vacant eyes devoid of any vitality.
I immediately recognized his face.
Of course… that was me.
“…Woojin. My memories are gone again.”
The woman, nestled deeply in my embrace, mumbled to herself.
Recognizing her identity was not difficult either.
The main culprit who had bound me and turned the world into a living hell.
A member of the great evil before my regression, Marionette.
Truly, a name I could never forget, even in my dreams.
“I must have had family and friends… I’m sure I did… but I can’t remember anything…”
“…”
No answer came.
I merely held Marionette in my arms, my gaze blank, and gently stroked her hair.
Just like a doll.
Marionette, looking up at me slightly, whispered with a tearful voice.
“I’m sorry, I was wrong. But there was no other way. Now, all I have left is you…”
“…”
“No, you’re the bad one. If I didn’t do this, you would leave me…”
Given her somewhat kind demeanor, perhaps this was shortly after she had become a ‘doll’.
At that time, fragments of gentleness still lingered within her.
Though, it only seemed to appear a few times a year.
Memory loss was one of the side effects of the superhuman surgery she had undergone.
With no means of treatment, it progressively worsened, eventually driving Marionette to complete madness.
“I wish we hadn’t met like this. Then, I could have gotten along better with you…”
Marionette mumbled, looked up at me, then buried herself even deeper into my embrace.
She then closed her eyes, as if savoring the warmth.
“If only I had met you before then… we would have…”
She spoke.
And I awoke from the dream.
“Haaah…!”
