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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Raid (2)
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"What should we do, Lord Marmo?"
"Ugh, where the hell did that woman come from? You guys, you did exactly as I told you, right?!"
"Yes, yes! Of course!"
"Damn it...!"
I couldn't tear my eyes away from the horrific scene on the CCTV.
I'd planned to just kick back and relax at the hideout, but some crazy bitch ruined everything.
I hadn't even worried about being discovered by anyone.
No, I could have escaped immediately the moment there was any hint of detection.
I was confident in my ability to escape and hide.
I'd risen to the rank of executive in Übermensch with that one skill alone.
...Alright, I admit it. The hideout's location *was* risky.
But it was an unavoidable choice to feed hundreds of people.
This was the best option to feed so many mouths.
The site of an old dungeon, unpopular with people.
A place that was the very outskirt of the outskirts.
I'd even disguised it as private property to prevent anyone from accidentally stumbling in.
There's no way she came in by accident.
She definitely came in with a clear, specific purpose.
But for me not to have even noticed.
If there had been even the slightest hint that someone had figured out this location, there's no way I wouldn't have known.
What happened?
"Th-that's an incredible speed! At this rate, she'll be here any minute!"
"Crazy...!"
A chill ran down my spine.
I'm the weakest of the executives. That's because I specialize in hiding and escaping.
But an executive is still an executive.
I prided myself on being on a level incomparable to the grunts.
Yet, I didn't think I could win against that woman.
To turn dozens of people into cube steaks in an instant.
Her merciless actions sent shivers down my spine.
Doing something like that while wearing an academy uniform?
Ha, no matter how much the defection of academy students is a social problem these days, there's no way such a human exists.
That's not like an academy student.
That's a villain.
"Is she some bitch who infiltrated the academy from another villain organization...? Tsk, we're escaping! Hurry and get ready! There's no time!"
"I don't think that'll be possible."
"What do you mean, 'not possible'! Just do as I say—"
Wait a minute.
...That voice just now.
It wasn't the guy I was talking to.
Who was it?
"Pleased to meet you. You're the person in charge here, correct?"
"…!"
-*Swish.*
"Haha, what a passionate person. I like it. Your initiative is excellent. An executive, indeed. You pass."
Crazy, she didn't even bat an eye?!
It was a surprise attack with all my might.
The dagger I always carried, kept for emergencies.
I poured a huge amount of mana into that dagger and shot it.
The intruder was completely off guard.
Her relaxed posture. The complacency of not even looking at my hands.
Numerous signs indicated it was a perfect surprise attack.
...In the blink of an eye, the dagger shattered.
And the moment I confirmed the surprise attack had failed and tried to run without looking back.
I saw magic gathering in that crazy bitch's skirt.
"Damn it! It's that attack! Everyone, get ready!"
I heard one of my subordinates yell that.
No, that's not it.
That's different from such indiscriminate slaughter...!
By the time I realized that fact, it was already too late.
Because threads, released in an instant, wrapped around the necks of my subordinates and me.
D-damn it. I was too tense from seeing her dice people...!
"Don't move. You might get hurt, you know?"
"L-Lord Marmo! Ugh, die!"
"Oh, I told you not to move."
*Crunch.*
The gruesome sound of flesh and bone crushing echoed ominously.
H-haha...
What the hell was that?
Clearly, that guy was a body enhancement ability user.
I remembered him.
He was usually at the forefront when we went on missions.
He was the kind of guy who'd only get a scratch even if a magical beast bit him all over.
And a guy like that dies so easily?
The threads wrapped around his neck began to constrict instantly, and in an instant.
Truly, in an instant, with a horrible sound, his neck twisted.
I didn't even need to check to know.
He was dead. By that woman's hand.
Cleanly, without a shred of hesitation.
A human life was extinguished with emotionless movements, as if butchering a pig in a slaughterhouse.
"Hmm, I told you not to move, didn't I? It's dangerous."
It sent shivers down my spine.
Anyone who saw that scene would feel the same.
I mean, a person's neck was ripped apart so brutally.
Even among villains, it's rare to find someone who kills a person with so little hesitation.
She's truly insane.
She looked like someone who didn't see people as people.
Even villains who had been through all sorts of hardships couldn't even think of resisting now.
Because life is precious.
Defying someone who doesn't see people as people is a useless act that only hastens one's demise.
Now, no one except that woman would be able to move freely.
Because that bitch's threads were around the necks of everyone here!
Cold sweat ran down me, and my stomach churned, so I stroked my neck.
A soft sensation, as if touching a baby's fair skin.
Disgustingly soft.
It felt like touching high-quality silk, but I couldn't properly enjoy it.
Normally, I would have teased and played with that lewd body.
But it was impossible.
Because the image of my subordinate, instantly turned into a cold corpse, flashed in my mind.
This woman, she's clearly threatening us right now.
It was clear from the fact that she could kill us instantly but wasn't.
She was silently pressuring us, implying we'd die if we didn't obey her.
"…What do you want?"
"Ahaha. What do I want, you ask?"
"Stop playing coy. You can kill us instantly, but you're keeping us alive. Tell me. What are your terms?"
Her smile, as if she was pleased, was disgusting.
Damn it.
This is really bad luck.
"It's the same as with the people who left earlier, you know? If you attack and kill the students, I'll let you live. How about it?"
"…I suppose there's no refusing. Understood."
"Good. I'm glad we understand each other! Now, please go quickly!"
"...Tsk. Let's go, guys. It's a mountain lodge halfway up the mountain. The target is three academy students."
"Y-yes, sir!"
I heard there were four academy students coming here.
Four, my ass.
It was one monster and three others.
Damn it, seriously. The academy is disgustingly incompetent.
How much tax do I pay for them not to filter out one dangerous woman like this?
"L-Lord Marmo. Shouldn't we escape now, even if it's late...?"
"No, it's impossible. We're caught. She's too meticulous."
Of course, it wasn't something I hadn't considered.
Because that bitch was already so far away that her figure was no longer visible.
But it was impossible.
"You, do you remember that bitch's face?"
"Wh-why? I-I can't remember...?!"
Just as I thought.
There's no way I'm a senile patient who can't even remember that.
She's meticulous, despite being a wanton woman who uses her clothes as a weapon.
...Her face, I can't remember it.
I could definitely remember her face when I saw her right in front of me.
But the moment I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to recall her appearance, her looks became foggy in my mind, and I couldn't remember them.
All I could remember was that she was a wanton woman in a leotard.
Where did she get an artifact like that?
An ability user has one ability per person.
If manipulating threads was that wanton woman's ability, then her face should be visible.
I also understood why she didn't use a hoodie.
That was the artifact.
"The threads around our necks haven't come off either, so it's dangerous. For now, we'll have to follow her wishes."
"Ugh, ugh..."
"Don't worry. You know me well."
"Y-yes, Lord Marmo! We trust you!"
"Good."
I suppressed the rising irritation.
How, how could I escape that wanton woman's grasp?
My brain began to spin rapidly.
***
"Wow, that wasn't as bad as I thought!"
[R-right? Hehe.]
"Yes. I wondered why there were only such weaklings, but if you added more settings, you should have told me."
[W-well. ...I thought you might be very angry.]
Ahaha.
There's no reason for me to be angry.
Our author brought consistency for 2,400 villains.
"I wondered why they were carrying guns, but it was because they weren't superhumans."
Right.
Weaklings who couldn't even detect the threads.
I wondered why they were carrying guns, but it seems the author had added more settings without me realizing.
"Hmm, it was a good setting, fitting for Übermensch. The superhumanization of all humanity. ...And that's a flat reason?"
[Yes, yes. But no more spoilers! Even if you're the reader, I can't tell you this!]
"It's fine. I can understand enough."
Right.
It was a setting that made me understand why there were so many villains who could become superhumans.
Superhumanization of all humanity?
Of course, it's a very cliché-ridden setting.
It's been reused so much that you know what it feels like without even experiencing it.
But clichés exist for a reason.
They say familiar tastes are the best, and readers tend to prefer what's already guaranteed to be good.
If you try to create a new dish, you're likely to ruin it.
You don't know if you'll get mint chocolate pineapple pizza or kimchi pizza tangsuyuk, and only a few people would try it.
Of course, there are always people who challenge such things, but the general public prefers stable flavors.
That's why proven clichés, like kimchi jjigae, are popular.
Of course, if you only feed them kimchi jjigae too much, they'll get sick of it and look for something else...
But that's not something to worry about right now.
Rather than feeding them mint chocolate pineapple pizza, it's better to just give them kimchi jjigae, even if they get a little tired of it.
Readers of the author's novel will also be grateful to me.
Oh, of course. Absolutely.
"The setting where ordinary people can truly become superhumans depending on their compatibility with the elixir, if their compatibility is high. That's very good."
[Ehehe...]
"The fact that there's a goal worth betraying the organization for, if the leader of a villain organization needs it, is also a bonus."
[H-how did you know that?!]
No, because it's a cliché.
I can tell without even looking.
I told you.
It's a taste you know without even trying it, you know?
"Alright, shall we go then? It's about time to keep an eye on Yoo Siwoo."
[Yes, yes! ...Just let me do this quickly.]
"Hmm? What did you say?"
[Oh, nothing!]
How dull.
...And I later regretted not pressing the author for answers.
To think they'd done something so 'cool' behind my back.
No, I admit it was cool, but.
Even so, that's just not right.