NOVEL NEXT chapter 25
Chapter 25. The Hero
‘Yoon Yuna?’
Kim Do-jin flinched, halting in his tracks.
He had just arrived in front of the building where Jeong Ye-eun worked, and by chance, Yoon Yuna appeared alongside her.
‘…Did they come out to eat together?’
Hiding slightly, Kim Do-jin murmured to himself, then stealthily followed behind.
“Hmm…”
Indeed, Yoon Yuna had come to dine with her mother, and the two entered a nearby restaurant to place their order.
‘They seem to get along well.’
Kim Do-jin pondered what to do next, eventually settling on the rooftop of a four-story building across the street.
He had no intention of confronting Jeong Ye-eun; he merely wished to see how things were, planning to observe a little longer before leaving.
Perched on the rooftop railing, he watched intently as Yoon Yuna and her mother enjoyed their meal, laughter spilling from their table.
– Kwang!
Suddenly, an explosion erupted.
“What was that?”
Kim Do-jin immediately sought the source of the blast, spotting a man chasing a woman as he emerged from the chaos.
“…A trashy one?”
Observing the man’s actions, it became clear he was a type that society should isolate.
“What to do?”
Kim Do-jin wrestled with the decision of whether to intervene and subdue the man himself or wait for a special defense agent or another righteous awakened one to step in.
But in the midst of his deliberation.
“Stop!”
Yoon Yuna burst from the restaurant, standing defiantly in front of the man.
“Um….”
Kim Do-jin toyed with his chin, deciding to observe the situation a while longer.
“…Huh?”
A fight that began after some heated arguments.
Unexpectedly, the man’s skills surpassed those of Yoon Yu-na, who had seemed rather unimpressive.
And as Kim Do-jin watched him,
“What luck this is.”
His eyes sparkled with delight.
Suddenly, that rare ‘Speedster’ superhuman had emerged… This was an opportunity that must be ‘devoured.’
“I must step in.”
Of course, even if the man did not possess the ‘Speedster’ ability, he had intended to intervene.
It was to save Yoon Yu-na, the daughter of his benefactor, Yoon Si-heon.
– Thud!
Kim Do-jin kicked off the rooftop railing and landed just in time before Yoon Yu-na.
“……!”
At the sudden appearance of her savior, Yoon Yu-na’s eyes widened in surprise, while the man, Lee Woo-sang, who had been lumbering toward her to deliver the final blow, furrowed his brow.
“What the hell is this brat?”
Some people recognized Kim Do-jin, being the son of the famous Kim Mu-ho.
However, Lee Woo-sang could never recognize that face.
For Kim Do-jin was wearing a black mask that revealed only his distinctive crimson eyes.
‘I never thought this would come in handy, just in case.’
Kim Do-jin had no intention of revealing his identity to Yoon Yu-na.
After all, she already disliked him, and he believed that entangling himself further would not be in her best interest.
Still, he wondered how effective this mask would be for disguise, but there was something else he needed to do right now.
– Swoosh!
Silently, Kim Do-jin drew the sword he had at his waist and aimed it at Lee Woo-sang, whose face twisted into a more grotesque expression.
“Ha… disgusting hero brats.”
In this world, there were quite a few ‘heroes’ who operated behind masks, so Lee Woo-sang mistook Kim Do-jin for one of them.
“Why live like such a pathetic fool after gaining superhuman strength? That sorry sight is just too damn repulsive to bear!”
Lee Woo-sang shouted angrily and charged at him unexpectedly.
– Clang!
But Kim Do-jin did not falter; he deflected Lee Woo-sang’s sword to the side.
And at the same moment, he attempted a counterattack.
– Whoosh!
A sharp strike, expertly aimed at the opening.
Yet Lee Woo-sang was a ‘Speedster,’ a superhuman capable of dodging bullets with ease.
– Vroom!
Suddenly, it seemed as if only Lee Woo-sang had doubled his speed, evading Kim Do-jin’s blade.
And with that velocity, he began to unleash a flurry of attacks upon Kim Do-jin.
– Clang clang clang clang!
Kim Do-jin thought as he parried the relentless onslaught with minimal movement.
“They call him a Speedster because of his rapid movements, but the truth is, his ability is more accurately described as time transcendence. Still, even that power cannot be used indefinitely.”
In terms of experience as a ‘Speedster’—or rather, a time-transcending superhuman—Kim Do-jin was far superior to Lee Woo-sang.
“Tch!”
Indeed, after unleashing a barrage of strikes like lightning, Lee Woo-sang’s speed began to wane.
There was surely a cooldown before he could use his ‘time transcendence’ ability again, and his mana must be depleting continuously.
“It would be wise to hold out until the Special Defense Agency agents arrive… but that would be quite troublesome.”
Kim Do-jin’s goal was to consume Lee Woo-sang’s ‘time transcendence’ ability.
Thus, he needed to end the battle before the agents from the ‘Special Defense Agency’ could intervene.
“Enough!”
Having surveyed the terrain around him, Kim Do-jin executed the secret maneuver he had devised long ago.
“If I can evade any attack, then I simply won’t give him space to dodge.”
The moment he made his decision, he sprang into action.
– Crack!
He tore a chunk of earth from the ground to his right and hurled it at Lee Woo-sang.
“What the hell!”
Lee Woo-sang showed a moment of surprise at the massive boulder hurtling toward him.
– Thud!
Yet, as expected, he dodged it with ease.
Kim Do-jin then ripped another chunk of earth from the ground to his left and threw it at Lee Woo-sang once more.
“Do you really think such attacks will work?”
—
Lee Woo-sang easily dodged the attack once more, a mocking grin spreading across his face.
Wasn’t he just wasting his magic like a fool?
But that was not the truth.
“Die!”
With a fierce determination, Lee Woo-sang lunged at Kim Do-jin again, who waited for the perfect moment before launching himself backward.
– Crash!
The attack missed, striking the ground instead.
Yet Lee Woo-sang, unfazed, attempted to pursue Kim Do-jin once more.
But at that very moment.
“Huh?”
Lee Woo-sang’s eyes widened as he sensed something amiss.
However.
“Ugh!”
It was already too late to react.
– Thud!
In an instant, the ground collapsed like a sinkhole, and Lee Woo-sang fell into the space Kim Do-jin had left behind.
“A pathetic trick!”
Lee Woo-sang huffed, preparing to escape as if this pitiful trap could not hold him.
But if they were going to let him go, they wouldn’t have trapped him in the first place.
Kim Do-jin extended his sword, blocking the space Lee Woo-sang needed to leap.
“Ugh!”
With all his might, he slammed the boulders he had pushed to the sides back together.
– Crash!
No screams were heard.
Only the sound of two massive rocks colliding and something caught in between bursting echoed faintly.
“……”
He felt a revulsion toward murder, yet no guilt lingered.
Lee Woo-sang was the kind of scum that deserved to die, a wretch who had awakened such a rare power as ‘time transcendence.’
‘He’s the kind of monster who mercilessly killed innocents while blowing up building walls; who knows how many more lives he would have taken if left alive?’
In any case, the problem was resolved.
—
“Whoo….”
Yoon Yuna had managed to preserve her life, and she found herself capable of devouring a new superpower.
– Whiiiiiing…
As expected, two streams of mana flowed from the spot where Lee Woo-sang had been, seeping into Kim Do-jin’s body.
‘No, wait…’
Kim Do-jin’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘Two streams?’
Until now, the only superpower Lee Woo-sang had wielded was ‘Time Transcendence.’
But why were two streams of mana spilling forth?
‘Was there another superpower lying dormant?’
If not, the current situation made no sense.
‘Just devouring Time Transcendence would be a jackpot, and now this bonus on top of it.’
A smile blossomed on Kim Do-jin’s face, hidden beneath his mask, but this was not the time to bask in delight.
The priority was to leave the scene before the special defense agents, alerted by the report, arrived.
So he turned sharply, ready to run.
“Um….”
Yoon Yuna, who had been hesitating, finally approached and spoke cautiously.
She was probably trying to express her gratitude for being saved, but Kim Do-jin chose to ignore her and made to leave.
‘I can’t be exposed here.’
But just then.
“Huh? What’s this? Is it already sorted out?”
Another figure appeared on the scene.
A middle-aged man, his white doctor’s coat fluttering, landed with a thud on the rooftop of the building.
‘Hmm? That person is…’
Kim Do-jin recognized him immediately by his distinctive appearance.
Professor Joo Si-hyung, one of the only 15 S-rank Awakened in South Korea.
Famous for not transitioning to a Hunter despite being an Awakened, he continued his medical practice, and his hero activities, which he treated as a side job, had garnered him considerable popularity.
However, the appearance of such an S-rank heavyweight was not a welcome sight for Kim Do-jin at this moment.
It was best to make a quick exit before getting entangled in troublesome matters.
“Hey! Over there!”
Kim Do-jin sprinted forward, leaving Yun Yu-na’s cries behind.
But then.
“Hey!”
Coincidentally, Joo Si-hyung began to chase after him.
‘Ah, me…’
Kim Do-jin pushed himself to run with all his might, but it wasn’t long before he was caught up.
“Why are you running away?”
He considered using the newly acquired power of ‘time transcendence,’ but even that was futile; with his mere B-class magic, evading an S-class powerhouse was impossible.
‘If I’m going to be caught anyway, it’s better to just give in.’
Ultimately, he ran until he reached a deserted alley and came to a halt.
– Thud!
Not long after Kim Do-jin stopped.
– Thump!
Joo Si-hyung landed gracefully ten meters in front of him.
Unlike Kim Do-jin, who had been running for his life, Joo Si-hyung descended after effortlessly leaping across dozens of rooftops, embodying the essence of an S-class monster.
“Hmm…”
Joo Si-hyung peered at Kim Do-jin’s crimson eyes, revealed between the slits of his black mask, with an expression of intrigue.
“Why did you run? Aren’t you the hero who caught that villain earlier?”
After a brief pause, Kim Do-jin replied.
“Because I don’t want my identity to be revealed.”
Joo Si-hyung nodded thoughtfully.
“True. There are heroes who operate under the radar, claiming to hide their identities to avoid villainous retribution.”
At first, he seemed to understand, but suddenly his characteristic sharp gaze sharpened as he continued.
“However, vigilante activities without authorization in South Korea are illegal. Even those heroes wearing masks have revealed their identities to the Special Investigation Bureau. But… I’ve never seen someone like you before?”
It was clear that Joo Si-hyung had no intention of letting him go easily.
“I’ll commend you for catching that villain earlier, but how can I trust you when I don’t know your true motives? You might not be fighting for justice at all; it could just be that you committed murder for personal gain.”
The atmosphere was thick with the implication that he wouldn’t be let go without revealing his identity.
‘Damn… Is there really no way out?’
Regrettably, he knew he couldn’t win against an S-class awakened being right now, and there were no other options available.
“…….”
Kim Do-jin, at last, slowly raised a hand to grasp the mask.
With a subtle motion, he peeled it away, revealing his bare face to Joo Si-hyung.