## Chapter 1 – A Villain Organization Vanishing Overnight?
***
In a world where people with magical abilities, known as “I-Powers,” began to appear, some used their powers to make life easier or contribute to human progress. Conversely, others used their powers to plunge people into chaos and disrupt the world.
These evil I-Power users were called “Villains,” and the heroes who protected the city and its citizens from them began to be called “Heroes.”
Heroes, represented by the “Hero Alliance,” and numerous villains and villain organizations created a world filled with tense, drawn-out conflict.
“Dark Knights” was one of the more infamous of these villain organizations.
***
Dark Knights Combat Unit, Soldier No. 505.
A name so clunky it lacked any sense of style, especially for a villain.
It had been years since I boldly joined this villain organization with the grand dream of becoming a world-shaking, ruthless archvillain, and was given that name.
In a world where I-Power users with magical abilities appeared, I aspired to be a great villain without possessing even the slightest I-Power.
All I had was a bit more stamina and strength than others, which wasn’t enough to take on even a C-class hero.
It had been a long time since I’d resigned myself to just trying to survive in combat.
‘Ugh… I want to hurry home on my day off and crack open a can of beer.’
But it wasn’t like I could just leave this villain organization whenever I wanted.
Lower-ranking soldiers often died within a year or quit quickly, but I had endured for years without getting seriously injured, thanks to my sturdy body and tough resilience.
The organization would never let a durable meat shield like me leave quietly, because of my value.
Of course, I received more money and better treatment compared to other lower-ranking members… but I didn’t join to become the head of these bottom-tier grunts!
‘Sigh… what’s the point of grumbling to myself like this every day?’
I hoped that either this organization would collapse and set me free, or that I would suddenly be chosen by an I-Power and become the villain I always wanted to be.
Hoping for one of these two things to happen as soon as possible, I sighed deeply and waited silently for the next order.
– WEEEOOOOOOO!!!
Suddenly, the siren in the waiting room blared loudly.
“What? Ugh…”
Those who had been waiting up all night, unable to sleep, looked around in surprise.
Usually, a siren meant either a call to action or an emergency.
“Big trouble! The heroes are attacking!!”
“What? Heroes?”
One soldier, already injured, clutched his arm and rushed urgently towards the command room.
Other soldiers, realizing the seriousness of the situation, began to prepare for battle, and I also straightened my combat uniform and waited for the commander’s orders.
“All troops, prepare for battle!”
Having been informed of the attack by the soldier who had just rushed in, the commander immediately burst into the waiting room, looking tense, and issued the order to prepare for battle.
“It’s estimated to be an A-class or B-class hero. Stay sharp.”
Heroes had attacked the organization’s hideout more than once or twice, but they had all been B-class or C-class heroes.
About three soldiers like me could handle a C-class hero, and it took a double-digit number of soldiers to subdue a B-class hero.
But even the commander would struggle against an A-class hero. The appearance of an A-class hero was a definite emergency for the organization.
It wasn’t as if the Dark Knights had never fought an A-class hero before, and the chances of winning were quite high if a commander or general-level figure stepped up.
However, that was only if they knew about the attack in advance and prepared for it; in a surprise attack like this, the outcome was uncertain.
“An A-class hero! Are we all going to die?”
“W-we need to seal off the hideout right now!”
At the mention of an A-class hero, the soldiers pleaded with the commander in fearful voices.
‘Ah. Are we really going to die?’
Even I, who had been here for quite some time, felt fear.
“Are you suggesting we abandon the organization and run away! Is that all the strength the Dark Knights have!”
The commander shouted at the demoralized soldiers, his voice filled with anger.
Sweat was running down the face of the very agitated commander, which meant that even though he was saying that, he was quite panicked and nervous himself.
Unable to bear it any longer, the commander grabbed the arms of several soldiers and forcibly dragged them out, and eventually, I and the others reluctantly followed him.
“Kuaaaaaaaack!!!”
“Iaaaaaaaap!!”
When we came out into the hallway, it was already a mess, with fallen soldiers everywhere.
“All troops! Chargeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!”
“Iaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!”
The commander ordered an attack on the A-class hero with orange hair, and dozens of soldiers who had been forced to come along charged in awkwardly.
– Ku-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!!!
“Kuaaaaaaaack!!!”
“Haha! If you want to defeat this hero, ‘Ignition,’ bring someone stronger!”
Spitting out huge flames from his hands, he quickly roasted dozens of soldiers to a crisp, then revealed himself as the hero “Ignition,” flashing a confident smile.
Of course. He’s an A-class hero. What can useless grunts like us do?
“This won’t do. Soldier 505!”
“Y-yes!”
Even the commander, who had been burning with determination, looked flustered and called me out.
“The situation is difficult due to the surprise attack, but for some reason, we can’t reach the command center. 505, go to the command center yourself, find out what’s going on, and request support.”
How would a grunt like me know where the higher-ups are!
…but I can’t say that, can I.
“Could you tell me where the command center is?”
“It’s located in the very center of the 8th floor. Take this and ask for help.”
The commander handed me his name tag and charged towards the hero who was massacring the soldiers.
***
“Haa… haa. Why is it so high up?”
Following the commander’s orders, I climbed the stairs to the 8th floor, where the command center was located.
I had lived in this hideout for years, but I had hardly ever been up to the 8th floor. The only times I had were when I was told to carry heavy luggage or furniture to the command center.
“What.”
Normally, several members of the organization should be standing guard, but the command center was empty and the door was open, as if they had moved out.
“Is anyone there! Commander! Supreme Leader!”
I opened the glass door, which was left unguarded, but all that was inside was the command center in a mess, as if they had eloped in the night.
“Did they already run away? The heads of the organization? Shit?”
The fancy props and the Dark Knights flag were lying on the floor, broken, and the Supreme Leader’s large portrait was only partially wrapped, as if they didn’t have time to pack it properly.
It seemed they had realized the hero was attacking first and ran away, leaving their subordinates behind.
Come to think of it, the Dark Knights’ Supreme Leader, Kaiser, had never properly appeared in front of his subordinates, always just showing his voice while hidden somewhere by the commander.
Perhaps it was only natural for them to run away together in this situation. It wasn’t natural when considering the betrayal that I and the other subordinates would soon feel.
But the more important problem was how to survive and escape from here.
“They’re all really expensive things. Should I take a few of these and run away?”
While contemplating an escape route, I noticed a piece of jewelry on the table that seemed to belong to the Supreme Leader.
A purple gem, encased in a transparent glass case, was emitting quite a radiant light. Beautifully crafted and quite large, it seemed to be worth a fortune.
“He always made his subordinates work so he could buy things like this? Seriously…”
I’ll take at least this one gem, which looks like it’s easily worth hundreds of millions of won. The other things are too big and heavy to carry and run away with anyway.
‘Yeah. I’ll take this and get some reward for my years of hard work.’
With the intention of selling it for a high price, I carefully put the gem in my pocket and kept thinking about how to escape quietly before the hero arrived.
I don’t know how the commander and the Supreme Leader escaped, but I couldn’t see any secret stairs or passages leading directly to the ground.
“Huh? Is that it?”
Just when I thought I had to go down normally, I saw a small hole.
A hatch that looked exactly like the wall was open, and it seemed to be an escape route that led down a slope like a slide.
It seemed they had escaped this way.
The moment I excitedly tried to slip into the hole.
“I can’t let you escape that easily, can I?”
“Ah.”
That confident and energetic female voice I heard in the hallway earlier. Could this voice be…
“Stop right there, got it? Or I’ll just roast you.”
