The Guy Next Door to the Heroine

2 – Nu Cal Hyup

How does one become destitute just because a bank disappears? Such a question might arise.

But this place is Demon Realm Incheon. DX’s sh*tty Incheon Special Autonomous District. I don’t know how Incheon came to this ridiculous state, but anyway.

Incheon was not a livable place. If it was merely a neighborhood with lots of troublemakers before the world changed, now it’s a level where it’s scary to walk around at night.

Just like how Cheong’s family moved next door, it was a neighborhood where people lived. Law and order? Is that edible? That’s Demon Realm Incheon.

Moreover, most places didn’t accept cards and didn’t install ATMs since they’d be robbed within a day.

So, if the bank is robbed this time, I have to take a train to withdraw money.

If I don’t like that, well, I have to live like a beggar until the bank is reconstructed.

“Move against the wall over there!”

Out of the total population, the proportion of awakened individuals is 10 percent. And of those, how many engage in hunter activities, battling villains. What work are those people doing?

Some sage somewhere said this.

‘If there are five humans, one is trash.’

The total population of this world is 10 billion, of which 1 billion are awakened. Just catching one in five makes 200 million trash.

And awakened individuals with strong powers are busy. Preventing dungeons from erupting, fighting with villains. And fighting with the government on top of that.

I don’t know why the worldview is like this, but by the time support arrives here, the situation would already be over.

To begin with, the number of people doing hero work is small. Among the awakened, 30 percent are villains, 60 percent are hunters, and the remaining 10 percent are heroes.

It won’t be divided exactly, but the number of heroes is absolutely insufficient.

So, what I want to say is.

“Don’t you work, hero?”

Getting involved in this kind of thing is truly troublesome once you do. If your face even gets captured, an identity investigation starts immediately. From investigating associations with villains to ideology verification.

Damn crazies, really. They’re desperate for personnel and they’re sincere only about this nonsense.

Honestly, there might be someone among those hostages who stays quiet because they don’t want to be investigated. Or maybe their power isn’t anything special.

I look around for something to cover my face.

“Why is this here?”

There’s a mask rolling on the floor. Like some kind of thief, a black mask, but it’s not enough to cover anything right now.

The sky is flying away right now. A whopping five months of living expenses.

I put on the mask and enter the bank. Inside, they’re busy transferring money after busting the safe.

So, what’s the status of the hostages? As expected of Demon Realm Incheon, the hostages seem nonchalant.

Aren’t you scared when a pyrokinetic is going wild?

“Who are you?!”

“Just a customer who came in to withdraw money.”

“Then you stick to the wall too!”

… Why is he so confident? No, why so confident? It’s baffling…

“Why are you so confident? Can you do something?”

What, are you some gang boss? Or maybe a former S-rank? Or maybe a national fugitive?

“What can I do? Spit! Now I’m being ignored by a sh*thead with a mask like this? I was a B-rank hunter!”

“Ah… B-rank?”

Here B-rank meant, what, top 5 percent I think?

“If you know then face the wall, asshole.”

Then he resumes moving the money.

“I can’t believe this.”

Was I just ignored?

I take a lighter and cigarette from my pocket…

“Ah, a lighter.”

Click, I light the lighter, the tip of the cigarette blazes red, and I place it in my mouth.

“Whew…”

At least by the 10th time, I don’t cough anymore.

Whether he’s dumb or overly confident, as I blow cigarette smoke towards the money-moving guys, they stop and look at me.

“Little sh*t…!”

From his hand, smoke rises and small spark-like explosions begin.

Papapapat, the sight seems like he’s setting off beans or something.

“What, why isn’t it exploding… It doesn’t matter. Such a minnow bastard!”

“Minnow, your words are too harsh. Don’t you know real compressed muscles? Despite appearances, I exceed a 350 in three categories.”

Well, for an awakened person, it would be strange not to exceed 500.

“But, why do you keep approaching?”

I don’t understand.

Discarded cigarette, around the vanished smoke, the air quivers due to the sizzling heat.

“Eh…?”

I step toward him with the burnt-out cigarette. As I point the still red-burning end toward him, he screams with a strange cry, stepping back frantically.

“

Kee, keeek!”

“Feeling hot now?”

With each step, the clothes he wore burned and the floor melted.

“Ah, is it too hot?”

I didn’t plan on melting the floor. But, well, I can’t control my strength well, so it can’t be helped.

I toss the burnt-out cigarette at him and deal with it.

“Ugh…!”

Whether he passed out or died, he probably didn’t die. It wasn’t hot enough nor for a long enough time to kill.

“A person wouldn’t die just from being touched by three thousand degrees for a moment.”

He’s an explosive power type, so he should have some heat resistance, right? Right?

Anyway, leaving the now-silent guy alone, I look at the punks.

They’re all wearing masks too. But was that guy really the leader?

“You guys, come here. I won’t kill you, so come.”

When I wave my hand, they timidly walk over.

“Quickly.”

“We, we’re here!”

“Me too!”

“No more?”

“Th-there are only three of us!”

That’ll do.

“Ah, the hostages over there, take care of things yourselves. I’ll stay here with these guys until the hero comes.”

I tell the hostages to handle things and,

“You, put the money back in the safe. If you run, you’ll die.”

“Ye, yes!!”

The guy, as if having a fit, rushes to move the money bags. It doesn’t matter if he runs; I’ll stuff him while he’s still alive.

“Is this guy your leader?”

Honestly, it’s too weak for robbing the only bank in Incheon. I wonder if there’s some sort of conspiracy. That’s the thought I had.

“Yes! The leader was active as a B-rank hunter for up to a year, ‘Dynamiter’!”

Whatever. What does it matter as long as the bank is safe?

But Dynamiter? Whether it’s a nom de guerre or whatever, this system is nuts. How nice it would be to just use their real name.

Oh, they were villains.

“Whatever, just stay here and play with me. It’s no trouble coming out for some fresh air once in a while, right?”

“Ye, yess!!”

One guy, as if he’s found a faith he didn’t have before, devoutly prays with his hands together.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“I, I, I am!”

“Don’t stutter.”

You don’t have a tic disorder, so why are you stuttering? You were spewing just fine a moment ago.

“I am!”

“Forget it. What am I going to do knowing your name.”

“…”

He looks downcast. Is he insane?

“But why did you guys break into the bank?”

“Well… that’s…”

“f*ck, this bank is the only bank in Incheon, you bastards. They won’t even build a bank if it’s not Galaxy.”

Now that everyone has abilities, they think ‘awesome, I have a good power! I’ll rob a bank!’ like morons. Who’s going to build a bank just because it’s pretty?

“I really don’t understand. Did someone threaten you with a knife to rob the bank?”

I ask if someone threatened them with a knife to rob.

“No, it’s not like that…”

“If not, shut up. Anyway, when are the heroes coming? Even if they’re short-staffed, there’s a limit.”

Whether or not it’s difficult to have them stand there reflecting while holding their dicks and for me to just sit there doing nothing, I hate wasting time on this kind of thing.

“Excuse me.”

Finally, it seems a hero has arrived. Heroes don’t exactly go around sounding sirens. Obviously.

That’s like telling the villains to run away.

But… Cheong’s mom? Why is she appearing here?

Even though she’s wearing a tightly fitting suit and a mask on her face, she is unmistakably Cheong’s mother.

“I am the C-rank hero Narae. Did you, perhaps, take care of this situation?”

Narae… much better than ‘Dynamiter.’

“Well, yeah? Don’t mind the mask. I just wore it because I didn’t want to be investigated while being carried around.”

Cheong’s mother nods with a bitter smile. But she was a hero. And a C-rank at that.

Cheong’s mother was suspiciously young and well-shaped for a mom. Even though I thought she was just the mother of a webtoon heroine…

How would I know she was a hero?

The minimum rank to become a hero is D-rank. But those D-ranks were just sent away as labor. The rank needed to actually be called a ‘hero’ was C. Even though it was still a low status.

The original webtoon itself didn’t have much content and I hadn’t even read all of it. How was I supposed to know what the mother of the main heroine does…

“What I want to say is, why is a C-rank coming in response to a B-rank villain…”

The difference between B-rank and C-rank isn’t life and death. It’s not like that, but generally, it’s common sense that you have to risk your life to barely win.

“As you know, the Hero Association is suffering from chronic staffing shortages… There were no B-rank people available to dispatch…”

“I see.”

It seems I’ll have to have a meeting with Cheong’s mother in the evening. Since she is the main heroine, Cheong, who surpasses S in potential, needs her mother to survive for stable growth and mental stability.

Webtoon survival strategy 1, protect the family of the lead.

“Anyway, I’ve handed them over.”

“Ah, yes! I’ve received them. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Bowing her head and straightening up, her appearance is sensual. Is it because the suit is sticking to her body…

This is seriously scam-level. How can this be a mother?