“Cough, cough…! Eunha! This guy, he’s probably an A-rank villain! Call the police first…!”

“What?! An A-rank villain…!? Got it! I’ll call the—ugh! My phone melted from that last ability…!”

…Ju Eunha, seeing her best friend being choked by the assailant—

In her shock, stared at the phone scorched black by the flames wrapped around her fist…

Regretting her stupid mistake too late.

“Argh! I just got this phone, and Mom’s gonna be so mad…!”

“Hahaha! Thought a hero showed up, but it’s just another ditzy girl. Your only way out went up in flames, and you’re worried about that?”

Step, step.

“…Hehehe. I only need one hostage, so you, shiny kid, are gonna have a rougher time than your friend.”

“Huh? Hey, mister, aren’t you misunderstanding something…? Reporting a villain is the first thing a citizen should do, so I tried that first…”

Grin.

“…But the moment I showed up, you were already as good as arrested.”

***

Floaters, or muscae volitantes.

A curious but fairly common phenomenon where bug- or dust-like shapes drift across your vision.

…Annoying, but it doesn’t affect eye health or daily life much.

Unless it’s severe, hospitals treat it lightly, barely considering it a condition.

…So when she first saw them—

Her mom and the eye doctor didn’t think much of her symptoms.

Even in a world where superpowers were normal—

Seeing things others couldn’t was more likely floaters than some rare spiritual superpower.

So, her mom took her not to a local eye clinic—

But to a cutting-edge superpower assessment center at a major hospital—

When those droplet- or tiny fairy-like things—

Started talking to her in late elementary school.

“Ifrit, Aerial, back me up with my attack.”

Whoosh!

“Argh…! What’s with this crazy wind! You, a multi-ability user—?!”

Despite it being a ‘single’ ability—

The four spirits, each with distinct personalities, clashed so badly with opposing elements—

Making her power harder to control than most multi-ability users.

She barely passed the academy entrance at 50th place—

“Undine, protect Seola from the flames.”

Splash—!

“What nonsense…! There’s only one person in Korea with three or more abilities…!”

Through grueling effort, she proved what a ‘late bloomer’ ability could do—

By her second semester of first year, she surpassed Seola, the original top student, to take first place.

By second year, she outdid her seniors, topping the practical exam rankings.

…And now, at the start of her third year—

“Gaia, bury him underground.”

BOOM—!!

“Urgh! My body…!!”

Even the teachers at Seoul Hero Academy—once mostly top-tier A-rank pro heroes—

Found sparring with her, using her powers to prepare for real villain fights, a bit daunting—

She’d already become a true ‘monster.’

***

Drip—

“Eunha…! Are you okay?!”

“Hehe, I’m fine. Just a nosebleed from overdoing it a bit.”

Swipe.

“…Ugh, and the earth spirit still doesn’t listen well on concrete like this.”

Seeing Seola’s concern, Eunha, who’d summoned too many spirits at once, wiped her nosebleed—

And grinned at the villain, buried deep in the ground with only his head and cuffed arms sticking out.

Her head was still a bit dizzy…

But she’d subdued the dangerous villain Seola pegged as A-rank—

“Argh…!!! You brats, barely out of diapers, daring to do this to me…!!”

“Hehe, yelling with just your head and arms out isn’t scary at all. Seola, I’ll keep him buried, so go report to the nearest police station.”

“Oh…! Got it!”

…And thankfully, Seola was unharmed.

Aside from getting chewed out by her mom for the burned phone, everything turned out fine.

But—

Crack, CRUNCH!!

“Wha—! What’s that…! Gaia! Hold him tighter!”

CRACK! SNAP—!!

“Phew…! My arm’s still healing, so I didn’t want to overdo it…”

CLANG—!!!

…Suddenly, the villain buried underground snapped the special cuffs—unbreakable even by high-pressure water jets—

And crawled out, muscles bulging, advancing toward Eunha.

***

“Ugh! Aerial! Back me up!”

Swish, BOOM!

“Heh, too weak, kid. That’s barely a massage.”

“No way! What kind of body…!”

Even with the wind spirit’s boost, Eunha’s kick only slightly dented his cheek—his jaw didn’t even budge.

Grab! THUD—!!

“Eek! Eunha…!”

…Then he snatched Eunha’s slender leg and slammed her to the ground.

“Ugh…! Wait, that face…! You’re—!”

“…Tch, my mask came off from that hit. Heh, killing kids in Seoul’s a bit iffy, but you saw my face, so no choice.”

“Ugh…! You were arrested by Smile just days ago…!”

And then—

“Yeah, I was. Moved so carefully, but that monster caught me. Heh, luckily, I woke from the anesthesia during transfer to Seoul East Prison and escaped.”

…Showing a face broadcast nationwide days ago as a bank robber from Incheon—

“Hehehe, I’m Strong, the enhanced human. As hero wannabes, consider it an honor to die by my hand.”

He slowly pronounced their death sentence.

***

Enhanced Human Strong.

A rising A-rank villain, recently added to the list.

His short criminal history and tendency to flee from high-rank heroes kept his death toll low, securing his A-rank status—

But with his ability, he could wipe out an entire battalion of heavily armed troops.

His power’s danger level could easily qualify him for S-rank.

…Just a week ago, the Superhuman Management Department considered forming a task force with S-rank hero Flame Witch Revi and ten veteran A-rank heroes—

A villain who could jump to S-rank anytime.

But he was caught by Smile before that, keeping him A-rank for now.

“Ugh…!! H-Help—”

“Seola! Urgh, Ifrit… Argh!”

“Heh, those idiots. If they wanted to sedate me, they should’ve used a dose for a thousand elephants.”

And this beyond-common-sense monster—

Now held both their heads, radiating killing intent with a grin.

…Having pushed his ‘body enhancement’ ability to the max, despite the strain—

A slight squeeze of his fingers would crush their skulls like tofu.

“Kid, a tip before you die: in the face of true ‘overwhelming power,’ your fancy multi-tricks mean nothing.”

“Argh…!! Gaia! At least help Seola escape, one more time… Aaaah!!”

CRUNCH—!

“So, in your next life, pick your fights better. …If there is a next life. Hahaha!”

Just as Strong was about to crush their heads—

Tap—.

“Heh, who dares touch my shoulder? Why do people in this town love sticking their noses into scary stuff…?”

Tap, tap.

“Phew…! Looks like I’ll get blood on my hands today, unexpectedly—”

“Hmm, a grown man assaulting minors in my patrolling Seoul. Didn’t know such bold delinquents still existed.”

Mutter, mutter.

“…Tch, does a thug like this count toward my quota? Hmm, it’s a bit iffy.”

A being who made Strong’s ability seem like a dying insect before a blazing sun—

“…Huh? Wait, now I see—this is that bank robber from a few days ago? Not just a thug, but a dangerous escapee?”

The true beyond-common-sense monster appeared.

Next Episode

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