Chapter 6: Make SSS-class villain girl your second in command.

“W-What the hell? Who is that guy?”

“That’s the same guy from before! Why is he barging in again?”

“Give us our money back! This fight is ruined!”

Voices of outrage erupted from the audience. Annoying pests, nothing more than mosquitoes buzzing around. I picked up the microphone.

“『Get out of here, you worthless pieces of trash!!』”

The arena fell silent.

“『Did you not hear me? Do I need to come up there and make an example of all of you? Crawl out of here on your own, you pathetic scum.』”

I lifted the head of the villain lying on the ground. Realizing the situation, the audience began to scatter, leaving the arena in a panic.

“Haa… haa…”

I looked down at Lee Rua.

A frail body, stunted for her age, likely from malnutrition. Her long, unkempt black hair hung past her waist, and her still-youthful face was smeared with grime. Her breathing was labored, and her expression was one of confusion.

“…Are you going to kill me too?” she asked.

“Do you want to die?”

“No. I can’t die yet.”

“Then why did you stand in their way? That was a death wish.”

I pointed at the children crying in the corner.

“…I don’t know.”

“Your life is still in my hands. Do you understand?”

Lee Rua nodded slowly.

“Then from now on, you work for me.”

“…What?”

“This villain organization is now under my control. You’ll take a role here.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“You’ll just give me menial tasks, won’t you? At best, I’ll end up as some kind of… plaything for these villains. I don’t have time to waste on that.”

A sharp and perceptive woman.

“Do you have a goal you want to achieve?”

“Revenge.”

“Oh?”

A word with a resonance that piqued my interest.

I used Dragon’s Eye on her. It was a skill akin to appraisal.

[‘Unspecified’ / Lee Rua]

[Job: None]

[Rank: None]

[Abilities: [In Bloom] Lv.0]

[[Not Awakened]]

[Affiliation: None]

[Alignment: Chaotic-Good]

[Talent: Villain of Light (SSS)]

[??? (??)]

[??? (??)]

[Her burning desire for revenge is her greatest motivator.]
[She harbors dangerous secrets and is resigned to die in pursuit of them.]

This girl was exactly the kind of person I had been searching for.

“Good. You’ll lead all the villains. My direct subordinate. Second in command.”

“What? Do you think I’m stupid? If you think I’ll fall for sweet talk, you’re wrong.”

“Why do you think it’s sweet talk?”

“I have no power, no ability. You’re incredibly strong, aren’t you? You killed Big Joss with one strike and claimed this place as yours. Why would someone like you need someone as ordinary as me?”

She was unaware of her own talent. That made her all the more terrifying.

“My ability to judge a person’s character is trash.”

“…What?”

“But my ability to see talent? It’s unmatched. Believe in yourself. If you can’t, then abandon your reason and trust me.”

I whispered words she couldn’t resist.

“If you do, your revenge will be achieved.”

Now, it was up to her to decide.

Would she take my hand or not?

Lee Rua stared into my Dragon’s Eye for a long moment, as if searching for something. Finally, she nodded.

“…Alright.”

“Good. Come to my office.”

I first sorted out the chaos.

I made it clear to the villains that I was their new leader. Some resisted, but turning them into hamburger steak quickly silenced them.

Power alone wouldn’t ensure control, though.

I distributed part of the funds hoarded by the previous boss as bonuses. The quick-witted ones got extra. The underground arena, being a key source of income for the organization, was to remain operational. However, I ordered that no one should die unnecessarily.

Kidnapped debtors were freed.

With everything settled, only Lee Rua and I remained in the office.

“What will I do?” she asked.

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll train with me.”

“Train?”

“As you are now, you’re useless. We’ll awaken your abilities, teach you the basics of using them, and train you for combat.”

“Do I really have such a talent? More than the other villains in this arena?”

She looked uncertain, which was natural. Until now, she had always been on the losing side.

“If you don’t believe it, you can quit and leave.”

“…I won’t. I have nowhere to go.”

Lee Rua clenched her fists tightly.

“What about the children?”

“They’re at an orphanage. A trustworthy one. I donated plenty to ensure they’ll be fine.”

“Why would you do that? Someone who kills so easily…”

The absurdity of her question made me chuckle.

“Would you clean a plate with a rag that’s scrubbed a thousand toilets?”

“No… of course not.”

“Then what about a brand-new cloth that’s only gotten a little dusty?”

“You’d just wash it and use it, I guess.”

“Exactly.”

Lee Rua still seemed unsure.

I deactivated my transformation, exhaustion setting in. Stretching out on the sofa, I waved her off.

“Go find a room and sleep. There are personal quarters for villains here. Pick one.”

“You’re sleeping here?”

“Mind your own business.”

“That’s an enormous scar. What kind of life have you lived?”

“None of your business.”

“What’s your goal?”

“It’s the same as yours.”

“Revenge? Someone betrayed you, even though you’re this strong?”

“Yes.”

With my eyes closed, I couldn’t see her expression. All I could hear was the faint sound of her shallow breaths.

“Can I see your face?”

“No.”

When I responded firmly, she didn’t push any further.

Names and faces floated through my mind as I drifted into sleep: Jisehwa, Shin Yoogyung, Kang Yerin, Choi Minseo, the Association President… Morgan.

Irua remained in the quiet, her mind in turmoil.

The past few hours had been overwhelming. Just when she thought death was inevitable, a monster in human form had saved her life.

But even in this city, safety was an illusion. Whether it was a week, a day, or even just five more minutes, life always felt fragile.

She had never experienced happiness—not even anything close to it. Every kindness she’d ever received came with thorns. Every favor demanded repayment ten, even a hundred times over.

But somehow, this man seemed different. There was no logical reason for her instincts, but something about him felt distinct.

Irua prided herself on her ability to judge people’s intentions—whether they sought to use her, harm her, or simply ignored her existence.

That’s why she wanted to see his face.

Even when he reverted to his human form, his crimson mask acted as an unyielding barrier, hiding his expression and making it impossible to read his true intentions.

Her fingers hovered over the mask but hesitated. He would undoubtedly notice even the slightest touch.

His words replayed in her mind.

“You have talent,” he had said.

She recalled the sensation she’d felt in the arena—the faintest hint of potential awakening within her. Focusing intently, she gathered her will.

“…Ah.”

Before long, a small, dark mass materialized in her palm. It looked like frozen lightning or condensed gravity, moving in response to her thoughts.

This power… Maybe it could lift his mask without him noticing.

Moving carefully, silently, she inched closer.

Finally, she managed to remove the blood-red mask.

“…Gasp.”

What she saw left her breathless.

Beneath the mask was the face of someone long dead.

Startled, she lost control of the black mass, and it brushed against his forehead.

The moment it made contact, fragments of his memories and emotions flooded into her.

“Aaah… Aaaaaah! Nooo!!”

Overwhelmed by the torrent of pain, grief, and rage, Irua screamed.

The weight of his choices.

The secret he bore alone for the sake of the world, never sharing it with even his closest allies.

The despair and fury that followed.

It was a burden no ordinary human could endure.

Bang!

He woke abruptly, pinning Irua against the wall in an instant.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

His hand wrapped around her neck, cutting off her breath.

“You shouldn’t have meddled.”

Irua realized the gravity of her mistake. She had done something she shouldn’t have. But right now, she was more focused on the despair seeping into her soul.

Even with just a glimpse of his emotions, she felt the urge to give up on life entirely.

“I’m sorry… We… Humans… The world… We shouldn’t have done that to you! Aaaaaah!”

Her tears streamed down her cheeks, flowing over the hands that gripped her throat.

His grasp loosened ever so slightly as her words echoed in the quiet room.

“Why did you fight alone to this extent? Why did no one help you? How are you still holding on without breaking down?”

The man slowly released his grip on her neck.

“Dragons do not cry,” he answered, his voice devoid of emotion.

“We simply take revenge.”

Irua realized it then—her desire for revenge was nothing compared to his.

She had no right to use the same word in his presence.

Regaining her composure little by little, Irua planted her feet firmly on the ground and stared directly at the man before her, the one who had once been the Red Dragon.

“…Tell me.”

His eyes held unfathomable black spirals, swirling endlessly.

“What should I do?”

“Wow, Choi Minseo, the camera loves you! Where were you hiding that innocent look? Such a sly fox!”

In the association’s VIP lounge, Ji Sehwa playfully smacked Choi Minseo on the back as a cosmetics commercial played on TV.

“Ah, unnie, stop teasing me. You’re embarrassing me.”

“You’ve been going on about wanting to shoot a commercial, and now your dream’s come true! The response looks great! How many offers have you gotten?”

Minseo shyly spread her hand, showing five fingers.

“Five? You’re practically a celebrity now!”

As a healer specializing in support, she had always been in the background during missions. She’d never had the spotlight until now.

“Congrats, Minseo.”

Shin Yoogyung raised her coffee mug in celebration.

“Hehe. Thank you! This weekend, I’m even going to a celebrity party! Apparently, a lot of stars will be there!”

“See? Ever since that jerk Jung Eoseok left, Minseo’s been shining. That guy was the problem all along. Hogging all the public attention and money…”

“You’re right.”

“Sehwa, how’s the financial management going?”

“Fantastic! Remember how Kang Yerin refused the reward from the Dark Archer and Dark Kingdom raid? We split the 500 billion bounty three ways and used it to set up an investment fund. The company’s value has already multiplied tenfold!”

“Impressive. Everyone’s pursuing their goals splendidly. I used that money to fund research on Switch technology. My O-Gwang and Excalibur are powerful, but theoretically, we could develop something even stronger. All I needed was funding.”

“Still a Switch enthusiast, huh? Have you even used Excalibur yet?”

“Not yet. There haven’t been any villains strong enough to warrant it.”

“Haha, true.”

Shin Yoogyung pulled out the Excalibur Switch from her pocket. It was an intricately designed and ominous-looking medieval-style artifact.

“But what’s Kang Yerin up to? She’s technically still part of the association, but she’s been completely off the radar.”

“Seems like she’s holed up in her room or the training hall.”

“Ugh. What’s going through her mind?”

“Hmph. Maybe reminiscing about her good times with Jung Eoseok? Lost in sentimentality. Whatever. None of us have fond memories of him anyway. The problem was that he turned into trash.”

“Agreed. The past is the past.”

Just then, a device in Shin Yoogyung’s hand began to buzz.

“Huh? An emergency line… What is it? …What?”

Her expression turned serious as she took the call. At the same time, the TV screen switched to breaking news.

[It has been estimated that an unidentified villain organization hijacked a cruise ship 30 minutes ago! Onboard the ship were 20 heroes from the Dragon King team ‘Silver Mirror,’ who were enjoying a vacation party…]

“Hey, Yoogyung. That…”

“U-Unnie…”

Shin Yoogyung stood abruptly from her seat.

[The organization has taken the 20 heroes hostage and demanded that Silver Mirror appear alone at the scene. If their demands are not met, they have threatened to execute all 20 hostages immediately…]