Chapter 7: First Terror, Target is Silver Mirror Shin Yu-kyung

“The first terror is this.”

I explained the outline to Irua early in the morning.

“Are you going to kidnap the Silvermirrd crew members?”

“They’re bait. We just need to lure Silvermirrd and Shin Yugyeong to the scene.”

“The revenge is aimed at Shin Yugyeong, right?”

“Not only that. We’re a newly-formed villain organization. You, Irua, are also a rookie villain. For your debut match,

you need to face a hero of a high rank. That way, our initial rank will be set higher.”

A villain needs a high rank to grow easily.

The more revenge we take on those bastards, the easier the scenario will clear. It’s basically getting back what I’ve given.

A villain organization is a tool to clear scenarios, including the Galactic Empire. As I knew from the system, there’s

not just one way to clear a scenario. You can fight as a hero of light against monsters, or you can fight as the leader of

evil.

“What happens after you call them out? Are you going to kill them?”

“No.”

I casually let out a laugh.

“That would be a waste, too much of a waste. The Dragon King Squad will fall step by step, inching closer to the ground. By the time they realize it, they’ll be at the bottom of a swamp where they can’t even breathe.”

Jisehwa, Shin Yugyeong, Kang Yerin, Choi Minseo, the association president.

They will slowly, bit by bit, suffer.

In the long run, I need to grow a huge villain organization. We’ll need many powerful villains and funds moving forward.

So, it’s quite lucky that I managed to get Irua on my side.

The Dragon King Squad will become excellent nourishment for my organization.

I’ll remove the obstacle of the Red Dragon and take everything into my hands, reaching the top.

But at some point, things will start to go wrong.

They’ll think they’re just unlucky, but by the time they realize, they’ll already be in the irreversible center of destruction.

They’ll meet death in the hell of despair.

That’s my plan.

“So, what should I do?”

“You need to subdue Shin Yugyeong.”

“Me? An S-rank hero?”

Irua’s face turned pale.

“Wait, but that’s in a week. Even if my talent is as high as you say, I…”

Irua’s concerns are understandable.

Heroes and villains are all marked by alphabets like AI S, but these shouldn’t be considered as the same rank.
To cut to the chase, A-rank heroes are much stronger than A-rank villains. It’s because of the way ranks are assigned.
For villains, it’s based on the amount of damage they’ve caused.

When calculating the damage a villain has done and will do, it’s converted into an amount, which determines their rank.

A villain with just high killing power is easy to deal with. After all, people are just money.

It’s said that the average salary of an ordinary office worker is about 2 billion won over their lifetime.

In that way, a person’s life can be calculated as money.

If it’s a child, their life will be valued even higher, as they’ll produce and consume more in the future.

The Hero Association’s worldview is that it’s natural to calculate a person’s life in terms of money.

Heroes are ranked based on how much damage they can save by defeating villains. Unlike villains, their rank is determined solely by their performance.

So, when it comes to the same combat ability, a villain’s rank is naturally higher than a hero’s rank.
It’s much easier to destroy than to protect.

“The Dragon King Squad has S-rank heroes, though.”

S-rank heroes are basically immeasurable. They’re the top-tier heroes.

If you put an S-rank villain in front of an S-rank hero, the villain will be subdued in five minutes.

Let alone the four S-rank heroes from the S Squadron.

They are undoubtedly the strongest four in the world.

There are many squadrons in this world. Just like how adventurers form parties in fantasy games, heroes team up to

form squadrons.

But the S Squadron is the only one.

Only members of the S Squadron can include “color” in their hero name.

Anyone in the world can instantly recognize that “Silver” refers to Silvermirrd Shin Yugyeong.

For someone like Shin Yugyeong to be subdued, it probably sounds like nonsense.

“It’s possible.”

I said with certainty.

[Companion’s Soul]

I have this skill, and Irua has the potential of an SSS-rank villain. In terms of talent, she’s superior to the members of the Dragon King Squad.

Companion’s Soul is a skill that only applies to my squad. Though it may seem like it’s impossible to apply it to someone like her, who’s not registered as a hero, there is, of course, a way.

“Irua.”

“Yeah.”

“Trust me. I’ll make you stronger. If you help me with my revenge, you’ll gain the strength to fulfill your own.”

I extended my hand to her.

“Become my companion.”

Irua stared at my scarred hand.

“… Companion.”

She slowly took it. Her hand was as cold as a corpse. It felt refreshing.

[The Evil Squadron has been formed!]

[Squadron Name: ‘Unspecified’]

[Leader: ‘Jeorgius’ Jeong Iseok]

[Member: ‘Unspecified’ Irua]

With this, Irua was now under the effect of Companion’s Soul.

There was no need for a new squadron name. Once you give it a name, it forms an attachment, and that’s just a

future source of loss. But Irua’s villain name was necessary.
“Irua.”

“Call me Lua.”

“Huh?”

“You’re my companion. I don’t like anything too friendly. Besides, I can’t call you by your original name. Just in case,

when it’s just the two of us, should I call you Jeo?”

“You’re a woman who cares about strange things. Do whatever you want, Lua.”

“Yeah. Jeo.”

Irua’s lips seemed to curl upward slightly.

“But what’s with the Evil Squadron? They’re asking for a name.”
“What?”

It’s strange. As a scenario character, she shouldn’t be able to see the system window.
Oh, right. If it’s Dark Matter’s power, that makes sense. It’s not the system, but her dark matter directly transmitting this information to her brain.

“Since it’s a squadron for revenge, should we call it Vengeance?”

“No need for a name.”

“Why? It’d be nice to have one. And what about my villain name?”

“Dark Matter.”

“It’s not cute, but… I guess I’ll go with that since you gave it to me. Yeah.”

Once the settings were done, Irua seemed satisfied.

“Then we’ll go straight to training. There’s no time to rest before the operation day, so we’ll start right away.”

Just as we were about to move, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

“Boss. A woman has broken in and is causing a ruckus.”

“Are you wasting my time with such a trivial matter? Handle it yourself.”

“I’m sorry, but we couldn’t stop her…”

Useless fools. I went down the stairs. The sound of a fierce fight was echoing. Large men were flying through the air.

In the center of it all was a woman. I widened my eyes upon seeing her.

She too noticed me and seemed startled, her mouth hanging open. Her expression shifted from surprise to relief, and then to sorrow. Wearing a maid outfit, she ran towards me and immediately threw herself into my arms.

“Aah, Master! You’re alive! I’m so relieved…!”

“Emma.”

I gently patted her hair. Her usually neat hair was now a tangled mess from dirt and dust.

I couldn’t help but feel pity for the stories that must be hidden within that messy hair.

“I’m sorry, Master! I couldn’t protect you, the mansion was taken by invaders, and I couldn’t even die properly, fleeing for my life… Please punish me for my sins!”

Emma fell to her knees before me, crying uncontrollably. I looked her over. Her body was covered in wounds. Her left arm was torn off, and her glasses were shattered.

But there was no blood. That’s because she’s an android. A combat-type maid that had been serving me.

“You’ve had a hard time, Emma. Did you come here because you felt my power?”

“Yes. The function to rescue you was still operational. When I last heard from you in space, I despaired… I thought you had, the kind and upright Master, had passed away…”

Despite being an android, Emma had a sense of self, and she was no different from a human. The confusion and sorrow she must have felt were certainly unbearable.

“Did you get injured while defending the mansion?”

“Yes. The Association sent heroes and took everything… Everything you worked so hard to build…”

“What about Festam?”

“They took that too. But I have some information from that process. Right now, Festam hasn’t been disposed of; it’s all in GreenNature’s hands.”

“Choi Min-seo? Hm.”

That was useful information.

This could be put to good use.

“Good work, Emma. My base is here now. Get repaired and join me in my plans once you’re ready. We don’t have time to waste, so come back and explain later.”

“Understood. My loyalty is always for you. Master, thank you for staying alive. I am truly grateful…”

I gave a small nod of appreciation for her unwavering loyalty.

I ordered my subordinates to repair Emma and left the arena with Irua.

I knew a good hunting ground for monsters that would efficiently level up. Of course, even so, time was running out.

Irua had been following a grueling training regimen, only getting four hours of sleep a day and even vomiting stomach acid.

Yet she never complained. She was a tough woman.

Still, it wasn’t quite enough.

The current stats of the Dragon King Squadron were likely not at S-rank level.

Due to the debuff from my comrade’s soul unbinding, their levels and stats had likely been reduced to A-rank. They wouldn’t know that yet, though.

To overwhelm them one-on-one, I’d need to become an SS-rank villain to be stable. Right now, Irua’s specs were at an S-rank villain level.

Of course, I had a plan.

On the day of the terror attack, I, along with Irua, Emma, and some subordinate villains, knocked out the crew and staff on a cruise ship before boarding, disguising ourselves as them.

The cruise ship was departing from Incheon.

It was a travel cruise chartered by the heroes of Shin Yoo-kyung’s crew.

“Haha! We’ve really hit the jackpot with this line!”

“Just being a crew member, and we get vacations like this thanks to taxes! Long live Captain Silver!”

Heroes of A-rank or above can become leaders of teams in the association. These teams are called crews. They are prioritized for missions and undergo regular teamwork training.

Of course, for leaders like the Dragon King Squadron, that didn’t apply. So why do heroes even need crews?

Crews had long since degenerated into political factions within the association. They were used to slander and frame better heroes to bring them down.

They were just pawns for that purpose.

To avoid being slandered, A-rank and above heroes always had crews with them. I was the only one without one.

Rather than wasting time on such pathetic politics, I needed to take down as many monsters as possible.

“Hey, waiter! Bring more champagne!”

“Why aren’t you moving fast enough? Do you know who we are? We’re the Silvermirrored crew heroes!”

Most of these so-called heroes were just trash who used their leader’s power to play political games instead of doing actual work.

“Hey, girl. You’re my type.”

One drunk man approached Irua, who was disguised as a waiter. He groped her backside. Irua bit her lower lip in disgust.

“So, how about it? You’re probably working for minimum wage, right? Why don’t we leave and go to my room? I’m the second-in-command of this crew. If you show me some attention, your life will change.”

The man caressed Irua’s cheek. His fingers, reeking of alcohol, drew closer to her lips.

“…Zeoh.”

“Huh? That’s not my name.”

“Still far from it?”

We were still several kilometers away from the area where the operation was set to begin. But seeing that man made me disgusted enough to not want to watch any longer.

“Doesn’t matter. Do it.”

Crack!

The man’s shoulder exploded, and blood splattered everywhere.

“Ugh… W-what…?”

He looked at his own arm rolling on the floor, fainting in shock.

“Aaaah!”

“What’s going on!?”

Chaos began to spread across the ship.

The operation had begun.