Being a Villain is My True Calling

Paaak! Paaak!! Pak!!!

With each invigorating strike to his head, I felt the accumulated stress dissipating in real-time.

“Aaahh!! Aaahh!!!”
“Oh, tougher than I expected.”

Accompanied by delightful screams, I maintained a rhythmic barrage of baton strikes in sync with the villain’s reverberating cries.

“Aaahh!! Ahh!!!”

Even with his head being pummeled like this, his resilience suggested he was indeed an ability user.
To withstand the force of an adult man coupled with a weighty baton’s blows to vital areas without losing consciousness, emitting only shrill shrieks – clearly the work of an ability.

However, beyond his sturdiness, the villain offered no meaningful retaliation.

‘In other words, he’s a perfect punching bag.’

Paaak!!

“Stop!!”

Amidst the relentless one-sided assault, I turned at the sound from behind.
The heroes glared intensely, their earlier nonchalance utterly absent.

The very same incompetent fools who had been idly observing, content to munch on popcorn.

“You there, I don’t know who you are, but that’s enough.”
“That’s right! What you’re doing now constitutes obstruction of justice and assault!”

My, how sanctimonious.
Striking an exasperated pose with one leg raised, baton slung over my shoulder, I regarded the heroes impassively.

‘They were so indifferent while he was rampaging…’

Likely attempting to avoid disciplinary action for their inaction.
There was a stark difference between simply taking too long to subdue a villain and a non-hero suddenly interfering with the heroes’ duties.

Not to mention the scenario where, in their attempt at apprehension, the target is snatched away and potentially killed by an unidentified assailant.
Unless they were exceptionally capable heroes, some form of reprimand from their superiors was inevitable.

“Kuhuck…kuhuck…”

The man’s anguished groans seemed to provide the heroes with a semblance of reassurance, their expressions relaxing slightly.

“…If you stop now, you won’t face legal repercussions.”

Extending a hand as if demanding I hand over the villain, the hero’s tone was brimming with unearned confidence.

“Heh.”

That arrogant demeanor inexplicably irked me.
Did it not occur to them that, if I truly feared the law, I wouldn’t have acted so brazenly in the first place?

However, rather than a mere intimidation tactic, the hero continued with an air of unshakable conviction:

“I’ve heard of individuals who, for whatever reason, operate outside the official hero system but still punish villains from the shadows. They refer to themselves as ‘vigilantes’, don’t they?”

‘So he did put some thought into deducing my identity, albeit incorrectly.’

Vigilantes.
Literally translating to ‘self-defense groups’.

They were among the third forces I had mentioned previously, akin to those researchers.

‘Whether expelled from the Association, bearing criminal records, or simply lacking sufficient ability…’

For various reasons, they failed to become official heroes yet still strove to neutralize villains in areas beyond the heroes’ reach.

While not heroes themselves, apprehending villains through illegal means, they were an eccentric group undeterred by such trivialities in their drive to assist others.

‘If he genuinely believes I’m a vigilante, his attitude wouldn’t seem so outrageous.’

Vigilantes, by outward appearances, were ultimately individuals apprehending villains for public safety.

“If you hand him over to us, we’ll ensure a thorough clean-up process.”

Prone to dealing with villains through crude physical means, vigilantes naturally lacked the capability to address collateral damage and recovery efforts in the same manner as the Association.

So if I truly upheld virtuous principles of civic service as a vigilante, relinquishing the villain would be the appropriate course of action.
However.

“I decline.”
“Well, I suppose I should have expected such a judgment. Now hand over the vill…wait, what did you say?”

Seemingly caught off guard by my response, the hero regarded me with a dumbfounded expression.
My apologies, but I am no vigilante.

“Why…no, why should I have to?”

Since I was already in disguise, I might as well alter my speech patterns too.
There was no need for formalities now.

“But you’re a vigilante…”
“It seems you’ve made a few mistaken assumptions about me.”

With a swaggering gait, I nonchalantly approached the villain, stepping firmly on his back.

“One. I’m not part of any vigilante or whatever group.”

Then, briefly raising my baton towards the heroes:

“Two. I don’t just beat up villains. I hit anyone I find annoying as hell.”

Swiftly adopting a combat stance, I delivered a powerful overhead strike to the villain’s head pinned beneath me.
After a brief convulsion, his body went limp.

“……”
“Three. And right now, you bastards are pissing me off immensely.”

So either engage me or piss off already.
I need to retrieve Ga-yeon.

“Kuhuck…”
“Kuheok…”
“No wonder you didn’t recklessly approach the villain.”

These guys are utterly feeble.
While I hadn’t undergone any special training myself, without utilizing my abilities, my combat prowess would undoubtedly be lacking…

Yet somehow, these fools were weaker than my unaided state.

‘In any case, time to wrap this up.’

Having swiftly reassessed the situation, I briefly glanced at the civilians pointing their phones my way.

‘While initially disconcerting, this might not be so bad upon further reflection.’

I had intended to establish a new disguised identity with a certain level of public recognition before long anyway. An identity shrouded in mystery yet bearing a degree of notoriety.

This wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment outburst fueled by mere irritation.

‘As for retrieving Ga-yeon, I could have accomplished that through any number of methods.’

I shot a glance towards her.

“…Oppa?”
“Shh.”

Flashing her an amicable wink, I whispered softly:

‘Please release Ga-yeon, then come retrieve me in about 5 minutes.’
‘Understood.’
‘And you’ll need to provide me with a proper explanation for this entire situation.’
‘……’

Ga-yeon regarded me with a rueful ‘I’m in trouble’ expression.
Did I really seem so unperturbed about this debacle that she expected me to simply brush it off?

You’re definitely getting scolded for this later.

“Shall we head back now, baby?”
“…Yes.”

With a wry smile, I gently stroked Ga-yeon’s head.

“Wait! Who are you then…!”
“Bye~”

Ting-! Tiring-! Ting!!

Pwushiii-

Disregarding the approaching Chise, I produced a smoke grenade from my pocket and promptly detonated it.
Since this identity wasn’t meant for befriending heroes, there was no need to engage them further.

‘Time to evacuate and change back into Gahn Yi-an’s attire.’

Leaving the dissipating smoke figures behind, I swiftly withdrew from the area.

“……”

In a quiet, antiquated room.
A man briefly closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as if meditating.

The only audible sound was the man’s breathing.

“……”

His mind gradually grew hazy, his body relaxing until his seated posture became disheveled.

“Kuheohk. Kuheok. Kuheohk!!”

What had appeared to be a solemn meditation gradually devolved into a light doze, until:

Kwaaang!!

“Boss!!”
“Uheck!”

A youth barged through the door, startling the man back to full consciousness.
Recognizing the intruder as his subordinate, the man’s face contorted with displeasure.

“…Who enters without knocking during meditation?”
“Come on, ‘meditation’ my ass. You were clearly trying to sneak in a nap.”
“…Ahem, ahem!”

Flustered by the youth’s matter-of-fact remark, the man cleared his throat awkwardly before changing the subject.

“…So what brings you here, secretary?”
“You might want to take a look at this, Boss.”

The man’s secretary retrieved a tablet from his person, displaying a video clip.

“What’s this?”
“A recently uploaded video featuring an interesting character.”

‘Interesting’ was the term the secretary used to describe potential recruits for their organization.

“Oh?”

Intrigued by that familiar description after so long, the man accepted the tablet and began watching the video.

The location was an amusement park.
A villain was locked in a standoff against several heroes.

The hostage appeared to be a middle school-aged child.

“With the hostage situation drawing so much attention, they could have easily captured the villain through a stealthy ambush…”

However, the heroes in the video took no action whatsoever.
Not out of cautious deliberation, but sheer cowardice.

The heroes were too fearful of potential danger to recklessly intervene.

“Geez, what kind of worthless lot are these so-called modern heroes? Back in my day…ow.”
“Quit the boomer rambling and just watch the video, Boss.”

Admonished by his secretary, the man refocused his attention on the clip.
As the standoff between villain and heroes dragged on, a new figure abruptly appeared.

Excessive caution could cost lives.

Donning a mask resembling monstrous fangs paired with a sturdy-looking long baton slung over his shoulder.

“Oho?”

The man sauntered over, unflinchingly closing the distance before unleashing a series of baton strikes against the villain without the slightest hesitation.

“Far more capable than those pathetic heroes.”

Displaying proper combat stances, he had clearly undergone some form of training.
His situational awareness and decisive execution were leagues above the hesitant heroes observing from the sidelines.

If you hand him over to us, we’ll ensure a thorough clean-up process.

I decline.

And when they attempted to claim credit for his efforts, he flatly rejected them without a shred of compunction.

Right now, you bastards are pissing me off immensely.

“Puhah!! Now this is an entertaining fellow!”

Whether hero or villain, his mindset was to simply eliminate any obstructions!

Yet by opting to rescue the child while leaving the civilians unharmed despite their nuisance, he still upheld the modicum of moral restraint they aspired to.

Deeply satisfied by this rare promising find courtesy of his secretary, the man smiled contentedly.
Rising from his seat, he uncorked a bottle of wine before rewatching the video intently.

One. I’m not part of any vigilante or whatever group.

“Well, he may not be a vigilante now.”

But that could always change if he were to join their ranks, couldn’t it?

“Secretary.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Think you can track down this one?”
“I’ll look into it while you’re napping again. What else?”
“Hahah!! Then please do. It’s been a while since we’ve had such an interesting specimen.”

Savoring a long draught of wine, the man rose with a feral grin directed at his secretary.
The boss of the illegal hero group known as the Vigilantes had found his latest person of interest.