Villain Hides His True Colors
Chapter 6

Guangcheng District, true to its enormous size, was a place where various races could be found.

Not only that, beneath the mountain that borders such a city, it was commonplace to see people without citizenship and brothels.

Heading up the very same mountain that overlooked the city, it was possible to replace villains that were once notorious and unknown monsters living here.

Among them and located halfway between the slums and dangerous regions was the cartel, Turbak Brotherhood.

The reason why I was now strenuously climbing up this mountain was to replace the den where they were gathered.

“Huu…is it here?”

I panted while looking around.

Soon after, I was able to replace a natural cave that had been constructed out of cement.

Wolves Den.

The place where the Turbak Brotherhood regularly met.

When I was at the weapon warehouse I had heard that a special banquet will be held here today.

It was fortunate. I had planned to look across the slums to replace Yifret.

I was truly grateful they were all gathered in one place like this.

Though, it was befitting of beasts to be cooped up in a cave.

I slowly approached the entrance of Wolves Den. Two gang members who had spotted me ran out like guard dogs.

“Hey, kid! What are you doing here?”

I quickly measured their strength. Two beasts armed with automatic rifles.

Was it just these two?

This was worth trying without a gun. After making my decision, I took off my clothes one by one.

“H-huh? Why is he taking off his clothes all of a sudden?”

“I think he’s dimwitted?”

Because I looked like a nudist, the guards began to slow down their pace.

“Haha, this guy is a complete nut. Kid, what are you doing here?”

“Hyung, don’t you think he’s telling us to please enjoy the food?”

“Oh, is that so?”

They smacked their lips while looking at me.

“Hehe, good. I didn’t like the fact that only the executives inside get to eat the special food…Shall we go somewhere for a bit to boil and eat it to rejuvenate our health?”

“All right. Back in my hometown I had learned from my mother how to boil it so it doesn’t smell bad. It’s incredible, isn’t it?”

As if I was a captive fish, they continued their conversation without any vigilance.

In the meantime, I folded my clothes beautifully and placed them to the side. Next, I rushed toward one of the careless guards.

“Okay, I’ll secretly go inside and bring back a pot and other things…Keuk! Wh-what’s this?”

*Liquid

Having quickly turned into a sticky syrup, I seeped between his fur. Then…

I used my new skill.

*Drain life

I stuck to him like a leech and began to suck his energy.

“K-kueeaaak!”

“Hyung!”

The guard screamed in pain as I surrounded his whole body like a coating, so that his voice wouldn’t leak out.

“Keuh, keu!”

He struggled desperately, however, he couldn’t separate himself from me, who had turned into liquid.

Even the guard standing next to him didn’t dare to touch me and could only stagger backwards.

As such, he lost more and more energy.

His abundant fur fell to the ground and the hard muscles shrunk little by little like a balloon without air.

Soon after, his breathing stopped.

I lifted myself up after releasing the ability.

The beast I had absorbed energy from had turned into a dried fish before I knew it.

To be honest, seeing that, even someone like me was speechless.

…This was beyond my expectations.

Considering that this was an E-Grade skill, such an effect shouldn’t have been possible.

Normally, it would just cause dizziness or unconsciousness at best.

However, the synergy between my skills was too good.

Classification: Magic

Grade: E

Description: Absorbs the energy of the object in contact.

*Elementary: Absorbs energy to restore stamina.

*The larger the area of contact with the object, the more energy is absorbed.

Phase Change could bring my body close to my target on a molecular level while Vampiric Touch’s effectiveness increases depending on the contact area.

In fact, I had expected it to some extent when I had chosen these two skills…But I never could have imagined the result would be to this degree.

However, if there was one disadvantage, it was that it consumed a lot of mana.

I had only used it once, but nearly half of my mana was depleted.

It seemed it would be difficult to use the two skills together very often with my current amount of mana.

“Hyung!”

The other guy screamed when he saw the corpse.

“Y-you monster! D-doing something like this!”

Now that I had checked the power of the skill, I thought I would save mana by suffocating this one to death.

I slowly approached him while transforming my body.

“D-don’t come any closer! I’ll shoot!”

He pointed a gun at me with a dumbstruck look.

“Ahjussi. If you were thinking of eating someone, you should have thought that the food might eat you back.”

“D-damn it!”

Bang–!

* * * * * * * * * *

“Hmm? Did you hear a noise just now?”

“What noise. If you’re not going to eat that in front of you, pass it over here.”

“Haha. Punk, what’s the point of eating this when you don’t even have a girlfriend? Well, I can give you a bite if you call me hyung from now on.”

“Bastard, you’re truly cheap…”

A skillfully crafted underground cave made of cement.

Currently, the beast executives from the Turbak Brotherhood were gathered and holding a banquet.

Set up at each table were ‘specialties’ that were eaten in their hometown. And like so, everyone ate, drank, and sang happily.

If someone saw this they might have thought it was just another exciting playground.

In fact, for those who had lost their home, it was more of a struggle not to forget their identity.

“Keu…The alcohol is bitter.”

The leader of the organization, Yifret, emptied a glass one after another with his large hands that were the size of a pot lid.

There were already countless bottles rolling next to him.

Devian, the organization’s number two and his younger brother, who saw this, asked.

“Hyung, why are you only drinking? How about some snacks to go with the wine?”

“Dongsaeng…Is it that delicious? I also miss the taste of our hometown.”

“Yeah, but you can still eat, right? There are a lot of things here.”

“You… Do you know what my cute Feoria said when I told her I was going to the banquet today? She called me a savage…a barbarian.”

Yifret had a look on his face as if the world had collapsed. Devian found it very amusing seeing such an expression.

Normally, Yifret was an iron-blooded boss who wouldn’t shed a tear.

However, he would show the side of an ordinary foolish father whenever he would occasionally talk about Feoria.

“Haha, young people these days don’t like food from their hometown, right? She might think that way because she has been friends with humans since she was young.”

“Haa…I also heard that she was dating a human now. What should I do about this?”

“Oh, you mean the guy who was beaten by hyung a decade ago and became a member. Well…that, she’s not going to get married anyway, so isn’t it okay to have a casual relationship?”

Yifret jumped up from his seat and shouted.

“Not a chance!!! Never! I’ll be in my grave before I let that happen! Feoria…If my baby leaves me behind…Heuk.”

He sat back down and wailed loudly. The other members who saw this and were surprised turned their eyes away.

Devian liked this side of his brother. The immature brother from the old days.

In fact, Yifret and Devian were the sons of a great chief who had led the Turbak tribe.

But the world they had lived in was conquered by invaders.

The two then led the surviving tribesmen and came over to Earth to escape.

Since then, in order to settle in the new land, Yifret and Devian did whatever they had to.

Stealing, killing, and distributing drugs.

They tenaciously accumulated money with the goal of establishing a new Turbak here someday.

Devian thought it was definitely not going to be easy.

In fact, he already knew.

That the revolution they dreamed of would never come true.

No matter how much weapons they bought and how much their organization grew. The power they had in this world called Earth was simply insignificant.

So he often thought that he would rather live with his brother while enjoying a banquet like this.

However, his brother would reprimand him each time.

Thinking of how many headaches his brother had caused him, he thought it would be nice if he could break that stubbornness at least once.

With such thoughts, he suddenly felt wronged.

“Hey! Hyung, have another drink! You need to have a hangover too.”

“Hmm? Hehe, if it’s a drink from my dongsaeng, of course I’ll…heup!”

Devian poured alcohol into Yifret’s mouth. The members who were watching cheered and hollered.

“Kuah! Hyung can definitely drink it in one go!”

“Drink! Drink!”

While looking at the banquet, Devian had a thought.

Food from their hometown and people to enjoy it with. Maybe this place was already another Turbak.

Yeah, everyone dies of old age anyway. Let’s not think about tomorrow’s worries and enjoy this moment!

Shriiik–!

“Hahaha! Hyung! Eat up!”

“Heuh?! Heu!”

The moment when the atmosphere was heating up,

Clank–!

The door of the banquet hall opened and a voice of an urgent child was heard.

“T-trouble!”

Was it because they had felt the desperation in the voice? People who were laughing and talking immediately stopped.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the entrance.

Standing there was a 12-year-old boy in a long coat.

“What? Who let this little swine in?!”

“What are the guards doing?!”

Because the excitement of the banquet was broken, the gang members shouted in anger.

However, the boy was not intimidated by such shouts, and instead was desperately trying to convey something.

“Feoria-noona…Feoria-noona…”

“What? What happened to my Feoria?”

In response to the word ‘Feoria,’ Yifret, who was slumped over, jumped up from his seat and asked.

But instead of answering, the child just stopped in the middle of the banquet hall and bowed his head.

“B-brat! Hurry up and tell me! What happened to my Feoria?”

The anxious Yifret pushed the tables aside and walked up to the child.

***

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

Devian, who had been observing the situation, had an ominous feeling.

Wait a minute…who the hell is this kid?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that everything was suspicious.

At first, he had just thought something big had happened and the boy was simply here to deliver the news.

If that was the case, the people above would have delivered it instead.

Then, how did he get in here? There was no way he would be able to come here without the guards going crazy.

Perhaps this fellow…

It was unlikely to be the case, but what if he had come here with bad intentions?

The hair all over his body stood up.

Judging that the situation was unusual, Devian hurriedly called out to Yifret.

“Hyung, hold on…!”

However, Yifret had already arrived right in front of the child.

“Wh-what the hell happened to my Feoria?! Hurry up and talk!”

Squeezing out every ounce of his power, Devian sprinted.

As if he was alone in a different world, it suddenly began to slow down.

But even so, he couldn’t reach Yifret’s back.

N-no!

He reached out his hand, but it was too far away. While Devian was running desperately, the child spoke.

“Feoria…”

“Y-yes what about my Feoria?”

“Feoria…The sandwich she made was really trash.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

Yifret made a blank face at the incomprehensible words.

At that moment, the boy opened his long coat. Inside were countless bombs attached next to one another.

“Hyuung!!!!!!”

Devian could see the boy’s lips rising. He threw himself at Yifret to try and cover him.

Then…

Boom—!

A deafening explosion engulfed the banquet hall.

* * * * * * * * * *

Everywhere was filled with a hazy cloud of smoke and dust when I opened my eyes.

Seeing that there was no memory before and after the explosion, it seemed I had momentarily lost consciousness.

Bombs were dangerous even in my liquid form.

Thanks to the use of Phase Change, there was no trauma, but I had become too exhausted. I felt dizzy as if I would collapse at any moment.

Was it finished?

The Challenge was still there when I opened my status window.

Everyone would have been completely wiped out if the entire cave collapsed, but unfortunately, such a spectacular thing didn’t happen like in the movies.

“Ke-keuk…”

Someone’s groan came from nearby. I fumbled across the ground and walked in the direction of the sound.

“M-my legs…Help me…”

There was a beast lying down with both legs missing. Even though he couldn’t see well, he was stretching out his hands and asking for help.

It looked very painful.

“It hurts, right? Just hang in there a little bit more.”

“Th-thank you…”

“Vampiric Touch!”

“…Argh!”

I absorbed his energy to relieve the pain as he breathed his last breath.

Hmm…he was on the verge of dying, so maybe that was why the absorption was so low.

As soon as I thought that, similar groans began to come from the surrounding area.

Just perfect.

I rummaged around and began to absorb the energy of those on death’s door. Soon, I felt like I was recovering to some extent and felt alive again.

After a while, the dust gradually subsided, and little by little, the surroundings began to come into view.

Tables that have been shattered. Flashing lights. Dead bodies everywhere.

The revealed sight of the banquet hall was completely broken to the point where it was difficult to imagine what it had looked like originally.

Where was Yifret?

I looked around while lowering my posture. I was able to replace him shortly after.

Yifret sat in one corner of the banquet hall with a vacant expression. Looking closely, he had lost his left arm. Blood was constantly flowing out of the severed section.

But he didn’t care about the wound at all. He was just looking at a piece of cloth in his hand.

Good. If it was now, I can kill him easily.

I hid in the shadows and carefully pulled out a gun. The moment my aim reached Yifret’s shoulder, he suddenly started talking to himself.

“Dongsaeng…You must have had a hard time because of me…”

A hollow voice resonated in the destroyed cave.

Then, he slowly stood up, carefully putting away the piece of cloth.

“If I hadn’t been stubborn when you had asked me to retire…At least this never would have happened.”

He slowly turned his head in the direction I was hiding. Somehow, I felt like he was looking straight into my eyes.

A slightly dangerous air began to flow little by little from him. It was as if he was convinced of where I was.

It seemed I had been discovered.

Since my location had already been found, there was no need to hesitate. I adjusted the handle and calmly pulled the trigger.

B-boom–!

Fireworks erupted from the nozzle and dozens of bullets hit Yifret.

However…

The bullets couldn’t penetrate his body, as only small scratches could be seen.

Looking at him again, there was a subtle light glow above his blue fur. It was evidence of mana being used.

As expected…Normal firearms won’t work.

In fact, it can be thought that superhumans above D-Rank were outside the boundaries of common sense.

It was an existence that cannot be subdued by ordinary police officers alone. Villains like Yifret were ‘real’ villains, ones where heroes had to step in.

Yifret’s eyes gradually turned red. And in the darkness, the eyes of the angry beast shone eerily.

“…Dongsaeng, if you had seen my behavior just now, I’m sure you would have nagged me to go to the hospital again.”

The claws that had been hidden slowly came out. He was already bleeding precariously, but looking towards me, he began to exude a sign of life.

“But dongsaeng. Forgive this foolish brother’s last stubbornness.”

Facing me with eyes that had turned red like blood, he spoke.

“I have to chew him alive today to be satisfied!”

At the end of his sentence, he flew at me like a cannonball.

Damn!

*Liquid.

I quickly transformed into liquid and sunk to the ground. Yifret brushed past me by a hair’s length.

Boom–!

He became stuck in the wall of the cave. There was a deafening roar similar to when the bombs had exploded a moment ago.

I took an RPG-7 out of my inventory and fired it at the wall where he was stuck.

Boom–!

The cave vibrated, then the subsiding dust rose and blocked my vision.

This should be enough, right?

In the first place, the big bastard was seriously injured. It would be hard to be fine after such an attack just now. Even if he was miraculously alive, he should at least be in a state where fighting was impossible.

However…

“Gwaaaar!”

As if to laugh at my thoughts, I heard a coarse roar. And through the hazy dust, I saw a pair of red eyes flashing.

He was tougher than I had thought.

It seemed this raid would last a little longer.

But…

In front of a worthy opponent I hadn’t faced in a long time, I smiled happily.