CHAPTER 32: REST

I slowly opened my eyes.

The bright light coming from the ceiling stung for a moment, but when my vision finally cleared, the first person I saw was Kim Gae-in sitting beside the bed.

My entire body was wrapped in layers of bandages.

"Oppa! You’re finally awake!"

she said with relief in her voice.

"Ugh... how long was I unconscious?"

"For three whole days! We were all really worried about you!"

The door to my room suddenly opened.

It was So-ah and Min-seo.

"Oppa!"

So-ah called out with a voice mixed with concern and longing. She quickly walked toward my bed.

"Oppa! Why didn’t you tell us anything about this!?"

she asked, almost sounding like she was about to cry.

Min-seo folded her arms as she approached too, her expression stern.

"Yeah, Oppa. Why didn’t you tell us? You know very well we’re always ready to help you."

I stayed silent for a moment, then tried to sit up—only for pain to shoot through my body.

Kim Gae-in immediately helped me sit with gentle support.

"I’m sorry,"

I said,

"but I was afraid you would get hurt."

"That’s still better than you being the only one who ends up severely injured! Do you know that!?"

So-ah’s voice cracked.

Tears began to gather in her eyes.

Well... it made sense. She was still just a high school girl. She didn’t fully understand the danger behind all of this.

"Oppa,"

Min-seo said firmly,

"next time, don’t act alone. You could lose your life. If you need help, bring us with you."

Again, I remained quiet for a few seconds.

"...Alright. Next time, I won’t act alone anymore."

Their expressions finally softened.

"Oh wow, very dramatic,"

another voice entered the room.

It was Lee Donghyun, walking in with Lee Mira. He was carrying a plate with a steak on it.

"Hyung, you haven’t eaten anything for three days."

He placed the plate on the edge of the bed.

I tried reaching for the spoon—before a sudden sharp pain shot through my ribs.

"Agh—!"

Kim Gae-in immediately grabbed my shoulder in panic.

"Oppa! Let me feed you instead!"

I had no choice but to accept.

"...Alright."

Hearing that, Gae-in’s face lit up with joy.

She took the plate and carefully began feeding me, gently bringing each spoonful toward my mouth like a mother feeding her child.

For a moment... I remembered my own mother.

I missed her.

After a while, Lee Donghyun helped me walk toward the living room.

There was something I needed to watch.

Once he helped me sit down on the sofa, I grabbed the TV remote and turned the television on.

[Reports say Hero Jacqueline has disappeared after an incident occurred at her private estate. As you can see here, the estate has been completely destroyed, as if a massive battle took place.]

Jacqueline disappeared?

No... no way.

Don’t tell me... she’s already been recruited by the Obsidian Pact.

Damn it.

I failed this time.

"Hyung, what’s wrong? You look frustrated."

I glanced at Lee Donghyun who sat beside me.

"Hm? Oh... I’m just upset that I couldn’t complete my mission."

"It’s okay, hyung. Jacqueline is an SS-rank Hero. It’s basically impossible for you to beat someone like that."

I went silent after hearing his words.

He wasn’t wrong.

But it wasn’t entirely true either.

Jacqueline could have been killed...

If only I hadn’t been careless.

I forgot she had created a Doppelgänger system—an artificial clone designed specifically to trick and analyze the abilities of her enemies.

If I hadn’t used so much energy at the beginning...

I would’ve won.

This time, luck simply wasn’t on my side.

For now, I needed to stay alert.

If Jacqueline really survived, she might come here to hunt me down—especially since she probably knew I was severely injured after our fight.

*Meanwhile, on Lightnova’s Side*

Lightnova was battling an S-rank Villain who could transform into a giant mammoth-like creature.

’This thing is huge... but not as huge as Monster V. I should be able to finish this in two hits.’

The mammoth swung its massive trunk with tremendous force.

Lightnova had already predicted the attack and dodged it with ease. She leaped toward the creature and—

BOOM!

The mammoth was sent flying, crashing into a building.

It slumped down, unconscious.

Lightnova remained frozen in her punching posture, her eyes wide.

’W-what!? One hit? That’s insane...’

She stared at her fist in disbelief.

What was happening to her strength?

She felt stronger. Much stronger.

’Normally... defeating an S-rank takes effort. But now... just one punch? Could this be... because of Indigo? No... no way...’

Her cheeks turned pink at the thought.

She shook her head quickly.

’Focus, Ji-hye. Focus!’

But her heart was beating faster.

Something about Indigo felt... different.

Something she didn’t want to admit yet.

*In a Small Housing Area*

A red-haired woman was standing in front of a large board attached to the wall, filled with documents, photos, and strings connecting various details.

Seo Jin.

The journalist who managed to uncover Indigo’s biggest secret.

Beads of sweat were on her forehead.

"Fiuh... finally done. With this, I can make Indigo scared of me."

’Hopefully... anyway. Come to think of it, I haven’t used the internet in more than a month. I’ve been too focused on all this... I haven’t even checked the news.’

She opened her laptop.

As soon as she loaded the news, her eyes widened in shock.

’w-what!? I missed this much!?’

[Indigo successfully killed Russia’s SS-rank Hero, Yaroslav.]

’Unbelievable... And not only that... He’s now ranked number 100 on the world’s most-wanted Villain list.’

Seo Jin felt a wave of regret for staying offline for so long.

There were too many valuable pieces of information she had missed.

"Hah... at this rate, I need to update everything again. Well... whatever. Let’s get back to work!"

She continued her investigation, determined to uncover every detail she could about Indigo.

*Back to Ji-hye*

After returning from the Hero Association, Ji-hye went straight to shower.

Even though she wasn’t sweaty, bathing after missions had become her habit.

She relaxed in her bathtub, warm water covering her body.

"Aaah... taking a bath after coming home really is the best~"

But behind her relaxed expression... her mind was filled with worry.

Indigo hadn’t committed any villainous acts for an entire week.

Ji-hye leaned her head back, her hair floating around her shoulders.

’Where are you, Indigo...?

Why do I keep thinking about you every day?

What did you do to me...? Why am I turning into this?’

She sank a little deeper into the water, trying to calm her restless thoughts.

But something had changed in her.

She didn’t want to admit it... but she felt something pulling her toward Indigo.

In fact, Ji-hye had been analyzing the pattern behind Indigo’s attacks.

Yaroslav, for example—there was no way Indigo would kill an SS-rank Hero without reason.

Ji-hye began doubting the world’s narrative.

Doubting the Hero Association.

Doubting the Villain classification.

Doubting everything except... Indigo.