CHAPTER 37: THE AMERICAN HEROES

*New York, United States*

The news of the brutal death of the Fredlin family, murdered by Indigo, had spread far beyond Korea. It echoed all the way across the ocean, reaching the heart of the United States.

Inside the towering building of the American Hero Association Headquarters, the atmosphere was tense and heavy. A massive round table stood at the center of the meeting room, surrounded by the highest-ranking heroes and officials in the country.

—BANG!

The sound of a fist slamming against the table thundered through the room.

The one who had struck it was the Director himself.

He abruptly stood up from his chair, his face flushed with anger as he shouted,

"How could something like this even happen!?"

To his side stood a calm-looking man with a long-range rifle slung across his back. This was LongShot, an American S-Rank Hero.

"Calm down, Director," LongShot said casually. "This isn’t a matter worth getting worked up over."

The Director snapped his head toward him.

"What did you say!? This isn’t important!?"

LongShot shrugged lightly.

"That’s right. It isn’t that important. After all, Fredlin was nothing more than a corrupt official. He had already done enormous damage to our country."

The Director fell silent for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh.

"Yes... you’re right. On a personal level, this incident is insignificant. But the higher-ups are forcing me to take responsibility for it. They’re pressuring me nonstop. Do you have any idea how troublesome that is for me!?"

A short distance away, a beautiful dark-skinned woman with long black hair crossed her arms. She was Argina, another American S-Rank Hero.

"The people at the top are always like that," she said coolly. "They turn trivial problems into national-level crises."

Beside Argina sat a blonde, fair-skinned woman with sharp eyes—Ashley, also an S-Rank Hero.

"But didn’t the news also mention that someone else had been targeting Fredlin before his death?" Ashley asked curiously, resting her chin on her hand.

"That’s correct," answered a man sitting across from her. He wore a composed expression and carried himself with dignity. This was Jean, another American S-Rank Hero.

"The one who targeted Fredlin first was Hollow, a Korean A-Rank villain."

"But before Hollow could assassinate him..." LongShot continued slowly.

The entire room spoke in unison.

"Indigo."

The Director frowned deeply.

"Honestly, I don’t even know who this Indigo is. Could you explain him to me?"

A woman with short jade-colored hair and glasses stepped forward. She was Jade, the Secretary of the American Hero Association—and also an S-Rank Hero herself.

"Indigo is a Korean S-Rank Villain who has recently been targeted by multiple countries—France and Korea in particular," Jade explained.

"He possesses countless crime records. Not only that, he once killed another S-Rank villain, Andreo, with just a single hand. That alone proves he stands above most other S-Ranks in raw combat ability."

"What nonsense!" barked a muscular man with a dark complexion and buzz-cut hair—Edgar, an American S-Rank Hero.

"He’s just a rookie who only recently reached S-Rank! You’re exaggerating his strength!"

A glasses-wearing man sitting beside Edgar adjusted his frames. This was Griffon, also an S-Rank Hero.

"I agree with Edgar. There’s no guarantee that Indigo is stronger than the rest of us. His opponents may simply have been weaker than average."

’They’re underestimating him far too much...’ Jade thought quietly.

They had no idea what kind of monster Indigo truly was.

"Fine," the Director said firmly. "Then I’ll send both of you to Korea to assist their heroes in capturing this villain—Griffon and Edgar."

He slammed his palm onto the table once more.

"This concludes today’s meeting!"

"Heh. Now this is what I like to hear," Edgar said, clenching his fists eagerly as his knuckles cracked.

"You’re way too excited for this, muscle-brain," Griffon sneered.

"What did you say, you four-eyed bastard!?" Edgar snapped back angrily.

Jade watched their exchange with deep concern.

She remembered the incident in Paris all too well.

At that time, she had only been there for an inspection and had intended to assist Oceanaria. But she never got the chance—because Indigo had appeared without warning.

With nothing more than a single movement of his hand, Indigo had killed Andreo instantly. Andreo was a villain that even Oceanaria had struggled against.

Jade had witnessed it all from behind a distant building, frozen in fear, her hand clamped over her mouth as she hid and trembled.

Returning to the present—

Jade walked toward her office while carrying several classified documents. Each file contained detailed records about Indigo.

’I just hope Edgar and Griffon know their limits... and that they return safely...’

Jade firmly believed that Indigo was a completely different kind of S-Rank.

He was cruel. Cold. And he enjoyed playing with his prey.

*Korea – Yoo Jinhoo’s House*

I sat comfortably on my sofa, casually munching on a bag of potato chips.

My power continued to grow at an abnormal rate. And even now, I still wasn’t completely certain how to control all of it properly.

To be honest, I never wanted to kill a child. But I had no choice.

Fredlin’s son was destined to become a future villain—one of the most dangerous threats the world would ever face. He would awaken a terrifying power known as Void.

Anyone who was swallowed by that power would be erased from existence forever.

...Wait.

Wasn’t that terrifying ability strangely similar to my own?

Even now, I still called my power dark blue light. I had no clear understanding of what category it truly belonged to.

As I remained lost in thought, Lee Mira suddenly ran toward me, holding a sketchbook with both hands.

"Oppa! Look at this! I drew everyone together! You’re in here too!" she said excitedly.

I looked down at the drawing. It featured me, Lee Mira herself, Lee Donghyun, So-ah, Kim Gae-in, and Min-seo.

The quality was incredible.

For a thirteen-year-old, this level of artwork was nothing short of astonishing—it looked like something drawn by an experienced artist.

I smiled warmly and gently patted Lee Mira on the head.

"This is amazing. Who taught you how to draw like this?"

"Kim Gae-in unnie did! She taught me everything!" Mira said proudly.

Kim Gae-in walked over with a smug smile on her face.

I glanced at her and deliberately put on a disappointed expression. I had thought So-ah was the one who taught her.

"Hey! What’s with that disappointed look!?" Kim Gae-in protested.

"Oh, nothing..." I replied flatly.

Kim Gae-in puffed her cheeks in frustration. She clearly wanted praise.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but laugh softly.

"I was just kidding. Don’t take it so seriously~"

"Hmph! Oppa is so mean!"

Ah... I messed up.

Suddenly, I remembered something.

Kim Gae-in loved chocolate candy.

By pure coincidence, I had one in my pocket.

I reached into my pants pocket.

Sure enough—it was there.

I handed it to her.

"Here. Consider this my apology."

She hesitated for a second, pretending to refuse it—but her eyes betrayed her true desire.

"F-fine. You win. I forgive you."

She quickly snatched the chocolate away.

I handed another one to Lee Mira as well.

"Yay! I got one too!" Mira cheered happily.

For a brief moment, everything felt peaceful.

Then—

Lee Donghyun rushed into the room with a tense expression.

"Hyung! I just received new information! Two American S-Rank heroes are coming to Korea to capture you!"

The calm expression on my face instantly vanished.

My cheerful mood drained into exhaustion.

"...Hah. They really never give up, do they?"