I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

Chapter 325

After receiving approval from the Chief for the project in Jeju Island.

I headed out into the midnight streets with Hyeon Se-rin to gather information about the fake Goblin.

“Doesn’t seem like we can go up to Jongno District, huh?”

“Yeah. The place is packed with people.”

Even if this world’s Seoul had fallen, even if it had become a city with barely 5 million people after the capital’s reversal, it was still a place where a lot of people lived.

In such a place, if no one else but the Goblin appeared?

Of course, people would gather like moths to a flame.

“Hello, this is Lee Ki-woo from Wooki TV! Today, it seems a Goblin has appeared….”

“Yes, the scene is bustling with Seoul citizens and people from all over the country. The Hero Alliance is currently….”

The place was filled with cyber wreckers, the Hero Alliance, reporters, and, above all, a mass of Seoul citizens.

There were so many people occupying the road that even the vehicles that needed to enter for scene preservation couldn’t easily get through.

“Ah, move out of the way—!!”

A sharp, irritated scream echoed.

At the overpowering sound, suddenly everyone’s electronic devices lost signal for a moment, and all eyes turned to the person who caused the noise.

“Thunder Emperor…?”

“We’re from the Hero Alliance! For the investigation, citizens, please cooperate!”

Standing on top of the SUV, marked with the Hero Alliance’s logo, holding a red megaphone and shouting with a scowl, was none other than the S-class hero, Thunder Emperor Kim Yun-ji.

“Oh my, Yun-ji’s here?”

With a welcoming expression but cold eyes, Hyeon Se-rin looked at Kim Yun-ji while draping her arm over my shoulder.

“What brings such a great S-class hero all the way to Seoul? Hmm?”

“Well, since the A-class hero in charge of the southern part of Gyeonggi-do died as a villain, they probably sent her here temporarily to settle things.”

“I think so too.”

Even though he was executed, when you thought about it, it was a national disgrace.

An A-class hero, who wasn’t just a regular hero but the representative in charge of a region, was actually a malicious villain who went around destroying men’s privates?

Compared to the A-class marine instructor in Thailand boosting national prestige by teaching Korean Marine education to young athletes, this wasn’t just tarnishing the country’s image; it was smearing it with filth.

Of course, public order was shaken, and people couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

With heroes acting like villains, it’s no wonder the citizens were terrified.

To calm things down, obviously, someone greater than an A-class hero, an S-class, was needed.

Kim Yun-ji coming to Seoul wasn’t that strange.

It’s just that, for Hyeon Se-rin, who came to Seoul with me, this wasn’t exactly a welcome encounter.

“Hmph… As if it wasn’t annoying enough that someone who steals other people’s stuff came to Seoul. Guess we’ll have to be more careful with the signals.”

“We shouldn’t have any problems with ours, right?”

“Still, we need to be cautious. Not being caught might make us stand out even more.”

“True.”

If there was a dry spot on a wet canvas, naturally, that spot would stand out.

Thunder Emperor just unleashed an EMP with her power, as if to declare herself one of the most influential beings in modern society.

‘Just as troublesome as Taejo.’

The one who manipulated metal.

The one who controlled electricity.

In today’s modern age, the ability to manipulate metal and electricity freely was an enormous advantage.

Unlike Taejo, who could turn hundreds of tons of gold into a golden train or wielded similar physical power, Thunder Emperor could destroy every electrically powered system, which was incredibly powerful.

“If you don’t cooperate and clear the way, I’ll drain the batteries of all your Taeguk Watches and smartphones!”

Though she’s a hero, she made a threat nastier than any villain’s, causing the people to grimace as they reluctantly stepped back, allowing the Hero Alliance’s vehicles to finally make their way through.

“Still as prickly as ever, that personality. Director Do, what do you think of a woman like that?”

“I can’t make a judgment without knowing someone like her, but she doesn’t leave a positive impression.”

“You’re not just bad-mouthing her because I dislike her, right?”

“No, it’s an objective opinion.”

I placed my hand on Hyeon Se-rin’s shoulder and gave her a comforting pat.

“If she’s a hero, she should kindly explain things to people and ask them to move voluntarily. Using powers to threaten civilians isn’t right.”

Though she was called an S-class hero, in reality, she was closer to an S-class ability user.

The only reason she was called a hero is probably that she’s not a villain.

An S-class fixer employed by the Hero Alliance.

That’s the best way to summarize Kim Yun-ji’s role.

“How about we slip through the crowd and sneak in? We still need to investigate, right?”

“There are too many people for a proper investigation. Even if we tried using astral projection….”

“Rather than getting caught by Thunder Emperor, we should investigate somewhere else, right?”

“I think that’s a better idea.”

I handed my smartphone to Hyeon Se-rin.

“Investigating the scene is important, but after that, we need to check the bodies, don’t we?”

Just like in every crime scene investigation drama.

“Seoul Haegneul General Hospital.”

---

“Ugh, I really hate this.”

Thunder Emperor, Kim Yun-ji, jumped over the restricted area tape and shook her head at the bloodstains covering the scene.

“Detective, what do you think? As a man, seeing what was done to another man.”

“I’m not in a position to say much, but as a man, I think he deserved it.”

The man in the gray coat, Detective Park, who had crossed the restricted area tape alongside Kim Yun-ji, scribbled on his smartphone with a stylus as he responded to Thunder Emperor’s question.

“Even if he was, you know, impotent, and even if his favorite idol had a scandal, how could he do something like that?”

“Scandal… Well, considering the whole idol group was involved, it must’ve been quite a shock.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m not one to speak on such matters, but as someone old enough to be your father, let me offer some advice, Thunder Emperor. Be careful of romance scandals.”

Detective Park scratched his head as he scanned the nearby alleys.

“If rumors spread about Thunder Emperor getting married or seeing a man, there’ll be plenty of guys jumping off bridges.”

“…What am I supposed to do, play along with this? People are going on about patriotism. Should I make a public announcement like ‘I’d like to meet this man,’ instead of being caught in some sudden photo?”

“That might actually be better. Otherwise, we might end up with someone going dark like Nut Crusher.”

“Hmph…”

Thunder Emperor twisted her lips and rubbed her fingers together.

“People like that, going dark on their own… Ha, never mind. Let’s just get on with the investigation.”

Thunder Emperor stood in front of the white sticker and raised her hand high.

“So, this is where the Goblin executed Nut Crusher, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Like this.”

Thunder Emperor created a blue mana orb in her hand, placed it on the ground, and stomped on it, crushing it.

“Ahem.”

Those investigating the scene instinctively shrank back at the action.

Detective Park gulped nervously, but Thunder Emperor went ahead and stomped on the second orb, shattering it too.

“If someone of the Goblin’s caliber was involved, it wouldn’t be difficult to take down even an A-class villain… But something seems off.”

“What do you mean by ‘off’?”

“Hmm… It’s hard to explain.”

Thunder Emperor used her foot to sweep the remnants of the two shattered orbs and continued to tilt her head in thought.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

“That’s vague. If you think of anything, let us know. Us old-timers aren’t great at finding evidence in ability crimes.”

“Got it. Hmm…”

Thunder Emperor remained standing where the Goblin had been, lost in thought for a long time.

“……”

She stared intently at the blood-spattered asphalt, deep in contemplation, like an egg that had just been cracked open.

---

We arrived at the hospital.

The place was already crowded, with men in black suits blocking the way and controlling the entrance to keep outsiders out.

[This is easy.]

Hyeon Se-rin and I used astral projection to slip past the Hero Alliance agents unnoticed.

No one had any idea we were there.

[Where is it?]

[Basement.]

Based on the information we gathered through Brewer, I located where the body was being kept.

We couldn’t use the elevator, so we took the emergency stairs down to the basement, where we found black-suited agents standing at the end of a dark hallway.

‘Excuse me.’

We passed through the wall and entered the room.

Though it cost some mana, it was worth the expenditure.

In the middle of what looked like a surgery room, a white coffin was placed.

The coffin bore the symbol of Haegneul, and inside it lay Nut Crusher, dressed in white burial robes, his eyes closed.

[Haegneul’s funeral service is impressive. Even for an A-class villain, they treat him like a client.]

[They’d get complaints if they didn’t provide the service. Plus, I heard Haegneul sponsors businesses. They couldn’t just let him go without something.]

They probably donated hundreds of billions for an A-class hero, and now he dies as a villain?

[They’ll try to squeeze every last penny out, even if they have to sue the deceased or their family to get the money back.]

[Big corporations are even worse.]

[That’s the Korean style.]

That’s Haegneul’s story.

[Alright, let’s check. Hyeon Se-rin, you don’t need to watch.]

I materialized only my hand and lifted the burial robe.

And confirmed it.

[How is it?]

[It’s there.]

What shouldn’t have been there was gone, but something else remained.

[The rod is intact, only the orbs were crushed.]

Whoever the fake was, I didn’t know.

The Goblin wouldn’t do such a thing!

I wanted to relay fan Yoon Mo’s cry to the fake.

He’d just smash the head or break everything to pieces!

That’s right.

The fake specifically crushed only the ‘orbs’.

[The culprit is a woman.]

A man wouldn’t mess with another man’s parts.

But if they’d decided to break them, they wouldn’t have done it this way.

‘Even if they shot a gun and hit the target, then visited the hospital to bash it twice with a hammer, they wouldn’t hand-pick only the orbs to crush.’

If they were going to destroy it, they’d go all the way up and leave no trace, like the lower half of a mannequin.

If they wanted to make him permanently impotent, they would’ve turned him into something like a mannequin, leaving no trace behind.

Nut Crasher? They’d repay him in full.

They’re trying to leave a message, since he was going to die anyway?

Not sure.

[So, the culprit is…]

[Don’t joke around.]

[Caught me.]

[Do you know who it is?]

[Yeah.]

It’s definitely a woman.

[What’s the evidence?]

[The wound.]

It’s not about where it was crushed.

It’s about how it was crushed.

[Judging by the type of wound, the culprit is-]

creak.

The door to the morgue opened.