Chapter 27

EP.27 Her Resolve

"Big sister... Should I just take it?"

"No! I got it, I can do it."

Shinhae looked worriedly at her senior, who was precariously holding a 10-scoop ice cream cone.

She’s going to drop it.

And her prediction was right.

Losing her balance, the ice cream cone began to topple.

"No, no, no!"

With a scream from Chae-hyeon, the ice cream cone fell onto the man standing next to her.

It seemed the ice cream would inevitably land on the man standing beside her.

But then something unexpected happened.

"Whoa!"

The man rolled to avoid the falling ice cream.

It was an incredible reflex. Though it’s unclear why he had to roll...

"Brother!"

"Da-in!"

The two women standing next to the man hurriedly approached him.

His name was Da-in.

Despite being covered in dust, the man stood up calmly, brushing off his clothes as if nothing was wrong.

"It’s okay, it’s okay."

Of course, his calm expression belied the state of his clothes, which were far from okay.

His body was covered in dust.

"Oh no... Are you okay? I’m so sorry. I, I’m so clumsy... sniff."

Chae-hyeon, with tears in her eyes, approached him. Shinhae, who was also part of their group, was flustered but approached him as well.

As they approached, the man laughed and joked.

"It’s fine. Everyone makes mistakes. I overreacted a bit. Haha, I should have just dodged a little."

"Sniff, but still..."

"It’s fine, really."

In a bizarre turn of events, the man comforted the crying Chae-hyeon. Shinhae felt guilty. If she had taken the ice cream, this wouldn’t have happened.

She was glad it was such a kind man. If it had been a more ordinary person, they would have been furious, but he took it in stride.

...Well, the man was calm, but the two women next to him looked very annoyed. In a way, that was normal. A man who could so easily brush off such an incident was unusual.

"Come on, Se-eun. Shall we go...?"

The man, acting as if no compensation was needed, tried to leave with his group. He seemed to be in a hurry...

But Chae-hyeon wasn’t about to let it go. As she reached out to offer some form of compensation, a loud noise echoed.

"AAAAH!"

Screams erupted from all around.

Shinhae, an ordinary college student but also a Starstrider, had a quick judgment.

It’s a terrorist attack.

Most likely, a villain’s terrorist attack.

Boom. Boom.

The ground-shaking sounds continued.

Her judgment was quick, and so was her action.

First, she needed to get Chae-hyeon to safety.

"Big sister, come with me!"

"Huh? Huh...?"

She grabbed Chae-hyeon’s hand, who was half-dazed from the sudden events, and ran in the opposite direction of the noise.

With her Starstrider powers partially activated, she could run much faster than others.

Of course, Chae-hyeon, being dragged along, was in a state of near panic.

"AAAAH!"

They ran with the crowd, who were all fleeing in the opposite direction.

And the distant sounds.

Despite the distance, the sounds were incredibly loud.

"Starstrider!!!!! Come out, Starstrider!!!!!!!"

For a moment, Shinhae’s body stiffened.

Chae-hyeon, who was half-dazed from being dragged, didn’t notice Shinhae’s brief moment of stiffness.

Of course, after a brief pause, she started running again, but her inner turmoil was intense.

What is this? Why are they suddenly mentioning me?

But first, she decided to put everything else aside and get Chae-hyeon to safety.

"Huff... huff..."

They eventually reached a place far from the scene.

Around them, people who had evacuated were gathered, catching their breath.

They were far enough from the festival site to be considered safe.

"Oh no... What’s happening...."

Chae-hyeon, who had been dazed and drooling, finally spoke after regaining her composure.

"Haru, you’re really fast. Haru... Haru?"

But Chae-hyeon couldn’t finish her sentence.

Haru’s expression was incredibly stiff.

"....."

Her lips were tightly pressed, and she was staring at the direction they had fled from.

Her mind was a chaotic mess.

There was an unwritten rule for heroes.

"Never appear at a scene without recognition suppression."

This rule applied even in the past, when recognition suppression technology didn’t exist.

Never, ever, reveal your face.

Before heroes started showing their faces, past heroes, or "heroes," always wore masks.

The moment your identity was exposed, a terrifying life began.

This was a principle adopted by all hero associations worldwide.

No matter how terrible the terrorist attack, if your face is exposed, do not intervene.

Heroes are incredibly valuable.

Especially powerful heroes.

The sudden appearance of abilities in a few people decades ago.

Commonly known as superpowers, or in another sense, extraordinary abilities.

There were countless debates about why these abilities suddenly appeared in humans, but nothing has been definitively proven.

Hypotheses ranged from the abilities being latent in genes and only manifesting in certain individuals, to them appearing due to cosmic magnetic fields, or even being granted by a deity.

People with abilities can be broadly categorized into three types.

The first type lives a relatively normal life.

In fact, most people fall into this category. Many have mundane personalities, and most extraordinary ability holders have abilities that are not particularly useful.

For example, the ability to reverse plant growth. It’s only useful for shutting down botanical gardens. Or a strong stomach. While it can digest anything, it’s not particularly useful. People with this ability prefer chicken to rocks.

In essence, most of them blend into society and live normal lives.

To them, their superpowers are only useful for showing off at parties.

Even those with strong abilities often live normal lives. For example, someone with super strength. Just because you’re strong, does that mean you have to be a hero? The state doesn’t force it. Someone with super strength might want to be an artist, a photographer, an office worker, or a designer. They live normal lives.

But those with strong abilities and a sense of justice choose to be heroes. They go to the Hero Association, take an ability test, and register.

However, heroes are very few. Many who dream big and take the ability test can’t accept being just B or C class. Even if they argue that a villain with the same ability is A class, they only get a standard answer: the hero rating system is stricter than the villain rating system.

The criteria for A class are designed to be attainable only by the rarest dual-ability holders or those with extremely powerful abilities. S class requires the ability to stop time. Being moderately strong only gets you a B class at best.

Moreover, the harsh reality of being a hero, akin to a soldier, with constant life-threatening battles, deters most. No matter how much money is offered.

In South Korea, the ratio of heroes is even lower compared to other countries due to the public’s strict moral standards and the prevalence of negative comments.

Despite the few heroes, there are countless villains.

The reason is simple. Most people with strong abilities tend to become villains.

In fact, the percentage of villains who terrorize the public is quite low. This is why Egoistic is such a topic of discussion.

Many villains quietly operate in the shadows, taking advantage for their own gain.

They remain unknown to the public, living in secrecy.

But if a hero’s identity is exposed?

They immediately move to eliminate the hero. Heroes are seen as a potential threat, and they want to eliminate them quickly.

So, heroes must never reveal their faces. It’s common sense.

Common sense, but...

Does that mean she should leave these suffering citizens behind?

"Starstrider!!!!!!!"

Boom. Boom.

The sound of buildings collapsing.

The screams of people.

Does she have to abandon all of this?

Going to the Hero Association for recognition suppression would take too long. By the time she returned, the situation would likely be over.

Did she become a hero to run away in such a situation?

"Haru...?"

She took a step with a determined expression. Yes, there’s no other choice.

For the citizens, not for her own safety.

Just as she was about to take off, the man next to her, looking at his smartphone, shouted.

"It’s Egoistic!! Egoistic is here!!!"

For a moment, her feet slipped.

What is he doing here all of a sudden?