Chapter 12. Life is Always Unfair.
Kkayang.
The clear sound of metal resonates and the silver glimmer of a light crosses before my eyes. At the same time, the recoil from the steel hitting steel is felt in the hand that holds the hammer.
The attack is blocked by a sword shining with silver light. The sword that blocked my attack is now stuck in the ground, exuding its presence.
A sword? Is it the support of a hero?
The moment I realize my attack has failed, I feel something flying towards me, and I immediately leap backwards.
Puh-buh-buh-berk.
A short sword with only a blade and a handle. A cavalry charge spear. Oddly long with sharp spikes. A two-handed sword that looks like a kitchen knife. Weapons that are uncoordinated and in chaos scatter around me.
“Am I supposed to avoid that by running?”
“Don’t let your guard down, Baek Sihyeon. That’s a monster that defies reason.”
Looking up at the sky where I hear the voice, two figures stand against the sun atop the building. A winged humanoid and a woman in a cobalt coat with a white cape.
As if familiar with telekinesis, she demonstrates a textbook landing technique, slowing her descent just before reaching the ground.
“Are you okay?”
“Who are you?”
“Baek Sihyeon! I still don’t have a hero name.”
She introduces herself and looks around for Han Ah.
“Are you hurt? I’ll heal you.”
“I’m fine; I can heal too.”
Before Han Ah finishes her words, crimson mana flows from her body, enveloping her.
The healing happens at a remarkable speed: her skin renews and blood stops flowing; the crushed flesh swells again, allowing her to move her hand. There’s still twitching in her hand and exposed bones, but it’s an effective emergency treatment.
And above all, the speed is fast.
After witnessing her healing abilities that are on a different dimension, Han Ah feels apologetic, her expression tinged with regret.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help with the broken leg.”
She bows her head, appearing genuinely sorry.
“It’s okay. With this much, I can still move.”
“Alright.”
As the healing ends, the magical girl’s gaze turns back toward me.
“Wait for me, thank you.”
“Isn’t glancing away from the enemy a bit of a rookie move?”
“I feel like you’d wait for me? The attack doesn’t even seem to hurt.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well…”
She sits down casually, smiling slyly.
“I like everything about you except for your hair color and weapon.”
“If you’re going to claim to be a hero, show your skills instead of critiquing my appearance.”
“Okay!”
She seems to have no intention of waiting any longer and grips the hammer, jumping toward me.
A straightforward charge without any peculiarities.
Since she does not handle the hammer with any finesse, she aims to bring it down with the force of a hammer strike.
Tang.
How? Though I thought that the unleashed power was more than enough, her thrust was faster than my charge.
No, it seems strange to say it was blocked; her hammer moved faster than my hammer would have predicted its trajectory.
From the start, the hammer’s movement was aimed at where my hammer would land, as if it knew where I would move.
It appears meaningless, but the hammer arrived at the spot my hammer was supposed to hit, pulling back to swing upwards.
As I twisted my hammer to pull back quickly, I aimed at my opponent’s arm, but…
Thud!
Blocked by telekinesis.
As my foot connects simultaneously, I leap backwards, launching my opponent away with my kick.
However, my opponent seemed to foresee it too, blocking my kick with her hammer.
My goal from the start was escape, so it’s no concern that my kick got blocked.
Leaping back, I regained my posture and thought. The difference in physique with my opponent is too great. Usually, I could overcome it with speed and timing, but with all her attacks reading me as they do, it would be impossible.
The hammer was already speeding towards me: Such simple defense could be crushed by raw power.
After roughly figuring things out, with dissatisfaction on my face, I looked at my opponent, who is regarding me with her hammer raised.
Her expression shows dissatisfaction at how things aren’t going well. The face that appears clearly looks familiar, as if I’ve seen it somewhere before.
Specifically, it looks like someone with unique psychic abilities or magic.
“Precognitive User?”
“What are you talking about?”
Though I spoke those words, my pupils shook, and the tone of my voice changed.
Hiding an expression that belies the power she holds is clumsy.
Didn’t she say her name is Baek Sihyeon? With the name Baek Sihyeon, the power she possesses includes weapon implementation, telekinesis, prediction, and healing magic. I seem to recall hearing something about it.
As I rummaged through my memory, I recalled the documents I was given a little while ago.
“Is she my student?”
The documents lacked a photo, so it took me a bit to realize.
Upon noticing this, other questions came to mind.
She had awakened just a day ago. No, it’s just two days now, right? How can a hero wield their powers with such ease at this stage?
Her handling of the hammer was a bit concerning, but that likely had nothing to do with her power; instead, it was her skill with weapons.
Perhaps her telekinesis is well-calibrated for controlling her jumping speed and the subtlety with which she can defend herself, and she has also rapidly generated various types of weapons.
What about future sight?
Those with precognitive abilities say that when wielding their strength, they often perceive both the present and future, making it inconvenient for them.
However, that magical girl had successfully predicted the trajectory of my hammer twice, blocking both attacks.
Had I not made an error, it could have led to a serious injury. Yet her actions did not reveal any doubt about that ability; instead, she optimally acted according to her own powers.
She acts as if she’s untouchable, showing confidence and precision. It’s not easy to be that bold, even knowing the future.
She’s a genius: On my first outing, I failed to even control my power, wreaking havoc on the buildings around me.
“What are you doing? Are you not going to attack?”
She seemed uneasy with me simply staring at her, and in an annoyed tone, she spat out her words while holding the hammer over her head.
“Shouldn’t you be the one to come in?”
“I don’t want to!”
Just a moment ago, she had dashed in herself, yet here she was complaining.
I observed her actions for a moment.
She keeps the hammer spinning to be able to counter every attack.
From a glance, it seems pointless, but she’s repeatedly generating weapons from behind and then pulling back.
“I see… It seems you can’t see how I’ll attack or defend against your future sight.”
So it isn’t a multiple prediction showing all possible futures, rather it’s a method that shows the optimal future.
Though a genius, she’s still clumsy.
Her future sight isn’t perfect either; it’s merely a supporting tool. If she keeps embarrassing herself like this, she’s sure to get hurt severely someday.
Maybe I should teach her some things.
I lifted my hammer onto my shoulder and called out loudly.
“Han Ah!”
“Ye—yes!”
Startled by her name being called, the magical girl stiffened and replied.
“Get the civilians out of here! I can’t guarantee what might happen around here!”
She nodded, raising her power.
How long has it been? Though I shouldn’t use my full power, it’s been a long time since I partially released my emotional limiter.
Lately, regulating my emotions has been hard, so I feel like if I fully unleash them here, it might lessen the tension.
Alright then, let’s enjoy this.
Ku-oom!
With the sound of a shockwave spreading into the air, a sense of liberation envelops my body.
Ga-gak.
The shockwave radiating from me makes the surrounding asphalt crack.
The unrestrained physical power shakes the nearby buildings:
Clang-clang!
As the foundations of the buildings twist, windows began shattering.
Ahhhhhhh!
Citizens, this is the Hero Management Association!
The power of the Otherworld has been detected.
This is an actual Ambush Warning.
At this time, we ask everyone in locations where this sound can be heard to evacuate immediately.
—We repeat:
Fortunately, the force I unleash in this state appears to reverberate with the powers of the Otherworld.
With the alarm raised, I don’t need to worry about the surroundings anymore.
“What kind of ability is that?”
“It’s hard to believe, but it’s pure physical power. Just moving my body causes shockwaves to spread.”
That’s correct.
The energy being emitted through my skin becomes shockwaves, and every muscular movement influences the surroundings.
Yet, a magical girl without any magic has reached the pinnacle of pure physical enhancement through her own wit.
She continues to rise off the ground, alternating with stones she could control, her face turning blue.
“So it’s not about magic?”
“Though it can act similarly to mana or qi, that too would need to reach its peak.”
That monster has merely reached it with pure physical capability.
The mascot flying overhead gazed at the scene, adding an observation.
“Though it doesn’t seem like everything has been unleashed…”
“Does that make sense?”
“That’s why I called it a monster.”
I opened my mouth toward them.
“It’s fine to run away as you wish.”
To ensure the shockwave doesn’t disrupt, I do my best to speak softly. But to their ears, it likely sounded like an enormously loud roar.
As if feeling the need to block her ears with her hands holding her weapon, she grimaced, indicating discomfort.
“Don’t get cocky! I’m Baek Sihyeon! I’m the magical girl who will take down the Black Marauder and bring peace!”
The dramatic tone of her words made me chuckle.
My student still seems to possess courage and pride in situations like these.
I can’t help but be fond of that.
Today is a special day– to find a hero I like and a student I like.
“Just wait a moment.”
“Why?”
“Aren’t civilians supposed to evacuate?”
I have no clue if she cares about civilians.
“I already told that magical girl who ran off with the civilians earlier, but my only concern is the heroes.”
“That’s peculiar. In such a case, it would be tough for the powers of the Otherworld to infiltrate this world.”
“I don’t care about that. What I want is simply to restore the justice of the heroes.”
I’ll say it repeatedly: I aim to uphold justice and ensure no hero’s name is tarnished.
That’s just how it is.
“The copy’s too well made, isn’t it?”
“Perhaps the Otherworld didn’t consider it. The character has been replicated closely, including the personality and sense of justice. Though it seems the direction has been skewed a bit.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your original: Creams Hammer.”
That person is indeed a righteous individual.
I am that original.
“That’s why I don’t like it. Who’s wearing a mask?”
Those words of the original were strange.
“So you mean cream Hammer remains pure despite the powers of the Otherworld? Is that what you’re saying, Lin?”
The narrative clues you provided echo in my mind.
“Could it be about me? I never imagined something like this could happen. Thirty years of hero life, and I never thought I’d get caught in a mess like this.”
Is there any other face more embarrassing than this, as I look ridiculous after staying fixed in one form?
Seeing someone praise me in front of my eyes is also unusual. They seem to be devoutly revering me, crafting odd sentences along the way.
Noble? Who?
Embarrassment swells within me. I can’t hold back my emotions any longer. At this rate, I’m bound to unleash my power.
“Let’s finish this quickly.”
With a tone that leaves nothing out, a tremendous shockwave emanates.
The shockwave is absorbed entirely, and Baek Sihyeon stiffens up, holding onto her weapon.
The future I’ve envisioned for her victory, with the shields she’s generated multiple times, are collapsing.
“Awkward.”
As I make my leap forward, the impact pushes the building behind her.
With disaster looming, the scene is one that would often be witnessed in the past.
In an instant, the distance shortens and Baek Sihyeon’s figure comes into my view, flipping my hammer.
She seems oblivious to it, her gaze remaining fixed on the spot where I had been, and the hammer floats uselessly above her.
She couldn’t even see me, but she seems to have anticipated where I would attack and thus set shields in position.
As expected, it’s clumsy.
Thud!
The shield shattered under the impact of my hammer, crumbling into pieces.
In that moment, knowing she couldn’t stop my hammer, her recognition kicks in; she at last makes an effort to defend.
That defense alone, given her current level of power, wouldn’t suffice.
With this one strike, I would inevitably shatter her body.
However, my intention isn’t to kill her but rather to teach her a lesson.
I halted my hammer immediately, grabbing her arm with my left hand.
Crack!
Following my grip, I feel her bone shatter beneath the pressure.
As if breaking a sturdy stick, her right arm crumbles within my hold.
Guhh!
She seemed not to have foreseen my actions and could react in no way, not even maintaining her future sight.
A very simple tactic. She couldn’t even comprehend it.
“Precognitive users should prepare for attacks that fall outside their predicted range.”
It’s just like when one’s gaze gets drawn elsewhere.
Focusing on one spot leaves another unguarded.
Even if she sees the future, if she doesn’t pay attention to it, she might not notice.
Even if she possesses precognitive abilities, it creates a limitation she cannot overcome.
Though she tries to stifle her scream, the pain from her fractured arm is unbearable, and she collapses on the spot, clutching her broken right arm.
But despite everything, she gazes up at me, her eyes ablaze with a fire that seems to question whether it was out of justice or revenge.
Gugung!
The hammer swoops around as buildings in front of us crumble.
They wouldn’t be able to withstand the shockwave.
In the Hero Management Association, chaos ensues.
It’s been such a long time since I’ve caused this level of destruction. They must be panicking, calculating the damage.
“That’s enough for today.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m done with what I came to do.”
With three of the hero’s limbs broken, I’ve decimated part of the city. The ripple effects reaching society are sufficient.
The gazes on the Black Marauder will increase with today’s events, but that too is welcome.
Though unexpected, this outcome achieves enough.
Turning away, I see Baek Sihyeon glaring at me with hatred.
“One day, I’ll take you down.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know who my master is? It’s Creams Hammer! One day, I’ll surpass you!”
Before I could hear more, I had to escape.
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