34-18

Chapter 18 

“So...” 

The man in front of me wore a black suit and sunglasses. 

He was one of the Association’s executives, often appearing at official events as the organization’s public face. 

He acted strictly by the manual, his voice always the same tone, so emotionless he’d earned the nickname “Cyborg.” 

“You’re telling me to surrender?” 

  Haaang♡ It’s here♡ 

Squelch squelch  

“Yes, that’s correct.” 

Hah... barging in while I was having sex with Han Ji-young after so long he’s ruder than he looks. 

He came here to urge me to surrender. For someone already designated a villain, this kind of offer... What is this, reading me my Miranda rights before an arrest? 

“...Are you kidding?” 

“This is no joke.” 

His face was dead serious, not a hint of a smile. He seemed genuinely sincere. 

“What if I refuse?” 

  Slurp slurp  

Han Ji-young is currently cleaning my soiled penis. She’s gotten very skilled at fellatio with experience. 

“...Think it over. It’s not such a bad offer for you.” 

Their demand is simple: restore the women corrupted by my superpower to their original state, and have me wear a ‘superpower sealing device.’ 

These sealing devices are usually used to subdue uncontrollable, dangerous superpowered criminals. I don’t know how they work, but the Association is thought to get them from the ‘World Government.’ 

A superpowered person with a sealing device has all their abilities sealed, and their physical abilities revert to those of a normal person. 

There are two ways to remove the device: either you’re too strong to be sealed by it in the first place, or you use an artifact to release it. 

Most choose the latter, since no one too strong for the device has ever been found... 

“...‘Wear the sealing device, restore your followers, and we’ll consider leniency so you can live a normal life,’ huh...” 

Smack  

I slammed the paper down hard. 

“Here’s my answer: I refuse.” 

“No, you don’t have to answer right now.” 

“What? I just did.” 

“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear it.” 

“.......” 

My mood was ruined. I wanted to send Cyborg away and get back to round two... 

  Get dressed. 

  ...Yes. 

‘So villains can joke too... Not what I heard from the rumors.’ 

“I’ll tell you something that might help you decide.” 

“Don’t bother.” 

There’s no way I’ll change my mind. 

Squeeze  

I spoke while groping her chest. Han Ji-young pressed her massive breasts against me, so I couldn’t help but touch them. Yeah, who could resist that? 

“This power is absolutely necessary to save humanity. No amount of money could change my mind.” 

“...You seem to use your power for personal desires, though...” 

“Hmph, how could a sparrow know the mind of a phoenix?” 

Cyborg sighed lightly and began the story he’d come to tell. 

“The Association investigated you personally. Your father is Chairman Lee Jinsoo of MM Corporation, and you are his illegitimate child, Lee Jinwoo.” 

“Though not his official wife, Lee Jinsoo truly loved your mother, and he loved you as well.” 

“....” 

Why is he suddenly bringing this up? 

“But at age ten, you awakened a trait: [Treasure Buried in Mud]. A cursed trait that made your body filthy. Your father, Lee Jinsoo, pitied you and gave you generous support.” 

“...Stop.” 

He’s bringing up my past. I thought I’d moved on, but hearing it from someone else is different from thinking it alone. 

“You became more and more withdrawn, obsessed with your appearance. You rejected all help. You were so stubborn that even Lee Jinsoo eventually gave up on you.” 

“...No.” 

There’s no way that man pitied me. Don’t sugarcoat it. The look in his eyes wasn’t pity, it was disgust. 

“The Association is offering you a chance. To undo everything and start over.” 

“Shut up! What do you know about me? What gives you the right to talk like you understand?!” 

“Have you ever been in my shoes? Have you felt my pain, my suffering?!” 

It’s infuriating, hearing a story that mixes truth and lies, knowing my pain is being spread to others. 

“...Of course, I’m not you, but sometimes knowledge alone is enough to understand a situation.” 

“Hah... So you admit you don’t really know.” 

Predators don’t know the hearts of prey. A lion doesn’t know what a rabbit feels as it’s eaten. It doesn’t even try to know. 

My power exists to save such weak people. And now they want me to surrender, just because they’re afraid of being eaten themselves? 

“My power is the evolution of humanity itself.” 

A reversal of the food chain. The weak, who’ve suffered so long, can finally become equal... 

“All the sorrow and pain of the oppressed...! That’s what gave birth to my superpower. Cyborg, do you know? This isn’t for me. It’s for everyone. For the weak who’ve suffered, to create a new world...!” 

“How did humanity evolve? From Australopithecus to Homo sapiens. From four-legged apes to two-legged humans who use their hands. My power is just an extension of that.” 

“I make unattractive women attractive. I turn females who lost in competition into competitive, desirable females. I fix defective goods so anyone can want them...” 

“You...” 

“What’s wrong with that? Shouldn’t I be praised for it?” 

“...That’s not logical. Human evolution is based on diversity. Survival of the fittest. Humanity evolved in many directions, but only Homo sapiens survived.” 

“So?” 

“That’s the essence of evolution. The unappealing are weeded out, that’s the natural law. You’re trying to overturn that. Do you understand? You’re going against the heavens.” 

“Hah, so who cares about the pain of those who lose out? Are you saying just let them suffer?” 

“...That’s the way of nature.” 

“Hah... You disgusting hypocrites...” 

Survival of the fittest, natural selection. The strong always say the same thing, in the past and now. 

  It’s your fault for being weak. 

  Your fault for being poor. 

  Your fault for not working hard. 

  Your fault for being born ugly. 

They always find reasons to justify themselves. But really, they’re just people like anyone else. 

And the weak have always lived accepting such nonsense. Why? 

‘Because they’re weak.’ 

To survive. To avoid dying. 

“You’re no different from someone looking at a leaning tower and saying, ‘It’s perfectly straight,’ not knowing it’s tilted.” 

“....” 

“Almost no one realizes the world isn’t straight. Because everyone’s lived with the tilt. But I was lucky enough to realize it’s crooked.” 

Of course, I don’t know all the pain of every weak person. I only know the pain that comes from being weak on the outside. 

There are weak people in every field, and they all suffer. 

I’m not saying I’ll save everyone in every field. 

Just in this one field at least in appearance I want to create a world with no weak. 

“...You’re the only one saying 1+1=3 while everyone else says 1+1=2.” 

“No, you’re the ones who are wrong. Ordinary people can’t understand the mind of a pioneer. And it’s the pioneer’s virtue to enlighten the masses.” 

We can’t understand each other. Maybe that’s fate. 

Different backgrounds, different thoughts, different beliefs so it goes. 

“...We’re not getting anywhere.” 

“One day you’ll realize it. That I’m right and you’re wrong.” 

You’ll learn, whether you want to or not. 

“...I’ll leave for today. If you change your mind, visit the Association anytime... though it would be best within a week.” 

  After that, we won’t accept you. 

“Hmph, that’ll never happen.” 

Clunk  

Cyborg left my office. Han Ji-young, who’d silently listened, spoke to me. 

“...Shall I take care of it?” 

“Leave it.” 

“Yes.” 

Han Ji-young accepted my answer without any further reaction. 

‘If he came here to make me angry, he succeeded spectacularly....’