Chapter 79

Gos Hawk had stopped reviewing Song Do-yoon’s documents and was now rummaging through the side table drawer to pull out a cigar as thick as his thumb.

“Come closer.”

Gos Hawk flicked his fingers as he trimmed the tip of the cigar.

“You have matches there. Can you light it for me?”

Song Do-yoon struck a match and held it to the end of Gos Hawk’s cigar.

As Gos Hawk inhaled, he looked at Song Do-yoon through the rising smoke.

The smoke was extremely potent, so Song Do-yoon quickly extinguished the match and attempted to return to his seat.

But at that moment, Gos Hawk reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“Would you like to try one?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Come on.”

When Gos Hawk pulled the cigar from his mouth, a thin thread of saliva stretched from it. He broke it with his tongue and grinned.

With his smoky makeup and the cigar smoke surrounding him, Gos Hawk truly looked like a Villain, which made Song Do-yoon shake his head and try to free his wrist.

But he wasn’t strong enough to break free from the grip of an active Hero.

“Hurry up, and I’ll let you go.”

Eventually, Song Do-yoon hesitantly accepted the cigar, taking a brief puff.

He promptly doubled over, coughing violently.

“Doesn’t suit your taste? It’s very expensive, imported from across the sea.”

“I don’t smoke…”

“Such a pity. It would have been nice to share.”

Gos Hawk chuckled and blew smoke directly into Song Do-yoon’s face.

Song Do-yoon covered his nose and mouth and took a step back. He hadn’t expected Gos Hawk to be this eccentric.

He briefly remembered the Professor who had strongly advised against coming here.

But Song Do-yoon steeled his resolve. There was no turning back now. He truly wanted to train under a powerful Hero, and Gos Hawk, who had personally chosen him, was one of the highest-ranked.

“That look in your eyes is a bit irritating.”

Gos Hawk laughed as he pressed a call button, prompting a staff member to enter.

“Did you need something, Hero?”

“Among the current requests, which ones do I need to handle personally?”

“Ah, yes. Just a moment.”

As the assistant listed a few requests, Gos Hawk turned to Song Do-yoon, puffing on his cigar.

“Did you bring your Suit? You can’t go out in that outfit.”

“I brought it.”

“Then change.”

As Song Do-yoon grabbed his bag and headed out, Gos Hawk stopped him.

“Here. There’s no place outside to change.”

“Here…?”

“I already said there’s no other place.”

Song Do-yoon silently stared at Gos Hawk, causing him to burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Just kidding! Take him to the changing room.”

“Yes, Hero. This way, trainee.”

As Song Do-yoon followed the assistant, he glanced back. Gos Hawk was still looking at him with the cigar in his mouth.

***

After changing into his Suit, Song Do-yoon climbed to the Office rooftop with Gos Hawk.

Standing at the airfield, Gos Hawk looked Song Do-yoon up and down with a scheming gaze.

The Academy practice Suit was made of latex, revealing every curve of the body with minimal functionality.

“Tasty.”

“Excuse me?”

“Shall we go? We need to practice.”

When Gos Hawk activated his Aura, a dark, ink-like energy began to rise like fumes.

As Song Do-yoon drew his own navy-blue Aura, Gos Hawk nodded approvingly.

“I like that color. Don’t fall behind.”

In an instant, Gos Hawk shot up into the sky, displaying the incredible speed befitting his call sign.

Song Do-yoon quickly followed, ascending high into the air.

At a great height above, Gos Hawk was already waiting, fiddling with a wrist device.

“You seemed decent during the evaluation. Can you fight like that again?”

“Of course.”

“Your attitude pleases me. I’ll send you the coordinates. You take the lead.”

The coordinates from Gos Hawk appeared on Song Do-yoon’s device. Their target was a relatively weak D-class Villain not far from here.

As Song Do-yoon moved forward, Gos Hawk closely followed.

However, the true reason Gos Hawk had let Song Do-yoon lead wasn’t to increase his participation but simply to enjoy his posterior in the snug Suit.

The sight of the pronounced curves made Gos Hawk grin.

Cold and distant women like Song Do-yoon always turned embarrassingly flirtatious when their composure crumbled.

***

Upon arrival, they spotted a Villain standing on a rooftop below.

The Villain seemed poised to do something malicious, standing with one foot on the roof railing and gazing down.

On closer inspection, the Villain was a woman.

Female Villains weren’t rare, as villainy isn’t exclusive to any gender.

“Hmm. Is that the one?”

Gos Hawk cross-referenced the reconnaissance satellite images with the individual below.

The satellites constantly monitored Villain movements 24/7. If a crime was anticipated, they sent requests to the nearest Office or deployed their own Heroes.

Thanks to this system, Gos Hawk was alerted before the Villain could act.

However, even with the satellites, Villains weren’t completely helpless. So the fact that this one had been so openly caught indicated their inexperience.

“Hmmph.”

After comparing the satellite photo with the Villain below, Gos Hawk made his decision.

That woman isn’t my type. Better to pass her to the trainee.

If she had been to his liking, Gos Hawk would have subdued her himself, enjoying some “fun” before handing her over to the Organization.

“Hey. Do you want to try this alone?”

“According to the rules, trainees can’t fight alone.”

“Who said that?”

“Professor.”

“Ah, that cowardly professor. How will you grow strong like that? Go ahead, try yourself.”

Gos Hawk’s suggestion put Song Do-yoon in conflict.

The Professor had explicitly instructed to reject such tasks and call if it was too much to handle. But Song Do-yoon didn’t want to do that.

He wasn’t close with the Professor and, to be honest, harbored some resentment. He knew Professor Han liked the Professor, and while they weren’t officially together, jealousy was natural.

Especially since, before the training departure, the Professor had embraced Professor Han and smiled at Song Do-yoon, which made him feel mocked.

The Professor had genuinely wanted to include Song Do-yoon in the embrace but refrained to avoid making him uncomfortable. But without telepathic abilities, Song Do-yoon couldn’t know that.

Moreover, Song Do-yoon truly wanted to become stronger.

Since his defeat against Professor Han, he had felt an intense drive to grow stronger. Common sense dictated that to take responsibility for Professor Han, he had to surpass her.

Although he hadn’t yet received a confirmation from her, he planned to confess one day, and for that, he needed to grow stronger.

If rejected, then perhaps by force, he would…

“Will you do it or not?”

After a moment of deliberation, Song Do-yoon nodded.

“I’ll do it.”

“Excellent. Go ahead.”

With slight hesitation, Song Do-yoon descended sharply.

Sensing the rough aura of energy, the Villain below looked up.

Aiming to knock her off the rooftop, Song Do-yoon unleashed aerodynamic mechanics.

A powerful flow of air surged towards the Villain, causing her to stagger.

But if a fall would’ve stopped her, she wouldn’t have been a Villain.

Quickly, she extended her hands to the ground, from which long, goat-horn-like protrusions erupted, piercing through the roof.

Using the protrusions to anchor herself, the Villain then opened her mouth toward Song Do-yoon.

“Huh!?”

Sharp, needle-like protrusions shot out from her mouth and zipped rapidly toward Song Do-yoon’s face. Reflexively, he turned his head, missing them by a hair’s breadth.

“Get lost!”

As the Villain’s harsh voice rang out, the needle-like spines fired rapidly in a machine-gun-like assault.

Panic-stricken, Song Do-yoon twisted his body, trying to weave through the barrage of spikes, but his skills were insufficient.

His Suit tore in several places, and blood began to seep through.

Above him, Gos Hawk watched leisurely, brushing aside spines that came near him.

Hmm, his skills aren’t as good as I thought. Even if hired, he won’t be able to handle requests. He’d make a decent doormat, though.

I’ll finish here and then go back, take some medicine…

Suddenly, an overwhelming and chilling pressure from behind caused Gos Hawk to leap sideways.

A Hero enveloped in gray Aura shot past him, diving downwards.

The sheer intensity and weight of the Aura’s vibrations almost swept Gos Hawk off balance, nearly causing him to fall.

What in the world is this…?