Chapter 13 - A Minor Villain And Me
I couldn’t even correct him.
Because if I did.
He would immediately start wondering why an unawakened guy like me was stronger than an ordinary civilian.
That would only make me stand out even more.
’Was going to the gym actually my mistake?’
I wondered miserably as I slowly pushed myself back to my feet.
My stomach still burned from the kick.
My back wasn’t much better.
"Damn it."
My bicycle lay a few meters away.
Fortunately, it looked mostly intact.
Thank goodness.
"Seven!"
A furious shout suddenly echoed across the street.
"Help me, you bastard!"
The masked man in front of me didn’t even turn around.
I glanced toward the source of the voice.
The swordsman from earlier had completely overwhelmed the other masked attacker.
The black blade flashed repeatedly.
Each exchange forced the masked man farther and farther backward.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Superpowers sounded impressive, but at Bronze Rank they were mostly just support.
A Hero’s weapon still did most of the killing.
"You’re seriously losing?"
Even from here it looked one-sided.
The masked man before me scratched the side of his mask.
"Hmm..."
He sounded genuinely conflicted.
"I’m starting to reconsider helping that weakling."
His tone was lazy, almost annoyed.
As if rescuing his own partner was somehow an inconvenience.
Still, I could tell.
He had no intention of joining that fight.
Not because he couldn’t.
Because he simply didn’t want to face that swordsman.
’If I had my sword, I would kill this bastard.’ I tightened my fists.
The thought surfaced so naturally that it surprised me.
Though this was also Earth, killing wasn’t viewed the same way it had been in the other world’s memories.
Monsters killed people every day.
Heroes killed monsters every day.
Criminals killed innocent civilians.
And Heroes killed those criminals.
When it came to protecting your own life, taking another wasn’t considered extraordinary.
It was simply reality.
The governments had laws.
But laws only mattered after you survived.
There would always be people who abused their strength.
People who ignored the system and believed power itself was justice.
The man standing in front of me was clearly one of them.
’What a pain.’ I clicked my tongue.
I already had enough problems considering I was in a mysterious novel.
And now, some third-rate masked villain had decided today was the perfect day to ruin my afternoon.
This world was far more dangerous than any web novel had ever made it seem.
Or maybe the novel had always been this dangerous.
The difference was that I wasn’t one of its characters.
I wasn’t some destined genius protected by plot armor or a ridiculous overpowered human.
I was just Evren Sorin.
A recently graduated nobody.
"..."
My thoughts came to a halt as the masked man suddenly looked away from me.
His attention shifted toward the battle behind us.
’This is it.’
My only chance.
If I wanted to survive without betting my life on luck, I had to act now.
Running would only expose my back again.
He was faster than me, stronger than me and maybe more experienced than me.
So if I wanted to win.
I needed to end the fight before it truly began.
I slowly tightened my grip around the bicycle keys still clenched in my right hand.
Cold metal pressed into my palm.
The masked man wasn’t carrying a weapon either.
Although his body was far stronger than mine, he was still a Bronze Rank Hero.
His strength hadn’t completely crossed into the realm of the supernatural.
That meant he still had weaknesses.
BOOM!
Another explosion erupted from inside the gym.
BOOM!!
The entire building trembled.
Concrete rained down from the shattered entrance while violent clashes echoed through the street.
The battle inside had become even fiercer.
Almost everyone’s attention shifted toward the noise.
Including his.
"..."
Now.
I exploded forward.
My legs pushed against the pavement with everything I had left.
The distance between us disappeared almost instantly.
Only when I entered his reach did the masked man finally react.
His eyes widened.
"You!"
He twisted his body to a terrifying degree.
But it was too late to dodge.
His fist shot toward my chest while mine aimed for his neck.
There was no room for hesitation.
No room for fear.
If I pulled back now, I will lose my life.
THUD!
Our attacks landed almost simultaneously.
His fist hammered into my chest with terrifying force.
It felt as though a sledgehammer had smashed straight through my ribs.
The world spun.
The ground vanished beneath my feet.
I was sent flying backward before crashing hard across the street.
"Ghh...!"
Every breath became agony.
For a horrifying second, I couldn’t even inhale.
And when I looked up.
The masked man hadn’t moved.
One hand instinctively clutched at his throat.
His eyes were wide.
Not with anger but with confusion.
"Hrk!"
He staggered backward.
His breathing had become an ugly, broken wheeze.
I slowly forced myself onto one elbow despite the pain tearing through my chest.
A grin spread across my face.
"G-Got you, You villain b-bastard, haa..."
I coughed violently before forcing the words out.
Blood filled the back of my throat, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
I’d been beaten like a stray dog.
But, I had also landed a decisive blow.
The bicycle key hadn’t pierced his neck, maybe it was due to his powers.
But the jagged metal edge had struck exactly where I aimed with enough force to crush his Adam’s apple.
Now every desperate breath he tried to take was fighting against his own damaged airway.
He was still standing.
So was I.