Villain Hides His True Colors

orize…

 

I couldn’t believe I was here to become a hero.
For some reason, I felt emotional.

 

Once the car stopped, the door opened on its own.
And handing over a large bag, Elizabeth spoke.

 

“There are snacks and food inside, and I brought a change of clothes, so wear them.”

 

“Thank you, noona.”

 

I pushed the bag she had handed to me into my inventory.

 

“Noah, good luck on your exam!! If you pass and come back, I’ll make your wish come true! Hehe…Of course, even if you fail, I can fulfill your wish…”

 

Thud–!

 

I closed the car door, ignoring Elizabeth, who was talking nonsense even before the exam.
Soon, the car automatically left for somewhere.

 

Applicants who were going to take the same exam as me could be seen crowding around the main building.

 

Perhaps because it was a job where they could hold honor and money as a hero, the number of people who wanted to take the exam was rather high.

 

I should get going now.

 

As soon as I thought as such, I heard a familiar voice from the side.

 

“Choi Noah!”

 

Turning my head, I saw Eugene showing his face through the window of a black limousine.

 

Soon, an entourage of cars following it stopped.
Large people in black suits descended and lined up next to the limousine.

 

After that, the limousine’s back door opened and Eugene appeared.

 

“””Good luck on your exam, successor!”””

 

They all bowed their heads at the same time as their loud shout drew the attention of the surrounding applicants.

 

However, as if it was natural, Eugene nodded and walked between them.
No, it seemed that he was rather enjoying it.

 

After exiting the line of black suits, he approached me at a rapid pace.

 

“My friend! I thought you would be here!”

 

“Well, it’s been a while, Eugene.”

 

“Seeing that we met by chance like this, does this mean we’re friends who can connect without having to say anything?”

 

“…”

 

***

Reaper Scans

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

Join our Discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/reapercomics

***

 

This brat who I hadn’t met in a long time chattered noisily.
Was he always this talkative?

 

“I’m taking the high-rank hero exam this time.
What about you?”

 

“Me too.”

 

“As expected! I thought so.
With this, I can compete fairly with you this time.
Isn’t it also fun to compete with close friends?”

 

“Hmm…Well, that’s true.”

 

He had been talking nonstop for a while, but suddenly, he stopped.

 

What was it?

 

His gaze was fixed on one place.
And at the end of his gaze was the bracelet that he had given me.

 

“That bracelet…You were wearing it.”

 

His eyes were unusual.
Don’t tell me he wanted it back because he regretted giving it to me?

 

No way.

 

So far, I had never been deprived of anything that had come into my hands.

 

I glared at him with a stern look.

 

“To me, this is already the same thing as my life.
I can’t trade it for anything.
Obviously, this is the bracelet you gave me.
I still haven’t forgotten about it.
But don’t even let me start on what I’ll do if anyone tries to take this bracelet away.”

 

Sponsored Content

“Heu-eum…I-is that so?”

 

With my impenetrable defense, the corners of his mouth twitched little by little.

 

Seeing that his face was turning red for some reason, he seemed to be quite embarrassed that his intention was blocked.

 

He lowered his head for a moment as if to force himself to fix his expression.
Soon after, he changed the subject.

 

“I-I’ve been living in China these days.”

 

“China?”

 

“Because my adopted father lives in China.
Oh, also everyone calls me Cheon Yeosin now.”

(TN: Yeosin means goddess.)

 

It seemed his stepfather’s last name was Cheon.
In fact, I wasn’t very interested in where he went.

 

However, I could see a sword hanging from his waist.

 

A pitch black Chinese sword with a white thread hanging from it.
At a first glance, it was giving off an unusual energy.

 

This Golden Goblin had brought another treasure.

(TN: Golden Goblins are found in ARPGs and they drop gold/loot.)

 

Come to think of it, I thought it was time for him to pay his friend’s fee.

 

I cut off the chatterbox and asked.

 

“What’s that? The sword on your waist.”

 

Suddenly, the brat proudly puffed out his chest.

 

“Ha, you mean this? This is a treasure sword that my stepfather gave me as a gift.
The name is Soma Sword.
It’s a very good item even for me who has high standards.”

 

Hm…

 

Soma Sword.
I like the name too.

 

There was a sword with a similar name in my old collection.

 

I asked him.

 

“Can I borrow it for a day?”‘

 

“H-Huh?”

 

With a difficult look, he continued.

 

“Th-that’s…I’m sorry.
My stepfather forbade me from taking this off my body, so even if you ask me, I can’t lend it to you.”

 

“Forbid you? Was there really such a thing? It’s because you don’t want to lend it to me, right?”

 

“N-no! I’m telling the truth.
I wouldn’t lie to my friend! Trust me.”

 

He looked at me with a tearful face.
Looking at that, there really seemed to be something.

 

That was too bad.

 

For the time being, I didn’t think it would be bad to leave this brat with my Soma Sword a little longer.

 

“Hmm…Okay.
I hope you let me know when the ban is lifted.”

 

“Of course! I’ll let you know first.”

 

It was only then that his face glowed and he talked about this and that again.

 

Soon, I asked him what had been on my mind for a while.

 

“But why are you taking the exam in Pyongyang when you said you live in China?”

 

“…”

 

For some reason, this brat stopped talking for a while.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Saintess Samaria manipulated a tablet and examined the faces of the applicants who will be taking the exam this time.

 

While scrolling down like that, she unconsciously blurted out.

 

“There are quite a few young applicants this time.”

 

Perhaps they had been influenced by the articles on Noah.
Only the Pyongyang branch had seen an increase in young applicants.

 

In particular, there were two 13-year-old applicants, which was the minimum age to take the hero exam.

 

Both of them were also taking the high-rank, D-Rank exam.

 

It was really unusual considering that the average age of those taking the high-rank exam was 30.

 

Cheon Eugene.

 

She looked at the profile floating on the tablet.

 

Coincidentally, this young girl was also one of the children that was involved in the hotel incident on the same day as Noah.

 

And what happened since then was that she was adopted by the Cheonma Order in China.

 

I don’t know why this girl came all the way here to take the exam…

 

However, she was certain of one thing.
Even if this child were to obtain a hero license, she would never belong to the Pyongyang branch.

 

Since she belonged to the Cheonma Order, it was highly likely she would act independently.

 

And…

 

Sponsored Content

She manipulated the tablet to float the next profile.

 

There was a beautiful boy with black hair and purple eyes smiling.

 

Choi Noah.

 

Looking at Noah’s picture, she took out a cigarette and lit it.
The long spout of smoke spread through the office.

 

The way he looks is just my taste.

 

She had constant articles written on Noah ever since the hotel incident so that interests in the boy wouldn’t die down.

 

So now, everyone in the Pyongyang hero industry was very interested in what Noah looked like and what kind of person he was.

 

However, unlike them, she saw something different.

 

If she could make the flower that everyone wanted into her own…

 

“Haa…”

 

Thinking of how she would tame the boy, she already felt like her whole body was heating up.

 

“Ah…I can’t wait.”

 

She let out a hot moan with a glaze in her eyes.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

It’s often said that being a hero requires three virtues.

 

Wisdom, the understanding of various laws to work as a hero.

 

Integrity, the ethical quality to be a hero.

 

Courage, the combat capability that actually determines your hero rank.

 

And among them, I was currently sitting in the 1st test room to test my wisdom.

 

The supervisor spoke.

 

“As you all know, any and all electronic devices will not be allowed here at the test site.
And please be careful because there are barriers installed that can detect whenever superpowers or magic is used.”

 

“Also, if you are caught cheating, you’ll be disqualified from taking the hero exam for the next three years, so please be mindful of this.”

 

The high-rank hero exam was a fairly difficult exam with an average age of nearly 30.

 

Everything from the number of subjects to the test time was different from the low-rank hero test that could be passed with your eyes closed.

 

For an ordinary 13-year-old child, passing a test like this may be impossible, but I was a second time gamer.
No one could match my career as a gamer.

 

So for me, who could memorize numerous boss patterns, this won’t be difficult.

 

As soon as I thought as such, a man in his mid-30s next to me glanced at me.

 

“…Even children are coming to take the exam these days.
Hey! If you make any noise during the exam, I’m going to end your life after this is over.
It’s my 10th try this time, so keep in mind that I don’t hear you.”

 

“…”

 

Instead of answering, I checked the man’s exam number.

 

No.
18218.
I kept his number in my mind.

 

I should kill him after the exam.

 

Soon, the supervisor who was looking at the clock spoke.

 

“The test starts now.”

 

I looked at the tablet on the desk as problems appeared.
This was the moment to prove my efforts.

 

This was nothing.
It was going to be a piece of cake.

 

[Question #1.

Immediately after A kills B with the intention of robbery, if C who was passing by threatens B and extorts A’s wallet and money, in the process of suppression, they are recognized as accomplices…]

 

“…”

 

Except for me, I could hear the chaotic tapping of keyboards around me.
Even the No.
18218 guy was solving the questions at a high speed.

 

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if they knew the answers or were just pretending.

 

After looking at the question for a while, I opened my status window.

 

…Now that it was like this, let’s go with Plan B.

 

< Friendship of a Warrior >

*Elizabeth

 

Then, in front of my eyes, Elizabeth who only I could see appeared.

 

She raised her glasses that she had gotten from somewhere and confidently spoke.

 

“I was waiting!”

 

She began searching the internet as she called out the answers to my question at a frightening speed.

 

“Question #1, 3! Question #2, 5!”

 

Well…Since there’s a Strategy Guidebook, there’s no reason not to use it, right?

 

I wasn’t doing this because I didn’t know.
It was just because I was lazy.

 

It was normal to use the internet during the quiz stages.

 

I faithfully wrote down the answers she gave me, and that was how the 1st test ended safely.

 

And I…In the 1st test, which boasted the highest difficulty ever, became the only perfect scorer in the country.