SSS-Knight in a Hero World

Click!

There we go.

Ferris stepped back a little and looked at his bike that was neatly tucked away in a dark corner.

Thankfully, it came with a portable bike lock.

Since this place is extremely close to the villains' main base, it was important for Ferris to watch over his belongings.

I sure hope no one steals it.

After affirming its security, he began to walk backwards toward the direction of the museum, only facing forward once his mind was clear of any doubts.

I parked a bit further away than expected, this should be a 30-minute walk.

But that was actually a benefit, walking around and slowly taking in the information was much better than speeding through it.

And besides, a knight riding a bike might be too exotic for the villains to just simply ignore.

At least, that's what Ferris thought.

When he went deeper inside the town, there was a quick surge of people that were . . . much more unique compared to his knightly get-up.

Villains were more stylish compared to heroes, after all there was a dress code that the hero association enforced upon its employees, but only a few heroes were exempted from the dress code, because they could rake in much more revenue if they wore special clothes.

I guess I don't look too out of place. Ferris became glad.

It felt just like a normal town, other than the fact that the majority of the citizens would happily murder someone for anything valuable.

Shops lined the streets, and Ferris was surprised to see that the villains had a working commerce system.

Many of the buildings were worn down, proof that this crimson-stained city had been running for a long time.

The deeper he went, the denser the streets became, and the more villains he crossed paths with. Thankfully, his grim face and tall frame were enough to ward off everyone but the foolish—or the truly strong.

So it's not only villains that live here. Ferris noticed something about the place.

Yes, there were villains, but there were also plenty of civilians that had been turned into unpaid laborers, and of course, that also included the servants like the bartender or Fixer.

He saw that all of the shops used these free workers, whether it be cooking, cleaning, or other morbid jobs that the human body could endure.

But the most striking of all was . . .

Traitors.

Ferris's gaze caught a few heroes amongst the mix, chatting and mingling with the enemies.

Whether it be because the heroes were kidnapped and forced to change sides, or they were caught and had no choice but to declare themselves as villains to save their own skin.

If possible, I hope the Hero Association brings proper justice to these mongrels. Ferris looked at them with disdain, but that was just Alaric's resting face.

After trying to navigate the messy roads, he finally arrived at the front of the museum, which was much cleaner compared to the area surrounding it.

And also, it had much fewer people.

Walking to the entrance, he observed the well-kept marble columns and masonry. It was truly a museum made to show history.

But on the inside was what mattered, when he entered the place it almost felt like an abandoned castle.

How splendid for the villains, we only have a water park and some tents as our base...

Now let's see how they operate.

Ferris walked around the near-empty hallways, his moving armor echoing across the area.

Even now, no person wanted to interrupt Ferris due to Alaric's resting face and intimidating nobility.

What a shame, I expected some skeletal recreations. Ferris thought. He hoped to see some things that were expected from a museum, but it seemed as if the villains had gutted everything valuable.

Ancient bones, vases, and even artworks that could be found here would cost potentially millions of dollars in value.

And they probably sold all of them on the black market.

Is that it? Ferris glanced at a peculiar line of people.

They were in an area reserved for historical books, in other words a library. Since most of the books were simply translations and copies, they were left alone.

As such, this place was the only normal-looking room in the museum.

Approaching closer and watching from a distance, he could clearly see what was going on.

There were multiple booth-like structures that each housed a blindfolded person whose nape was connected by a fleshy wire that extended upwards to the ceiling.

Above each booth was a skull that was looking down at the first person in line.

Ferris remained vigilant, constantly sensing his surroundings for any danger, but he kept his eyes and ears on a particular booth that was nearest to him.

He saw the first person in line take out a plastic bag of rotting fingers.

The villain was shirtless and carried a heavy war axe behind him. He was covered in war tattoos as well.

If a person had functioning eyes, they could obviously see that the villain was a veteran that was not to be underestimated.

Now what will he do with the rotting fingers.

"I heed the dark lord's call, so that I could offer my tribute," the villain chanted with his eyes closed.

After those words, a dark sphere the size of a basketball appeared in front of him.

Not waiting for even a moment, the villain tossed the bag into the sphere and it was consumed instantly, then the sphere vanished instantly.

There was a chilling moment for the villain, Ferris could even see the villain's sweat, despite being a little far away.

Rattle. Rattle.

The skull's eyes glowed a crimson dot as it opened its jaw wide like a snake.

"Fail! Weak prey!" the skull announced, its grotesque voice echoing into everyone's ears.

The veteran-looking villain suddenly became a newbie by that single statement.

Weak prey... so those fingers belong to people weaker than that guy?

Ferris assumed some ideas, but since there were plenty of people lining up, he had a lot of chances to see the recruitment process.

"Stolen kill!"

"Dishonorable backstabbing!"

"Bought with money! What are you, a pussy?"

Jeez, the skull has quite the personality. Ferris laughed inside as he watched the villains keep failing over and over again.

Judging by the reasons for failure, it seemed to Ferris that this whole villain examination was quite unique.

If backstabbing, which is a villain's expertise, is considered a failure...

Then this test forces the villains to do what they aren't supposed to do.

Perhaps this was a great idea, a villain that can't come out of their shell is a villain with no room for improvement.

And since there's no minimum skill requirement.

It was possible for a relatively weak villain to pass the test, as long as they killed someone stronger, but how strong was a mystery for Ferris.

So in short, the villain clan wants villains that have the capacity to grow... how simple and effective.

So that's why there are so many villains in the city, they haven't passed the test.

Ferris concluded his theory and gave himself an affirmative nod.

I've seen enough, but when will someone pass?

As if fate timed it perfectly, someone passed the test the moment Ferris thought of that.

"Good prey! Pass!" the skull announced, its red eyes dimming down as a portal appeared in front of the villain.

Seeing this, the villain, who looked like a young girl in a delinquent uniform, cheered, "I did it! Suck it, nerds!"

She turned around and gave everyone watching the finger before hopping inside the portal.

Ferris chuckled a little at the sight.

What an abysmal passing rate, the villain clan should lower their standards. He suggested.

After seeing everything he needed to see, Ferris was about to turn around and leave the museum but...

There was an all-too-familiar voice that came from directly behind him.

"Howdy, stranger!"