NOVEL NEXT C4
#4. A Perfect 100-Point Villain -1-
Cheongang Special City is one of the cities under the control of Noah, a mysterious giant corporation that dominates the corporate nation of Minos.
Discrimination against non-Originals is prevalent throughout the city, and it’s a place where medical technology has developed to the extreme.
Examples of this advanced medical technology include “Chrome-ware,” a technology that modifies the human body into something else, and “Cold Sleep,” a technology that puts people into a vegetative state. Besides these, drugs that forcibly awaken the pituitary gland can be easily purchased on the market.
Among these, Chrome-ware technology is also the foundation for the existence of enhanced humans.
Strength that can lift iron bars with bare hands, leg power that can jump up buildings, resilience that won’t be penetrated even when hit by bullets, and even special abilities that only some enhanced humans are said to possess—all of these are blessings of Chrome-ware technology.
Therefore, it’s no exaggeration to say that most enhanced humans in Minos are created in Cheongang.
For this reason, many enhanced humans still live in Cheongang.
Whether it’s nostalgia for their hometown or not, it’s said that even enhanced humans who left to live in other places like Wunhwa or Nago often fail to adapt and end up returning to Cheongang.
‘Nostalgia, my ass. It’s similar to how old people flock to places with good elderly welfare.’
I sighed quietly as I recalled the explanation of Cheongang Special City provided by the status window.
Did I come to the right place? I’m pretty sure the map said “downtown area.”
“Hey, miss. What are you doing standing dazed in the middle of the road? Are you alone?”
“Is this your first time here? Want us bros to show you around properly today?”
This looks like a fucking red-light district no matter how you look at it.
“S-Sorry! I’m w-waiting for my boyfriend right now!”
When I rejected them with a bright smile, two men who clearly looked like enhanced humans retreated with dejected faces. As a bonus, I could hear them muttering, “Of course, a girl like that would have a boyfriend…”
“Haah…”
I sighed twice as hard.
What? Bros?
Waiting for my boyfriend?
What kind of bull**** is this?
But if I don’t firmly reject them like this, I’ll get involved in even more troublesome situations.
Because where I’m standing right now is definitely “that kind of place.”
Cheongang downtown is the mecca of enhanced humans and the valley of the most primal human desires.
Looking around, all I can see are restaurants, bars, hotels, massage parlors, and sports centers—truly the ultimate paradise, space, and utopia given to enhanced humans.
As enhanced humans add more Chrome-ware to their bodies, their emotional nerve lines become thinner.
Therefore, they become immersed in one-dimensional and stimulating desires such as the pleasure of eating, the pleasure obtained from moving their bodies, and the pleasure of sleeping.
To put it simply, it means that all those miraculous food enthusiasts who can eat all day without gaining weight, miraculous sex machines who can have sex all day without getting tired, and miraculous Snow Whites who can sleep all day and still sleep more are gathered here.
As the status window said, it made sense that enhanced humans couldn’t adapt to other cities. How could someone who’s been drinking carbonated drinks all their life suddenly live on water alone?
I pulled up my mask to half-cover my face and got up.
There was only one reason I came here today, to accumulate 100 evil points.
Since I first gained evil points, I’ve committed various petty crimes using telekinesis.
From pickpocketing to destroying notices, to illegal graffiti on building walls, I almost shed tears of guilt when thinking about those past days filled with unspeakably heinous evil acts.
Particularly thankful, no, sorry was the bald guy who kept 500,000 won in cash in his wallet.
Who told him to blatantly flirt with women in public places? It’s all his own doing.
Anyway, after committing multiple criminal acts that were never in my destiny, the evil points I currently have are a whopping:
[Current evil points: 5/100,000]
‘Making no progress…!!’
That’s why I came to this place, Cheongang downtown, where all kinds of enhanced humans gather.
Because I thought I should at least try to collect the “100 evil points” suggested by the guide window.
Why specifically Cheongang downtown? There are reasons for that.
First, this area is where
And the grand second reason.
According to an article I saw recently, people’s perception of enhanced humans is not good due to successive incidents of enhanced humans going berserk.
If we look at the cause, it’s probably because of those who openly discriminate, trusting the nanomachines implanted in their brains.
Anyway, I was planning to ride this public opinion by luring one enhanced human to cause an incident.
By jamming the nanomachine implanted in their brain to make them express their anger about discrimination to the world.
Since it’s just piggybacking on a series of incidents, there’s less risk of my existence being traced.
A perfect plan…
All this glory goes to the unnamed villain from the prologue of the original work who provided the idea.
“Heehee…”
Leaving some inexplicable satisfaction behind, I opened the door of the store in front of me.
A famous brand restaurant on the 37th floor of Cheongang Department Store.
It’s famous for its somewhat thrilling night view because the entire wall is made of glass, and it’s popular on social media to the extent that even non-enhanced humans come to dine.
“Are you alone?”
When I entered, a man in a neat and tidy dress code asked in a respectful voice.
“If you have companions, please write your name on this waiting list, and if you don’t mind sharing a table, you can enter right away.”
“I’ll share a table!”
“Are you sure? A lady alone. There are many enhanced humans here.”
“It’s fine!”
Actually, that’s precisely why I came during peak hours.
And technically, I’m an enhanced human too, so please speak more nicely. I’ll smack your head.
The employee asked me a few more questions afterward, and about a minute later, he guided me to a seat.
“I’ve guided you to table 13. Have a good time at Noir Blanche.”
With a polite greeting until the end, the employee withdrew.
‘Now then…’
Let’s take a look at the victims who will cause a big incident on my behalf today.
First, I sat down at the table with a straight face and greeted the original occupants.
“Hello, thanks for letting me share the table! It’s my first time here, and there are really a lot of people!”
“Oh, a woman.”
“Ah, come on. You’re embarrassing, so shut up.”
A bold girl who cursed from our first meeting pulled her body towards the window as if telling me to sit next to her.
“Hello! We’re regulars here, and we often share tables, so it’s fine. Besides, you’re really pretty, sis.”
“Hehe, thank you for the compliment.”
There are two of them?
A gray-haired pair, male and female. Their features were similar as if they were blood relatives.
“Are you two family?”
“Who said I’m family with this rude person?”
“What?”
“Oh, that gorilla…There’s one more, but they said they were going to the bathroom and haven’t come back yet…Ah, there they come!”
The bold girl waved her hand toward the empty space.
“Senior! Over here!”
As I turned my gaze in that direction, I naturally felt my body stiffen.
Standing there was a man I knew all too well.
My nemesis destined by fate and a small hero who will someday shine brilliantly, Last.
“Who is this lady?”
“Ah, she’s sharing our table. We were just introducing ourselves. You should greet her too.”
“Ah…”
We stared at each other in silence for a moment.
Blue eyes that seemed to see through everything. Golden hair that shines brilliantly even under the night sky.
It’s him. The guy I had only seen through the screen was now standing in front of me.
“……”
“……”
“Um…excuse me…”
As the silence continued, the siblings who had been talking cheerfully until just now also quieted down as if watching our reactions.
“…hehe.”
The one who broke the silence was me, who couldn’t hold back the rising excitement and let out a laugh.
“I’m Chae Yu-ha. Thanks for letting me share the table.”
As I said that with a bright smile, the siblings who had been holding their breath in the icy atmosphere let out a sigh.
Last sat down while keeping his gaze fixed on me and spoke in a much more subdued voice than before.
“I’m Jin Hyun. I work for a vigilante group in this area.”
And so the first meeting with Last, which I had half left to chance, took place here and now.
‘What should I do?’
I began to feel regret about what I was thinking when I decided to come here.
To borrow a famous expression from somewhere, it was like this.
‘I’m screwed.’
That was the conclusion I reached after careful consideration.