Prologue

{Prologue}

The worst always comes without notice.

That simple yet clear sentence was the most famous proverb representing the dark era of the past when ferocious demons and bad 'villains' stood together against humanity.

But that era had been forgotten in recent years – when system and order returned to the world through the activities of 'heroes'.

[Hazard grade ‘unmeasurable’ monster appeared.]

But who would have known...

[It is currently fighting with the no. 1 hero, Justia.]

...That the cost of neglecting the old sayings for a while could have been so great...

"...What?"

[Residents in the vicinity, urgently…]

...I, who was leisurely preparing for the birthday party in Justia’s office, was no exception.

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Hours after evacuation warnings were announced across the country:

“Kang... Ha-neul...?”

Arriving at the scene late and wandering around the ruins, I found her lying in a state of disrepair.

“You should not have come… Huff… Huff... I told you…”

“Justia...”

I called her name, but she cut me off.

“In the first place, this place should have been a controlled area… how did you come here…?”

Justia, First place in the hero ranking, was the world’s mightiest hero who put an end to a long-lasting dark age.

She was the hope of the citizens, the deterrent of the wicked, and my best friend.

“…I used my ability.”

“Stupid, really stupid…”

“Stop... Stop talking. The wounds might open.”

Such a great and precious existence was dying horribly, covered in blood right in front of my eyes.

“I’ll call someone with healing powers. So, please, hold on just a little longer.”

“…It's no use...”

“There’s no way you, the strongest, could die in vain like this. So, so…”

“Kang Ha-neul.”

I tried to suppress the feeling of the sky collapsing and pretended to be calm when I spoke, but she shook her head after calling my name in a small voice.

“It’s no use.”

“What?”

“I threw all my remaining energy into stopping it.”

After she said that in a slightly trembling voice, she pointed at a monster the size of a mountain who lay incapacitated.

Did she succeed in defeating such an out-of-the-ordinary existence with only her strength?

But it was possible for Justia. After all, she was the strongest hero.

'That’s why you shouldn’t fall here right now.'

“Don’t do anything stupid… listen to me now.”

The moment I held her in my arms, I could vaguely realize it; In return for protecting everyone, all the vitality within her had already been consumed.

Because of that, no healer could bring her back to life.

I instinctively realized: Today was the day the world’s strongest hero may fall.

– Sreuk…

As I looked down at her, speechless, Justia reached out to me.

“I have something to tell you.”

I carefully held her hand, which I never thought of as weak, but now seemed to me as slender and helpless.

Then she smiled hard and started talking to me.

“The child of prophecy said you’d be the worst villain ever.”

Did she really have to talk about that bastard right now?

“He also said that one day you would destroy the world.”

“Sigh...”

Child of prophecy, a rising star called to have the potential to be the next number 1 hero, had accurately predicted and prevented various large and small disasters.

Even before he entered the Hero Academy, he was already the most popular and promising prospect receiving the attention and envy of everyone.

Unfortunately for him, he could not deceive my eyes.

“How many times have I told you! Everything that bastard—!”

“But trust me...”

'—said is a blatant lie.'

“...I don’t believe him.”

I swallowed my word on hearing just Justia's confident tone.

Do you still not know how he slowly isolated us with that innocent-looking face?

I wanted to shout that too, but I couldn't because of Justia's previous words.

“…Ugh!?”

“You were the only one who stayed by my side until the end.”

The moment Justia said that and grabbed my hand strongly, I couldn't speak anything else.

“Ah? Ahh…?”

“I’m sorry, it might hurt a little.”

Suddenly, I began to feel an electric current flowing through my body.

Struggling with unexpected pain, I desperately listened to Justia’s faint voice and hugged her.

“Because it is you, I can entrust this power with peace of mind.”

“...Jus-tia...ah...”

“Even if I’m not in the world, this power will always support you.”

Just like that, the pain that seemed to tear my whole body slowly subsided.

“Kang Ha-neul.”

When I opened my eyes in a cold sweat, I saw her gentle smile as she dropped her hands to the floor.

“My eternal partner...”

"..."

“...I love you.”

All I could do was watch her without saying a word.

“If I had known this, I would have said it a little sooner…”

As if she was preventing the inevitable to say those exact same words, Saying them Justia close her eyes.

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She closed her eyes with a bright smile, and I held her in my arms for a long time.

All kinds of thoughts and emotions were pouring in thanks to her, whom I felt had begun to get cold in my arms, but I desperately cleared my head.

It wasn’t important now.

Justia squeezed her last strength and handed me something.

The sensations that had just spread throughout the body and the arms that were still convulsing were proof of that.

If so, what did she leave behind for me?

“We found the target, Block everything!!”

Before I could even think about it, I turned to the voice I heard from behind.

“You…”

Then, in my eyes, so many hateful faces began to appear.

“Raise your hand! Kang Ha-neul.”

A childhood friend who smiled bashfully saying that she would marry me when we became an adult, asked me to raise my hands without the slightest hesitation.

“Don’t move.”

My ex-girlfriend who just wanted to be with me for a lifetime opened her mouth next.

“I permit to kill him in case of rebellion. Don’t let him pull any tricks.”

And the Noona I was most proud of; An old colleague who was once more precious than anything else.

But those three, who betrayed me and Justia, were stuck closely with that bastard.

“What the hell did you come here for?”

Looking at those faces, how can reason not be cut off?

“Look at what your ignorant behavior has led to.”

Feeling a huge rage I had never felt before, I opened my mouth.

“She’s dead... Justia...”

The moment the words came out of my mouth, I felt something snap inside me.

“Everyone’s hope is dead. The deterrent is gone, and now the dark age will come again!”

I shouted with a voice full of hatred that I had never used before.

“Is this the ending you wanted? You guys, for what the hell…!”

“A-grade villain Kang Ha-neul.”

Hearing the words of Noona, who was in charge, I had no choice but to stop talking and put on a confused expression.

“I’m arresting you for the murder of Justia.”

“What?”

Who are you going to arrest?

The me who came here to protect Justia in the first place, you want to arrest the same person for her murder?

It was clear that there was some misunderstanding and confusion...

“Now what is that…”

With that thought in mind, I was about to take a step forward and ask a question.

– Pajijijijik…!!!

“...Ugh…”

But before I could complete the question, I lost consciousness after sensing an electric shock in the back of my head...

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“...”

When I opened my eyes, I was trapped on the lowest floor of ‘Karma’, a prison that imprisoned the most vicious villains.

“…F**k.”

That’s how I became a framed villain.