Transformation or Death

Wait, Villains

Han Jae-jung had to explain to Joo Ah-yoon for a long time that they were not comrades, but simply in a cooperative relationship.

“Really…?”

“I’m telling you it’s true, Ah-yoon. It’s really stressful. Ah. I mean, it’s not that you’re stressful, but that I being tied to these guys is stressful. Don’t misunderstand.”

Joo Ah-yoon nodded hesitantly. Her habit of reverting to her past timid self when her heart softened remained the same. Her eyes were filled with sadness.

Han Jae-jung felt equally wronged.

‘Just a little while ago, he said I was his only comrade….’

Even now, Joo Ah-yoon was the only one he could call a comrade.

A comrade must be more than a simple cooperative relationship. It requires a trust relationship where one is willing to face danger together, even knowing they won’t receive any reward.

‘How could I call these villain guys comrades?’

These are the kind of beings who are likely to backstab the moment the purpose of cooperation is achieved. villains who can treat human lives as carelessly as flies.

What good is communication when they’re essentially different beings?

villains were born to exploit humans for their own interests, while humans were born to survive. Their values are different, and mutual hatred is natural.

Even now, countless people lose their families and workplaces because of villains. When finding the cause of someone’s misfortune, pinpointing a villain is 90% accurate.

Han Jae-jung himself was a prime example. His suffering was caused by villains.

“Ha, damn. It’s true, but it’s still irritating. Hey, won’t you help?”

“Receiving something and not helping? Where’s the romance in that?”

“…Damn!”

The Archer kicked an innocent sofa.

“Look, Ah-yoon. How can I be on the same side as such a violent guy?”

“Seriously, stop.”

No one paid attention to the Archer’s violent behavior. Han Jae-jung casually let it slide and patted Joo Ah-yoon’s back.

“So don’t worry too much. I’ll never be a comrade with that dementia patient.”

“Who’s got dementia, you one-month-living bastard!”

“A villain who’s forgotten its own purpose is nothing compared to dementia, you punk!”

From a human perspective, it’s like forgetting how to breathe.

Joo Ah-yoon watched Han Jae-jung and the Archer’s conversation with teary eyes. Jason would occasionally chime in, shielding or mocking them.

Certainly, their relationship was inappropriate to call comrades. It seemed they could backstab each other at any moment and laugh over the other’s head. ȐÁƝȰ฿Ёŝ

But saying they had no intimacy at all would also be inappropriate.

‘Friends… No, evil companions?’

Yes, evil companions. That seemed an appropriate expression. A relationship with mutual familiarity, but one where they would never sacrifice their lives for each other – both realistic and cold.

[Is being friends okay?]

‘Well, I’m not the type of girl to be picky about my brother’s friendships.’

With a snort, Joo Ah-yoon slightly puffed out her chest as if praising her own adaptability.

[I see… The guardian’s relationships are quite complicated. Is loving a woman really this complex?]

The mascot’s voice from the belt carried a hint of laughter. Finding the response mockingly, Joo Ah-yoon frowned. Of course, the mascot, familiar with Joo Ah-yoon after years together, didn’t care at all.

Knowing this, Joo Ah-yoon had already given up on getting an apology.

‘These villains… Didn’t they say they have no dreams?’

[Yes, that’s what I heard.]

‘I see….

She felt a strange sense of empathy.

‘I also have no dreams.’

[But the guardian is different. You have a childishly grand and noble goal of protecting others’ dreams.]

‘At least call it romantic, you punk.’

Naturally, the villains likely didn’t lack dreams but had forgotten them. However, Joo Ah-yoon could somewhat understand their feelings.

‘Well, I hope we find it quickly.’

[What if they might massacre humans in the process?]

‘Then my brother and I will stop them.’

Dreams are dreams, and evil deeds are evil deeds. I cannot tolerate destroying the dreams of an unspecified number of people for one’s own dreams.

‘…But somehow, I feel it’ll be okay.’

Especially Jason, that villain. While the Archer has a lot of past incidents, this villain has always been cooperative with humans so far.

No matter how much he might have forgotten his purpose, could he possibly reform like that? It didn’t seem so. Such behavior is undoubtedly his true nature.

‘Wait. I forgot the purpose. Forgot… Forgot… Forgot…’

In the case of the Archer, I heard the explanation. This is the death of Han Jae-jung.

After repeatedly transforming, his body faced death, and using that corpse as a medium, he was reborn as a villain. As a result, he completely forgot human life and became entirely a villain.

A villain that only communicates, with different values and behaviors.

But Jason is different. Although he has a large buckled belt around his waist, that’s just a villain’s equipment. It’s not a transformation belt like the one Han Jae-jung or himself uses.

Then what is it? Why did he forget his purpose? Unless it’s an extraordinary event, a villain wouldn’t typically forget its purpose.

‘Forgetting… Forgetting… Losing… Disappeared… Huh?’

Loss?

“Hold on there, Compass villain.”

“Please call me Jason.”

“Okay, Jason. Have you ever met Scorpion before?”

The Scorpion villain. A vicious beast and a bug that carries loss. If it’s the one that took Han Jae-jung’s lifespan, it’s entirely possible.

“Uh… What are you talking about? Scorpion? This is the first time I’ve seen that villain…”

“What are you suddenly talking about, you bitch?”

The two villains reacted bewilderedly.

“…Botis.”

But Han Jae-jung’s reaction was different. He murmured the name of the Boötes constellation villain who wasn’t even present.

“Botis told me. He said some of his memories are lost.”

“That’s because he’s a case of transforming from human to villain, so his memories disappeared.”

“No, he said he also lost memories during his villain phase.”

“What?”

“And the cause is just as Ah-yoon said, it’s the Scorpion.”

Han Jae-jung sat on the sofa and organized his thoughts. Listening to Joo Ah-yoon’s words, there were more than one or two points that caught his attention.

Losing memories after already becoming a villain is not a common symptom. Moreover, despite being a constellation villain, Botis particularly displayed a protective spirit.

For a high-level villain who could already do the work of one person, Botis shouldn’t have such an important protection target.

Until now, he thought it was because Jason was an incomplete villain who didn’t know his purpose.

‘But what if there’s another reason?’

For example, if they share the same wound, and he’s looking for clues.

“Jason, try to recall your earliest memory.”

“Uh… Hmm… Okay. Around 5 years ago? I was walking in the desert. Botis discovered me….”

“Do you have no memory before that?”

“…That’s right….”

Han Jae-jung turned his gaze to the Archer.

“Then, the dismembered dementia patient. What about you?”

“Fuck, isn’t talking about that even more difficult? Oh, me. The starlight of the Ara constellation was wrapped around my body for a long time, and when it disappeared, I saw a city that was completely destroyed.”

Listening to the story, it was certain.

Villains should have their first memory when completing their constellation. But Jason is different. He has no memory of when his constellation was completed.

“I, right now, are you saying I was hit by a Scorpion? But that’s strange. I have no mark from Scorpion.”

Jason pointed to Han Jae-jung’s hand. A grotesque purple scar in a gear-like shape on the back of the hand. A mark of being targeted by Scorpion.

“Listen. What I have is not on you. I have never met Scorpion….”

“Jason. Can you take off your belt?”

“…Perhaps.”

“The fact that you said ‘perhaps’ means you’ve never taken it off, right?”

“Y-yes. Botis told me not to touch this….”

That name again. Botis. The moment Han Jae-jung’s suspicion turned into certainty.

“Now try to remove it.”

“Oh, no! This is an important promise….”

“What the hell is with this guy talking so much? Just take it off!”

Eventually, the Archer couldn’t hold back and acted first. Without hesitation, he tore off the belt, with its unnecessarily detailed buckle shaped like an abdomen.

“Aaaaargh!”

With a cracking sound, Jason cried out in pain. The belt was fixed more firmly than expected. If not for the Archer’s merciless touch, it would have ironically prolonged his pain.

The belt, fixed slightly above his waist, where a belly button would be on a human, was torn off, revealing the scene inside.

Just like the mark on Han Jae-jung’s hand, and the one on Botis’s abdomen, he too had a similar wound.

A scar remaining like a purple gear wheel. A mark oozing with ominousness. The mark was fainter than Han Jae-jung’s, but definitely present.

It was the Scorpion’s toxin.

“Wow, fuck, it’s real.”

The Archer swept his arm as if getting goosebumps. Anyway, his rusty gloves covered his skin, and inside would be a corpse. Han Jae-jung couldn’t understand.

“W-why is this on me….”

Jason kept muttering, looking at his scar, still unable to accept the situation. He couldn’t imagine that his memory loss might have been deliberately caused by someone.

“Oh… Looks like we have one more reason to fight?”

Joo Ah-yoon looked at them and laughed helplessly. She could hardly believe what she had suspected was actually true. She never imagined things would unfold so easily.

Anyway, they could now expect more active cooperation.

On the other hand, Han Jae-jung was dumbfounded.

Just how many people had this villain reached out to until now.

‘Is this because it’s a galaxy-level villain? The victims are beyond imagination.’

Clap. Han Jae-jung clapped his hands. Everyone’s gaze focused on him.

“Now the motive seems clear.”

“Wait, my motive…”

“There’s starlight, right? Scorpion didn’t just capture memories or lifespan. If captured, wouldn’t starlight come out? If you’re a victim of the same system as me, you might not be able to restore core memories, but you could recall them to some extent.”

“Moreover, comrades help each other!”

Jason added a word.

“That’s right! Yes! Haha, fuck! I also have a merit in catching that guy! Helping a friend find memories. Getting some romance in reality, how fucking awesome!”

The Archer laughed loudly, seemingly clearly motivated.

“In a few hours, my lifespan will be 29 days. I can feel my body weakening. As time passes, my body will be fucked, and I’ll become useless. Let’s end this quickly.”

Han Jae-jung intended to speak playfully, but Joo Ah-yoon looked at him with sad eyes. She vowed to be careful with jokes in the future and gave instructions to the Archer.

“Sagittarius, find the location of Scorpion with those great eyes of yours. And Ah-yoon, move everyone except the Archer to that location.”

The Archer is more useful at long-range sniping than close combat. While not terrible at close-range combat, the opponent is a galaxy-level villain. The Archer would instantly become useless.

“Wait! I’m a warrior too! I’ll definitely go to the front and fight, fuck! Who are you to give orders!”

“C-can I be of help? I’m a villain of three-star level. I probably can’t be much of a force….”

“The only thing that can save your organs is a snipe, you bastard. And Jason. You just need to make the enemy’s attacks miss. You don’t need to continue. Just a few moments, at crucial times, is enough.”

Disrupting the enemy’s attack.

That alone would be sufficient help. He doesn’t even expect an escape route. Not only is there a possibility of moving to Scorpion, but Cassiopeia’s butterfly is also here, which is a higher-level entity.

Placing a butterfly here in advance would make convenient movement possible.

Even if they need to retreat in danger, this wouldn’t be a big problem.

“Since we’ve started, let’s end this quickly.”

The Archer let out a sigh and moved to the window for concentration. Jason trembled with a clenched fist, seemingly happy about having a role.

Joo Ah-yoon kept glancing anxiously at Han Jae-jung.

From now on, they’re facing a powerful opponent on a completely different dimension. The reputation of a galaxy-level villain is not an exaggerated rumor. Even becoming a Ursa Major form wouldn’t make it an easy opponent.

Ursa Major is certainly a powerful form. But ultimately, it’s a story limited within the constellation.

However, Han Jae-jung remained calm. No tension was visible. Even though one wrong move could mean death today instead of recovering his lifespan.

‘I hope he’s not acting like this just because he once landed an effective hit on a Lion….’

It would be problematic if he were tainted by overconfidence and arrogance.

Battles have many variables. Comparing past and present enemies and being confident of victory is a dangerous thought. Even more so if those enemies are different.

Even if bound by the same beast category, a Lion and a Scorpion are different. He had heard that the Lion had even retreated first in their previous encounter.

He’s not an opponent to carelessly predict victory against.

Of course, she would listen to his words, but Joo Ah-yoon’s true feelings were the opposite. She thought it would be better to challenge after defeating several enemies and accumulating more starlight.

‘What are you thinking, brother….’

His expressionless face was inscrutable. His thoughts were impossible to read.

“Found it.”

Soon, a report came from the Archer. It was quite fast.

“Oh, already?”

“That was quick.”

Jason and Joo Ah-yoon were impressed. But Han Jae-jung wasn’t surprised. His expression was calm, as if this were entirely expected.

“But, the number is quite large.”

“…What?”

“One, two, three… Oh fuck, it’s too many.”

The Archer was flustered. The other two were the same.

“Among them, is there one with Paradox or another villain?”

Han Jae-jung asked back.

“Uh… Yes. There is. Not just Paradox… Botis is there too?”

“What?!”

Jason reacted dramatically. It wasn’t an unusual reaction, given Botis was the one who deliberately hid his wound.

“Oh fuck.”

“What now.”

“They’re saying something over there.”

“What?”

“Have some patience, you bastard. I’m watching too.”

“Why are you being so irritable, you bastard?”

The Archer felt a sense of eye contact with Paradox. Since he said he could copy abilities, was he copying his field of vision right now? Paradox stared directly at him and spoke.

“‘I will retreat for now. Instead, this person will fight for us.’ What the fuck is this?”

Paradox seemed to have seen the Archer’s words and responded.

“‘Bong and I have made a contract. In exchange for handling all of you, I’ll get my memories back.’ Ah, what’s that about?”

For the listener, it was self-dialogue, but not for the Archer. He was undoubtedly having a conversation.

The Archer suddenly took his eyes off the window and looked at his companions.

“Let’s go! Hell Nameless Comrades! Let’s cut the necks of Botis and the bug bastard, that cactus head, and reclaim our lives!!!”

He raised his fist high into the sky and shouted.

“…Is Botis also on our team?”

“Yep.”

“Shouldn’t you have reported that first? Before acting like a leader.”

“I made the name of this alliance, so I’m the leader!”

“Okay, do as you want.”

“Then I’m the leader, right? I’m the leader? Got it? Don’t say anything different later!”

Joo Ah-yoon whispered to Han Jae-jung.

“Is he always this crazy?”

“Pretty much. Give him the butterfly. Have him tie it to an arrow and shoot.”

Joo Ah-yoon handed the butterfly to the Archer as he said. He immediately created an arrow, attached the butterfly to its end, and drew it on a bow that seemed to appear from nowhere.

“Wait for us, villains! Hell Nameless Comrades is coming!”

Kwang! The arrow was shot.

Han Jae-jung’s remaining lifespan was still 30 days, but he felt like his lifespan was decreasing from stress due to how pathetic his ally was.

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