NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 81 - Black Night (6)
For a brief moment, my gaze intersected with those of the villains.
Curiosity, intrigue, annoyance, amusement, excitement, and more…
Each villain scrutinized me for distinctly individual reasons befitting their eccentric natures.
“Greetings, everyone. I am Maker.”
After my introduction, silence ensued momentarily.
“Trying to make a fashionably late entrance, eh? Should’ve waited for me instead!”
“Shut it, weirdo. Just sit quietly for once.”
“Why’s our gay friend insulting me like that?! Doesn’t he know insults are bad?”
“Of course not, you dimwit!”
The villains’ reactions began pouring forth.
Their responses fell broadly into three categories.
“Hi there, gayboy! Who are you, where’d you come from? The boss of some organization? Or just a lackey?”
“Ughk…another villain…a new villain has arrived…must normalize, must normalize! How much normalization will be required this time…!”
“Someone sedate this nutjob!”
“Oh, an unfamiliar face~ Hopefully a marginally saner one this time~”
Those regarding me with intrigue bordering on curiosity.
“Well now, this one seems vaguely familiar, doesn’t he?”
“A distraction diverting attention from my magnificence. How vexing, the pungent aroma of a trendy upstart, an infamous organization’s executive no less – I wish such irritants would swiftly self-terminate.”
“Hiya, an infamous villain organization, how enviable…though if they outshine me, I may have to eliminate them.”
“Hey, that guy! Isn’t he the one cozying up to that lunatic earlier?!”
Those already harboring unfavorable biases towards me for no discernible reason.
“Hoho, I wonder whether this friend subscribes to vanilla or harem routes?”
“Is that pity I detect…? Why does he exude such ambiguity…?”
“Jjajangmyeon jjokki jjong~?…Annyeong…”
“Ttahahahahaha!!”
‘What was that last one about?’
And the utterly incomprehensible ones.
Various other eccentrics began muttering amongst themselves as well.
“Hey, quiet over there! You’re being too loud!!”
“What was that? You be quiet, you brats! So obnoxiously cringeworthy, just kill me now!”
“…These assholes!”
Behaving like elementary schoolers on the verge of physical altercations – their antics were simply bewildering.
‘If they insist on fighting, at least wait until I’m seated.’
Their poorly-timed squabbling while I remained standing at the entrance was rather awkward.
Regardless, I eventually made my way over and took an empty seat.
‘The staff will likely intervene and restore order.’
Judging by the atmosphere, such occurrences seemed commonplace rather than isolated incidents.
Hence, the staff had undoubtedly anticipated and prepared countermeasures accordingly.
Remaining uninvolved appeared the wisest course of action.
My direct intervention, burdened by existing resentments, could potentially escalate matters further.
‘Speaking of which, is that the artifact…?’
Having regained my composure, I surveyed the gemstone before me.
A grand circular table accommodating all invited villains, its center adorned with a mesmerizing azure gem.
‘The
Named the
A somewhat grandiose appellation, yet befitting its ability to discern the truth of virtually anything in existence.
In a sense, it could be likened to an ultra-high-performance AI supercomputer.
Though its current state imposed certain limitations.
Uwoong-
As if sensing my contemplation, it emitted a faint glimmer in acknowledgment.
I observed the
“Why, hello there~”
Turning towards the playful voice beside me, I found a woman with her chin propped alluringly, smiling and waving in my direction.
An attractive woman with cropped hair tied back.
“So you’re the famous Maker everyone’s been raving about lately?”
“A pleasure. I’m uncertain about my renown, but if you’re referring to Maker present here, then I am indeed him.”
“Ahahaha! Delighted to meet you too, handsome~”
Extending her hand at my words, the woman introduced herself with a coy smile.
“I’m Rinringan executive with the Black Dragon Society’s Korean branch”
“The Black Dragon Society, you say…”
“I’m Chinese~”
Gesturing towards herself, Rinring cheerfully confirmed her Chinese heritage.
While her demeanor exuded a certain cuteness, the same could not be said of her affiliated organization.
The Black Dragon Society.
A colossal villain syndicate based in China.
While the individual combat prowess of its members was unremarkable, their true threat lay in sheer numbers.
Through coordinated teamwork and overwhelming numerical superiority, their brute force tactics enabled even C-rank villains to overpower A-rank heroes on occasion.
‘Though favorable matchups and the absence of S-rank juggernauts undoubtedly contributed to those instances…’
For better or worse, the Black Dragon Society was a villain collective led by an S-rank boss.
This had facilitated their absorption of numerous lesser villain groups, their ambitions now extending towards dominating China itself.
“Not going to shake my hand~?”
“Ah, my apologies.”
With her arm comically drooping from the extended handshake, I offered a brief apology before grasping Rinring’s proffered hand.
‘…As usual, though perhaps more pronounced today, women seem rather…attentive.’
Specifically, female executives appeared rather forward.
Was the party atmosphere a contributing factor?
“Hmm…now that I’ve gotten a closer look, you’re quite the handsome one, aren’t you?”
“Even with this mask obscuring my features?”
“Yep, handsome even with the mask~ Since it only conceals the upper half of your face, that chiseled jawline remains perfectly visible. Such a sculpted jawline alone is enough to discern your good looks.”
Seemingly smitten, Rinring leaned in closer before draping her arms around mine provocatively.
“Handsome~you haven’t been too overworked lately, have you? I’ve been feeling rather lonely myself…”
Licking her rosy lips invitingly, she regarded me with a sultry gaze.
“If you’re amenable, we could spend the night together…”
Just as she leaned in, poised to nuzzle my face, that brazenly coquettish mood was abruptly shattered.
“I’ve found a virgin!!”
“Kkyaaak!!”
A villainous intrusion dispelled the charged atmosphere.
“Wh,what’s your deal…!”
‘…Isn’t that the one who earlier remarked about ‘pity’ or something?’
The interrupting villain was a young girl.
Sporting tousled, poodle-like curls and ill-fitting, oversized clothes, her eyes sparkled with manic glee.
Her sole distinctive feature seemed to be a drill-like horn protruding from her head.
“Mmm~ That invigorating aroma of purity~how delightful, delightful!”
“What nonsense is this?!”
Sniffing conspicuously in Rinring’s direction, the girl dissolved into giggles.
For some reason, her antics prompted Rinring’s face to redden visibly.
“There’s no shame in being a virgin! It merely proves you’ve preserved your purity well!”
“What brought this on all of a sudden? And I’m not a virgin, mind you!”
Palming her chest indignantly, Rinring vehemently refuted the claim, face flushed crimson.
“Just what virgin would wear such revealing attire?”
Her outfit, a heavily modified Chinese cheongsam dress, revealed generous amounts of skin.
Describing it…well, there were perforations aplenty.
A plunging back that dipped almost to her waistline.
Slits running the entire length of the sides held together by laced ribbons, exposing glimpses of her flanks.
Admittedly, her choice of dress hardly evoked associations with virginal purity.
“My nose cannot be deceived!”
“I said I’m not!”
“My ability serves as proof!”
“Just what ludicrous ability could that even be?!”
Any semblance of the earlier sultry atmosphere had thoroughly dissipated, Rinring now trembling as she furtively glanced my way.
“D,don’t misunderstand, handsome. Just a lunatic spouting nonsense. I,I have plenty of experience…”
“I’m no lunatic! And stop feigning experience, we prefer innocent virgins after all!”
“…Just who are ‘we’, you deranged brat?!”
“Haha…”
The villains’ bickering persisted until staff members finally intervened to restore order.
“…Ahem, we shall now commence the main event of Black Night – the Information Exchange.”
Amidst the slightly calmer atmosphere, a staff member’s announcement signaled the start.
“As you are all aware, each round will proceed with one participant disclosing information, for a total of five rounds. The number of disclosures required may decrease based on the assessed value of the information provided. Additionally…”
The content aligned with my prior knowledge, devoid of any deviations.
Having reconfirmed this, I adjusted my posture accordingly.
“Let us initiate the ‘Information Exchange’.”
With that cue, the assembled villains began disclosing the information they possessed.
“Are you aware that the B+ rank hero Speeder recently sustained injuries?”
Bbiik.
[5->4]
“Rumor has it their active personnel in Sector C will increase dramatically next year. Villains operating there, be cautious.”
Bbiik.
[5->4]
“There have been some rather unsettling rumors circulating in the slums lately…”
Bbiik.
[5->3]
.
.
.
The
Most seemed focused on expediently depleting their disclosure quotas with trivial data rather than divulging genuinely valuable intelligence.
[5->5]
“Ack! How does everyone already know that platypuses are bioluminescent?!”
“I studied up, assuming someone would provide useless trivia like that, you moron! Hey, someone step on that nutjob!!”
“Kkyeeek!!”
‘So platypuses are bioluminescent, huh.’
Thus the rounds progressed, allowing me to review known information while learning new insights occasionally.
“…As such, the Black Dragon Society has been expanding its operations on multiple fronts lately. Those interested, feel free to contact us.”
Bbiik.
[5->4]
After Rinring exploited the information exchange as a promotional platform, my turn finally arrived.
“Very well. Next is Maker’s turn.”
“Before that, I have an inquiry.”
Averting my gaze from the flickering azure gem, I addressed the staff member directly.
“Yes, Maker? What would you like to ask?”
“It’s a minor point, but you mentioned that providing more valuable information reduces the disclosure requirements, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then is it theoretically possible to conclude the Information Exchange by disclosing a single piece of information?”
“Uhh…theoretically, yes, but…”
My query momentarily stunned the staff member into dumbfounded silence.
The more garrulous villains tittered amusedly, gossiping amongst themselves.
“Kik, looks like our friend over there might have some premium intel?”
“High-grade info would certainly be welcome.”
“Some precious Eclipse intelligence, perhaps…the location of a stash of treasures?”
Truly invaluable and consequential information, it seemed.
Feigning obliviousness to their murmurs, I smiled at the staff member reassuringly.
“In any case, it is theoretically feasible, is it not?”
“W,well…yes.”
That was sufficient.
Shifting my focus from the staff, I surveyed the assembled villains intently.
“This information is of utmost value.”
Disclose it imprudently, and all your organizations could face annihilation.
Uuwoong-!
Aware that suspense ill-suited villainous proclivities, I nonchalantly extended my hand towards the
“‘The Worst Hero’ will reappear. And he intends to scorch Korea in his wake.”
“”……””
My words cast a momentary hush over the venue.
Wiiiing-
Only the
“…What utter…”
Just as one villain prepared to dismiss my statement derisively…
Bbiik.
[5->0]
The
Once more, stillness pervaded the hall.