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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 16
There are exactly 306 officially registered S-Rank Heroes in the World Hero Association.
There were rumors floating around that at least 100 unregistered S-Ranks might exist out there, lurking in the shadows, but officially? Only 306 individuals had ever earned the title.
306 out of a global population of 6 billion.
These people had defied astronomical odds, miraculous even, to ascend to the elite ranks of S-Rank Heroes.
Among them, only 7 held South Korean citizenship.
And of those seven, only one was a woman.
Her name: Hyun Jooyeon.
Whenever someone in Korea brought up the topic of "Most Popular Hero," Jooyeon was always in the top three.
Every year, like clockwork, she’d be ranked in the Top 10 Most Beautiful Heroes in the World. She wasn’t just a national icon—she was a global star.
And now, that very Hyun Jooyeon, was simply sitting there, waiting for a man to finish his meal.
Her gaze was locked entirely on one person: Seo Dojun.
The illegitimate son of Seo Jeong-jin, President of T Electronics.
And thoroughly disowned by his grandfather, Seo Gyeong-cheol, the powerful head of the T Group.
Before coming to meet him, Hyun Jooyeon had memorized every detail of his background.
“The intel on Seo Dojun is solid. Up until May 25th—right before he entered the Gate—he was just an ordinary civilian. Nothing remarkable.”
“The evidence suggests he likely awakened inside the Gate.”
“And the site of the newly formed Rift was his home in Mapo.”
“If the reports are true, then Seo Dojun almost certainly entered that new Rift.”
Hyun Jooyeon silently replayed those briefings in her mind as she stared at him.
So in conclusion, Seo Dojun awakened inside the Gate, and not only that—he cleared the newly formed Rift too.
It’s rare, but sometimes when the boss monster of a Rift is defeated, the entire Rift collapses and disappears.
Knowing that, Jooyeon couldn’t help but think—no, she was sure—that Seo Dojun was the cause of the Rift’s disappearance in Mapo.
’It’s him. No doubt in my mind.’
Any uncertainty had melted away the moment she met him. There wasn’t a single soul in South Korea who could make her feel this unnerved just by the sound of their voice.
But even so...
’An awakened being who’s been active for less than two months… and he’s S-Rank? Seriously?’
That just didn’t make any damn sense.
The fastest anyone had ever reached S-Rank was Kaphmore, and even he took five years after awakening.
Kaphmore, though wealthy beyond imagination in the Middle East, had forcibly boosted his rank by hoarding mana stones harvested from Heroes across the world.
He wasn’t exactly loved for it. But even with astronomical funding and five years, that was how long it took.
Jooyeon refused to believe Seo Dojun had achieved S-Rank in just two months.
’So he’s got some kind of unique power…’
The only explanation for her unease was the unnatural power Seo Dojun possessed.
And most likely, that newly formed Rift wasn’t as high-level as the media made it out to be.
She was just about wrapping up those thoughts when Seo Dojun also finished his meal.
Right as Hyun Jooyeon stood up and began to approach him—
“Seo Dojun?”
A man and woman entered the restaurant, locked eyes with Dojun, and walked straight toward him.
’That guy…’
Jooyeon recognized the man who had just addressed Dojun—and instinctively, her brows furrowed.
＊ ＊ ＊
Dojun could feel the sharp, almost stinging gaze boring into the back of his head, and it was making his nerves steadily fray.
’Why would an S-rank hero come looking for me?’
There was no way he didn’t recognize Hyun Jooyeon’s face.
She was practically impossible to avoid—always on TV, always online.
And now, she was staring so hard while he was trying to eat, it was impossible for Dojun to ignore her.
“Oppa, I’m stuffed. I can’t eat another bite.”
Eunyeong, who had just finished indulging in some expensive Korean beef, set down her fork, clearly full.
“Thanks to Dojun, we’re eating like royalty. But there’s still so much meat left... what a shame.”
His grandmother also set down her chopsticks, gazing longingly at the remaining beef.
“We can just take the rest home.”
Dojun, increasingly uncomfortable under Hyun Jooyeon’s gaze, called over the server to have the leftovers packed. He even ordered extra cuts—the kinds Eunyeong and Grandma liked most.
His grandmother protested gently, uneasy about how much money he was spending.
Eunyeong, on the other hand, just beamed at the idea of having more meat at home.
As they waited for the food to be wrapped up—
“Seo Dojun?”
Someone called his name and approached.
He was a man in his early 30s, walking with an arrogant swagger. His hairstyle screamed ’expensive’, and his wrist glittered with a luxury watch and bracelets.
“You’re really Seo Dojun? How the hell did you survive?”
“Seriously, how are you alive right now?”
Dojun narrowed his eyes as the man came closer, clearly in disbelief.
Of all the ways to run into this guy... it had to be now?
“No fucking way. You actually made it out alive? Did someone help you or something? Hey, answer me! How are you even standing here?”
The man was practically shouting now, completely disregarding the presence of Dojun’s grandmother and Eunyeong.
Dojun turned away from the guy and spoke to someone else.
“You said you had business with me, right?”
He was addressing Hyun Jooyeon.
“Wait… is that Hyun Jooyeon?”
The man’s eyes went wide when he recognized her.
Jooyeon ignored him completely and looked straight at Dojun.
“Then could I ask you for a favor?”
“A favor? What kind?”
“Just help them catch a taxi.”
Jooyeon was momentarily thrown off.
The request was unexpected—borderline absurd.
But when she looked at Eunyeong’s innocent face and Grandma’s eyes filled with worry, she let out a quiet sigh and gave a reluctant nod.
“Sure.”
“Dojun, what’s going on?”
His grandmother grabbed his hand, sensing the tension in the air.
“I owe that guy some money. I’ll settle it real quick and catch up—you two go on ahead.”
Though she was clearly uneasy, she glanced toward the man who didn’t look like anything close to a “good person.”
Still, she remembered how even the loan shark Hwang Chang-seop and his goons hadn’t dared mess with Dojun, so she forced herself to relax and simply said—
“Be careful.”
“I’ll take care of her, ma’am. And our little lady here—how about you come along with me?”
Hyun Jooyeon approached them with a warm smile and gently led the pair out of the restaurant.
“Oppa, come back quick, okay?”
Eunyeong’s voice trembled with worry. Dojun smiled and waved her off as if to say, ’Don’t worry, it’s fine.’
“What, don’t wanna get humiliated in front of your family or something?”
The man sneered.
Dojun said nothing and walked straight up to him.
“You piece of—!”
SMACK.
The man’s head snapped to the side, cut off mid-swear.
“You little—!”
SMACK.
This time, the other cheek.
Two clean slaps in quick succession—the guy wasn’t even angry at first. He was just stunned.
He hadn’t even had time to react. And that fact alone made his rage boil over.
“Oppa! Are you okay?! Hey! What’s your problem?! You can’t just—”
“Shut the fuck up. Stay out of this.”
The man snarled, shoving the woman he came with to the side and spitting at the ground.
“You got a death wish or something?! You wanna die, asshole?!”
He raised his fist, clearly planning to punch Dojun—but he was way too slow.
THWACK!
This time, the slap wasn’t just fast—it was brutal. The man’s whole body twisted with the blow, and he stumbled three steps to the side.
He tasted blood in his mouth. One of his teeth felt loose.
Suddenly, he was wide awake.
“Kang Cheol-woo.”
The first words Dojun finally spoke were the man’s name.
Kang Cheol-woo, the man who had dragged Dojun into a gate and left him there to die.
“We’ve got a lot to talk about, don’t we?”
Dojun’s cold, sharp voice made Kang Cheol-woo’s skin crawl.
But instead of fear, anger flared in Cheol-woo’s chest. He knew exactly who Dojun was and still, he scoffed.
“What the hell do I have to talk about with a bastard your own father abandoned? Oh wait—you mean how your stepmother paid me to get rid of you? Hah!”
Dojun didn’t so much as flinch. He already knew.
As for Cheol-woo? He figured Dojun would've learned the truth by now, so he wasn’t bothered.
“Say it again.”
Dojun calmly tapped his phone’s recorder and held it out.
“Fuck off. What, you want me to say it out loud? That your mother was a whore?”
Before the words had even left his mouth, Kang Cheol-woo lunged at Dojun with a wild swing of his fist.
It was a quick, heavy punch—the kind an ordinary person couldn’t block or dodge.
But Dojun batted it away like he was swatting a fly, then grabbed a handful of Kang Cheol-woo’s hair and yanked.
“Argh! You bastard—!”
“Shut up and take it.”
With a voice as cold as a slab of stone, Dojun began slapping him. Hard.
Smack! Smack! Crack! Crack-Crack!
With his hair in Dojun’s grip, Kang Cheol-woo couldn’t do anything except take the hits straight to the face.
The atmosphere in the restaurant instantly turned hostile. A server started to call the police.
But Hyun Jooyeon—having just sent Grandma and Eunyeong off in a taxi—returned and stopped him with a calm assurance. She then quickly ushered the remaining customers out of the restaurant.
Fights between heroes in public weren’t exactly rare, and more than a few nosy bystanders had gotten hurt trying to spectate in the past. So the customers, choosing safety over curiosity, began filing out.
Hyun Jooyeon was stunned watching Dojun handle Kang Cheol-woo—a B-rank hero—like he was some brat throwing a tantrum.
A B-rank hero wasn’t someone you could manhandle like that. She’d never imagined someone of that rank getting slapped around helplessly just because their hair got grabbed.
‘Is he higher than B-rank? No… Could he possibly be A-rank or even higher?’
If she had to assess Dojun’s strength now, he was easily A-rank.
But even then… Could an A-rank hero dominate another hero of similar level like that?
Frankly, Hyun Jooyeon couldn’t make the numbers add up.
All she could wonder now was—how much did Dojun really know about Kang Cheol-woo?
Inside the now-silent restaurant, thick with tension, Kang Cheol-woo got beat up mercilessly. It was hard to even watch.
Eventually, Dojun let go, dropping the unconscious, limp man onto the floor like a sack of trash.
“He’s gonna be out for a while…”
Dojun muttered.
“So, how about we get to business?”
Hyun Jooyeon glanced at the bloodied mess on the ground, then turned to Dojun.
“How much do you actually know about this guy?”
“Kang Cheol-woo? I know enough. Why? Does it matter?”
“Of course. His cousin is Kang Yeong-pyo.”
That name made it click.
Kang Cheol-woo was a scum—that much was well-known in the hero community. Despite holding a B-rank license, he was neck-deep in illegal activity. Everyone knew it.
So how was he still walking around with his head held high?
Because of his cousin: Kang Yeong-pyo, an S-rank hero.
“And why exactly is his cousin being S-rank supposed to matter?”
“You already knew?”
Hyun Jooyeon was surprised that Dojun knew the connection—and even more surprised that he clearly didn’t care.
“The only reason Kang Cheol-woo’s still alive is because Kang Yeong-pyo’s been protecting him, which means what you just did? It’s really dangerous. I get that there’s bad blood between you two, but don’t expect Kang Yeong-pyo to care about your side of the story.”
Dojun let out a scoff, like he’d just heard the world’s dumbest idea.
He clearly wasn’t afraid of Kang Yeong-pyo. Not even a little.
“You really don’t fear him, do you?”
“Why would I? Anyway, let’s talk about YOU. You seem to know quite a bit about me. That’s starting to get under my skin.”
As his gaze turned sharp, Hyun Jooyeon’s mind whirred again.
He didn’t flinch at the name Kang Yeong-pyo, wasn’t intimidated by her, and carried himself with unshakable confidence.
There was no doubt anymore—his strength wasn’t just exceptional. It was beyond anything she had initially assumed.
“…Sorry for showing up out of nowhere. But this is something important. That’s why I did a little digging on you.”
“You sold some Hero Mana Stone at STONE MAN today, right? I need that.”
“How much do you need?”
Dojun asked, skipping straight to the point.
“I’ll buy all of it. Everything you have.”
“That’s a lot, you know.”
“S-rank heroes aren’t exactly strapped for cash.”
Her answer wasn’t cocky—just confident. Which made Dojun shake his head with a slight laugh.
“I’m not saying no. But I’ve got a condition.”
“A condition?”
Her expression hardened immediately.
“It’s nothing complicated. You can get into the Rifts, right? Then just help me get in.”
He looked at her like he’d just asked for a ride to the mall.
‘Simple?’
Hyun Jooyeon could only stare at him in disbelief.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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