James and the other examiners settled in a military-style tent outside the fake town. Inside, they attentively followed the hero candidates' actions and secretly added or deducted points based on their performance. The points for defeated villains and saved civilians were just window dressing. There was a much more meaningful way to evaluate this final test.
While the other examiners mainly followed the candidates whose fitness tests they had conducted, their eyes glued to the hovering rows of screens in front of them, James focused on Leona Schnee. She was so peculiar that she'd grabbed the interest of his coworkers as well, for both good and bad reasons.
She'd thrown him for a loop, and he had even called her a burglar, half joking, half serious. But the more Leona acted in the final test, the quieter James became.
She hasn't shown any qualities of a hero so far. Instead, she's more like… them. She didn't rush to save heroes or stop villains but instead went around the seemingly secluded area, flushing out villains who were biding their time to ambush heroes. She stopped the villains' ambushes, killed a few of them, and then passed the news to a hero candidate with a command before heading off for more villains.
In this short time, Leona Schnee had shown zero interest in civilians. None of her moves were for anyone else's sake, only for her own goals. James couldn't find any heroic quality in her actions at all.
What would he say if he ever found out that Leona only wanted a nap in one of the "seemingly empty" houses?
He clenched his fists. Another, less obvious duty pressed on him—the hidden responsibility that came with being an examiner for the hero exam. It demanded that he notify a special part of the government about a potential candidate for their ranks.
Just thinking about them was enough to silence James, a former police deputy who'd worked with heroes and caught glimpses of that secret branch of the government more than once.
It's not the world Leona Schnee should be in. She's still a kid who has only awakened her innate skill. She might be more overwhelmed than I think she is, and that could explain her actions. I… I must protect this gullible girl.
Outside combat, Leona Schnee didn't show any kind of lethal side. She was more like a cat who could take a nap anywhere, whenever she wanted. James remembered her nodding off twice already and resolved to protect her from the dark part of their world.
Just then, one of his coworkers spoke to him.
"Mr. James… I called GHF about Leona Schnee," he said, his voice low and shaky.
Hearing that, James's eyes widened and his black glasses slid down the bridge of his nose on their own. He quickly pushed them back and glanced at his coworker, whose pale complexion said it all. He's afraid. No doubt. Hiding a hero candidate with the potential to join GHF could cost him his career and even his life. I screwed up… I should have acted faster myself!
James forced himself to stay calm and acted as naturally as possible. "Thanks. I was about to make a call. Who are they sending here?"
"…Connor Lee."
In that single moment, James's heart seemed to stop for a few seconds.
Of all people, they had sent one of the representatives of GHF, the Government Hidden Forces, or Assassins for short. Connor Lee—a man responsible for the deaths of villains, heroes, civilians, and spies from all over the world. In the World Villain War, he was the sole reason so many famous older heroes didn't have to dirty their hands and could keep both their pristine image and their mental health intact.
Pressing his finger against his glasses so hard his sinuses hurt, James nodded heavily. "Understood. I will welcome him here so that none of you have to deal with his presence."
Everyone sighed with relief upon hearing James's words.
James didn't let go of his glasses. He seemed frozen. No one found it weird. Soon, he would be face-to-face with someone completely opposite to the heroes, symbols of smiles, safety, reassurance, happiness, and more.
I'm sorry, Schnee. You will have to at least look into the eyes of the underworld.
It was then that Leona Schnee began causing mischief at the front lines of the final exam. She appeared beside the hero candidates and villains. One hero candidate noticed her standing still and looking into his eyes like a harbinger of depression. He flinched and failed to defend himself from an average villain.
One villain caught a glimpse of Leona as well and went at her. She turned tail and ran away from him, but he chased after her, eventually stubbing his toe on something and tumbling forward. Many more strange events followed as Leona forced her way into the main battlefield with a bizarre but surely infuriating purpose.
Both heroes and villains screamed at her to stop horsing around and bothering them, but she only gave them a deadpan stare, which only made them even angrier.
Seeing her like that, James's conscience hurt him even more.
You really don't belong to this world.
***
[You have obtained a new stack of Omen!]
[Omen(F): 7]
Leona had been bringing misfortune to everyone and anyone for at least thirty minutes, earning seven stacks of Omen. Her idea was simple. She could push her luck and obtain many more in one go by butting into battles all at once. The more victims of her Misfortune Incarnation, the more chances she had to build up her Omen.
It worked. Somewhat.
I want more stacks… but this should do. I can't spend more time here on Omen.
Moving away from the main battlefield, Leona easily skipped along the devastated main street and past ruined facilities, reaching an intact building. She did it silently, hoping to avoid the boss villain's attention. Uncertain whether he had seen her or not, Leona stepped into the facility, which reminded her of a hotel, and climbed the stairs to the floor where she had last seen him.
After checking a few rooms, she saw him by the high window. He stood still, arms crossed, eyes probably fixed on the battlefield.
He must be waiting for chaos at the town's outskirts.
Leona crept in on all fours without feeling any awkwardness or discomfort. In fact, she felt much more confident in her silent steps this way. She also couldn't use her inhuman speed this time to hurt a villain. Ideas crossed her mind, but Leona settled on raking her phantom claws across the boss villain's back and using the force of her ambush to kick him off the floor.
Just as Leona was about to pounce on the boss, he vanished. He materialized at Leona's side and drove a kick straight into her stomach, scooping her up off the floor and using the force behind his movement to hurl her at the window.
The window shattered, and glass shards sliced through Leona's tracksuit into her skin. A few of her bones cracked as well but remained in one piece. Leona plummeted off the third floor onto the ground like a bag of trash. She crashed with a loud bang and coughed up a lot of blood while straining to stand up. Bloody streaks trickled down her chin as she furrowed her brows in thought.
A skill? A robot has a skill? Good thing I didn't use an Omen, or I would have wasted it.
Leona had forgotten to use an Omen before her attack. Still, it had worked out better, since she would have surely missed her chance. She couldn't comprehend how a humanoid mecha could move so fast or have a skill, but that didn't matter much. What spurred her on was that she couldn't just leave him be. He had hurt her, and now she felt an indescribable desire to pay him back right meow. That was why she desperately forced herself to stand despite her body hurting, blood spilling from her mouth with each effort.
I want to make him pay and defeat him… That must be what makes me a hero. I really want to be a hero…
The boss villain's voice rang out from above. "Surviving my attack and a fall from the third floor makes you a cut above the other hero candidates. You will be a strong hero if you manage to survive me."
He cracked his neck and rolled his head around, preparing to descend and completely dominate Leona to show her what villains were capable of.
Leona then looked up at him, her feline eyes wide, her expression that of a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
The boss villain froze and stared back at her. He no longer felt like jumping down to chase after her.
"Are you here to be a hero?" he asked.
Leona coughed up a mouthful of blood and wiped her chin. "What else?"
***
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