Would you give up your human rights for power?
Those are the terms of the contract, lying on the table in front of 25 year old Jin Hakuva.
He lifted his chin, as though reminiscing, and weighing his options.
There was no need for this.
He had enough money to live.
His parents said themselves that it doesn't matter.
They are having it good.
Looking younger than his age would suggest, wider than most and not getting any younger,
Jin felt compelled to give himself away.
What must have driven him to that conclusion?
Some kind of tragedy?
You could call it that.
He had no qualifications to speak of, a joke of a life.
As a child, he played the class clown for attention, but at one point it was as though something switched 180°.
When he tried, he was unable to simply blend in. Being as horizontally deficient as he was didn't help but that wasn't the main reason. It just never worked out for some reason.
At 18 he decided to make something of himself.
He wanted a family. So he worked backwards from that.
A wife, a job, and qualifications, an education.
It wasn't a big deal.
He made a small mistake and the teacher didn't let it go.
It escalated.
And just like that all of his plans were ruined.
Something so insignificant, if it can cause this much damage...
"There is no place in the world for me."
With eloquent twists and turns of the pen, the paper was signed and his life was over.
"Thank you for your service, going forward."
The man, a voice so low it tickled the ears, had a calm tone to him as he doomed Jin to a life of servitude.
It was by choice, so there was no one to blame but Jin himself.
The last thing thing he saw when he lifted his gaze slightly was the badge on the officer's chest.
"HIC" it said. The name "Conman" right under it.
What a joke.
- - -
A bag was pulled over his head and his limbs were tied up.
Despite this, Jin didn't resist.
This was a standard procedure for those that joined the complex.
A few years ago, the government developed a new drug.
When applied to someone, they would gain supernatural powers, beyond human comprehension.
It was discovered by pure coincidence.
No one really knew any more than that. No more was needed.
- - -
In pure darkness, all he had were his thoughts, and the feeling of the vehicle turning occasionally.
They drove for hours and hours.
Will it be fun, being a hero? so he thought to himself.
It has only been a decade since the serum was first created.
I would expect the rich to buy them and go crazy with it... but that didn't happen.
I wonder why...
Villains and Heroes.. you only really hear about them on TV.
Back in the day on the news they say that some of the serum was stolen.
Apparently that is where the bad guys come from.
It makes no sense that they are still around after all this time.. just how useless is our government?
Well, I am now part of it so... fits me perfectly.
I should stop beating myself up.
I am gonna be a hero soon after all.. right?
Oh no... no no no... I didn't even think about this!
There will be others like me there. Do I have to talk to them?
I hope not.
I forgot how that even works...
Like me, they must have signed that.. thing.
There must be worse situations a person might be in to go this far.
Just watching the news would tell you how high the mortality rate is.
The past years, all heroes either defected, or died, either through a villain or through the government.
Trying to defect obviously does that.
Some managed it.. they never really report about them in detail.
Maybe I just missed those.
Can't be sleeping in anymore.. well I won't be able to play games anyway so...
ok now I really am starting to regret all of this.
I wonder how trigger happy they are.. if I do something wrong.. ANYTHING... will I instantly die?
How will it happen?
Maybe they give us collars to wear at all times..
No wait.. I remember. The uniforms they wore, they always had a similar design in one area: the neck.
Guess we are really gonna be like good loyal dogs then, and put down like one when we bite the hand that feeds us.
I hope I get along with everyone.
If not... I hope it will be painless.
I left before I could say goodbye to Mama and Papa.
They wouldn't have let this happen if they knew.
I hope they don't break up because of me.
When I was a kid, I once overheard how I was apparently the main reason they stayed together for so long.
Maybe Mama can now travel the world like she always wanted.
And Papa can finally buy that PC system he was dreaming about every day.
Please be happy. I always wanted to be a hero anyway.
I am out here living the dream.
Don't worry. Don't worry. I don't regret it. I don't.
- - -
The car comes to a halt and the bag is pulled off of his head, ropes cut.
"Welcome to your new home."
The Hero Integration Complex.
As the name suggests, here is where heroes are made.
However, if they fail to integrate—
"He is just a kid..."
A soldier muttered to the other next to him.
They stood side by side, along the path towards the complex.
"You know that isn't true... look."
Jin felt a coldness in his gut. Seeing strangers look at his personal information, all laid out on a piece of paper, filled him with a complex set of emotions.
What would they think, seeing that he was useless for such a long time, uselessly gaining weight, being a parasite to his family....
Their judging eyes, even though hidden behind helmets and goggles... he didn't want to be here anymore.
Someone grabbed Jin's arm and lead him closer to the building.
Jin was a like a piece of meat.
"Stay calm."
That same man from before! The one with the low voice.
He flashed a bill in front of Jin.
"Remember?"
Jin's family was compensated the moment he signed up.
1 million Deulks. With this much you'd never need to work ever again.
This is what a life is worth.
A life for a life.
The building drew closer with each step.
Was this worth a million? He should have asked for more.
"I wanna go home..."
He thought, but it was too late now.
You can never go back to your old life again.
This is your grave.