Teresa explained the exchange gate.
Though it looked like an empty well, it was actually a portal connected to the exchange.
Such devices were installed all over Gyodam City.
Because many ability users were uncomfortable with face-to-face interactions, they delivered goods to the exchange through these devices.
“Let’s see… I should give Iris her share of the reward. She worked hard, after all.”
Teresa transferred the reward money to Iris.
The amount was more than what she would earn from three days of part-time work at a bakery.
Iris rubbed her eyes and her mouth fell open in shock.
“No way. Just for catching a black crayfish?!”
“Dangerous jobs come with appropriate compensation. Hm, I was a bit worried, but after today, I feel more at ease. I think you’re ready to join the app, Iris.”
Teresa opened the app and tapped around.
Soon, an invitation was sent to Iris.
She installed the app with excitement, grinning like someone discovering a private app full of sweet part-time jobs.
As soon as she opened it, she browsed the mission board.
Her eyes stopped at one point, and she tilted her head.
“Villain bounties? There are missions like that too? They’re in red.”
“That’s still far beyond your level. You get a bounty for catching villains, but although anyone can attempt it, no one can guarantee your life. Try it only if you’re ready to throw yours away.”
“Ah, no thanks…”
Iris quickly shook her head.
She had just gained her powers — she didn’t want to die from a reckless stunt.
She returned to scanning the board.
If she hadn’t known it was a hero app, she could’ve mistaken it for a regular job-finding app due to the variety of tasks listed.
As she read through, a question popped into her mind.
“But… why are there so many missions? Are there really that many heroes?”
“That’s because the tasks even the police and government officials of Gyodam City can’t handle are passed on to us. And judging from how fast missions are getting picked up, it seems like there are way more users now… Hm, if you ask me…”
“What do you think, senpai?”
When Iris asked, Teresa squinted at her phone.
“I don’t think all the users on the app are heroes anymore. This app’s been around for over twenty years. At first, only heroes could register, but now… you get what I’m saying?”
“Ah… I get it.”
Iris’s eyes narrowed just like Teresa’s as she looked at her phone.
The app accepted users through anonymous invitations, without verifying identities, so over time, it wasn’t just heroes who joined.
‘This doesn’t seem like anything I’ve seen in the comic.’
The comic focused on sensational episodes, not mundane everyday life.
So things like how heroes learned about villains appearing or how they made a living were never shown.
This app Iris had been invited to was one of the secrets related to hero activities and livelihood — something readers wouldn’t know.
‘Well, yeah. If they had to verify whether someone was a hero to join, their personal info would be exposed.’
Iris asked Teresa another question she was curious about.
“Can heroes… become villains?”
“Of course they can. Ability users are always tempted by the darkness. In a city overflowing with crime, maintaining morality isn’t easy.”
“Then how do we even tell who’s a hero? Someone might seem like a hero but actually be a villain.”
“You have to trust their conscience. How would you know if someone claiming to be good is actually evil? You only find out when their crimes are exposed.”
“So when I meet an ability user, it won’t be easy to tell if they’re a hero or a villain. Even if they say they’re a hero, they might be doing bad things behind the scenes.”
“Exactly. And that’s part of why I’m helping you — to keep you from going down the wrong path.”
Iris gulped.
After hearing Teresa’s words, she looked at the mission posts differently.
“Wait, then… isn’t this a bit dangerous? What if the person posting the mission is actually a villain?”
“There’s no villain trying to lure random ability users just to harm them. Would a criminal kill police officers to avoid getting caught? Unless they’re a psycho targeting cops specifically.”
“Ah, r-right.”
Teresa’s analogy was spot on.
Since the recruitment was done anonymously and no one knew who was a villain or a hero, there was no reason for a villain to deliberately bait other ability users into fights.
“Still, you’ll see some missions that seem off. Rookies tend to jump at tasks that look easy and well-paying, so you need to train your eye. Can you tell what’s dangerous and what’s not?”
“Hmm… If it’s just about defeating or collecting something, I think I can handle that. As long as it’s not in a sketchy location.”
Teresa nodded and looked at Iris’s phone screen with her.
“Exactly. High pay comes with no responsibility for your life. So always be cautious when picking missions.”
“Ah, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Iris nodded seriously.
Back at home, she sat on her bed and browsed the app.
The black crayfish mission post had already disappeared.
Teresa had said it was for security reasons — mission listings vanished as soon as they were completed.
Iris planned to go on a ‘low difficulty’ mission with Teresa in a few days.
They’d be hunting low-grade monsters.
She completely understood Teresa’s emphasis on safety.
But still, at this rate, when would she earn big money and become stronger?
To take on better-paying missions, she needed to grow stronger.
That’s why she wanted to make more use of her skill-copying ability.
She briefly considered asking Teresa for permission to copy her skill, then shook her head.
Who would enjoy having chains stuck to their body?
No matter how kind Teresa was, she probably wouldn’t like her skill being copied.
Even if it was described as “learning,” it was essentially copying someone else’s skill without effort or struggle.
‘Let’s not ask Teresa-senpai. I’m scared of how she might react, and besides, I don’t really need her skill anyway. Huu, then what should I do? I’m not satisfied with skills from low-level monsters. If only I could meet a strong ability user during a mission and secretly…!’
As she agonized, she ruffled her hair in frustration.
Leaning back against her pillow, she turned on YouTube — an old habit before bed.
Thankfully, even in the world of the comic, YouTube existed.
It was one reason she didn’t miss her boring past life at all.
While mindlessly scrolling through the feed, her eyes stopped on a video:
Villain Detective Channel: Top 10 Celebrities Rumored to Be Villains
‘Oh… no way?’
Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner?
Villains!
If it was a villain’s skill, she could steal— no, learn it — without any guilt.
If she could acquire their skills, she could quickly become strong.
Iris let out a sigh full of longing.
‘If I could outright steal villain skills, that’d be even better. Wouldn’t that be justice served? It’s a shame I can only “learn” them.’
Still, being able to learn them was better than nothing.
If she could use their own powers against them — imagine the villains’ shocked faces when they saw her using the same skills.
Just remembering how a thug hadn’t noticed her detection skill before, she eagerly clicked the video.
“Tired of villains constantly destroying everything? Here’s a list of the Top 10 celebrities suspected of being villains. Number 10…”
The channel owner, possibly fearing for their life, wore a mascot suit, covered the background with black cloth, and even distorted their voice.
‘It might all be nonsense, but still… better safe than sorry.’
Even if it was all speculation, watching couldn’t hurt.
It was an interesting video — perfect bedtime content.
Still, it took guts.
Was YouTube really that profitable?
Iris skimmed through the video, touching the screen to skip to key moments.
A few famous faces she’d seen once or twice passed by.
‘They’re all villains? Tch. Maybe I expected too much from a “believe it or not” kind of video.’
Pouting her lips, she kept watching — until an actor named Laika appeared.
She paused the video.
Laika, the son of a congressman, had striking red hair and vivid blue eyes.
His facial features were sharp and flawless.
Iris stared, captivated by his bewitching red lips — when a sudden rattling noise startled her.
She looked down — a message popped up and her eyes widened.
You can now explore your target in greater detail through tactile sensing.
You must truly desire to touch them.
Iris frantically threw off her blanket.
Something felt strange between her legs.
She lifted her pajamas — and saw that her chastity belt was wide open…