Chapter 18 : Mind Games and Question Marks

Unless it was handled quietly and discreetly, it would be a problem if someone lost their mind here. 

Skills weren’t all-powerful. 

They could only be used on one person at a time, and after one use, they couldn’t be used again for a while. 

There was even a time when it failed against a high-level target and ended in humiliation. 

That’s why Laika rarely used this skill. 

If someone’s going to lose it, they should do it in a place where there are no people… 

Iris rolled her eyes back and started drooling from the corners of her mouth. 

Alarmed, Laika shook her shoulders vigorously. 

But contrary to Laika’s misunderstanding, Iris wasn’t affected by his skill — she was suffering because of her own special ability. 

The skill is activating. 

The skill is activating…

The skill… 

‘S-Stop! I’m back! I’m conscious now!’ 

How long had she been hit? 

Her blurry, fish-like eyes gradually regained focus. 

No — more accurately, she forced her eyes open wide to avoid being hit more. 

Iris trembled and desperately screamed in her mind for it to stop. 

Only after taking a few more punches did the invisible barrage finally end. 

The target’s mental-type skill has been nullified. 

‘Ugh… Did it really have to be this way…?’ 

Iris lowered her head deeply. 

After being beaten senseless by invisible fists and shaken like mad by Laika grabbing her shoulders, her head was spinning so much she could barely stay conscious. 

‘What did that bastard try just now? Ah, it was a mental-type skill.’ 

Forget everything? 

And say he saved her? 

Iris’s mind was working fast, reviewing what Laika said. 

If she pretended to be affected by the skill, she might be able to get what she wanted. 

She could observe Laika and learn his skills. 

Seeing Iris silently bowing her head, Laika bit his lip in anxiety. 

He liked tormenting criminals or stirring up social unrest, but he didn’t want to be the reason an innocent civilian ended up brain-damaged. 

Even among villains, those who targeted innocent civilians one-on-one were considered the lowest of the low. 

This is bad. 

With a sigh, Laika lightly tapped Iris’s shoulder, just in case. 

“Hey… Try to snap out of it.” 

“…Huh?” 

“Ah.” 

As Iris responded late and lifted her head, relief spread across Laika’s face. 

With her thick glasses, it was hard to read her expression, but seeing her wipe the drool and stand straight, she seemed back to normal. 

Laika assumed his skill had worked. 

And Iris’s act made him more convinced. 

“Thank you for saving me, Mr. Laika!” 

“Huh?” 

“I mean, you could’ve just walked away, but you stayed with me till the end in this dangerous situation!” 

Iris continued her act, pretending her mind had melted from the skill. 

Since Laika’s reaction was unclear, she even clasped her hands together and jumped up and down with exaggerated cheerfulness. 

Laika looked down at her, and his raised eyes slowly rounded out. 

He thought his skill had worked perfectly. 

“I see… So that’s how it is.” 

Laika scratched his eyebrow with his index finger, thinking. 

Thankfully, the woman had stepped back from the brink of madness, and from her actions, the skill seemed to have worked. 

Time to play it up for the media. 

Supporting Iris by the shoulder, he whispered, 

“Ah, right. It looks like the monsters are all gone now, so should we head back to the set? People seem to be gathering over there.” 

“Yes, I’d like that. Mr. Laika.” 

Iris nodded multiple times, trying to look as clueless as possible. 

Then she subtly placed her hand on Laika’s back — to activate her Scan skill. 

‘Alright, show me the results!’ 

As soon as Iris placed her hand on his back, Laika raised an eyebrow. 

But since the touch didn’t feel unpleasant, he just flinched slightly and didn’t say anything. 

‘…Strangely, it doesn’t feel bad. Well, she seems like a fan, and her behavior’s kinda cute, so I’ll let it slide.’ 

Normally, he would have reacted sharply if anyone touched him, regardless of gender. 

Having grown up in a family involved in both business and politics, many people approached him with ulterior motives, leading to misunderstandings and unwanted rumors. 

That was part of why Laika had such a twisted personality. 

Iris didn’t notice Laika’s flinch. 

All her focus was on the scan. 

Did it work? 

Her eyes gleamed as a message appeared. 

[Scan Result] 

Laika LV. ??

[Owned Skills] 

Super Speed LV.27 

Killer Smile LV.17 

?? 

?? 

[Status]

?? 

‘What the… Why is it cut off?’ 

Target’s level is too high.

Deeper contact is required. 

…What?? 

A scan result full of question marks and a message that only brought more. 

The smile she had been wearing disappeared and her brows furrowed. 

What was this supposed to mean? 

She quickly pulled her hand off Laika’s back to avoid suspicion. 

Then she prayed internally, hoping she could at least acquire one of the skills. 

You cannot acquire a skill.

You are not groping the target.

Please grope the target. 

‘Wait, what? Is this because I took my hand off? Seriously…’ 

Iris squinted. 

She didn’t want to be misunderstood, but if she wanted to gain a skill, she had no choice. 

She placed her hand back on Laika’s back. 

Laika gave her a questioning look. 

At nearly 190 cm with a muscular build that even his suit couldn’t hide, Laika was a giant compared to Iris, who barely stood in the low 160s. 

Just being looked down at by him was intimidating. 

But forget misunderstandings — she needed that skill. 

Whatever “??” was, it had to be amazing. 

But then the damn message popped up again. 

You cannot acquire a skill.

You are not groping the target.

Please grope the target. 

‘What the hell?! Is it really telling me to grope him? He’s looking at me like that — how am I supposed to grope a villain? Might as well ask me to die!’ 

It wouldn’t matter if he weren’t a villain — groping someone was a surefire way to get thrown in jail, villain or not. 

But if that’s the only way to acquire a skill… 

Iris hesitated, wondering if she should just do something insane. 

At that moment, Laika shrugged off her hand and pointed ahead with a nod. 

“We should move forward. There are people gathering.” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Right.” 

“That’s weird… Something feels off…” 

Laika tilted his head and studied her expression. 

He had thought she was completely under his mental skill, but the way she spoke sounded too normal. 

Iris, realizing belatedly that he was starting to doubt her, quickly returned to acting. 

“Thank you for saving me, Mr. Laika!” 

“Hmph…” 

“Hehe, I’m so happy, really happy~!” 

As Iris exaggerated and bounced around, Laika gave a dry laugh. 

Must be his imagination. 

There’s no way his skill failed against someone who looked like a total newbie. 

Brushing off the unease, he headed to the front of the building with Iris in tow. 

People who spotted Laika came rushing toward him. 

“Huh? It’s Laika! He was at the scene!” 

“Who’s that with him? Mr. Laika, I’m a reporter from Gyodam News! I never imagined I’d see you at the site of a monster appearance! Why didn’t you run away?” 

“Mr. Laika, how do you feel right now?” 

The reporters bombarded him with questions. 

Laika responded calmly with his signature low, sweet voice and a public-friendly smile. 

It was a far cry from the slick attitude he’d shown earlier with just Iris. 

“Well… I wanted to survive too. But this young lady was frozen in fear when she saw the monster and couldn’t move.”