Chapter 65 : Flames and Betrayal

It’s no use doing more today. 

Hiding his disappointment, Laika brushed back his bangs. 

He rummaged through the car’s glove compartment. 

He pulled out a crisp stack of bills. 

Iris glanced at the glove compartment. 

She swallowed hard upon seeing it stuffed with cash. 

What an eccentric taste. 

In a world where people pay with apps beyond credit cards, carrying around a wad of cash? 

Is this what the rich do? 

She politely accepted the bills. 

She bowed obsequiously like a sycophant. 

“Heh, got it.” 

“You’re thrilled to get money, huh?” 

“Hold on, put on your glasses.” 

“Don’t go flaunting that pretty face, or some other guy might snatch you up.” 

“Oh, come on, what are you talking about?” 

Iris put on the glasses Laika handed her. 

She waved dismissively as she opened the car door. 

The moment she closed it, she pouted her lips. 

‘All talk.’

‘That’s not the charm of someone who’s only dated once or twice.’

‘If I weren’t living my second life, I’d have already offered up my liver, my gallbladder, and my soul.’ 

Though she grumbled, the corners of her mouth crept upward. 

She tapped her flushed cheeks. 

She bounded toward the convenience store with excited steps. 

While ordering a hot dog and picking out snacks and drinks, she noticed a commotion outside. 

A loud explosion followed. 

“Somebody help me!” 

“Eek!” 

“Here we go again…” 

Another mess, as expected. 

Just when she thought things had been peaceful for a few days, an incident had to happen. 

It was at Lugang Park, where she’d come for a date with Laika. 

Sighing, Iris hurriedly picked out her snacks. 

As if it were routine, the clerk shuddered briefly. 

He finished grilling the hot dogs. 

“Here, two hot dogs.” 

“Thanks.” 

Grabbing the piping-hot hot dogs from the clerk, Iris cautiously peered outside. 

In the distance, she saw wooden benches and street trees ablaze. 

Parked cars were smashed to pieces. 

Wait—Laika’s car? 

Iris whipped her head around. 

She grimaced. 

Laika’s car was gone. 

Realizing the situation, she ground her teeth. 

She tore into her hot dog. 

‘That jerk!’ 

‘He didn’t even think to take me with him and just bolted alone?’ 

It seemed she wasn’t the only one with a fiery spirit and a cool head. 

To think that a villain, even one she’d just been intimate with, would abandon her like that—unbelievable. 

Shaking with betrayal, she was approached by the clerk. 

He tapped her shoulder. 

Turning around, she saw his bored expression. 

He gestured for her to leave. 

“Uh, we’re closing the door.” 

“The boss says if you’re staying, we’ll have to charge a protection fee…” 

“Ugh, I’m going, I’m going.” 

With crimes happening almost daily, small business owners had little patience left. 

Still, kicking out a customer like this? 

Whoever owned this convenience store seemed worse than a villain. 

Grumbling, Iris was practically shoved out the entrance. 

The shutter came down. 

The store’s sign went dark. 

‘I could just ignore it, but there’ll be victims.’ 

She didn’t hesitate long. 

Sighing, Iris headed straight to a public restroom. 

She confirmed it was empty. 

She transformed. 

After a few missions, the timid Iris who once considered fleeing had vanished. 

She was now replaced by a true hero. 

Glancing at the sink mirror to check her transformed appearance, her eyes widened. 

The mirror’s surface rippled. 

A letter popped out. 

She quickly snatched and opened it. 

Message from the Secret Exchange : 

Stop the villain disrupting Lugang Park.

Reward: 2,000 Fame upon mission completion. 

‘Oh, I was going to do it anyway, and 2,000 Fame?’

‘What a steal.’

Was there something at the Secret Exchange she could buy with 2,000 Fame? 

As Iris finished checking, the letter vanished from her hand. 

After touching her mask to confirm, she stepped outside. 

The situation had worsened. 

The villain had caused a real ruckus. 

The few burning street trees had now spread into a line of flames. 

The park’s statues were half-destroyed. 

Not a single car in the parking lot was intact. 

Citizens had abandoned their vehicles and fled. 

With her enhanced vision, she spotted a burly villain smashing things in the distance. 

‘Did everyone evacuate safely?’ 

Scanning the area, her eyes stopped at one spot. 

A mother with a baby on her back was anxiously hiding behind a statue. 

Likely unable to evacuate in time due to the baby, they hadn’t been noticed yet. 

The baby was quiet enough not to cry in this chaos. 

But if left alone, they’d soon become the villain’s next target. 

Without hesitation, Iris sprinted forward. 

She muttered a spell under her breath that let her dash at lightning speed. 

The woman, spotting Iris, initially tensed. 

She recognized her as a hero and opened her mouth in relief. 

She quickly shut it, worried the villain might hear. 

“Are you okay?” 

“For now… for now, we’re fine.” 

“If that guy finds us…!” 

“Run that way quickly.” 

“I’ll take care of the villain.” 

Nodding, the woman soothed her whimpering baby. 

She started to move but hesitated. 

Hearing Iris’s young-sounding voice, she grew worried. 

“Oh no, will you be okay?” 

“That guy uses fire…!” 

“Don’t worry about me, just go!” 

“Oh, be careful!” 

The mother, still concerned for Iris, glanced back several times as she fled. 

Iris held her breath. 

She observed the villain’s actions. 

This was her first time facing a human, not a monster. 

Though he was a bad guy, she wanted to avoid killing him. 

She only wanted to knock him out if possible. 

To do that, she needed to identify his weakness. 

‘Wait, what am I thinking?’

‘What if he’s stronger than me?’

‘If I hold back, I could be the one in trouble.’

Resolved to fight with all she had, Iris used the terrain to sneak around. 

She approached the villain from behind. 

Thanks to her <Stealth> skill, she went unnoticed. 

The villain, oblivious to her presence, was shouting triumphantly. 

“Hahaha! Come out, you cowards!” 

“You all scurried away the moment I showed up!” 

Dressed like a bandit in leopard-print clothes, the villain’s abilities weren’t immediately clear. 

Seeing him breathe fire, she guessed he was a fire-type ability user. 

Swallowing hard, Iris hid behind a statue. 

She activated her <Scan> skill. 

‘There’s a reason I came up behind him.’

Her efforts in leveling up the <Scan> skill paid off. 

Without leveling it, she’d have needed physical contact to analyze his abilities. 

He seemed high-level since she couldn’t see his stats outright. 

But her tentacles could handle that. 

Chains extended from between her legs. 

They latched onto the villain’s back. 

Despite the tentacle-like chains clinging to him, he didn’t notice. 

He kept shouting loudly. 

Meanwhile, Iris successfully checked his status window. 

[Scan Result]

Anonymous Villain LV.15 

[Skills]

Running LV.10

Intimidating Footwork LV.12

Firecracker LV.11 

Fire Show LV.13

Kick LV.13

Choke Slam LV.12

Armbar LV.11

Romero Special LV.8

Clothesline LV.7

[Status]

Triumphant / Hot-Tempered / Destruction King

‘As the mother said, he has two fire-based skills.’

‘The rest seem like wrestling moves.’

‘I definitely can’t get close.’

About to end her scan, Iris, just to be sure, ran her chains over the villain’s body. 

Since her skill level had increased, could she learn skills just by scanning, like with monsters? 

The clueless villain, still unaware of the chains on his back, was casually stealing snacks. 

He was at the convenience store’s outdoor display. 

You have analyzed the Anonymous Villain’s skills. 

You can learn one of his skills.

Choose.

‘Oh, I wasn’t sure, but I can actually learn one?’

‘Does that mean I could learn Laika’s skills this way too?’ 

Silently cheering, Iris quickly shook her head. 

Whether possible or not, learning Laika’s skills should come from direct experience. 

After all her hard work, learning them through chains at the last moment would be… 

Not that she wanted to do it with Laika, really! 

She just didn’t want her efforts to go to waste. 

Denying it fiercely to herself despite no one listening, Iris quickly reviewed the villain’s status window. 

If she could only learn one, which would be best? 

A fire-based skill seemed ideal. 

She didn’t have time to leisurely consider each one. 

She could be discovered any moment. 

The moment she decided, a message popped up.