As I hurriedly turned around, I caught sight of a man approaching with measured steps, dressed in a purple suit and wearing a mask that covered his eyes.
His red hair and striking black eyes left an impression.
‘He looks like Laika. But those black eyes… and even with the mask, his features seem a bit different… A villain? Or a hero?’
Iris couldn’t recognize the transformed Laika.
The same was true for Laika.
A superhuman’s transformation suit creates an illusion for onlookers, making it impossible to discern their true identity.
When seen with the naked eye, the brain is tricked into misperception, and when captured by a camera or recorded in a photo, the image comes out blurry, obscuring their exact appearance.
This was why even close acquaintances couldn’t easily recognize someone in a transformation suit.
However, if you witnessed the transformation process itself, the illusion would break.
The corners of the man’s mouth curled up seductively.
When his eyes met Iris’s, the gaze visible through the mask softened languidly.
Unable to tell whether he was a villain or a hero, Iris stared at him warily.
‘Truly impressive. To think there was a hero like this…’
Laika’s heart raced.
The rumors from the thugs about a “tentacle human” or “mechanical human” weren’t wrong.
This white-clad hero wielded chains that resembled tentacles, executing a variety of astonishing skills.
Despite her saintly attire, which suggested refined abilities, she was anything but predictable.
Her skill execution was, to put it mildly, shocking—extremely so.
But there was no doubt she was powerful.
With steady progress, she could become even stronger in the future.
‘Not a mechanical human… It seems she’s using an object strapped below to activate her skills.
Iron panties? Or maybe a belt? Either way, she’s a rare object-awakened hero. She’ll be a great asset in researching the secrets of sacred relics.’
One of the reasons Laika’s father heavily invested in Abelus’s laboratory was to uncover the secrets of sacred relics.
In Gyodam City, there was a legend tied to the city’s origins.
It was said that in ancient times, Enraka, the goddess of love, compassion, and war, built a magical city with the power of her sacred relics, which became modern-day Gyodam City.
After a fierce battle with demons, the goddess turned to sea foam, and her sacred relics were scattered far and wide—that was the legend’s conclusion.
Most ordinary people were unaware of this tale.
It was recorded in ancient texts kept in the vault of the Enraka Church, known only to a select few.
The reason the story hadn’t spread widely was that those who knew it believed it wasn’t mere fiction.
Gyodam City produced an incomparably high number of superhumans, both in the past and present, which lent credence to the idea that the legend was true.
Moreover, in the last decade, two relics presumed to belong to the goddess had been discovered.
Through significant investments by the J Group, those relics were secretly acquired.
One was held by Abelus for research, and the other was in the possession of Laika, a high-level superhuman who had awakened special skills through a relic.
There was also intelligence suggesting the existence of a third relic, held by the former head of the Enraka Church, which had granted them the power of foresight.
‘Surely, the thing strapped under her skirt isn’t one of the goddess’s sacred relics, is it?’
Laika’s lips tightened as he stole a glance at Iris’s skirt.
No way.
There was no way a sacred relic imbued with the goddess’s divinity would be used in such a… crude manner.
The secrets of ability awakening were still barely understood.
Beyond the goddess’s relics, objects imbued with mysterious power could exist anywhere.
Even an ordinary item, used frequently, could trigger an awakening.
Just like how Laika had awakened his abilities after obsessively watching documentaries.
Someone could wear their favorite panties until they were threadbare and awaken as “Iron Panty Woman”…
Laika’s face stiffened.
The absurd thought nearly made him burst out laughing.
If he laughed out of nowhere, it could ruin his plan to charm her and bring her to his side.
‘Isn’t there anyone besides that Abelus guy?
Studying her body would be a huge help in uncovering the secrets of the relics.’
The hero in front of him was perfect research material.
Both the J Group’s human weapon project and Project X, which aimed to awaken additional powers through relics, required object-awakened heroes.
He sauntered over and stopped in front of Iris.
Despite being close enough to touch, the transformation suits’ effects kept them from recognizing each other.
After a brief, awkward silence, Laika clapped his hands and praised her.
“Wow, I couldn’t help but watch your fight. That was incredible! Taking down such a massive brute so overwhelmingly.”
“Who are you? I think introductions are in order.”
Iris’s gaze sharpened.
Laika maintained his smirking expression, sighed, and raised both hands.
“Ha, do superhumans need introductions?Knowing we’re not ordinary is enough, right? Same goes for you, I bet. I was just hanging out in Rugang when things suddenly went wild…You know how it is.
I transformed quickly to take down that villain, but you beat me to it.”
“You were going to take down the villain?So, you’re a hero?”
“You’re quite suspicious. Yeah, I’m a hero.If I were a villain, do you think I’d leave you alone?”
A hero, really?
Iris scrutinized him from head to toe with a skeptical look.
He claimed to be a hero, but something felt off.
Unlike Teresa or Rainbow Girl, who instantly put her at ease, being around him gave her a headache.
A headache…?
“Ugh, hold on…!”
Iris clutched her head, eyes wide.
A sudden, excruciating headache struck her.
The invisible violence of the “Transparent Fist” had begun.
Her special skill had activated.
What memory was it trying to jog by pounding her head so enthusiastically?
Stars flashed before her eyes, and a dizzying sensation spread through her body, as if she were about to ascend to the heavens.
Passive skill activated.
“Ugh, come on…Remember, memory, please! I need to remember to survive!”
She shook her head, trying to fend off the Transparent Fist, but it was no use.
Its accuracy was too high.
Just as she thought her head might split in two, her eyes cleared.
This time, the Transparent Fist wasn’t trying to recall a forgotten memory—it was revealing the identity of the suspicious villain before her.
‘Laika! It’s Laika! Damn it, did it have to wake me up like this?!’
Thanks to the “Skull-Breaker” skill, the illusion of the transformation suit shattered.
The villain who appeared out of nowhere was Laika.
Couldn’t it have used a gentler skill, like , to let her know?
As she thought this, the Transparent Fist struck her head again, like a series of knuckle taps.
Thanks to those punches, Iris gained a bit of deductive reasoning.
‘Ugh, enough with the knuckle taps! Okay, I get it. When someone transforms, you can’t recognize them at all. It’s not just a simple disguise. The transformation suit must have some kind of illusion function.’
Rubbing her throbbing head, Iris locked eyes with Laika.
The black eyes she’d seen now felt blue again.
His features, previously indistinct, were now clear.
She finally understood the saying, “You only come to your senses after getting hit.”
As Iris suddenly acted strangely, Laika’s eyes gleamed dangerously.
He’d planned to sweet-talk her, but now he reconsidered.
She seemed out of it—maybe he could just take her like this.
Still, just in case, he set a trap instead of dragging her off immediately.
“What’s wrong? You okay? Should we take you to a lab—er, I mean, a hospital…?”
There was no way she’d fall for such a cheap trick.
Iris frowned and raised her hand to stop him.
“Ugh, I’m fine now, so don’t come any closer!”
“I’m just worried. Whoa, whoa, why are you pulling out a gun? You think I don’t have one?”
As Iris drew her pistol, Laika raised both hands and stepped back.
Gritting his teeth, he flashed a fake smile.
He’d thought she was dazed and ripe for the taking as research material, but this sharp hero wasn’t letting her guard down.
What a shame.
Once her headache fully subsided, Iris’s gaze turned icy as she looked at Laika.
It seemed he didn’t know her identity due to the transformation suit, but what was he scheming?
A villain approaching a hero with good intentions was unlikely.
“Why did you bother showing up in front of me?”
“Hmm, I was just trying to break the ice, but you want to get straight to the point?Fine, I’ll be honest. Don’t you want to make big money? Join our team.”
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