Chapter 80: A Month Without Indigo

One Month Later

Night had fallen.

In one of the city’s most neglected districts—a slum where villains frequently gathered and deals were made in the shadows—the air was thick with smoke, sweat, and corruption. Flickering streetlights struggled to illuminate the narrow alleys, casting long, distorted shadows against cracked concrete walls.

Alea stood calmly in the middle of the area, her presence alone enough to draw unwanted attention.

She was currently questioning an old male villain, his body thin and crooked, his clothes worn and stained. His cloudy eyes, however, were anything but dull. They shamelessly wandered, lingering far too long on Alea’s chest.

The old man swallowed, temptation clear on his face.

“Have you ever met a villain named Indigo?” Alea asked coldly.

Despite her sharp tone, the old villain barely listened. His gaze remained glued to her body as he answered with a lewd grin.

“U-uhm… Indigo, huh… I’ve never met him personally, but… I know where he usually goes.”

“Oh?” Alea raised an eyebrow. “Then take me there.”

The old man chuckled under his breath.

“All right… follow me.”

He turned around and began walking toward a narrow gap between two rundown housing blocks—an alley so tight that barely two people could pass through side by side.

Alea followed him without hesitation.

The moment they entered the alley, the sounds of the slum faded. After only a few steps—

Bzzzt—

A sudden vibration rippled through the air.

And then… silence.

Alea emerged from the other side of the alley alone.

Behind her, the old villain lay unconscious, his head partially buried into the ground, his body twitching slightly before going completely still.

She didn’t even bother looking back.

“Huh…” Alea muttered as she continued walking.

“Why do they always have such filthy thoughts?”

Her expression was calm, but annoyance flickered briefly in her eyes.

“It’s already been a month…” she murmured to herself.

“And I still haven’t found a single trace of Indigo. I even learned Korean just to communicate better here…”

Her frustration was slowly building, but she refused to show it.

As she walked deeper into the district, Alea approached one of her subordinates—a young woman who had been gathering information nearby.

“Did you find anything?” Alea asked, speaking in Russian.

The female subordinate shook her head.

“No. I couldn’t get any useful information at all.”

“Tch…” Alea clicked her tongue.

“He’s really hard to track down…”

At that moment, the rest of Alea’s subordinates began to return, gathering around her one by one. Their expressions alone already told her the answer.

She glanced at them and spoke firmly.

“Did any of you find a clue?”

Silence.

No one answered.

Then, one of them finally stepped forward and spoke carefully.

“I met a tailor in Sector B,” he said. “According to him, Indigo often comes there to have villain outfits made.”

Alea’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Hm… I see. So that’s all the information we have?”

“Oh—there’s more,” the subordinate added quickly.

“He also said that Indigo doesn’t live in this area.”

“Doesn’t live here?” Alea frowned.

“Isn’t this supposed to be the base area for villain groups?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “That’s just what the tailor said.”

Alea placed a finger on her chin, deep in thought.

“Not living here…” she muttered.

“That means he must be staying in the city.”

She lifted her head, her gaze sharpening.

“All right,” she said decisively.

“We’ll search the urban area.”

“Yes!” her subordinates shouted in unison.

Alea turned and began walking toward the city, her subordinates following closely behind her like shadows.

*Ji-hye’s House*

Ji-hye was relaxing on her sofa, watching TV after finishing her workout. A faint layer of sweat still clung to her skin, but her breathing had already calmed.

She picked up a can of drink, popped it open, and took a long sip.

“Ahh…” she sighed.

“So refreshing…”

Just then—

Knock. Knock.

Ji-hye turned her head toward the front door.

“Hm?”

She stood up from the sofa and walked over. The moment she opened the door, her eyes widened.

Standing there was Na Yerin.

“Hi!! I brought drinks!”

In Na Yerin’s hands was a plastic bag filled with cans of beer.

“…Come in,” Ji-hye said, stepping aside.

The two of them entered the house. Na Yerin placed the bag of beer on the dining table, the sound of clinking cans echoing lightly.

They both sat down across from each other.

“So…” Ji-hye began, crossing her arms.

“What made you come here so late at night?”

Na Yerin smiled before speaking.

“I was just bored. You know… so far, the most difficult villain I’ve ever dealt with in my area is Indigo. He’s really on a completely different level compared to the others.”

Ji-hye picked up a can of beer and opened it.

“Really?” she asked before taking a sip.

“Are the villains in your area all low-class?”

Na Yerin opened her own can and nodded.

“Yeah… honestly, I’m kind of jealous of you. You get to fight Indigo so often—and even become his rival.”

“…What’s there to be jealous of?” Ji-hye replied casually.

“He’s just strong, that’s all.”

“Well, true,” Na Yerin admitted.

“But still, the villains in my area are boring. None of them can even come close to matching Indigo’s skill set. And his combat ability—he’s far better than me, and I used to be a national taekwondo champion.”

Ji-hye fell silent, drinking her beer slowly.

Na Yerin continued drinking as well, finishing nearly half the can before speaking again.

“But… did you know?” she said quietly.

“Lately, there’s been a rumor about the Hero Association.”

Ji-hye glanced at her.

“A rumor? What kind of rumor?”

“A rumor that there’s a traitor inside the Hero Association.”

“…A traitor?”

“Yeah,” Na Yerin nodded.

“More precisely, they’re said to be within the International Hero Association. They’ve been influencing high-ranking heroes, trying to recruit them to their side.”

Ji-hye listened silently, her expression unreadable. She didn’t seem fully convinced.

“Well…” she said after a moment.

“It’s still just a rumor. There’s no solid proof yet.”

“But there’s a strong possibility,” Na Yerin replied seriously.

“Last month, Oceanaria—a Rank S hero from France—was suddenly attacked. She barely managed to escape to England, and she’s currently being treated there. She’s still unconscious because her power was completely drained.”

Ji-hye’s eyes widened slightly.

“Oceanaria was attacked?” she muttered.

“That water woman… how did she lose?”

“I don’t know,” Na Yerin said.

“But the fact remains—she lost. No matter how strong she is.”

“Oceanaria is always cautious around villains,” Ji-hye said thoughtfully.

“She rarely lets her guard down… Could she have been attacked from behind?”

“Hm…” Na Yerin nodded slowly.

“That’s possible…”

After several more minutes passed, both Ji-hye and Na Yerin were visibly drunk.

Na Yerin looked especially exhausted, her eyelids drooping as if she could fall asleep at any moment.

With a drunken slur, Ji-hye spoke.

“I really hate Indigo…” she muttered.

“Whenever I do something amazing… he never praises me. He just disappears right away… just like that… hic—”

“Oh… is that so…? That’s really unfortunate… hic—”

Na Yerin replied, hiccupping as well.

They had drunk far too much beer.

Ji-hye rested her head on her hand and continued speaking lazily.

“Hm… I wonder…”

“What does he look like under that black mask that covers his entire face?”

She glanced toward Na Yerin—

Only to see that Na Yerin had already fallen asleep, her head resting on the table.

“Hey… I was still talking…” Ji-hye sighed.

“And you already fell asleep…”

She stood up and carefully lifted Na Yerin, carrying her to the bed.

After laying her down, Ji-hye collapsed onto the bed beside her.

She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes unfocused.

“It’s already been a month…” she whispered.

“I’m starting to miss him…”

She shifted positions, turning left, then right—unable to find a comfortable sleeping posture.

Her gaze drifted toward her study chair.

There sat a small doll.

A doll that looked exactly like Indigo—complete with a black mask and black cloak.

She had bought it online without thinking much of it.

Ji-hye reached out, grabbed the Indigo doll, and hugged it tightly.

Only then did she feel comfortable.

Slowly, her eyes closed.

And soon after, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

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