Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain-Chapter 63: The Mysterious Villain

— Side Quest: Spoonful Dominance [Full Completion] —

Description: True villains can dominate lesser men with any weapon! Spoon someone today, become the greatest villain tomorrow!

Time Limit: 30 days

Objective: Beat someone up using only a spoon — [Completed]

Bonus Objective: Give the victim permanent spoon-related PTSD — [Completed]

Reward: Unlocks 3D Map feature

Bonus Reward: ??? (Mystery feature)

To be honest, if it weren’t for the item Maximilian had purchased from the shop before he started thrashing the Mafia, he wouldn’t have thought he could complete this mission. Even though he possessed triple the physical capabilities of a peak human, he still couldn’t break those Mafia guys using a regular spoon.

Almighty Spoon:

An indestructible bronze spoon, created by the one and only Almighty while he was deliberately drunk. It is capable of neutralizing any defense—whether born of magic, superpowers, or simply thick hide, making the victim more susceptible to injury.

Also, the Almighty Spoon cannot kill its victim, no matter how hard or severe the spoon strikes. Its nature is not that of a weapon, after all.

As Maximilian read the description of the Almighty Spoon, he couldn’t help but feel a weird sense of absurdity.

Who in their right mind would make something like this?

Oh, right... the creator was drunk while making it, so maybe that made it reasonable?

"Athel, I’m submitting the quest," Maximilian said.

[Ok! Quest complete! Distributing the reward now! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و ] Atherna’s jubilant voice rang out from the shared link.

The UI began to shift as light radiated from the system screen.

3D Map Feature: [Unlocked]

3D Map – Detection Range: 1000 meters — Activated!

Randomizing the Mystery Feature...

Processing...

Processing...

Randomization Complete.

Unlocked Feature: Abilities Upgrade (Non-trial abilities only)

You can now upgrade any ability not gained from the Trials using Villain Points. The cost in Villain Points will depend on the specific ability the host wishes to upgrade.

Seeing the upgrade, Maximilian couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction. With the 3D Map feature unlocked, the search for the secret lab in the WildLand would become much easier.

He decided to call it a day and go to sleep, tomorrow, he had an expedition to prepare for.

— IHB (International Hero Bureau) Local Branch —

Strauss was preparing to return to his dorm for the day when the door to his office opened.

One of the IHB officers, who also worked as his assistant, walked in with a solemn expression. Strauss knew something serious must have happened for his assistant to wear a face like that.

"Sir, we have a situation in the Fringe. We might have a new Villain who’s infiltrated the city," the assistant said gravely.

"A new Villain!? Tell me everything," Strauss demanded.

"This is the situation, sir..." The assistant then proceeded to report what had happened at Don Reele’s manor.

After listening, Strauss nodded and asked, "I see. Are there any survivors? I want to talk to them."

"There are, sir. Several of them, including the Don himself. They’re currently being treated at Arkadian Private Hospital in the city center," the assistant reported.

"Good. I’ll go meet them myself. You may go and rest. I’ll call OldCowboy to come with me," Strauss said.

"Thank you, sir." The assistant bowed and excused himself. He knew how workaholic and perfectionist Strauss was, so he didn’t bother trying to persuade his boss to rest.

Strauss then made a phone call to OldCowboy, telling him to be ready—he’d be picking him up, and they’d head to Arkadian Private Hospital together.

— City Center – Arkadian Private Hospital —

Strauss walked through the corridor, followed by OldCowboy, who had been woken up by Strauss’s call and had no choice but to come along to provide protection.

They made their way to the private VIP floor that Don Reele had reserved in its entirety. When they arrived at the door of the VIP room, it was easy to spot—several shady-looking, muscular men in black suits were stationed at the entrance.

"I think we’ve found him," OldCowboy said casually.

The two approached the entrance, but the guards moved to block their path.

Strauss pulled out his personal Officer ID and held it up to the guards.

"Heinrich Strauss, UEC Level 9 Officer. This is official UEC business. Step aside before we have you arrested," Strauss said with a no-nonsense tone.

Hearing this, the bodyguards exchanged confused glances before one of them pressed a finger to his earpiece and checked with the Don himself.

"Don, we have a Level 9 UEC officer requesting to see you... Yes, sir, he’s accompanied by OldCowboy." He spoke with the Don for a few moments before receiving an answer.

"Understood, sir." The bodyguard nodded to his companions.

"Open the door. The Don will meet with them," he said, and the guards opened the door, allowing Strauss and OldCowboy to enter.

Inside the VIP patient room, Don Reele was eating jelly from a cup on the overbed table near him, using a fork. A private nurse stood by his side, peeling fruit for him, while several of his bodyguards inside the room kept a close watch on Strauss and OldCowboy’s every move.

"Don Vincenso Reele," Strauss called out, drawing the Don’s attention, though the man initially acted as if he were ignoring him.

"Tell me what happened," Strauss said. It wasn’t a request... it was a command, plain and simple.

"I don’t remember ever working for the UEC, Mr. Level 9 Officer," the Don replied, his tone equally firm. He clearly had no intention of cooperating... or at least, not without some incentive.

What a joke. Just because he let them in didn’t mean he’d follow their orders. He only allowed them entry to prevent his subordinates from being arrested without cause.

The Don took another bite of jelly from the fork as he eyed Strauss’s unreadable poker face, he’s trying and failin, to get a read on what the man was thinking.

"Don’t you want revenge? I think we can help you," Strauss offered.

The Don paused mid-motion, placing the cup of strawberry jelly back on the table.

"Revenge?" he repeated, his expression turning thoughtful. "Where’s Photon Fury?" he asked.

Of course the Don knew about Photon Fury. When she was relocated to Arkadia, every major news outlet covered it. One of the top twenty heroes in the world being temporarily stationed here wasn’t something that could be ignored.

Usually, heroes of that caliber were tasked with high-level missions from the UEC or sent to handle villains too powerful for standard law enforcement or regular heroes. Having someone of that rank in Arkadia... the so-called frontier of the North American continent, was a headline-worthy.

Strauss didn’t react to the question.

"Due to some complications, she’s already returned to Central," he replied.

"Is someone else from the top twenty going to be stationed here in her place?" the Don asked.

"No. The Central won’t assign another top-twenty hero to Arkadia. We’ve already used up our quota for the year," Strauss answered matter-of-factly.

This information was technically classified, but Strauss knew someone like Don Reele... who had officials and police officers in his pocket, would find out sooner or later. It was better to be upfront.

"Too bad... You almost had my attention," the Don said, waving his hand dismissively. "You may go now, Officer."

He picked up his cup of jelly again and resumed eating, clearly ending the conversation.

"That’s strange, Don..." Strauss said, lingering by the door.

The Don ignored him.

"Why are you using a fork to eat jelly instead of a spoon?"

At the mention of the word spoon, both the Don and every bodyguard in the room froze. The bodyguards looked at the Don with dark anticipation, as if afraid he might lose control.

The Don’s hand stopped mid-air. Sweat poured down his face like a waterfall, and his heartbeat surged like a war drum.

Strauss glanced at the vital monitor on the wall. The Don’s heart rate had spiked from a calm 70–90 to 120–130 and was still climbing.

The nurse at his bedside noticed it too and quickly slammed the emergency button, calling for medical assistance.

Strauss calmly exited the room, followed by OldCowboy. None of the bodyguards dared to stop them... almost like they feared something far worse than a Level 9 officer.

—Parking Lot, Arkadian Private Hospital—

Strauss and OldCowboy reached the car, and Strauss started the engine.

"What a strange fellow. Seems like he’s afraid of spoons," OldCowboy remarked in his usual southern drawl.

"We got a lot of information from this trip, Mr. Blackwood," Strauss replied.

"How so? He didn’t even say anythin’" OldCowboy asked, clearly puzzled.

"He asked us about Photon Fury. Based on Don Vincenso Reele’s profile, he’s not the type to let things go when he’s been wronged. The only reason he’s not aggressively pursuing revenge is because his opponent is too powerful.

The fact that he brought up Photon Fury means the villain who bombed his manor is so strong that, unless it’s her, the Don doesn’t feel confident about retaliation. That’s why he stayed quiet and waved us off," Strauss explained as he drove.

"As for why he reacted that way to the word ’spoon’... we’ll need to investigate further, but I have a hunch it’s connected to the mysterious villain we’re trying to track down."