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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: S-Rank Mist
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[The Association announced today that Villain Mist has officially been designated as S-rank. Based on her danger level and the potential of her abilities, which could threaten Shadow Walker...]
"Oh. I'm S-rank now."
About a week after the last terror incident, Seo Jayoung mumbled, watching TV in the living room.
"Well, it was pretty much confirmed you'd be S-rank, sis."
Seo Eun, who was sitting between me and Seo Jayoung, blocking our view as she ate ice cream, replied, her mouth full of vanilla.
[Meanwhile, with Mist and the Moonlit Priestess included, the villain union Egostream now officially has a total of two S-rank villains.]
"Hmm. So it's just me and Eunwol who are S-rank?"
"This is so unfair! Why am I not S-rank? No, I'm good at hacking, and I made a weapon that almost defeated Stardust, yet I'm only A-rank. This is seriously wrong."
Seo Eun, who was so indignant she shook her spoon while eating ice cream, eventually sighed and leaned back against the sofa, resuming her ice cream feast.
...Hmm, seeing Seo Eun eat makes me crave ice cream too after a long time. Should I get another spoon?
[Meanwhile, netizens are expressing confusion that Egocentric, the leader of a union with two S-rank villains, is still A-rank...]
"No, why are *you* A-rank again?"
"How should I know? Probably because my combat power is weak. I think I also heard something about my promotion being delayed by the committee last time."
"Hmm."
Just as Seo Jayoung replied languidly, as if she didn't really care.
[Next up, breaking news. With dating rumors between Egoistic and Mist heating up Korea for a week now...]
"Tch."
Seo Jayoung, who had been lying languidly as if about to fall asleep, suddenly snapped her eyes open, shot up at incredible speed, snatched the remote, and changed the channel.
"..."
Meanwhile, the moment that news came on, Seo Eun froze in the posture of scooping ice cream, then stared intently at Seo Jayoung with a smiling face. Of course, only her mouth was smiling, her eyes weren't, which made her look a bit scary.
And Seo Jayoung, who had already felt that gaze and changed the channel faster than anyone, pointed at the TV, sweating slightly.
"Ha, haha... This is news from overseas. Let's watch this instead."
"...."
While Jayoung sweated profusely under Seo Eun's gaze, the TV was showing international news.
[Mexico's desert region has been completely closed off. Red lightning continues to strike, making passage impossible. This is believed to be the work of S-rank villain Python...]
[In Egypt, a villain claiming to be the reincarnation of a Pharaoh has appeared, prompting the local association to declare a state of emergency. It has been revealed that a significant portion of the population is already following this villain, causing widespread shock...]
[The Eiffel Tower in France has been attacked again. Having been attacked dozens of times in the past three years, the Eiffel Tower is now over 70% damaged, and restoration efforts are underway...]
Hmm, the world, it seemed, was still diligently heading to hell.
Almost every country worldwide was suffering from a sudden increase in terror rates...
Perhaps, soon, statistics would be released showing a gradual increase in the number of ability users. And more ability users would lead to more terror, so the world would become increasingly chaotic.
In fact, one might think that as villains increase, so do heroes, but for every ten villains that emerge, maybe one hero appears, if that. It's just hopeless.
Of course, compared to other countries that are falling into chaos day by day, our country is relatively well-defended... but that's only because I've been stopping all the major terror attacks from behind the scenes. Incidentally, there are still quite a few terror attacks I'll have to stop in the future. Though, it's still before the Moonlit Cult's main event, so I have some time.
"Tsk. Come to think of it, I need to go meet Lee Seola."
"Bro, where are you going again?"
"Oh. To discuss some business."
I replied, pulling out my phone.
Hmm... I should call first, right?
***
A few days later.
I was sitting across from Lee Seola on the top floor of Yuseong Corporation.
She still looked pale, leaning tiredly against her high-backed chair, but she was smiling slightly.
"Something good happen after a long time?"
At my question, Lee Seola stretched and replied.
"Ah. Yes, it has. I've finally pretty much taken control of most major domestic corporations."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. VK Corporation was the hardest, but Ms. Dain sent me information about their CEO's corruption, so I just got him sent away. Now, once I wrap things up, I can focus all my efforts on the political sector."
She said this, a proud smile on her face despite her tired state.
...As expected, even if a bit slower, Lee Seola is steadily swallowing up South Korea, just like in the original story.
Personally, the more Lee Seola's influence grows, the better it is for me, so I praised her. As the original story enters its latter half, a unified Korea under one person's control will be much better for overcoming crises. It means I can interfere with everything.
She enjoyed my praise for a moment, then her face darkened slightly. She forced a smile and spoke to me.
"...Ah, right. And Ms. Dain, I heard the news too."
"Huh? What news?"
"That you've apparently started dating someone..."
To her vague trailing off, I waved my hand, denying it.
"Ah, that. No, it's not true. She was just joking, we're nothing."
"...Really?"
"Of course. Anyway, where would I even find the time to date someone?"
At my denial, she sighed as if slightly relieved and replied.
"...That's a good decision. Dating just lowers work efficiency and is a wasteful use of time, so I don't think there's any need for me to do it either."
...Hmm. I didn't say it like *that*.
Anyway, to Lee Seola, who was speaking to me so seriously, I replied just as seriously.
"Right. That's that, but you know why I came, don't you? The PMC I mentioned last time."
"...Oh, you wanted to see my face?"
"Of course it's for work. The PMC I mentioned last time."
"Ah, that..."
Lee Seola rummaged through some documents for a moment at my words, then pulled out a sheet of paper, looked it over, and spoke.
"I looked into it, but there are some legal issues involved, which makes it a bit difficult. Though, I think it might be manageable with some lobbying..."
"Specifically, it's not just simple employment, but taking responsibility for their cultivation as well."
"Yes, I've already registered the corporation under the name Yuseong PMC. But Ms. Dain, are you really sure this is okay?"
"Yes. In fact, whether it's okay or not, we absolutely have to do it somehow, considering the future."
"...Since you're saying so, I understand."
I had that conversation with her while drinking a cup of tea.
...In the latter half of the original story, public safety in South Korea almost completely collapses.
And one of the reasons for that is B and C-rank villains.
One might ask how much of a problem B and C-rank villains can be, but while they're not strong enough to, say, lift an airplane by themselves, they're still incredibly powerful against civilians.
And in a few years, more and more people will awaken abilities, leading to countless lower-tier villains running rampant, reaching a stage where the government and association can barely manage public safety. On top of that, lower-tier heroes don't make much money, and the public sentiment is uniquely strict towards heroes, nitpicking even minor mistakes, so the number of heroes remains small. As a result, ability users hide their powers until they fall into villainy...
In other words, considering the chaos that will unfold in the future,
they all need to be dealt with in some way before things go completely to hell. And since that surplus power will become quite important later, they also need to be preserved.
And this is where Lee Seola's role grows.
If she can gather them with her capital and recognition, they will be quite helpful later.
In fact, I'd been waiting for the right moment to ask for this, and then I used Lee Seola's recent screw-up as an opportunity to make this a trade.
Well, if you think about it, Lee Seola wouldn't want Korea to fall into chaos either. After all, Korea will soon be hers.
After a deep discussion with Lee Seola about the PMC establishment plan and the future conquest of South Korea, I returned home.
Of course, this isn't a business we'll start immediately; it's just laying the groundwork for now. Still, it's good to prepare in advance. This will probably be the first business I do after revealing my identity. Anyway, since Stardust already knows my name, there's nothing to hold back anymore.
Upon returning home, I announced to the kids:
"This time, we're going villain hunting."
"Wow! Isn't that the first time since the Teleporter incident?"
"...Hey, are you even a villain hunter? If you go that far, aren't you basically a hero...?"
"What are you talking about? This is my origin. This is how I got my A-rank villain status."
"...Eh, really?"
"That's right, sis. I helped bro back then. It was just me then."
"...Oh, Seo Eun? Wasn't Unnie there too?"
"Ah, right. Sister Soobin was there too! I got confused, hehe."
...Anyway, the next task was assassinating another villain after a long time.
While doing this, we could also broadcast the clarification about the Mist dating rumors.
So, we began preparing for the next event.
Oh, by the way, the dating rumor clarification is happening because public interest is so immense. Honestly, I wonder if it's even necessary since Stardust, the most important one, probably doesn't care at all, but oh well. The media is annoying, so I have to. Though, if the timing isn't right, maybe I don't have to?
***
At that moment, in the Hero Association office.
Shin Haru, the blonde hero, sat at her newly assigned desk.
She stood with her arms crossed, her back to the sun, deep in thought.
".....I need to capture Egoistic, by any means necessary."
She mumbled, as if having reached a conclusion.
And her eyes.
Unbeknownst to her, they were burning.
***
"....No. Still, I definitely have to do that clarification broadcast."
"Of course you do, Ms. Dain. Were you not going to?"
"...Ah, no, that's not it. I just... reaffirmed my resolve."
A sudden thought struck me, a feeling that something terrible would happen if I didn't do it. This chilling premonition, it's been a while.
Right, let's start by clarifying that first, yes...