-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Weapon Master
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Killing the Weapon Master, who was destined to become an S-rank villain, beforehand was a deeply satisfying and meaningful act for me. Thinking back to how I used to tremble with rage every week watching his depravity in the original story, this feeling of exhilaration is simply indescribable.
Seoul.
Today's Seoul is the same as yesterday's, but in the original story, it wasn't. It was called 'Neo-Seoul,' a new city rebuilt and born from a project spearheaded by Lee Seol-ah, who had taken control of all of South Korea. In the original story, Lee Seol-ah barely managed to rebuild Seoul after it was utterly destroyed by the Behemoth, Han-eun Group, and Moonlight Cult — a devastating triple combo.
Her ambitious dream was first ruined when the Moonlight Cult Leader's final desperate act opened a portal in the heart of the city, and then utterly destroyed a second time when this Weapon Master fellow barged in. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Weapon Master delivered the final blow to Neo-Seoul.
Anyway, having so easily killed someone who wreaked such havoc, it's no exaggeration to say I feel a certain sense of relief. Though, I do wonder how long this stroke of luck will last...
In any case, this elimination of Ego Stream also had another intention. Namely, to boost my reputation as 'the cruel Egostic.'
And so, I was happily watching TV, munching on popcorn.
[Look at this! Egostic has once again, on a whim, killed an ordinary citizen who simply made weapons as a hobby. Isn't it truly cruel, how he wields a sword like he's justice itself, slaughtering civilians? We must all fear Egostic! And be wary of him!]
Hmm, hmm. Truly, that's a fair point.
"Oppa, why are you watching cable? Turn on a terrestrial channel."
Beep.
[Yes. Next, breaking news. It has been revealed that Egostic killed a villain who had hidden thousands of weapons, causing quite a stir. The Association has confiscated all these weapons, stating that they will become a significant military asset for South Korea. Due to this, opinions among netizens are circulating, suggesting that Egostic might have, once again, protected South Korea...]
"Hmph."
With the channel suddenly changed, my head began to ache, and I finally got up from my seat.
Right. Time to get to work. What else am I going to do?
"Alright. That's enough rest. Seoeun-ah, Eunwol-ah, let's go train. Oh, and Seo Jayoung, you come out too."
"Aaah... No. Seoeun-ah, why did you do that? You should've just let him watch it..."
Something purple, lying on the floor, flailing its limbs and making dying noises. Seo Jayoung.
...Seriously, anyone would think she trains every day.
"Come on, come on. You'll hurt yourself if you just lie around all the time. Come here."
"Aaaaah..."
"If you keep resisting like that, I'll just carry you out with telekinesis, you know?"
"...Please do."
"...What?"
"It's surprisingly comfortable..."
"...Honestly."
I finally sighed and floated Seo Jayoung into the air with telekinesis, then headed outside.
...Right. This is a kind of training too, I guess.
"Jayoung unnie. Is it really okay for you to just lie around like this every day?"
"Yeah... Don't worry. Your unnie is a mollusk, so if I don't move, energy actually wells up... Roar..."
Eunwol asked worriedly as they walked out the front gate, while Seo Jayoung still gave a rambling reply.
Listening to their banter, I led them to a clearing in the forest.
"Alright! From now on, fight each other."
"H-huh. How can I fight this small, cute Seoeun? I can't do it..."
"Hmm, Unnie. Didn't you mercilessly shoot fire at me last time, almost charring my suit...?"
"I don't remember..."
"And when I kept surrendering, but you kept going...?"
"Eunwol must have cast an illusion spell."
"What?!"
Seoeun scratched her cheek as she said that, while Seo Jayoung simply played dumb, and Eunwol, caught in the crossfire, flinched in surprise.
...Seo Jayoung, naturally continuing her banter to delay the start of physical activity for as long as possible. She truly is something else. Though, the truth is, even after all that stalling, once training actually begins, she's more excited than anyone.
"Alright. Anyway, let's get started. Since Choi Sehee isn't here, this time Eunwol will take on both you and Seoeun alone."
"Me, alone?"
"Yes. Eunwol-ah. You can do it. I believe in you!"
"...Hmm, alright. I'll do my best!"
Eunwol said, clenching her small fist.
Honestly, Eunwol alone is more than capable of handling a two-on-one. She's the strongest among us in actual combat, to begin with. Desiki is around too, but his raw power is a bit lacking compared to Eunwol's.
"...We can definitely beat Eunwol if we both team up. Right, Seoeun-ah?"
"Exactly. Baek Eunwol, I'm going to win this time, so get ready to lose!"
"Alright. Do your best."
Eunwol replied with a slight eye-smile.
Then Seoeun pressed something to summon her suit, and Seo Jayoung finally stretched, simultaneously conjuring purple flames around herself.
Facing them, Eunwol, clad in her miko outfit, took a moment to offer a small prayer before generating a magic circle in her hand.
And with a hint of vitality returning to everyone's eyes.
Bang. The real battle... or rather, training, began.
If boys are happy to play simply by being given a ball to throw around.
Then our villains, whenever they get a chance to use their bodies in combat, are just as thrilled to leap and play using their abilities.
And so, the peaceful forest once again grew noisy with the sounds of things being smashed.
***
The Future.
The future this world is heading towards is by no means smooth sailing.
There are dozens of disasters I know of, and considering that monsters will start popping up later, it's truly one challenge after another.
In other words, while I'll prevent some things, it's a given that physical power will become increasingly important as time goes on.
And it's only natural to train our abilities in advance to prepare for that time.
Of course, officially, only our Stardusts grow in raw power. But that doesn't mean training is useless; on the contrary, it's even more crucial. Unlike Stardusts, who grow automatically even with casual fighting, others will actually regress if they don't push their potential to the limit through training.
That's why I've been seriously training our members lately. To navigate the difficult latter half of the original story, this level isn't enough.
Stronger techniques, faster reflexes, superior tactics.
For that, our training primarily consists of simulated combat. There's no better training than real combat.
The only difference from real combat, perhaps, is that I fly around coaching them.
"Seo Jayoung, block that with a wall of fire! And Seoeun-ah, in this situation, it's better to dodge than to fight head-on. Eunwol, pay attention to your rear too. If you only cast from the front, your back becomes vulnerable."
"Huff, huff. Yes!"
Eunwol, panting, replied to me while simultaneously manifesting three magic circles, blocking both Seoeun and Jayoung.
The combat continued for some time, and then, finally, the training ended.
"Haaah... I won..."
Seoeun, emerging from her suit, was utterly exhausted.
I quickly approached Seoeun and handed her the water I had prepared.
"Here, drink. Drink."
"Thank you, Oppa. Mmm..."
"M-me too, water..."
Turning my head at the sound of someone asking for water, I saw Seo Jayoung sprawled on the floor before me.
She lay collapsed, seemingly one with the green grass, looking utterly spent.
"Here."
"Thanks... Ah. Is this that honey water or something?"
As Seo Jayoung performed the feat of drinking water while lying down, Eunwol, who had been floating in the air, finally drifted down to the ground, her white miko outfit fluttering.
"Eunwol-ah. Are you okay? Do you want some water too?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine."
She replied with a small smile directed at me.
Unlike the other two, who looked half-dead, Eunwol seemed relatively fine, only breathing a little heavily.
"Still, drink up. You seem to have worked up a sweat."
"Okay."
Eunwol took the water bottle with a bright smile, then swept her black hair behind her neck and began to gulp it down.
After emptying the bottle and capping it, despite saying she was fine, she looked at me and spoke.
"Did I do well?"
"You did great. You were the best."
To Eunwol, who asked me with such an innocent smile, I gave a thumbs-up and replied.
Then Seoeun's voice came from nearby.
"Haaah, it seems I need to modify this suit a bit. I made it slimmer than the second version, and now there are some issues."
Seoeun muttered this, looking down at her silver suit.
"Still, Seoeun-ah, your technique itself seems to have improved since last time, don't you think?"
"I haven't just been slacking off, you know. But Oppa, next time, can't you join in too? It felt more intense when you were there than when it's just us. Like with that Behemoth."
"My Behemoth is currently out of commission because it absorbed an explosion's shockwave last time, so it's soaking in experimental liquid for repairs."
"Ah, right, I forgot."
With Seoeun's reply, as if remembering, we returned home.
Since we did this training, next time we can do it again with Sehee and Death Knight.
"Ah. I need a month's rest now..."
For the record, Seo Jayoung, muttering on the floor like that, will absolutely be participating in the training.
She joined most recently, so she has a lot of training to catch up on...
***
And so, with training continuing, days passed by.
"Hmm..."
Now that I think about it, 'that' villain alliance should be launching soon.
No, wait. More accurately, it's the alliance of the International Villain Alliance...? Anyway, now that we're in the mid-game, there are definitely a lot of events. Ha. I'll have to figure out how to get involved there too. They're also starting to recruit PMCs...
Just as I was thinking this, I received a call from Lee Seol-ah.
Oh, is it about PMC?
"Oh, Seol-ah. What's up?"
I answered the phone, feeling pleased.
And then I heard something unexpected.
"...What? Stardust is trying harder than ever to catch me?"
The moment I heard that news, I paused slightly. Then I quickly put my mind to work.
Stardust is trying to catch me.
Stardust is working hard to catch a villain.
Stardust is burning with resolve, working hard to defeat a villain.
...Hmm.
After hearing Lee Seol-ah's words, I thought to myself.
Well, it just means she's trying to catch a villain, as befits her righteous nature.
Isn't that a good outcome, ultimately?
"That's great!"
[...Dain-ssi. I don't think that's quite right, no matter how I look at it.]
Lee Seol-ah replied from the receiver.
...But it's true, so why is she reacting like that?