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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Ego-stick's Terror
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[When's Mango-stick's Next Terror Attack??]
I'm a newbie who joined the fan cafe last time,
and I've watched all the past attacks on YouTube replays...
I want to enjoy it live too, why aren't you doing it!! I want to witness a terror attack firsthand!!!
=[Comments]=
[Seriously, it's about time he showed up.]
[I've been bored lately, even looking up overseas videos, but there's no one who talks smack and commits terror like Mango...]
ㄴ[Is there even a terrorist who broadcasts in the first place??]
ㄴ[Hardly any. Mango's just irreplaceable, lol.]
[I cried because I wanted to see Stardust VS Ego-stick.]
[I think it'll be at least another month. Just give up.]
ㄴ[No way!!!!!!!!!]
[Just keep holding on, keep holding on.]
[It's live now!]
ㄴ[No way!]
ㄴ[Seriously;;;]
ㄴ[Wait, I just checked, it really is live! Going there now, lolol.]
*
[Ego-stick's broadcast is ON, lolololol]
Go right now, go go go go go go go go!
=[Comments]=
[Whoa, finally!!!]
[This is it, lolololol! Let's goooooo, lololol!]
[Ugh, I'm at work, this isn't fair!!!!]
ㄴ[Our team leader is showing it on the conference room projector right now so we can watch it, it's awesome, lololol.]
ㄴ[Damn, your boss is a Mango fan? You hit the jackpot, lololol.]
[Shit, I'm going to buy beer right now, lolololol.]
[Hello, this is Yacostic, signing in, lololol.]
[Watching it now, the sky is beautiful. Seriously, it looks like perfect weather for a terror attack.]
***
A vast, sprawling blue sky.
Warm sunlight and a cool breeze drifted through the air.
In front of the building, I greeted the camera.
"Hello, everyone. This is Ego-stick!"
*
[Ego-stick is here!!!!!!!!!]
[If you're a Mango fan who rushed here as soon as the Mango-stick notification popped up, hit like, lololol.]
[Ego-stick showed up while I was eating cheese sticks, lol. My luck is super good, lol.]
[I'm quitting all my work and watching the broadcast first. Don't stop me.]
[Seriously, why do you always show up so late?! Come faster!!!]
*
The chat window was still bustling.
I casually checked it, and a smile unconsciously crept onto my lips.
It felt refreshing to finally turn on the broadcast after all the preparations were complete.
With a slight smile, I continued speaking.
"Yes, it's been a long time, everyone! Ego-stick's terror time is back during the day!"
As I finished speaking, the sound of explosions, 'bang, bang,' echoed.
Of course, I had detonated bombs I'd prepared beforehand.
Citizens screamed and fled.
In the middle of the wide street, I stood alone, arms spread wide.
Ah, not exactly alone, I suppose. Eun-wol was here too.
Anyway, I said that and pointed to the building behind me. Alright, shall we get this show on the road?
Grinning again, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a detonator.
"And of course! I have a detonator in my hand! If I press it? Naturally, all the buildings behind me will go 'boom'! Yes, if you want to see that, Stardust, you'll have to come, won't you? I'll be waiting. Please hurry!"
I said no more than that.
Well, Stardust probably wouldn't come even if I said this, but I had to lay the groundwork, pretending I knew nothing.
*
[As soon as he turns on the broadcast, he immediately looks for Stardust, lololol.]
[Ah, lol, Ego-stick can't live without Stardust, lololol.]
[There's a reason why the Stardust fan cafe members subscribed to Ego-stick's broadcast notifications, lol. Ah, if you watch Ego-stick, Stardust shows up too, lololol.]
[Alright, repeat after me: The true main character is Stardust.]
[Last time he fought Shadow Walker, so this time it's only right that he faces Stardust, lol.]
*
As expected, the viewers seemed oblivious, naturally assuming Stardust would arrive.
I chuckled and tore my gaze away from the chat window.
Sorry, but it's not Stardust who's coming, it's some strange American.
Anyway, with the announcement made, I checked the situation once more.
I was floating in the sky with the building at my back, and a wide boulevard stretched out before me.
As soon as I appeared, perhaps a no-access order had been issued, because there were no people or cars in sight. I floated in the air, enjoying the cool breeze.
At first glance, it looked like I had come alone, but of course, that wasn't the case. Eun-wol and Choi Se-hee were waiting nearby. In short, I only *appeared* to be alone.
And naturally, if that were the case, someone would come.
As expected, my prediction wasn't wrong.
Not long after, someone flew in from the end of the boulevard.
"Hmm? Someone's flying in from over there. Is that Stardust?"
I said it, even though I knew.
But as soon as I uttered those words, someone appeared who clearly wasn't Stardust.
"Oh. It doesn't seem to be Stardust."
As soon as I finished speaking, the camera caught a woman flying in from afar.
Her grey hair billowed in the wind, her appearance was distinctly non-Korean, and she wore an imposing grey military-style uniform.
With sharp eyes, riding a rock, she flew in. It was Meteele, whom I was seeing in person for the very first time.
Yes, I'd been waiting. Welcome.
Of course, it would be strange for me to know that at this point, so I simply tilted my head as if I didn't know who she was.
She soon landed a short distance in front of me.
She dismounted from the rock, which she rode like some kind of hoverboard, swept her grey hair back once, and then spoke to me.
"Are you Ego-stick?"
She asked me in a cold voice, in English.
Naturally, I replied in Korean.
"Um... who are you?"
Perhaps she had an interpreter device, because she replied briefly to my question.
"My name is Meteele."
After saying that, she spread one hand, and behind her back, sharp rock masses formed and floated in a circle.
Maintaining that posture, she looked at me and declared proudly.
"Meteele, an S-class hero from America. I've come to apprehend you."
A brief silence.
I had intentionally created the silence, and before it became awkward, I opened my mouth.
"...Huh?"
My bewildered reply.
As soon as I said that, the chat window suddenly erupted.
*
[?????????]
[Who the hell is she???]
[Where's Stardust!!!]
[Seriously, where's our Stardust, and why'd some English-speaking foreigner pop out?]
[Wait, from America?? S-class??? A hero? Why is someone like that in our country?]
[What is happening right now?]
[Damn, why'd an S-class hero suddenly appear, lolol.]
[This is insane.]
*
People were flustered.
Regardless, Meteele glared at me with cold eyes, then let out a snort.
"Well, just surrender quietly. You have no chance of defeating me, Meteele, an S-class hero, anyway."
"Haha, you just suddenly showed up and started spouting nonsense, it's quite disorienting. From what I hear, 'Metal' or whatever your name is, you sound like a nobody."
I immediately retorted with the same sarcasm to Meteele, who was provoking me.
At my words, her expression twisted, then she let out a hollow laugh, as if utterly bewildered, and retorted.
"Hah, just an A-class villain, yet you're as good at running your mouth as I heard."
Saying that, she clicked her high heels and strode towards me. I extended my hand.
"Stop right there."
Saying that, I raised the detonator in my other hand.
"If you move even one more step from here, the buildings behind me will explode instantly. Naturally, what will happen to the people inside... is obvious, isn't it?"
As always, I took hostages and threatened her.
Normally, if it were Stardust, who always prioritizes people above all else, she would have stopped with a crumpled expression.
However, as expected.
As soon as I finished speaking, she ignored me and took another step forward.
And simultaneously, as rocks surged from the ground towards me,
I teleported to the sky above, perfectly timed.
Seriously, she just attacked relentlessly without a second thought.
Anyway, I was now high up in the sky.
Looking down at Meteele, who was riding a rock and flying towards me from below,
I muttered, loud enough for the camera to pick up, as if bewildered.
"Seriously, this hero just attacked relentlessly, even though I said I had hostages."
As I was doing that, Seo-eun's voice came through my earpiece.
[Oppa. Everyone in the building has been evacuated.]
Oh, really?
Then I guess it's okay to blow it up now.
"Well, then. She brought this upon herself, didn't she?"
After saying that much, I pressed the detonator.
KWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-BOOM.
Simultaneously, a tremendous roar echoed from behind.
All the bombs planted inside the buildings detonated, causing them to collapse, and at the same time,
Seeing countless rocks flying towards me, I immediately teleported again.
Whew, this is going to be a bit of a pain.
As soon as I teleported to a slightly different spot, rock masses immediately erupted from somewhere, as if they had been waiting.
I dodged them and teleported again, only for rocks to surge up in that very spot too.
"Oops! This is getting a bit dangerous."
As I narrowly dodged a rock flying towards me, a voice came from directly below.
"Hah. You're scurrying around like a rat. Let's see how long you can last!"
Watching her shout at me, brimming with confidence, I just frantically dodged the rocks.
"Aargh! Help Ego-stick!"
I pretended to be flustered, scrambling around. I narrowly dodged every attack by the slimmest margin, continuously evading as if I could be caught at any moment.
'Phew... doing this on purpose isn't easy.'
Indeed.
To be precise, I was intentionally feigning panic, dodging by the skin of my teeth. I measured the distance, deliberately teleporting near the rocks.
This was to make Meteele focus solely on me, creating the illusion that she could catch me with just a little more effort.
While Meteele was thus distracted by me,
Flash—
Behind her, Eun-wol was quietly preparing a powerful blow.
Silently, while Meteele was completely unaware.