· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
Translated by BiasNil
· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
"AAAAARRRGGGGG!!!"
The crocodile guy fell down screaming in pain.
He inhaled the poisonous gas and staggered like a drunk.
Eventually—thump.
He fell.
"..."
After that, he didn't move at all.
Hmm, is he dead?
A futile ending unlike the opening.
It was an excellent attack.
"…Yes! Everyone, another one just went to hell. Thank you. Thank you."
*
[Mangostic! Mangostic! Mangostic! Mangostic!]
[Breaking News from "Villain These Days"): When other villains cause terror, he kills them.]
[Hero Association, make him an official hero right now. I've already said it 3,216 times.]
[Ah-hah haha. I can already see the headline on the 9 o'clock news.]
[I think GukPpong TV will upload tons of videos on YouTube.]
*
The chat window overflowed with compliments about me.
I stepped in because I was afraid Stardust would have to show herself and people would start taking pictures due to the incident, but the viewers have no idea and keep praising me.
Anyway, I killed him because he picked a fight with me first.
"Uh-huh… Everyone. I didn't kill this guy for the public good. I only handled it because he publicly insulted me. Would I step out for you guys? It was the same when my supporters gathered last time, and this time too—they both crossed the line I set, so I'd had enough. There are no other reasons. Do you understand?"
I lowered my voice and spoke in a serious tone.
*
[Yeah, yeah. I'm sure you did. Hahaha]
[Thank you for loving the villain Egostic. From now on, he will appear as the hero Mangostic. Thank you.]
[Tsundere wwwww]
*
Of course, no matter what I say, the viewers won't get it. Yeah, just keep thinking like that, people.
I smirked at the chat window. You guys—I wonder if you'll still be saying that next month.
"Hmm… Well, I hope someone can come clean up the gas. I don't know how to deal with it."
Crocodile Man lay unconscious amid the still-blistering poisonous gas. Is he dead? Well, probably.
I rummaged through the sack and pulled out a gas mask for myself. This is why people should be prepared. I'm weak—if I breathe that poison, I'll die.
I put the guns back into the sack I'd slung over my shoulder. Honestly, it looks cool to stow them with telekinesis, but my body is at its limit. I can't use any more of my telekinetic power.
How much did I suffer today? After sending Seo-eun and Su-bin home, I teleported straight here. It wasn't easy at all. I'm about to run out of energy. I even teleported mid-fight with that crocodile.
I should have filed an admission report with my body—a notice that if I use my power one more time, I'll collapse on the spot. If I push my telekinesis any further, I'll wake up in the Superpower Detention Center of the East, also known as East Carcer. I mean, even if I go in there, I can just ask Seo-eun to rescue me… But it's not time to go in yet.
Bottom line, just like a gleaner, I'm holding guns with my hands and packing them into the sack one by one. Gosh, I'm tired.
[Hahahahaha. He was flying around a moment ago, but now he's picking them up by hand, one by one?]
[Seriously. Haha. What is he even doing?]
Be quiet, you brats.
I have deep problems you don't know about.
By the time I'd packed almost all the guns, I saw something flying in from far above.
Blonde hair streaming as she flew—Stardust.
She must have rushed over; sweat poured like rain.
"Huff… huff…"
As soon as she arrived, she turned her head, scanning the area. She saw Crocodile Man lying on the ground, then me in a gas mask.
Only after she flew here did she realize it was over. Shocked again, she stared at where the crocodile guy had collapsed.
"…Did you take him down?"
"Yes, that's right. I took him down."
I didn't deny it; I answered lightly. No reason to.
She frowned slightly at my calm nod, as if she still couldn't make sense of it.
"…Why?"
"Well, I was resting, and suddenly there was a freak show on TV. I thought, 'Our Stardust's gotten popular,' and went to get popcorn. But then he mentioned me? Said you and I were hanging out or something. It pissed me off. What did I do?"
I shrugged.
"And in my dictionary, people who mess with me need to be educated. To set an example, I toyed with them."
Hearing that, her expression relaxed—as if that explanation fit a madman like me.
Alright. Enough. I've done my part. Time to go home.
Well.
Should I say it?
I hesitated for a moment, then decided to speak.
Yeah—tell her.
This could matter someday when I can't step forward.
I muted the camera filming us for a moment.
Now no one could hear what I was about to say except her.
"…And I'm saying this while we're muted. From now on, don't even think about going out and showing your face like today. The moment you do, your life will get very hard."
Her face flushed with embarrassment.
She looked at me in surprise. Whatever—I unmuted the camera.
"Okay! That's all for today's broadcast. I'm exhausted since I came forward without any plan. There'll be a big thing next month, so please look forward to it. See you next time. Goodbye~"
I smiled and waved at the camera. Am I a professional showman now, or what?
"Wait!…"
I ignored whatever she was saying behind me and just teleported home. Of course, I ended the broadcast first.
*
[E-bye (means Ego bye)]
[E-bye? You overdid it…]
[OBangAl[1]]
[Today's show was meaningful.]
[Wait, I think it muted. What was that?]
[Gosh… their secret communication…]
*
===[The broadcast has ended]===
Tap.
I arrived somewhere deep underground in Seoul.
The first thing I did after teleporting home—
"Cough…"
I vomited blood.
I dropped to my knees. Oh, shit. I'm dying.
"Cough, cough."
One hand on the floor, the other clutching my chest, I kept spitting blood.
Am I going to die like this?
Did I overdo it?
My head spun. The world grew darker, and darker, and darker.
Right before I blacked out completely, I heard someone far away calling me "Oppa."
I lost consciousness, just like that.
***
[(Official)The Superpower Association of Korea confirms the terrorist at the ice cream festival was 'Crocodile Man'. His condition is stable… In custody.]
[Hundreds injured in the attack… Astronomical property damage. Fortunately, no fatalities.]
[Hero Association's poor response… No hero arrived to help.]
[[Lee Jaebum's Editorial] A society where villains outperform heroes. Can we call it healthy?]
[Poisonous gas in the middle of the city. Association: 'Already handled'; not a strong toxin.]
[[Kim Kyungjin's Issue Plus] Egostic—who is he? Probing his identity.]
[Villain Egostic teases: "A big thing is coming next month." Hinting at another terror attack?]
[Egostic's fancafe membership surges… 'Best numbers ever'.]
[15 TMI facts you didn't know about Egostic.]
[The world shocked by K-Villain Egostic! Why did the head of Japan's Hero Association go speechless watching him singlehandedly defeat an A-class villain? Japan's top real-time trend! "With a villain like Egostic, Korea is the world's strongest." A deep dive into Japanese netizen reactions!]
[Hello, everyone. This is the 9 o'clock news. Today, an A-class villain appeared at a Seoul festival and launched a terror attack, and another villain intervened to stop it. Reporter Choi Dahye has more.]
The Egostic craze shook Korea again.
A villain stepping up to block a terrorist attack—one heroes failed to prevent immediately—was more than enough to become the nation's hot topic.
With so many talking about Egostic—
Shin Haru was thinking about him, too.
"…And I'm saying this while we're muted. From now on, don't even think about going out and revealing your face like today. The moment you do, your life will get very difficult."
She replayed his words.
How did he know she'd been considering that?
Did he mean it was a situation where she'd have no choice but to reveal her face?
…What was he thinking, giving me that advice?
Shin Haru's thoughts only deepened.
Yeah—that day. Something was really strange that day…
[1] TN: “오늘 방송 알찼다 (Oneul Bangsong Alchatta)” = Today’s show was meaningful.