Chapter 1 - I've Become A Villain

A Peaceful Afternoon

The city was filled with people bustling about their day.

I stood on the rooftop of one of those buildings, looking down at the scene below.

"Phew..."

The open sky above, the buildings adorning the ground below.

An ordinary landscape that looked no different from any other day in South Korea.

However, I knew that this world was different from the original.

The world I stood in was the world inside the superhero comic [Stardus!].

That's right. A world where villains terrorized people daily, and heroes with special superpowers flew through the skies. And I had been transmigrated into it.

"..."

The superhero comic [Stardus!].

On the day I read the final chapter of this comic—once my favorite—I fell into this world without understanding why.

"Still, at least I received abilities..."

Perhaps the god who dropped me here felt it would be too harsh to send me empty-handed, so they gave me superpowers. Two abilities: teleportation and telekinesis.

The problem was, these two somewhat flawed abilities made it difficult to survive in this world.

The world I'd transmigrated into belonged to the worse category of hero comics. In the latter half of the original work, the power balance collapsed, and most heroes and villains possessed overpowered abilities that could single-handedly destroy an entire city with their bare hands.

And I had to survive that latter half with only two abilities: teleportation that drained stamina proportional to distance, and telekinesis that came with penalties after use.

"Ugh, what's the point of lamenting? Let's get to work."

...With those thoughts swirling in my mind, I shook off my reverie.

Right. Let's get to work. This isn't the time for this.

That work being: killing villains.

More precisely, eliminating in advance the villains who would gain abilities strong enough to destroy entire nations in the future.

Though the superpowers I possessed were weak, I had one special ability others didn't.

Namely, 'knowledge of the original work'.

I knew everything about this world through the original comic. In other words, I naturally knew everything from the real names of the main villains to where they lived.

And I was going to deal with them while they were still weak. Before they became too strong to handle.

"...Well then, shall we go?"

I checked my outfit once more on the rooftop.

A black robe, a black cape, and a white mask covering half my face.

...It looked like some kind of cosplay outfit, but in this world, this was the average attire for ability users.

Good, perfect.

Having finished my preparations, I teleported directly from the rooftop to the target villain's location.

Now then.

Time to hunt villains.

***

A-Rank Villain Rhino.

A main villain from the latter half of the original comic [Stardus!], and a prime example of an ability user who could single-handedly destroy an entire city.

Wearing a rhinoceros mask and terrorizing people with his ability to control horns, he went on a rampage after his abilities awakened further in the latter half of the original work. Hundreds died from his terrorism alone.

In other words, to prevent that, it was necessary to deal with him in advance while his abilities were still weak.

And now, still in the early timeline of the original work, was the perfect timing.

That's why I teleported right into the middle of his house.

The moment I arrived, I saw him sitting in front of the sofa, holding a piece of paper.

Concentrating intently on the paper, he jumped in shock the instant he saw me teleport into the middle of his living room.

"Wh-who the hell are you!"

"Mr. Rhino."

Grinning as I said that much, I used telekinesis to immobilize his body. Good, now he can't move.

Then, as he panicked, I naturally pointed my gun at him and spoke.

"Goodbye."

"Who the hell do you think you are! You son of a—"

Bang.

The gunshot echoed.

"..."

"Phew..."

I looked at the bastard collapsed on the floor and let out a small sigh.

The villain who would one day plunge the world into terror, dead so anticlimactically.

...But still, this isn't easy.

Actually, this wasn't the first time I'd dealt with a villain this way. It was already the second time. Even so, the sensation after finishing the job wasn't something I could easily get used to.

"Ugh..."

Farewell, Rhino. Though I did enjoy watching the fight scenes between you and the protagonist in the original work.

Deliberately averting my gaze, I picked up the paper he'd been looking at.

...A department store blueprint. And beside it, a written terrorism plan.

"Tsk, figures."

Placing the paper with the plan to kill people back on the floor, I naturally moved my steps and entered his room, opening the closet.

And sure enough, hidden deep inside was the rhinoceros mask he wore during his terrorism.

Taking it out, I returned to the living room and tossed it beside where he'd fallen.

This much should be enough for the police or the Hero Association to immediately recognize him as Rhino.

"Now what else should I add..."

I muttered in the middle of the living room.

Rhino was already down. More precisely, I'd dealt with him.

However, the problem was that this obviously wasn't legal.

All villains had to be humanely processed through trials according to the law, not dealt with through vigilante justice like this. If anyone did such a thing, they'd be treated as a villain themselves.

But that didn't matter to me. In fact, it was better.

I intended to become a villain in this world.

"..."

That's why I stood there quietly looking down at Rhino's cold corpse.

I needed to let everyone know I was a villain. Especially Stardus.

To do that, I naturally needed to attract attention. After this corpse was discovered, I needed to make it known that some villain—namely, me—had done this.

What would be good...

After pondering for a moment, I snapped my fingers and came to a conclusion.

Right. Let's do it this way.

If I set it up like this, it'll definitely look like a villain's work.

Having made my decision, I began moving my gloved hands with purpose.

***

The Korean Superhuman Association.

Also known as the Hero Association.

Shin Haru, an A-Rank Hero affiliated with the organization. Code name: Stardus.

She was currently surveying the horrific scene inside a residential home, her expression grim.

"So, this is Rhino?"

"Yes, that's correct."

At her question, the officer beside her nodded and answered curtly.

He continued.

"...When we arrived after receiving a report from a resident who heard gunshots, the situation was already over. The killer had already fled. We estimate with high probability that this is the same individual who previously murdered another villain using telekinesis and escaped. Especially considering that mark..."

The officer pointed to a spot. Next to the grotesque corpse—collapsed as if it had exploded from telekinetic force—something was written in red blood.

- To you, Stardus.

The phrase gave off an unsettling feeling.

Staring at it, Stardus muttered without thinking.

"Psychopath."

...No matter how evil someone was, they shouldn't die this way. They should stand trial in court and be punished through fair judgment.

"...'To you, Stardus.' Ha."

She didn't know why the bastard had targeted her specifically.

But if this was meant as a provocation, she almost wanted to congratulate him.

A villain who broke the law and committed murder on a whim.

This bastard.

He would pay the price for messing with her. Without fail.

Making that vow, she left the crime scene with a hardened expression.

Whether the deceased was evil or not didn't matter.

What mattered was that there was a villain in this city who harmed people.

And whoever he was, she would stop him. Absolutely.

***

[At 7 PM today, A-Rank Villain Rhino was found dead at his residence. He appears to have been murdered at the scene, and the identity of the killer remains unknown. The Association has announced that the perpetrator is presumed to use telekinesis and has officially designated him as an A-Rank Villain.]

That night.

Resting at home, I naturally turned my head toward the TV as it broadcast news about me.

The screen showed that house, and Stardus's face.

[...A-Rank Hero Stardus stated that the villain who targeted her is an unforgivable, lawless individual, and that she will do everything in her power to apprehend him.]

So the official news finally broke.

The commotion I'd caused was finally being revealed.

After confirming this, I turned on my phone and scrolled through news articles. Including the comments below the breaking news reports.

[But if he's only hunting other villains, isn't he a hero? Why classify him as a villain?]

[For real lol I like him. Villains just escape from prison anyway, so I support killing them outright]

[I support this villain. Do heroes really need to catch him? He's better than them]

...Wait, this isn't the reaction I expected.

"Hmm..."

I scrolled through the comments on the articles, letting out a thoughtful hum. People were showing overwhelmingly favorable reactions toward me. After checking various online communities, the responses were largely similar.

"..."

I suppose it's because I've only been eliminating villains so far.

This was problematic. Not good at all. If public opinion of me improved like this, it could turn public opinion against Stardus for pursuing me.

Stardus.

My favorite character and the protagonist of the original comic based on this world.

The real reason I was going around eliminating villains was all for her sake.

Well, she'd never know that.

My goal was to let her walk only on flower paths.

Rather than having her personality worn down through life-threatening battles like in the original work, I wanted her to live happily. Since I'd been thrust into this bleak superhero comic anyway, I should at least make my favorite character happy—that would give my life some meaning.

Stardus—I would clear away all the villains who tormented her in advance. Those villains who destroyed entire cities, killed everyone, and committed terrorism—I'd eliminate them all so our protagonist could walk only on flower paths...!

...However, the problem was that she was this world's protagonist.

Meaning, she needed some trials to grow stronger.

If I removed all those trials beforehand, she'd never be able to grow. Especially considering she needed to reach a certain level of strength to face the original work's final boss, her growth was an even more critical issue.

So the conclusion I reached was to become a villain myself.

I would become Stardus's arch-enemy and face her. Instead of letting her deal with main villains who killed hundreds of people, I would eliminate them first and personally give her only manageable trials.

In other words, for that to work, I needed to be clearly recognized as a villain.

...So, what should I do?

There had to be a way to reveal myself as a villain to the public while also helping Stardus grow.

And I found the method.

I would make my official debut as a villain. Show myself before the people.

Specifically, through terrorism.

Villains always reveal their presence through acts of terror.

Good, what should I do?

What kind of terrorist act would make me look evil without seriously hurting people while also improving Stardus's public image...

Of course, as a former ordinary citizen, what could I really do? But I had all those superhero stories I'd seen in my previous life.

Meaning, if I referenced those, I could at least manage something halfway decent.

"Alright, let's do this."

Having reached a conclusion, I pulled out my phone and started calling the accomplice I'd secured in advance.

"Hey, Seo-eun. What are you up to?"

Now to get the bombs, install the devices...

Going to be busy.

***

Korean Hero Association.

Stardus's office.

As Stardus sat at her desk working, a staff member burst through the door in a rush.

"Stardus! Turn on the broadcast right now!"

"What's going on?"

"That villain—the one who assassinated Rhino last time—he's hijacking the broadcast right now!"

"...What?"

At the staff member's words, Stardus hastily turned on the TV mounted on the office wall. A man's figure appeared on screen.

Against a black backdrop, wearing a gray mask that covered half his face, he opened his mouth to speak.

[Good day, citizens.]

It was the moment the shrouded villain's identity was finally revealed.