Chapter 26 - K-Villain

"GYAAAAAHHHH!!!"

The crocodile bastard screams in agony and collapses.

After inhaling the poison gas, he staggers around as if drunk.

Then finally—thud.

He collapses completely.

"..."

And after that, seeing him not move at all...

Hmm, is he dead?

It was an anticlimactic exit compared to his dramatic entrance.

Though I suppose the attack was just too perfectly suited against him.

"...Yes! Everyone, that's another one sent to hell. Thank you. Thank you."

*

[Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick!]

[Recent villain trend) When other villains show up to terrorize, he takes them out instead]

[Hero Association needs to designate Mangostick as a hero RIGHT NOW. I've said this 3,216 times.]

[LOL I can already see tonight's 9 o'clock news headline haha]

[Now YouTube's gonna be flooded with Nationalist TV videos lol]

*

The chat window once again overflows with praise for me.

I only stepped in because I was worried Stardus would get her face plastered everywhere from this incident and start filming some tragic content, but the viewers who don't know that are busy singing my praises.

Not that I can just tell them the truth—'I did this for Stardus.' Say something like that and I'd be showing up on Entertainment News tonight as Dating Rumor Season 2.

So there's only one option: play dumb.

Anyway, I'll just insist that bastard picked a fight with me first, so I got pissed and killed him.

"Now, now... everyone. It's not like I took him out for the public good or anything. I simply dealt with him because he publicly insulted me. You think I stepped up for your sake? Whether it was when my followers gathered before, or now—both times I eliminated them because they crossed the line I set, no other reason. Understood?"

I spoke seriously, my voice low and grave.

*

[Sure sure, whatever you say lol]

[Thank you for loving the villain Egostic until now. From now on, we'll be seeing the hero Mangostick. Thank you.]

[He's a tsundere www]

*

Of course, these aren't viewers who'd actually listen to what I'm saying. Yeah, keep thinking that way.

I just smiled ambiguously as I watched the chat. You all—will you still be able to say that next month?

"Hmm... anyway, someone should come clean up that poison gas quickly. Though I'm not really sure how to do it myself."

Crocodile Man still lay unconscious amid the poison gas billowing around him. Is he dead? Well, he probably is.

I rummaged through my bundle to find a gas mask and put it on. This is why people need to be prepared. I'm weak—if I breathe that poison gas, I'll die.

I roughly stuffed the firearms I'd brought back into the bundle I'd hauled over. Actually, it would look cooler to put them away with telekinesis, but my body's at its limit now. I can't use telekinesis anymore.

How much did I suffer today? After dropping off Seo-eun and Subin, I teleported round-trip from home to here. That's really not easy. My stamina's almost completely drained. On top of that, I kept teleporting while fighting that crocodile bastard.

As a result, my body submitted a status report. A report saying if I use my ability even once more, I'll collapse on the spot. Use telekinesis just a bit more and I could pass out right there, only to wake up in the Eastern Paranormal Ability User Detention Center, aka East Carcer. Actually, even if I ended up there, Seo-eun would come rescue me in some chaotic fashion... but it's not time to go in yet.

So the conclusion is, like the gleaners in that painting, I'm picking up each gun by hand and putting them in my bundle. Ugh, this is exhausting.

*

[LOL why is he picking them up one by one by hand when he was basically flying around earlier]

[For real lol I don't really get what he's doing]

*

Shut up, you guys.

There are deep circumstances you don't know about...

Just as I was finishing putting away almost all the guns...

I saw something flying in from far away in the sky.

Blonde hair streaming behind her as she flew—it was Stardus.

She must have flown here in great haste; she was drenched in sweat.

"Huff... huff..."

As soon as she arrived, she looked around frantically, first spotting Crocodile Man collapsed on the rooftop, then seeing me in my gas mask.

Only after arriving did she realize the situation was over? Her expression turned bewildered as she looked back at where the crocodile bastard lay collapsed.

"...Did you take him down?"

"Yes, that's right. I took him down."

I answered readily without denying it. No reason to deny it.

When I nodded so readily, her expression crumpled slightly. As if she couldn't understand, that kind of look.

"...Why?"

"Well, I was just relaxing comfortably when suddenly the broadcast showed some assailant causing a ruckus, right? He was calling for Stardus and everything, so I was thinking 'Oh, our Star's gotten popular these days~' while opening some popcorn, when what do you know—he mentions me? Something about me and you being all cozy or whatever. I got a bit annoyed, you know? What did I even do?"

Having said that much, I shrugged and continued.

"And according to my dictionary, anyone who messes around while mentioning my name needs to be educated. To set an example, I played with him a bit."

At my words, her expression relaxed as if that reason made sense. She seemed convinced that a crazy bastard like me would certainly do that.

Right. This is enough. If I've gotten this far, I can go home now. I can go, but...

Hmm.

Should I say this or not?

I hesitated briefly.

But my decision came quickly.

Yeah, let's say it.

Because someday this kind of thing might happen when I can't step in.

I temporarily muted the camera filming us.

Now no one except her can hear what I'm saying.

Standing with my back to the camera, I spoke in a voice small enough for only her to hear.

"...And since I've muted it, I'll say this. From now on, don't even think about just showing your face openly like you did today. The moment you do, your life will become extremely miserable."

At my words, her expression colored with confusion.

She stared at me with a startled face. Regardless, I simply unmuted the camera again.

"Well then! That's it for today's broadcast. Since I stepped up so suddenly today without any plans, I'm pretty tired. There's something big coming next month, so just look forward to that. See you next time. Bye~."

I smiled at the camera, waved goodbye. At this point, aren't I practically a professional broadcaster?

"Wait!..."

Cleanly ignoring her voice behind me, I teleported home. Of course, after ending the broadcast first.

*

[EVA (Egostic Virus, meaning his fans~)]

[EVA (Egostic Virus, meaning his fans~)]

[Oh, broadcast?]

[Oh, today's broadcast was packed]

[Wait, I think it just got muted, what was that??]

[Gasp... their secret communication...]

===[The broadcast has ended]===

*

Thud.

Somewhere deep underground in Seoul, I arrived.

The moment I teleported home, what I did was—

"Koff."

Cough up blood.

I collapsed, dropping to my knees. Ah, fuck. I'm dying.

"Koff, koff."

One hand pressed against the floor, the other clutching my chest, I kept coughing up blood.

Ah, am I really going to die like this?

Did I push myself too hard...

My head spun in circles as the world gradually darkened.

Just before I collapsed completely, I heard a distant voice calling out, "Oppa!..."

And then, I lost consciousness.

***

[[Official] Korean Paranormal Ability User Association confirms Ice Cream Festival terrorist's name as 'Crocodile Man.' Currently, the perpetrator's life is not in danger... detained]

[Hundreds injured in this terrorist attack... property damage costs astronomical. Fortunately, no fatalities]

[Hero Association's inadequate response sparks widespread controversy... suffocating scene, yet not a single hero came to help]

[[Lee Jae-beom's Editorial] A society where villains are better than heroes—can we truly call it healthy?]

[Poison gas spread in the heart of the city... Association says 'handled,' claims it wasn't that strong of a poison]

[[Kim Kyung-jin's Issue Plus] Egostic: Who is he? Speculating on his true identity]

[Villain Egostic hints 'something big next month'... suggesting another terrorist attack?]

[Egostic fan cafe membership skyrockets... 'all-time high']

[15 TMI facts you didn't know about Egostic]

[The world is shocked by K-Villain Egostic! Why couldn't the Japanese Association President close his mouth after watching him single-handedly take down an A-Rank Villain? Currently trending #1 in Japan in real-time! 'Korea, with a villain like Egostic, is itself a world superpower.' In-depth analysis of Japanese netizen reactions!]

[Good evening. This is the 9 o'clock news. Today, an A-Rank Villain appeared at a festival site in Seoul and committed a terrorist act, which was reportedly stopped by another villain. Reporter Choi Da-hye has the details.]

Once again, the Egostic craze shook South Korea.

The story of a villain suddenly stepping in to stop a terrorist attack that even heroes had failed to prevent immediately was more than enough to become the talk of the peninsula.

Right now, as countless people were talking about Egostic.

Shin Haru was also thinking about Egostic.

'...And since I've muted this, let me say: don't even think about showing your face openly like today ever again. The moment you do, your life will become incredibly miserable.'

She kept mulling over what he had said.

How did he know I was thinking that?

Was it a situation where I had no choice but to reveal my face?

...What was he thinking when he gave me that advice?

Shin Haru's thoughts deepened.

Right, that day. Something was strange that day...