Chapter 40 - Deception And Bluster

They say that when a person experiences something too shocking, their mind goes numb in an instant.

Right now, A-rank villain Monkey Spanner was experiencing exactly that.

Given his years of experience, he'd fought countless awakened individuals.

He'd never encountered an S-rank hero, but he'd clashed with A-ranks plenty of times.

And escaping from them had always been manageable.

No matter how powerful his opponents were, Monkey Spanner always moved with a group, making it difficult even for heroes to take them all down in one blow.

Especially since most heroes—with a few exceptions—only subdued villains rather than killing them, which actually made it easier to slip away.

In other words, while Monkey Spanner may have tasted defeat before...

He had never experienced anything like this.

Never.

His subordinates.

All of them were comrades who had traversed dangerous terrain together, sharing hardships and joys alike.

When he'd proposed going to Mexico, hadn't they all followed him?

Sure, they'd lost quite a few people there, but that only meant those who remained were the elite of the elite.

And those very people.

Right now, in an instant.

Monkey Spanner looked around.

The hostages had definitely been sitting down, and his subordinates had been standing with guns aimed.

But now no one was standing.

What the hell had just happened?

He'd lunged forward to crush that masked bastard.

The moment he lunged, the bastard wasn't there anymore.

And somehow, in the blink of an eye, he was sitting in the leather chair where Monkey Spanner had been sitting.

Then, as if bored, the bastard snapped his fingers.

In that instant.

The guns his subordinates had been holding flew through the air.

Before anyone could regain their senses.

Simultaneously.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang.

Dozens of guns fired at once.

Along with the hostages' screams.

Blood splattered throughout the space.

And just like that, those who had been standing were no more.

Not a single one remained.

The hostages fell into panic from the sudden gunfire and the terrorists collapsing toward them.

Monkey Spanner, who had watched this unfold in a daze, also...

Fell into panic.

All those people.

So futilely.

Every single one. Dead?

This... is reality?

"Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

Only the intense screams of the hostages echoing from all around reminded him that this was real.

With hollow eyes, as if denying reality, he stared blankly at his subordinates' corpses.

Then he turned his head—thud thud thud—to look behind him.

Atop a mountain of stacked chairs, the bastard sat.

Though his expression was hidden behind the mask, somehow Monkey Spanner could feel the bastard's aura.

The one who had slaughtered his subordinates—comrades he'd spent years with—with a single gesture was now picking at his ear with that same hand.

As if he'd merely eliminated annoying flies.

As if it hadn't taken any effort at all, as if it was merely bothersome.

Seeing that attitude, Monkey Spanner finally realized.

Ah, this bastard wasn't a hero.

The way he killed people in an instant like crushing bugs.

This bastard was a villain. Just like himself.

And even with his mind frozen in shock, he managed to piece something together.

That ability to move behind him in an instant—that was teleportation.

And the ability that had manipulated his subordinates' guns to massacre them all—that was telekinesis.

In South Korea, there was only one villain with both teleportation and telekinesis.

A high-priority villain who had committed three large-scale terrorist attacks.

Egostic. Yes, that was the bastard's name.

Honestly, Monkey Spanner hadn't cared much about Egostic.

He'd only been annoyed that some guy with a ridiculous name kept pulling stunts that stole public attention whenever he was planning his own terrorism.

He'd taken some interest when he learned the guy was one of those rare dual ability users.

But after hearing the Association's press release stating that both his telekinesis and teleportation abilities were quite weak, he'd lost interest immediately.

He'd heard rumors that the bastard had killed three villains, but well... that wasn't his problem, was it? It's not like he'd ever get killed by such a weakling.

And now it had become his problem.

He felt his body trembling slightly.

Damn the Association, those bastards who deserved to be deep-fried in sewage.

In what universe was that weak telekinesis?

Controlling that many people's objects simultaneously with such precision—that was weak?

And why the hell was this bastard in Busan?

Then, for a moment, a thought flashed through his mind.

This bastard had killed other villains until now. Hunted them.

For no reason at all.

What if, right now, he was the target?

What if the bastard had been targeting him from the start?

What if he'd known that he'd commit terrorism today?

He felt a chill run down his spine.

This bastard is hiding his abilities.

He didn't know why the bastard was wearing that ridiculous yellow mask instead of his usual one, but...

Dangerous.

Who knows what else he's hiding.

Monkey Spanner felt it instinctively.

This might be the greatest crisis of his entire life.

His subordinates could be replaced as many times as needed, as long as he stayed alive.

First, he had to crush that bastard here and survive.

As his mind raced through these thoughts...

Above his gleaming bald head, Egostic's voice rang out, tinged with disappointment.

"Is this... all?"

An arrogant attitude, as if he were utterly bored.

Hearing those words, Monkey Spanner felt a bead of sweat trickle down the back of his neck.

Egostic.

What the hell was that bastard thinking behind that mask?

***

Hmm.

I surveyed the carnage I'd caused.

Armed robbers who'd been standing scattered throughout the lobby now lay in bloody heaps. Add to that the screaming hostages.

Haha, what a mess.

Behind my mask, I let out a weak laugh as I watched the hostages shriek and tremble, thrown into panic by the sudden turn of events.

I could see silvery hair glinting in the distance. Was that Seo-eun? Squinting, I could tell she wasn't particularly frightened—she seemed to be watching me from beside Subin. Okay. That side was fine too.

Using the telekinesis I'd accumulated until now, I'd taken out all those minions in one fell swoop.

Well, lifting guns and going bang once was something even someone as weak as me could easily do. How heavy could guns be, really?

Hmm... but they were actually pretty damn heavy.

And how many did I manipulate simultaneously? It must've been close to a hundred. Wait, how did I even do that?

I'm genuinely amazed at myself. Could it be that I actually have some hidden power I don't know about? Maybe my ability grows like Stardus's does?

Could I be a protagonist too? Will they publish a comic called Egostic!?

I'd like to say that, but... probably not.

Because... I can't move at all right now.

Everything was fine up until I sat in the chair, casually crossed my legs, and snapped my fingers with a flourish.

I felt like I'd transcended humanity. Was this how Thanos felt after collecting all the stones?

But the important part came after that.

Taking out all those people at once by making them lift their guns and go bang was all well and good.

But unlike other powerful ability users, my telekinesis is garbage.

I'd used up all my strength just doing that one thing.

"..."

So right now, I can't move a single finger.

No, this is actually a big problem.

Honestly, I think I'll be able to move somewhat in a few dozen minutes, but this is a battlefield. In combat, every second determines victory or defeat.

What am I supposed to do if my body suddenly freezes up for several minutes?

I mean, I knew my ability was trash, but I didn't think it was this bad.

"..."

Really, snapping my fingers to kill the minions was great and all, but what comes after is the problem.

How am I supposed to kill that Monkey Dance King or whatever his name is?

Honestly, what I just did was half impulsive.

I mean, someone wakes you up from a good sleep and points a gun at your head—am I supposed to just sit there? I had to teach him a lesson.

I needed to make an example of him so he wouldn't pull this crap again.

...But now, I'm the one about to get schooled.

What do I do?

But fortunately, that bastard seems really spooked.

Yeah, I'd probably be scared too if some masked lunatic killed all my subordinates with a single finger snap.

It's pretty funny that a guy twice my size with a receding hairline and a mustache is scared of me.

...Wait.

Maybe I can actually get through this situation?

Only I know that I'm completely drained. That bastard doesn't.

So there's a possibility I can bluff my way through this with deception and intimidation.

Right, I had a plan all along.

First, eliminate all the minions who were likely to cause trouble.

Then maintain a standoff with that Monkey Spanner bastard and hold out. Until when? Until other heroes arrive.

Honestly, I had no intention of getting involved in this situation. That Monkey Spanner bastard has no connection to Stardus, so what's it to me? As long as he doesn't get in Stardus's way, I don't really care.

But since he threw the first punch, I just gave him what he deserved. I can't stand being on the receiving end. If someone hits me once, I have to hit them back ten times.

In that sense, killing his subordinates in one shot was giving that bastard a spicy taste of his own medicine.

So now.

Let's recover and hold out until the heroes arrive, then bail.

Since this is Busan, the Ice Maiden of the North Sea should be here soon. It's a shame Shadow Walker won't come, though.

"Is this... all?"

I opened my mouth and said whatever came to mind. Let's go with informal speech.

The important things are: bluffing, seizing the initiative, and stimulating the opponent's anxiety that there might be more.

Right, that Monkey Spanner bastard is wavering. I knew it.

Now, let me unleash Hell's Bluffing.

"Monkey Spanner, was it? Let me ask you a question. Answer this question and I'll overlook the fact that you've bored me. You..."

Just as I began to run my mouth—

BOOM.

Suddenly, something exploded at the hotel entrance.

What the hell, all of a sudden?

"Hyaaaah!"

Then, with a tremendous battle cry, a woman with sky-blue hair burst in.

Oh, it's the Ice Maiden of the North Sea. She got here really fast. What's going on?

But then, suddenly, the lobby interior darkened.

Shadows fell across the entire area, and something rose up from the floor with a whoosh.

That ominous black hair.

...Wait, what the fuck, isn't that Shadow Walker? No, wasn't he supposed to be in a coma? Why is he here?

Then suddenly, someone else came flying in from somewhere.

Wait, is this suddenly an all-star match? What the hell?

Someone flew in through a blown-out wall, yellow hair streaming behind them.

Stardus? No, why are you here too?

"Monkey Spanner!! Tell your subordinates to drop their weapons and surrender immediately. You're surrounded!"

She suddenly appeared, shouting at the top of her lungs.

And what she saw upon her grand entrance was:

Monkey Spanner's subordinates already collapsed in bloody heaps.

Monkey Spanner standing there awkwardly.

And me, sitting cross-legged atop a tower of chairs, wearing my mask and looking down at everyone.

...No, fuck. What kind of clusterfuck is this?