Chapter 41 - A Hair's Breadth

Alright.

Let's take stock.

My original plan was simple:

Punish whoever had pissed me off—Monkey Tapdance, was it?

I'd wait till he was filming one of his live-streamed threats, yank his aggro, and watch him panic.

The moment he cut the feed, I'd run my mouth, push him over the edge, then squeeze out every last drop of telekinesis to wipe out his men in one shot.

He'd decide I was some unstoppable monster and freeze up.

"One snap of my fingers and they're all dead—what happens if I snap twice?" That kind of fear.

After that, I'd teleport out with a bored "How dull... nothing special here," scoop up Seo-eun and Subin, and vanish.

The whole "too lazy to waste time on small fry" exit—cool, right?

In reality, I'd sprint to Seoul while Busan was still in chaos, car stashed in the underground lot.

But the plan hit a snag.

Turns out I'd overclocked the telekinesis.

"Sure, I can handle this much," I'd thought.

Nope.

The second I snapped my fingers to puppet the whole room, something snapped in me too—something vital.

And now I can't move. Ta-da.

So I switched to Anti-Egostic Plan B: Hell's Bluff.

Talk big, act like I could kill him with a twitch, keep him too wary to attack—stall until the heroes arrive.

Ice Maiden of the North Sea should show eventually; buying time until she does is the whole game... was the whole game.

Well, surprise! She's already here—Shadow Walker and Stardus in tow.

"......"

What the actual hell.

"Monkey Spanner!! Order your men to drop their guns and surrender. You're surrounded!"

Stardus's voice rang through the vast hotel lobby, every syllable a comic-book panel come alive.

Under any other circumstance, hearing her in person would've been pure fanboy bliss—like stepping into a live-action movie.

Shame the timing sucks.

"I repeat! Lower your—"

Her voice trailed off.

Because no matter where she looked, not a single armed robber stood ready to fight.

All she found were bloody, broken bodies strewn across the marble.

"......?"

Bewilderment flashed across her face.

Ice Maiden looked equally lost—she'd come to subdue terrorists, only to find them already turned to rags rolling across the floor.

Meanwhile, Monkey Spanner tried to bolt.

"Eek—urk!"

Shadow Walker pinned him mid-escape.

"Even running on empty, I can still handle the likes of you."

Shadows coiled around Monkey Spanner, binding every limb, leaving him to writhe on the ground like a trussed-up turkey.

Minutes ago he'd masterminded a terror attack; now he'd lost every subordinate and his own freedom.

No matter how slippery Monkey Spanner thinks he is, you don't fight Shadow Walker at night.

That's just common sense.

Granted, Shadow Walker looks a little... wobbly right now.

Still, he subdued Monkey Spanner without breaking a sweat.

Poor bastard.

Well, poor-ish.

Because if I'd screwed up even slightly, I'd be the one eating floor.

Shadow Walker's gaze lifted to me—where else would it go?

Some unknown guy sits cross-legged atop a mountain of chairs, masked and surveying the carnage.

Ice Maiden and Stardus stare too: Ice Maiden baffled, Stardus tense.

Come to think of it, they don't know I'm Egostic.

They burst in after the fight, so they missed the live feed—Mongoose Spanner cut it before I appeared—and my mask changed from the old half-gray to a full-face yellow one.

Shadow Walker, still pinning Monkey Spanner, studies me with a puzzled frown.

He calls up, voice ragged with exhaustion, "...Who are you? We came for Monkey Spanner, but..."

He glances around: dozens of blood-soaked terrorists, a sheepish Monkey Spanner, and me lording over them all.

Any sane person would connect the dots.

These guys? All me.

So the question forms in their minds:

"What is he?"

Too brutal for a hero—everyone's dead.

Yet too helpful for a villain—he stopped a terror attack.

The mask screams villain; the actions scream hero.

They've just never seen a hero who looks like this.

Ice Maiden and Stardus eye me with open suspicion.

Add to that Shadow Walker's gaze, boring into me like he's trying to see straight through.

And right now, I can barely lift a finger.

What the hell is this?

Why are all of South Korea's A-Rank Heroes gathered in one place? Is Monkey Spanner really someone who requires this level of response? He's not!

And why, of all times, do they all show up when I'm at my most vulnerable?

Guys, stop staring at me. You're going to wear my face down.

"......"

A life-or-death crisis.

My brain started spinning faster than ever.

I could see Seo-eun and Subin watching me from afar with anxious eyes. Actually, they were too far away to really see, but I figured that's probably the expression they wore. Don't worry, just trust your oppa! I can handle a little obstacle like this.

Alright, first—what's my physical condition?

My goal is simple: teleport, grab those two, get to the car. Make a quick escape.

So I just need to teleport that distance. It's not far.

If my body were in decent shape, I'd have bolted already.

But the problem is, it's not.

A few minutes.

Just give me a few more minutes, and I think I can barely manage to escape. What happens to my body after that, I have no idea...

Either way, I just need a few more minutes.

And creating those few minutes in a crisis like this—that's what makes a great villain.

How many hero stories have I consumed up to now?

I can do this.

Those three are still staring at me.

What did they ask earlier?

Oh right, they asked who I am.

I need to answer this well.

Saying "I'm Egostic" would be suicide.

The three of them would just rush me and beat me to a pulp. And then both my body and my spirit would hurt terribly. So that's absolutely out of the question.

My goal is to buy time.

To buy time, I need to make sure they don't attack me in the meantime.

To do that, I need to forge a new identity.

They don't know who I am—I need to exploit that.

From their perspective, I'm some unknown person wearing a yellow mango-colored mask who killed all those terrorists through some unknown method.

Here, I need to bluff.

I need to throw down a fake card.

Arrogantly, sitting on high looking down on everyone, I slowly opened my mouth.

I mustn't show any sign of nervousness. Leisurely, as if stating a calm fact.

"...You asked who I am? I am—"

Right, the best bluff here is to lie and say I'm a hero. I should go with the concept of a hero who doesn't operate in Korea, someone they wouldn't know.

So, I answered shamelessly.

"I am an S-Rank Hero, operating in South Korea while concealing my identity."

"....."

My words, declaring myself a hero with arrogance and gravity.

At those words, the atmosphere around us suddenly stirred. From people thinking "what bullshit is this?" to those wondering "could it be?"

And our Stardus was in the former camp.

"....We've never once heard that there's a separate S-Rank Hero. There's no mention of such a thing in any Association documents or records. What nonsense are you spouting?"

A sharp observation.

Actually, it's not even that sharp. Of course she hasn't heard of it... I just made it up...

But a third-rate villain can't get past something like this.

As a first-rate villain, I know the more situations like this arise, the more shamelessly I need to proceed.

In the most grave and weighty voice I could muster. Yet arrogant at the same time. I opened my mouth.

"Of course. Do you not understand the meaning of 'operating in secret'? Koreans might not know."

Ego Style Secret Art Fifth Mystery. Insistence.

What do you guys know?

Got any proof?

Anyway, I'm telling you I'm a hero.

I decided to brazenly push forward with a face of iron.

In a heavy, grave voice, I spoke again, loudly enough to carry far.

"You guys. I've heard of you. Shadow Walker, Ic—Icicle. And Stardus. But you're all A-Rank Heroes, aren't you? The difference between senior and junior is like heaven and earth, so when you all speak to me, use respectful language. This great senior hero—"

I naturally stated the hero name I'd just made up on the spot.

The expressions of those around me became even more bizarre, but so what?

That's right. Right now, as a mere villain who can't even move his body.

Facing three heroes who could crush me with a finger.

I shamelessly said exactly that.

Ah, fuck, I'm S-Rank so use honorifics.

At my sudden declaration, the three of them looked at me as if dumbfounded—like they wondered if they'd misheard.

Regardless, I only pushed forward more shamelessly. Use respectful language, damn it. Isn't this the Land of Eastern Courtesy?

Ice Maiden asked back as if absurd at my words.

"What did you say?"

"'What did you say' is informal speech. Use honorifics."

I don't even know anymore, fuuuuck. Let's just go all in.

And so, that night in the lobby of a hotel in Busan, a grand circus was about to unfold.

Let's all have a brain fart together, one verse, two verse, three verse.