Chapter 64 - The Labyrinth Called Underground

"Hiss... Right. I don't think I'll be able to enter. There's some black substance on the walls there that blocks me from manipulating darkness. It looks like Shadow Movement is out of the question, too."

"Understood. Dr. Kim Seonwoo, was it? Just what on earth did that bastard create..."

"Mr. President, can't I go too? It's way too dangerous to send our Haru alone!"

"Icicle. I already told you. It's too dangerous. Even if you have the firepower, aren't you vulnerable to ambushes? Sending you in with low defense capabilities is a gamble."

The conference room on the top floor of the Association.

A heated debate was in full swing in this room, where only the Association President, three A-Rank Heroes, and the highest-ranking executives were gathered.

"But still! Does it make sense to let Haru go there all by herself?"

"Sigh... I've been against it the whole time, too. But Stardus is being stubborn about it. Why don't you try to stop her, Icicle?"

"Haru! Why on earth are you going in there all of a sudden? It's already safely sealed off, so there's no need to rush inside, right?"

Seeing Seol-ah whining at her, Haru paused to choose her words.

Why was she going in there?

There were plenty of reasons.

"Seol-ah. We don't know when those safety measures might fail and let the monsters loose. It's better to deal with them in advance. Besides, Haneun Group might be hiding something else down there, so I need to secure any data I can find."

"Ugh..."

Haru swallowed the rest of her words as she watched Seol-ah grumble, unable to refute her logic.

To be honest, she hadn't really planned on rushing in like this either.

However.

Her power, which had grown stronger than before, gave her the confidence that she could return in one piece no matter what happened down there.

And.

She was also feeling a bit anxious.

Actually, Shin Haru had been somewhat confident.

She believed she could handle almost all the villains in Seoul and stop any terror attacks.

In fact, hadn't she arrested every villain except that guy, Egostic, and thrown them in jail? Even the terror Egostic caused, she had succeeded in stopping it in the end, hadn't she?

Perhaps that was why.

She was deeply shocked by the disaster that had just occurred.

It was terrifying to imagine how many tens of thousands of victims there would have been if Egostic hadn't been there.

Thus, she had no choice but to admit it.

That she had been... more useless than a mere villain.

A villain had effectively solved the problem that she, a Hero, couldn't handle.

Come to think of it, this wasn't the first time.

The terror incident caused by the villain named Alligator Man—if Egostic hadn't been there, the damage would have been far greater.

'This won't do.'

Indeed, she was feeling a little impatient.

A Hero who is lesser than a villain. Such a thing cannot exist.

At the very least, she had to handle the aftermath properly so that she wouldn't be ashamed of the name 'Hero'.

"Still, how about waiting a bit before going...?"

At Icicle's timid suggestion, Shadow Walker, who was standing next to her, quietly interjected.

"As I saw when I went in, radio waves don't work once you go deep enough anyway, so stalling for time won't mean much... If we're going in, it's probably better to go quickly before it gets too late..."

Eventually, having her final objection overruled, Icicle looked at Stardus with a worried expression.

Stardus simply smiled at Icicle as if to reassure her.

Right. The Underground.

She would uncover whatever Haneun Group had been doing down there, no matter what...

"Alright then, let's make a plan."

And so, the lights on the top floor of the Hero Association did not go out until late into the night.

They were holding a meeting regarding Stardus's conquest of the Haneun Group underground, scheduled for tomorrow.

***

Deep underground in Seoul, inside the Ego-Base conference room.

Under the flickering lights, I finished my explanation.

"...Down there lies the 'dream creature' Haneun Group was researching, called Behemoth. To intercept it, we depart! Tomorrow!"

As soon as I finished speaking, the conference room fell silent.

What the hell. Why is there no reaction?

As I just blinked my eyes, Ha-yul, who had been listening silently, finally opened her mouth.

"Um, Oppa. Putting aside how you know that, is it dangerous?"

Is it dangerous?

"Uh... It'll probably be a bit dangerous. Actually, I don't know much about what's inside either."

In fact, even the original work didn't describe the Haneun Group underground in detail.

Just that it was full of grotesque monsters, and Kim Seonwoo stole the Behemoth that was inside?

Honestly, I am a bit scared, but hey, Ha-yul will heal me if push comes to shove.

The most important thing is.

'Rocket Punch...'

I want to try a Black Rocket Punch too.

How long do I plan to live as a one-trick pony with telekinesis that has the power of a rat's tail?

Humans are meant to live by taking risks!

"...So, Oppa, you're saying you're dead set on doing something dangerous again?"

Then.

Seo-eun, who had her head bowed, spoke quietly.

Wait, did the conference room just get a bit chilly?

"No, well. Whatever. Would I die? Haha."

As I scratched my head and said that, Seo-eun's clenched fist began to tremble while her head remained lowered.

What is this ominous feeling?

"No!!!! Do you have a brain or not, Oppa?!!! Does it make sense to treat your body so recklessly?!!!"

Thud-

Seo-eun slammed her fist onto the desk and shouted in anger.

Hey, look at this rude attitude!

I urgently looked at Subin with eyes pleading for help, but...

"...Da-in, you came back injured last time, and you're saying you're going to do it again?"

She looked at me with equally cold eyes and started siding with Seo-eun instead.

Good heavens, they say there's no one to trust in this world!!!

Eventually, I got scolds mercilessly.

Come on, a person can rough up their body a little.

You can't make big returns by only taking the safe path. Isn't it a man's duty to place a bet every now and then?

Of course, when I said that, I just got cursed at more.

Why does no one empathize with me?

If I get hurt, Ha-yul will heal me anyway. I believe in her.

...She will heal me, right?

Anyway, I was able to get permission on the condition that I take a camera down with me to stream the screen in real-time and maintain constant communication.

Wait, aren't I the leader of this organization?

Why do I have to get permission?

Something felt a bit off, but I decided to let it slide.

Anyway, we sortie tomorrow.

***

And so, the next day, around noon.

While people were enjoying a delicious lunch, I was hiding at the site of the Haneun Group building collapse.

A hole looking like a sinkhole was visible amidst the debris of the collapsed building.

That must be where Behemoth popped out. It's truly massive.

...Of course, the Association quickly poured cement over it to fill it up. Otherwise, all the monsters inside would have crawled out, so they did a good job.

Anyway, not far from there was the entrance to Haneun Group's hidden basement.

A place located at the bottom of the excavated ground, closed off by multiple layers of blast doors.

And in front of it, people from the Association were guarding it strictly so no one could enter.

Those patrolling in front, wearing sunglasses and carrying guns. With their suits and sunglasses, they looked just like Men in Black. But, well.

Whether they were patrolling or not, it didn't matter to me.

Doesn't teleportation solve everything? Teleportation is the best. If only it didn't have side effects, it would be perfect.

Anyway, after briefly observing the situation and finishing my preparations, I teleported straight inside.

Instantly, the atmosphere shifted.

I opened my eyes. Just a moment ago, I was standing under bright sunlight, but now I found myself in a musty underground space.

Overhead, a light flickered on and off repeatedly.

Amidst this gloomy atmosphere, a dark corridor stretched out before me. It was likely swarming with monsters further in.

Hmm. Dark and full of monsters.

"...."

No, I can't call myself a professional Villain if I get scared by something like this.

I am Stardus's Arch-enemy. Self-proclaimed, sure, but still. I couldn't let this intimidate me.

I checked the Bundle I had prepared. A gun, bombs, a camera, and I even packed snacks. Snacks are crucial, after all.

As for my outfit... A black Magician's Hat, a Black Robe, and even a black cape. The perfect all-black fashion. And the finishing touch: a gray Mask covering half my face. Good. Perfect.

With everything ready, I turned on the camera and started the broadcast.

Things like this are always better when shared with an audience.

Since this wasn't a terror attack, I skipped the Broadcast Hijacking of the Terrestrial Broadcasting networks and simply started a YouTube stream.

Despite the suddenness of the broadcast, the Chat Window immediately began to flood with messages.

[?????]

[What is this?????]

[Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick!]

[New stream woohoo LOL]

[God, is he a Mango? God, is he a Mango? God, is he a Mango? God, is he a Mango? God, is he a Mango? God, is he a Mango?]

[Is this the broadcast of Apple Mango, the Guardian of Seoul and S-Rank Hero?]

[Thank you thank you thank you thank you]

[Feels like yesterday he went ghost for 4 months, is this for real? Mangostick is truly a legend...]

[Did you fr destroy Mapo Bridge knowing this would happen? Plz explain]

[But where is this? Why is it so dark]

[What crazy sh*t are you planning to do today LOL]

The viewer count skyrocketed.

I opened my arms wide and greeted them.

"Hello, everyone! Welcome to my Ego-Live!"

Those Haneun Group bastards are definitely watching this, right?

Eat sh*t.

As for the Association... well.

They were the ones too scared to ever open the blast doors, hunkering down outside. Since I'll be clearing out a few monsters on my way, they should actually be happy about it, right? Don't you think?

***

"Damn it! Can we reach Stardus right now?"

"The signal is going through, but she's not picking up! Considering how much time has passed, she's likely gone too deep, making communication impossible."

"No, goddammit! Why the hell did she have to go in right now of all times! Ugh, whatever, whether they meet down there or not. I don't care anymore. I'm so mad I could die, just bring me some Popcorn, Secretary!"

".....Yes, Mr. Association President."

The Association President crunched on the Popcorn the secretary brought him as he watched Egostic's broadcast.

He was a man who truly practiced the saying, "If you can't avoid it, enjoy it."