Chapter 65 - Horror Streaming

"It was an incredible coincidence, honestly, citizens of South Korea. At this point, shouldn't you be erecting a statue of me in front of Mapo Bridge? I'll be looking forward to it."

[LOLOLOLOL]

[Statue LOL this crazy bastard LOL]

[Ah LOL being this shameless actually makes him likeable LOL]

[No but when he comes out like this it really does seem like it was a coincidence LOL]

[Let's get that mango statue~~]

[A villain demanding they build him a statue LOL]

[The Mango Squad's about to start pooling money together LOL]

[I'm already scared]

Wait, why are they reacting like this to something I said as a joke?

They're not actually going to collect money and build a statue, right?

The secret research facility beneath Haneun Group.

Walking through corridors covered in white walls and floors, I slowly descended. While broadcasting.

The moment I turned on the stream, chats started flooding in asking if I knew about the Han River incident beforehand and destroyed Mapo Bridge on purpose, so I deflected with the statue joke and glossed over it. I said it was a coincidence, so what are you gonna do about it?

Eventually, people who heard my official statement started getting curious about my current location rather than the Mapo Bridge incident.

[So where is this?]

[Why are all four walls of this corridor white... is this a mental hospital?]

[The lights flickering on and off is creepy as hell, this isn't Silent Hill]

[What's that bloodstain on the side?]

"Where is this, you ask... Ta-da! It's the Haneun Group underground. Yes, the place that created that horrific disaster."

[????]

[How did you get in there LOL]

[The Association must be crying LOL]

[Isn't the Association blocking the entrance up there? How'd you get in?]

[Looks like he teleported in LOL]

[But why are you going in there all of a sudden?]

"Why did I come here! No, let's be honest with each other. Who's the most influential villain in South Korea? Isn't it me!"

[Shameless as hell LOL]

[Who says that about themselves LOL]

Alright, time to spout some bullshit.

"But here's the thing, right? Without any professional courtesy whatsoever. These guys down here were making biological weapons without permission from a great senior in the industry? I found that quite offensive. So as punishment, I'll be exposing all their dirty secrets. What? Classified? Authorized personnel only?"

While walking down the corridor, I spotted a large sign on the wall reading 'Authorized Personnel Only' and flipped it off.

"There's no such thing, Haneun!!! Your top secret facility is being broadcast live nationwide!!"

I said that while cackling like a madman.

A top-tier villain must know how to let out a maniacal laugh anywhere.

...And honestly, this time I was genuinely amused.

Those Haneun Group bastards are probably hiding somewhere in shambles right now, and thinking about them watching this while trembling with their fists clenched, unable to do anything—it just makes me laugh.

Glancing at the chat window flooding with [This crazy bastard LOL] through my mask, I continued deeper inside.

Corridors white on all sides.

Something about it felt slightly chilling.

On top of that, the lights seemed to be out, flickering between dark and bright, making it even more eerie.

No, this is actually kind of scary, isn't it?

It's even scarier because I don't know when or where a monster might pop out.

[No but why is this place so scary?]

[For real it feels like something's about to jump out]

[I flinch every time the lights go out and it gets dark]

[Why did this suddenly become a horror genre?]

[Horror game (not) streamer LOL]

[Hey wait I think I saw something over there? Shiver]

Hey, stop typing stuff like that, it's scary enough already.

It's so quiet except for my footsteps, something about it is terrifying!

But showing that you're scared is amateur villain behavior.

A top-tier villain walks even more confidently in moments like these.

"Everyone, don't be scared. Whatever jumps out, do you really think it could beat me?"

I said that while floating up the guns I'd brought.

Monsters? Tell them to kneel before the cold modern weaponry.

[In horror movies the person who says stuff like that always dies first shiver]

I ignored the weird comments.

Don't raise flags!

***

I continued descending deeper and deeper.

The somewhat terrifying atmosphere from the beginning started to fade as I kept cracking jokes and no monsters appeared.

...Wait, but why aren't any monsters actually showing up? It should be about time for them to appear.

How long had I been walking?

Gradually, the actual research facilities started appearing.

Desks and computers strewn about everywhere.

This must have been where they conducted their research.

I skimmed through some documents I couldn't understand at all, then moved to the side.

There was a place where they had researched and contained strange creatures.

No, more accurately, where they had contained them. Everything was destroyed now, not a single one left. They're probably all wandering somewhere in this underground facility.

Glass walls lined up in a row.

It seemed like they were designed to observe monsters through reinforced glass like an aquarium, but all the glass was shattered now.

"Ah, there are descriptions of the monsters written at each section."

Indeed, there was information about the monsters written on panels in front of each glass wall.

*

《RKCB-1107》

[Codename] Teleporter

[Precautions] Maintain A-grade security at all times as it can teleport to escape. Exercise caution as it attacks from behind.

*

And next to it was a photo of this thing.

Wow... it looked absolutely horrifying.

Completely white in color, humanoid but with an excessively large head and only one huge mouth. Plus those massive scythe-like hands.

No... that's terrifying.

So something like this could suddenly pop up behind me and strike the back of my head?

At that moment, I felt a sudden unsettling presence behind me and turned around.

Fortunately, there was nothing there. Phew, got spooked for nothing.

[Holy shit something that looks like that is wandering around?]

[Did mango just get scared and look back? Kawaii www]

[Haneun Group are really insane bastards. How did they secretly make things like this]

I'm surprised too.

Wait, wasn't this world supposed to be a hero story? Why are there monsters?

I continued rummaging through the maze-like research wing.

Broken containment cells and photos of monsters scary enough to haunt my dreams.

No.

No matter how I think about it... isn't it actually fortunate that these Haneun Group bastards screwed up and all this got exposed now?

I can't even imagine what these bastards would have created if they'd been given enough time without getting caught.

"Ahem. For now, I'll continue heading further inside."

I kept descending.

Wait, why is this place so huge?

They had built quite the labyrinth beneath Seoul.

Wide, white corridors that still threatened to make me lose my mind.

The forks in the road were increasing, and I was starting to lose track of whether I was navigating a maze or just walking in circles.

To make matters worse, the deeper I went, the more the signal cut out, causing the chat window to stutter and lag.

"I'm getting dizzy..."

Just as I was continuing to walk.

From somewhere... I heard a sound. Thud, thud, thud.

Was that... something getting closer?

Right, finally a monster is coming.

I had been wondering why I hadn't seen any yet.

I pulled the sword from the bundle I was holding and aimed it toward the hallway where the sound was coming from.

It was a long sword, the kind a samurai might use.

Of course, just in case, I also had my guns floating in the air with telekinesis.

According to a brief mention in the original work, these monsters had incredibly weak durability and would die from a single sword strike.

That meant there was no need to bother using the guns. It was a perfect opportunity to show the viewers my sword-dancing skills.

"Alright!!! Come at me!!!"

I'll slice up anything!

And then, rushing out from that dark hallway...

A white cat's face the size of a human head.

Dozens of legs attached to a long, centipede-like body covered in white fur.

Plus, sharp teeth visible through a wide, beaming grin that took up half its face!

And the speed was insane!!! Are you a train or something, you punk?!

"Aaaaaaaagh!!!"

Faced with that shocking visual, I couldn't help but let out a monstrous shriek!

How can such a thing exist in this world?!! Something like this shouldn't be allowed to exist!!!!!

"Shoot!!! Shoot!!!"

Before I could even swing the sword, my instincts took over and I just started blasting away with the guns!

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat! The bullets flew wildly!

Fortunately, after taking hits from multiple guns firing simultaneously, the creature collapsed in an instant.

Then, it quickly turned into white powder and scattered into the air.

I... I barely killed it...

"Huff... huff..."

Ah sh*t, I only tried to use the sword because using telekinesis is tiring.

I was so startled that I fired the guns without thinking. But seriously, f*ck, that thing looked like it crawled out of a B-grade horror movie.

I wasn't the only one surprised; the viewers seemed shocked too.

It was a visual and entrance that would terrify any human being.

[Ah jumpscare wtf]

[Why does it look so bizarre?]

[Fr, good thing it lagged cause of buffering. If I saw that clearly I would've had a heart attack LOL]

[Glad it died after a few shots tho]

[Anyway I clipped Mangostick screaming. thx lol]

Hmm, I need to ask Seo-eun to delete that clip.

Sigh...

I'm starting to regret coming in here a little bit.

Power-up? What power-up? I should have just washed my feet and practiced telekinesis at home.

But it's too late for regrets. It's a sunk cost. Since I've come this far, come hell or high water, I'm going to grab Behemoth and land a rocket punch.

Burning with determination once again, I went deeper. Deeper and deeper.

Perhaps because I had descended too far, streaming was no longer possible.

Deciding I had shown enough, I just cut the feed.

[No come back~~~~]

Leaving behind only the final death throes of the chat window, the broadcast ended.

And then, the reality that I was truly left alone in this vast, deep underground space began to sink in.

"...."

It's scary!

Still, I walked. Let's sing the national anthem internally. Until the East Sea's waters and Mt. Baekdu dry up and wear away...

As I walked, I started seeing black slime here and there from the midway point.

Are those traces of Behemoth?

I guess it means I'm getting close to the end?

How long had I been walking?

I stood before yet another multitude of forks in the road.

No, seriously, why did those guys build it like this?

It's already dim and hard to see ahead.

Just as I was walking wherever my whim took me.

From the side of the hallway, something began to rattle. Click-clack.

Sh*t, another monster?!

I gripped my sword tight and approached that pitch-black area.

Suddenly, a light turned on and something popped out right in front of me!!!

"Uwaaah!!!!!! F*ck!!!!!!!"

A terror that made my heart drop!

Without realizing it, I squeezed my eyes shut and swung my sword like a madman!

"Weep, Hell-Slaying Sword!!!!!"

However, my sword only sliced through the empty air.

From in front of me, I only heard the sound of a woman going "Hek!" in surprise.

Wait, a woman?

Hearing the sudden voice of another person, I opened my eyes.

And there, in front of me.

"Stardus?"

"Egostic...?"

Stardus was standing there, looking at me with a flustered expression.

......Why on earth are you coming out of there?