Chapter 165 - Ganging Up
# S-Class Hero Methel Came to Korea Just to Catch Me
As soon as I heard the news, I immediately began investigating Methel.
"Hmm..."
Methel, an S-class hero from America.
A cold, arrogant-looking woman with long gray hair.
Her main ability is summoning rocks.
[CRASH-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-]
In videos showcasing her activities, villains were confronting her. Among them, countless giant, jagged rocks erupted, tearing the villains to pieces.
"Tsk. She's tough."
After watching several more videos, I came to that conclusion.
She was strong. Very strong.
Well, that's to be expected from an S-class hero.
S-class hero.
With S-class villains seemingly everywhere, you might think there's not much difference, but not all S-classes are created equal.
Generally, the Association is extremely strict about giving heroes high rankings, while being more generous with villains, making S-class heroes truly exceptional.
Considering that A-class heroes typically defeat multiple A-class villains and even face S-class villains... you can roughly estimate how powerful an S-class hero must be. Especially when you consider how cautiously and thoroughly the S-class designation is awarded to heroes.
American S-class heroes in particular are rumored to be exceptionally strong even among S-class heroes worldwide. Since there's no SSS-class above S-class, everyone who meets a certain threshold gets lumped into the same S-class. The consensus is that if there were an S+ rank, all American heroes would qualify for it.
But putting all that aside.
This Methel who's coming to Korea is clearly powerful just from looking at her.
"Oppa... look at this."
An S-class hero Methel fan compilation on YouTube.
In the video, Methel was standing with her arms crossed, looking down from above a forest.
Villains were rising up from beneath the forest.
From above them.
["...Under the sky, you shall all be judged."]
She spoke with arrogant eyes, standing majestically.
And simultaneously.
[KWAAAAAAANG]
From the sky, a massive boulder—no, a meteor—fell.
The forest shattered with a thunderous sound. Villains were swept away without a chance to react.
"..."
"..."
After witnessing that terrible scene with me, Seo-eun asked worriedly:
"...Oppa. Can we really win against this? It seems impossible..."
Seo-eun looked slightly anxious.
Looking at her like that.
I smirked.
"Actually, this is good."
"What?"
"A challenge is only worth taking when the opponent is strong."
Surprised by my sudden confident voice, I ruffled Seo-eun's hair before standing up.
"Seo-eun, call everyone. Let's go."
"Um, where?"
"Where else? The strategy room."
We need to hunt an S-class hero, after all.
***
In truth, there are many ways to deal with this hero called Methel.
I already have a reliable ally in Lee Seol-ah, so I could just find out her location and ambush her, or even conduct all terrorism remotely and wait it out.
But that's what third-rate villains do.
As a first-rate villain, I was already looking at the bigger picture.
"..."
Why would the American Association send her all the way to Korea to catch someone like me who only operates here?
My guess is it's probably because I attended the villain gathering Kathedal.
Thinking about it now, they might have found it suspicious that an unknown A-class was mingling among S-classes.
Regardless, my conclusion is simple:
"This time, we're going to completely destroy this hero Methel who came from America."
In the meeting room.
Standing in front of the whiteboard, I declared this to our Ego-stream members who were sitting in chairs watching me.
...Though I spoke confidently as if I'd just thought of it, this was actually a conclusion reached through rational thinking.
First, to understand this conclusion, you need to know about the International Association.
The International Association oversees all hero associations worldwide. Note that its headquarters is in America. In other words, it's essentially one and the same with the American Association.
And whether it's the American Association or the International Association, their common policy is "domestic issues should be resolved domestically." In other words, despite being called "international," they don't provide hero assistance. If they send their heroes to other countries and they return dead, it creates various problems, and there's always the risk that the host country's association might poach their heroes.
So, sending an S-class hero to Korea this time is an extremely unusual decision. I really don't understand why they're so desperate to catch someone who's just A-class like me.
Well, as I mentioned earlier, it's most likely because of my participation in Kathedal. Or it could be because of my alliance with Latis.
But the reason isn't really important.
What matters is that someone else's dog has trespassed into our yard.
And if we don't teach it a lesson, it will surely come back again.
We need to educate them preemptively.
So my goal is simple:
To thoroughly destroy this S-class hero who has invaded and send her back to America in pieces.
Given the self-preserving nature of the International Association, they won't send another hero after one S-class has been destroyed. It's not their country, after all.
...That's the surface reason.
The true motive is different.
'...If I completely destroy an S-class hero from overseas, wouldn't Stardust's popularity skyrocket as a result?'
I can already imagine the nationalist TV headlines:
[Egostic Brutally Defeats America's S-class Hero, Yet Always Loses to Stardust? Stardust Has Already Surpassed America's S-class Heroes! Stardust: The Only Restraint on the Evil Villain Egostic! Without Her, South Korea Would Already Be Doomed!] Something like that.
...Maybe I'll start a YouTube channel when I retire. I think I'm pretty good at coming up with titles.
Anyway, through all this reasoning, I've reached the conclusion to challenge Methel.
To quietly warn the International Association not to mess with me in South Korea, and to use this opportunity to remind people once again how amazing Stardust is.
So I declared that I would take down Methel.
Everyone seemed to nod and accept the plan.
"...I thought you were going to corrupt another perfectly good hero into a villain, but it's surprising that you're planning to fight fair and square..."
"When have I ever done that? You're slandering me."
"Hmm..."
Of course, there was some slander from Seo Ja-young in the middle, but I decided to ignore such absurd accusations. Anyone would find those words strange...
"That's right. I'm glad."
"Ms. Su-bin...?"
When Su-bin nodded and agreed, I made a betrayed expression, to which she smiled and said:
"Haha, I'm just joking."
Ms. Su-bin had been making more jokes lately.
...It was a joke, right?
After clearing my throat briefly, I continued in a serious tone:
"Anyway... we need to think carefully about how to catch her. Especially since Lee Seol-ah mentioned she doesn't care about hostages, we need to keep that in mind..."
Actually, thinking about it again makes me incredulous. What kind of hero is she? Aren't heroes supposed to protect people? How can someone who abandons people be called a hero?
Indeed, meeting people like her only makes me realize once again how amazing Stardust truly is.
...And Methel. That's not her only problem.
Her finishing move shown in the video, the giant rock drop—essentially a meteor—is also problematic. We need to carefully choose the location for our attack since she won't use that in crowded areas.
After I explained all this.
Seo-eun, who was typing on her laptop and planning with me, tilted her head and asked:
"Oppa. But how are we going to take down Methel? She seems really strong..."
"Ah, how are we going to destroy her?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that's simple."
I stretched out my arm and pointed at our Ego-stream members as I spoke:
"We gang up on her."
"...What?"
"No matter how skilled she is, how can she win against six people attacking simultaneously?"
And now with Ha-yul's buff, it's even better.
I gave Ha-yul a thumbs up.
Ha-yul, I'm counting on you!
"...Oppa, when you said that with such an evil smile just now, you really looked like a villain."
"Well, I am a villain, aren't I?"
I answered with a grin.
If righteous heroes can gang up on enemies, what's stopping evil villains from doing the same?
Whether hero or whatever, everyone falls when ganged up on.
Actually, Eun-wol alone might be enough to handle her, but nothing beats a group attack for quick and complete destruction.
Leaving behind Seo-eun's bewildered gaze, we began working on the detailed plan.
"...Since it would be troublesome to do everything at once, let's split it into two phases."
"For the first attack, maybe just Eun-wol and I should go briefly as a preliminary skirmish..."
"Sigh, I need to finish my Starbuster quickly. Oh, but since the opponent isn't Stardust... should I call it Yankeebuster?"
As time passed, the plan became more concrete, and we also received advance information about Methel's plans from Lee Seol-ah.
Finally, our plan to attack the S-class hero was complete.
Well, the fishing rod is ready.
Now let's bait the hook and wait for a bite.
To catch a big fish.
***
America's S-class hero, Methel.
She was walking through the streets of Seoul, eating chicken skewers bought from a street vendor.
She was touring Seoul incognito until Egostic or whatever his name was would commit terrorism.
Actually, she wasn't worried about Egostic at all.
'What's an A-class villain anyway... I'll catch him quickly and go home.'
She'd heard he had some S-class villains under him, but how strong could subordinates of an A-class be?
Having slaughtered numerous villains with her own hands, she didn't think a villain from this country, not even America, could be that impressive.
As she was munching on her chicken skewer.
[Ms. Methel! Egostic has launched a terrorist attack!]
"Really? Okay. I'm heading out now. Have everything ready in advance."
Upon hearing the news she'd been waiting for, she flicked the skewer into a trash can, cracked her knuckles, and flew up into the sky.
In her mind,
The thought that she might lose to Egostic didn't exist at all.