Chapter 180 - The Blackened City

# "Hahaha! Yes. Of course I knew you wouldn't fall so easily, so I thought it was just an act, but Ariel was making such a fuss that I even considered invading Korea to avenge you!"

"Oh my, Director. Am I someone who would die so easily? Hahaha! I appreciate your concern, but there's no need for that. The media always exaggerates everything."

"Seems that way. But you know, my daughter was so shocked when she heard the news about you. She was crying her eyes out. She seems to miss you..."

"Haha. Ariel? I should go visit her sometime."

"Yes, come by anytime. Latis City is always open to you. Oh, and I hear that second Kathedal meeting or whatever it's called will be held soon. I'll see you then."

-Kahahaha!

With Atlas's hearty laughter, the call ended.

"Phew..."

After finishing my call with Atlas, the ruler of the North Atlantic, I let out a sigh of relief.

...Wait, why would he invade Korea? What revenge?

I should designate Su-bin to handle emergency calls for me in the future. Tsk.

But speaking of Ariel, after hearing she was worried about me, I kept thinking about something.

Hmm... recruiting Ariel to Ego-stream might actually be possible if I play my cards right. Of course, I'd need Atlas's permission...

While I was lost in thought, something touched my lips. Looking down, it was a piece of yellow tangerine.

"Hmm?"

When I absentmindedly opened my mouth, it slipped right in. It tasted sweet and tangy as I chewed.

Looking down, I saw Seo Ja-young lying on her stomach reading a comic book on the bed, peeling a tangerine with one hand.

She must have put one in my mouth while eating. Her small hands fumbled with the tangerine, and her oversized hoodie sleeves made her hands look even smaller.

As I chewed the tangerine, I wondered...

...Wait, when did she come in here?

"Hey. How long have you been here?"

"...I came in while you were on the phone. You didn't even notice?"

Seo Ja-young said while munching on tangerine pieces.

...She has a strange way of appearing out of nowhere.

"Alright. Let's go out now."

"Huh? But I just got here..."

"We need to eat breakfast."

"My breakfast is tangerine... aaah..."

I lifted Seo Ja-young with my psychokinesis and carried her outside. She squirmed at first but then continued reading her comic book while floating in the air.

...She'll ruin her eyes like that.

Anyway, I headed to the living room.

My body feels much better now, so I can use my abilities freely without issues. Probably. And I need to use them occasionally to keep my skills sharp.

...Of course, Su-bin and everyone else have warned me not to go outside terrorizing or exerting myself for a while... but this much should be fine.

"Hmm..."

In the living room, I found Han Seo-eun dozing off on the sofa. And Eun-wol was leaning on her shoulder, also dozing.

"Hmm... oppa. Don't put weird things in... zz."

...What kind of dream is she having?

After I put Seo Ja-young down on the floor and plopped down next to her, Seo-eun finally opened her eyes groggily.

"Oppa... yawn... did you sleep well?"

"Yeah..."

Seo-eun rubbed her eyes as she woke up, and Eun-wol woke up alongside her.

Mmm...

As Seo-eun stretched beside me, I turned on the TV.

The news was still reporting nothing special.

...Right. Today is probably the last peaceful day in Korea.

From tomorrow, chaos will break loose.

Tomorrow is finally, finally the start of the main event.

After one more night's sleep, it will begin.

That bizarre and massive terror attack.

"Hmm..?"

As I was thinking these grave thoughts, I looked at Seo-eun who was still nodding off, swaying her head back and forth, and changed my mind.

...Let's have breakfast first, then think about it.

I wonder if Su-bin is in the kitchen.

I got up, thinking that.

And so, I spent a relatively peaceful day.

The next day, when I woke up after sleeping,

The incident had finally occurred.

***

"Breaking news! The Korea World Trade Center has been seized overnight by a mysterious villain! The Association has restricted civilian access to the area. As you can see, the building is in terrible condition!"

A long, horizontally stretched building.

The streets around it, usually crowded with people, were now completely empty.

And at the center stood the building.

Normally just a long, ordinary structure.

But now, the situation was drastically different.

Grooooooowl-

An eerie wailing sound came from around the building.

The glass-covered building that usually sparkled with reflections had lost its original appearance, now covered in dark gloom.

From left to right, the entire building was coated in a black, sticky darkness.

Like a massive castle, the sticky darkness had formed towers and roofs on top of the building, transforming it to look like a dark fortress. Though it was actually just a single-story building with a large basement, at first glance it resembled a medieval castle.

Yes.

The shopping mall in the center of Seoul had transformed overnight into a black pseudo-demonic castle.

"Wow... oppa. What is this?"

Seo-eun asked me as we watched the scene on TV.

I gave her a brief answer.

"That's a demon castle."

"...A demon castle?"

Yes. A demon castle.

"As black darkness engulfs this area, the Association has stated they're focusing all efforts on assessing the situation. It's presumed to be terrorism caused by an S-class villain or higher..."

I clicked my tongue watching this.

Tsk. Since I didn't prevent it, it's starting exactly as it did in the original story.

This quarter's main terror attack, the so-called Demon Castle incident.

I quietly observed this crisis that had become reality.

Despite it being daytime, the area around the building looked as gloomy as evening, with black aura ominously spreading around.

He's probably sitting inside. The demon transformation ability user who caused this incident.

Thinking about him, I recalled the original story once more.

...The Demon Castle terror attack.

A terror attack by a villain called Demons who completely took over a Seoul shopping mall.

More specifically, he's using it as a base to create black creatures resembling demons with his ability, aiming to conquer Seoul. From now on, demon-like creatures will start awakening from the black substance there.

And after they mature to some extent, they'll all burst out at once to attack Seoul. Of course, it'll take some time before that happens...

What makes this terror attack unique is that the perpetrator, unlike previous villains, is somewhat intelligent. Though it's already a minus that he's advertising his attack so publicly instead of keeping quiet, he's doing so because he's confident in his abilities. And true to his word, in the original story, he managed to fend off Stardust and everyone else.

But none of that matters.

What's important is this:

'...Stardust went through hell again.'

To catch him, we ultimately need to enter the basement of the Demon Castle. He's positioned right at the center.

But would the guy who caused this terror make it easy for people to come capture him? Of course not. He's placed all his demon creatures everywhere. He's also made the paths maze-like. Set up traps too.

In gaming terms, that place is like a massive dungeon. With an extremely difficult path.

'.....'

And this is also the first group-type villain that appears before the Moonlight Bridge. One that requires facing multiple enemies. There are so many sticky darkness monsters roaming inside. Not only are there many, but each monster is strong too. A troublesome setup in many ways.

That's why initially, I planned to deal with the villain before any of this happened. Especially since Stardust suffered so much in the original story. The original Stardust was quite weak.

However, after I fought Stardust directly in that robot suit, my thoughts changed.

...Maybe the current Stardust could handle this? Since her abilities have become much stronger?

Obviously, experiencing such terror attacks is good for Stardust's ability growth. As the protagonist of a hero manga, she gets stronger with each adversity. And from what I've seen... the current Stardust might be capable enough.

So I left it alone.

And as expected, the terror attack happened as scheduled.

While the gloomy image of the Demon Castle appeared on screen,

Seo-eun, looking concerned at the eerie sight, asked me:

"Oppa, is there anything we should do? It looks really dangerous in there..."

"Yeah. Nothing."

"What?"

"We just need to trust Stardust."

I answered Seo-eun, who was giving me a puzzled look.

I believe in our Stardust. She's strong enough now to defeat something like this.

...Right?

"...."

But why do I keep feeling worried?

***

"Breaking news! Hero Stardust has entered the blackened World Trade Center, commonly known as the 'Demon Castle'! The Association reports she entered alone, without any companions..."

"Tsk..."

"Oppa. Why are you shaking your leg like that?"

Several hours later.

Listening to the anchor's words, I kept nervously tapping my foot on the sofa.

...No, I'm getting more and more anxious as time passes.

Can our delicate Stardust handle this well? In the original story, she suffered so much. Did I make the wrong judgment?

I'm anxious, so anxious.

After contemplating for a while,

I made up my mind, clenched my fist, and stood up abruptly.

"That's it. I'm going in there too."

"...What? Are you crazy, oppa?"

Don't try to stop me.