Chapter 26

EP.26 K-Villain

"AAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

The crook screamed in agony and collapsed.

After inhaling the poison gas, he staggered as if drunk.

Finally, thud—

He fell down.

"...."

Seeing him not move afterward,

Hmm, is he dead?

It was a rather anticlimactic exit, unlike his grand entrance.

The attack was just too effective.

"...Yes! Everyone, another one has gone to hell. Thank you. Thank you."

[MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick! MangoStick!]

[These days, Villain: If other villains come to terrorize, I'll take care of them for you]

[Hero Association, designate MangoStick as a hero immediately. 3216 said so.]

[Ahaha, I can already see the headline for tonight's 9 o'clock news.]

[Now, there will be a lot of pro-Korea videos on YouTube, I bet.]

The chat window was once again flooded with messages praising me.

I stepped in instead of Stardust, who was busy with the incident and filming, but the viewers, unaware of this, were busy praising me.

I couldn't say the truth, "I stepped in for Stardust," because if I did, I'd be on the entertainment news tonight with a new romance scandal.

So, the only option was to stick to the story.

Anyway, I killed him because he started trouble with me first.

"Ahem... Everyone, I didn't kill this guy for the public good. I just dealt with him because he publicly insulted me. Why would I do it for you? As with the last time when my followers gathered, and this time, both crossed the line I set, so I took care of them. That's all. Understand?"

I spoke in a deep, serious voice.

[Yeah, sure.]

[Thank you for loving Villain EgoStick so far. From now on, I'll be Hero MangoStick. Thank you.]

[Tsundere!]

Of course, the viewers wouldn't understand even if I said that. Fine, keep thinking that.

I just smiled sardonically at the chat window. Can you really keep thinking that next month?

"Hmm... First, someone should come and clean up this poison gas. I'm not sure how to do it, but it's best to do it quickly."

Crocodileman was still lying unconscious in the midst of the thick, rising poison gas. Is he dead? Well, he probably is.

I rummaged through my bag and put on a gas mask. This is why it's important to be prepared. I'm weak, and if I inhale that poison gas, I'll die.

I put the guns I brought back into the bag. Using telekinesis to do it would look cool, but my body has reached its limit. I can't use my telekinesis anymore.

How much did I suffer today? I teleported from home to here after putting Seun and Subin down. It's not easy. I'm almost out of energy. Then, I kept teleporting to fight the crook.

As a result, my body has submitted a report. A report stating that if I use my power one more time, I'll collapse on the spot. If I use telekinesis a bit more, I might collapse and wake up in the Eastern Portrait Ability Detention Center, also known as East Carcer. Actually, if Seun bashes in and rescues me, it wouldn't be a problem, but it's not the right time to go in yet.

So, the conclusion is, I'm putting the guns back into the bag one by one, like a gleaner. Ah, it's tiring.

[LOL, you were almost flying earlier, but why are you picking them up one by one now?]

[LOL, I don't get it.]

Shut up, you guys.

There's a deeper reason you don't know...

Just as I was about to put almost all the guns back,

I saw something flying from the distance in the sky.

It was Stardust, her blonde hair flying as she flew. She seemed to have flown in a hurry, as she was drenched in sweat.

"Huff... huff..."

As soon as she landed, she looked around and first saw Crocodileman lying on the roof, then me wearing a gas mask.

Maybe she realized the situation was over after landing. Her expression turned bewildered as she looked at the fallen crook again.

"....Did you take him down?"

"Yes, that's right. I took him down."

I answered straightforwardly without denying it. There was no reason to deny it.

My nod made her expression slightly frown. It was as if she couldn't understand.

"....Why?"

"Well, I was just relaxing, and suddenly the broadcast showed some guy causing chaos. He was even calling out to Stardust, so I thought, 'Wow, Stardust is so popular these days,' and I was eating popcorn. But then he mentioned me, saying something about me and you being close. It made me a bit upset. What did I do?"

I shrugged and continued.

"And according to my dictionary, anyone who mentions me and plays around needs to be taught a lesson. I played with him a bit as an example."

Hearing this, she relaxed her expression, as if she understood that a crazy guy like me could do such a thing.

Yes, that's enough. Now that I've done this, I can go home. I can go home.

Sigh.

Should I say it or not?

I hesitated for a moment.

But my decision was quick.

Yes, I'll say it.

There might be a situation where I can't step in, and something like this happens.

I muted the camera that was filming us for a moment.

Now, no one except her can hear what I'm about to say.

Facing away from the camera, I spoke in a low voice that only she could hear.

"...And since I muted it, I'll say this. Don't ever think about showing your face like today again. The moment you do, your life will become very hard."

Her expression turned confused at my words.

She looked at me in surprise. Regardless, I unmuted the camera.

"Alright! That's it for today's broadcast. I'm very tired from stepping in without any plan today. There's a big event next month, so look forward to it. See you next time. Bye~."

I smiled and waved at the camera. I must be almost a pro broadcaster now.

"Wait!....."

Ignoring her voice from behind, I teleported home. Of course, I ended the broadcast first.

[Evaa (meaning EgoStick)]

[Evaa? Evan...]

[Great broadcast]

[The broadcast was great today]

[Didn't the sound just get muted?]

[Oh... their secret communication...]

===[The broadcast has ended]===

Thud.

I arrived in a deep underground somewhere in Seoul.

As soon as I teleported home,

"Cough."

I spat out blood.

I fell to my knees and collapsed. Ah, fuck. I'm dying.

"Cough, cough."

I held the ground with one hand and my chest with the other, continuing to spit out blood.

Am I dying like this?

Did I push myself too hard...

My head spun, and the world started to darken.

Just before I completely collapsed, I heard a distant voice calling, "Bro!..."

I lost consciousness.

***

[[Official] Korean Portrait Ability Association confirms the name of the Ice Cream Festival terrorist as 'Crocodileman.' The suspect is currently alive and in custody.]

[Several hundred injured in the terrorist attack... astronomical property damage. Fortunately, no fatalities.]

[Hero Association's inadequate response sparks controversy... No heroes came to help in the suffocating scene.]

[[Lee Jaebeom's Editorial] A society where villains are better than heroes: Is it a healthy society?]

[Toxic gas spread in the city center... Association claims 'it's not that strong']

[[Kim Kyungjin's Issue Plus] Who is EgoStick? Speculating on his identity]

[Villain EgoStick announces 'big event next month'... hinting at another attack?]

[EgoStick fan club membership surges... 'highest ever']

[15 TMI facts about EgoStick you didn't know]

[The world is shocked by K-Villain EgoStick! The reason the Japanese Association President couldn't close his mouth after seeing him take down an A-rank villain alone. Currently, the top trend in Japan! 'A country with a villain like EgoStick is the world's strongest nation.' Analysis of Japanese netizens' reactions!]

[Good evening, this is the 9 o'clock news. Today, an A-rank villain appeared at a festival in Seoul and caused a terrorist attack, but another villain appeared and stopped it. Reporter Choi Daha will provide more details.]

The EgoStick craze shook Korea once again.

The story of a villain suddenly stepping in to stop a terrorist attack that heroes failed to stop immediately was enough to become a hot topic on the peninsula.

While many people were talking about EgoStick,

Shin Haru was also thinking about EgoStick.

"....And since I muted it, I'll say this. Don't ever think about showing your face like today again. The moment you do, your life will become very hard."

Continuously pondering his words.

How did he know I had that intention?

Was it a situation where I had to show my face?

...What was he thinking when he gave me that advice?

Shin Haru's thoughts deepened.

Yes, that day. Something was off that day...