Chapter 40

EP.40 Deception and Posturing

When a person experiences something so shocking, it's said that their mind goes numb in an instant.

Right now, this was exactly what happened to A-class villain MonkeySpanner.

Given his years of experience, he had fought many Awakened individuals.

While he had never encountered an S-class hero, he had fought A-class heroes many times.

Escaping from them was, in its own way, a manageable task.

No matter how powerful the opponent, MonkeySpanner always moved with a group, making it difficult for even heroes to take them all out at once.

Especially since they didn't kill villains but only subdued them, it was easier to escape.

In other words, MonkeySpanner had lost before, but he had never experienced something like this.

Never.

His subordinates.

They were practically comrades, having shared hardships and joys together.

When he suggested going to Mexico, they all followed.

Of course, they lost quite a few people there, but that only made the remaining ones the elite.

And yet, they were all...

Gone in an instant.

MonkeySpanner looked around.

The hostages were definitely sitting, and his subordinates were supposed to be standing with guns drawn.

But no one was standing.

What happened?

He had lunged to stomp on that masked guy.

The moment he lunged, the guy was gone.

And somehow, he was sitting in the chair MonkeySpanner had been in.

When the guy flicked his finger nonchalantly,

In an instant,

The guns his subordinates were holding flew over.

Before anyone could react,

Simultaneously,

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.

Dozens of guns fired at once.

With the screams of the hostages,

Blood splattered everywhere in the room.

Those who were standing were no longer.

No one, was left.

The hostages fell into a panic due to the sudden gunfire and the terrorists falling on their side.

MonkeySpanner, who saw this sudden turn of events, also fell into a panic.

So many people.

Gone like this.

All of them. Dead?

Is this... reality?

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

The only thing that reminded him of reality was the loud screams of the hostages.

With hollow eyes, as if denying reality, he stared at the bodies of his subordinates.

Turning his head, he looked behind him.

On a mountain of chairs, the guy was sitting.

Even though his face was hidden by a mask, MonkeySpanner could sense the guy's aura.

The guy who had killed his subordinates with a single gesture was now scratching his ear.

As if he had just gotten rid of annoying flies.

An attitude that suggested it was no effort at all, just a nuisance.

Seeing this, MonkeySpanner finally realized.

Ah, this guy isn't a hero.

The way he killed people like insects.

This guy is a villain, just like me.

Even with his mind numbed by shock, he thought of something.

The ability to move behind him instantly was teleportation.

The ability to manipulate his subordinates' guns to kill them was telekinesis.

There is only one villain in South Korea with both teleportation and telekinesis.

A notorious villain who has caused three large-scale terrorist attacks.

EgoStik. Yes, that's the name.

Honestly, MonkeySpanner didn't care much about EgoStik.

He just didn't like that a guy with a funny name kept causing trouble and stealing the spotlight whenever he was about to start a terrorist attack.

When he learned that EgoStik was a rare dual-ability user, he had some interest.

But after hearing the association's report that both his telekinesis and teleportation were weak, he lost interest.

He had heard rumors that EgoStik had killed three villains, but... it wasn't his concern. He wouldn't die to such a weakling.

But now, it was his concern.

He felt his body trembling slightly.

Damn association, they should be fried in shit and still deserve more.

How is this weak telekinesis?

Controlling that many people's weapons at once, and it's weak?

And why is this guy in Busan?

A thought flashed through his mind.

This guy has been killing other villains. Hunting them.

For no reason.

What if, what if he's targeting me now?

What if he was after me from the beginning?

What if he knew I was going to start a terrorist attack today?

He felt a chill.

This guy is hiding his abilities.

Why is he wearing that ridiculous yellow mask instead of his usual one?

Dangerous.

Who knows what else he's hiding.

MonkeySpanner instinctively felt.

This might be the greatest crisis of his life.

Subordinates can be replaced as long as he's alive.

He has to survive this and crush this guy.

As he was thinking quickly,

Above his head, EgoStik's disappointed voice echoed.

"Is this... all?"

An attitude that seemed incredibly bored and arrogant.

Hearing this, MonkeySpanner felt a drop of sweat trickle down the back of his neck.

EgoStik.

What is this guy thinking behind that mask?

***

Hmm.

I looked at the carnage I had caused.

The armed robbers who were standing were now lying on the ground as bloody messes. The hostages were screaming.

Ha, what a mess.

Seeing the hostages in a panic, trembling and screaming, I smiled weakly behind my mask.

I could see a glint of silver hair in the distance. Is that Seo-eun? She doesn't seem scared, watching me from beside Su-bin. Okay, that's reassuring.

Using the telekinesis I've been developing, I killed all those lackeys at once.

Shooting a gun once is something even a weakling like me can do easily. Guns aren't that heavy.

Hmm... but they were a bit heavy.

And how many did I control at once? Almost a hundred, I think. How did I do that?

It's truly amazing, even to me. Maybe I have hidden powers I don't know about? I heard abilities grow like Stardust's?

Am I the protagonist? Is there going to be a manga called [EgoStik!]?

I'd like to say that, but I don't think so.

Because... I can't move at all right now.

It was good until I sat in the chair, crossed my legs, and flicked my finger.

It felt like I had become a transcendent being. Did Thanos feel this way when he gathered all the stones?

But the important part was after that.

It was good until I made all those people raise their guns and shoot.

But unlike other strong ability users, my telekinesis is trash.

I used all my strength with that one move.

"...."

So now, I can't even move a finger.

No, this is a big problem.

Honestly, I think I can move a bit in a few minutes, but this is a battlefield. Every second counts.

What if I'm stuck for a few minutes?

I knew my ability was weak, but not this weak.

"..."

It was good until I flicked my finger and killed the lackeys, but now is the problem.

How do I kill that MonkeyDanceKing or whatever?

To be honest, I acted on impulse.

I mean, can you just stand there when someone wakes you up and points a gun at your head? You have to show them who's boss.

I need to make an example of them so they don't mess with me.

...But now, I'm the one who's in trouble.

What do I do?

But the good thing is, that guy seems very scared.

Yeah, I would be scared too if a masked lunatic killed all my subordinates with a finger snap.

It's a funny story that a guy twice my size with a shaved head and a mustache is scared of me.

...Wait.

Maybe I can get out of this situation.

Only I know I'm out of power, but that guy doesn't.

So there's a chance I can bluff my way through this.

Yeah, I had a plan.

First, I deal with the lackeys who might cause trouble.

Then, I maintain a standoff with MonkeySpanner and wait. Until when? Until other heroes arrive.

Honestly, I didn't want to get involved in this. MonkeySpanner has nothing to do with Stardust, so why should I care? As long as he doesn't block Stardust's path, I don't care.

But since I made the first move, I had to show him who's boss. I can't let anyone get away with messing with me. If I get hit once, I have to hit back ten times.

In that sense, killing his subordinates at once showed him a taste of what I can do.

So now.

I'll wait until I recover and a hero arrives, then I'll make my move.

Since it's Busan, NorthSeaIceGirl will be here soon. It's a shame ShadowWalker isn't coming.

"Is this... all?"

I opened my mouth and said something, using informal speech.

The important thing is to bluff, to intimidate, to make him think I have more.

Yeah, MonkeySpanner is shaken. I knew he would be.

Let's try some hellish mouth skills.

"MonkeySpanner, right? I have a question for you. If you answer, I'll let you off for boring me. You..."

Just as I started to talk,

BOOM.

Something exploded from the hotel door.

What the hell?

"HHHAAAAA!"

Then, a woman with blue hair came in with a powerful yell.

Oh, it's NorthSeaIceGirl. She came really fast, what's going on?

But suddenly, the lobby darkened.

Suddenly, shadows covered the whole neighborhood, and something sprouted from the ground.

That creepy black hair.

...No, fuck, that's ShadowWalker? But he was in a coma. Why is he here?

Then, suddenly, someone else flew in from somewhere.

What, is this an all-star game? What the hell?

Who flew in from an exploded wall with yellow hair?

Stardust? Why are you here again?

"MonkeySpanner!! Tell your subordinates to drop their guns and surrender. You are surrounded!"

Suddenly, a woman appeared, shouting loudly.

And what she saw was.

The subordinates of MonkeySpanner, already lying on the ground as bloody messes.

MonkeySpanner standing awkwardly.

And me, sitting on a tower of chairs, legs crossed, mask on, looking down at everyone.

...No, fuck. What the hell is this mess?