Chapter 41

EP.41 Crisis Imminent

Alright.

Let's summarize the situation.

First, my plan was this:

I was going to teach a lesson to that Monkey Tap Dance or whatever it was that pissed me off.

To do that, I would draw attention when the guy was filming his live threat video.

When the flustered guy stopped filming, I would rile him up with some trash talk.

Then, using the last bit of my telekinetic power, I would kill all his subordinates in one go.

That way, he would think I was incredibly strong and be on guard.

Killing them all with a snap of my fingers, imagine what would happen with two snaps. Scary, right?

Originally, I planned to teleport away right after that.

I would say something like, "How boring... There's nothing special here," and then escape with Se-eun and Su-bin.

A scene where I casually leave after fighting some minor criminals, as if it's too troublesome, would be great, right?

In reality, I planned to drive out of the underground parking lot and run to Seoul while Busan was in chaos.

But the plan hit a snag.

Well, it seemed I overexerted my telekinetic power or something.

I thought I could handle this much, but I couldn't.

I felt off from the moment I snapped my fingers to manipulate the telekinetic power. What kind of vibe? A bad one.

And now, I can't move at all. Ta-da.

So I changed my plan.

To the grand Egoistic Plan B: Hell's Mouth Plucking.

Pretending to be the mastermind, I would talk trash to the point where the opponent wouldn't dare attack, showing that I could kill them with a gesture.

The key was to stall until the hero arrived.

Probably the North Sea Ice Maiden would come, but it would take some time for her to get here.

The core was to stall Monkey Spanner by talking until then... but.

Oh, ta-da? The North Sea Ice Maiden is already here!

And she's with Shadow Walker and Stardust.

"......"

What the hell is going on here?

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

Stardust's loud voice echoed through the spacious hotel lobby.

Hearing her voice, which I had only read about in comics, was quite an enjoyable experience as a fan. It felt like watching a live-action movie.

Yeah, but it would have been even better if it wasn't happening right now, right?

"I'm saying this one more time! Drop your guns and—"

Stardust's loud voice gradually faded.

Because, no matter how she looked around,

there were no armed robbers.

"......?"

She couldn't hide her puzzled expression at the unexpected situation.

The North Sea Ice Maiden, who came in with her, also looked bewildered. Of course, she would be. They came to subdue armed robbers, but the robbers were already lying on the ground, reduced to rags.

Meanwhile, Monkey Spanner was trying to escape.

"Yiik... Yuck!"

In the worsening situation, he was the first to try to run but was immediately subdued by Shadow Walker.

"Even if I'm weak right now... I can still catch you easily."

Shadow Walker, who had appeared above Monkey Spanner, subdued him with shadows.

Thanks to that, Monkey Spanner, who had been rolling on the ground, was now completely helpless.

His hands, feet, and mouth were all bound by shadows.

He had bravely started a terrorist attack with his subordinates, but within just a few minutes, he lost all his subordinates and was now restrained.

No matter how much Monkey Spanner struggled,

he couldn't resist Shadow Walker at night.

That's just common sense.

But of course, Shadow Walker seemed to be in a bit of a state.

He was swaying a bit.

Of course, that's not important. Even if he looked strange, he had easily subdued Monkey Spanner.

Seeing Monkey Spanner, who had been pinned to the ground by the weakened Shadow Walker,

it was... pitiful.

It's pitiful, but

if I mess up now, I might end up like that...

Shadow Walker's eyes turned to me.

Of course, they had to. A stranger was sitting cross-legged on top of a pile of chairs.

The North Sea Ice Maiden and Stardust were the same.

The North Sea Ice Maiden looked confused, and Stardust looked slightly tense.

Hmm. Thinking about it,

they don't know I'm Egoistic yet, right?

They must have rushed to the scene after everything was over, so they wouldn't know what happened. Monkey Spanner had also turned off the live stream before I appeared.

Most importantly, my mask is different. I used to wear a half-gray mask, but now I'm wearing a full yellow mask.

Shadow Walker, who had successfully subdued Monkey Spanner, looked at me with a puzzled expression. "What is this guy?"

Looking up at me, the exhausted Shadow Walker spoke.

"...Who are you? We clearly came to catch Monkey Spanner..."

He looked around.

Dozens of armed terrorists, lying in pools of blood.

And Monkey Spanner, standing awkwardly.

And me, sitting cross-legged and looking down at him.

A normal person would have realized by now that I was the one who had taken care of them all.

Now, a question would arise in their minds.

'Who is this guy?'

He's too ruthless to be a hero. He killed everyone. And look at him, sitting cross-legged and looking down from a high place with a mask. He looks like a villain.

But is he a villain? I stopped the terror. I was facing off against Monkey Spanner. By all accounts, I'm a hero. They just haven't seen a hero with this mask before.

The suspicious looks from the North Sea Ice Maiden and Stardust.

And Shadow Walker's piercing gaze.

And I can't even move a finger right now.

What is this?

Why are all the top heroes in Korea gathered here? Is Monkey Spanner that big of a deal? No, he's not!

And why did they all show up when I'm at my weakest?

Guys, stop staring at me. My face is going to wear out.

"......"

A life-or-death crisis.

My brain started working faster than ever.

I could see Se-eun and Su-bin looking at me anxiously from a distance. They were too far away to see, but I imagine they had that worried look. Don't worry, trust me! I can overcome this obstacle.

First, my physical condition?

My goal is this: teleport to the car with these two and make a quick escape.

So I just need to teleport that distance. It's not far.

If my body was fine, I would have already gone.

But the problem is, it's not.

A few minutes.

Just a few more minutes, and I can barely manage to teleport. I don't know what will happen to my body afterward...

But I just need a few more minutes.

And creating those few minutes in a crisis is what makes a great villain.

How many hero stories have I seen?

I can do it.

Those three are still looking at me.

What did they ask earlier?

Oh, they asked who I am.

I need to answer this well.

Saying "I'm Egoistic" is suicide.

They would just attack me, and my body and mind would suffer. So that's not an option.

My goal is to buy time.

To do that, I can't let them attack me.

So I need to fake my identity.

They don't know me, so I need to use that.

To them, I'm a stranger in a yellow mango mask who killed all those terrorists in an unknown way.

I need to bluff.

I need to lie.

Sitting high up, looking down at everyone, I slowly opened my mouth.

I can't show any signs of tension. I need to be calm and matter-of-fact.

"...You asked who I am? I am an S-class hero..."

Yes, the best bluff here is to pretend to be a hero. I need to go with the concept of a hero they don't know, active somewhere other than Korea. But what should I call myself? I haven't thought about it. Ah! Something that sounds cool and abstract, anything, just go with it!

In the end, in the heat of the moment, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I am an S-class hero, Apple Mango."

Damn.

"....."

The arrogant and solemn words, "Apple Mango."

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

The three of them looked at me with strange faces.

No, this is all because of those internet trolls.

They've polluted my brain with all their comments and stuff about Mango Stick and Mango Team! You crazy bastards!

I even thought the mask was mango-colored, which probably led to this ridiculous statement. I must be losing it.

...But guys, what would you do if I were a real S-class hero from a neighboring country who speaks Korean well?

Can you make faces at someone's name like that? Hey!

Pretending to answer their question, I maintained my composure, and the frowning Stardust finally spoke.

"...Apple Mango? We've never heard of an S-class hero with that name."

A sharp observation.

No, it's not sharp. Of course they haven't heard of it... I just made it up...

But failing at this would make me a third-rate villain.

As a top-tier villain, I need to be shameless in these situations.

With the deepest, most solemn voice I could muster, and still maintaining an air of arrogance, I spoke.

"Of course. I operate in secret. Koreans wouldn't know."

The ultimate Egoistic technique: Stubbornness.

What do you know?

Do you have proof?

Anyway, I'm a hero, okay?

I decided to be shameless and put on a steel face.

With a deep, solemn voice, I spoke loudly, making sure it echoed far.

"You guys. I've heard of you. Shadow Walker, North... Ice. And Stardust. But you're all A-rank heroes, right? The difference between seniors and juniors is like heaven and earth, so you should all use honorifics when speaking to me."

I, a mere villain who can't even move,

facing three heroes who could crush me with a finger,

spoke shamelessly like that.

Damn, I'm S-class, so use honorifics.

The three of them looked at me in disbelief, as if they had misheard.

Regardless, I became even more shameless. Use honorifics, damn it. Is this not the Land of Eastern Etiquette?

The North Sea Ice Maiden, bewildered by my words, asked.

"What?"

"That's informal. Use honorifics."

I don't know what to do anymore. Let's just go all out.

That night, in the lobby of a hotel in Busan, a grand party was about to begin.

Let's all go to the third level, the brain level, together.