Chapter 72

EP.72 Talent Acquisition

All for Stardust.

After falling into this world, I wandered for a long time before finally setting this as my life's goal.

In the end, the protagonist of this world is Stardust.

Yes, for her, my favorite character, I will burn myself out.

For her, I have made up my mind. I will eliminate all the villains who torment Stardust.

But then, who will Stardust fight?

Stagnant water rots. Can a hero who doesn't act still be called a hero?

Moreover, Stardust grows stronger with each trial she faces.

...Yes.

I will become a villain myself and give her only the trials she can handle.

That's why I've been diligently causing terror so far.

And now, it's time to take it one step further.

"Do I really have to do the terrorism myself?"

Yes.

Do I absolutely have to do it myself?

No, no. As long as there are no fatalities and Stardust can grow, it doesn't matter if I do it or another villain does.

So,

If I create a villain alliance and have other villains do the terrorism for me,

Can't I retire?

That means I need to recruit new ability users.

Currently, Se-eun, Su-bin, and Ha-yul are all supporters. There's no one with combat abilities!

That's why I'm here to try to recruit another ability user.

This is a café.

I sit by the window, sipping coffee while glancing at the counter.

"Big sister, try this too."

"Hmm. The strawberry cake here is also delicious."

"Cha Yuna, you need to brush your teeth after eating."

Next to me, Se-eun, Su-bin, Ha-yul, and Cha Yuna are all gathered, chatting.

...Does a leader not have personal time?

***

The person I'm trying to recruit this time is a woman named Choi Se-hee.

She is the one working at the counter of the café where I am now.

"...Yes, 7,000 won."

Choi Se-hee, with her orange hair and a world-weary expression, is taking orders.

This time, I'm just here to observe how she lives, so I quietly sit in the café.

...So when I said I was going to a café to recruit talent,

It was the weekend, and everyone insisted on coming along.

They are all enjoying their slice of cake.

"Brother, have a slice too."

"Huh? Ah, sure. Let me try a bite."

It's delicious.

I keep glancing at the counter while eating the cake.

"......"

Meanwhile, she is being hit on by someone.

Her scowling and rejecting him is quite a sight.

"Hmm...."

I keep watching her and finally make up my mind.

Yes. It's time to start the operation.

"Da-in, stop staring at the counter and eat more."

"Brother, can we order another honey bread?"

"Sure, sure, order whatever you want."

First, I'll eat this and rest...

I'll do it tonight.

I eat a slice of cake and fall into thought.

Choi Se-hee.

She is an electric ability user who can emit electricity.

In the original story, she is one of the villains known as Electra.

She has a rather prickly personality and is quite hot-tempered.

She is one of the most popular characters among the original comic readers, known by the nickname "gangster sister."

She has always been busy, with no time to rest, and eventually, the accumulated stress causes her to explode.

Unable to contain her destructive urges, she overflows with electricity in the middle of the city at night and is immediately suppressed by Shadow Walker.

Thus, she is immediately transferred to a detention center and doesn't appear in the comic for a while. She reappears in the great escape episode.

Anyway, as an A-class villain, her electric attacks are extremely powerful. Elemental abilities are generally good. Just look at Icicle with his ice abilities...

In any case, I need her.

So, let's give it a try.

***

A dark night.

Choi Se-hee is walking home with heavy steps.

"Ha..."

A life of only work.

Working from morning till night and collapsing in bed when she gets home.

"...Sigh. Damn."

She swears as she walks through the night streets.

She isn't working because she lacks money. While she isn't exactly well-off, she doesn't need to work herself to the bone.

The reason she works so hard, as if to forget the world, is one.

A quirk she can never tell anyone.

To suppress the inner destructive impulse she possesses.

"......"

Walking through the dark night, she subtly lifts her head and looks around.

A back alley with no security cameras.

Confirming that no one is around, she takes her hand out of her pocket.

She raises her hand.

Soon, electricity crackles visibly from her fingertips.

Then, the dark street is illuminated as if by stars, with yellow streaks of electricity spreading from her fingertips.

As she stands there, mesmerized by the sight she has created,

"Beautiful."

A voice suddenly comes from behind.

"...!!"

Startled, she quickly stops emitting electricity and turns around.

But only a dark, empty alley is visible behind her.

"...Who's there?"

She starts to be on guard, extending her hand into the darkness, ready to emit electricity at any moment.

As she remains on guard,

Clap, clap, clap.

"Madman."

She realizes her opponent is also not normal and shoots electricity forward.

But the electricity just cuts through the air, as if there is nothing in front of her.

The applause continues.

Then, someone emerges from the darkness.

"Hello, Ms. Choi Se-hee."

The person who greets her is

a man in a black hat, black robe, and black cloak, with a mask covering his eyes.

And this man is someone she knows.

"...Egoistic?"

She frowns and calls his name, and he hesitates for a moment.

After a brief pause, he speaks again.

"...Do you know me?"

"Of course, you were always on TV."

"...I didn't expect you to know me."

He mumbles in a low voice, then clears his throat and continues.

"Ahem. Then I'll get straight to the point. Ms. Choi Se-hee, would you consider partnering with me?"

"...I don't follow. You stalk me at night and suddenly ask for a partnership? What are you talking about?"

"Ah, I see. I didn't explain well enough. I mean terrorism."

"...Are you asking me to partner in terrorism?"

"Yes. Would you consider it?"

"You're a madman. Get lost!"

Choi Se-hee, angry, shoots electricity at him.

Already frustrated with her life, now she has to deal with a terrorist.

But the electricity she shoots just cuts through the air as he vanishes from his spot.

And the voice comes from behind her again.

"Think about it. Haven't you always been in great pain, unable to reveal your abilities? With me... you won't have to hide your instincts..."

"Get lost!"

She attacks fiercely again, but he has already disappeared from her sight.

"I'll come back another time. Please think about it until then..."

"Are you not leaving?"

She huffs and turns around, but the alley is empty again.

In the alley where only her breathing can be heard, she sighs again.

"Damn. What a life."

She swears and kicks a stone on the street. Although she doesn't want to be a hero, she never thought she would be approached by a terrorist. It's absurd.

She glances back to see if anyone is following her and then continues walking home.

You'll come back? What a joke. If you come back, I'll fry your face with electricity.

She walks with her orange hair fluttering.

"......"

She suddenly looks at her hand.

When she emitted electricity at that guy, it felt good. She felt a sense of liberation, as if something inside her had burst open.

The feeling of being freed from the constraints that have held her back.

"......"

Does he mean that I can always feel this liberation with him?

"Damn. What are you saying?"

She swears again and continues walking.

I am not a destructive maniac, a psychopath.

I will never, under any circumstances, become a terrorist.

***

"Da-in, how's the plan to recruit a new partner going?"

"That? It's going smoothly. She's currently rejecting it, but it won't take long to break her down."

I say this while lifting a fork of cup ramen.

Teleporting frequently is tiring, so I need to fill my stomach.

I slurp the noodles and turn on my smartphone.

I immediately go to the Stardust fan café I manage.

Ah, ending the day by organizing Stardust posts. This is the life.

Su-bin looks at me with a troubled expression. Why...?

Anyway, I think about Choi Se-hee, the electric ability user I've decided to recruit.

Considering her strong resistance and her refusal to engage in terrorism,

Hmm.

A week should be enough.