Chapter 74

EP.74 The Eve of Terror

It would be nice to carry out a terrorist attack right away and see the Stardus again.

But for that, there are essential things to do.

"Please come in."

"...Where are we?"

Choi Sehee looked at me with a guarded attitude.

It was late at night, and I had brought her here by teleportation. The place we arrived at was a family home.

To be precise, it was a place with a secret underground base.

"This is my home."

"...I see."

She followed me quietly, in a strangely resigned state.

What could have made such a spirited girl like her act this way?

I can't understand what happened in just a week.

Still, it's probably for the best. It's better than her being rebellious all the time.

I planned to show her a new world as she obediently followed me into the house.

"Here, get in."

"Um..."

Choi Sehee and I entered a teleportation device in the room.

She tilted her head slightly at the strangely shaped machine in the middle of the house but entered the capsule without a word.

After activating the device, we came out of the capsule with a slight spinning sensation.

When we entered, we were in a family home, but when we came out, a grand mansion was spread out before us, nestled among the mountains.

"...Where are we now?"

"This is my real home."

I have two homes.

I said this and headed towards the forest in front of the mansion.

She followed me, glancing at the mansion.

Thus, the man and woman entered the forest in the middle of a dark mountain valley.

She followed me silently, and when I stopped, she stopped too, ready to do as I asked.

...But, why is she acting like this? This isn't her usual character. No matter how I think about it, it's impossible for her to change so much in just a week. It feels awkward.

"Ahem."

Anyway, I stopped in the middle of the forest and told her, who was looking at me blankly and slightly anxiously.

"Here, there's no one around. It's just the two of us, and there's nothing watching us."

"So?"

"You can use your powers freely here. Release electricity to your heart's content."

"...But didn't you say we were going to carry out a terrorist attack?"

"Who said we'd do it right away? We need to prepare first. Try it out to your full power."

"Full power?"

"Yes."

When I told her to use her powers freely and as much as she wanted, she hesitated.

Of course, it's natural. She has never used her powers freely in her life. It must feel new and a bit scary and thrilling.

I nodded and encouraged her to be brave. Hurry up!

After looking at me, she took a deep breath and started to extend her hands.

At the same time, sparks began to fly from her hands.

"Hmm..."

As she finally used her powers freely, letting go of everything, electricity flickered from her fingertips.

At the same time.

Crackle.

Electricity shot out from her entire body, like lightning, to every nearby spot.

The electric streams extended like fountains.

Not stopping there, her entire body was enveloped in electricity.

Then, something inside her seemed to break.

Sparks shot out like lightning, illuminating the entire forest.

"Wow..."

I watched from a distance, amazed.

It was a spectacular sight, almost like a fireworks show. The electricity poured out like a giant dome in the dark night, with only black and yellow visible.

The electric streams branched out and shot into the sky, causing chaos and destruction to the surrounding trees.

Of course, I didn't just watch in amazement. I also checked the power of her electric attacks. My conclusion was:

'As expected, she's strong.'

The power is considerable.

No matter how much she had suppressed it, continuously emitting such a level of current is impressive. The power is so strong that a single electric stream can destroy a tree. There's no need to say more.

Having suppressed such a level of electricity for years, it's natural for her to be stressed and sensitive. It's impossible to hide such talent and live a normal life.

After the fireworks show continued for a while,

She seemed to have released enough and gathered all the electricity back.

I approached her only after she was done.

"Huff... Huff..."

She was sitting on the ground, gasping for breath.

I handed her a bottle of water I had prepared.

"Are you satisfied? Here, have some water."

"Uh, thanks."

She immediately drank the water I handed her, sitting on the ground, slightly relaxed and sweating.

Her face was flushed, and her orange hair was stuck to her neck with sweat. She had been struggling, but her expression looked very relieved.

Of course, it must feel great to finally show off her powers without restraint. In the original story, she ended up in a detention center because she caused trouble in the city center at midnight due to lack of such opportunities.

Now, she had just unleashed her destructive instincts, destroying all the trees around her. The grass on the ground had turned black from the heat.

I extended my hand to her, who was still sitting on the ground, and said:

"If you join me... you won't need to hide your powers anymore. You are not an ordinary person. You can't suppress your talent and live. Only by joining us can you truly be yourself."

"...The terrorism you're planning doesn't involve hurting people, right?"

"Yes. I'm a non-violent person."

"...But you've done a lot of things, haven't you?"

Despite her sarcastic tone, she took my hand and stood up.

I just smiled and said:

"Welcome to Ego Squad, Choi Sehee."

"What's Ego Squad...?"

***

Now that we've rescued a power user, let's carry out a terrorist attack right away!

...If only it were that easy. In reality, there are many things to do before a terrorist attack, such as preliminary preparations, time investigations, and planning.

Additionally, Choi Sehee needed training to use her powers.

"...You can fly by shooting electricity at the ground?"

"Yeah. Think about shooting electricity at the ground while you're wrapped in it."

"Um... Oh, it works?"

Under my special training using knowledge from the original story, she quickly improved.

She didn't know how to use her powers after not using them for so long, so I coached her.

Of course, I dropped the formalities after the first night. We'd be seeing each other every day, and it would be strange to keep using formal language... My anti-magic power...

"Huff, huff."

"Here, have a towel."

"Big sister, here's some water!"

"Ah, thanks."

While training her powers, she stayed at my mansion.

She also became friends with Seun.

"Hey, hurry up and take a shower. You stink."

"What? Why are you picking a fight?"

I turned around and headed back to the mansion, avoiding her glare. By the way, I've become much closer to her than before. We spent the whole day training together, so it would be strange if we weren't close.

Meanwhile, electricity brushed past me. That crazy girl!

"Ahh! Hey! What if you shoot me? I'm a civilian!"

"Shut up. Why are you a civilian? I'll show you the difference in power today."

"Seun, save me! She's trying to kill me!"

"...Sehee, just shoot 100,000 volts at her."

"Han Seun, you too!"

It feels like there are fewer people I can trust in this house!

Anyway, time passed quickly like this.

Because Choi Sehee couldn't use her powers well, it took longer than expected to coach her. But since we have plenty of time, it's not a problem. There's still a long time before Kim Seon-woo starts his antics, so we can take our time.

Choi Sehee adapted well to life in the mansion.

Since she had worked in the service industry right after graduation, she got along well with Seun, Subin, and Hayul. Especially, after quitting her part-time job, she was aimlessly wandering and got hooked on games through Seun's devilish persuasion.

"...Playing games is fine, but shouldn't you sleep at night?"

"Yes..."

"I'm sorry, big sister..."

Of course, there was a funny incident where they were caught by Subin after staying up all night playing games. Stupid. They should have run away like me at around 5 AM.

"But Da-in also stayed up all night with us."

"...Da-in, really?"

"......"

Of course, I was also scolded due to the traitor.

Anyway, it had been a month since I started living with Choi Sehee.

I finally gathered everyone in the underground base's meeting room.

"......"

Four pairs of eyes watched me.

In front of them, I opened my mouth and declared:

"Alright. Today, we will finally prepare for a new terrorist attack."

The curtain rose on Ego Squad's new concept of outsourcing terrorism.

The era of solo terrorism is over.

The era of collaborative terrorism has arrived.

I explained the plan to them, and Choi Sehee, who had listened, spoke up:

"...Are you going to let me do everything from start to finish?"

"Yeah, that's right."

I need a break too.

This time, you do it.