Chapter 8

EP.8 Unprecedented

300 people.

300 people, that's the number of students in an average high school.

The fact that so many people are gathered in one place means a lot.

It means either the space they are in is very large, or they are packed closely together.

In this case, it's probably both.

300 people are packed into a large space.

But despite so many people being there at the same time, no one is speaking.

Is it quiet then? No, it's not.

Because of the woman in front of me, who is crying her heart out.

"Whaaaaaaah. Whaaaaaaah. Wh, Whaaaaaaah."

Please stop crying.

[She's really crying her heart out lol]

[Her 7 allies were killed, so she has a reason to cry lol]

[Is she going to die soon? She's pretty, it's a shame]

[Damn, can't you see the hostages are trembling? This isn't a movie.]

[As long as it's not me, I'm fine]

[Looking at it now, it seems they won't kill all the hostages?]

[The woman is crying so much, it's worrying me]

[No, that woman is also a terrorist, you idiots lol]

[This is way more entertaining than regular TV. Watching it live is so much fun lol]

I glanced at the chat window to check the atmosphere.

I realized there was no need to look anymore. It's making me feel sick...

"Whaaaaaaah."

This woman is more of a problem right now.

What should I do? It's noisy.

Should I just kill her?

No, I should at least give a warning. I am a gentleman.

I crouched down and picked up the pistol the woman had dropped.

While crouched, I made eye contact with her.

After making eye contact, I smiled kindly and said to her, who was hiccupping,

"If you keep crying, I'll shoot."

I pretended to shoot with the pistol, and she tried to stop crying in fear.

...Will putting her fist in her mouth stop her from crying? I'm not sure.

Anyway, it's quieter now.

I stood in front of the hostages, hearing her sniffles from behind.

The sight of 300 people crouching and looking up at me is quite a spectacle.

Most of them have eyes filled with fear.

Why are they like this... Oh, I just killed 7 people in front of them.

How often do people see someone get shot and bleed to death in real life?

Ah, maybe people in this world have seen it more often?

This is Seoul.

The third-largest economic city in Asia and the third-most frequent city for terrorist attacks.

It can be said that it is the capital of South Korea, which has an unusually high number of superhumans, both heroes and villains.

Anyway, the people are extremely tense.

I spoke to them in a loud voice.

"Hello, everyone. I am A-grade villain Egoistic. Nice to meet you."

I amplified my voice using telekinesis so that everyone could hear me clearly.

The atmosphere became even colder after I finished speaking. Everyone looks anxious. Why is this? I won't harm you.

[Is he going to say 'Now, kill each other'? lol]

I understand why they're saying this when I look at the chat window.

No, what do you think I am? I'm not a psychopath.

...Thinking about it, I did say that only the one who kills first can survive on two boats before. Sigh, it's all my fault.

I told the trembling people,

"First of all, I want to apologize to everyone here. I'm sorry."

As I said this, I bowed 90 degrees.

...Really. I used telekinesis to bow at a right angle. These details are important.

When I suddenly apologized and bowed, I could feel people holding their breath.

Straightening up, I continued,

"Although it wasn't something I did, I feel a great sense of responsibility for this模仿犯罪 due to my precedent."

The hostages' mouths dropped open.

The atmosphere suddenly became restless.

[?????????]

[What are you talking about?]

[Is this... a villain? What kind of villain have I seen until now?]

The chat window is also full of confusion.

It's like the reaction of parents who suddenly see their son, who always caused trouble, come home with a Seoul University acceptance letter after studying hard for 50 days.

Regardless, I kept talking.

"The hostages are not something I need to touch, so you can all go home. I plan to send 1 million won to the accounts of those who have been affected by me, please check."

[??? What is this nonsense???]

[What kind of compensation is 1 million won? lol]

[Mom, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! (repeated many times)]

[Is this... terrorism? What kind of terrorism have I experienced until now?]

"Unfortunately, I will send 10 million won to the families of the three who died. I know all the accounts, so you don't need to worry."

I said.

I have a lot of money.

I wasn't before, but now the best thing I can do is throw money around.

[Just... 10 million won?]

[People died, and 10 million won is nothing...]

[??? But Egoistic didn't kill them, so 10 million won is a lot, isn't it?]

[Is that so? But 10 million won as compensation for death is a bit...]

[No, he didn't kill them, lol]

Looking at the chat window, I regret not saying 100 million won...

But it's too late now, the money is already in the accounts.

How do I know the accounts? Se-eun, a genius hacker, would have found them. I trust Se-eun.

[...Sigh...]

I think I heard a sigh from the earpiece, but it's probably just my imagination.

Having said everything I needed to say, I turned around.

Behind me was a trembling, nameless female follower.

If I leave her here, she might get killed or cause trouble, so maybe I should tie her up...

[Bro, just bring her.]

Suddenly, Se-eun's voice came through the earpiece.

Bring her? Why?

But I couldn't ask out loud here.

With hundreds of people watching me, it would look weird if I started mumbling to myself...

[She seems like someone I know. If it's her, she might be a big help, so it's better to bring her.]

Hmm, okay.

If Se-eun insists this strongly, there must be a reason.

"Miss? Miss, come with me."

"Whaaaaaaah?"

I lifted the woman, who was making strange crying sounds, and held her in my arms.

Holding the trembling woman, I greeted the people.

"Goodbye, then."

As I said this, I spread my cloak in front of me and disappeared.

[What, is this a drama?]

[The ending is a bit loose... I give it 6/10]

[Release Kim Seon-woo, release Kim Seon-woo, release Kim Seon-woo, release Kim Seon-woo, release Kim Seon-woo, release Kim Seon-woo, release Kim Seon-woo, release Kim Seon-woo]

[I decided to execute Kim Seon-woo after seeing this spam.]

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

And I'll turn off this sickening broadcast.

***

[The villain takes responsibility and compensates with money? Real hostage accounts are being verified one after another. Egoistic, who is this person? In-depth reporting.]

[[Opinion] A villain who killed a terrorist who followed him, is it really right?]

[Following yesterday, Egoistic's latest news is the main story on the 9 PM news... NEWSTREE]

***

[Author] Anonymous

[Title] So, is this true?

An A-grade villain who suddenly kidnapped two boats and said 'Now, kill each other' but then chickened out and the next day, when his followers caused a terrorist attack, he appeared, killed them all, compensated the hostages, and released them? And he live-streamed all of this?

[Anonymous1] No way, that's not possible lol

[Anonymous2] lol

[Anonymous3] Who in the world is like that? (He really exists)

[Anonymous4] And he hijacked a TV broadcast? It must be a lie (It's not)

[Anonymous5] I've never seen a villain like Egoistic before. He's already etched in my mind after two days

[Anonymous6] Who is Egoistic? lol

[Anonymous7] Egoistic lol

[Anonymous8] How can a villain's name be Egoistic lol

[Anonymous9] But he killed villains, stopped terrorism, and released hostages... Isn't he a hero?

[Anonymous10] Hero (He kidnapped boats and tried to cause a bomb attack)

[Anonymous9] But did he kill anyone? lol

[Anonymous11] I support the dark hero Egoistic

***

A villain who has branded his name on the minds of the entire nation for two consecutive days, Egoistic.

...Or rather, Egoistic. She shook her head and corrected herself in her mind. She thought she had gone a bit crazy from checking the community too much.

"Haru, what are you doing?"

"Ah, unni."

Inside a cafe.

College student Shin Haru was working on a project with her senior.

When she acts as a hero, she hides her identity and wears a recognition reduction filter, so no one knows she is a hero.

This allows her to enjoy a normal college life.

She leads a double life: a normal college student named Shin Haru during the day and a hero named Stardust at night.

"Haru, you don't seem to be concentrating. Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no. I just need to think for a moment."

She waved her hand, reassuring her senior that she was fine and would work hard, and picked up her pen to continue the project.

But her attention was elsewhere.

What exactly is Egoistic, this guy, up to?