Ep.230 Discord and Mockery

The day I told the members that I would handle Scream Maker alone. There was strong opposition, but after a lengthy persuasion, I finally managed to convince them.

Da-in, if you seem to be in danger, Eun-wol will be nearby, ready to assist.

Hmm, all right. You can come if it seems like Im in extremely danger.

And in case things go wrong, well all join in and demolish all the buildings with missile-like things to save you, so keep that in mind.

Hmm

Oh, and this time, make sure to bring Death Knights ring with you. Got it?

All right

It wasnt easy, but anyway, the important thing is that I managed to avoid opposition to going alone. Even if it had to be done like this, its better for me to go alone. The villains toxic gas ability is dangerous with even a small inhalation, and given what I found out about where he lives, its even more so.

Yeah, based on simulations I ran using the original work as a reference, its most desirable for me to just go in alone and take him down. I know his attack patterns better than anyone else.

And then.

Hmm

I pondered deeply. Scream Maker. Just as I chose to face the risk rather than entrust Stardus, dealing with him is extremely difficult when you know nothing about him, especially as the story progresses further into the original work.

Especially later on, in the Association, there are those who are called something Maker besides Scream Maker. These villains formed an organization called The Maker Trio and engaged in intense battles. Among them, our Scream Maker was the toughest.

Hmm

With those thoughts in mind, I reread the file I had received. He lives in a massive pension-like building on the outskirts of Seoul, but in reality, its a research facility. Its filled with various scientific equipment, essentially a weapon to chase intruders.

These villains nowadays are quite thorough.

.

Ah, I miss the old days. Our teleporter and those kinds of villains. In the early stages of the original work, they were pure villains who could be ambushed while taking a nap at home. Now, all thats left are crazy people fortifying their homes

Of course.

That doesnt mean they cant be apprehended, but

Anyway, we continued to finalize our plans.

Da-in, please be really careful, okay?

Da-in, if it seems dangerous, make sure to run away. Got it?

Da-in, Ill be right next to you, so if anything happens, Ill come right away.

All right, all right. Now, Im really going.

On the outskirts of Seoul, in a penthouse that stood conspicuously alone on a flat plain, I prepared to make my move.

Naturally, I set up the cameras in mid-air. All right, its time to start the broadcast.

***

After Egostics Kim Cheol-woo broadcast. Regardless of whatever Egostic did, fans of Mango Stick from all over the country were quite satisfied when he turned on the broadcast, even though the broadcast time hadnt been more than a few minutes. Experts had already taken gifs from the video and created numerous memes and shorts, which had been uploaded. Especially because Egostic only appeared once every three months or so and only four times a year, fans were more excited, even though it had been turned on early this time.

Because of that, no one expected it. Egostic, who had only recently turned on the broadcast after several weeks.

[?????????]

[Is this for real?]

[Wow, seriously? Mango Stick turned on the broadcast after only 2 weeks?]

[Kya, this is it!]

[Mangtaeshik is back!]

[King God Hwangostick <= like if youve believed in him]

[But why is it on before 7 a.m.? Im so sleepy]

[The best choice for the subway on the way to work]

[Its hilarious to see people who cant open their eyes watching on their phones. hahaha. Im first hahaha]

[People who oversleep are doomed hahaha. By the time they wake up, the Egostic broadcast will already be over hahaha]

Yeah. On a still chilly morning, with no tall buildings around in the outskirts of Seoul, I felt the slight breeze as I smiled brightly at the camera.

Hello, everyone. Its Egostic!

Chat messages poured in.

While watching the chat scroll down so rapidly that it was hard to read each message, I carefully chose my words.

All right, I have to speak well from here on.

From now on, Im going to conduct a villain hunting broadcast, which has its own history and tradition.

In fact, there is something I need to be particularly careful about, especially since I decided to eliminate Scream Maker this time. What concerns me the most is the justification for taking him down.

In reality, this might not seem like a big deal, but its a significant issue. As someone who originally adopted the villain concept, I cant just randomly hunt down other villains without a clear reason. No matter how many I defeat, there must be a clear justification. Whats the difference between that and a hero if I just eliminate villains because Im bored?

Actually, the bigger issue is the other hidden villains. They might think, Is Egostic coming to deal with me too? That means the enemies are increasing. I need a clear justification to prevent that.

So, until now, whenever I had to deal with other villains, I always managed to come up with some justification. Like their weapons looked cool or they were making too much noise or they were building weapons under my nose! Things like that.

In this case, I could simply use the logic that he looks dangerous, so Im getting rid of him, just like when I dealt with Weapon Master last time. However, repeating the same reason twice in a row doesnt seem right.

So, I had no choice but to decide to vilify our Scream Maker.

Im sorry, Scream Maker! But youre already a bad guy to begin with, so its okay to put a little blame on you, right? Yeah, thats how I see it.

Ladies and gentlemen, the reason I turned on the broadcast today is no other reason. Its because Ive received a declaration of war.

So, I solemnly made a bombshell statement just a few seconds after starting the broadcast.

The chat window was flooded with question marks in response to my sudden announcement.

With a very regretful expression, I put my hand on my forehead and continued.

Yes! Just another villain sent me a message. I was wondering what was it but guess what? He didnt like me and said he was going to destroy me and Ego Stream. Hes going to eliminate all of us someday, so wait for it.

*

[Wow]

[Seriously? This guy is insane, messing with Egostic like that hahaha]

[What is this, a new concept suicide declaration?]

[Following Shine Tear, we have the second sacrifice hahaha]

*

Of course, its nonsense. Right now, Scream Maker is too busy with his own work so he wont notice anything. So, Im accusing him as the guy who declared war on me from today. A top villains fight is a cold one. Insulting and vilifying the opponent without hesitation is the way to become a true top villain.

With shamelessness, I shouted towards the camera.

He introduced himself as Scream Maker, but regardless, he threatened to destroy me, and I couldnt just sit still! So, I traced back the message he sent and came here to deal with it!

*

[Ahahaha]

[So it ended up like this, hahaha.]

[Farewell, Scream Whatever Dont come back.]

[Its not that easy to repay a thousand favors with one word, but hes created himself a problem, hahaha.]

[This is revenge, isnt it? He was the one who threatened first.]

[Where did he get the confidence to mess with the number one villain in South Korea? I have no idea.

[Theres nothing to say if you get smashed first hahahaha]

*

In an instant, Scream Maker had become the crazy guy who dared to mess with Egostic, and I expressed mock sympathy towards him. Of course, I didnt actually feel sorry for him.

In any case, I had successfully obtained a justification. Now, everyone would understand why I was going after Scream Maker. This should put an end to any talk of me randomly hunting down other villains like some Dark Hero.

So, I could relax and face the showdown.

With that thought in mind, I confidently entered the front gate of the penthouse.

Come here!

Thud.

I gave the door a kick, and it shattered. Of course, it was using telekinesis, but anyway

I entered Scream Makers headquarters, the penthouse, without any bloodshed.

The inside of the house was tidy and organized. More accurately, it was so clean that you might doubt if anyone lived here, with the exception of a thick layer of dust.

*

[Huh, what is it?]

[Did he come to the wrong place? It seems like no one lives here.]

*

Hmm He must be here though.

As doubts from the viewers circulated, I approached one of the walls in the relatively small penthouse. I groped around and pressed a switch.

And then

Buzzzzzzzzzzz

Accompanied by the sound of machinery in motion, the wall above me opened upward like a garage door. As the surprising sight of the sloping gray corridor inside the hidden wall was revealed, I couldnt help but chuckle while observing the bewildered reactions of the viewers.

As expected, I knew it would be like this. Secrets are always hidden.

Now that I had cleared the path to the villains hideout, it was time to start preparing.

I was sure the villain had also noticed the presence of an intruder by now.

I turned away from the camera with these thoughts in mind and naturally adjusted my mask into a gas mask.

All right, lets go in.

With that, I spoke and started walking towards the secretive corridor. The moment of the upcoming battle was drawing near.

***

Hmm

Shin Haru.

She woke up in the morning, stretching and yawning, then headed to the fridge to grab some water. After drinking the cold water, she sat down with a dazed expression, attempting to fully wake up.

While doing so, she turned on the TV out of habit to catch up on any news from the previous night.

As soon as the TV screen lit up, she saw Egostic.

[It looks like some kind of laboratory, doesnt it? Quite dark. It seems villains these days favor this style.]

Egostic was making light-hearted comments while walking down a dimly lit corridor. Next to him was a [LIVE] mark?

.?

Suddenly, Stardus mind snapped to attention.