Ep 246 Full Speed

In South Korea, where various incidents occurred daily, television was the fastest way to receive the latest news. Why? You could just leave it on, and every now and then, an urgent news flash would pop up announcing the appearance of a villain.

So, its no wonder that the TV and radio had surprisingly high viewership rates. Some villains even took over broadcasting stations to broadcast their terror threats live on television.

Just like now.

Ah, ah. Hello, everyone.

On a typical day, the broadcast was hijacked, and the image of that villain was displayed, leading to a sudden increase in viewership. It was none other than A-rank villain Egostic.

[Mango appeared after 100 years hahaha]

[Why did you take so long? Weve been waiting for a villain like you for a long time!]

[Look at the viewer count going up in real-time, damn!]

[Mango yahoo~ Mango yahoo~ Mango yahoo~ Mango-buzz-buzz~ Mango-buzz-buzz~]

[The chat is so fast, hahaha]

[Sup is this that famous Egos room? Damm lucky Im here lmao]

[Why are these people blindly posting in the chat without even watching the video, hahaha?]

[Why is no one paying attention to the current situation, hahaha? Wheres Mango now?]

Despite the simultaneous broadcast from various sources, the chat on the official website was flooded with messages. While some continued spamming the chat, a few finally started to question Egostics current appearance. This was because the image on the screen showed Egostic sitting in a relaxed manner with a green background. He was on a chair somewhere with his legs crossed, casually holding a drink. So, it could be said that he was on a set somewhere rather than at the actual scene.

This is Egostic. Nice to meet you.

He was in a completely different setting, sitting in a chair with a green backdrop, casually enjoying a drink in a relaxed manner, unlike his usual self.

Hmm This is so nice

Thats why, for some reason, his appearance seemed calmer than usual, with an air of ease. He casually sipped his drink as if he was deciding whether to engage in terrorism or start a news broadcast.

*[?? hahaha]

[Is today not for terrorism but Egostics coffee time?]

[Taking a leisurely sip before committing terrorism is understandable haha]

[Why does he look so natural, hahaha?]

[Im brewing a cup of Boseong green tea and sipping it in front of the monitor. It feels like tea time with Mango, hahaha]

[Watching the current Hero Association situation live, not knowing whats going on, hahaha]

[Just sipping tea raises his viewer count this much, hahaha]

*

After watching the broadcast for a while, sitting in a chair, sipping tea, Egostic placed his teacup on a round white table and crossed his legs, all while looking at the camera with a sly smile.

Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you all once again. How have you been?

With that cheerful smile, he snapped his fingers, and the green background behind him turned white. Egostic stood up and adjusted his black robe, so now the camera only showed his upper body.

With this setup, he took a deep breath and spoke with a sigh.

Ah, everyone, I have a concern these days. It seems that many of you dont find my acts of terrorism as threatening as you should. Do you all think you wont die no matter what happens? Many people seem to be suffering from a sense of invulnerability, which is quite unfortunate.

With his tongue in cheek and his head nodding gravely, he presented a significant issue. As he spoke, the viewers reactions quickly flooded the chat.

*

[???? hahaha]

[Does he think we wont die? (With zero civilian casualties while saying that)]

[Shouldnt we enjoy it when an S-rank hero throws an event?]

[Oh, who made our Mango angry? Can we not freak out right away?]

[Mango wasnt a tsundere, was he? Oops, thats all Ill say.]

*

With these responses from viewers, he shook his head and addressed the issue more seriously.

Well, it seems many of you dont know something important. The fact is that the reason youve been safe all this time is not because of me but because of Stardus. She has been preventing my acts of terrorism quite effectively. Ah, if only it werent for Stardus, all my acts of terrorism would have been completely successful. Its truly unfortunate.

Casually praising Stardus, he finally seemed to get to the point. With a wicked smile, he continued.

Thats why Ive made a decision.

Lets launch the terror right before Stardus can stop it!

Now, let me introduce it!

Saying so, he snapped his fingers with a sharp sound. Simultaneously, the white background behind him transformed to reveal the sky over a city, or more precisely, the image of a gigantic missile hovering magically in the sky.

Yes! Thats right, there will be no more mercy. I will just drop a missile over Seoul!

As he finished speaking, the missile wobbled as if it were about to fall at any moment. As he snapped his fingers again, a map of Seoul appeared, with a red dot at the right end of the map, where a cute missile emoji was placed, though it was hardly a cute situation.

Nodding in satisfaction, he looked towards the camera and continued with a mischievous smile.

But dropping it right away would be quite unfair, dont you think? So, lets give you a generous 20 minutes. After that, Ill drop it without fail. Of course, considering its immense power, if it hits, the city will be obliterated. Its best to declare an emergency and run away right now.

After saying this, he added one more thing with a smile.

Of course! If Stardus arrives within the given time, who knows? I might reconsider. Oh, and Im feeling a bit generous because I feel sorry for Stardus, who suddenly got called in for overtime. Lets ease the conditions a bit.

He indicated the location of the Hero Associations bunker near the city on the map, suggesting that everyone in the city should rush into the bunker within the time frame if they wanted to relax the terms.

All of you in this city! If you can rush into the bunker in chaos within the time limit, Ill consider giving you more time. Lets see your unity! Not that its likely to happen, but who knows? Hahaha!

After saying this, he zoomed in on the map and marked the location of the Hero Associations bunker near the city where the missile would fall.

From now on, all of you have 20 minutes. Lets see what youve got.

Begin!

*

[Mangkyaaaaaa~]

[Why did it have to be where I work? Who placed a missile over my head?]

[My boss has gone insane, offering not just bomb sales but free distribution, OMG!]

[[Doom guy~~~~~]

*

And with those words, the city located right beneath the missile realized the disaster they were facing, with just 20 minutes left.

Obviously, the Hero Association was in chaos.

Quick, call Stardus!

Mr. President, Ive contacted Stardus!

Good. Hurry, tell her to take off!

Frantically, they had no idea that Stardus was already flying at full speed.

***

A heros life is not easy. That goes without saying. Heroes are those who confront villains, and villains are unpredictable about when and where they might cause terror.

Korea was fortunate to have a hero known as Shadow Walker, who took over the night shifts, allowing most other heroes to rest. Still, it was tough.

Being a hero meant you could be eating lunch, taking a shower, or watching a movie, and as soon as a villain appeared, you had to stop everything and respond.

Yes, they understood that. They knew it, but

Ugh

In the skies over Seoul, Stardus was flying at full speed, looking like a human jet. She forced down such thoughts.

Egostic!

Isnt this too much?

Why is the target so far away?

She almost swallowed her tears. That morning, she had woken up with a hangover and had no time to prepare herself for the news that Egostic had launched a terror attack for the first time in thousands of years.

To make matters worse, the location of the terror attack was so far from her home It was frustrating to the point that she even wondered if Egostic had something against her.

Ugh

However, there was no time to travel leisurely, and she had to fly with all her might due to the minimal time available.

Stardus, you have 10 minutes left. Go a little faster!

Egostic!

And so, with tears in her eyes, Stardus flew through the sky, her golden hair billowing. She had a vow in her heart that she would give Egostic a piece of her mind when she arrived

***

Hic

Why are you crying again, Da-in?

Its nothing Its really nothing.

How could I tell her that I felt sorry for Stardus, who had been flying tirelessly since morning? I couldnt. But there was no other way. If I didnt want Stardus to shed tears of regret later, I needed to push her abilities to the limit and make her grow now. And the best way to help the protagonist grow was to put her in a crisis and help her overcome it. Thats why there was no choice but to resort to such extreme methods.

Stardus, stay strong!

Even if I arrived there, I would probably be of no help, but for the sake of her growth, I would launch another missile attack at the other end of Seoul as soon as I arrived there. She would have to fly there as well.

Stay strong, Stardus!

I sent my silent encouragement, swallowing my tears.

It hurt my heart.