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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Aftermath and Mango Sticks
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"...So, now that Egostic is buying time, deploy. Understood?"
After the phone call with the Association President, she was flying.
Though she was under a perception-hindering effect, coming and going as quickly as possible, it wasn't as if much time had been lost.
If Egostic hadn't been there, it wouldn't have been strange for hundreds more casualties to have occurred much earlier.
"Haa… haa…"
She had flown tens, even hundreds of kilometers, across the sky.
She wondered if she was too late, if everything was already over, but she kept flying regardless.
The in-ear earphone connected to the Association staff was no longer audible due to her high speed. Yet, she couldn't slow down. She didn't know how many more people might be harmed in the brief moment she hesitated.
When she finally arrived at the location where the villain was reportedly wreaking havoc,
the villain was already defeated.
And nearby, someone was calmly picking up a fallen gun from the ground and placing it into a bag.
It was none other than Egostic, currently occupying the top spot in her mind.
"H-huh… huh…"
She turned her head to assess the situation.
A massive, alligator-faced brute lay sprawled on the ground.
A green, smoky mist hovered around the alligator monster, and given that Egostic was wearing a gas mask, it seemed he had dealt with it using some kind of biochemical weapon.
Just where did he get such a thing, and how did he even think to deal with it in such a way?
Swallowing the rising questions, she merely confirmed the facts with him once more.
"...Did you take it down?"
"Yes, that's right. I took it down."
His nonchalant answer made her frown instinctively. She couldn't understand. Why did he suddenly appear and defeat that alligator monster? What meaning did such an action hold for him?
Combining all her questions, she could only ask this:
"...Why?"
When she asked, Egostic opened his mouth and began to speak fluently, as if he had prepared an answer to that very question in advance.
"Well, I was just relaxing, you know, when suddenly the broadcast showed some weirdo causing a ruckus? They even called out Stardus, so I was like, 'Oh, our dear Star is getting popular these days~' while munching on popcorn. But then, wouldn't you know it, he mentioned me?"
That weirdo called out Egostic? *Did I miss it because I immediately evacuated with Senior Chae-hyun from the scene?* Shin Ha-ru thought, as Egostic continued.
"He said something about me 'making out' or 'sucking face' with you. It kind of put me in a bad mood, you know? What did I even do?"
His words made her face contort into a frown as well. What? *Me, making out with him?* It was an absurd slander. They were enemies, after all.
...But when Egostic said he was also in a bad mood, she felt a little off herself. Something unpleasant.
"And according to my personal dictionary, anyone who plays games by mentioning my name needs a bit of 'education.' So, to make an example, I played with him a little."
So that was the crux of it. Unbeknownst to her, her expression relaxed. Right, that madman would certainly do something like that. All he'd shown so far was an impulsive and destructive nature. It seemed that a weaker villain mentioning his name had simply put him in a terrible mood, leading him to kill.
Just as she had resolved all her doubts,
he suddenly manipulated the camera filming them with his psychokinesis, then turned his back to it and faced her.
And then, in a low voice, he spoke to her.
"...And since I've muted the audio, I'll say this: Don't ever think about just showing your face and stepping out like you did today again. The moment you do, your life will become exceedingly difficult."
What? She was utterly flustered. *How did you know I was thinking that?*
While her mind was momentarily blank, Egostic was already waving at the camera.
"Alright! That's all for my broadcast today. I'm pretty tired from suddenly stepping out without a plan today. Look forward to something big coming next month, okay? See you next time. Bye~."
Wait, something big next month? No, more importantly, how did he know what she was just thinking?
"Wait!"
Before she could hastily question him, he had already vanished.
Thus, except for the alligator monster lying defeated beside her, the rooftop was empty.
"...What the hell was that?"
***
And a few days later.
The incident was quickly forgotten by the public.
With disciplinary actions taken against the B-C rank heroes who could have responded to the scene but didn't, the incident was officially closed within the Association.
"Haa. It really would have been a disaster if that Egostic fellow hadn't shown up. That guy, he's a mad dog. It's trouble if a mad dog bites us, but if he charges at the enemy, there's nothing more reliable than that! Haha."
Leaving the Association President's easygoing, jovial laughter behind, she stepped out of the office.
"Phew…"
Having completed all her reports and exited the building, she sighed, looking up at the sky.
It was a good thing. A good thing, yet why was her mind so tangled?
Walking down the street, she opened her phone and accessed her school's online community.
In the community's search bar, she typed character by character and searched.
[Egostic]
Not many posts appeared. Puzzled, she paused to think, then searched for something different.
[Mangostick]
Suddenly, posts popped up like mushrooms after rain.
*
[Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick!]
[Feeling like some Mangostick today]
[Baby Mangbong joined the Mango Squad... Can this hit the hot topics?]
[Honestly, Mangostick seems way better than most heroes these days lol]
[Mangostick must be from our university (proof included)]
[Back then, I got a 1-month suspension for praising Mangostick, saying I was supporting a villain, but now why isn't anyone else getting suspended, f*ck lolllll]
[Mangostick's next month's terror prediction...real fact]
*
The countless posts were all filled with praise for Egostic.
As she continued to scroll through the posts with a heavy heart, one particular post caught her eye.
[People are mindlessly fawning over this 'Mangostick' lately, if South Korea keeps going like this...]
Yes, there was someone else here who, like her, recognized the problems with the current social phenomenon.
With anticipation, she clicked on the post.
The main content then appeared.
***
[Author] Anonymous
[Title] People are mindlessly fawning over this 'Mangostick' lately, if South Korea keeps going like this...
Rider
(Image of a Kamen Rider reaching out a hand)
[Anonymous1] Like if you predicted it successfully
ㄴ[Anonymous2] If you hate like-begging, like this instead lol
***
"Ugh, seriously."
She simply pressed the back button.
Eventually, with no success, she turned off her phone and gazed out the window of the moving vehicle, resting her chin on her hand.
...Everyone but her liked Egostic.
Where did it all go wrong?
*...Didn't he at least avoid any casualties? Besides, Egostic has been hunting other villains lately, which has reduced the crime rate, you know. For now, let's leave him be. He's a teleportation ability user, so he's hard to catch anyway…*
*What? What if he causes another act of terror? Haha, well, then you can just stop him when the time comes, can't you? I trust you. Our Association trusts you.*
...The Association President's words kept echoing in her mind.
For the head of the Korean Paranormal Ability Association to speak like that, perhaps Egostic truly was harmless.
However, based on everything he had shown so far, he was the very embodiment of unpredictable chaos.
In truth, if she hadn't stopped him, the people on that ship and those tied to the railway tracks would all have died.
If someone had died because of Egostic, would people still be praising him like this?
"..."
No, of course not.
She leaned her face against the window and closed her eyes.
Egostic, how on earth did that guy know she was thinking of just showing her face and stepping out?
Did he read her mind? Like a mind reader?
No, that couldn't be. He wouldn't have an ability like that.
Then how else did he know? Did he know she was at that festival then?
How did he know? Does that mean he knows her identity? That she's Shin Ha-ru?
"..."
No, that wasn't what was important.
What was important was that Egostic was a definite villain. And she would catch him. Just like any other villain.
She reaffirmed her resolve.
But without her knowing, a seed had been planted in her heart.
A seed of doubt, that perhaps others were right, and she was wrong.
***
"...Soobin unnie, is Oppa still not awake?"
"Yeah. But his vital signs are much better now. He'll probably wake up soon."
"Haa... Seriously, what does this foolish Oppa trust to treat his body so carelessly…"
Egostic. Han Seo-eun leaned against the bed where Dain lay, looking at him.
What on earth did this man believe in to charge so haphazardly without any countermeasures?
...It must be because of Stardus, that bitch.
"....."
As Han Seo-eun thought of Stardus, she felt an uncomfortable feeling welling up inside her.
Dain had never directly said it, but she instinctively deduced.
Both before and now, Dain would jump into any danger for Stardus.
What exactly was so good about Stardus that he acted like that?
More than that.
"Cough, cough."
"Oppa!"
Before she could even finish her thoughts, Dain woke up.
It had been three days since he collapsed.