-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The S-Rank Bluff
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Alright.
Let's recap the situation.
First, my plan was this:
To teach that 'Monkey Tap Dance' or whatever, who pissed me off, a lesson.
For that, I'd wait for him to be filming his live blackmail video and draw his attention.
Once the flustered bastard stopped filming, I'd provoke him with some trash talk.
Then, I'd squeeze out every last bit of my psychokinesis and kill all his subordinates in one go.
That would make him wary, thinking I was incredibly strong.
Wiping them out with a single snap of my fingers? He'd be terrified of what would happen if I snapped them twice.
Originally, I'd planned to do just that and then teleport away immediately.
I'd drop a line like, 'How tedious... Utterly unremarkable,' and then escape with Seo-eun and Soo-bin.
That kind of dramatic exit, as if fighting some petty criminal was beneath me, sounds good, right?
In reality, I was going to grab my car from the underground parking lot and make a run for Seoul while Busan was in chaos.
But then, a hitch appeared in my plan.
No, it seems I overdid it just a *tiny* bit with this psychokinesis or whatever.
I thought, 'This much should be fine?' Turns out, this much wasn't fine at all.
I had a feeling from the moment I snapped my fingers and tried to control all that psychokinesis. What kind of feeling? A 'screwed' feeling.
And sure enough, now I can't move. Ta-da!
So I changed my plan.
Straight to the Grand Egoistic Plan B: The Hellmouth of Trash Talk.
Pretending to be some mastermind, talking big as if I could kill them with a mere gesture, to prevent them from attacking recklessly.
Just holding out. Until when? Until a hero arrived.
North Sea Ice Maiden would probably come, and it would take some time for her to arrive.
So the key was to keep Monkey Spanner tied up with my chatter until then... or so I thought.
Oh, ta-da? North Sea Ice Maiden is already here!
And with Shadow Walker and Stardust, no less.
"..."
What the hell is this?
"Monkey Spanner!! Tell your subordinates to drop their weapons and surrender immediately. You are surrounded!"
Stardust's booming voice echoed through the spacious hotel lobby.
Hearing her voice in person, a voice I'd only read in comic books, was quite an enjoyable experience as a fan. It felt like watching a live-action movie.
Yeah, well, it would have been great if it wasn't happening right now, wouldn't it?
"I repeat! Drop your weapons and...."
Stardust's booming voice, which had been so loud,
gradually faded.
Because no matter where she looked around her,
there wasn't a single armed robber holding a gun.
"...?"
She couldn't hide her bewildered expression at the unexpected situation.
North Sea Ice Maiden, who had entered with her, also wore a look of undisguised confusion. Of course she would. They'd come to subdue armed robbers, but those robbers were already lying on the ground, beaten to a pulp.
Meanwhile, Monkey Spanner was trying to make a break for it.
"Agh... Ugh!"
In this even more chaotic situation, he, who had been the first to try and escape, was immediately subdued by Shadow Walker.
"No matter how weak I am right now... catching someone like you is easy."
Shadow Walker, who had somehow gotten on top of Monkey Spanner, subdued him with his shadows.
Thanks to that, Monkey Spanner ended up merely rolling on the floor, having done absolutely nothing.
A pathetic sight, with his hands, feet, and mouth all bound by shadows.
He had boldly initiated a terrorist attack with his subordinates, but in mere tens of minutes, he had lost all his men and found himself restrained.
No matter how much Monkey Spanner might squirm or struggle,
he couldn't resist Shadow Walker at night.
That was 'common sense'.
Of course, it seemed Shadow Walker was a bit out of sorts right now.
The kid was stumbling a bit.
That wasn't important, of course. Even if he seemed off, he'd easily subdued Monkey Spanner.
Seeing Monkey Spanner, subdued by a weakened Shadow Walker and with his head slammed into the floor,
Hmm... he looked pathetic.
Pathetic, yes, but.
If I messed up now, I'd end up just like him....
Shadow Walker, having subdued Monkey Spanner, turned his eyes toward me.
No, of course they would look at me. A guy they'd never seen before was sitting alone, cross-legged, atop a mountain of stacked chairs.
North Sea Ice Maiden and Stardust were no different.
North Sea Ice Maiden looked bewildered by me, and Stardust's face seemed slightly tense.
Hmm. Come to think of it.
They don't know I'm Egoistic yet, do they?
They'd stormed the scene after everything was over, so they wouldn't know what had happened. Monkey Spanner had also turned off the live stream before I appeared.
Crucially, my mask was different. Previously, I wore a half-mask in gray, but now it was a yellow full-face mask.
Shadow Walker, having successfully subdued Monkey Spanner, looked up at me with a puzzled expression. A 'Who is this guy?' kind of look.
Looking up at me, the tired-looking Shadow Walker opened his mouth.
"...Who are you? We clearly came to capture Monkey Spanner..."
After saying that much, he looked around.
Dozens of armed terrorists, inexplicably sprawled on the ground, covered in blood.
And Monkey Spanner, who had been standing awkwardly.
And me, sitting cross-legged, looking down at him.
Any logical person would have immediately caught on here.
The fact that *I* was the one who had dealt with all of them.
Then the question would arise in their minds:
'Who is this guy?'
To be considered a hero, my methods were far too extreme. I'd killed everyone. Plus, look at me, sitting arrogantly cross-legged, chin in hand, on a high perch, wearing a mask. I clearly looked like a villain.
But to be considered a villain? I'd stopped the terror. I was also confronting Monkey Spanner. Based purely on my actions, I was indeed a hero. It's just that they'd never seen a hero wearing a mask like this.
North Sea Ice Maiden and Stardust's suspicious gazes.
Along with Shadow Walker's gaze, as if trying to see right through me.
And I was currently in a state where I couldn't even twitch a finger.
What the hell is this?
Why are all of Korea's A-rank heroes gathered here in one place? Is Monkey Spanner someone who requires that level of response? No, he's not!
And why, out of all times, did all three of them suddenly show up when I was at my most helpless?
Guys, stop staring at me. You'll wear out my face.
"..."
A desperate crisis.
My brain started working faster than ever before.
I could see Seo-eun and Soo-bin looking at me with anxious eyes from afar. Actually, they were too far to really see, but wouldn't that be their expression? Don't worry, trust your oppa! I can overcome this kind of predicament.
Alright, first, my physical condition?
First, my goal is this: Teleport with those two to the car. Make a quick getaway.
So that means I only need to teleport that specific distance. It's not far.
If my body were fine right now, I'd have bolted already.
But the problem is, it's not fine.
A few minutes.
Just a few more minutes, and I think I can barely make a break for it. I don't know what state my body will be in after I bolt, though...
Anyway, I just need a few more minutes.
And creating those few minutes in such a crisis? That's the mark of a great villain.
How many hero stories have I watched so far?
I can do this.
Those three, still staring at me.
What did they ask earlier?
Ah, they asked who I was.
I need to answer carefully here.
Saying 'I'm Egoistic' would be suicide.
All three would just rush me and beat me up. And that would severely hurt my body and mind. So, absolutely not.
My goal is to buy time.
To buy time, I can't let them attack me midway.
To do that, I need to fake my identity.
They don't know me; I need to use that to my advantage.
To them, I'm some unknown person, wearing an unfamiliar yellow, mango-colored mask, who killed all those terrorists in some unknown way.
Here, I need to bluff.
I need to pull a fast one.
Sitting arrogantly on my high perch, looking down at everyone, I slowly opened my mouth.
I couldn't show any sign of tension. Casually, as if stating a plain fact.
"...You asked who I am? I am—"
Right, the best bluff here is to lie and say I'm a hero. I should go with the concept of a hero they don't know, one who doesn't operate openly in Korea.
Therefore, I replied brazenly.
"I am an S-rank hero, operating in South Korea with my identity concealed."
"....."
My words, arrogantly and gravely declaring myself a hero.
At those words, the atmosphere around us suddenly stirred. From those who thought, 'What nonsense is this?' to those who wondered, 'Could it be?'
And our Stardust was the former.
"...We've never heard of a separate S-rank hero. There's no mention of it anywhere in the Association's documents or data. What kind of ridiculous thing are you saying?"
A sharp point.
No, actually, it wasn't even sharp. Of course they hadn't heard... I just made it up...
But failing to overcome something like this makes you a third-rate villain.
As a first-rate villain, I knew that in situations like this, brazenness was key.
With the gravest and most authoritative voice I could muster, yet still arrogant, I opened my mouth.
"Of course. Don't you know the meaning of 'operating in secret'? Koreans might not know."
Ego Style Secret Technique, Fifth Art: Insistence.
What do *you* know?
Got proof?
Anyway, I'm a hero, okay?
I put on my poker face and decided to be brazen.
In a heavy, serious voice, I spoke loudly again, making sure it echoed well.
"You all. I've heard of you. Shadow Walker, North... Icicle. And Stardust. But aren't all of you A-rank heroes? The difference between a senior and a junior is like heaven and earth, so all of you should use honorifics when speaking to me. This great senior hero—"
Their expressions around me grew even stranger at that, but what did it matter?
Yes. Me, a mere villain who couldn't even move his body right now.
With three heroes who could crush me with a flick of a finger,
had brazenly said that.
Oh, damn it, I'm S-rank, so use honorifics.
The three of them looked at me as if dumbfounded by my sudden declaration, as if wondering if they'd misheard.
Regardless, I only grew bolder. Use honorifics, damn it. Isn't this the Land of Courtesy in the East?
North Sea Ice Maiden, as if utterly flabbergasted by my words, retorted:
"What did you say?"
"'What did you say' is informal. Use honorifics."
I don't know anymore, damn it. Let's just go all out.
And so, that night, in a hotel lobby in Busan, a grand chaotic party was about to break out.
Let's go for round two, round three, and then full-on brain-melt.