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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The First Ordeal
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A train hurtling forward at high speed.
What would happen if a person got hit squarely by it?
Well, most people would think the same thing.
They'd be shattered into a million pieces.
That's 'common sense'.
In that sense, what would you think if you saw someone rushing headlong towards an oncoming train?
You wouldn't think much beyond, 'People are finding all sorts of ways to commit suicide these days!'
The sight I was witnessing now was exactly the same.
A slender woman, running head-on towards an oncoming train.
But I had faith.
Faith that she wouldn't be shattered into a million pieces.
But it wasn't time to say that yet.
This was a moment to overreact a little.
I watched the scene and made a big fuss.
"No!!! Is that even allowed? She's going to be shattered into a million pieces if she does that!!!!"
*
[Is Stardust finally insane???]
[Even if Stardust is an A-rank hero, can she really withstand that?]
[Nah, with Stardust's strength, she probably can't withstand that. I saw the data uploaded by the Hero Association; her maximum physical endurance is less than that train collision.]
[So what happens?]
[They said to choose between one death and five deaths, but now it's six deaths, I guess.]
*
"No! Stardust! Why are you going to commit suicide!! Stop it!!!"
Even if I screamed my lungs out from the cliff, there was no way Stardust could hear me.
I just helplessly watched as Stardust rushed towards the train.
The chat window began to ignite.
*
[Look at this guy, panicking when he meets true madness lololol]
[He clearly set up a dilemma, but she just committed suicide lolololol]
[Why did that Mango Stick jerk suddenly freeze up?]
[He's turned into an Ice Mango lolololol]
[Egostick should be upgraded to an S-rank villain]
[Seriously, he's taking out an A-rank hero without doing anything? lolololol]
[You crazy bastards, if Stardust dies, we're screwed too! This isn't the time to be laughing!!]
[Isn't Stardust in charge of Seoul? I don't live in Seoul, so I don't care lolololol]
[Seriously, as long as it's not meeeee lolololol]
*
"This… I didn't intend for this to happen…"
I muttered bitterly.
Or, to be precise, I muttered, *pretending* to be bitter.
Not intend for it? My ass. Of course I intended it.
Given Stardust's righteous personality, there was no way she would tolerate sacrificing someone else.
She'd sacrifice herself first.
Stardust. Shin Haru.
In the original story, Shin Haru endures countless hardships.
All sorts of bizarre villains do their best to drag Stardust down into the abyss in various ways.
In that process, Shin Haru's body and mind are torn to shreds. Despite being more righteous than anyone, she suffers endlessly.
The first day I realized I had entered this strange world, that was my vow.
To alleviate Stardust, Shin Haru's suffering, even just a little.
But then there's a slight problem.
As befits a hero story protagonist, Shin Haru grows stronger the more hardships she endures.
The more her mind is worn down, the more powerful her abilities become, and the more her body struggles, the stronger her abilities get.
She's a resilient character, like a weed, who grows stronger by overcoming adversity.
But the important thing is, as I decided to eliminate villains in her place, the hardships gradually disappeared.
What? She needs to suffer, but she's not suffering because of me?
If she doesn't endure hardships, she won't get stronger.
And if she doesn't get stronger, a lot of problems will arise.
As I mentioned before, the original comic that formed this world suffers from increasing power creep as time goes on.
Korea, which clearly used to have a reasonable number of heroes and villains, somehow, as time passed, became a story of ridiculously strong villains and Stardust growing equally ridiculously powerful to match them.
And then there's America. In this world, America is just utter chaos. It's the world's number one holder of S-rank heroes, with not a single one in Korea, and also the country with the most S-rank villains. A country where all sorts of incidents and accidents erupt every single day.
In the latter half of the story, divine beings just start appearing, and the world ends, and it's a complete mess, but it's none other than our Stardust who stops the world's destruction that even the numerous S-ranks in America couldn't prevent.
I've rambled a bit, but the conclusion is that Stardust needs to endure hardships and power up, if only to prevent the world's destruction.
And now, it's me who has to give her those hardships.
Isn't it better for Stardust to receive hardships from me, who can provide a systematically well-structured hardship curriculum with close supervision, rather than suffering from all sorts of civilian casualties, property damage, and unpredictable miscellaneous villains? Anyway, it'll be better.
And the first item in my hardship gift set is stopping an oncoming train.
Yes, it might be hard. It might be hard, but our Haru will endure it. Go, Stardust!!
And at that moment, Stardust collided with the train.
CRASH— A tremendous roar echoed even to my location.
[SCREEEEEEAM!!!!]
…And then, the sound of Soobin's scream.
I'm sorry, Soobin. Just hold on a little longer…
I watched the scene with my mouth agape.
Clouds of dust billowed up. Through the dust, the train continued to move.
However, its speed was definitely slowing down.
Someone must have been holding it back.
The train, which had been screeching as its speed decreased, finally came to a halt, barely stopping right in front of the five tied-up people. It worked! It stopped! Phew. I secretly let out a sigh of relief.
But wait, is Stardust okay? I clenched my fist and stared at the spot. She endured it, right? She must have. My Stardust wouldn't collapse from something like this. Yes, of course she endured it.
I unconsciously felt myself swallow. An unprecedented situation. Slowly, the dust began to clear.
I started to feel uneasy again. What if she died? Oh, that wouldn't do.
A moment of dread.
Before long, the dust cloud completely cleared.
And what emerged from within was Stardust, standing firm.
I unclenched my fist and unconsciously shouted.
"Yes!!!... No, wait! Oh! Oh… Oh! She endured it. She endured it! Wow, she actually endured that. Yes. This wasn't exactly what I had planned, but… Yes. Well, she solved this dilemma in her own way. Hmm. Yes."
*
[What's with him yelling 'Yes!' lolololol]
[No, it looks like he was happier than anyone to see Stardust perfectly fine, though?]
[I knew it from the moment that Mango Stick guy killed a villain and wrote Stardust's name; turns out he likes Stardust more than anyone lolololol]
['Yes! No, wait!' LOLOLOL]
[Egostick is so cute <3]
[Wow, but Stardust really endured that? How did she do it, holy crap?]
[Seriously, wasn't that train going like 140 km/h? How can a person endure that?]
[Not a person, but a 'hero']
[Stardust! Stardust! Stardust! Stardust! Stardust! Stardust! Stardust! Stardust! Stardust! Stardust! Stardust! Stardust!]
[Mom, when I grow up, I want to be Stardust! Mom, when I grow up, I want to be Stardust! Mom, when I grow up, I want to be Stardust!]
[Look at these guys, talking trash about Stardust and then suddenly doing a complete 180 lolololol]
[Seriously lol, it feels like Stardust would've gotten cursed out whether she pulled the lever or not, but she got through it like this lolololol]
[All you guys who cursed Stardust, come out now!]
[In the midst of all this, is it true Egostick renewed his zero casualties record again? Egostick is truly a legend….]
[I'm going to petition the association to appoint Egostick as an A-rank hero immediately, damn it.]
*
The chat's reaction was excellent.
Yes, this is it! Stardust deserves this kind of treatment!
I felt a blockage in my chest clear. Good, good. Although, it seems like more people will become my fans since I achieved zero casualties again… Yes, for our Stardust, I can tolerate this much sacrifice.
Just as I was lost in my own moment of triumph, I saw Stardust collapse on the spot in the distance. Huh.
I immediately moved towards Stardust.
Stardust was lying collapsed on the ground.
Covered in dust, she was gasping for breath, barely keeping her eyes open. She looked as if she might lose consciousness at any moment.
"You… bas… tard…"
Stardust called out to me in a dying voice.
Seeing her on the verge of fainting, I felt a significant wave of apology. I put her through this because she needed to suffer, but seeing her struggle so much made me feel a little bad.
Before she fainted, I should at least say this much.
I knelt on one knee beside her and began to speak.
"Yes, Stardust. You did well. In a way I never could have imagined. To save everyone like that, I truly didn't expect it. This is your victory. I'll be leaving now, so get some good rest. Other heroes will be here soon."
Whispering these words to her, I reached out a hand and gently closed her eyes.
She tried to resist for a moment, but once her eyes were closed, she seemed to lose all strength and eventually fell into a deep sleep, breathing faintly. Yes, it must have been tough.
Standing up again and dusting off my knees, I bade farewell to the camera.
"Yes. My terror attack ends here. Thank you for watching, everyone."
Now that it was quiet, I figured Soobin must have fainted. I'd retrieve her from the engine room and head home.
After delivering my closing remarks, I turned off the camera.
As the broadcast ended, the chat closed as well.
*
[What's with their vibe?]
*
That was the last chat message.
And that night, dating rumors between Egostick and Stardust broke out.
Is this… Korea?