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Chapter 89 - Chapter 90: Chapter 90

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: A Dangerous Alliance

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Before me sat a woman with long, sky-blue hair, her features giving her a somewhat cold, feline impression. Lee Seol-ah.

Many descriptors could be used for her.

For one, she was one of only three A-rank heroes in South Korea, alongside Stardust. Operating under the alias 'Icicle,' she was based in Busan, where she suppressed villains.

Beyond her heroic identity, she possessed another status equally renowned: the very name Lee Seol-ah.

She was the third-generation scion of Yoo Sung Group, which shone as the second-largest conglomerate in South Korea's business world.

Already somewhat known for her exceptional beauty and her title as a chaebol scion, she garnered significant attention when, after awakening her abilities, she declared her intent to live as a hero.

Perhaps because her heroic activities for the citizens, despite being a chaebol scion, were viewed favorably, her image in Busan, where Yoo Sung Group's headquarters were located, was quite positive.

Particularly due to her unique beauty and her perpetually smiling demeanor, she had cultivated an image among the public as a 'good-hearted chaebol heiress.' It was perhaps a given, considering she was doing hero work that she didn't even need to do.

Yet, this was all a facade.

The woman who pretended to be naive and ignorant of the world was, in truth, a puppet master harboring the ambition to devour South Korea from behind the scenes. Her hero activities were merely a means to conceal her true intentions, manage her image, and forge connections with the Association.

Effectively commanding Yoo Sung Group from the shadows, she became the de facto head of a leading South Korean corporation after rival Han Eun Group self-destructed.

In the original story, after the President stepped down due to the Seoul Collapse and a political vacuum emerged, she gradually devoured one political faction after another, expanding her influence.

Ultimately, seizing control of the business world, the political sphere, and public sentiment, she ascended in the latter half of the original story to become the de facto ruler of South Korea, capable of replacing presidents and altering laws at her whim.

And this woman was now before me.

"A cooperative relationship..."

Lee Seol-ah murmured quietly to herself, then gently set down her teacup.

Behind her, sunlight glinted off her sky-blue hair.

"Amusing."

She let out a small, derisive laugh, then continued, her cold gaze fixed on me.

"A villain proposing cooperation to me, a hero... Do you truly believe I would accept such an offer?"

She spoke with chilling coldness.

Simultaneously, I felt a slight drop in the room's temperature. Or, considering her abilities, it might have actually dropped.

In response to her reaction, I grinned.

"Oh, come on, what are you talking about? We both know what's what."

Now. This is where it gets important.

The Lee Seol-ah depicted in the original story was terrifying. A woman with an almost innate talent for seeing through others' minds and an uncanny ability to assess situations.

However, that was the case when she had more experience and seasoned wisdom.

Right now, she was still raw, possessing only ambition, clumsy compared to her later self in the original story. At this point, her judgment would likely be a bit clouded.

In short, she was still a greenhorn.

Therefore, this was the only time I could 'cook' her. Before she ripened, right now.

Still maintaining my relaxed smile, I continued speaking.

"I know perfectly well who is behind Yoo Sung Group's expansionist moves, so why play coy? I'm not here to hinder you; I merely wish for a harmonious relationship, to walk the same path. A comrade, perhaps?"

After saying that much, I flicked my wrist, using psychokinesis to lift the empty teacup and teapot beside me. I poured myself a cup of coffee, then picked it up and drank. Delicious.

Lee Seol-ah, whose eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly at my display of 'at-home' comfort, quickly regained her composure and spoke to me with chilling coolness.

"I don't know what you think you know about me. And anyway, what help could you possibly offer me? This is absurd."

I gave her another small, derisive smile.

"There's plenty I can do for you. Well, the list is endless, really."

Bragging about it upfront wouldn't be very cool, would it?

I quietly pulled a USB drive from my pocket and tossed it to Lee Seol-ah.

As the black object suddenly flew towards her, she flinched slightly but deftly snatched it out of the air.

As she held the USB drive in her hand and looked at me as if asking what it was, I shrugged and spoke.

"You seem quite busy these days, merging company after company, dabbling in politics... Well, I've given you something that might be of some help. Consider it a small token of my sincerity."

After saying that much, I simply stood up. She looked at me, as if asking what I was doing, as I suddenly rose.

"I'll return in a week. By then, I hope you'll have accepted my proposal."

"Excuse me? What is this—"

"Then I'll see you later."

With that, I said my piece and enveloped myself in my cloak.

Villain trait: Say what you need to say, then disappear.

Before teleporting away, I looked at her one last time.

She was looking at me with her sky-blue hair and slightly sharp, feline eyes.

Watching her, looking far younger than her later self in the original story, I thought to myself.

Yes. Truly. I hope she accepts. This cooperation.

I deliberated whether to eliminate her or not before choosing this, so at least this much help should be worthwhile.

Taking in her green eyes one last time, I teleported away from the spot.

Ah, now I have to go all the way back to Seoul.

So annoying.

***

"Haaah..."

Where Egostick had departed.

Before that spot, Lee Seol-ah exhaled.

"Ha. No, seriously, what was that..."

Only after he had left did she finally breathe out the breath she'd been holding.

In truth, though she hadn't shown it, she felt as if her heart had plummeted. Her back was slick with cold sweat.

She had never imagined that Egostick, *that* villain, would suddenly appear before her. Especially since he always seemed to seek out only Stardust.

And when he showed that he knew of her plans, she truly felt a shiver run down her spine. How? She had surely hidden the information thoroughly, *so* thoroughly, hadn't she?

When she saw his eyes, which seemed to pierce through everything, she unconsciously tensed up, but somehow managed to feign composure.

Egostick. She had made certain conjectures about him.

From birth, Lee Seol-ah possessed a talent for almost perfectly guessing what others were thinking. With her innate intelligence and intuition, she could practically read people's minds.

And based on her conjectures, Egostick, though operating as a villain, harbored no animosity towards the world. The same applied to the hero, Stardust. Rather, he acted like a hero while merely pretending to be a villain.

Through a series of incidents and his actions, she had become half-certain. Egostick was a type of anti-hero. One with exceptionally outstanding abilities.

And the possibility of him appearing before her? She hadn't rated it highly. Yes, no matter how outstanding his abilities were, surely he wouldn't know *that* much?

But today, Lee Seol-ah had no choice but to admit it. She had underestimated him.

He knew everything about her, even knew that *she* was seeing through *him*, and on top of that, he had even proposed cooperation.

And when she asked what he could do for her, he simply tossed her a USB drive and vanished. He'd said his piece and just left.

"Haaah... What was that, really...."

What in the world did he want from her? Why did he approach her?

From the start, Egostick. He would be a very formidable opponent if he became her enemy.

Egostick. She had seen through him with her insight from the very beginning. That he only pretended to be a villain, but was, paradoxically, more akin to a hero. Furthermore, with her innate intuition, she had deduced that his actions seemed somewhat related to Stardust. Though she didn't know the precise reasons.

There were several reasons to be wary of him.

His overwhelming intelligence, whose source was unknown; his immense financial power, whose origin was also unknown; and his influence, which was impossible to ignore. Though she didn't know how, he had formed a kind of fandom, and not only was this fandom large, but it boasted incredible loyalty, blindly trusting his every word. In fact, public opinion of Egostick among the general populace was generally positive from the start.

In other words, Egostick was, as an individual, one of the most influential beings in South Korea. People didn't realize it because he usually wore a mask and laughed 'haha,' but in some ways, he was an incredibly dangerous and terrifying presence.

However, in her judgment, he harbored no significant animosity, and it seemed unlikely their paths would cross frequently, so she hadn't been overly wary. She had kept a watchful eye, but that was all.

But then, *that* very person suddenly appeared before her. And with such an outlandish proposition as cooperation...

"Haaah...."

Lee Seol-ah's mind was a tangled mess.

How did he know about her ambitions, and what was this talk of cooperation? Was it a trap?

Especially the look he had given her just before vanishing. She shivered slightly, remembering that cold gaze that had seemed to look down on her, as if his constant frivolous laughter had been a lie.

...Was it really not a trap?

In truth, if he wasn't hostile towards her, she had no particular reason to refuse him. Cooperation with him would be a net positive, not a negative.

...Whether he genuinely wanted to cooperate with her or not would become clear once she opened this.

She looked at the small USB drive in her hand.

...Plugging this in wouldn't lead to her being hacked, would it?

"..."

Oh, surely not.

Thinking it was an unnecessary worry, she nevertheless plugged it into a secondary computer, just in case.

What in the world could be inside?

She opened the USB drive with a mix of tension and curiosity. Inside were...

"...Oh?"

Countless files detailing the corruption and weaknesses of rival companies.

From internal information to classified documents, even personal scandals.

Documents that could be utilized in countless ways.

As she examined them one by one, her eyes glinted slightly.

With these, the mergers and acquisitions that had been a headache for her recently could proceed much, much faster.

Already, countless methods of how to swallow up other companies using this information were surfacing in her mind, moment by moment.

"...He was a very good person after all."

Egostick.

Now that she saw it, it seemed he genuinely intended to help her. Not threaten her. Someone who gives this kind of thing couldn't possibly be her enemy. In that case.

Her 'happiness circuit' suddenly began to spin at this unexpected gift.

In the judgment of her clever and sharp self, Egostick seemed to be a genuinely useful individual who truly wanted to cooperate with her.

If so, then naturally.

There was no reason to refuse him, was there?

***

A week later.

"So, have you considered my proposal?"

"Yes. Well, there's no reason we can't work together."

And so, they shook hands.

I, Egostick, had successfully co-opted the future puppet master who would run South Korea's number one market-cap company.

'Lucky me.'

I reeled her in with one shot.

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