-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Moonlight Cult
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[This is the news. Today, a terrorist appeared at a subway station in downtown Seoul, throwing citizens into chaos. Fortunately, Hero Stardust arrived in time and apprehended the culprit without any casualties. Reporter Nam Sang-min brings you the full story.]
Just because Ego Stream is on temporary hiatus doesn't mean South Korea has found peace.
Since we've definitively moved past the early stages of the original story and are now entering its mid-section, villains are beginning to emerge in full force.
According to the original story, Stardust should be battered and bruised, starring in some grimdark narrative by now... but, well, perhaps because I've buffed him too much, he's catching other villains with ease.
Realistically, it seems Stardust has no rival now except for my Ego Stream.
Truth be told, since I've either recruited or eliminated the truly powerful villains beforehand, the ones left are naturally just a motley crew. This means the members of my villain alliance are truly invaluable, like precious gems.
Those who were particularly strong in the original comic, pressing Stardust and possessing a unique quality unlike other villains, what are they doing now?
"Seo-eun, Se-hee. Who on earth picks out their beans like that when they eat? Look at Hayul and Cha-yoon, this is how you should do it."
They're being scolded for picking out their beans during dinner.
The two of them sadly pick at the beans they've piled up on the side of their plates. No, even if it's Seo-eun, what about Choi Se-hee? How can she still be picking out beans at her age?
...Of course, I avoided such a misfortune by taking fewer beans from the start when dishing out my rice. Can't stand beans.
Anyway, this dining table might seem ordinary, but everyone gathered here is truly extraordinary.
For starters, I'm someone who knows everything that will happen in the future. Seo-eun, who's slowly but surely eating her beans next to me, is a genius hacker, and Choi Se-hee is an A-rank villain.
And Hayul, sitting across from us, is the one and only healer in South Korea.
Soobin is a jack-of-all-trades who can handle computers and operate all kinds of transportation, and even the Death Knight sweeping the yard back there was an S-rank villain in the original story.
Just looking at this lineup now, it's truly awe-inspiring.
And if you even include the Vine Witch and the Lepis Order, with whom we have a cooperative relationship, hmm. It seems everything I've done in this world so far hasn't been in vain. In a world like this, people are always the most important. Special people.
"I'm finished eating!"
"Me too."
As I was engrossed in those thoughts, Seo-eun and Choi Se-hee finished their meals and got up.
"Oppa. You said you're going out tonight, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'll be in the basement with Se-hee unnie until then. Call us when it's time!"
"Yeah. Do that."
After saying that much, the two of them scurried off towards the basement.
"Haa... how long are they going to keep doing that?"
Soobin sighed deeply, watching them.
It's understandable. Those two have been practically holed up in the basement almost every day since last time. They're constantly tinkering and building something, except for meal times.
...At first, I just let them be, assuming they'd handle it fine, but as time dragged on, I started to feel skeptical too. Especially since they're hiding it from Soobin and whispering only among themselves, my suspicions are growing daily.
Still, for now, I decided to just observe.
Honestly, with them so openly plotting something, would they really be making anything strange? I'm probably expecting them to make something useful as a surprise.
"Thank you for the meal!"
Cha-yoon, having finished her meal, immediately got up and went out to the yard to help the Death Knight clean, showing a truly kind side.
...But actually. That Deathy, he just rushed out saying it was stuffy being cooped up in the ring, even though there's no real need for him to clean there...
Still. It's a relief that they seem to have become close.
What remained at the table were Soobin, myself, and Hayul, whose face was haggard, probably because she's now a third-year high school student.
"Hayul. How's your studying going these days?"
"Ugh... don't even ask. It's not easy..."
As the Suneung, the college entrance exam, gradually approached, Hayul looked increasingly tired. Indeed. Before this, she probably lived almost completely estranged from studying, so doing it now wouldn't be easy.
Still, since Soobin, who graduated from Seoul National University, is helping, I think she'll at least do somewhat well.
Looking at each person living together in this house, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Though these days have been spent dedicating everything to Stardust and single-mindedly focusing on preventing future destruction.
As I kept gathering people one by one, now quite a few people who trust and rely on me have gathered by my side.
As I was thinking that, I also recalled Lee Seol-ah.
...She seemed to quite like me too.
Honestly, I don't really know why. Is it just because she liked the information I gave her? Since Lee Seol-ah is so ambitious, that might be it.
However, since I don't really know much about her, I'm building the relationship a bit cautiously.
Still, she was so friendly that I even told her my name, and lately, she's been whining to come over to the house, which is quite a problem.
...Maybe after the next main event, I can invite her over once. Honestly, by then, I expect she won't even think of betraying me.
Anyway, that's not the problem right now.
Now, I need to prepare for another main event that will happen early next year.
To stop the atrocities those Moonlight Cult bastards will commit.
***
The Moonlight Cult (月光敎).
It's a cult that believes in the absurd story that a moon god from another dimension will descend upon the world, cleanse it, and create a new world.
...I'd like to say that. But the problem is that it's somewhat true. There actually is something akin to a moon god or whatever. And other dimensions actually exist. That's the messed-up nature of the original world's setting.
In conclusion, these are lunatics who are trying to destroy this world by directly summoning the moon god. Especially their cult leader, who's completely out of his mind.
If the Han-eun Group were the main villains of Phase 1 in the original story, then these Moonlight Cult bastards can be said to be the main villains of Phase 2. Especially from the middle, they put forward a woman called the Moon Priestess, who has absolutely no weaknesses, and definitively ruin Seoul, which was already half-destroyed by the Han-eun Group. And they do it repeatedly.
Naturally, Stardust tried to stop her, but there's no way the original Stardust could win against her, whom even the current Stardust can't defeat. Those bastards, armed with all sorts of magic circles and special powers called moon magic, were formidable. By the time Stardust finally figured out a way to defeat her and sent her away, Seoul was already ruined.
Furthermore, their wickedness involved tearing dimensions apart, causing interdimensional monsters to pour onto Earth, but that's not an urgent problem right now. The immediate problem is that the Moon Priestess will commit her first terrorist act just a few months from now.
Yes.
Just a few months from now. A large-scale terrorist attack will occur in the heart of Seoul.
The first terrorist attack, caused by a woman called the Moon Priestess of the Moonlight Cult.
Starting with this first one, she commits nearly ten terrorist acts, succeeding in completely devastating Seoul with just a few attacks. By causing something akin to a magical storm in the heart of Seoul.
If you ask why the heroes couldn't stop her from the very beginning, it's simple.
It's because of the magic circles that the Moonlight Cult laid out in Seoul months, even years, before the attacks.
From magic circles that activate their moon magic, to magic circles that weaken heroes' abilities, to magic circles that cause memory loss if you get too close – they collapse Seoul with thorough preparations, making it impossible for anyone to stop them due to their overwhelming 'buffs'.
The Association, which only found out later, eventually succeeded in cornering the Moon Priestess into an area without magic circles and killing her... but by then, it was too late. Seoul was already ruined.
So, preparations for those magic circles must be made beforehand. By whom? By me.
For that reason, at this late hour, I'm standing in the middle of a street in Seoul. With Seo-eun and Choi Se-hee.
"So, what are we looking for?"
"Magic circles."
"Magic circles?"
Choi Se-hee frowned, as if asking what kind of sudden nonsense this was.
I kindly explained it to her, so even a beginner could understand.
"Throughout this entire area, huge magic circles are drawn, so big you can only see them from satellite photos. And, um, we have to find them."
"...What are magic circles, Oppa?"
Seo-eun, looking similarly puzzled beside me.
Magic circles, huh...
"They're just a kind of superpower, and when activated, they put a kind of 'buff' on the area where the magic circle is drawn."
Actually, it's not a superpower. This is magic related to the moon, and superpowers are a completely different category.
But it's troublesome to explain religious stories about the sun, moon, and stars here, so I decided to just put it that way.
"Who drew them?"
"The Moonlight Cult. They're the ones who will soon cause a terrorist attack here, so they've drawn the magic circles. We need to find them beforehand."
"...No, shouldn't heroes be doing that? Not villains like us?"
"Isn't it pointless to argue about that now? Let's just look for them. We just need to find the outlines of the circles. They'll look like lines because they're too big."
"But it's night now? Will we be able to see them?"
"It's better because there are no people. And Seo-eun, you brought it, right? Yes. If you put these on, it'll be easier to find something brightly glowing..."
Having given night vision goggles to everyone, I shouted as it was almost time.
"Alright, let's go!"
"...I wonder if we can even find it with these."
Leaving Seo-eun's grumbling behind, we began our search.
Searching for magic circles in the middle of the city.
...I wonder if we'll even find one by the end of today.
***
And a little while later.
[Oppa, I think I found something similar?]
"Really? Let me see."
Running towards where Seo-eun was, I finally found it.
A long, subtly slanted line stretched across the dirt, like graffiti. And even the special symbols within it.
"Yes! I knew those bastards would have made it by now! Good job, Seo-eun!"
"Kyaak! Oppa, put me downnnnnn."
I lifted Seo-eun up and spun her around a few times in the air, then, leaving the dizzy girl behind, I analyzed the magic circle's symbols.
This inverted triangle inside the triangle was probably... a device to suppress heroes' abilities.
"Good! Now we just need to find a few more. Let's do our best!"
"No. This wasn't the end?"
Yeah. There are quite a few.
Because they love their buffs so much.
So, over several days and nights, we searched Seoul and found a few more large magic circles.
"...Honestly, in my opinion, Stardust should bow to you, Oppa. You're doing everything that woman should be doing."
"Haha."
I simply stroked Seo-eun's grumbling head quietly.
And so, slowly. The time for the next main event was approaching.
That day when Stardust, Icicle, and even Shadow Walker, despite it happening at night, would be helplessly defeated.
And simultaneously, that day would also be Egoistic's live broadcast return date.