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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The First Step
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The Hero Association.
In various hero stories, a group like an association that oversees all heroes invariably appears.
And the commonality among such organizations is that they always collapse due to an internal enemy.
The Association in this world is no different.
Though incompetent, the Association, led by a chairman who at least possessed a conscience, managed to stumble along through the early to mid-stages. But in the latter half, it was completely devoured by villainous forces. It then cunningly manipulated heroes into self-destruction and internal conflict, greatly contributing to South Korea's downfall.
There were various other reasons, but to sum it up in one line, it was this:
Icicle and Shadow Walker.
I didn't need much, just two. Just those two, and then we'd see.
With that in mind, I thought of Shadow Walker from the original story.
Due to his special ability that made him invincible at night, he had strong pride, and consequently, he considered himself very intelligent. Contrary to that belief, well... yeah. Maybe he was always so tired that his brain operated on low power, but the kid was a bit simple. I saw it in the original; despite his powerful abilities, he was quite simple.
And anyway, the most important thing, more than anything else, was that he absolutely adored his girlfriend.
So, what would be the best way to become his friend?
Ah! What if I saved his girlfriend?
That's why I was here.
"Hello, Mr. Shadow Walker. My name is Ego Sticking!"
I said that, giving him a refreshing smile.
The first meeting always determined everything. I smiled as part of my own scheme to raise his favorability with a good first impression. Of course, I usually smiled anyway, but still.
So, from an apartment roughly ten stories high in the night.
Braving the cold wind, I greeted Shadow Walker through the window.
And Shadow Walker, upon receiving my greeting,
"...Am I dreaming right now?"
he said, with a slightly bewildered expression.
His hair was disheveled, and dark circles under his eyes seemed to scream 'I'm tired.' He was even still wearing his pajamas.
He then raked a hand through his messy hair, as if still unable to comprehend the situation, and continued to speak, looking at me.
"...No, this is definitely real. So what are you? Have you come to turn yourself in?"
He stared at me, still not understanding.
To him, who was clutching his forehead as if dizzy, I opened my mouth, still grinning widely.
"Why would that be the case? Of course, I came for another reason."
"No... Before that, how on earth did you find my house? What is this...?"
"I'm about to tell you something important. Listen carefully."
"...Can't I just grab you right here and then listen?"
"First of all, this wasn't my doing. So don't get agitated and just listen."
"...No. Put yourself in my shoes. If you were at home at night and a hero knocked on your window, would you get agitated or not?"
"It wasn't my doing, I just heard about it."
"...What? What is it?"
"Your girlfriend has been kidnapped by some gang."
"..."
And the moment I uttered those words,
his bewildered demeanor from moments ago instantly changed.
"No, damn it, I told you it wasn't my doing! Put that scythe away."
I said indifferently, seeing him summon a scythe made of shadows into his hand.
I knew this would happen. Being a villain is so sad, so unfair. Even when you do good, you're met with suspicion. How can I live with this injustice, huh?
"...You didn't do it?"
"No, think about it. If I had done it, why would I bother coming here to tell you face-to-face? I'd just broadcast it."
"...Right. Broadcast. Aren't you broadcasting this right now?"
"Don't say strange things; this is off the record. It's just a conversation between you and me."
"No, damn it... Sook-hee, Sook-hee was kidnapped? How do you know that?"
"Just know that there's nothing in this world I don't know. And here, take this."
Watching him fall into a panic at my sudden words, I quickly handed him a map. Honestly, I hadn't planned to give it to him so soon, but I could see his mental state rapidly deteriorating, so I just handed it over. Any more delay and he would have been swinging that scythe at me, accusing, 'You kidnapped her, didn't you?'
"...What is this?"
"What do you mean, 'what is it'? It's the coordinates of the factory district where your girlfriend was kidnapped. It's a gift."
"..."
And the instant my words ended, he simply teleported away using Shadow Movement, vanishing.
...? He just left?
"...Hm, well. He went right away."
And so I stood alone, gazing out the empty window.
...No, even if he was flustered, he just vanished without me even attacking or restraining him. If that had been a trap, what on earth was he planning to do? Of course, there wouldn't be much that could threaten Shadow Walker at night, but still.
"Behemoth, that's a shame."
I offered words of mild comfort to Behemoth, whom I'd brought along in my coat. I thought I'd finally get to use Behemoth after a long time, but it turned out to be pointless. I'd specifically brought Behemoth because he could counter Shadow Walker's darkness, but Shadow Walker just left without question or hesitation...
[Dain! What happened? Why hasn't the fight started yet?]
"Ah, Old Man Deathy. Well, um. No fight today. Just go to sleep."
[What?!]
And the Death Knight, trapped as a soul in the ring. It was a shame for him too, as he'd been looking forward to a fight.
No, I truly thought there'd be at least one fight.
My original plan was this:
I'd tell Shadow Walker his girlfriend was kidnapped. Then Shadow Walker would get enraged and attack me, yelling, 'You kidnapped her!!' I'd then confront him using Behemoth and the Death Knight. After gently convincing him it wasn't me, I'd send him to that factory district... that was the plan.
But, well. From the moment he heard my words, he just started sweating slightly and looking anxious, then he teleported away at lightning speed the instant he received the map.
"...Well, all's well that ends well."
Seeing that, I can understand why he gradually turned dark after his girlfriend died.
With those thoughts, I came down to the first floor again.
In a dark alley, a black car was already parked.
I naturally got in and spoke.
"Soobin. I'm here."
"Oh, Dain. You're early, aren't you?"
"Yeah. I thought there'd be a fight, but there wasn't. Anyway, let's step on it. Is the destination set?"
"Yes. It's set to that factory."
"Good. Let's go right away."
And so, we began to drive through the dark streets of the night.
...Shadow Walker, with his exceptional abilities, could teleport there in an instant, but if I tried that, I'd cough up blood and die. How far was it from here to there, anyway?
"....."
And now that I thought about it, if I'd known it would turn out like this, I should have just gone alone instead of calling Soobin.
I was more than 90% sure that a fight with Shadow Walker would be unavoidable, so I'd had Soobin on standby in case I got injured along the way. But since I'm perfectly fine, I feel a little bad. I could have driven myself.
With a slightly apologetic feeling, I remained in the car as we headed for the factory district.
Still, the seat back was soft, and Soobin said she was happy to be alone with me after a long time, so I guess it was fine, right?
Chatting about various things, we soon arrived at the factory district.
A desolate, abandoned factory in the night.
Shadow Walker was probably beating up the gang inside.
With that thought, I moved towards the factory.
I should at least talk to Shadow Walker before leaving.
***
"Aaaargh!"
"Tsk."
Shadow Walker, Kim Ja-hyun, clicked his tongue.
It had been a while since he'd finished off every last member of the gang occupying this factory, the last one just moments ago.
"...Haa. What a mess..."
He then released all the hostages who had been kidnapped and knocked unconscious.
Taking only his girlfriend, who was among them, he came outside.
"...That was a close call."
He muttered, holding his unconscious girlfriend in his arms.
Fortunately, she was sleeping peacefully, without a single scratch.
...It really was a close call.
He recalled what he had just seen.
The gang members, guns in hand, cackling and wondering who they should shoot first, just playing around.
At that sight, his eyes glazed over, and he instantly dealt with them all, but
the dizzying sensation still lingered.
He could have lost her to those pathetic thugs, not even worth a punch.
...If it hadn't been for him—
"Hello, Mr. Shadow Walker. As expected, you handled it cleanly. You're amazing."
"...Ego Sticking."
Kim Ja-hyun, who had come outside holding his girlfriend, stood in the wide-open space and muttered briefly as he watched Ego Sticking offer him congratulatory words.
The man was perfectly color-matched in a black hat, black cape, and black clothes, half his face obscured by a white mask.
...Thanks to him, he was able to save her.
"...."
He quickly recalled the information he knew about Ego Sticking.
Ego Sticking. Even he, who usually paid little attention to daytime events, had heard of this guy countless times. The most famous villain in South Korea, and also the most popular villain. He caused terror but never caused casualties, and he was even rumored to stop other villains from causing terror.
Yes, he'd heard many rumors. He'd even heard that Stardust paid quite a lot of attention to him.
Honestly, he hadn't been particularly interested in him, even so.
But now, that changed everything.
"...Ego Sticking. Aren't you clearly a villain? Why did you help me?"
Right.
That was Kim Ja-hyun's biggest question.
Setting aside the fact that he knew his identity, why had he told him that his girlfriend was kidnapped?
And to his questioning inquiry, Ego Sticking merely grinned and replied.
"Well. Why do you think?"
"...."
"Just think of it simply. Villains don't always have to do bad things, do they? Heroes aren't always good either; sometimes they do bad things. I, too, can do a good deed once in a while, can't I?"
"...?"
*What the hell are you talking about?*
Kim Ja-hyun bit back the words that almost escaped his lips.
No matter what, Ego Sticking was effectively the one who saved her.
Instead, Kim Ja-hyun started thinking.
His girlfriend, Sook-hee, always called him simple-minded and ignorant, but Kim Ja-hyun firmly believed in himself that he was actually very intelligent when he put his mind to it, he just didn't often use it.
Such a man began to rack his brain.
Ego Sticking. A villain, yet his usual terror attacks caused no casualties, and he hunted other villains. Looking at just that, one might still consider him just a villain, but...
"...Thank you. Is there anything you want?"
"Hmph. Just don't tell the Association or anyone else that I helped. If you can do that for me, I ask for nothing more."
On top of that, he specifically informs another hero that their lover has been kidnapped, preventing a crime and saving hostages?
Thus, his brain reached a conclusion.
*This guy, he was a good guy after all.*
"Understood. You must have your reasons."
Shadow Walker concluded as such.
The fact that he had saved his girlfriend, who was more precious than anything, meant Ego Sticking's favorability had long since shot through the roof. On top of that, he didn't seem like a bad guy at all, so his favorability doubled again.
He even left behind only the request not to reveal his good deed to others, then disappeared without a trace.
*This is truly, a real man, isn't it?*
"...Ego Sticking. He was a good guy. Of course, I knew it all along."
"Ugh..."
"Oh, Sook-hee! You're awake?"
That night.
That night was the moment when two of South Korea's three A-rank heroes naturally, like flowing water, became allied with Ego Sticking.
***
"....?"
Stardust, alone in her room, was seized by a strange sensation.
*What was this? This feeling that everyone was doing something, leaving her out.*
"...It must be my imagination."
And so, she dismissed her hard-working intuition as mere imagination once again today.
...Leaving behind only a lingering unease.