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Translated by BiasNil
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***
[Egostic just appeared on the street. Hahahahahaha]
(Picture)
What is this? LOL
ㄴ[Oh, what's this? Hahaha]
ㄴ[Live event ON hahahahahaha]
ㄴ[Isn't this dangerous? I really don't know.]
ㄴ[Gosh hahaha. Is he filming a movie? Hahahaha]
ㄴ[Guys, you are going to die filming it like that. Run away!]
ㄴ[Tough guy special) I'm filming a crime scene.]
[Oh my god! Guys! Mangostic is on the street!]
(Video)
ㄴ[Oh, what the! Is it another terrorism? So scary…]
ㄴ[No! I think he's just chasing someone!]
ㄴ[Gosh. I saw in the video someone was bleeding while moving instantly. Isn't it murder? ㅜㅜ]
ㄴ[No, he's definitely chasing a villain?]
ㄴ[The Dark Hero Mangostic! The Dark Hero Mangostic! Take me!!!]
ㄴ[What is this Mango fan union? Hahahahahaha.]
***
No. 1 real-time trending chart
#Egostic
***
"Huff… Huff…"
The Teleporter, Kim Hak-chul, moved while exhaling ragged breaths.
Teleportation should have been easy for him, but his condition was anything but normal.
He clutched the wound at his abdomen to slow the blood. Again and again.
His vision was already clouded. His body felt heavy. He felt like he was going to die.
All of a sudden, anger surged.
What did I do wrong to end up like this?
I only robbed a few banks.
Of course, a few people died in the process, but that was their fault. He'd been doing so well—so why did they block him and make a fuss?
He kept teleporting forward. But pain and vertigo gnawed at his focus. Moving was no longer easy.
Normally, teleportation was only possible when the target spot or coordinates were sharply fixed in his mind. But after being shot for the first time in his life, Kim Hak-chul's consciousness had sunk to a place where rational judgment was slipping away.
He just kept going—jumping to the furthest place his eyes could still grasp. Honestly, even that was getting hard; everything was blurring.
"AAAAH!"
"W-What the!"
"Argh!"
Now he was in the middle of town.
In a crowded street, of course people would be shocked when a bleeding man flashed into their midst over and over.
But he had to keep moving. Forward, forward.
Because of the man chasing from behind.
"Yes, yes, hello! It is me, Egostic!"
"Yes, yes. I am busy because I am working at the moment. Oh, my!"
"Don't be surprised. I will not hurt you!"
"I am only cleaning up trash for our citizens, so please feel free to do your job!"
The voice from behind.
The despicable one—Egostic.
Of course, Teleporter Kim Hak-chul knew him.
In fact, there was no one in the Republic of Korea who didn't know Egostic, even if only by hearsay.
Last week—on TV, on the internet, in every conversation—everyone talked about Egostic.
Kim Hak-chul knew what Egostic had done: he'd assassinated two villains.
But he wasn't particularly wary of Egostic.
Have you ever seen anyone stay inside because they're afraid of being struck by lightning?
He figured… those villains must have had personal grudges with Egostic.
Rationally, he thought the guy wouldn't kill without a reason.
So Kim Hak-chul was confident.
Confident Egostic wouldn't try to kill him.
Sure that Egostic knew nothing about him.
And even if Egostic did try, he could escape with his power.
But that certainty was betraying Kim Hak-chul now.
Who in the world expects a man with a gun to kick in your door and shoot you while you're resting at home?
And the consequence of that miscalculation was bearing down on him.
"Come on out! I am going to catch a piece of trash today!"
"A-class villain, Teleporter! Let's go to hell now!"
"Trash goes in the trash can, and the trashy villain goes to meet his lord!"
Egostic spouted nonsense like a psychopath.
He shouted like a madman, as if he wanted everyone to hear.
That relentless voice—more than anything—unnerved Kim Hak-chul.
Even as he teleported, the voice kept coming, undiminished.
Kim Hak-chul staggered onward with a groan.
"Ugh…"
The world began to spin.
It was a miracle he'd gotten this far after being shot at all.
Without teleportation—and without a body wringing out its last reserves to flee death—
He would already be dead.
"But oh, sadly[1]! I guess your life ends here!"
Hearing that taunting sing-song behind him, Kim Hak-chul finally collapsed.
His strength gave out; he could no longer teleport.
A harsh breath; a head bowed. A shadow fell over him.
He raised his head to see the owner of that shadow: a half-masked villain smirking.
"Teleporter! You told me you were guilty."
"Huff… Huff… P-Please—save me. Don't kill me…"
"Oh! Don't kill you?"
Egostic looked around as the words left the man's mouth.
People had encircled them.
Egostic raised his voice theatrically to the crowd.
"Everyone! This garbage right here stole billions from other people and killed four good citizens! Should we spare the life of someone who slaughtered someone's husband, someone's dad, someone's friend, someone's son—someone innocent?"
"Kill him!"
"Kill him!"
The excited shouts crashed down, demanding death.
Someone murmured whether Egostic was about to endanger hundreds of innocent sons and daughters—but no one said it aloud in front of a villain with a gun. Their lives mattered.
Standing amid the chorus, Egostic shrugged and looked down at Kim Hak-chul, lips curled.
"They're telling me to kill you, though?"
"P-Please, just this once. Please have mercy…"
"Really? Just this time? Yeah, just this time… You want me to save you?"
Hope flashed across Kim Hak-chul's face at Egostic's seemingly positive reply.
But before he could answer, Egostic had already leveled the gun.
"I'm sorry, Hak-chul. But there is no such thing!"
As his chuckle faded—Bang!—a gunshot cracked the air.
That was the last memory of the A-class villain Teleporter, Kim Hak-chul.
***
"Phew…"
The Teleporter dropped after another round.
Once he died, the people around us began to cheer and applaud.
"Thank you. Thank you."
I bowed with exaggeration as the applause swelled.
But… Uh…
Uh, guys. I am formally a villain.
So… why are you crowding around me?
This world is surprisingly similar to mine—except for the superpowers, heroes, and villains.
But moments like this remind me I came from somewhere else.
When? When a person gets shot dead right in front of you—and people still clap and enjoy it.
I mean, he was shot right there. When someone dies, shouldn't you panic and scream…? Shouldn't you?
It felt strange to watch people smiling and applauding in front of a bleeding corpse like it was nothing.
They were like the crowds who enjoyed public executions in the Middle Ages. Honestly, I see no difference.
Maybe in this world, people are numb to death because of constant hero-villain battles. Or maybe there's another reason.
No, wait. Set that aside—I'm a villain. I'm not a hero, so what am I doing?
Grinning over my shoulder at the onlookers, I addressed those still clapping.
"Thank you! Thank you, everyone! But aren't I a villain, too? What would you do if I suddenly started shooting people right here?"
Startled, they froze at my words.
Okay, common sense rebooted. Now?
Anyway, I hadn't meant to scare them, so I added:
"I'm just kidding, guys! I don't randomly hurt innocent citizens! Whenever I do something, I post a notice in advance and call a hero, so don't worry! No need to panic—I just came to clean up a 'bad' villain today!"
Relief washed over them at my explanation.
I mean, if you're that scared, why come so close in the first place…
[If you're done, come out. Before the heroes arrive.]
Seo-eun's voice buzzed in my ear.
Right. Time to go.
Ugh, I'm exhausted after all that teleporting—and I have to jump the same distance back. I'm going to die.
As I sighed and started to move, a loud voice rang from the sky.
"Egostic!"
Startled, I looked up and…
"Stardust?"
Wait—why are you here?
[1] TN: “Oh-hoh Tongjaera” — an exclamation used in a seriously distressed or sad situation.