Proclamation
Proclamation
[Hero Opinion Poll... Villain Egostic makes 'surprise appearance' in the rankings.]
Following the Moonlight Priestess's terrorist attack, the results of a hero opinion poll have been released.
When asked which hero they found most reliable, respondents produced a remarkably unusual result.
1st] Stardus
2nd] Shadow Walker
3rd] Egostic
4th] Icicle
5th] Border Man
(Photo: Korea ARS Research Lab poll results. 95% confidence, ±3.0% margin of error)
As usual, A-rank heroes dominated the top spots, but the conspicuous oddity was that the villain Egostic had also made the list.
The polling agency itself was so bewildered that it double-checked the results twice—a truly startling outcome.
It can be interpreted as a sign that Egostic, despite being a villain, commands substantial public support and affection.
*
No, seriously—why the hell was my name on a hero opinion poll? Were they telling me that whenever the survey was conducted, people simply wrote me in?
What the hell is this...
"...Sigh."
"Big bro, what are you thinking about?"
A sunny Sunday morning.
I was sitting on the sofa with a grim look on my face when Seo-eun came into the living room holding a tub of ice cream.
"A terrorist attack..."
"Huh?"
"I really think we need to launch a new attack right away."
I muttered.
The fallout from this incident had been way bigger than I expected, and now I was in a situation where I had to act immediately.
I mean... I hadn't thought recruiting one villain would cause this much of an uproar.
Honestly, I figured my existing fans would make a fuss, but I didn't anticipate anything on this scale.
I had even gone on air specifically to prevent this, and yet somehow...
In the end, the only way to reverse public opinion was to launch another attack immediately.
Yeah, I had to get back to my main job. I'd been sidetracked for far too long.
It was time to show people that spicy K-Villain flavor again.
...Now, what to do.
While I was mulling over what kind of attack to stage,
Seo-eun, who had been listening, suddenly set down the ice cream tub, sidled up to me, and asked slyly,
"You're going to launch a new terrorist attack?"
"Yeah. I'm roughly planning to crash a musical, so..."
"Big bro, I’ve got a much better idea than that."
A confident grin spread across Seo-eun's face.
"I've already got everything planned out!"
"...You have?"
I tilted my head at her sudden announcement.
Wait, Seo-eun is being this considerate for once?
"...It’s finally time to show you. Big bro, follow me."
Still wearing that self-assured little smile, she gestured for me to come along.
And just like that, clueless, I was dragged all the way down to the underground base.
What exactly is she unveiling?
My curiosity only deepened as we went deeper and deeper into the basement.
"...Seo-eun, how much farther are we going?"
"Almost there. Here!"
Finally, an enormous iron door swung open.
The lights flicked on, and what she revealed was...
"...What is this?"
"Starbuster. My anti-Stardus strategic weapon!"
Behind her stood a thick armored suit roughly twice a person's height.
It looked as though a pilot would climb into the upper section and operate the massive steel weapon below. For some reason, both its familiar name and its shape rang a bell.
What on earth.
"...You built this by yourself?"
"I handled the overall design, and big sis Se-hee helped a little."
She wiped the tip of her nose with her finger, as if revealing some secret ultimate weapon.
Judging by the situation, those times she and Se-hee had been lurking down here every day—they'd been building this thing.
"What do you think?"
Seo-eun stared up at me, eyes glittering with expectation, and asked. I decided to compliment her first.
"This is amazing. You really did a great job."
"Heh. Right?"
Seo-eun smiled openly now, making no effort to hide her pride. Cute.
But cute was one thing...
I turned to her—she was still going "ahem" and looking pleased with herself—and asked the most important question.
"So. Who's piloting it?"
"Me, obviously!"
Seeing her answer so brimming with confidence, I smacked my forehead.
"...No."
"What?"
The warm atmosphere from just moments ago curdled in an instant.
Seo-eun's face hardened as she stared at me. Looking into her eyes, burning with fighting spirit, I could tell this was going to be a battle.
Ah. Raising a kid really is the hardest thing in the world.
***
"Seo-eun, you're too young. You're still a minor! For all I know, if I send you out on an attack, I'll get arrested for whatever counts as child endangerment."
"Ha. The fact that I've already helped you plan attacks and hack into networks is more than enough to get you arrested already, you know?"
Back at the house.
There, Seo-eun was doing her best to persuade me.
"No, still—you could get hurt, and that's not happening. Can this thing even take on Stardus in the first place??? She's way stronger than you think."
At my doubt, she answered in a voice full of conviction.
"Big bro, no matter how strong that woman is, she can't beat my Starbuster. Do you even know what it's made of?"
"...Iron?"
"What are you talking about? Do you really think I'd try to fight Stardus with something like that? It's made of a material dozens of times harder than iron, almost impossible to get now. It'll tank most punches."
Even so, it still made me incredibly uneasy.
As I was thinking that, Choi Se-hee suddenly popped out from somewhere to back Seo-eun up.
"Hey, I built this thing with her, and it really is tough. I threw everything I had at it and didn't leave a single scratch."
"That's right. And honestly, big bro—how many years have we been together?"
Seo-eun suddenly asked that.
I thought about it for a moment before answering.
"...About three years now, right?"
"Exactly. I've been by big bro's side longer than anyone else in Ego Stream. Now look at this."
Saying that, she handed me her phone.
On the screen was a post on the front page of a somewhat familiar fan café.
*
[Villain Alliance_Ego Stream_Summary (Latest Ver.)]
Egostic: The undisputed most-recognized villain in South Korea. Even the incidents he's caused alone rank him at the top.
Electra: An electricity user and A-rank villain.
Death Knight: A ghost that even went head-to-head with Stardus. (Presumed capable of resurrection, lol)
Moonlight Priestess: The woman just introduced to the entire nation. Her ability is overwhelmingly powerful, as you just saw. S-rank.
Saintess: She also appeared for the first time in that broadcast. Her ability is still unknown. Presumed to be related to magic, buffs, or healing.
And on top of that, the Lepis Squad with that giant airship.
The lineup is just insane.
*
"...What about this?"
When I saw this post Seo-eun had thrust at me, I tilted my head, and she shouted in exasperation.
"My name is missing! Only mine! Even big sis Ha-yul got added this time—does it make sense that I'm the only one left out?"
...Now that I thought about it, she had a point.
But my thoughts were cut off by her.
"No. I've been patient for a long time, but now I'm stepping up too. I'm going to make sure the whole world knows—I'm here!"
Wait, why is she so eager to step forward?
I didn't really understand, but watching Seo-eun's eyes blazing with fire, I quietly thought.
...Actually, come to think of it, that might have been the first time Seo-eun had ever stepped forward and asked for something like that.
"...Fine. I get it."
"Really?"
At my consent, she flipped the switch immediately, eyes sparkling.
I'd been planning to refuse.
...But she wanted to stand out that badly. Yeah, I supposed I could give her one chance.
"Alright. But I'm definitely going with you, got it?"
"Of course we're going together. What would be the point if I went alone?"
Seo-eun answered with a smirk.
...Something about this really worries me.
"Oh, and since this is my official debut, I'm taking charge of the direction. That's okay, right?"
"Uh... do whatever you want."
"Hohoho... Stardus, I'm going to take you down myself..."
Seo-eun was burning with an oddly intense motivation.
...I had no idea what Stardus had done to provoke such a desire to beat her, but I decided to cheer her on for now.
I should focus on figuring out how to pull Seo-eun out later.
***
Shin Ha-ru's apartment.
Having finally returned home after a long time, Shin Ha-ru flopped onto her bed.
"...Hah."
Lately she'd been even more troubled, and once again she started mulling things over, inside.
What had that been about?
...And what was she, hesitating back there?
But still.
When she had lost all hope and was lying there helpless, battered by that overwhelming storm.
She'd seen him appear.
To be honest, her heart had skipped a beat.
"...Maybe I should just stick it on the wall."
The ludicrous thought even crossed her mind—taping up a picture of Egostic and writing 'BAD GUY' in big block letters next to it.
...He probably only jumped in to expand his Villain Alliance anyway. He probably had no other motive.
No. Maybe not.
What if he truly had no intention of destroying the world?
"Ugh..."
She clutched her throbbing head in confusion.
Egostic. Thinking about him always left her like this. She would tell herself he was a bad man, yet the possibility that he might not be kept creeping back in.
"..."
Fine.
For now, she'd focus on something else.
Anyway, Egostic launched an attack about once every three months, so it would be a while before she'd see him next.
She was already in her fourth year at university; she needed to start thinking about what to do after graduation. She couldn't spend all her free time just playing around because of occasional hero work.
Right. The stuff about Egostic... she could take her time sorting it out until he came back again.
Rubbing her eyes as she thought that, she heard her phone ring from over by the desk.
Who could it be... She got up from the bed, went over, and saw the caller ID: 'Association'.
She picked up, wondering what was going on—and was completely stunned by the news she'd never anticipated.
[Stardus! Egostic has launched a terrorist attack! Please deploy immediately!]
"...Huh?"
Already?