A Real Man
A Real Man
The Hero Association.
In hero stories, some organization like the Association always appears to oversee every hero.
And those organizations share one common trait: they invariably collapse because of an enemy within.
The Hero Association in this world was no exception.
In the Original Work, the Association managed to limp along through the early and middle stages under an incompetent but at least conscientious chairman. By the latter half, however, villain factions had completely taken it over. They subtly manipulated the heroes into self-destruction and infighting, contributing heavily to South Korea's collapse.
There were other reasons, but they could be summed up in one line:
Icicle and Shadow Walker.
I wasn't asking for much. Just those two. I only needed to bring those two over to our side.
With that in mind, I thought back to the Shadow Walker from the Original Work.
His ability made him invincible at night, so he was extremely proud and thought he was incredibly smart. Contrary to his own belief... well, maybe because he was always tired and ran his brain on low power, he was actually rather simple-minded. I'd seen it in the Original Work. For all the strength of his ability, he was remarkably straightforward.
More importantly, he absolutely doted on his girlfriend.
So what's the best way to become his friend?
Ah! Wouldn't it work if I saved his girlfriend?
That was why I'd come here.
"Good evening, Shadow Walker. I'm Egostic!"
I said that with a bright smile.
First impressions are everything. I smiled, hoping that appearing cheerful from the outset would make me more likable. Well, I smiled often anyway, but still.
So there I was, outside an apartment window ten stories above the ground in the middle of the night.
Buffeted by the cold wind, I greeted Shadow Walker through the window.
And Shadow Walker, upon receiving my greeting, said:
"...Am I dreaming right now?"
He said that with a slightly dumbfounded expression.
His hair was messy, dark circles practically advertised 'I'm exhausted' beneath his eyes, and he was still wearing pajamas.
He ran his hand through his disheveled hair, as if he still couldn't grasp the situation, and went on, looking at me.
"...No, this is real. Then what are you? Did you come to turn yourself in?"
He was still staring at me like he couldn't understand.
As he clutched his forehead, looking dizzy, I kept grinning and spoke.
"Of course not. I came for a different reason entirely."
"No... before that, how the hell did you even find my place? What is this..."
"I'm going to tell you something important. Listen carefully."
"...Can't I just capture you first and listen afterward?"
"First of all, I didn't do this. So don't get worked up—just listen."
"...Think about it from my perspective. If you were a hero and a villain came knocking on your window in the middle of the night, wouldn't you get worked up?"
"It wasn't me. I just heard about it."
"...What? What did you hear?"
"Your girlfriend's been kidnapped by some gang."
"..."
The moment I said that,
the confused air around him changed completely.
"For fuck's sake, I told you I didn't do it. Put that scythe away."
I spoke flatly, looking at the shadow-formed scythe he'd already summoned into his hand.
I knew this would happen. Villains had it rough. Even when I did a good deed, people suspected me. How was I supposed to live with that kind of injustice, huh?
"...You didn't do it?"
"No, think about it. If I'd done it, why would I come all the way here to tell you in person? I'd just start a broadcast."
"...Right. A broadcast. You're not broadcasting this right now, are you?"
"Don't be ridiculous. This is off the record. A conversation just between you and me."
"What the fuck... Sook-hee was kidnapped? How do you even know that?"
"Just know that there's nothing in this world I don't know. And here—take this."
Watching him panic at the sudden news, I pulled out a map and handed it over. Truth be told, I hadn't planned to give it to him so soon, but I could see his composure rapidly crumbling, so I handed it over first. A moment longer and he'd have been screaming, 'You kidnapped her!' while swinging that scythe at me.
"...What is this?"
"What do you think it's? It's a map showing the factory district where your girlfriend is being held. A present."
"..."
The very moment I finished speaking, he just teleported away using shadow movement and vanished.
??? He just left?
"...Hmm, well. He sure took off fast."
And so I stood alone outside the now-empty window.
...I mean, no matter how distracted he was, he'd simply vanished even though I hadn't attacked or restrained him.
What was he going to do if it had been a trap? Sure, there weren't many things that could threaten Shadow Walker at night, but still.
"Sorry, Behemoth. Looks like you're out of luck."
I offered a perfunctory word of consolation to Behemoth, whom I'd tucked inside my coat. I'd thought I might finally get to use him again after so long, but no such luck. I'd brought him specifically because he could counter Shadow Walker's darkness, only for Shadow Walker to leave without a second thought.
[Dain! What's going on? Why hasn't the fight started yet?!]
"Ah, Desik. No fight today. Just go back to sleep."
[What?!]
The Death Knight was trapped as a spirit inside the ring. Too bad for him, too; he'd been looking forward to a fight.
No, I honestly thought we'd fight at least once.
My original plan was this:
I would tell Shadow Walker that his girlfriend had been kidnapped. He would lose his temper, shout, 'You kidnapped her!' and attack me. I would face him using Behemoth and Death Knight, gently convince him it wasn't me, and send him to the factory district. That had been the plan.
Instead, the moment he heard me, he broke into a cold sweat and grew visibly anxious. The second I handed him the map, he teleported away at unbelievable speed.
"...Well, all's well that ends well."
Seeing that, I thought I understood why he'd gradually fallen into darkness after his girlfriend died.
With that thought, I went back down to the first floor.
In a dark alley, the black car was already parked.
I climbed in as if it were the most natural thing in the world and spoke.
"Soo-bin, I'm back."
"Oh my, Dain. You're back early."
"Yeah. I thought we'd fight, but we didn't. Anyway, let's step on it. Is the destination set?"
"Yes. It's set for that factory."
"Good. Let's go."
And so we started driving through the dark night streets.
...With his exceptional ability, Shadow Walker could teleport there instantly. If I tried, however, I would cough up blood and die. The distance was no joke.
"..."
Come to think of it, if I'd known things would turn out this way, I'd've come alone instead of calling Soo-bin.
I'd been more than ninety percent certain that a fight with Shadow Walker was inevitable, so I'd kept Soo-bin on standby in case I was injured. But because I was perfectly fine, I felt a little guilty. I could have driven myself.
Feeling slightly guilty, I rode toward the factory district.
Still, the seatback was comfortable, and Soo-bin said she was happy that it was just the two of us for once, so maybe it was fine.
Chatting about this and that, we arrived at the factory district in no time.
A desolate abandoned factory under the night sky.
Shadow Walker's probably inside wrecking the gang right now.
With that thought, I moved toward the factory.
I needed to at least say what I had come to say to Shadow Walker before we left.
***
"Gyaaaagh!"
"Tch."
Shadow Walker, Kim Ja-hyun, clicked his tongue.
By then, he'd already finished dealing with every gang member occupying the factory.
"...Haah. What the hell..."
He freed all the kidnapped hostages, who'd been knocked unconscious.
Then, carrying his girlfriend—who'd been among them—safely in his arms, he stepped outside.
"...That was way too close."
He murmured, cradling his unconscious girlfriend.
She was peacefully asleep without a single scratch.
...It really had been way too close.
He recalled the scene from just moments ago.
The gangsters had been holding guns and snickering as they debated whom to shoot first.
The sight made him see red, and he took them all out in an instant.
Even so, the dizzying sensation still lingered.
He could have lost her to those worthless thugs.
...If it hadn't been for him.
"Good evening, Shadow Walker. You cleaned things up neatly, as expected. Most impressive."
"...Egostic."
Carrying his girlfriend out, Kim Ja-hyun stood in the wide open lot and looked at Egostic, who was congratulating him.
Black hat, black cape, black clothes, perfectly coordinated, with a white mask covering half his face.
...Thanks to that guy, he'd been able to save her.
"..."
He quickly reviewed what he knew about Egostic.
Egostic. Even Shadow Walker, who paid little attention to what happened during the day, had heard his name countless times.
He was South Korea's most famous and popular villain. Shadow Walker had heard that Egostic's attacks never caused casualties and that he sometimes stopped other villains' attacks.
Yeah, he'd heard plenty of rumors. He'd also heard that Stardus paid quite a lot of attention to him.
Even so, Shadow Walker himself hadn't been particularly interested.
But that changed things.
"...Egostic. Aren't you clearly a villain? Why did you help me?"
Right.
That was Kim Ja-hyun’s biggest question.
Setting aside how Egostic knew his identity, why had he told him that his girlfriend had been kidnapped?
And in response to his skeptical question, Egostic just grinned and answered.
"Who can say? I wonder why myself."
"..."
"Think of it however you like. Being a villain doesn't mean I have to do nothing but bad things, does it? Heroes aren't always good, either. Sometimes they do bad things. So I can do a good deed every now and then, too. That's all."
"...?"
What a load of crap.
Kim Ja-hyun held the words on the tip of his tongue.
After all, despite everything, the one who'd practically saved her was Egostic.
Instead, Kim Ja-hyun put his brain to work.
His girlfriend Sook-hee always called him a simple-minded oaf, but Kim Ja-hyun firmly believed he simply chose not to use his head. When he did, he was plenty smart.
And so, for once, he put it to use.
Egostic was a villain, but his attacks never caused casualties, and he hunted other villains. Even so, that alone wasn't enough to say he wasn't still a villain, but...
"...Thank you. Is there something you want?"
"Heh. Just don't tell the Association or anyone that I helped you. If you can do that for me, I won't ask for anything more."
On top of that, he'd gone out of his way to tell a hero that another hero's partner had been kidnapped, preventing the crime and saving the hostages.
He reached a conclusion.
This guy... he's a good guy.
"Got it. You must have your own circumstances."
Shadow Walker settled on that conclusion.
Saving his precious girlfriend had already sent Shadow Walker's opinion of Egostic through the roof. And since Egostic did not seem like a bad person at all, his opinion improved even further.
On top of that, Egostic said nothing except to not tell anyone about the good deed, then disappeared without any lingering strings attached.
Now that was what a real man did.
"...Egostic. He's a good guy. Of course, I knew that from the very beginning."
"Mmm..."
"Ah, Sook-hee! You're awake?"
And so, that night.
Just like that, two of South Korea's three A-rank heroes ended up on Egostic's side that night.
***
"???"
Alone in her room, Stardus was seized by a strange sensation.
What is this? Why do I feel like everyone's doing something without me?
"...It's probably just my imagination."
Once again, Stardus dismissed her intuition—which was working overtime—as nothing more than her imagination.
Only a faint sense of unease remained.