The Beginning of the Terror
The Beginning of the Terror
A broad river flowed quietly through the heart of Seoul beneath a blue sky.
That place, seemingly peaceful with cruise ships and boats drifting along—
[Good afternoon, citizens. I am the villain Egostic. A pleasure to meet you all!]
—was instantly thrown into chaos by news of a villain attack.
He had hijacked every terrestrial broadcast channel, beaming his image nationwide, and identified himself as Egostic.
That alone was shocking enough, but the villain's next words, delivered with a smile, plunged people even deeper into fear.
[To give you a brief résumé, I'm the one who eliminated the villains Enzodiac and Rhino! But enough of that trivial stuff... Shall we move on to something more entertaining?]
[Do you see those three ships down there on the river?]
His camera angle shifted down, revealing the Han River below.
Then came his stunning declaration.
[I've planted bombs on all of them!]
He delivered the declaration with a smile.
Of course, they were being broadcast to every passenger via the televisions aboard all three ships.
"What the hell is he talking about?!"
"S-so, you're saying there's a bomb on this ship?"
"Captain! What are you doing? Turn the ship around!"
Pandemonium erupted aboard the vessels.
Even more astonishingly, the chaos itself was being broadcast.
It was as though hidden cameras had been planted throughout every ship.
[Haha, quite a commotion. Ah. Don't worry too much. You might just make it out alive!]
After saying that, he flashed a wicked grin at the camera and continued.
[Now then. Let's begin the game. To that end, I would like A-rank hero Stardus to join us. A game needs at least one hero to set the mood, doesn't it? If she doesn't come... well, I'll just blow them all up.]
He shook something in his hand that looked like a detonator.
And then.
"Stardus!"
"Understood."
At that very moment.
Stardus watched the entire spectacle on a screen at the Hero Association and nodded quietly.
...A villain had appeared.
Then there was only one thing for a hero to do.
After coordinating with the Association staff and finishing her preparations, she immediately leaped out a nearby window.
But she didn't fall; she floated in midair.
And so, Stardus flew straight toward the villain's confirmed location.
Her target was the newly emerged villain Egostic.
***
"Whew..."
I finished the announcement and took a breath.
Standing on the rooftop of a building overlooking the long river, I had been broadcasting with a camera floating in the air via telekinesis. Now, I turned everything off for a moment to rest.
Meanwhile, footage from the three ships would be airing on TV. The cameras I'd installed beforehand would show the panicked passengers inside.
"...This really isn't easy. Not easy at all."
I sighed and muttered to myself.
Even staging a terrorist attack was tough. The villains I'd seen in movies were starting to seem impressive.
"...Haha."
I forced a laugh.
...My villain persona was an unpredictable madman. Laughing often was the easiest way to sell that image; laughing in the middle of an attack made anyone look dangerous at a glance.
It was a cold, calculating, villain-appropriate decision: the best way to inflate my image beyond my actual abilities.
Now that I'd made this much of a scene, Stardus would be here soon—the protagonist of this comic and an A-rank hero.
...I was a little nervous.
I was about to meet my favorite character, Stardus, the protagonist of this world, in person.
Of course, since we were adversaries, she would glare at me like she wanted to devour me the moment she saw me. That couldn't be helped. Still, at least I'd get to see her in person.
Before meeting her, I checked my outfit one more time.
A black robe, black pants, and a black cape, all matching my black hair.
And a white mask covering half my face. Perfect.
Now all I had to do was wait for the hero to arrive.
As I was thinking that...
Right on cue, I spotted something flying toward me from far across the sky.
Flying with long blonde hair streaming behind her, she had to be Stardus, the protagonist of this world.
Alright, time to turn the cameras back on.
A moment later.
Boom—
With a heavy thud, Stardus landed on the rooftop, her blonde hair swirling around her.
Wow! A hero landing!
Seeing a scene I'd only ever witnessed in comics in real life made my heart race.
While I was having such idle thoughts, the hero strode purposefully toward me.
Seeing that, I smoothly pulled the detonator from my coat and waved it in front of her.
"Whoa, hold on! I have a detonator in my hand. Please stop right there."
My words stopped her short.
Then she gauged the distance between us, her eyes calculating. I added a warning before she could try anything.
"Oh, and besides, my subordinate watching this broadcast also has a switch, so the moment you touch me, everything goes boom!"
Perhaps because I'd said that much, Stardus finally seemed to give up, crossing her arms as she stood still.
Standing before me, she glared and spoke.
"...Egostic."
"Yes. That is my name. You remembered, I see?"
"Disarm the bombs right now. Then I'll settle for beating you up a little before I arrest you."
"Haha. As if I'd do that?"
Her expression twisted.
...Even so, she was still dazzlingly beautiful.
"Now, now, don't scowl like that. I clearly stated on the broadcast, didn't I? That I would let everyone make it out alive."
As I spoke, I winked at the camera that was filming us and broadcasting this scene nationwide.
"...Stardus. I'm quite interested in you. Yes. Very much so."
She kept her mouth shut and simply glared at me. She must have decided to hear me out for now.
So I continued talking to her.
"Stardus. One of the few A-rank heroes in South Korea, someone who firmly believes in her sense of justice and convictions and never compromises with evil. Isn't that the ideal image of a hero? Honestly, Stardus, I rather respect you. Ha ha."
"...If you're only going to spout nonsense, shut your mouth. What exactly are you trying to say?"
Yeah. I just wanted to praise you while you were on national television—to make you look like a hero so righteous that even a villain was impressed...
Anyway, that was enough fan time. It was time to return to the main event: the show.
"Yes! Passengers, if you look at the center of your ship, you should see a detonator with a large red button. The devices I've installed on those three ships... each one triggers the explosives on the other ships. That's right! Not your own ship, but the others."
As I spoke, Stardus's expression hardened again.
Right. A smart woman like her would understand what I was getting at.
I smiled and continued in a measured voice.
"The way for everyone to survive is simple. Just don't press the detonator."
"The time limit is 30 minutes. As long as no one presses their detonator during that time, everyone lives."
"However! If even a single ship presses the button during that period... when time runs out, the other two ships go boom!"
After saying that, I smiled as though I were doing them a favor and added,
"But what if you're still anxious? Then I'll make one more concession."
"The ship that presses the button—I'll guarantee that ship's survival, one hundred percent. Yes! Even if another ship presses its button, your ship will not explode if you also press yours! Wow, press the button and you're guaranteed to live. Could there be a sweeter deal?"
"So even if all three ships press the button, I'll save everyone. Haha. At this rate, isn't it harder to die?"
As I spoke, her expression became unreadable.
Right. She must be thinking that people won't press the button.
I smiled at her and said.
"Our justice-loving Stardus."
"I do hope this serves as an opportunity for you to realize just how evil and selfish humans truly are."
I clapped my hands and continued.
"Alright, it begins now! The time limit is 30 minutes. I wish everyone the best of luck!"
With that, the camera filming us turned off.
Soon, my broadcast, which had been airing nationwide, began showing the interiors of the three ships.
And on the rooftop where we stood, a projector and speakers I'd prepared beforehand began playing the broadcast on one of the walls.
"Now, Stardus. Shall we watch together here?"
"...Ha. Do you really think people will act the way you intend?"
Still with her arms crossed, watching the broadcast on the wall, she glanced at me sharply and spoke.
I just smiled at her.
"Well, we'll see, won't we?"
The moment I said that, the broadcast began in earnest.
As the feed from inside the ships appeared on the wall, Stardus's previously indifferent expression began to harden.
[Right, the best course is not to press it, don't you all agree?]
[Yes, definitely. Surely the other ships wouldn't press it?]
Ship 1 was reassuring: no one seemed inclined to press the button. But then—
[...If no one presses the button, everyone lives. Is there really a need to press it?]
[What are you talking about! What if someone else presses it? Everyone lives if everyone presses it anyway, right? Especially—what if some lunatic on that shabby boat up ahead decides to press it on his own? Don't gamble with our lives, just press it!]
...On Ship 2, those who wanted to press it were arguing with those who didn't.
And then.
[Everyone, let's just press it, okay?]
[Yes. The others will have all pressed it anyway.]
[Thinking about it rationally, that's the right move.]
[...What if someone doesn't press it?]
[Come on. Would a ship like that even exist?]
Ship 3 was similarly divided, but the prevailing opinion seemed to be shifting toward pressing the button.
Right. Everyone lives happily ever after without pressing anything? You think it's that easy?
People naturally prioritize their own safety. Press the button, and survival is guaranteed. It isn't easy to refuse and gamble by leaving your fate in other people's hands—especially when the option that everyone lives if everyone presses it helps ease the guilt.
True. But there were always oddballs like the people on Ship 1, who trusted others enough not to press it.
And those people are the ones about to be sacrificed.
"...Stardus. Doesn't this seem a little different from what you expected?"
I smirked and spoke to her as she watched the wall broadcast with a tense expression.
Now. The show's about to get interesting.
***
"Helicopter! Is the helicopter ready?"
"Yes! It's ready to move the moment a ship explodes!"
"Whew, is there anything else?"
"Other B-rank and lower heroes have been deployed near the Han River!"
"They probably won't be much help... Ha, with Stardus pinned down there, we're out of options."
Inside the Korean Hero Association control center.
In the control center, countless agents rushed about while the Association President, a man in his fifties, wiped sweat from his bald head with a towel.
Just when he thought some peaceful days were finally here, why did this have to happen?
Still wiping sweat, he looked at the feed from the ship cabins on the screen and muttered.
"It's still a madhouse in there. Haa..."
[Press the button!!!]
[What if the other ships don't press it?!]
[You people, seriously—move! I'll press it!]
[That person is crazy! Everyone, stop him!]
Egostic. The feed he was broadcasting from the ship cabins... was still absolute chaos.