Stepping Stone

I woke up after being unconscious for three days.

The moment I opened my eyes, Seo-eun burst into tears and started pounding on me. "Big bro, you're seriously insane!"

‘Big bro, you're seriously insane!’ she cried, smacking me over and over. Seo-eun, that really hurt! Stop!

I sat up and calmed her down, and it was obvious that I had frightened her badly. I had suddenly lain there like a corpse for three days, so of course she had been worried.

Still, seeing her sob like that when I came to kind of got to me. The time we'd spent living together hadn't gone to waste after all. She'd even cried for me. All that gaming and hanging out really paid off.

Seo-eun tearfully told me to take better care of myself. I gave her a bitter smile and promised to be more careful. Not that making the promise guaranteed I would never do it again.

Once I'd woken up, soothed Seo-eun, and thanked Soo-bin for nursing me, the first real thing I did was check public opinion.

What were people saying about me?

And what were they saying about Stardus?

The verdict was that my popularity was at its peak. I saw tons of articles saying the public basically thought of me—a villain—as a hero.

...Yeah. Figured it'd go that way.

The claim that I had killed him simply because he angered me had actually made people like me more. They said it was satisfying.

The shocker was Crocodile Man: the bastard was alive. Seriously? He'd survived poison gas? I mean, I had used a weaker dose just in case, but I hadn't thought he'd last. Then again, he'd been a real pain in the ass to take down in the Original Work.

Apparently, he'd reverted from crocodile form back to an ordinary guy and, after treatment, had been locked up in the Eastern Superpowered Detention Center.

Huh. So that played out just like the Original Work.

The Eastern Superpowered Detention Center. They call it East Carceres. Exactly what it sounds like: a place to stuff villains with superpowers.

Just like the Hero Association, every country has facilities called Carceres. Carceres—Latin for prison. Right after the very first superpowered-only prison, America Carceres, was built in the U.S., every superpowered prison built in other countries got the same Carceres label.

It was each country's highest-security facility, loaded with every kind of restraint tailored to suppress a prisoner's specific abilities. It stood on an uninhabited island in the East Sea, and the security was so airtight that people said no one who went in ever came out. Well, Seo-eun had simply hacked it open in the Original Work, but still.

Anyway, since he was alive and locked up there, he might prove useful later. He was rather stupid, so he also seemed easy to use. I still did not know whether he was only like that in crocodile form or equally stupid as a human.

Anyway, I kicked back and rested for a few more days.

I was just a regular guy. After working that hard, I'd burned myself out. I needed some downtime.

...Though Seo-eun did seem to be sticking closer to me than before while we hung out. What was up with her?

Not that I just lay around doing nothing every day. I'd occasionally teach Seo-eun and Soo-bin about the Korean hero world. They'd both been holed up studying computer tech, so there was a lot they didn't know about current affairs.

"Alright, today let's learn about the reality of heroes in South Korea. Soo-bin, what do you think the public's perception of heroes is like?"

"Um... good? I mean, they're the people who save you."

"Nope. Wrong. Korea's a little different. Let's try this. A villain attacks your family. You call a hero. But the villain kills them and runs off before the hero even shows up. Who do you think people blame?"

"Wouldn't they obviously blame the villain?"

"Oh, sure, they blame the villain. They blame the villain, but they blame the hero just as much. They say the hero showed up late, so their family is dead."

"...But that wasn't the hero's fault, was it? It wasn't as though they chose to arrive late."

"Right. But citizens don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠care about that. To them, the hero could've gotten there faster, but they dawdled, so someone died. That's where the blame lands. It's not just that one thing, obviously, but over time all these little things pile up into a massive distrust of heroes. Bottom line: the Korean public doesn't really trust heroes."

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠talked way too much. My throat was sore.

I grabbed an open water bottle next to me and took a swig.

"Don't drink directly from the bottle."

...Seo-eun scolded me. Seo-eun, I'd thought she was staring at her phone. Since when had she paid that much attention to what I was doing?

Seo-eun kept watching, so I held the bottle away from my lips and poured the water into my mouth. You could just drink your own water...

After wetting my throat, I continued.

"Honestly, from a hero's perspective, it's maddening. They're risking their lives, and on top of that they get cussed out. South Korea doesn't even have many heroes, so it's hard for anyone to get to a scene fast in an emergency. Delays are unavoidable. And for that, they get insulted."

"Ah-ha..."

Soo-bin nodded as though she finally understood. Even Seo-eun, who had been looking at her phone, had perked up her ears toward us. Maybe I really was good at explaining things.

Before I was dropped into this world, my dream had been to become a teacher. Not that it mattered then—there was too much else going on, and I didn't even have an ID, so I couldn't do anything. Maybe once everything was over, I'd obtain a new identity and try teaching.

Anyway, that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wasn't important. I kept talking.

"So it turns into this domino effect. Heroes tired of being distrusted quit being heroes. The hero count drops. With fewer heroes, response times to crime scenes get even slower. Then distrust in heroes piles up even more... It's a vicious cycle. There's a reason the rank-B and C heroes keep dwindling. Right now, this country's public safety rests on three A-ranks."

"It'd be nice if the police could help, but the law says police can't be dispatched when a superpowered crime is happening. The reality is, one villain with powers could wipe out a bunch of cops with guns. They'd be useless."

So here was the conclusion.

Shitshow.

A society where heroes were looked down on and villains kept multiplying.

There were far too many villains compared with heroes.

That was why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Stardus ran herself ragged alone.

"...So big bro is eliminating villains? Well, look at you—the great dark hero."

Seo-eun, who'd been listening quietly, sniped at me. Oof. Seo-eun. You were so sweet the last few days, and now you're back to normal.

"...I wouldn't go as far as dark hero. Let's just say I'm a little invested in Korea's fate."

"Sure it isn't just because big bro likes Stardus and is doing her job for her?"

"Now, now, Seo-eun. Don't call her that. Speak nicely."

She wasn't wrong, though.

How'd she nailed it so precisely?

But admitting that immediately in this situation would have been amateurish.

I brushed past it like nothing.

"It's not that—I just don't like..."

"From where I'm sitting, Dain, you seem very interested in Stardus."

Soo-bin cut me off and objected.

Soo-bin cut me off. Sweet, innocent Soo-bin.

Where had the innocent Soo-bin gone—the one who used to tear up in fear whenever I said a single word?

I raised a tiger cub.

Two women's gazes hit me out of nowhere.

Those eyes, suddenly demanding answers, completely threw me off.

"Now, now. Am I interested in her? Yes, that much is true. But it doesn't mean anything special. Stardus is practically the only real hero left, and a villain needs a hero for the role to work, does he not? It is a contrast. Yes, that is it. I chose Stardus as my archenemy..."

I caught myself making excuses before I even realized it. Why the hell was I making excuses?

Seo-eun continued to watch me suspiciously. Seo-eun, what was wrong? I was innocent here.

"Anyway! That's not what's important. Let's start planning another terrorist attack."

As soon as I said that, Seo-eun's attention finally shifted away from Stardus.

"A terrorist attack? Again?"

"Yeah. How do I put it. My likability's gone too high. More like expectations than likability, maybe? Either way, the only way to bring that back down is a major terrorist attack."

"Haa... When are we supposed to prepare all that again?"

"Relax. We'll take a break for a while after this one."

I laughed off her grumbling.

"Break? Really? So we can go on a trip?"

"Trip?"

The second I saw Seo-eun's eyes sparkle, I agreed without thinking.

"Yeah, a trip. Sounds good. Let's go when it's done."

"Hell yes! You promised!"

Then Seo-eun suddenly darted off somewhere.

I had told her we should prepare for a terrorist attack... She had not gone to start preparing for the trip already, had she?

Soo-bin just watched us and laughed softly.