Unprecedented
Unprecedented
Three hundred people.
That's the student body of a decent-sized high school.
A crowd that size in one place means a lot of things.
Either the space they're in is huge, or they're packed in tight.
In this case, probably both.
Three hundred people, crammed together in a vast space.
And yet, with all these people here, not a single one is speaking.
So is it quiet? No, it's not.
Because the woman in front of me was crying as if the world had ended.
"Waaaaaah. Waaaaaaaaaah. W-Waaaaaaah."
Please, just stop crying.
*
[she's seriously crying like the world's ending, holy shit]
[Seven of her teammates got brutally murdered, of course she's crying lmao]
[Is she next on the chopping block? She's pretty, what a shame]
[You lunatics. Can't you see the hostages trembling over there? This isn't a movie.]
[Yeah as long as it's not me~~~~]
[Looking at it now, I don't think he's gonna kill all the hostages?]
[I'm so worried about her, she's crying so miserably T_T]
[Yo that woman is a terrorist too, you idiots lol]
[this is way more fun than regular TV. watching live is seriously entertaining lol]
*
I glanced at the chat again to gauge the mood.
I realized I didn't need to look anymore. It was making my head spin...
"Waaaaaah. W-wuuh..."
She's the bigger problem for now.
Tsk... I needed to convince her to come with me. I held all the cards here, after all.
I crouched down and picked up the pistol she had dropped.
Staying low like that, I made eye contact with her.
She hiccupped when our eyes met. I smiled kindly and said one thing.
"Keep crying and I'll shoot, okay?"
As I said it, I playfully aimed the gun and mimed firing—bang! She freaked out and started trying desperately to stop the tears.
...It kind of made me feel more and more like the bad guy.
But anyway, it got quieter than before.
With her hiccuping behind me, I stood before the hostages.
Three hundred people crouched before me, all looking up. It was quite a sight.
Their eyes were, for the most part, filled with terror.
Why were they... Oh, right. I'd just killed seven people in front of them.
How often does the average person get to witness someone shot, bleeding, and collapsing firsthand?
Ah, people in this world might have seen it a bit more, maybe?
This was Seoul.
Asia's third-largest economic city—and third in its frequency of terrorist attacks.
It's fitting for the capital of South Korea, which has an absurd number of ability users, heroes, and villains alike.
Anyway, they were all incredibly tense.
So I raised my voice and addressed them.
"Alright, alright. Hello, everyone. I'm A-rank villain Egostic. Nice to meet you."
I amplified my voice with telekinesis, loud enough for all of them to hear.
The atmosphere grew even tenser when I finished. I could see everyone becoming more anxious. What was wrong with them? I wasn't going to hurt them.
*
[is this where he says, 'Now kill each other'? terrifying]
*
One look at the chat told me why they were reacting like that.
No, what did those people take me for? I wasn't some kind of psycho.
...Now that I thought about it, I had once pulled the 'only the first to kill someone gets to live' stunt on three boats. Sigh. Fine, it was my fault. My fault.
So, I spoke kindly to the trembling crowd.
"First, to everyone here, I would like to offer my apologies. I'm sorry."
As I said it, I bowed deeply.
When I suddenly bowed and apologized, I could feel everyone hold their breath.
Then I straightened up and continued naturally.
"Although I didn't do this myself, I feel a great sense of responsibility for this copycat crime, which was inspired by the example I set."
The hostages' jaws dropped.
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
*
[?????????]
[what is that guy even talking about?]
[is this... a villain? then what the hell were all the villains I've seen until now?]
*
The chat was pure bewilderment.
It was like parents watching their troublemaking son suddenly study for the college entrance exam for fifty days and come home with an acceptance letter from Seoul National University.
Regardless, I kept talking.
"As for the hostages, I have no business with any of you, so you may go straight home. I plan to send a modest amount of compensation to the accounts of everyone harmed because of me, so please check them later."
*
[??? What kind of bullsh-t is this???]
[Compensation for damages, wtf lol]
[Mommy, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! Mommy, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! Mommy, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! Mommy, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! Mommy, I want to be a hostage when I grow up! Mommy, I want to be a hostage when I grow up!]
[Is this... a terrorist attack? What were the terrorist attacks I've been in so far even???]
*
"To the three people who, regrettably, lost their lives... I apologize. I'll pay the maximum amount of compensation. Oh, and don't worry. I already know all of your bank account information."
I had said it before. I was loaded.
I hadn't been before, but now throwing money around was the one thing I did best.
*
[but trying to throw compensation at it and call it a day is kinda scummy... is that all?]
[??? He didn't even kill them in the first place, so isn't it weirder that he's offering compensation at all?]
[Really? Still, trying to pass it off as a death payout is a bit...]
[no, I said he didn't kill them lmao]
*
The chat was buzzing, which was exactly what I'd intended. I had to act this erratically to get people talking about me again and boost my notoriety, right? If something like this had happened anyway, I might as well milk it for all it was worth.
How did I know their account numbers? Our genius hacker Seo-eun would take care of that somehow. I just had to trust her. Probably.
[...Sigh...]
I thought I heard a sigh through my earpiece, but it was probably my imagination. Definitely.
Having said my piece, I turned back around.
Behind me was the woman who had followed me, still trembling like a leaf.
...I'd let her live because I thought she'd be worth recruiting as support, but what was I supposed to do with her now?
[Bro. Just bring her with you.]
Seo-eun's voice suddenly came through my earpiece.
Bring her? Kidnap her? Just take her from here?
But I couldn't ask why out loud right here.
Hundreds of people were watching me; if I stood here muttering to myself, I'd look so lame...
[She seems mentally shattered anyway, so we should take this chance to bring her here, then persuade her together and get her on our side. Probably.]
"Hmm..."
Yeah. Maybe that's not a bad idea?
It sounded like a pretty wicked plan for something said by Seo-eun, who was only in her third year of middle school, but I decided to go with it anyway. There was something called the suspension bridge effect, after all.
"All right, miss. You're coming with me."
"Heeeeeek?"
I pulled the woman, who let out a strange squeal, to her feet and into my arms.
Holding her as she squirmed in shock, I looked at the people staring blankly up at me and bid them farewell.
"Well then, farewell."
At the same time, I swept my cloak out in front of me.
Then I vanished.
*
[Wait, is the stream over?]
[The ending was a bit anticlimactic... I give it a 6/10]
[Release Kim Seon-woo Release Kim Seon-woo Release Kim Seon-woo Release Kim Seon-woo Release Kim Seon-woo Release Kim Seon-woo Release Kim Seon-woo Release Kim Seon-woo ]
[I saw that spam and decided Kim Seon-woo gets the death penalty.]
===[The broadcast has ended]===
*
And with that, I finally ended the headache-inducing broadcast.
***
[Villain Takes Responsibility with Cash Payouts? Hostages' Bank Account Verifications Pour In. Egostic—Just What Is He? In-Depth Report.]
[[Editorial] A Villain Who Murdered the Terrorists Who Worshipped Him: Was He Justified?]
[Egostic Updates: Following Yesterday, Leads the 9 O'Clock News Again Today... NEWSTREE]
*
[Author] Anonymous
[Title] So This Is Actually Real?
You're telling me that some guy who decapitated an A-rank villain suddenly hijacked three ships, pulled the 'now kill each other' thing, then bolted when nobody died, and then the next day when his own fanatics started a terrorist attack, he showed up personally, killed them all, paid compensation to the hostages, and let them go? And he livestreamed the whole thing?
=[Comments]=
[Anonymous1]Nah, there's no way lol
↳ [Anonymous2]For real lol
↳ [Anonymous3]Who on earth even does that (there actually is one)
↳ [Anonymous4]And a public broadcast hijack too? Gotta be a lie (it isn't)
[Anonymous5]Fr, I've never seen a villain like Mangostic in my life. It's burned into my brain in just two days.
↳ [Anonymous6]Who the hell is Mangostic? lmao
↳ [Anonymous7]Mangostic, fucking lmao
↳ [Anonymous8]How is a villain's name Mangostic lmao
[Anonymous9]No but honestly, he kills villains, stops terrorist attacks, frees hostages... isn't he just a hero?
↳ [Anonymous10]A hero (who hijacks ships and tries to bomb them)
↳ [Anonymous9]Oh yeah, and did anyone die from that? lol
↳ [Anonymous11]I support Mangostic, the dark hero of the shadows
*
***
A villain who branded his name into the minds of the entire nation for two days straight: Mangostic.
...No, not Mangostic—Egostic. She shook her head and corrected herself mentally. She must have spent too long browsing online communities to monitor public opinion; her brain felt slightly fried.
"Ha-ru, what are you doing?"
"Oh, hey."
Inside a café.
Shin Ha-ru, a college student, was working on an assignment with an upperclassman.
When she operates as a hero, she basically hides her name and always wears a recognition reduction filter, so no one knows she is a hero.
Thus, she could enjoy an ordinary college life.
By day, she lived as the average university student Shin Ha-ru, and by night, as the hero Stardus—leading a double life.
"Ha-ru, you seem like you really can't focus. Is something going on?"
"Ah, no. I was just thinking about something for a second."
She waved her hand, repeatedly assuring the upperclassman that she was fine and would focus from now on, then picked up her pen and returned to the assignment.
But her attention was elsewhere.
Her thoughts remained fixed on one question: Just what kind of man was Egostic?