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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Master Plan
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A show must be meticulously planned.
That's why the terror I orchestrated this time was also a grand show, meticulously planned from the very beginning.
My sole goal since falling into this world has been but one:
My favorite character from the original story, Stardust, who was slandered and persecuted.
To ensure she walks only on a path of flowers.
That's why, from the start, I planned for my terror attack to be foiled by Stardust.
In truth, the detonators were fake too. As if I'd really kill people? Stardust would be sad if I did. The whole point was to nurture her, prevent future disasters, and save people; what good would it do to kill anyone?
Anyway, at the culmination of all my efforts, the show was finally reaching its climax.
All the passengers on the ship had survived through faith, none pressing the button, and the villain was flustered by the unexpected turn of events.
...Actually, if someone among them had pressed the button, I would've had to go with Plan B. Thankfully, no one did, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Stardust really knows how to deliver a speech that moves people's hearts. I knew she was good at speeches, since it's mentioned later in the original story, which is why I included it.
Anyway, it was time to focus on acting again.
With a flustered expression, I began to speak again.
"...This can't be, this can't be happening!"
On the rooftop, a cold wind blew.
From there, I looked at Stardust, laughing hollowly, my hands trembling, and shouted at her.
"Humans, humans aren't this altruistic! I was certain at least one person would press the button, so why...!"
As I said that, I—
As if realizing something, I paused briefly, then gazed at her and muttered,
"...Ah."
"It was because of you."
Having said that much, I began to subtly praise her, just like those typical 'third-rate villains who seem to insult the protagonist but are actually subtly hyping them up.'
"After hearing your speech, everyone suddenly united. ...Haha. Hahahaha!"
Here, I laughed like a madman before continuing.
...It was quite embarrassing to do this in front of the camera while completely sober, but somehow I kept it up with method acting.
I glanced over and saw Stardust looking at me like I was insane... *Sigh*. Do you know how it feels when your favorite character looks at you with contempt? My heart ached.
Still, thankfully, she wasn't rushing at me, which was because of the detonator still in my hand. Until everyone on the ship had disembarked, she couldn't let her guard down.
"Yes. It seems I underestimated you. I never imagined such a simple speech could enlighten so many people in an instant... Haha. Stardust. You truly are an interesting person, the more I see of you."
...Having said that much, I realized it was time to go.
Right. My notoriety was up, Stardust was hyped. The terror attack was successfully concluded.
Now, all that's left is to escape. Villains always make a last-minute getaway, obviously.
And so, I delivered a typical villain's parting words to her.
"Next time, I won't be so easily defeated. Well then, see you all later!"
"You...!"
After smiling faintly at Stardust, who was rushing towards me, having realized my escape, and then at the camera,
I wrapped the cloak from my back around my front and prepared to vanish with the devices I'd brought, using teleportation. The area around here would be swarming with police, so straight to my place.
...Ah. But now that I think about it, teleporting this distance would probably put me out of commission for about three days. This is bad.
*Sigh*. Life isn't easy.
With that thought,
my body simply vanished from that spot.
At the same time, the broadcast also cut out.
That was what finally announced the end of the terror attack that had shaken South Korea all day.
***
[Midday Terror Heats Up the Korean Peninsula, No Casualties Reported.]
[Who is A-Rank Villain 'Egoistic'? In-depth Coverage.]
[[BREAKING NEWS] Hero Association Issues Statement: 'Villain's Abilities Appear to Be Telekinesis and Teleportation.']
[Broadcast Hijacking in These Times... Is South Korean Broadcast Security Adequate?]
[Who is 'Stardust', the Hero Designated by the Broadcast Hijacking Villain Witnessed by the Entire Nation? Let's Examine Her Achievements.]
[[EXCLUSIVE] Interview with a Citizen on the Terror Scene's Ship: 'We Survived Because We Trusted Each Other.' Tears...]
On the day Egoistic's terror attack occurred, articles sprouted like mushrooms across the nation.
The unusual appearing in the everyday.
Unlike other terror attacks that targeted specific areas or individuals, this one differed greatly in that the scene of the terror was broadcast nationwide.
In short, it garnered immense attention.
Within a single day, the entire nation became aware of the incident, and the orchestrator, villain Egoistic, along with the hero who confronted him, Stardust, instantly drew attention.
It was a large-scale incident, attracting attention not only from Korea but also from foreign media.
The Korean Hero Association praised Stardust, stating that 'the terror attack was concluded with zero casualties thanks to A-Rank Hero Stardust's efforts,' and all press releases echoed this.
The full video of the terror attack climbed to #1 in YouTube's real-time views, making it a sensational incident.
Already, countless posts analyzing and summarizing villain Egoistic were pouring out from numerous sources.
And naturally, among those analyzing, there was also the Korean Paranormal Ability Association.
***
"Alright, let's begin the briefing."
The Korean Hero Association.
A meeting was being held on its top floor.
"Yes. The newly emerged villain, who identified himself as Egoistic. He is presumed to be male, Korean, and appears to be in his early to mid-twenties."
At the front of the conference room, the man standing there was presenting a summary of the incident to everyone.
"Currently, his identity and residence are unknown, but considering that all incidents he's caused have been concentrated in Seoul, the probability of him residing in Seoul is very high. As for the perpetrator's appearance... please refer to the dossier in front of you."
The distributed dossier for the meeting attendees contained his frontal and profile shots.
His appearance, uniformly black from head to toe.
He wore a black robe, like a long coat, and a black cloak.
And a mask covering half his face. Even though it only covered half, it was difficult to ascertain his features, leading to the presumption that it had a facial recognition jamming function... This was noted in the caption below the photo.
"Before this terror attack, he personally killed two individuals: an A-Rank and an S-Rank villain. Both appear to have been killed by telekinesis and a gun, and the lack of any other external injuries suggests it may have been a surprise attack. His telekinetic ability itself is currently judged to be weak based on what's been revealed."
Having explained Egoistic's basic profile up to that point, the presenter then took a moment to clear his throat before moving on to the core subject.
"Yes. While the only people Egoistic has directly killed are those two villains... judging by today's large-scale terror attack, it appears he intended to massacre ordinary citizens as well."
When he finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the room. The reason they were gathered here was, after all, because of yesterday's incident.
"...Now, I will officially begin explaining yesterday's incident, commonly referred to as the 'Han River Cruise Bombing Attempt.' Firstly, the bombs appear to have been pre-attached, and upon defusal, they were confirmed to be high-performance explosives with enough power to halve the ship. It's still unconfirmed where these were obtained."
"Are there no clues from the broadcast hijacking?"
"...No. It remains unknown how he bypassed the latest security technologies to hijack the broadcast and transmit. No logs remain, and the cameras were also moved by the villain, making verification impossible."
The presenter, having said that much, added "However," and continued.
"Some suggest he might have broadcast-related abilities, but no paranormal ability user with information and communication technology-related powers has been confirmed yet, nor has anyone with three abilities simultaneously, so it's merely speculation. He might have an accomplice."
"An accomplice, you say..."
"Yes. What's certain is that Egoistic possesses the ability to freely hijack the broadcasts of the three major networks. Furthermore, the transmission wasn't blocked by us; it seems he simply ceased broadcasting after the incident concluded, which suggests..."
"Yes, I understand. I think I've heard enough."
The Association President, who had been listening quietly, cut off the presenter.
The presenter bowed his head once and returned to his seat.
Soon, only the Association President's words echoed across the long table.
"To summarize, this villain is methodical and possesses a great deal of information. He knows the whereabouts and identities of A- and S-Rank villains, and he can hack broadcast frequencies at will. Anything else?"
"...One more thing, yes."
The man who had given the briefing earlier, now seated, spoke up.
"Also... for now, it seems he keeps his word. He actually let everyone on the ship go after no one pressed the button. And the most crucial point is that he seems obsessed with Stardust."
As his words ended, everyone's eyes turned to someone sitting at the end of the table.
To Stardust, Shin Haru, who was seated and attending the meeting.
Stardust, now the focus of everyone's attention, quietly addressed the assembly looking at her.
"Yes, that's correct. For some reason, the culprit left a message for me at the scene where he killed the villains, and in this incident, he specifically targeted me."
"Do you know why, Stardust?"
To the Association President's question, Haru simply replied calmly,
"I don't know either."
"Hmm... A strange affair indeed."
Hearing her answer, the Association President nodded and began discussing another topic: whether he should be ranked S-class, meaning a top-priority target. Immediately, arguments erupted: No, he had only attempted to murder civilians, not actually killed anyone, and his telekinetic strength was unknown, so giving him an S-rank was premature... Such words echoed through the room.
And so, in the Hero Association's meeting room, a heated discussion ensued throughout the night.
***
Meanwhile.
In a small studio apartment, several kilometers away from the terror scene.
"Ugh... shit, I'm dying here."
There, I lay groaning in bed.
Living as a villain wasn't easy...