Chapter 6: Followers

[Egoistic’s followers are currently carrying out a bomb attack in the middle of Incheon. They’ve planted bombs in a building and claim that more explosions are to follow... They have no specific demands right now—except the desire for death. The estimated death toll currently stands at a minimum of three.]

My face hardened as I watched the news Seo Eun showed me.

Who the hell are these guys, claiming to be my followers and dragging my name through the mud?

And what? Casualties? They killed people?

I felt something snap inside me.

Just yesterday, I worked so hard on boosting my public image.

And now they’ve destroyed it the very next day.

This is f*cking ridiculous.

Who do they think they are, terrorizing people under my name?

And in such a barbaric, violent way that doesn’t fit my style at all?

“...”

People have died. One thing I swore when I chose this villainous path was that I would never cause civilian casualties.

But now, three people are dead. Caused by those claiming to be my followers; effectively, it’s my responsibility.

I spoke to Seo Eun, who was sitting in her chair with a stern face.

“Seo Eun-ah, help me out one more time. I need to sort them out before deciding what to do next.”

“Of course. I anticipated that and prepared in advance.”

Seo Eun rummaged through her drawer and handed me a phone.

I walked towards the elevator, holding the phone.

“Ah, I really can’t believe this...”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

Really, two days in a row? This is just too much.

***

Korean Association of Supernatural Talents.

But no one actually calls it that—Hero Association.

Right now, the atmosphere in the Hero Association was notably tense.

“What’s the current situation?”

In response to the chairman’s low voice, an agent sitting in front of him quickly replied.

“The perpetrators are still protesting at the scene. About 300 hostages are currently isolated inside the building.”

“Any more casualties?”

“No further casualties at this point.”

“Okay, got it. Are the heroes on their way?”

“A team of C and B-class heroes is on standby. But access is difficult as they’re threatening to detonate the bombs.”

“Damn it, those bastards. Did Egoistic bring them in?”

“We’re currently investigating any connections, but nothing has been confirmed yet.”

“I see, okay. Oh, by the way, where is Stardust now?”

“She is observing the situation nearby. She’ll probably intervene if necessary.”

Exactly that way, Shin Haru, also known as Stardust, was keeping a close eye on the situation from the rooftop of a nearby building.

‘Damn it, what should I do…’

The reason for the existence of the Hero Association was simple. Because villains using superpowers are hard to catch for regular police forces, it was established under the pretext that those with similar abilities should be the ones to apprehend them.

The terrorism of this era was almost exclusively instigated by villains with superpowers. Whether to flaunt their own abilities or due to dissatisfaction with the world, most acts of terror were committed by those who awakened as villains.

So, this act of terrorism by those without superpowers was an extraordinarily rare occurrence.

The reason was precisely...

“Egotistic, that bastard.”

Shin Haru gritted her teeth inwardly. It was evident that that guy’s pressure on the heroes using mere bombs had inspired others.

‘No, considering something like this happened the day after the incident he caused, he must be the one sponsoring it.’

Exactly, that was even more likely. Otherwise, organizing such a large-scale act of terrorism in a single day made no sense. It must be premeditated.

‘I should have caught him yesterday... Wait, what’s that?’

Just as she noticed something, a call came in from headquarters.

[Stardust, Egotistic has appeared on the scene. I repeat, Egotistic himself seems to be present. He is currently broadcasting himself live on YouTube. Confirm immediately.]

Even without the urgent message from headquarters, Shin Haru knew he was there.

She could see Egotistic appearing in front of the building where the criminals had taken hostages.

“YouTube…?”

That detail was in the message from headquarters.

She hurriedly turned on her phone and opened the app.

The trending number 1 video at that moment could be seen right on the main screen.

[Egotistic LIVE]

She clicked on the video.

***

An atmosphere of cold tension permeated the building.

The street was devoid of any people.

Then, a figure in black appeared.

Cloaked in a black robe, with hair as black as the robe itself. And a mask that concealed half his face.

Yes, it was me. Egotistic.

*

[What is this?]

[A villain live broadcast, holy shit]

[Looks like Egotistic is broadcasting the terrorism live???]

[The greatest villain of this era, Egotistic, has appeared LOL]

[I had nothing to do today, and now it’s getting interesting Haha]

[Lots of crazy people in the chat, you know this is a crime scene, right?]

[As long as it’s not me~~~]

[Release Kim Seon-woo! Release Kim Seon-wo! Release Kim Seon-wo!]

[Why is the chat such a mess LOL]

[Why hasn’t YouTube taken this down?]

[Considering he hijacked the airwaves yesterday, maybe YouTube can’t take it down]

*

...And so, the spectacle of me walking was being live-streamed on YouTube.

My phone, which was filming me, was fixed in place through telekinesis. To boost my plummeting popularity, I had no choice but to livestream. A quick glance at the chat made me start to regret it.

Still, I kept walking and soon found myself standing in front of a building.

Walking in without any resistance, I saw a dimly lit interior. And seated inside were countless people. Those standing were all dressed in black, like me, wearing masks. Unlike my half-mask, theirs conceal their entire faces.

As I stepped into the vast lobby, the armed men first seemed startled upon seeing me. But they soon recognized me through my black robe and half-mask, and a few of them cheered.

Then the voice of a terrorist reverberated in the space. “Our hero, Egoistic, has descended for us!”

And with that, his fellow extremists started chanting in unison.

“Egoistic! Egoistic!”

“He’s here! He’s really here!”

“Keeeeee!”

Their cries of delight filled the air, while hostages huddled among them trembled in fear.

Observing all of this, I thought to myself, “What a bunch of lunatics,” biting my lip.

Although I had chosen to become a villain, I was just another regular Korean citizen before. And so, something started to burn deep within me.

These damn fools. This is just a riot. No subtle psychological warfare, no ingenious tactics—just crude terror fueled by primitive fear and intimidation.

This is what they call following me? Using my name to cause this kind of incident?

Since entering the building, I haven’t said a word.

But slowly, turning my head, I assessed their faces.

All of them—clad in black robes and masks—were armed with guns. And somewhere among them, someone must be carrying an explosive device.

[ The guy standing at 3 o’clock has the explosive. ]

The voice in my earpiece rang clear. Ah, Seo-eun, the genius hacker, always knew just what to tell me. How she found out, I have no idea.

People filled the gaps between where these fools stand. Roughly 300 of them, I guess.

“...”

So, what to do with them now? Hmm... Alright, let’s start by laughing a little.

“Hahahahaha...”

With that, I gave them a hearty laugh.

“Hahaha. Hahahahaha! This is quite entertaining, isn’t it? Hahaha!”

As I burst out laughing, the building went quiet, filled only with the sound of my laughter. And from that laughter, they sense...

“...”

...Something off. The self-proclaimed followers shut their mouths.

After having my laugh, I abruptly stop and speak.

“I came here because I heard I had followers. Really, truly...”

The atmosphere grew tense as I drew out my words.

“Really, truly well done! Bravo!”

Upon hearing my words, my so-called followers visibly relaxed.

Feeling relieved, the one who seemed to be their leader finally opened his mouth.

“Ha, haha! Thank you! We are your devoted—”

“F*cking excellent.”

And just as he spoke those words, I coldly cut him off and slipped my hand into my coat.

“Truly, f*cking excellent at talking crap—”

As I spoke, I used my telekinesis to immobilize the one who appeared to be the leader and the one holding the explosive.

“—aren’t you?”

And as soon as my words ended,

Bang. Bang.

I pulled a gun from my coat and shot both of them.

Thanks to the telekinetic hold, they fell rather helplessly, bleeding from the gunshot wounds.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

And as a gunshot rang out and people fell, the hostages let out screams.

Among the so-called followers, who seemed to have hidden their clearly flustered expressions behind their masks, I reloaded my gun.

Ah, right. Since this mess happened because of me, it’s only fitting that I clean it up myself.

It’s time for some re-education.

With that thought in my mind, I quietly reloaded my weapon.

︵‿︵‿୨ * ୧‿︵‿︵

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