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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A New Recruit
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Everyone was gathered closely in the forest in front of the main house, Ego Stream's headquarters.
To see this Death Knight I brought.
[Ah! It feels good to be released from the seal.]
This guy, armed head to toe in a helmet and armor that looked straight out of the Middle Ages, laughed, clanking his helmet.
A black ethereal form was visible through the gray armor. Its body was made of a black spirit, which was then wearing the armor.
Seeing our 'Desik,' who seemed delighted to be freed from the ring's seal, Choi Se-hee asked me, looking incredibly curious.
"No. What is this? Is it a ghost?"
"A ghost... Well, I suppose you could call it a ghost?"
Ghost. Spirit. Sentient thought. Familiar. Guardian Spirit. Whatever you call it, it's hard to call it human now. You can touch it, but that's all.
"....My goodness, something like this exists. What exactly is this? If we could just research it properly..."
Meanwhile, Seo Eun, true to her scientific nature, was trying to analyze this Death Knight, her eyes gleaming.
[Hahahaha! You said your name was Dain? Thank you for releasing me! The freedom I feel after so long is truly sweet. As a reward, I'll help you with anything I can. Just name it!]
He boasted, thumping his armor with his hand. He said he'd help with anything he could. Uh...
"Uh... Desik. I don't really have anything for you to do."
[What's a 'Desik'?! And, what?! You have nothing for me to do?!]
The Death Knight was startled. Seeing him, I truly had no choice but to say that. No, I hadn't expected him to have any particular role from the start. I just wanted to capture a villain who would become really tough later on, nothing more. And besides, when I saw him in the original story...
"Don't you disappear if you stay out for more than a certain amount of time?"
[How did you know that? Yes, that's right. If I wander around this world for too long, my energy quickly runs out, and I need to rest for a bit. But I'm full of vigor right now, so I can last a few more hours!]
The Death Knight said proudly. Right. Well, perhaps thanks to being confined in the ring for so long, he seems to be at full power now. That means I can use his full strength for a while...
I'm not sure. I hadn't thought about it. My plan was just to take the ring, confirm there was a guardian spirit inside, and then seal it again. No... I never expected him to be so cooperative in the first place...
"Hmm. Right. I'll ask for your help later. For now, go back in."
[What?! Wait! Hold on! I can— Uwaaaah!]
And just like that, Desik disappeared back into the ring, leaving only a final shriek. The ring hummed faintly.
And the moment I sealed him again, something suddenly flashed into my mind.
Right. Aside from his long cooldown after a single burst of activity, this Death Knight showed immense power in the original story. So... if he's this cooperative, why not just add him as a new villain to my villainous organization, Ego Stream?
I started seriously considering this. True, I already have powerful villains I plan to push as mainstays. But getting them fully on board, from scratch, will take time.
So, there'll likely be a three-month terror hiatus after the Busan terror attack. Should I just outsource it to him?
I won't show my face on camera directly; I'll just have him carry out the terror attack and broadcast it through Ego Stream's channel.
Since the broadcast will go out under the name Ego Stream anyway, people will know it's a terror attack happening under my direction, and it'll also serve to showcase Ego Stream's power.
And I can give Stardust some more training. Villains are pouring out now, so she'll get some practice, but fighting a powerful villain I've refined will be a different experience. The truly strong villains who tormented Stardust, I either dealt with them separately or recruited them, so the remaining villains are relatively weak. They'll only help Stardust maintain her skills, not enhance them. Only I can make her grow. Hahaha.
Anyway, this Death Knight was strong enough to earn an S-rank title in the later parts of the original story, so his abilities are quite formidable.
In that case. Even if it's not a main terror attack, perhaps I could send him out for a 'mini-terror' type event? People get bored if you only ever show them the main events. You need some lighter ones in between to refresh the atmosphere. Good. Let's call him back.
I manipulated the ring again and brought out the Death Knight.
[.....Thank you. Ahh... So this air was truly this precious!]
The Death Knight knelt, arms outstretched towards the sun, overcome with emotion the moment he was freed from the ring. ...No, no. He wasn't this kind of character! I distinctly remember him being taciturn and serious during his few appearances in the original story. What is this?
Anyway, I went over to the guy who would undoubtedly be shedding tears if he had eyes instead of a helmet, and spoke to him.
"Hey, wanna work with me?"
[Good! Just command me to do anything!!!]
"It's about destroying some buildings, fighting superhumans, stuff like that. Oh, and you can't harm people."
[What?! Destruction? Combat?!]
The guy, after saying that and taking a deep breath, suddenly burst into laughter and shouted,
[A true man never refuses destruction and combat! Good! I shall do it at once!!!]
This guy... he knew a man's romance, didn't he? My internal assessment of Desik went up a notch, and I nodded at him, saying,
"Yes! That's the spirit. Are you ready to carry out a terror attack with me, like a true man!!!"
[Yes!!! I don't know what it is, but if I can move my body freely, then I, Saint Pet—]
"Death Knight."
[...Death Knight. I, the Death Knight, will show you my power!]
"Good!!!"
Let's go for a light one just before the main terror attack!!
"....Brother has become even more of an idiot."
Seo Eun merely mumbled that. An idiot, huh? Call me a man. Anyway, we immediately began preparing for the next mini-terror attack. Since it was small scale, once I taught the Death Knight basic common sense and what to say and do, we could probably just go...?
***
[Seriously, isn't Ego Star only supported by actual washed-up fans?]
New wine, new wineskins, they say. Let's let go of Stardust... Honestly, haven't they been involved for too long? Icicle <---- The wave of a new era. Accept it, you humble mortals! The age of Ice Mango is coming!!!!
=[Comments]=
[Stardust = Washed up / Icicle = Innovation. Change has begun]
[Honestly, bantering with Icicle is more fun than bantering with Stardust, lololol]
ㄴ[They barely even talked, what are you on about, lolol]
[Nope, can't lose my first wife Stardust~ Mango even debuted as a villain by sending a letter to Stardust~]
ㄴ[The true main heroine "Stardust" is undeniably true lololol]
ㄴ[The truly funny thing about the Ice Mango faction: they've had 5 terror attacks with Stardust so far, and only 1 with Icicle! They keep trying to compare Icicle to Stardust lolol. Yeah, it's a 5x difference~]
ㄴ[All the Stardust fans from around the neighborhood gathered here lololol]
ㄴ[You gotta look at the trend... The recent flow is definitely Icicle, lolol]
ㄴ[It'll be really something to see those trembling Stardust fans if the next terror attack happens in Busan again lololol]
*
[Hah, seriously, our Egostic fan cafe is ruined.]
Now they're even holding a 'World Cup' to decide which hero pairs best with Mango, lololol. What the hell, are they talking about this all day? Don't they get sick of it?
=[Comments]=
[Seriously... it's all because of this Mango-stic <<<< who isn't doing terror attacks or even streaming, lolol]
ㄴ[Seriously, if he caused a terror attack, they wouldn't be spreading these useless rumors, lolol. It's all our damn Egostic's fault.]
ㄴ[They even made a broadcast section on the Ego Stream website, but he never actually streams, damn it.]
[Seriously, lol, it's pathetic, lolol. Oh, but the trend is definitely Ice Mango, yeah.]
ㄴ[Original Poster]
ㄴ[Seriously, lolol]
ㄴ[Wait, why is the OP agreeing after cursing them out, lolol]
ㄴ[Okay, the World Cup is annoying as hell, but Icicle is definitely the main heroine, lolol]
ㄴ[Stardust fans, admit it! Egostic's archenemy is... Icicle...]
*
"Hah... seriously."
Seoul Hero Association. Shin Haru, sitting in her office and looking at her laptop, found herself gritting her teeth.
She habitually entered Egostic's fan cafe and read the posts, but ever since last time, absurd discussions kept popping up, making her blood boil.
...Like the ridiculous talk about Icicle being Egostic's counterpart, his archenemy.
Egostic. She was the only one who truly knew him best, who understood him best, so where did Icicle come from? Seol-ah was a girl who knew nothing about Egostic to begin with. The memory of Seol-ah cursing Egostic to her face last time was still vivid.
Her hand was already on the keyboard without her realizing it. Click, clack. She typed her comment.
[Stardust is the only one who truly understands Egostic and stands against him, but there's been so much nonsense lately.]
She pressed Enter and posted her comment, but perhaps because of what she'd seen earlier, her heart felt slightly uneasy. [It'll be really something to see those trembling Stardust fans if the next terror attack happens in Busan again lololol]
"...."
No way. Egostic wouldn't cause the next terror attack in Busan again, would he? She'd said she was tired of it now, and would only deal with Icicle. If that's the case?
Her gaze darkened without her realizing it. ...Surely not, could he?
As she returned to the cafe's main screen, feeling a little down. The place was already ablaze with a sudden flood of new posts.
[Ego Stream Live Broadcast ON lololololololol]
[What the hell? It hasn't even been that long since the last terror attack, lolololol]
[This is Seoul, lololol. Ice Mango faction annihilated like dogs lololololol]
[Stardust Punch! Stardust Punch! Stardust Punch! Stardust Punch! Stardust Punch! Stardust Punch!]
[Let's go, let's go~]
"Stardust-nim! Another terror attack in the heart of Seoul!"
And a moment later, when an association employee burst through the door, Shin Haru was already changed into her uniform, leaping out the window. A corner of her lips was unconsciously turned up.
Right. There's no way Egostic wouldn't cause a terror attack in Seoul. As expected, his true opponent was herself.
Thinking that, she flew through the sky towards the incident site. As she cut through the air, listening to the association employee frantically relaying the location through her earpiece, she thought.
Egostic. It'll be a long time since I've faced him directly, after that last robot terror attack.
***
"Brother. Aren't you going out this time? Why are you staying home?"
"The Death Knight will handle everything anyway. I've got drones launched for cameras, so it's fine."
Outsourcing the terror attack 100% like this is so convenient. Home truly is the best.
"...Should I get some popcorn?"
It's not like anything will really change just because I'm not physically there.