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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A New Name
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The previous terror attack, which felt like a showcase, 'Look, Ego Stream has such a formidable figure too!', had quite an impact. My 'mini-terror,' which introduced the figure known as Death Knight to the public, yielded greater results than anticipated.
Not only did the news report on the dangers and potential of Egoistic's Villain Alliance, but for the first time, mentions of 'Ego Stream' began to rise, almost matching my own.
It was clear that the recent two-part villain showcase, featuring the Lepice Group and Death Knight, had caused a considerable stir. Now, as more and more villains with even greater abilities are added, there's a high probability that we'll be recognized as a force no one in South Korea can afford to ignore.
But, moving on.
"No... what on earth is going on?"
I kept replaying the TV footage.
The recent battle between Stardus and Death Knight. Stardus, who had clearly been fighting on equal footing with Death Knight, suddenly awakened mid-fight as if a surge of tiger energy had erupted within her, utterly pulverizing 'Desiki.'
As a result, 'Desiki' is currently resting within his ring once more. He seemed satisfied with the outcome, but...
Of course, I still didn't quite understand why Stardus had suddenly awakened. She'd gotten furious mid-conversation... Well, it didn't seem like she'd been *that* enraged by the news that Egoistic wasn't coming. It was more likely that 'Desiki's' 'Kwahahahaha!' laughter had simply pushed her over the edge. Nothing else made sense.
Well, anyway. From my perspective, there was nothing bad about it.
The faster Stardus grew stronger, the better.
But...
"The speed... it's too fast, isn't it?"
I muttered to myself, without realizing it.
Seriously, she's not a bean sprout, so how is she growing so strong all by herself? Is this even the same Stardus who struggled so much in the original story? It's only the early to mid-part two, but she's already almost as strong as she'd be in the late part two. Strong enough to take down most of the villains yet to appear.
"Hmm..."
I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought.
If things continue like this... it might be fine to slow down the pace a bit. Should I just take a break until the Moonlight Cult makes their appearance?
Just as I was deep in thought, a knock sounded at the door, and Ms. Soobin entered.
"Dain, are you looking up Stardus again?"
And that was the very first thing she said, seeing Stardus's image displayed on my computer screen.
The way her eyes narrowed as she looked at me, it seemed she thought I was managing the Stardus fan club again. But it was a misunderstanding. All the fan club materials were already taken care of; I was purely planning for the future.
I flinched defensively at her words and was about to protest, but Ms. Soobin was quicker, handing me her phone and speaking first.
"Dain, you have a call."
A call? I checked and saw the caller was Lee Seol-ah. Ah, I must have left my phone in the living room.
I thanked Ms. Soobin for handing it to me, then answered the call.
"Hello? What's up?"
"Excuse me. You haven't forgotten that today's the day we agreed to meet, have you?"
"...Huh?"
What? Had that much time passed already? I whipped my head around to check the calendar and realized it had been two weeks since our last meeting.
"...Ah! Of course I knew. I was just getting ready now."
"...Doesn't sound like it. Anyway, the location is the one you gave me last time, so come quickly. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah."
With the call concluded, I began to get ready to leave.
Time to go see Lee Seol-ah after a while. ...Though, honestly, it didn't feel like *that* long, but still.
***
A short while later, I was seated in the CEO's office on the top floor of the Yoosung Group's Seoul branch.
"Seriously. How is the CEO's office exactly the same in Busan and Seoul?"
I said, looking around the CEO's office after entering.
And Lee Seol-ah chuckled, watching me.
"What do I have an abundance of, if not money, just like you? I certainly spent a bit."
Was this even possible with money? As I marveled at how identical everything was, down to the furniture and the library's exact placement, she rose from her seat, a faint smile still playing on her lips, and sat down opposite me.
"And, since I'll be spending a lot of time in Seoul from now on, I figured I might as well make it comfortable."
"Why Seoul?"
"Oh, why else? Of course, it's because all the companies I need to devour... to acquire, are gathered here."
She spoke with a chilling smile, then, as if nothing had happened, her face brightened again as she continued.
"And, of course, your help is invaluable for that. Thanks to the data you provided, acquisitions are becoming quite easy."
"Ah, right. Speaking of that. Here's another one."
Recalling her words, I fished another USB out of my pocket and handed it to her.
"Here. The final file, containing all the remaining companies."
"Oh my... you really shouldn't have. To think you still had more. Thank you."
She took it with a bright smile. I emphasized my point to her once more.
"That's the last one, so you'll have to handle the rest yourself. Got it?"
"What you've already given me is more than enough, so it's fine. But how on earth do you acquire these? Even my own employees can't manage this level of information."
To her, subtly trying to pry for information, I chuckled and replied.
"I'm not omnipotent, you know. I can't breach the heavily encrypted security of internal networks used by associations or the government."
To be precise, it was Seoeun who couldn't do it, not me. Anyway, I replied with such a casual air, without actually answering her question of 'how I did it.'
"Hmm..."
And, as expected of the quick-witted Lee Seol-ah, she noticed I was changing the subject. She propped her chin on her hand and gazed at me intently after my evasive answer. Then, with a slight smile, she spoke.
"Mr. Ego. Can I come visit your house?"
"No."
"Then your name. Could you tell me your real name? It's a bit awkward to keep calling you 'Mr. Ego' every time, you know."
"That's a bit much."
"And could you take off that mask? It's quite distracting."
"..."
Right. There was a reason I'd felt slightly uncomfortable meeting her lately. She kept trying to pry into my identity.
As I quietly tilted my teacup and remained silent, she, still smiling, asked me.
"Mr. Ego. Do you not trust me?"
"Of course I do."
"Then why do you keep your own identity so tightly wrapped up and refuse to tell me?"
At her words, asked with narrowed eyes, I simply remained silent.
...Revealing my identity to Lee Seol-ah carried a certain risk. Since I didn't know the extent of her regard for me, I needed to approach her with more caution. Especially considering she becomes the mastermind in the future.
So, it would be best to test the waters a bit more and tell her when I was sure... Though, honestly, she probably already knew my name.
As I was absorbed in these thoughts, Lee Seol-ah suddenly stood up. What? What was she doing?
Having risen, she leaned her body towards me, hands resting on the desk. Now, all I could see before me was her face and her long, flowing sky-blue hair.
As I simply blinked, she met my gaze squarely, then began to whisper.
"You... Do you really think I would betray you?"
"I, too, am fundamentally someone who remembers favors. When we joined hands, I had already made up my mind. I thought it would be good to stay with you until the very end."
Having said that, she... pulled her head back, then pressed her chin with her hand, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"Do you know how much I value you?"
To her, speaking as she gazed at me, I finally exhaled and replied.
"...Well. How much is that?"
"For you, I could even give up five percent of my company's total shares."
...Was that supposed to be a lot? As I gave her a rather unimpressed look, she chuckled and opened her mouth again.
"...Well, if you don't understand the significance of that, then never mind. Anyway, I won't betray you or anything like that, so I hope you'll trust me a little more. It's a little... hurtful, you know."
She mumbled the last words softly, then turned her head and tilted her teacup to drink.
"..."
Watching her, I thought for a moment. ...Were we really at the stage to be speaking like this yet? Still, if I thought about it, even in the original story, there were descriptions of Lee Seol-ah meticulously taking care of everyone who trusted and followed her, even after she became the mastermind. Hmm...
As I was lost in thought for a moment, she, having somehow returned to her usual expression, asked me again in a slightly brighter tone.
"So, you. What are you planning to do next? That Death Knight person was certainly impressive."
"Next?"
Having heard that much, I leaned back in my chair and mused quietly.
...Originally, I was going to stage another terror attack to showcase Ego Stream's full power. But seeing Stardus's current state, I wondered if there was any need for that. She seemed strong enough already, so what more was there to do? It felt like I could proceed a bit slower now.
So, probably until *that* incident breaks out.
"Well. I'll probably just take it easy for the rest of the year."
"What? That long?"
She looked surprised. 'No, it's already autumn, how much rest is that, really?' ...Of course, I had a feeling my fan cafe would probably go wild again, but oh well. If I got really bored, maybe I'd just upload a video.
Anyway, after exchanging a few more words, I made a final request before leaving.
"...And, from now on, try to get a bit closer with Stardus."
If you two don't get along, it'll be a huge problem. Besides, if you two become closer, I'll be able to get immediate updates on Stardus's situation.
"We're already close, though?"
"I mean, it'd be good if you met more often and things like that."
"...Well. Understood."
"Good."
Having said that, I rose from my seat. It was about time to leave.
And, before leaving, I added one more thing to Lee Seol-ah, who was watching me from behind after telling me goodbye.
"And from now on... call me Dain."
"Huh?"
"My name. It's Dain, so if you want to call me that, go ahead."
"Oh... Yes!"
After a moment of blank staring, she finally understood my words and replied with a wide smile. With that last sight of her, I exited the room.
...Right. This much should be fine. Probably.
***
"Hmph... Ah, right."
Immediately after Egoistic left, Lee Seol-ah, who had been sitting at her desk grinning to herself, suddenly snapped out of it. She straightened her back and composed herself.
Right. This wasn't the time to simply bask in happiness. There was work to be done. I needed to check the USB that Ego... no, that Dain had given me.
Regaining her focus, she began to set to work.
Oh. And, he had also told me to get closer with Haru.
Lost in thought for a moment, she chuckled and picked up her phone.
Right. Catching up with Haru after a long time wasn't a bad idea. Although there had been that awkward incident involving Egoistic last time... Well, she supposed she should approach Haru first, with a more generous heart.
Haru didn't even know Egoistic's name, but she knew his real name and had even heard it directly from him.
Carrying that strange sense of ease, she picked up her phone, a smile still on her face, and called Haru.
"Oh, Haru, what are you doing?"