· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
Translated by BiasNil
· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
They say that when a person experiences something too shocking, their mind freezes on the spot.
Right now, that was exactly the A-class villain Monkey Spanner.
For as long as he's lived, he's fought countless Awakened.
He's never faced an S-class hero, but he's clashed with A-class a few times—
—and slipped away every time.
No matter how strong the opponent, Monkey Spanner always moved with the majority. Even for heroes, it wasn't easy to kill him.
Especially since, aside from a few exceptions, heroes overpower villains rather than shooting them—escaping was often simple.
In other words, Monkey Spanner may have been defeated—
—but he'd never seen anything like this.
Never.
His underlings.
They were practically comrades who'd suffered alongside him.
When he said, "Let's go to Mexico," they all followed.
Sure, he lost a lot of people there, which is why the ones left are the best.
They were.
And in just a moment—
Monkey Spanner looked around.
Hostages sat. His underlings were standing, guns trained on them.
No one was standing anymore.
What happened?
He'd jumped down to crush that masked man.
The instant he jumped, the man was gone.
And before he knew it, the guy was already seated on the chair where he himself had been sitting.
The masked man flicked his fingers like he was bored.
Instantly.
The guns in his men's hands flew up.
Before anyone could process it—
—at the same time—
Bang, bang, bang, bang.
Dozens of guns fired at once.
Hostages screamed.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Not one of his underlings…
…remained on their feet.
The hostages panicked at the sudden gunfire and the terrorists collapsing toward them.
Monkey Spanner, seeing it happen—
—panicked, too.
There were so many.
All of them.
All dead, just like that?
Is this… real?
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Only when the hostages' screaming hit him did reality snap back into focus.
Eyes vacant, he stared at his fallen men, as if trying to deny what he was seeing.
Slowly, he turned his head.
On a mountain of chairs, the guy sat.
He couldn't see the man's expression through the mask, but he could feel the energy.
The man who had just slaughtered companions of many years was now picking at his ear with a finger—
as if shooing away a bothersome fly.
Effortless. Annoyed. That was all.
Monkey Spanner finally understood.
Oh—this man wasn't a hero.
He killed people like they were insects.
That guy—a villain. Just like him.
Even with his mind locking up in shock, something clicked.
That blink-behind-your-back movement—teleportation.
That trick of snatching and turning guns—telekinesis.
Only one villain in Korea used both teleportation and telekinesis.
The flavor-of-the-week villain behind three major terrorist attacks.
Egostic. Yeah—him.
Frankly, Monkey Spanner hadn't cared much about Egostic.
He just disliked that some clownish name kept stealing his thunder in the news whenever he planned a job.
He was mildly interested when he heard the guy was a rare dual-ability user.
But he tuned out when the Association said Egostic's telekinesis and teleportation seemed pretty weak.
Sure, there were rumors he'd killed three villains—but so what? There's no way a weakling like that could kill him.
And yet here they were.
A tremor ran through his body.
That damned Association—the one he wouldn't feel satisfied with even if he burned it down.
How is this "weak telekinesis"?
Weak—and he can control that many guns at once?
And why is this guy in Busan?
A thought flashed.
So far, that guy's been killing other villains. Hunting them.
For no reason.
What if he's the target this time?
What if Egostic was after him from the start?
What if he knew this attack would happen tonight?
Horror prickled up his spine.
That guy is hiding his power.
Why the funny yellow mask instead of the usual one?
He's in danger.
Who knows what else the man is hiding?
Monkey Spanner's instincts screamed:
This might be the biggest crisis of his life.
Underlings can be replaced—so long as he lives.
First, crush that guy and survive.
He forced his brain to turn—
—and above that shiny bald head, Egostic's disappointed voice drifted down.
"Is this… all you've got?"
So arrogant, like he was bored.
At those words, sweat slid down the back of Monkey Spanner's neck.
Egostic.
What on earth is he thinking behind that mask?
***
Hmm.
I looked over the hell I'd made.
Armed thugs who'd stood among the hostages now lay in their own blood. The hostages were screaming.
Ha. What a mess.
Watching them panic and shake, I sighed behind the mask.
Far off—silver hair catching the light. Seo-eun? I squinted; she and Su-bin were standing together, watching me, not panicking. Good. That's a relief.
With one telekinetic sweep I'd taken out all the small fry.
Lift their guns—BANG! Easy enough for a weakling like me. Even if guns are heavy, they're not that heavy.
Well… okay, they're kind of heavy.
And I just manipulated dozens at once? Maybe close to a hundred. How did I even do that?
I surprised myself. Do I have some hidden power I didn't know about? Am I improving like Stardust?
Am I the main character, too? Will a comic titled [Egostic!] actually come out?
I wish—but probably not.
Because… I can't move at all right now.
It was great up through the part where I sat on the chair, crossed my legs, and flicked a finger.
I felt like a transcendent. Is this how Thanos felt with all the stones?
But the important part is what came after.
The lift-and-fire went perfectly.
But unlike real powerhouses, my telekinesis is trash-tier.
I burned through my entire stock in one go.
"…"
So right now, I can't even lift a finger.
This is… bad.
I'll probably be able to move again in a few minutes, but this is a battlefield. Every second decides the outcome.
What if my body locks up for a handful of minutes?
I knew my power was shabby, but this shabby?
"…"
Sure, wiping the mooks with a finger-flick felt great—but now what?
How do I deal with that Monkey Dance King or whatever?
Honestly, half of what I've done so far has been impulse.
They woke people and shoved guns in their faces. And I should just sit there? If I can smack them, I should smack them, right?
Set an example so they stop trying nonsense.
…But now I'm spent.
What do I do?
The good news: he looks rattled.
Yeah—if I watched my men die at a finger-flick, I'd be a little scared, too.
It's funny seeing that bald, mustached uncle cower at me.
…Wait.
I might be able to wriggle out of this.
Only I know I'm out of juice.
Which means I can bluff this and skate by on deception.
Right—plan:
First, keep any random grunts from doing something stupid.
Then stall and scrap with Monkey Spanner—long enough for another hero to arrive.
Honestly, I didn't want this. Monkey Spanner's never even crossed paths with Stardust. But whatever—so long as he doesn't get in her way, I don't care.
Still, I fired first, so I'll at least spook him. I'm not the type to let things slide. You hit me once, I'll hit you ten times.
In that sense, wiping his men in one go let him taste something spicy.
Now—
I'll hold out until I recover and a hero shows up.
This is Busan; North Sea Ice Women should be here soon. Too bad Shadow Walker can't make it.
"Is this… all you've got?"
I tossed it out there, casual. No honorifics.
The key is bluffing—dominate the tempo, get in his head, make him think I'm above him.
Yep, he's trembling. Knew it.
Time to spring a lovely little trap.
"So—you're Monkey Spanner? I'll ask a question. If you answer, I'll—out of the goodness of my heart—let this slide. You—"
Thump!
Suddenly, something exploded at the hotel's entry.
What now?
"Hyaaa!"
A woman with sky-blue hair barreled in with a fierce shout.
Oh—North Sea Ice Women. That was fast.
But at that exact moment, the lobby went dark.
Shadows spread across the whole hall, and something rose from the floor.
That dark, black hair—
…Shadow Walker. Wait, isn't he in a coma? Why is he here?
Then—someone else flew in.
An all-star brawl, just like that? What the—
A blonde streak blasted through the ruptured wall.
Stardust? No—why are you here, too?
"Monkey Spanner! Tell your men to put their guns down and surrender! You're surrounded!"
She appeared out of nowhere, shouting.
And what she saw was…
Monkey Spanner's men already bathing the floor in blood.
Monkey Spanner frozen in an awkward stance.
And me—perched cross-legged atop the chair tower, masked, looking down on everyone.
…Ah, for—this is a mess.