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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Yoosung Squad
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After my trip to Catedral.
Between gathering top-secret intel and contacting the Japanese villain boss, I'd been quite busy, so I was taking some time to relax at home.
[S-rank villain Seven Hun, who appeared in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, is currently battling Hero Stardus! Live footage, reporter Lee Jae-hyun reporting!]
"Whoa. Now *that's* a hero."
Popcorn in one hand, laptop in the other.
These days, I was so swamped that I rarely had time to truly relax, but I still made sure to catch Stardus's live streams. Mostly, I enjoyed seeing how much stronger Stardus had become.
"...Damn, he can really use that Star Punch freely now."
I watched Stardus pummeling the villain with a fist glowing yellow, filled with admiration.
Star Punch. It was one of Stardus's techniques, affectionately named by fans of the original work, characterized by the light it emitted, presumably due to the power of stars contained within his fist. Naturally, it boasted far greater destructive power than a regular attack.
...In the original story, it was used as a finishing move in extreme situations, only becoming available for free use once he reached a certain mastery. If my memory serves, that happened after the Moonlight Gate incident, so being able to use it already was truly an incredible growth.
It seemed he had awakened after his last fight with the Demon King, which was truly remarkable. He probably knew best himself. That with a single Star Punch, villains would just drop like flies.
Anyway, that made me feel a bit more at ease.
If the current Stardus, who was already so strong, continued to grow, he might be able to prevent the upcoming catastrophes.
'....Looks like a lot has already happened, even by the original story's timeline.'
I muttered inwardly.
Well, you only had to turn on the news to know. Villains appeared every day, and the world was falling apart.
Though no one had fully realized it yet, they were probably starting to feel it subconsciously. That something in the world was growing increasingly strange.
The country of Brazil had completely collapsed.
In Japan, the conflict between the corrupt government and villains was escalating.
S-rank villains had gathered to form an alliance called Catedral.
And here in South Korea, we had something like a Demon King showing up...
'Plus, in a few months, humanity would face extinction.'
Of course, "extinction" was just a figure of speech; in the end, the time-manipulating ability user would sacrifice themselves to make it "as if it never happened." However, since humanity's last bastion would die in the process, the situation would naturally worsen.
On top of that, if our Moonlight Sect started unleashing monsters not just on South Korea but the entire world, it would be the icing on the cake. In any case, utter chaos would unfold.
In other words, before all that, I needed to train other ability users to prepare. Stardus didn't have multiple bodies, so considering the future based on the original story, it was necessary to nurture other heroes in advance.
That's how the hero training academy that Lee Seola and I had teamed up to create... no, not an academy, but a PMC, began. We'd gather ability users, train them under the name of the Yoosung Group, and then deploy them to stop the catastrophes when they inevitably struck.
And now that I had some time, it was time to officially kick things off. Recruitment was already complete.
"Hmm..."
So, after watching Stardus's live event, I was holding the documents, giving the PMC its final confirmation.
Though I hadn't expected it, there had been quite a lot of applicants. From names I recognized from the original story to those I'd never heard before. I approved the ones I'd marked from the original work, and for those I hadn't seen before, I had Seoeun and the Yoosung Group thoroughly investigate them, only approving those who seemed controllable.
After sifting through them this way and that, only four remained in the end.
'....That seems a bit few... but, well, it doesn't matter.'
I'd only selected this many because I'd be teaching them directly, and it wasn't a big issue since I'd recruit dozens more in the second wave once these were fully trained. Later, they'd become a massive Ego Stream division, traversing South Korea far and wide...
Having given the final approval and contacted Lee Seola, I then closed my laptop with a sigh.
Just then, Seoeun and Eunwol suddenly popped into my line of sight.
"Oppa, are you done?"
"Uh... huh? Oh, yeah, I'm all done now."
When I replied, Seoeun nodded, then glanced nervously at the documents.
"....Oppa, what's that?"
"Huh? Didn't I tell you? It's about setting up the PMC recruits. I just gave the final confirmation."
"Hmm..."
Seoeun fidgeted with her fingers, looking somewhat unconvinced.
Then, she asked me in a small voice,
"Oppa... you're not planning to abandon our Ego Stream and go to another team, are you?"
"Huh? What's that sudden nonsense? Why would I go to another team?"
I was momentarily stunned, then flinched in surprise at her words, saying just that. "What's that sudden nonsense?"
Instead of Seoeun, who had clamped her mouth shut and was nervously fidgeting with her fingers, Eunwol spoke.
"...Dain Oppa keeps gathering other ability users instead of us to create something, and he's been focusing only on them lately, so Seoeun finds it suspicious."
"....! When did I! That's not what I meant..."
At that, Seoeun's face flushed, and she waved her hands in denial, but it seemed Eunwol had hit the nail on the head. I didn't know why Seoeun had come to that conclusion, but I did my best to explain that it wasn't the case. I told her that Ego Stream was the main focus, and the PMC was just a sub-project, and so on and so forth...
After my long and heartfelt persuasion, Seoeun finally let go of her anxiety and seemed convinced.
"Right. Anyway, those recruits are all B-rank, C-rank and such. Our Ego Stream members are all A-rank or higher, aren't they?"
"Hmph... I suppose so."
"And compared to our genius hacker Seoeun, any tech-ability user who comes along wouldn't even hold a candle to you, would they?"
"Oh, Oppa. Stop joking."
Even as she said that, Seoeun visibly brightened, a slight smile playing on her lips. Watching her, I decided not to mention that because their abilities were weaker, I'd have to stick close and focus on caring for them for a while. Somehow, it just felt like something I shouldn't say...
Having put out that small fire, and with some free time on my hands, I decided to rest at home. Of course, "rest" was a loose term, as it was still remote work, but I was taking it easy, so it counted as rest.
...But I'm clearly a villain, so why am I working so hard? Weren't villains supposed to just goof off, eat, and cause terror?
Though, come to think of it, most high-ranking villains in the original story were diligent, so maybe I was just normal. Harsh modern society, clumsy villains don't survive...
After reviewing the PMC, contemplating new Ego Stream members to recruit next, and spending some time having tea with Ms. Soobin, the time had finally come.
The time for the official launch of the PMC.
***
The Yoosung Group's PMC, also known as the 'Yoosung Squad.'
Ostensibly, it was a private organization founded by Chairwoman Lee Seola, recruiting ability users under the pretext of providing corporate security.
However, the reality was quite the opposite.
It was a military organization for the defense of the Korean Peninsula, created by a collaboration between me, A-rank villain Egostick, and A-rank hero and South Korea's hidden manipulator, Lee Seola.
Through the original story, we knew that many ability users would emerge in the future, with the majority turning into villains. This initiative was to prevent that situation in advance and to hire ability users with private funds to stop the monsters and villains that would later swarm. Naturally, most of them lacked combat experience or the right mindset, so they needed a good deal of training as well.
Thus, unlike heroes, the PMC recruits were enlisted under the promise of 100% identity protection and generous financial compensation.
I arrived at the facility prepared to accommodate them. But...
"Wow..."
"What do you think? Isn't it impressive? I pulled some strings."
Stepping out of Lee Seola's limousine, a tall building stretched before me. It was quite high, its exterior entirely made of sky-blue glass that shimmered, and the words 'Yoosung PMC' gleamed at the very top.
"Whoa... Why did you go to such lengths?"
"Hehe, isn't this the first project you and I have collaborated on, Dain? Of course, I put in some effort."
Lee Seola said, her sky-blue hair swaying as she walked forward, her heels clicking. Soon, I followed behind her.
A line of bodyguards stood at attention. As I entered the building, escorted by them, lavish facilities greeted me.
"Alright, this is the dormitory... this is the dining hall... this is the recreation area..."
She gave me a tour, floor by floor. I'd asked for something like a dormitory for the PMC recruits, but she'd created facilities better than any association.
"And the basement is the core."
She said that, smiling at me in the elevator descending to the basement, and when the doors opened, she grandly presented what she'd created.
Beneath the ground was truly a colossal space. A space roughly the size of a baseball stadium greeted me.
"When ability users train, what else would they do besides combat?"
Watching Lee Seola boast about the indestructible outer walls, supposedly made with advanced technology siphoned from the Han-eun Group, I was quietly impressed. Indeed, this level of facility could provide an effect similar to the wide-open forests where Ego Stream usually trained.
"Wow, I didn't expect you to go this far. Thank you, truly."
"Hmph. I've received quite a bit from you, so this is nothing. And besides..."
Lee Seola, having said that, gave a coy smile, then grabbed my lapel, faced me, and spoke.
"The truth is, you're doing all of this to save everyone here, aren't you?"
"Well... if you put it that way, yes."
"Then of course I have to help. South Korea and Yoosung are one and the same."
"Haha... it's scary that that's not just a metaphor."
"Anyway, I look forward to working with you in the future. Oh, and..."
"Hm?"
"Lately, about Stardus, he's been a bit..."
Lee Seola trailed off, tilting her head slightly, then gave another faint smile and spoke.
"No, it might be nothing. Never mind."
How anticlimactic.
I chuckled, then got back into the elevator with Lee Seola.
'....So now.'
Was it time to meet the new recruits? The members of my long-cherished wish, the Ego Squad... no, the Yoosung Squad.
...I just hoped they'd listen to me.