I Became The Villain The Hero Is Obsessed With-Novel

Ep 247 – PT

At this moment, while Stardus was probably sweating and flying, I was sitting in a prepared set, quietly reviewing my plan.

The goal of this terror attack was simple: increase Stardus’s flight speed. That’s it.

“Now that the day the gate will open is not far off…”

As Stardus became strong enough, there was a need to develop her not only in combat but in other aspects as well. So, I intentionally analyzed her average flight speed and set a tighter time restriction than that, knowing that our protagonist grows in times of crisis.

‘And…’

First-class villains have to prepare a lot for a single act of terror. Besides that, there’s another important aspect to train: civilian evacuation drills.

Now that the Gate incident is imminent, it’s also an issue when the day comes, and citizens can’t evacuate to the bunkers quickly. If they are not accustomed to it, the evacuation may be slow, and they could be torn apart by the monsters bursting out of the Gate.

That’s why my condition was that the more people quickly escaped from the area where the missile fell, the more I would extend the time.

This would help the citizens evacuate quickly and provide them with evacuation experience. Besides, I could use this excuse to extend the time according to Stardus’ situation flexibly. We can’t really drop a missile on the city.

Anyway, that’s why I intentionally chose a city where underground bunkers are all completed… But I’ll put that aside for now.

‘About 10 minutes left…’

I muttered to myself after checking the remaining time. Right now, the screen shows the missile floating in the air and a countdown timer, and my image is not being broadcast.

It’s time to start.

“Ahem. Seo-eun, let’s get started. Display that.”

[Sure, Da-in.]

Alright, the camera on. Shall we try a relay?

After confirming that the camera was back on, I sat facing the front and smiled.

“Hello, everyone. It’s time for Ego News. Welcome! Are you all evacuating safely?”

Now, I’m in a situation where I’m broadcasting again, and behind me, there’s a countdown, the Seoul map, and a yellow dot moving on top of it.

Yeah, there’s nothing for me to do. Let’s do a Stardus relay.

With that in mind, I resumed the broadcast.

“The current remaining time is 8 minutes! Stardus’s current location is… around here! Oh, can she make it in time?”

*

[Stardus, stay strong!]

[No, just don’t stay strong. Let the company go bankrupt. hahaha]

[As long as it’s not me, please~~~]

[Like if you’re excited that your workplace is going down as an excuse to escape. hahaha]

[Real-time bunker situation… so many people, hahaha. They’re all listening well.]

[Run, run, Stardus!]

[Didn’t he say that if a lot of people go to the bunkers, he’ll extend the time? Extend it, please!]

*

I briefly glanced at the chat and then focused on the remaining time and Stardus’s location.

As of now, it was impossible for Stardus to arrive within the time limit. However, extending the time now would be too amateurish. After all, Stardus thrives when a crisis comes. Could her speed increase dramatically with just a few minutes left?

While I monitored Stardus’ real-time location using the Stardus-distance measuring device, the remaining time was getting shorter.

… It seemed like 20 minutes to traverse Seoul was too tight. Yeah, let’s extend it a bit.

“Yes! Stardus is currently passing through Seongdong-gu! Making it within the time limit? My bad! You should prepare for the missile impact.”

I chuckled and said that as the promised time had only 2 minutes left.

“Well, since there’s no use in giving a few more minutes here, I’ll give an additional 3 minutes, proportionate to the number of people who entered the bunker just now! You can try your best, although it seems impossible. Hahaha!”

*

[3 minutes are too tight, hahaha.]

[Still, he’s extending the time as promised, good job, Mango Stick.]

[Oh no, did the missile just drop???]

[Aah, please give me a bit more time. I can’t even find the bunker location properly.]

[No, focus on running instead of chatting, hahaha.]

[Just drop the missile and redevelop the city.]

[Fact) If Stardus doesn’t make it in time, he’ll definitely extend the time, hahaha.]

[Stardus, stay strong! Star power!]

*

While I outwardly smiled like that, inside, I was breaking into a cold sweat.

I mean… Our Stardus. She’s a bit slower than I expected.

Well, looking at it in detail, it’s a good thing that I realized this beforehand and was able to train her in this way. But she was still too slow. I should have given her 30 minutes from the beginning. It’s too late now to extend it even more radically.

“No, you can do it. Stardus, fighting…!”

I sent this message of support inwardly. Could it be that we’re facing a situation where we have to drop the missile?

While I was pondering excuses for extending the time, that’s when it happened.

*

[Oh…?]

[Breaking news! Stardus’ speed suddenly boosted, hahaha.]

[As expected, Stardus, the hero strong in a crisis, hahaha.]

[I believe in her. The greatest hero in South Korea, Stardus.]

*

Stardus’ location on the map started moving incredibly fast. That’s right! That’s it. I knew I could count on Stardus…

“Exactly…! No, it can’t be! Stardus’s speed is increasing. Could it be possible that she arrives within the time?”

I exclaimed as if a crisis was unfolding. And even in the moment when I was secretly pleased about it.

[1:00]

[0:59]

[0:58]

Time was steadily passing by.

***

Somewhere in the eastern part of Seoul.

“Argh…”

A woman with blonde hair was flying through the sky like a comet, gritting her teeth.

She was none other than Stardus, flying at the fastest speed she’d ever achieved in her life.

“No… In just 20 minutes! How am I supposed to get from here to there?”

The wind was so strong that it felt like it might bring tears to her eyes. She clenched her teeth and thought.

Already dealing with a hangover headache, this situation made everything twice as difficult.

As time passed, she reached the conclusion that it was impossible for her to make it within the given time.

“Well, since giving a few more minutes here won’t make a difference, I’ll add 3 more minutes! Three minutes in total! Try your best, although it seems impossible. Hahaha!”

Over the in-ear earphones I had connected in advance, I heard Egostic’s words.

The extra time was a piece of better news. Nevertheless, she couldn’t find relief upon hearing it.

“…”

The moment she heard his words about extending the time, a thought came to mind. Ah, Egostic never really had any intention of dropping it from the beginning.

And…

“… “

It seemed like he truly believed that she could make it within 20 minutes.

For some reason, an image of Egostic sitting still and looking at the time with a disappointed expression on her head spontaneously appeared.

“Hahaha! Haha… Haa… Stardus, I thought you could handle this much, but I guess I expected too much. I’ll extend the time, there’s no other choice.”

Egostic laughed heartily over the pre-connected intercom.

…No way, Egostic wouldn’t do that, she thought. However, the image of Egostic’s disappointed expression kept coming to her mind.

Just by recalling it, she felt her heart race.

“Ugh…”

Soon, her anxiety intensified her urgency.

“…It should work!”

With determination, she gritted her teeth and exerted all her strength to propel her body through the air.

And so, five minutes later…

“Haa, haa, haa, haa.”

She had successfully arrived within the time limit.

“Unbelievable!”

Just in time, she noticed a missile dropping vertically.

“Argh!”

Exhausted from pushing herself to the limit, she still mustered the strength to catch the falling missile and toss it up into the sky.

Glittering in the heavens, the missile became like a star in the sky.

“And Egostic…”

You really… really need to get a grip…

She breathed heavily, her eyes filled with a sense of purpose as she surveyed her surroundings.

…But where is he?

As she contemplated this, unbelievable words reached her ears.

“Oh! Stardus deflected the missile! This is unbelievable!”

“Okay! We will launch the next missile immediately! The location is Gangseo District… right here! The time limit is…”

…Huh?

She doubted her own ears, but the message was clear:

“Stardus! Egostic has launched another missile into the air, and he’s threatening! If you go all the way to the far end of there…”

Indeed, Egostic was instructing her to fly straight to the opposite end of Seoul.

Hearing that, Stardus muttered, “…You villain. Really, you’re a villain…”

Now, she had to fly again, her eyes almost filled with tears.

…Of course, her flying ability was undoubtedly improving.

***

*

[????: Just one more set, sir! Just one more set, and then we’ll take a break!]

[Wait, I thought we were supposed to have a missile attack, but instead, we’re giving Stardus a personal PT session? hahaha]

[Breaking News: Stardus’s average speed has increased by 20% compared to the beginning! hahaha]

*

After ordering Stardus to go to the other side, I was burdened with guilt, and my chest ached from the suppressed remorse.

“Ugh, I’m sorry, Stardus.”

But right now…! Her speed is truly increasing insanely…! I can’t just let her go. I have to seize this opportunity to make her grow and become second nature to her. So, swallowing my tears, I prepared another missile.

…Gradually, I began to worry about the time when I would have to face Stardus directly for the last time today.

Will I be able to make it out alive?