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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Teleporter
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A sprawling mansion, like something out of a painting. Its white exterior exuded modern sophistication, an imposing presence. This neighborhood, seemingly designed to keep out the common folk, was a haven for the wealthy.
...And somewhere nearby, I was hiding.
The guy I was after right now was an A-rank villain, the Teleporter.
His main specialty was teleportation. Unlike my own flawed teleportation, his ability was far superior. He was a true 'teleporter,' with no side effects after moving. Though it seemed he had some range limitations.
In a way, you could call it an overpowered ability. No, it *was* an overpowered ability. But whether this Teleporter guy was too timid or just plain stupid, he was only using such a powerful ability to rob banks.
Well, at least for now.
If I were to compare my current active period to the original comic, it would be around Issue 5? It was truly the very beginning. Only five issues into a comic that spanned hundreds.
Actually, that was a good thing. If I had transmigrated during the mid-to-late stages of the original, it would already be a complete disaster. The author couldn't handle the power scaling, so the initially weak villains disappeared, replaced by foes, each capable of bringing about world destruction.
Even Seo-eun, who appeared as the final villain in the Great Depression arc of Part 3, only aimed to conquer Korea, which is why it ended there. If she had truly wanted to, she could have brought down the world's information and communication networks.
This Teleporter. He was a truly persistent one. In the early stages, he fought Stardust. Stardust somehow managed to knock him out when he was off guard, and then sent him to prison, pickled in anesthetics. Because if he ever came to, he'd just teleport away immediately.
This guy, who was caught as a petty criminal in the early stages, made a spectacular comeback in the 'Great Escape' episode, where all the villains so far broke out of prison. He then became Stardust's most tormenting foe.
Originally, he was one of those villains who pursued 'small, certain happiness,' content with just scamming money. But after being imprisoned and pickled in anesthetics for years by Stardust, and then escaping...
He lived solely with the burning desire for revenge against Stardust, who had locked him away. The kid turned dark.
Teleportation, to begin with. How sneaky and perfect for dealing damage it was. In later episodes, he'd just suddenly pop out, land a hit, and then disappear, hit and run, hit and run...
If [Stardust!] had been a webtoon, there would have been an outcry of people calling it 'frustrating' and demanding he be killed off quickly. Since it was a comic published in print, I couldn't check real-time reactions, but I bet there were many readers fuming as they read.
And naturally, I was one of them.
So this guy, had to be killed while I still could.
Back in front of the mansion. I had parked my car nearby and was waiting, contacting Seo-eun through the earpiece plugged into my in-ear.
Normally, I could handle things just fine on my own without bothering Seo-eun, but this guy was exceptionally tricky.
"Seo-eun, should I head in now?"
"No, Oppa, you still haven't gone in? Hurry up and get inside."
"Wait, am I really supposed to just teleport directly into his living room? What if he's in the living room?!"
"Sigh. I've told you this countless times. Just throw the tracker and shoot your gun at the same time. He'll probably teleport to dodge the bullet, but just in case. The tracker, however, is designed with spider webs in its very mechanism, making it inherently faster than a bullet, so it's bound to stick."
"What kind of tracking device uses spider webs and is faster than a bullet, anyway...? I just don't get it."
"A bullet is factory-made, but I made the tracker myself, so of course mine is faster. It shoots out from a thread-firing nozzle attached to the side of the tracker, so it has less physical resistance... But what's the point of explaining all this anyway? You're a liberal arts major, you won't understand, will you? It's better if you just don't question it…"
"Hey... even liberal arts majors can mostly understand. Probably. Anyway, I still don't get it. Don't spy movies usually show tracking devices being planted by accidentally bumping into someone on the street, like, 'Oh, oops?' Isn't that how it's supposed to be?"
"...First off, he uses teleportation, so he doesn't walk around on the street, and if you get caught on CCTV doing something like that, it'll be an even bigger headache, so just do it this way. This is the most accurate method. I've researched his daily routine and movement patterns to devise this plan. He almost always teleports when he leaves his house, and his destination is unpredictable, so it's best to eliminate him now, in this manner."
"But still… isn't there a better way to attach the tracker than this…?"
"There are many more reasons you don't know about, besides what I've told you, so please just do it this way. Sigh."
Seo-eun's exasperated tone instantly deflated me. This rude kid… I'm almost ten years older than you, you brat…"
"....Fine. Got it…."
I could sense Seo-eun's slight surprise at my noticeably deflated tone.
"Oh, Oppa. What's wrong? Don't suddenly get all gloomy on me. We've already had a similar conversation, and you're doing it again, so…"
Seo-eun's words cut off as I heard murmuring beside her. It sounded like Ms. Subin said something to her.
I heard a quiet, 'Yes… yes…' before Seo-eun spoke to me again.
"...I'm sorry. So please, just go in now, Oppa! There's no time to waste."
"Alright, I got it."
I wanted to tell her to just pick one, 'hyung' or 'oppa,' because her constantly switching between them was confusing, but it didn't seem like the right time, so I held back.
...And if I told her to pick one, she'd probably just keep calling me 'hyung.' Based on how she acted the first time we met, I guessed she might have a slight fear of men, which is why she deliberately refers to herself as a boy and calls me 'hyung.' Could it be related to all the researchers in the lab being men?
Still, it was a relief that she'd gotten a bit better after a few months. She probably realized I was harmless and was opening up a little. No, even if you didn't know the original story, it was obvious she was a girl... She seemed to think that just having short hair made her look like a boy. That was kind of cute.
Actually, the best way would be to sneak in at night and assassinate him, but I couldn't do that because of *him*.
Because of 'Shadow Walker,' one of the few A-rank heroes in Korea, alongside Stardust.
Thanks to his ability, if you tried anything at night, you'd get caught immediately.
Almost all terror incidents in Korea happened during the day, all because of him.
That damn guy. If only he wasn't around, I could easily, easily take care of villains. But he's a hero, so just getting rid of him would prick my conscience. And if I actually eliminated him, it would only create bigger problems, so I just operate during the day.
Hmm, all sorts of random thoughts were popping into my head now that I was about to go into action. It was kind of like how my mind would wander whenever I sat down at my desk during my school days.
I adjusted the mask that covered half my face.
Right, it was time to act.
"You haven't forgotten the plan, have you?"
"Nope."
From here, teleport to his living room. If he's not in the living room, quietly search for him and assassinate him. What if I get caught? Still, I would have deployed the tracker, so I could just go with Plan B.
"Starting now."
I took a deep breath, and prepared to teleport. It was time for the assassination.
***
I teleported into the Teleporter's living room. The first thing I saw as soon as I teleported was…
His face...?
"Aish."
"Gah!"
"Oppa, shoot!"
As we both startled simultaneously, I immediately fired my gun with my right hand and threw the tracker with my left.
-Bang!
After firing, I saw that the guy was already out of sight. I wonder if the shot hit him.
Damn it, why was he in the living room? And then he just ran away. Since it came to this, it was Plan B.
"Seo-eun! Did the tracker stick?"
"Yes! Subin-unnie, give us his location!"
"Okay! He's… 500 meters to the east right now!"
"You heard that, right? Oppa, hurry up and go!"
"Hey, wait, if I keep teleporting like this, the side effects will…"
"Hurry!"
"Ugh, fine, alright."
I quickly teleported.
***
I teleported roughly 500 meters forward.
Wait, this is downtown?
"Kyaa!"
"Wha—what?!"
I was flustered, having suddenly teleported into a crowded area. No, this is a bustling street, isn't it…?
People visibly panicked as a person clad in a full black robe and mask suddenly popped into existence in mid-air.
"Uh, who's that…?"
"Oppa, isn't that Egostic?"
"Huh? It really is!"
Citizens started recognizing me. Just as cold sweat began to trickle down from my panic, Seo-eun's voice came through my earpiece.
"Oppa! To your right!"
Right?
Turning to my right, I saw him in the distance. A man was clutching his stomach, blood dripping from his body.
Oh, so you were there? And you'd already been shot?
I felt a smile creep onto my face without realizing it.
Yeah. Sometimes things just had to be easy.
Just as I was about to teleport towards him, gun in hand, he saw me, stumbled, and vanished again.
"Alright, so you want to play, huh?"
And just like that, an unexpected teleportation chase began in the middle of downtown Seoul.
***
"…Yes. This is the Korean Hero Association. How may I help you?"
"What? Egostic appeared in the middle of downtown?!"