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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Madman's Broadcast
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"It was an incredible coincidence, honestly, people of Korea. At this point, shouldn't they erect a statue of me in front of Mapo Bridge? I mean, come on. I'll be looking forward to it."
[LOLOLOLOLOL]
[A statue, my foot, this crazy bastard LOLOLOLOLOL]
[Haha, actually, his brazenness makes him likable LOLOLOLOL]
[No, the way he's acting, it really does seem like a coincidence LOLOLOLOL]
[Let's get that Mango statue going~~]
[The villain demanding a statue LOL]
[Now the Mango fan club is probably going to start pooling money LOL]
[Already terrified]
No, why are they reacting like this to a joke?
They're not seriously going to collect money to build a statue, are they?
A secret research lab beneath the Han-eun Group building.
Walking down a corridor covered in white walls and floors, I slowly descended, all while broadcasting.
As soon as I turned on the stream, the chat immediately started flooding with questions asking if I had known about the Han River crash at Mapo Bridge beforehand and destroyed it myself, so I just brushed it off with the statue joke. I said it was a coincidence, what are they going to do about it?
Eventually, after hearing my official statement, people started to wonder about my current location rather than the Mapo Bridge incident.
[So where is this?]
[Why are all the walls in this corridor white...? Is it a mental hospital?]
[The lights flickering on and off are so creepy, it's like Silent Hill or something]
[What's that bloodstain next to him?]
"Where is this, you ask...? Ta-da! It's the basement of the Han-eun Group. Yes, the very place that created this horrific disaster that just occurred."
[????]
[How did he even get in there LOLOL]
[The Association is weeping LOLOLOL]
[Isn't the Association blocking access up there? How did he get in?]
[Looks like he teleported in LOL]
[But why is he going in there all of a sudden?]
"Why did I come in here, you ask?! No, honestly, let's be frank. Who is the most influential villain in South Korea? Isn't it me?!"
[So brazen LOLOL]
[No one says that about themselves LOL]
Alright, now let's spout some nonsense.
"But seriously, okay? Without any business ethics, mind you. They're just making bioweapons down here in the basement without even getting permission from their senior in the industry? That's utterly outrageous. So, as punishment, I shall now expose all their secrets, one by one. What? Classified? Authorized Personnel Only?"
As I walked down the corridor, I saw 'AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY' written in large letters on the wall, and I gave it the finger.
"There's no such thing, Han-eun!!! Your top-secret facility, it's being broadcast live nationwide!!"
I said that, laughing like a madman.
A first-rate villain should know how to laugh maniacally anywhere.
...And honestly, this time, I was genuinely amused.
The Han-eun Group guys are probably hiding like beggars right now anyway, and just imagining them watching this, unable to do anything but tremble with rage, made me burst out laughing.
Glancing at the chat window, which was now filled with '[Crazy bastard LOLOLOLOL]', through my mask, I continued deeper inside.
A corridor white on all sides.
It felt somewhat creepy.
Plus, the lights seemed to be out, flickering between dark and bright, making it feel even more eerie.
No, seriously, it's a little scary, isn't it?
It's even scarier because I don't know when or where a monster might suddenly jump out.
[Damn it, why is it so scary here?]
[Seriously, it feels like something's going to jump out any second]
[Every time the lights go out and it gets dark, I flinch]
[Why did the genre suddenly turn into horror?]
[Horror game (not) streamer LOL]
[Hey, wait, I think I saw something over there... shudder]
No, damn it, don't send chats like that when it's already scary! It's already so quiet except for my footsteps, it's terrifying!
However, showing fear is for rookie villains. A first-rate villain knows to act even more boldly in such situations.
"Everyone, don't be scared. Do you think anything that pops out can defeat me?"
I said that, floating the guns I had prepared beforehand.
Monsters? Tell them to kneel before cold, hard modern weaponry.
[In horror movies, the person who says something like that is always the first to die... shudder]
I ignored the strange comment. Don't jinx it!
***
And so I continued deeper and deeper down.
The initially slightly terrifying atmosphere began to dissipate little by little as I kept cracking jokes and no monsters appeared.
....No, but why aren't the monsters actually showing up? It's about time they did, isn't it?
How long did I walk? Gradually, the actual research facilities began to appear.
Messy desks and computers were scattered everywhere. They probably conducted their research here.
I quickly glanced over some documents that made no sense whatsoever, and then moved past them.
I came across a place where grotesque creatures were researched and confined.
No, to be precise, it was where they *used* to be confined. Now, everything was damaged, and not a single one remained. They're probably all roaming somewhere in this underground facility.
Glass walls lined up in a straight line. It seemed to have been designed like an aquarium, where monsters were observed through reinforced glass, but now all the glass was shattered.
"Ah, they've written about the monsters in each section here."
Indeed, there were panels in front of each glass section with information about the monsters.
*
"RKCB-1107"
[Provisional Name] Teleporter
[Precautions] Always maintain A-grade security as it can teleport to escape. Be wary, as it attacks from behind.
*
And next to it, a photo of this thing was attached.
Wow... it looks truly horrific.
It was entirely white, resembling a human but with an excessively large head and only a single, massive mouth. And hands like large scythes.
No... it's scary.
So, a creature like this could suddenly pop out from behind and attack me from the back, huh?
Just then, I felt a sudden chilling presence behind me and spun around. Fortunately, there was nothing there. Phew, just got spooked.
[Whoa, damn, something that ugly is roaming around?]
[Did Mango just get scared and look back? Kawaii LOLOLOL]
[But seriously, the Han-eun Group are total psychos. How did they secretly create things like that?]
I'm surprised too.
No, wasn't this world supposed to be a hero story? Why are there monsters?
And so I continued to explore the labyrinthine research wing.
Shattered containment units and photos of monsters so terrifying they'd haunt your dreams.
No.
No matter how I think about it... it seems fortunate that all of this was exposed now, thanks to these Han-eun Group bastards causing trouble, doesn't it?
I can't imagine what these bastards would have created if they'd been given enough time without being caught.
"Ahem. For now, I'll keep going deeper inside."
I continued further down.
No, why is it so vast here? They've built some kind of labyrinth under Seoul.
Still, the wide white corridors felt like they could drive you insane.
The number of branching paths increased, and I increasingly had no idea if I was walking through a maze or what I was doing.
Furthermore, the deeper I went, the more the connection broke, and the chat window started lagging.
"I'm getting dizzy..."
As I kept walking like that, I heard something... a thumping sound from somewhere.
Something, a sound getting closer?
Right, finally a monster's coming. I thought it was strange how none had appeared yet.
I drew a sword from the bag I was carrying and pointed it towards the corridor where the sound was coming from.
A long sword, something a samurai might use.
Of course, just in case, I also had my guns floating with telekinesis.
Anyway, as briefly mentioned in the original story, those monsters have very low durability and die with a single sword strike.
So there's no need to even use guns. It's a good chance to show off my sword-dancing skills to the viewers.
"Alright!!! Come at me!!!"
I'll slice anything!
Then, what rushed out of that dark corridor was...
A white cat-like face the size of a human head.
A long, centipede-like body covered in white fur, with dozens of legs attached.
And jagged teeth visible through a wide, grinning mouth that took up half its face!
Plus, insane speed!!!! Are you a train, you bastard!!!!
"Kyyyyaaaahhh!!!"
Faced with that shocking visual, I couldn't help but scream!!!
How can something like that exist in this world!!! This shouldn't exist!!!!!
"Shoot!!! Shoot!!!"
And so, even before I could swing my sword, I instinctively started firing my guns first!!!
Bullets sprayed out like crazy!
Fortunately, as it was hit by several guns firing simultaneously, the creature quickly collapsed.
Then, it quickly turned into white dust and dispersed into the air.
I barely, barely killed it...
"H-huh... H-huh..."
Ah, damn it, I was going to try swinging the sword because using telekinesis is tiring. But I was so startled that I instinctively fired the guns first. No, but damn it, it really looked like something out of a B-grade horror movie.
It wasn't just me who was surprised; the viewers seemed surprised too.
It was a visual and an entrance that any human would flinch at.
[Oh, sudden jump scare, damn it]
[Why does it look so grotesque?]
[Seriously, it's a good thing the buffering cut it off, I would've had a heart attack if I'd seen it clearly LOL]
[Still, it's a relief it died after a few shots]
[Alright, I've clipped Mango's scream, mission accomplished LOL]
Hmm, I'll ask Seoeun to delete that clip.
Haaah...
I'm starting to regret coming in here.
Power-up, my foot. I should've just stayed home and focused on honing my telekinesis.
But it was already too late for regrets. Sunk cost, you know. Now that I've come this far, come hell or high water, I'm going to get Behemoth and deliver that Rocket Punch.
With renewed determination, I went deeper and deeper.
Perhaps because I'd gone too far down, streaming was no longer possible.
Saying I'd shown enough, I simply cut the broadcast.
[Nooo, come back~~~~]
With only the last gasp of the chat window remaining, the broadcast stopped.
Then, it truly hit me that I was alone in this vast, deep underground facility.
"...."
I'm scared! But I kept walking. I'd try singing the national anthem to myself. 'Until the East Sea's waters run dry and Mount Baekdu wears away...'
As I walked, I started seeing black slime here and there from about halfway through. Could that be traces of Behemoth?
It probably means I'm getting closer to the end, right?
How long did I walk? I found myself standing before countless more branching paths.
No, why did these guys build it like this, for crying out loud?
It's already dim, so I can barely see in front of me.
Just as I was walking wherever my heart desired.
From the side of the corridor, something started clicking.
Damn it, another monster?!
Clutching my sword, I was approaching the dark area.
Suddenly, the lights flickered on, and something sprang out in front of me!!!
"Aargh!!!!!! Damn it!!!!!!"
Heart-dropping terror!!!
Unconsciously, I squeezed my eyes shut and swung my sword wildly!!!
Cry out, Hell-Slaying Blade!!!!!
But my sword merely cut through empty air.
From in front of me, I only heard a woman gasp, 'Hik!'
Wait, a woman?
At the sudden sound of another person's voice, I opened my eyes.
And there, in front of me...
"Stardust?"
"Egostick...?"
Stardust stood there, looking at me with a bewildered expression.
...Why on earth are you coming out of there, ma'am?