episode_0002

Basically, the world of this Hero World is dangerous.

It’s not just that public order is bad, but also that robbers have become more dangerous than that.

Since the emergence of superpowered beings, gun control has become meaningless, and crimes using superpowers have become even more rampant.

And there are heroes to catch them, but it’s a stretch to fill all the gaps in public order.

It was also nearly impossible for ordinary police officers to defeat superpowered beings.

As a result, the public order here was worse compared to the world I used to live in.

But that wasn’t the story for the two of us.

“…”

“…”

The two of us, coming out of the sundae gukbap restaurant, are staring intently at each other, and people are avoiding us.

It’s inevitable.

If you see a man with a disturbingly dirty impression and a woman wearing a black dress in modern society together, it proves that they are either crazy or people who are okay with doing such things in broad daylight.

Moreover, people who were looking at us a little were busy hurrying away as if nothing had happened whenever I glared at them.

“So, what you’re saying is that you’re saving my rival?”

“That’s right.”

“What does that have to do with fraud?”

“It has a lot to do with it. Fraud originally requires an opponent.”

My plan is simple.

Going up against a hero is difficult.

What reason is there to risk your life fighting a hero?

If you’re good at creating a crisis, you can earn money for free.

Not only that.

Have you ever seen professional wrestling?

There is a structure that cannot be left out in a basically successful professional wrestling.

It’s rivalry.

There must be a rivalry in order for fans to be enthusiastic about it, and furthermore, to enable continuous reproduction of content.

And that rivalry continues to change, regress. And then they go through trials, grow… new characters appear…

“I roughly understand, so you can stop explaining.”

“You’re so prickly.”

Eclipse scoffs, interrupting my explanation.

“But I haven’t said I’ll do it yet.”

“Then what, just pretend to have ideals or beliefs and starve to death.”

“…”

She glares at me and grinds her teeth.

“You don’t seem to know who I am.”

“I know. Eclipse.”

“Yeah. And you’re treating me like this?”

I stare intently at her, and she, meeting my gaze, lowers her eyes elsewhere.

Eclipse.

Eclipse. The main culprit and first victim of the Hero World story’s collapse.

Originally, she was a hero hopeful, but after losing her family due to a hero’s excessive combat, she eventually becomes a villain and confronts heroes, according to the setting.

That’s why even when she becomes a villain, she doesn’t do bad things well, and she meets her death because of her nature.

But should I act like I know her here?

If I do that, it will only make Eclipse suspicious.

If a stranger starts blurting out their past, anyone would be suspicious.

In this case, it’s right to make use of this face.

“Look at my face.”

“…”

Eclipse stares intently at my face, and Eclipse, who was meeting my gaze, turns her head elsewhere.

“I haven’t lived comfortably either.”

No. I lived comfortably.

“I’ve been through a lot.”

Mainly, when I walk down the street, I get a lot of business cards from entertainment agency presidents, and I get a lot of villain role offers.

“And I, too, have experienced great pain. So I know.”

The stocks I recently bought went bankrupt. It’s meaningless now, though.

As I said that and looked up at the sky for a moment as if thinking about something, Eclipse lowers her head with a solemn expression.

“…Yeah. A face that feels the vicissitudes of time.”

Should I hit her?

While I was pondering for a moment, Eclipse raises her head and looks at me.

“So, what advice is a guy like you going to give me?”

“…You need money.”

“…”

Eclipse furrows her brow at my words.

“What does money have to do with my will?”

“It does. First of all, money is an essential element to smoothly achieve your goal.”

Unless money itself is the goal, everything can flow a little more easily if you have money.

As a simple example, even if you learn music, you can meet a better teacher if you have more money.

“And it can also be a justification.”

If someone with 100,000 won shouts for revenge, it’s meaningless, but in a capitalist society, if someone with 1 trillion won shouts for revenge, even a non-existent justification is created.

“…”

Eclipse said nothing after hearing my words.

She’s hesitating.

“Anyway, I’ve said all I have to say, so I’m going to go find your opponent.”

Then I’ll just move first.

Fortunately, this was a street in my memory.

It was a street scene that was often explained while reading Hero World.

I turn my gaze slightly and look at Eclipse.

She’s still standing still as if pondering something.

Waiting in this situation is a bad move.

I get up and start walking.

Not too fast, but not so slow as to seem like I’m giving her a chance.

“…”

I hear footsteps behind me.

Good. According to plan.

Then, now that I’ve cast Actor 1, it’s time to pick up the already prepared Actor 2.

I moved my steps to a more secluded place.

*

How long have I been walking?

“…Is this the right place?”

Eclipse, who had been quietly following me until then, mutters in a bewildered voice.

“It’s right.”

What unfolded before the two of us was a shantytown that was falling apart.

“…”

With a bewildered expression, Eclipse looks at the shantytown and lifts the hem of her dress with both hands.

“How about just changing and coming?”

“…”

Eclipse ignores my words and follows me, holding the hem of her dress.

“You’re saying that there’s talent you’re thinking of in a place like this?”

“Yeah. She’s as strong as you are.”

No, she might even be stronger than Eclipse?

Eclipse scoffs at my words.

“If she were stronger than me, I would know.”

“Like that white-haired hero?”

“Shut up.”

Why is she making a fuss even when I tell her?

I take a step to move into the shantytown, and at that moment, Eclipse calls out to me.

“Hey.”

“What.”

“What should I call you?”

“…Hmm.”

Should I tell her my name?

No. It wasn’t time to tell her my real name yet.

Ah, but it’s also hard to come up with a shameful hero name.

“Just call me PD.”

“PD?”

“Yeah.”

If it’s about directing and supervising the story, PD is right, I guess.

“PD is okay?”

“Yeah. For now.”

Eclipse mumbles something after hearing my words, then closes her mouth and follows me again, and we walked into the shantytown.

It felt like the wilderness.

People only peeked their heads out and whispered as they looked at us, and some pointed at Eclipse and muttered something among themselves.

And in my case.

“…”

If they met my eyes, they would avoid my gaze on their own.

Ignoring those people, I try to recall the scene from the comic in my head.

The inner part of the shantytown, the core actor within it.

“Ugh…”

Eclipse, who was groaning and climbing the shantytown, and who didn’t listen to me until the end, was muttering some unknown complaints as if the hem of her dress was torn.

“Here it is.”

And, finally, I arrived.

“…This is it?”

Eclipse looks at me, looking at the dilapidated shack that was so worn out that it was collapsing, and that didn’t seem to have been inhabited for a long time.

“Yeah. Here.”

“…There’s someone who suits me in here?”

“Have you only lived being deceived? Come in.”

I step into the shack, and she follows me.

As soon as I enter, the smell of dust greets me.

“Cough! Cough!”

Eclipse coughs and shakes her hand, scattering dust.

“What kind of person is in this abandoned house…!”

“…Found it.”

And I found what I wanted.

What I see in front of me is an old CRT television.

When I tapped the screen of the television with my fist, the glass vibrated with a thumping sound.

“…What are you-”

Before Eclipse could finish speaking.

-Wee-ing…

A sound echoes from the television, and the floor collapses.

“…doing…”

Stairs leading down to the basement appear.

I start walking, leaving the dumbfounded Eclipse behind.

What is necessary for all villains?

It’s a secret base.

And this secret base is the secret base that the main character of Hero World used.

Considering the main character in Hero World who was happy to have gotten an abandoned secret base by chance, the probability that it’s empty now was quite high.

A place that appeared so often in the story that I remember it.

“…This is…”

Eclipse, who went inside, opens her eyes wide.

That’s because the internal facilities weren’t bad.

There are rooms, a kitchen, and a reasonably large open space.

Of course, there was a lot of dust piled up because people hadn’t touched it for a long time, but this was not bad.

“From now on, we’ll make this our base.”

Everything needs an office.

Just like professional wrestling has an office.

“…Oh, my…”

And Eclipse, who is looking around, mutters as if she’s amazed.

“How did you find something like this… No…”

And, she looks at me as if curious, then turns her gaze elsewhere.

At the same time.

Instantly, a number pops into my head.

“…”

It’s a tiny increase, but it did increase.

Anyway, my survival rate is increasing.

“…Okay. So let’s say we got a base.”

She mutters and looks at me.

“So where is that actor you’re talking about?”

“She’s right here.”

“What?”

Eclipse looks around after hearing my words.

“Where? I can’t see her.”

“She’s in front of you.”

“…”

Eclipse stares intently at me, and I smile and nod.

“Yeah. It’s me.”

What kind of ability do I have to cast two actors?

The PD has to run.

That’s how startups are originally.