episode_0004

I sink into thought, watching the Eclipse descend before my eyes.

From now on, this is the real deal.

“Get out of the way.”

“Kyaaa!”

As I push away the woman whose clothes are half-torn, she screams and flies far away, and Eclipse looks at her indifferently before looking at me.

She and I make eye contact, and when I twist up the corners of my mouth into a smile, the people who see this begin to whisper.

“Really… how could someone have such a smile…”

“I’ve never even heard of a villain like that.”

Of course, you haven’t. Today is my debut.

Thinking that, I recall the conversation I had with Eclipse in my head.

The first day we agreed to work together as a team.

“My power is darkness.”

“I see.”

“…”

“…”

“Is there anything else to say?”

“You should say it. Why would I say it?”

She just abruptly said that her power is darkness and then stared blankly at me. What am I supposed to do about that?

“…sigh.”

And as if calming her own anger, Eclipse sighs deeply and then looks at me.

“Basically, it’s the ability to manipulate darkness.”

“So?”

“…I can throw it, or I can condense it into a sphere and use it. And… anyway… well… basically… you can think of it as the ability to control the power of darkness overall.”

“…”

I nod as if understanding.

Actually, there was no need to.

Because I already knew.

I did read Hero World, so how could I not know Eclipse’s power?

But…

“Is that all?”

“What?”

Eclipse frowns at my words.

“I think this is good enough for me.”

A voice that sounds like her pride has been hurt.

And looking at her like that, I shake my head.

“No. You can do better.”

With firm belief.

I recall the powers of Eclipse that I saw in the story.

The ability to control darkness.

But it’s not just controlling darkness.

It’s just called darkness, but it’s an ability that can handle all sorts of convenient things.

You can hide in the dark, you can conceal things, and you can even shoot something out.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it’s an ability that’s good for both offense and defense.

“…”

The real Eclipse, however, was looking at me with a look full of skepticism after hearing my words.

“Why are you saying that so confidently?”

“Because I’m certain.”

That she will develop even further in the future.

“And I’ll tell you.”

How to use that power even better.

Eclipse stares at me before shaking her head.

“Okay. Then I’ll just listen once.”

Just listen?

She’ll probably be surprised when she hears it.

And, of course, Eclipse’s eyes widen as she listens to my explanation, and before long, she looks at me, muttering in a trembling voice.

“How do you even think of something like that?”

“Because…”

I smile, tapping my head.

“I’m smart.”

Because I know the answer.

*

Finishing my recollection, I turn my gaze back to Eclipse.

It’s a fixed fight, but in the end, the control of this power was all about Eclipse showing her abilities.

Of course, the timing and presentation of when to use the abilities are all mine.

To put it simply, Eclipse is the actress. I’m the assistant director, director, and screenwriter.

It seems like there’s a seriously large difference in the proportion of work, but what can I do? The person who came up with the idea has to take responsibility.

“Huu…”

Raising one index finger, I look at Eclipse and take a deep breath.

At the same time, an unknown wind begins to blow around me.

And Eclipse steps back.

“…You have troublesome power.”

“Yeah. Isn’t it amazing? To not run away even after seeing this kind of power.”

Eclipse raises one corner of her mouth.

“Did you think I’d be afraid of that much?”

Of course not, it’s your power. Why would you be scared?

When Eclipse raises her hand, darkness envelops her.

“Huh.”

I scoff.

I raise my hand as it is and extend it towards Eclipse, and at the same time as a strong wind rushes, I jump at Eclipse.

“Huu!”

The pattern is strong-weak-medium-strong-weak.

The punches are left-right-right-left-left.

I swing my left fist hard and swing my right fist weakly.

At the same time, Eclipse moves her legs as if she had practiced with me, barely dodging the punch.

“Fas- fast!”

“But she’s dodging everything!”

And people murmur as they watch.

I recall the conversation I had with Eclipse as I threw my punches.

‘How long are we going to fight?’

‘We can’t fight for long. A hero might come.’

‘That’s right.’

‘In other words, you just have to do it like you’re breaking through me after two exchanges.’

‘Breaking through, you mean…’

‘Listen carefully.’

I recall the story I had with Eclipse and step back greatly.

“I don’t have time, so I’ll have to end it here.”

Saying that, I raise both arms, and the expression of Eclipse, who was watching the scene, hardens.

“Hup!”

As I raise both arms, Eclipse begins to draw a circle with one hand while extending the other hand, as promised.

There’s no meaning in it.

It’s just a script I gave to Eclipse because I saw them spreading out shields like that in a movie I enjoyed.

At the same time, a dark energy begins to gather in my hand, and Eclipse also begins to create a jet-black shield.

“Take this… the power to destroy someone like you in one go!”

Shouting that, I swing my hand greatly.

“Kuk…!”

Eclipse clenches her teeth and takes my attack.

A faint black sphere and a black shield collide.

-Kwaaaang!!!

Along with the roar, everything in front of me turns black.

And my body was already rolling on the floor.

“Ugh…!”

Rolling on the floor, I naturally held my breath, but I mustn’t show it.

Clenching my teeth, I take a deep breath and make eye contact with Eclipse, who is looking at me with a bewildered expression.

Manage your expression, your expression.

As I glare at Eclipse with wide eyes, her expression becomes even more bewildered.

No, why are you making that face like you’re looking at an angry person when I glared at you to manage your expression?

In the end, I had no choice but to speak.

“Kehuk! Kehkkehkkehk!”

Damn it.

A cough came out, so I had no choice but to continue with a laugh.

“Kehehehk! Kehehehk!”

“He’s laughing…!”

“Does that mean this much is nothing to him?”

What are you talking about? I feel like I’m going to die.

The other people who heard my laughter looked at me with even more terrified expressions, and Eclipse also seemed to have regained her senses as she looked back at me.

“Is that all… Eclipse…! Kehheuhehehk!”

My cough won’t stop.

I keep coughing and look at Eclipse, and while Eclipse is looking at me with a hardened expression, I faithfully continue the lines given to me.

“I admit it. Kehheuk! Not a weak move, kehheuk! It was!”

“…You too. You’re not someone to be taken lightly.”

And Eclipse answers in a stiff voice, matching my lines.

Good. Her acting skills are a bit lacking, but I don’t think people will notice.

“But, kehheuhheuhheuh… I can’t help it.”

Saying that, I move my body backward.

The goal is the wide shadow I created by breaking the wall earlier.

I hide my body in the shadow, and at the same time, darkness begins to envelop me.

From now on, I have to appear to have disappeared by hiding in the darkness.

My body is half swallowed by the darkness, and I take out the words I had prepared.

“I’ll retreat today. It seems like something troublesome is coming.”

That means hurry up and finish up and return.

“But next time, I won’t end it like this either.”

And the words needed to create a rivalry.

“Since we’re both villains anyway, you’ll meet me again. Kehuk!”

This cough is really driving me crazy.

At the same time, the darkness completely covers my face, and I cough incessantly in a cozy feeling.

“Kellok! Kellok! Kellok!”

This is really soundproof, right?

*

After he disappeared, Eclipse stares blankly at the other people.

People looking at her as if she were their savior.

“…Thank you so muc-”

“What are you doing?”

“Yes…?”

The banker who was about to thank her freezes.

The woman whose clothes the producer had taken off halfway earlier.

“Do you think I just came here to save you?”

The other people freeze, and their gazes turn to Eclipse.

“Yes.”

Gazes full of fear and distrust.

The gaze a villain should receive.

Suppressing a bitter feeling for a moment, she nods.

“Life price. Give me one million won per person.”

“Yes…?”

And the reactions of those people were different from Eclipse’s reaction.

“Only that much…?”

“What?”

Eclipse couldn’t help but have a flustered expression.

*

Somehow managing to hide and return to the hideout, Eclipse, who had brought a lot of money, came down to the hideout with a sluggish step before long.

Judging by the fact that her dress wasn’t torn, it seems no heroes arrived separately to chase her.

“Good job.”

I nod and look at Eclipse, and Eclipse glances at me before reaching out a hand to the darkness and just stacking the money neatly.

“Still, wasn’t it not bad for the first fight?”

Well, with this much, I think it’ll be about 40 points out of 100.

If it’s this much at first, it’s really the best.

“…”

Eclipse, who was taking out the money, looks at me.

“You.”

“Uh.”

She stops her hand and slowly approaches me.

“You did it on purpose.”

“…What?”

“The fact that the hero’s payoff is less than the amount I said.”

The hero’s payoff?

I’m hearing it for the first time.

As I look at her with a bewildered expression, Eclipse approaches me even more.

“That’s how you, no, these heroes are…! ”

She gritted her teeth.

“To give me realization in this way…!”

What are you talking about?