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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Farewell Gone Wrong
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The world of the original comic, [Stardust!], was incredibly dark.
Most of the empowered individuals turned into villains, and the entire country was half-eaten by a corporate mogul, making it a complete mess.
The power balance was also off; no matter how much the protagonist gradually grew stronger, the villains grew even faster, inflicting endless suffering on readers.
Despite this, why did loyal readers, myself included, continue to read this hellish comic? It was because we were constantly subjected to the torture of false hope, wondering if Stardust would ever find happiness. Honestly, it didn't seem like the world could get any darker. A world already overflowing with villains massacring civilians with their superpowers—how much darker could it possibly get?
And as if to defy such innocent readers' expectations, an unprecedentedly hellish incident occurred. The Moonlight Gate Incident, also known as the end of Phase 2.
The Moonlight Cult—who were they? A villainous organization from the original story that, accompanied by the Moonlight Maiden, half-destroyed Seoul. They were individuals attempting to connect this world with another dimension, driven by the sole conviction of bringing the Moon God back to this world.
And at the end of Phase 2, they finally succeeded. They opened a shimmering dimensional gate—a portal, as it were—in South Korea and this world.
Wow. Just thinking about seeing that dimensional gate in person already makes me excited, doesn't it?
"Damn it..."
I muttered lowly. *Haa...* Just thinking about it gives me another headache.
"...Um, Teacher Dain?"
"Hmm?"
"Our training, *pant pant*, we've finished it."
"Oh, really?"
Pulled from my thoughts by the voice from ahead, I lowered the arm propping up my chin and looked up.
Before me stood a red-haired woman, drenched in sweat.
Number 3, also known as Red.
Behind her, Number 2 and Number 4 were slumped on the ground, panting. Number 1 was leaning against the wall, striking a pose, but the way he was gasping roughly showed he was exhausted.
To Red, whose eyes sparkled as if asking, 'Can we rest now?', I gave a warm smile and said,
"Sure. Let's just do 100 more sets."
"Oh, no way...."
"Yes, you can."
And so, they apparently trained diligently afterward.
Right, just thinking about the future makes me dizzy already. From now on, I need to train these kids diligently and prepare them.
And so, I followed them to give one-on-one feedback.
***
Who was I? A seasoned coach with extensive experience coaching my Ego Stream members and training S-rank villains.
With that familiar expertise, I trained our PMC members for the past week. And I pushed them incredibly hard.
I don't have many days when I can give them one-on-one attention all day. Because my Ego Stream members are starting to get angry, asking what will happen if their leader disappears from home just because I'm giving the PMC kids intensive tutoring.
In other words, this was a golden, hard-won opportunity. As such, our PMC kids had no choice but to endure this practical, compressed training...
Lost in thought, I approached Number 3, Red.
She had red hair and was diligently swinging a greatsword.
Actually, in the original story, she fought with her fists, but at my recommendation, she was now wielding a special greatsword crafted by Seo-eun.
Because if an ability itself is overwhelmingly strong, like with my Ego Stream members, simple attacks are powerful, but if it's mediocre, it's better to rely on the power of tools.
Thus, Heo Da-hee—no, Number 3—was swinging her blazing greatsword, taking down dummy monsters.
As I subtly approached her, she turned her gaze to me.
"Alright, focus straight ahead. Let's try fighting five at once."
"...Yes, sir! Understood!"
She replied with a decent amount of fighting spirit.
Among the four PMC members, she was the most energetic, and it seemed her claim of loving exercise wasn't false, as she showed the most passion. The kid was also quite spirited.
However, her skill didn't quite match her passion, so I had to keep guiding her direction to some extent.
"Alright. Don't swing it like that; hold your arm like this. Watch."
"Uh... yes."
Feeling a bit frustrated, I stood behind her, took her arm, and guided her through the sword-swinging motion. Her ears turned slightly red as she replied.
"Is this how it's done?"
"Oh, good! Keep it up like this!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Wow, it seems like our Number 3 has the fastest growth rate, doesn't she? In a little while, she'll be flying around!" "Haha, really?"
At my words, she seemed thrilled and swung her sword even more enthusiastically.
With a carrot-and-stick approach, it's important to praise them like this after giving plenty of feedback.
After looking after Red, I went to see Yellow.
She had dull, somewhat dark beige-blonde hair and was shooting a bow.
"Doing well?"
"...Yes, I think my scores are better than before."
She exhaled a sigh, then refocused on her bowstring.
Number 2. Yellow. She had a somewhat prickly personality.
...Of course, having spent a week together and already befriending Seo-eun, who was not just prickly but had a phobia of men, getting close to Yellow wasn't difficult for me.
"Yeah. When you shoot, mostly aim for the head... Right, just like that."
"Hmph. Not bad, right? Better than before."
"Yeah. You've improved a lot in just a week, haven't you?"
After saying something similar and gently coaxing our archer, Yellow, into a better mood, I also checked on Number 4, the weakest one, and then immediately went to Number 1. Our swordsman.
"...Right. That's how it's done."
"Yes, sir."
Our Number 1, who had gray hair, had been quietly listening and learning diligently from me since the first day.
He moved like the wind, swinging his sword, and it wasn't bad at all.
After several hours of taking down hundreds of training robots made by Seo-eun, we finally finished training, got the kids showered, and gathered in the dining hall.
"Ugh... I'm hungry."
"Me too."
After a week, the awkwardness had apparently faded, as the kids walked along, chatting.
In the spacious, white dining hall, chefs had already prepared the food.
They trained all day; they needed good food to keep their energy up.
"Let's eat~."
"Oh, this is delicious."
"Hmm..."
Watching the kids exclaim with delight as they shoveled food into their mouths, I chatted and ate with them.
...Lately, I'd been spending all my time with these four. The reason, of course, was to make them stronger quickly through training, but also to help them bond with each other.
Camaraderie. This was paramount for maintaining an organization. Once people grew attached to each other, it was usually difficult for them to separate. Just as I lived with my Ego Stream members and fostered a family-like bond, creating a tightly-knit organization, I needed to do the same for these four.
And of course, if only those four became close, there was a risk of them all deciding to run away together, so it was crucial that they also became close with me. Only if they trusted and followed me would this Ego Squad... this Meteor PMC, be maintained.
So I deliberately took charge of each one individually, offered them advice on their worries, and gave them life advice and encouragement. Training was good, but the top priority was getting them to bond. Making them trust and follow me!
"Alright, now that you're done eating, let's go back to training!"
"Aww... Can't we rest a little longer?"
"Hmm, alright, how about just five more minutes?"
"Yay~."
That evening, after they had eaten and continued their training, I gathered the kids in a small lecture hall and spoke to them. I told them that the world would become even more chaotic, and their strength would be needed to prevent that disaster.
The reason the chairman of Meteor Group created this PMC and invested vast capital in training them was this: heroes alone weren't enough; they wanted you to become vigilantes and protect this world together.
Of course, it was a somewhat embellished speech, but the kids all took it seriously. Yes, when it comes to sustaining an organization, setting clear goals like this is important.
And so.
Time passed.
Since most of them had just become adults, there were still immature aspects; they'd sometimes get sad, and they'd fight over minor things... but with my encouragement and support, they all improved greatly, and sometimes even grew.
In fact, just by the mere act of applying to this PMC, one could guess they were kids who had no parents and lived without anyone on their side. Especially, they all pretended to be fine on the surface, but were psychologically unstable.
So I nurtured that aspect of them, whenever I had the chance. Recalling what I had studied when I aspired to be a teacher in my previous world.
Naturally, it took some time. They had to become completely comfortable with me and open up about their deepest feelings.
While training them and helping their abilities grow, and fostering bonds among the four kids, I also addressed their emotional instability.
"...I see. That must have been very hard."
Late at night. Number 1 confessed his life of eliminating people as the organization's hound, as if unburdening himself to me.
Number 2, who had become prickly and defensive in everything after hurting a girl who bullied her in school with her ability, and then being pointed at and called a monster.
Number 3, who with her usual smiling face, sadly recounted the memory of seeing her parents die before her eyes.
And Number 4, who shared her past of barely living day to day due to lack of money.
To those who had so painfully shared their pasts with me, I could only hold their hands and tell them it was okay now, that they had us, together.
Thus, I dedicated nearly two full months to nurturing our PMC kids. Fortunately, thanks to my efforts, the kids improved significantly in a short time compared to when I first met them, and they grew much closer to each other. It was rewarding to take them all to places like movie theaters and amusement parks on weekends, even considering the potential loss of training time. On top of that, they all came to trust and rely on me a great deal.
As the two months drew to a close.
Seeing them much stronger and closer than before, I nodded. Yes, I'd done my part. Now, they'd probably do well on their own. Maybe I only needed to visit a few times a month?
With that in mind, on Friday evening, I called the kids back to the room.
"Coach~ Let's all go see this movie this weekend! They say 'The Last Dance' just premiered!"
"Oh, sounds fun. What's it about?"
"...Hmm, wouldn't it be better to train instead?"
"Ugh, Lee Se-geom... you just love training too much. How about, Dain oppa... Coach, they're having fireworks at the Han River this time, why don't we go?"
The kids, seemingly thinking I'd called them to discuss weekend plans, chattered excitedly.
...Hmm, no, kids. I came to tell you I'm leaving now. Well, they can just go have fun without me anyway, so it doesn't really matter, does it?
So, in front of the expectant children, I delivered the words I had prepared.
"In the past two months, you've all grown a lot. Enough that I don't need to be here anymore."
"So, I'm going to leave now. Starting tomorrow."
"I won't be staying here anymore... and far more capable people will be taking over, so you don't need to worry. I'll also come visit once in a while to see how you're doing."
"Thank you for listening to me so well until now, kids."
I said my final goodbyes with a smile.
The PMC kids I'd spent two whole months with. It had actually been fun. It was quite satisfying to watch them grow, since they were all so weak at first.
But my true nature is still that of the villain, Egostic, isn't it? It's time to plan the next terror attack with Stardust, and I need to appease my Ego Stream members who are upset because I haven't been home much; I have a lot to do.
Preoccupied with future plans, I didn't notice. The moment I uttered my farewell, the kids' expressions instantly twisted into shock.
As I said my goodbyes, I heard a murmur.
"....Teacher Dain, are you abandoning us?"
"...Huh? No, that's not it..."
At some point, Number 2 had bowed her head, her face hidden by her long, blonde hair.
Then, her eyes blazing with light, she lunged at me.
"Where are you going! You can't leave! Teacher, you're staying with us forever!"
"That's right... Teacher Dain, your home is here..."
Looking at the kids whose eyes gleamed as they stared at me, and Number 2, who was gripping my leg, I quietly thought to myself.
...Hmm, maybe something went wrong?
***
At that moment, at the Ego Stream headquarters, the Big House.
There, Seo-eun sat at the dining table, watching the clock, muttering with a hint of unease.
"...Oppa, you said you'd come today. Why haven't you called?"
"I know, right..."
At the same time, while the Ego Stream members worried, they had no idea.
That Dain was doing his best to appease the crying kids...