“Superpowers are the manifestation of ego.”
If soone could understand what I ant by this one sentence, they were sensitive enough to superpowers to adapt and survive imdiately after being dropped into this world.
The most critical factor influencing superpowers was the “self.”
Using energy called magic power as a foundation, one brought their imagination to reality and solidified it as a law. That was the core of superpowers.
But if that self was shaken, the superpowered individual had no choice but to falter.
“A spider isn’t an insect?”
Queen Spidey, Lee Chae-hyeon, spoke in a flat tone.
It was a voice that seed to ask, What are you even talking about? It carried a hint of disbelief.
Reactions split into two from here.
For those with a firm ego:
If the self was steadfast, then no matter what others said, their convictions remained unshaken.
“Who cares what anyone says? If I say spiders are insects, then they are! Modern entomologists are all wrong! I control insects as an insect tar, and that’s proof! Spiders are insects!”
Such a person rejected conventional knowledge and established facts outright. Against soone like this, no amount of reasoning could unsettle their ntal state.
Their ego was so firm that there’s no way to disrupt their thought process related to their superpowers.
If Lee Chae-hyeon were such a person, the only option would be to break through her spider army and physically disrupt her brain to cause a concussion.
That was what defined the executives of the Secret Society.
On the other hand, for those who lacked such extraordinary conviction:
If they failed to stand out, as Armored Taejo once assessed, they wouldn’t even reach S-rank within Korea.
“W-what do you an spiders aren’t insects?! Of course, they’re bugs!”
[Have you never seen an insect guidebook despite being an insect tar?]
“Spiders are in insect guidebooks too!”
[Did you read a children’s encyclopedia? Or did you skip the explanations there? Spiders aren’t insects. They’re arthropods.]
Honestly, I didn’t know much either.
I just divided the moving ones as animals and the rest as plants.
I vaguely rembered learning in high school science classes about different biological classifications, but if soone asked to explain it again, I’d have to grab a book or look it up to reorganize my knowledge.
I was no expert, nor did I have a particular interest in spiders.
‘Good thing I skimd Wikipedia on the way.’
Upon hearing that Queen Spidey and her spider army had landed on Marado, I looked it up briefly while traveling there with Tae Irin. The Wikipedia entry had a note:
Spiders were arthropods and biologically distinct from insects.
[You don’t need a degree in biology to be a superpowered individual, but your knowledge is quite impressive.]
“Y-you…!”
I honestly didn’t need to know these things.
Knowing about spiders wouldn’t change my life.
But if you were an insect tar, wouldn’t it make sense to know more about the insects you control?
Like how Thunder Emperor Kim Yun-ji developed an electric superpower based on extensive scientific knowledge about electricity, gaining deeper understanding alone can lead to evolving one’s abilities.
[Did you call yourself the pinnacle of insect tars with such shallow knowledge?]
For an insect tar to not know that spiders aren’t insects was no different from a university professor being ignorant of first-year-level fundantals in their field.
And the reason I said this wasn’t to insult that woman or mock her for lacking basic knowledge as a professional.
“Evacuation complete.”
One goal was to buy ti.
While I ran my mouth, Tae Irin and the soldiers were silently eliminating huntsman spiders that were attacking the retreating people.
They safely evacuated Marado’s residents to the end of the harbor.
Plenty of spiders still hid across the island, but while you could rebuild hos, you couldn’t recover lost lives.
“This is the heroic stance, but my real goal lies elsewhere.”
At the sa ti, I applied the most efficient and effective technique to achieve my ultimate purpose.
“Wind Style: Mouth Technique.”
Why bother fighting hard when you could weaken your opponent just by running your mouth?
“Spiders aren’t insects—ah, damn it, data…! Found it! Hey, Goblin! How dare you lie! Spiders can be considered insects!”
[Scientists humor people like you by saying, “Sure, sure, whatever you say.” There’s nothing more tedious and exhausting than trying to reason logically with soone stubborn and foolish.]
In this world…
If you had magic power, even being foolish and stubborn about your thoughts could make you strong in the realm of superpowers.
But who would want that?
-“I may be stupid, but I’ll ignore the truth, fortify my ego, and impose my will on the world with my superpowers.”
And most importantly,
-“Nothing shakes the ntal state like a verbal battle.”
Not on a keyboard but face-to-face, with words spoken directly.
“Y-you…! What do you even know about spiders…!”
[I seem to know more than you.]
What I said was far from the facts.
I spoke with fragnted information, uncertain if it was even true.
And with that, I achieved my goal.
“It’s done. The spiders are freed from her control.”
What mattered was that Queen Spidey montarily lost her hold over the spiders.
An insect tar who could control spiders.
However, spiders were not insects.
Wait a second—did that make her a spider tar? Was she not an insect tar but rather an arthropod tar?
The mont this confusion struck the brain, superpowers were influenced by the flow of thoughts and consciousness.
Whether control over spiders faltered for a mont or the superpower evolves into sothing new,
The result was the sa.
[Eight.]
“What…?”
[Just felt like saying it. Spiders have eight legs, after all. Let tell you sothing, though—whether I say it or not—]
Bang!
[You get it now, don’t you?]
A gunshot rang out from sowhere.
[Close the periter. From the shadow of the abyss, fly to your target and snipe it.]
“What kind of technique is this all of a sudden—”
[Activate first, chant later. In fact, the technique has already been used.]
The sa gunshot that shattered Maito Saiko’s golden sphere echoed, and the sound ca from the bike I had ridden in on.
“Gunpowder smoke…?”
Lee Chae-hyeon stared blankly at the bike, at the barrel of the anti-materiel rifle extending from it, and finally at her abdon, from which blood was beginning to flow slowly.
“W-when…?”
Drip.
Red blood flowed from both sides of her abdon.
As if targeting both kidneys, two holes in her midsection oozed crimson that slowly soaked her clothes.
[From the beginning. Delayed bombardnt is a basic tactic. Did you really think I rushed to stop my bike in front of you without any preparation?]
“W-when did you prepare this…!”
[From the start.]
Even before arriving at Marado, I had decided to put my plan into action. To test it, I installed the anti-materiel rifle on my bike, ready to fire it whenever needed.
[You lost because you wasted ti listening to a villain’s nonsense.]
“Y-you…! I’ll turn you into spider feed…!”
[Too late. The jackpot’s already hit.]
It seed the hypothesis was correct.
If destroying future potential is the foundation of the “Zenrosification” process, there were two key sniping points.
One was the cradle awaiting the birth of new life.
The other was the area within, where n wore it externally, but won had it internally.
“H-how is my magic power…?! No, this can’t be…! You—did you coat it with poison that blocks mana?!”
[That would be the logical assumption. Thanks for the fresh reaction.]
Maybe she thought it was poison because she could manipulate spider venom at will.
[You’re already poisoned. You just haven’t realized it yet.]
“N-no…! This can’t be happening! An S-rank like , defeated so easily…!”
[This isn’t so comic book world. Only major characters get to die in style. You’re just a terrorist who dumped invasive species on an island.]
Whether releasing nutria, spreading Arican crayfish, or letting bass loose in a stream,
Regardless of what she had done, like tattooing her whole body and attempting global unification from Australia, that’s personal business. Right now, I was only passing judgnt on the evil I saw in front of .
[Without your powers, enjoy living with the spiders in prison, Spider Mom.]
She had unleashed thousands of grotesque 30cm spiders across Marado.
Thud.
Queen Spidey collapsed.
The ambush snipe was ant to take her down in one strike. That she resisted even slightly was her S-rank pride at work.
“…Did you burst her egg sac?”
Tae Irin cautiously approached.
Given the people nearby, she chose her words carefully.
[Yes. With this, the theory is confird. Superpowered individuals, whether male or female, weaken when ‘destroyed.’]
“…So, did we finish her?”
[…Hmm.]
It didn’t matter.
Even if this statent was akin to the law of the world, saying it wouldn’t trigger so special event.
If it did,
“It would’ve happened regardless of whether I said it.”
Scuttle scuttle scuttle.
The huntsman spiders, which had been still, rushed toward the fallen Lee Chae-hyeon.
At first, it seed like they were going to attack their forr controller. Instead, they spun webs around her, protecting her body.
“No way—can she still use magic power…?!”
[It’s a learning mont. Whether as a superpowered individual or through Zenrosification, both must be destroyed.]
Even if the cradle could no longer hold life, there were those who would still exploit it.
Even as magic power leaked from her body, it had no bearing on the “evil mana” that sustained her flesh and life.
[I figured it would erge sooner or later. If it didn’t, I’d be disappointed.]
Rip.
The webs tore apart, and from within, a massive spider leg erged.
[Let’s call it an S-rank demon—Arachne.]
“Why are you so calm?! Even for you, this is—!”
[Not unbeatable. I wouldn’t be this relaxed otherwise.]
Whoosh.
A wind blew in from Jeju Island’s direction.
Having bought enough ti, the timing was perfect.
[Watch closely. I’ll show you how the sacred power of the Secret Society reduces an S-rank demon to ‘nothing.’]
“…What?”
Spirit.
Union.
[TRANS-SPIRIT.]
From my entire body, green magic power began to flow like radiant light.
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