I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

“Superpowers are the manifestation of ego.”

If someone could understand what I meant by this one sentence, they were sensitive enough to superpowers to adapt and survive immediately 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 seemed to ask, What are you even talking about? It carried a hint of disbelief.

Reactions split into two from here.

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 tamer, and that’s proof! Spiders are insects!”

Such a person rejected conventional knowledge and established facts outright. Against someone like this, no amount of reasoning could unsettle their mental 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 mean spiders aren’t insects?! Of course, they’re bugs!”

[Have you never seen an insect guidebook despite being an insect tamer?]

“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 remembered learning in high school science classes about different biological classifications, but if someone asked me 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 skimmed 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 tamer, 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 tamers with such shallow knowledge?]

For an insect tamer to not know that spiders aren’t insects was no different from a university professor being ignorant of first-year-level fundamentals 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 time.

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 homes, you couldn’t recover lost lives.

“This is the heroic stance, but my real goal lies elsewhere.”

At the same time, 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 someone 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 mental 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 fragmented 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 momentarily lost her hold over the spiders.

An insect tamer who could control spiders.

However, spiders were not insects.

Wait a second—did that make her a spider tamer? Was she not an insect tamer but rather an arthropod tamer?

The moment this confusion struck the brain, superpowers were influenced by the flow of thoughts and consciousness.

Whether control over spiders faltered for a moment or the superpower evolves into something new,

The result was the same.

[Eight.]

“What…?”

[Just felt like saying it. Spiders have eight legs, after all. Let me tell you something, though—whether I say it or not—]

Bang!

[You get it now, don’t you?]

A gunshot rang out from somewhere.

[Close the perimeter. 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 same gunshot that shattered Maito Saiko’s golden sphere echoed, and the sound came 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 abdomen, from which blood was beginning to flow slowly.

“W-when…?”

Drip.

Red blood flowed from both sides of her abdomen.

As if targeting both kidneys, two holes in her midsection oozed crimson that slowly soaked her clothes.

[From the beginning. Delayed bombardment 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 time listening to a villain’s nonsense.]

“Y-you…! I’ll turn you into spider feed…!”

[Too late. The jackpot’s already hit.]

It seemed 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 men wore it externally, but women 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 me, defeated so easily…!”

[This isn’t some 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 American 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 judgment on the evil I saw in front of me.

[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 meant 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 confirmed. Superpowered individuals, whether male or female, weaken when ‘destroyed.’]

“…So, did we finish her?”

[…Hmm.]

It didn’t matter.

Even if this statement was akin to the law of the world, saying it wouldn’t trigger some 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 seemed like they were going to attack their former controller. Instead, they spun webs around her, protecting her body.

“No way—can she still use magic power…?!”

[It’s a learning moment. 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 emerge sooner or later. If it didn’t, I’d be disappointed.]

Rip.

The webs tore apart, and from within, a massive spider leg emerged.

[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 time, 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.