The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 12

A mass disappearance of Villains in Ansan.
Word of over fifty Villains going missing came to light when the people kidnapped by the Villain organization Big Ten, which had been operating in the shadows of Ansan, were released.
Upon receiving the report, civil servant Hunters along with police mobilized to secure the scene, and Hunters from the Special Crimes Division joined from Seoul.
The Analyst who observed the scene clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“I’ve seen many crime scenes, but this is my first time witnessing a disappearance this clean.”

The Villains belonging to Big Ten had been competing against various multinational organizations located in Ansan. According to the Analyst’s explanation, they possessed rich practical experience and were far more dangerous than their Level suggested.
Each one was nearly a calamity to civilians. Yet based on the evidence left at the scene, it was clear they had been slaughtered without so much as mounting a proper defense.
The names being floated were equally impressive: Berserker, the Executioner, the Puppeteer, the Black Reaper—some of the most dangerous Villains in the Republic of Korea were mentioned.
But judging by their abilities and dispositions, none of them fit.
So a new name emerged: the Eraser. The arrival of a colossal-class Villain capable of shaking the nation’s authority.
Part of what happened at the Factory came to light when a support department Hunter with the Replay Gift arrived at the scene.

“T-this is nothing but a massacre! Aahhh!”

As she replayed the scene, she let out a scream and collapsed right there.
Two hours later, the Hunter with the Replay Gift regained consciousness, her face drained of color, and cried out.

“Y-you absolutely cannot confront them! Under no circumstances!”

She revealed that all she could see were fragments. This was something only an Awakened one who had reached Level 8—the realm of Force mastery—could accomplish.
The Replay user added one more piece of information.
The Eraser was pure evil incarnate.
Like a child with an innocent expression plucking the wings off a dragonfly before tearing apart its body, it was the unilateral violence of a being possessed of absolute power.
Unable to continue, the Replay user fell silent, and the Analyst picked up where she left off.

“It’s highly probable that for the Eraser, this assault was a form of amusement and a warning to us. That’s why I believe they left the scene partially visible so Replay could witness it. A message saying: if you pursue any further, you’ll be facing me directly.”
“I’ll add that to the report. You’ve done good work.”

Jeong Da-hyeon, who had been overseeing the scene, nodded.
She kept her stern gaze on the Factory interior, then stepped outside and exhaled a long breath.
Day by day, the stronger Villains multiplied.
This way, the Villains’ momentum would only grow.
Wasn’t it for the sake of eliminating Villains that she’d left the Seongsong Guild?
Yet the Villains wielding immense power were treating this world as a playground, trampling it at will, mocking all those striving to live righteously.

……

Would things have been different if it were Choi Jun-ho?
His unstoppable hands, his unshakeable principles. Would he have ignored the Eraser’s warning?
She found herself thinking that maybe Choi Jun-ho could capture the Eraser.
She didn’t know where the limits of his power lay—his unofficial Level 7 status.
The confidence born from overwhelming force. His own unwavering standards. A freedom unbounded by the world’s morality.
That was Choi Jun-ho’s charm.
In contrast, she was pathetic. The moment she learned her opponent was a Level 8 Villain, she’d abandoned pursuit.
She couldn’t push the people gathered here toward death.
……or so went her rationalization.

“Administrator.”

Jeong Da-hyeon’s thoughts scattered at the Analyst’s call.

“Finish up the investigation and search the bodies. And begin a manhunt for the Villain we’re calling the Eraser. Scrape together whatever evidence we can that points to them.”
“Yes.”
“And please include in your report anything related to the mayor of Ansan. That’s the most important part.”

During the investigation, evidence emerged that the deputy mayor of Ansan had been present at the scene.

“Understood.”

* * *

Not long ago, I received a formal reprimand. I’d succeeded in arresting Wang Ju-yeol and eliminating the Villains connected to him, but the disciplinary action came down anyway—a consequence of omitted reports, unauthorized solo action, failure to secure evidence before arresting a superior, and the rest of it.
I was told I could have faced worse, but it ended up being just a month’s salary cut.
Hardly enough to notice, even if it stung.
When I arrived early the next morning, Jeong Da-hyeon, who’d worked through the night before, greeted me with tired eyes.

“Did you get a good rest yesterday?”
“Yes, I slept well. How about you?”
“There was a dispatch call yesterday. I was investigating and didn’t get much sleep.”
“How about bracken miso stew for lunch?”
“Bracken miso—you’re speaking my language.”

These days I was learning what a small blessing it was to have someone at work with the same taste in food.
When I wasn’t out on assignment, I mostly handled paperwork coordinated with other departments, and processing those files had become almost effortless.
After all, reviewing documents was simply a matter of determining whether something was wrong or right. Using intuition to distinguish between problematic and clean paperwork was the whole trick. Problem files came up occasionally, but when they didn’t, the work finished in moments.

“Did you enjoy your day off yesterday?”

While eating lunch, I answered Jeong Da-hyeon’s question readily.

“Yes, it wasn’t bad since I hadn’t seen a friend in a long time. I went to visit my friend’s younger sibling, who’s been quite ill.”
“Ah…”
“You don’t need to make that face. It’s a rare condition, but it looks like it’ll be resolved well.”
“That’s a relief.”
“My friend would have been comforted knowing you were worried about them.”
“Of course.”

I felt curious about why she’d asked, but seeing her serious expression, I didn’t press further.
Humans are creatures who dwell in contemplation. Since people discover answers and find new directions within that reflection, thinking is worthwhile.
In any case.
What happened in Ansan had blown into something quite large.
I’d succeeded in disposing of all the bodies and covering my tracks, but an Eraser, no less.
It was quite a grand name.
The possibility that a Level 8 Villain had appeared sent all of South Korea into an uproar.
Everywhere around me, people were filled with concern about what kind of political shift the Eraser’s emergence might trigger.
At times like this, it was frustrating not being able to reveal that I’d wrapped up the Big Ten.
If I could tell them that the Villain was actually a civil servant Hunter, just an ordinary person, this commotion would at least ease a little.
But if someone used this to justify extra precautions and overtime schedules, the damage would be immense.
And I couldn’t reveal it now, anyway.
I decided to keep silent in order to preserve my freedom to walk around in broad daylight without suspicion.

* * *

Having returned to the past and regained my senses, my family remained a sore spot for me.
I wanted to console them for the wounds they’d suffered because of me, and help them find better days ahead.

“Just stop causing trouble and work hard at what you’re doing. Then Mom and Dad will be happy, won’t they?”

Yun Hee said as much, but I still felt it wasn’t enough—for our parents, nor for my younger sister feigning composure right in front of me.
Tomorrow Yun Hee would take the Seongsong Guild entrance exam.
As the largest guild in South Korea, Seongsong Guild required applicants to pass through three rounds of offline screening just to sit for the practical test. She’d passed all of them, and tomorrow she would take the practical examination.
I was certain she would pass.
But waiting idly for her to come back from the test didn’t sit right with me. I wanted to prepare something, to wish her well on tomorrow’s exam.
Then I remembered something I’d seen online.

“People make chocolate on Valentine’s Day, after all.”

What if I made her a gift to wish for her success?
Once I’d made up my mind, I stopped by the mart to gather supplies while Yun Hee was out for her final practice session.

* * *

Exams always came with tension. When that tension grew excessive, people failed to perform at their best and made mistakes.
Yet as Yun Hee went through her final preparations that day, she felt no anxiety at all.
It wasn’t that she felt vague dread or despair about the test. Despite the exam being tomorrow, it felt like she was facing something simple enough to handle with ease.

“Is this… confidence?”

She’d never expected to feel this way standing before the Seongsong Guild exam of all things.
She’d wondered several times if this was carelessness, but thinking about it coldly, she knew it wasn’t.
Underneath lay memories of being put through her paces by him all this time.

“He’s a pain, but his skill is solid, at least.”

He had a screw loose somewhere in his head, but his ability was beyond question.
She still couldn’t fathom why he remained a civil servant hunter, but since he seemed satisfied with it, there was nothing more to say.
In any case, this composure of hers was surely thanks to that troublemaker.
She wished he’d look after himself better, but there was no point talking to someone who wouldn’t listen anyway. In that respect, she was grateful that Jeong Da-hyeon was there to take care of things.

“I hope they both do well, but it won’t be easy, will it?”

Jeong Da-hyeon was one of Korea’s finest talents, after all.
Though her prominence had declined somewhat since joining the Seongsong Guild, her looks, skills, and charm left nothing to be desired—she was more popular than most girl groups.
Compared to that, her brother with the missing screw was, well… lacking.
The unfair comparison made her feel sorry for Jeong Da-hyeon.

“His skills are decent, so if he just got his head on straight, there’d be real potential.”

Realizing she’d been thinking far ahead, she let out a quiet laugh.
Her next thought turned to getting out of being jobless.
Figuring there was no point staying late, Yun Hee packed her things and headed home.

“I’m home.”

As she opened the door and stepped inside, a sweet smell—different from usual—greeted her.

“Welcome back?”
“Yeah. What are you doing?”

That was… the smell of taffy.
As she approached the dining table, she could tell what he’d prepared.

“A gift to wish you luck on the exam.”

The night before the test, Yun Hee received a massive Large Taffy from her brother as a good luck charm.
Her feelings about it… weren’t quite positive.

* * *

After giving Yun Hee the good luck gift, I saw her off to the test site the next day, then headed to the nearby Seongsong Group Headquarters myself.

“How can I help you?”

As I headed toward the front desk, an elegantly dressed woman looked up with a smile and asked.

“I’m here to meet Lee Se-hee, the general operations team director.”
“Do you have an appointment with her?”
“I don’t.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s difficult to contact her without a prior arrangement.”
“Just tell her that Choi Jun-ho came by.”
“I apologize, but so many people ask me to say things like that.”
“I see.”
“I’m truly sorry.”

I’d run into an unexpected obstacle. I’d considered asking Jeong Da-hyeon for Lee Se-hee’s number, but all partings in this world are rarely beautiful, so I’d chosen not to press her about it.
Maybe I should leave and find another way to reach her.
As I stood there deliberating, I spotted a familiar face entering the building.

“Over here.”
“…!”

The moment he saw me, his body stiffened and I watched his eyes dart nervously around the lobby. Then he approached me with quick, measured steps.
He was the bodyguard I’d seen with Lee Se-hee at the National Defense Service.

“What brings you here?”
“I came to see the general operations team director.”
“For what reason?”
“It’s personal business.”
“….”

His expression hardened to an almost frightening rigidity—perhaps because I wouldn’t explain my purpose.
Don’t tell me he’s still upset about me breaking both his arms last time.
When I tried smiling to ease his guard, his expression only grew darker.
Inwardly discouraged, I waited quietly for his response, and after a moment of deliberation, he spoke carefully.

“…I’ll report this to the director.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”

When he approached the front desk attendant and spoke, she picked up the interphone, and moments later—with noticeably more deference—informed me that a meeting could be arranged in thirty minutes.
We rode the private elevator up, and in what felt like seconds, the doors opened on the thirty-fifth floor.
As I stepped out, Lee Se-hee greeted me—different from last time, she wore subtle makeup and round glasses.

“Welcome, Jun-ho.”
“I apologize for dropping by unannounced.”

At my apology, Lee Se-hee let out a long sigh.

“Next time, please call ahead. You should at least give me time to prepare. I can’t normally meet people looking like this.”

I genuinely couldn’t see much difference from how she usually looked.
As that thought apparently crossed my face, Lee Se-hee smiled and handed me a business card.
I accepted it and slipped it into my pocket, noticing her eyes had grown bright and attentive as she watched me.

“So, what brings you to see me? Did you suddenly feel sorry about how roughly I was treated last time?”
“That’s not it.”
“Speak freely. I’m the same age as Da-hyeon.”

Yet I still spoke formally with Jeong Da-hyeon, for that matter.
But since I’d come asking for a favor, the courteous thing was to respect her wishes.

“I came because I want to make a deal with you.”
“What kind of deal?”
“A friend’s sibling is ill. I need to get them admitted to Seongsong Hospital.”
“…Seongsong Hospital is under my father’s control. It will take some time.”
“Of course I’m not asking you to do it for free. I’ve prepared an expediting fee.”

I pulled out the Saber Tiger Heart I’d prepared in advance.

“That’s…….”

Lee Se-hee’s eyes widened.
The heart of a Level 6 Hazardous Beast—a Saber Tiger. Shaped like a blue jewel, it was a concentrated Force aggregate and useful as an energy source in itself. Level 6 Hazards weren’t easy to come by in the first place.
I began injecting Force into the heart.

Crack! Crackle!

The Force that had been churning chaotically inside the heart began to surge. I felt the threads of Force slipping through my fingertips and carefully untangled them, arranging and organizing them so the heart could fully utilize all the Force dwelling within it.
To put it another way, I’d reorganized a winding river into a single, straight current.
Once the Force that had been raging and boiling moments ago became completely stable, the heart transformed into a gem gleaming with blue light. This was a refinement technique I’d learned in my past life—back when I was worse off than a credit defaulter, a Villain eking out a living however I could.

“Let me take a look at that for a moment.”

Lee Se-hee’s expression turned urgent as she reached out, but I smoothly pulled it back.

“Wait, hold on! How did you do that? And what do you mean by refinement? Why are you pulling it away? Just let me see it!”

Lee Se-hee stamped her feet like a child who’d had her candy taken away, clinging to my arm and tugging at it.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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