The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 2

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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 2

Several days passed setting up deterrent devices—spreading fresh wild boar blood in various places, hanging bones, and leeching the toxins from the meat.

“Make sure you eat the meat.”
“Can you actually eat that?”
“If you eat it raw, you’ll get sick. But I’ve neutralized the toxins. The meat itself is excellent for restoring your vitality—a natural tonic. You can grill it or boil it either way.”
“How did you know that?”
“Just picked it up doing this and that.”

It was practical knowledge gleaned while on the run, though I answered it that way. In the old days, whenever I had a spare moment while fleeing, I used to make jerky and carry it with me. There was a time I survived an entire winter fortnight on nothing but jerky.
Without even that, I’d eat raw monster meat. There was a particular appeal to the sting of monster toxin on the tongue.

“And if the effect wears off, just let me know. I can always catch another one.”
“Right. Head to Seoul and do well on your exam.”
“Get along well with Yun-hui too.”
“Will she really be friendly with me?”
“Of course not.”
“Mom, that’s a bit harsh.”
“The wound your son gave me by being unemployed for two years was far deeper.”
“That’s fair.”

There was no arguing with that, so I accepted the scolding.
Yun-hui—my sister’s name made my chest ache.
If I hadn’t become a Villain, she would have shone brilliantly. But because of me, she was forced to abandon her dreams, trapped in a prison called protective measures disguised as surveillance.
I owe my family a debt of the heart. I don’t know why I returned to my younger years, but I’ll be a dependable son to my parents and offer my sister guidance toward success.
I believe that’s why I came back to the past.
After finishing my preparations to head to Seoul, I got in the car.
The drive from Cheongju to Seoul took longer than it used to.
Monsters appeared sporadically across the roads, and the rapid increase in Villains who refused state control made the journey consume far more time than before.
Monsters are hunted periodically, but Villains are true variables.
As a former Villain, I can say Villains are evil. Monsters wearing human skin. When I was losing my mind, the only thing I sympathized with was not hesitating to use force against Villains.
If I became a Civil Service Hunter, I’d face Villains, and at least I wouldn’t hesitate in wielding that force.
The fewer Villains that exist, the lower the chance my peaceful life will be disrupted.

“The problem is the ability, though.”

What troubled my mind during the drive was the ability I’d awakened in my past life.
My ability, called Hemophagy, was a unique-tier Gift that let me extract abilities contained in a target’s blood.
I could only obtain the ability by consuming the freshest blood wrung from the target’s heart. Even though I awakened at a late age in my previous life, the reason I was called a Hemophage was rooted in this ability.
Eventually, I couldn’t control the power and caused a rampage.
No matter how I thought about it, Hemophagy was an ability easily mistaken for vampirism, so I decided never to reveal it to the world.
Instead, I could reveal a different Gift.
For reasons I didn’t understand, the Gifts I’d stolen in my past life still existed intact within me.
Ten of them, in fact.
The power I was called a Hemophage for in my past life was still coursing through my blood unchanged.
A blessing or a curse?
It was like a butterfly’s dream, but I decided not to dwell deeply on this matter.
Unexplainable fortune is best accepted in silence.
If I became a Villain again, I’d be a calamity to the world, but having experienced regret once, I wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.

I think.
Probably.

Before I went mad, I was an utterly harmless ordinary person. As long as others didn’t provoke me, didn’t irritate me, and I didn’t do anything wrong, I’d have stayed quiet.
By then, I’d entered Seoul.
I didn’t want to show up empty-handed, so I stopped at a nearby mart and bought a heap of meat. I was broke—hadn’t a won to my name—but my parents had thrust a generous allowance into my hands, telling me to make sure Yun-hui and I ate well.
I arrived home with the groceries. Two years ago, this was where I lived, but counting my previous life, I hadn’t set foot here in thirty years.
The villa with two bedrooms was spacious enough for the two of us.
Inside, chaos greeted my eyes—clothes and clutter scattered everywhere.
Thinking that at least there was room to walk, I stashed the groceries in the fridge and began cleaning. I gathered the most obvious trash, sorted the laundry, and tossed it into the washing machine. An hour had passed.

For Yun-hui, this was a hectic time. She’d barely missed the cutoff this year, but next year looked promising for acceptance. She had the talent to join any major guild whenever she wanted, even if she lowered her standards slightly.
That’s when I heard the beep of the door code from outside, and Yun-hui stepped in.
My younger sister, Choi Yun-hui, was twenty-one and a gifted talent who’d graduated high school with excellent marks and steadily developed her abilities.
She was the sort of child who would have bloomed brilliantly if her blood brother hadn’t turned out to be history’s worst Villain.
But burdened with a Villain for a brother, Yun-hui had been denied employment and lived under constraints, aging away in isolation.
All of it was my fault.
Seeing my younger sister—whom I’d thought I’d never see again—in her youthful, almost childish form, I let out a bitter laugh. And I made a promise to myself: I would never again become intoxicated by blood and turn into a Villain.

“What, you’re here already?”

Her eyes were cool when she saw me.

“I texted you I was coming, but you didn’t reply.”

For the record, I’d been left on read.

“Seeing you is enough. I figured you’d just play games and loaf around, then show up whenever you felt like it.”
“Is that really what you think of me?”
“Why are you pretending it wasn’t?”
“I’m just surprised the assessment is more generous than I expected.”

I’d imagined far harsher judgments—human garbage, a worthless wretch, a parasite draining my parents’ bones, a cockroach, a maggot, and on and on. Every cruel epithet I could conjure.
Yun-hui’s expression grew strange at the assessment I’d given myself.

“Wait, I’ve only been around you for a moment and I’m already starting to feel off.”
“At least I’m not being treated like an insect.”
“That’s not—seriously, what do you see me as?”

Yun-hui let out a long sigh.

“Anyway, setting that aside—Mom mentioned you want to become a Civil Service Hunter. Are you serious?”
“I have to be.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
“I mean, you used to refuse to even look at anything other than a major guild. Even when I suggested you pick up some fieldwork experience or a side job, you’d complain it was bothersome and just lock yourself in your room burning daylight. That’s why I don’t get it. What’s changed?”
“I don’t want to rot away the family anymore.”
“Really? The shut-in brother who let our parents rot away from the inside—now he’s saying this?”

Hearing the assessment “shut-in” instead of parasite, cockroach, and maggot felt oddly gratifying.

“A Civil Service Hunter position doesn’t look so bad anyway. And you’d get to crack down on social evils—Villains.”

While Enterprise Hunters chased Monsters and dungeons rich with byproducts, Civil Service Hunters typically dealt with Villains who threatened public safety.

“When did you start finding meaning in catching Villains?”
“The more you clean things up, the more rewarding it feels. I just had that thought suddenly.”
“Fair point. I’ve heard that Hunter talent works differently depending on whether you’re facing people or Monsters. But what about the exam? Have you studied for it?”
“Studied for what?”
“You’re preparing to become a Civil Service Hunter, aren’t you? You should at least buy some reference books! You haven’t done anything?”
“Oh, right.”
……

To be honest, I thought all I had to do was say I wanted to do it. What was there to study? Would they pass me if I caught a single Villain?
When I sent her a questioning look, Yun-hui turned her head sharply away.

“I don’t know. Figure it out yourself.”
“Come on, help me out. Let me cash in on having such a brilliant sister.”
“Why should I?”

She scowled, but it wouldn’t matter.

“I’ll give you an allowance.”
“…Really?”
“How much do you need?”
“You name it.”

When I threw out a generous fifty, his head bobbed up and down like his neck had springs in it.

“Let’s go right now!”

If siblings were feuding,
it meant the allowance wasn’t enough.

* * *

The next day, we headed downtown to buy books.
Seoul, where Awakened Ones and Monsters had begun to appear, thrummed with a measured, cautious energy.
Shelters for evacuation were scattered throughout the city, and the faces of people on the streets held both calm and wariness in equal measure.
Large Monsters were kept firmly at bay on the city’s outskirts, but the real problem was Villains.
When security tightened, they lay low. When it slackened, they pried their way in, raiding and killing.
One careless moment and you could die for nothing. That’s why people rushing through the streets seemed more bent on finishing their business quickly than lingering to enjoy themselves.
Yet I loved this vitality. Before my Regression, I’d thought I’d never set foot in a city again for the rest of my life.

“To be honest, if you’ve just Awakened, becoming a Civil Service Hunter isn’t that difficult.”

Yun-hui’s voice brimmed with energy at the thought of shopping after so long.
An era of ten million Hunters-in-training. Those with Awakening potential, those who had Awakened—they all dreamed of becoming Hunters and striking it rich overnight.
Naturally, Civil Service Hunters, who dealt mostly with Villains, weren’t popular. The trend now favored large corporate Hunters or freelancers who got hefty salaries and a stream of bonuses upon success.
So the requirements for becoming a Civil Service Hunter were simple: first, undergo Awakening and receive a level evaluation; second, pass the basic ethics assessment, personality aptitude test, and interview.

“That’s the test you have to pass. And you’ve already Awakened?”
“Yeah.”
“So you’re more than halfway there. You have a Gift?”
“I do.”
“Really? Wow! You’ve been working hard at home, haven’t you? Then you’re basically guaranteed to pass. You just need a clean record and not be a Grade A or higher Villain.”

Both of which apply to me.

“Then I can take my time preparing.”
“No way. Regardless of whether you pass, you need to excel at the rest to get assigned to a good department.”
“There are good departments?”
“Of course there are! What are you talking about?”

Yun-hui frowned at me and explained the departments a Civil Service Hunter could be assigned to.
There was the National Guard Bureau, directly under central authority and responsible for public safety within Seoul; the External Cooperation Management Bureau, serving as a bridge between government and corporations; and the Anti-Monster Defense Front Bureau, which issued Monster-hunting permits and prepared countermeasures.

“Those are the departments where you can actually function as a Civil Service Hunter. Everything else is basically volunteer work—literally volunteer work.”

It was obvious she’d done her homework for my sake. I stared at her face for a moment and expressed my gratitude.

“Thanks for looking into this.”
“Hey, don’t thank me like that. I’m just earning my allowance.”
“Still. Thank you.”
“Stop thanking me! I did it for the money, okay?”

With a flushed face, he charged forward abruptly. Embarrassed. Since I had no intention of teasing him further, I followed along and changed the subject.

“What about you? Is the preparation giving you trouble?”
“Me? Preparation’s manageable. The written exam is smooth sailing. The problem is the practical test.”
“Won’t it get easier once you have a Gift?”
“Yeah. But that’s not exactly simple, is it.”

A Gift is a kind of supernatural ability composed of Force. While my Hemophagy can steal the Gifts inscribed in an opponent’s blood, other Gifts involve manifesting lightning with Force, wielding blades to work miracles, teleporting through space—transcendent abilities of every variety.
But among Awakened Ones, only about three percent possess a Gift. That’s how rare they are.
I’m not one of them, though.

“If I just had some blood, that’d be enough.”

Hemophagy doesn’t just steal abilities—it lets me understand what abilities someone possesses as well.
I’d need to find the right moment to bring it up.
Now that I’d come back, it mattered that I didn’t become a Villain, but I was determined to help Yun-hui unleash her full potential.
It was the only way I could diminish, even slightly, the wrongs I’d committed.
For her to use her abilities freely and live happily.
That was all I wanted for her.
Still, talent alone doesn’t guarantee success—harsh training would have to follow.

“What did you just say?”
“Nothing at all.”
“You were definitely muttering something suspicious.”

After buying exam books, picking up a few simple clothes, finishing lunch, we arrived at the bank.

“It’s really fine, I’m telling you.”
“How much are utility bills anyway.”

First, my strategy was to minimize the number of things Yun-hui needed to worry about in daily life.

* * *

Choi Yun-hui watched the back of her brother as he led the way.

‘He really has changed.’

When he was at home, something dark seemed to possess him.
Anger without direction, adrift and unsure where to pour itself out. That was exactly how Choi Yun-hui had seen it.
It would be a lie to say it didn’t pain her. But at the same time, she hadn’t wanted to be close to him.
That spreading sense of defeat, infectious as a plague—she’d had enough of it. She’d believed that if she did well, it would provoke him and bring him back to himself.
But the brother she saw again had changed in many ways.
The restlessness had vanished, replaced by an air of composure.
Could you call it composure? It felt more like detachment. The atmosphere of someone who’d seen through the world, who’d been through thick and thin—and she sensed it from a five-year unemployed man.
When she’d called their parents, they said he’d changed for no particular reason.
They kept mentioning he should remember to bring a spoon when eating, though she couldn’t figure out why.
Anyway, before coming up to Seoul, he’d apparently crafted a Harmful Monster subjugation device himself.
By hunting a Harmful Monster classified as level three, no less.
What on earth had happened to him?
Monster hunting was already astounding, but a Gift on top of that?
A Gift alone would practically guarantee entry into a mid-sized guild. But since he seemed set on becoming a Civil Service Hunter rather than joining a guild, she didn’t press further.
Choi Yun-hui suppressed the rising curiosity. His improvement was enough.

‘Now I just need to do well myself.’

He kept saying odd things—that as a Civil Service Hunter applicant she should let him support her, that blood was all he needed—but she didn’t mind.
It wasn’t about the money.
Well, actually, five hundred thousand won was too large a sum for her heart not to freeze a little at the thought.
The commotion outside the bank swelled, and a crowd of figures came surging in.

“Don’t move!”

Bank robbers. Villains.

* * *

“Brother!”
“Looks like robbers.”

I glanced back at Yun-hui, pressed tight against me. Perhaps it was the sudden shock of it all—I felt her trembling. I ignored my own fear and counted the intruders by the entrance. Ten of them, split into two teams, moving with practiced precision. Professional thieves, then.
Professional thieves, then.
The way they moved suggested long experience.

“But this is a bank. How is a robbery even—”
“A Villain with the Lockdown Gift? A bank is a buffet for them.”

Especially one like this, stuck out on Seoul’s fringe. Hit it and vanish into the Monster-infested outer reaches of Gyeonggi Province, and there’s no catching them. During my Villain days—back when my head was still scrambled—I’d been pitched on bank jobs more than once. I knew their playbook.
They use the Lockdown Gift to cut off all contact with the outside world, then deal ruthlessly with anyone foolish enough to resist.
After a string of jobs like this, the government had consolidated branches toward Seoul’s center and stationed Large Enterprise Guild outposts at the few they left in the outlying areas. The crisis had eased—for now.
But we were still in the window before those improvements took hold. The Villains had found their moment. Well-timed.
Well-timed.

“Hands up, everyone on your knees!”
“Try anything and you’re dead!”
“Move!”

Bang!

A man had tried to resist; a Villain’s pistol barked. Blood sprayed across the floor as he crumpled.
The other customers and staff froze in terror and dropped to their knees.

“Get down now!”

The Villains moved with brutal efficiency. Five of them secured the entrance while subduing customers; the other five seized the branch manager and headed for the vault.
I felt Yun-hui’s frame against mine, her body taut with conflict.
She’d just watched a man die. Fear and rage warred in her, making her tremble violently. Yun-hui was an aspiring Hunter—she looked ready to lunge into the fray. But without real combat experience or proper gear, charging at armed Villains would be suicide. I reached back and tapped her shoulder.
I reached back and tapped her shoulder.

“Stay still. Villains like these don’t negotiate. We move when I’m certain—not before.”

“Listen to me. There are only two kinds of Villains in this world: the ones you need to kill, and the ones you should have killed already.”
“What?”
“Watch.”

I moved toward the Villains.

* * *

Honestly, my feelings about Villains aren’t kind. I place ninety-nine percent of the blame on myself for becoming a Hemophage, for losing my mind—and maybe one percent on them.

And who kept egging me on? Villains. They saw a new recruit with extraordinary strength, and they wanted a piece of it. Because I didn’t stop then—because they didn’t make me stop—the runaway came, and the Hemophage was born.
It’s my fault. All of it. But sometimes, late at night, I wonder: what if someone had told me to quit back then? What if someone had made me listen?
Looking back, I was like a runaway train. I needed someone to derail me. It’s funny—I was looking for that among Villains, of all people.
I’m not good at forgiving others. My conscience won’t let me take the easy road and blame everyone else. So I give them that one percent. Not because they deserve it, but because my own narrow heart demands it. The world rewards those who kill Villains, and I’m content to reap that reward.
But today, standing here, I choose not to think too deeply about any of that.
I choose not to think too deeply about any of that.
What matters now is what comes next.
What matters now is what comes next.
Just 1% malice and an appeal to social justice.
The moment I took a step, space contracted as if sliced. The sniggering Villains flinched.

“You—what are you!”

Bang!

I watched the bullet streak toward me from beginning to end, then tilted my body to slip past it.
In that gap, I reached the Villain and placed my hand on his shoulder.

Crack!

“Aaaaagh!”

A sickening rupture—and the scream tore from his lips. The shoulder I’d seized crumpled completely.
This Gift, known as Thunderstone, belonged to Franz, a Grand Meister from Germany.
The Gift that triggers violent explosions on contact using Force is called the nightmare of close combat.
Ten years from now, Franz becomes a Villain and I kill him, but this lifetime will be different.
Thinking of that old man’s stare—like some CCTV grandfather—I wonder if I can build a different kind of relationship this time around.
If he kicks up a fuss again about Beethoven not being Russian, I’ll have my hands full.

“What—what is this!”
“Scatter!”

The panicked Villains tried to distance themselves, but my hands were faster.
Shoulders crumbled like cookie crumbs, arms bent backward at impossible angles.
One at a time.
This was why being ordinary was hard.
If I were a Villain, I wouldn’t hesitate to rip out throats first. Or I could touch the head, destroy the brain—equally efficient.
But I’m a civil service exam candidate preparing to become a Civil Service Hunter. Even if the target is a Villain, start killing indiscriminately and slip up once, and I’d be mistaken for a Villain myself.

“Yeah, killing is always the easiest way out.”

If I were a Civil Service Hunter, I could’ve invoked summary judgment with state authority—but that advantage was lost now.
After smacking my lips, the Villains who’d been holed up in the vault sensed the commotion outside and emerged; I rushed in and subdued them immediately.

“Don’t move!”

The moment I’d pinned down four of them, the last remaining Villain shoved a gun against the branch manager’s head and shouted.

“Hands up and back away!”
“Why would I?”
“What?”
“I don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
“What are you saying right now—”

Regardless, I fixed my gaze on the branch manager, now a hostage. His face had gone sheet-white. But no matter how fast I am, I can’t save a hostage’s life once a gun’s to their head. In situations like this, you extract maximum efficiency for minimum cost.

“I would’ve liked to save you. Regrettably, I won’t forget your sacrifice.”
“What are you saying right now!”
“Go ahead and kill me if you want. Just know I’ll kill you too. And I’m going to crush your head. Your brain will shatter into pieces and leak from your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Oh, was that too merciful? I’ll start with your limbs and save your head for last.”

One hostage’s sacrifice for one Villain—the math works out.
I walked straight toward him.

* * *

……

Unlock, the leader of the Villains who’d attacked the bank, felt like he was losing his mind.
What kind of insane bastard would be in a place like this?
A man whose specialties lay in jamming broadcasts and cracking safes rather than direct combat, he realized his entire scheme had unraveled completely.
He was a Villain who’d seen his share of battles.
He’d decided to finish this because losing momentum meant certain defeat, but his opponent was an even greater madman.
He’d thought that if he put a bullet through the branch manager’s head and took the other one hostage, they might negotiate.
But the moment his eyes met the approaching madman’s, he understood.
This was an insane monster he couldn’t handle.
The man was looking at him not as a human but as an insect he could crush underfoot whenever he pleased.
The instant he put a hole through the branch manager’s head, he’d pulverize his own skull like tofu, just as he’d promised.

Thud.

Overwhelmed by the man’s killing intent, Unlock finally dropped his gun and raised his hands.

“Ahhh!”

He saw the branch manager shriek and bolt, but Unlock remained motionless, like a fish trapped in a net.

“Good instincts.”

The madman who’d arrived before him licked his lips.

Crunch.

With a sickening crack, both of Unlock’s shoulders caved inward. He shrieked and thrashed as agony flooded through his entire body.

“Gahhh! Wh-why?”
“If only you walked away clean, the others’d feel cheated. Besides, I like you at this height.”

The madman answered coolly.

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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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