The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 29

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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 29

It’s a mystery how he’s still alive. I’d clearly used Complete Recovery, and afterward I crushed his heart once more.
Could Complete Recovery have been usable twice? But the Complete Recovery I obtained was a single-use Gift.

“How did you survive?”
“I don’t know the details either.”

Complete Recovery is a single-use Gift—it disappears once activated.

“When your hand was piercing through my heart and I was dying, something changed in the Complete Recovery that was dissolving inside me. The Gift’s dissolution stopped, and it began reconstructing itself. Then it was restored and activated again before disappearing. That’s all I know.”
……

I took a moment to organize my thoughts.
Until now, I’d believed Hemophagia was stealing Gifts. Here, stealing meant the opponent’s death.
But listening to Berserker’s account, I started to wonder if that might not be the case. What if Hemophagia wasn’t theft but copying? What if, during the process of reading information for the copy, the opponent’s Gift still existed?
In Berserker’s case, since it was a single-use Gift and couldn’t be read properly as it was being destroyed, it seemed he’d forcibly restored it to make the copy.
Was that why the headache had been worse? I’d thought I was perfectly sane, which made the pain even more intense.
Every opponent I’d faced so far had died, but Berserker survived because of Complete Recovery.
I see. I understand now. A truly parasitic grip on life.
Still, one question about Hemophagia was answered. This time I’d let him go without agony.

“So let’s die again.”
“Wait—I want to live.”
“Your personality changed? You weren’t the type to beg for your life before.”
“After dying twice, my thinking shifted. Death itself doesn’t frighten me, but I remembered there are things I want to do. Above all.”

Berserker looked at me.

“Experiencing your strength showed me a path. I want to hone my skills once more.”

If I let him live.

“You can practice that in the afterlife.”
“…What would make you spare me?”
“I don’t know. I have no reason to let you live.”
“From now on, I’ll give you my full cooperation in everything you do.”
“You’re quitting being a Villain?”

Berserker shook his head.

“Even if I repent and turn back, the world won’t accept me. This world controls Awakeners and loads them with all sorts of restrictions so the public feels safe. Within that system, I’m an aberration. There’s nothing I can do. You’re stronger and smarter than me, so your standing is better, but it will be similar for you. I can understand you.”
……

His words actually struck something in me.
And then I thought something else.
What if it’s not me who’s wrong—what if the world itself is twisted? What if I’m sane, and the world’s the aberration, and that’s why I can’t be understood?
In that sense, Berserker and I were looking at things from the same angle. But should I really keep this madman alive just to have one secret ally?

“Texting was fun too. Actually, this was my first time using a Smartphone. If you spare me, I’ll be your hands and feet on the outside. I want to live.”

The man on his knees bowed even lower, his forehead to the ground.
Seeing that posture, I recalled my own form when I was a Blood Species.
Back then, I’d desperately prayed for just one chance, for any opportunity at all.
If someone had helped me then, who would I have become?
…Probably the same.
In any case, after seeing his will to live, I decided to give him a chance.
I’d already gained Complete Recovery anyway, and since he offered to become my hands and feet, if he misbehaves and refuses to listen, I can always kill him then.

“From now on, just hunt Villains.”
“You’re letting me live?”
“Yeah. And if you know anything about the League, tell me more.”
“From what I understand, it’s an organization of powerful Villains.”

I waited for him to continue, but Berserker only looked at me with confusion.

“That’s it.”
“…That’s all there is?”
“What else would there be?”

I’m the fool for asking a madman.

“Fine. And don’t you dare bolt to join the League.”
“Looking at you, my interest in the League has faded. Don’t worry.”
“Good. Then here’s your first task. Kill everyone from the League who came to receive you.”
“Will do.”
“Message me when it’s done.”

I released Berserker.

* * *

By the time I returned to Seoul and came back to the National Guard Bureau, Berserker had sent me a message.

Berserker: Annihilated the League’s remnant forces. Can send the heads if needed.
Me: Just send photos.
Berserker: Got it.
Berserker: [Photo attached][Photo attached][Photo attached][Photo attached][Photo attached][Photo attached][Photo attached][Photo attached][Photo attached][Photo attached]

The madman photographed every single scene and sent them all. For a moment there, I’d thought maybe he was actually sane. But no—he was just a madman through and through.
I went inside and greeted Jung Da-hyun and my colleagues first, then knocked on the director’s office door.
Jung Joo-ho, who was working at his desk, looked up at me with eager anticipation.

“What about Berserker?”
“I didn’t kill him.”
“…Since he’s a Level 8 Awakener, I imagine it wasn’t easy. Thank goodness you came back safely. But wait—you didn’t kill him because you couldn’t, or because you wouldn’t?”
“Berserker expressed his willingness to cooperate and asked me to spare him.”
“Berserker? That madman asked to be spared?”
“Yes. But Director, would it be acceptable to repurpose Berserker?”

Jung Joo-ho’s head nodded so fast it was almost a blur.

“Are you seriously asking that? Of course we can! Absolutely we can!”
“But he is a Villain…”
“No! Berserker’s mind may waver, but his standards for action are clear. The Hunters he’s killed were all men of poor character to begin with. We can deploy a Level 8 Awakener—that’s not a problem at all. If anyone complains, they can take it up with Berserker themselves.”

That’s a slightly different assessment than what I’d heard of Berserker initially.

“And as long as we don’t disclose it externally, we’re fine. We have that much autonomy. Surely Berserker didn’t say he wants to quit being a Villain and come back to the city to live as a normal person, did he?”
“No, sir, he didn’t.”
“Then we’re good. Let’s use him as a special operative, like we do Blink.”
“I didn’t kill Berserker, but I did achieve a smaller result instead.”

I showed Jung Joo-ho the photographs of Berserker annihilating the League forces that had landed in Korea.

“…This guy won’t listen to me, will he?”
“Would you like to meet him?”
“No, I don’t think he’ll listen to me. There’s something oddly similar about his smell to yours.”
“…….”
“He’s crazier than you are, so don’t take it personally. Ha!”

I couldn’t figure out why Berserker kept becoming the benchmark for comparison.
And did that mean I was crazy too?

* * *

Before the Level 8 assessment, I took leave from work and headed to my parents’ house in Cheongju with Yun Hui, who had recovered well and been discharged from the hospital. She pestered me about everything during the drive, apparently healthier from enjoying special meals at the hospital.

“This car is terrible. Can’t you get a new one?”
“I don’t have the money. If you’re not satisfied, buy one yourself.”
“I don’t even have a license. What good is a car to me?”
“You were asking me to buy you one to drive.”
“…….”

Having successfully silenced Yun Hui, I focused on driving. She pouted obviously, making no effort to hide her displeasure, but she’d get over it quickly once she tasted our mother’s cooking.
As we pulled up to the house in Cheongju, Yun Hui practically kicked open the car door and rushed at our parents waiting outside.

“Mom! Dad!”
“Yun Hui! How have you been?”
“It’s good to see you’re doing well.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve been great.”

It was probably a blessing that she hadn’t mentioned the hospital stay. If she had, I’d have gotten an earful of nagging. She was shrewd enough to think ahead.

“Junho came too? You must be tired from driving.”
“You worked hard.”
“Yes.”

After exchanging greetings with my parents, I headed inside. The magical beast repellent device hanging in the orchard still seemed to have some effect left. Since I didn’t know when it would wear off, I’d need to catch another wild boar before heading back up to Seoul.
The family gathering was pleasant. My parents were genuinely delighted that I’d become a government Hunter and that Yun Hui had joined the Holy Guild.
Yun Hui took the opportunity to ask our parents about moving to Seoul, but they turned her down.

“We’re still young enough to work and live off our children’s success. Once you two are fully settled, we’ll think about it.”
“It won’t take that long.”
“Then bring home a decent man and get married instead!”
“I’m too busy settling into the Guild. And with Choi Junho over there staring daggers at anyone who comes near me, do you think dating is easy?”
“What do you have to do with your brother? And why Junho? Junho, are you actually preventing Yun Hui from dating?”
“I’ve never interfered.”
“That’s not interference?”

Yun Hui’s expression turned exasperated. If anyone was frustrated, it was me.
I hadn’t done anything wrong. I’d simply thought that if Yun Hui wanted to date someone, that person should be at least this good.

“Ask your brother first! Who knows, he might meet a woman soon?”

At Yun Hui’s words, my parents burst into laughter. Skeptical laughter.

“Junho, with a woman?”
“Yun Hui, surely you’re not suggesting some poor girl…….”
“No, really! The women who cross paths with my brother are really something special.”

Yun Hui was making a desperate effort to redirect the arrow of suspicion toward me.
After that, the conversation shifted to our life in Seoul. Yun Hui explained her adaptation process at the Holy Guild and enthusiastically described meeting Lee Se-hui and me, but our parents didn’t believe a word of it. Instead, they advised her to watch less drama. She really did need to cut back on those shows.
Eventually giving up on convincing them, Yun Hui explained the perks provided by the Holy Guild, and our parents showed great interest. Things like access to Holy Guild hospitals were exactly the kind of benefits their generation cared most about.

“Are you adjusting well, Junho?”
“Yes. With so much help from those around me, I adapted without much difficulty.”
“Oh, and my brother’s trainee is Jung Da-hyun—she’s an Awakener famous for her genius…….”

She kept forcing connections. Romance and meetings were best when they happened naturally, but she kept manufacturing them artificially.

……

I watched the scene unfold quietly. Bickering with my sister, enduring my parents’ nagging—none of it bothered me. This was what I’d fought to preserve. This moment was what I aimed to protect going forward.
To do that, I’d need to climb higher and seize more power.

“Oh, and I’m planning to take my Level 8 assessment in a week.”
“What……?”
“Level 8. Didn’t I mention it?”
……
“Why are you telling me this now!”

Had I not told Yun Hui either?
Moments later, my parents’ gasps of shock echoed through the room.

* * *

Choi Junho’s sudden emergence sent shockwaves through the government. A Level 8 candidate had appeared from a quarter no one had anticipated.
Level 8 Awakeners could not emerge from obscurity. They were cultivated from childhood—those blessed with genius, given systematic education, accumulating experience layer by layer. Countless candidates were groomed, and from their ranks, one ascended to Level 8.
But Choi Junho was an exception, shooting up from the ground like a comet.
He hadn’t distinguished himself in childhood, and he’d only been a civil servant Hunter for six months. When word got out that he was ranked 9th-class, the Blue House suffered a major shock.
From the government’s perspective, a Level 8 was a savior—yet simultaneously a source of alarm. There simply hadn’t been enough vetting. His six months of performance had been remarkable, but his nature was dangerously unpredictable.
A secretary from the Awakener Security Office, which oversees all Awakeners, seized on this point.
A Blue House secretary held rank as a Grade 1 civil servant.
Though Jung Joo-ho’s position was lower, his manner toward the secretary remained stiff.

“So you’re saying it’s my fault?”
“It’s not that. I’m simply curious why that information wasn’t shared.”
“How was I supposed to know that boy was a Level 8 specialist? He came in as a new recruit. I thought he showed promise, so I developed him. That’s all.”
“Still, you should have reported upward…….”
“If I had reported it, you’d have believed a twenty-five-year-old is Level 8?”
“At least then you wouldn’t be treated like you know nothing.”

In the end, it was a matter of face. Jung Joo-ho let out a thin laugh.

“So what are your orders from above?”
“Secure him by any means necessary, they say.”
“And how exactly?”
“Well, he’s a civil servant Hunter—naturally he’d have ambitions for office. We’re meant to probe that angle…….”
“I don’t think you’re serious about that.”

The secretary nodded.

“First we’ll verify he’s actually Level 8, then draw up concrete negotiation terms. The Director is preparing that personally. Separately—a Level 8 in his twenties is difficult to accept. Not for us, and not for the world at large.”
“He’s Level 8.”

A fully mature one, no less. But I didn’t say that much.
These rigid government functionaries needed to taste the thing themselves before they’d come to their senses.
The Director of the Awakener Security Office who’d come this time was shrewd, but even he couldn’t single-handedly reform a bureaucratic machine.
When Choi Junho’s Level 8 status was confirmed, they’d attach a steep premium to him. To secure him, they’d have to pay the full price. The Director would have his hands full.
Still, because we were on the same side, I offered one piece of advice.

“You’ll need to review Choi Junho’s report and form a strategy accordingly.”
“I’ve already read it.”

The secretary asked carefully then.

“But was that report actually real?”
“The language has been heavily softened.”
“…I can see rough waters ahead.”
“You’ll need to steel yourselves. That’s the only way you’ll manage to hold on.”
“I’ll file the report upstairs. The director will handle the negotiations personally, so there’s nothing definitive I can promise you. Fortunately, he’s a shrewd operator, so I don’t expect any untoward developments.”
“I wish you luck.”

In the end, the secretary obtained only scraps of information about Choi Junho and left empty-handed. Jung Joo-ho merely confirmed the government’s somewhat complacent attitude, though he told himself things might improve once the Awakener Security Office director took the lead.
The thought that one of the highest-ranking Awakeners in South Korea would be speaking directly with Choi Junho made him want to laugh.

“He’s going to scare them half to death.”

To be honest, he was curious what reaction the government officials would have when they encountered that monster’s madness directed at them.
Choi Junho would show them no mercy.
It was revenge for the hair that had fallen so uselessly because of him.

“I can’t be the only one to taste what Choi Junho is like. Let everyone have a bite.”

This flavor was far too exquisite to savor alone.

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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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