The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 34

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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 34

Yun Hee, who had been watching me with doubt in her eyes, stepped outside, leaving Lee Se Hee and me alone.

“The Recovery Potion performs well.”
“Coming from the person who uses it most, that’s the most reliable feedback. Thank you for the compliment.”
“A fair assessment.”
……
“You came here because there’s something you wanted to tell me, didn’t you?”

As expected, Lee Se Hee was quick to read the room—it made working with her easier. Though she was so sharp that she seemed to attach meaning to everything.
I’d only just realized today that my own actions harbored such calculation.

“I wanted to make a request.”
“What kind?”
“I understand Sacred Pharmaceuticals is the top in the country. And I’ve heard your competitive advantage is excellent even globally.”
“That’s right. The Recovery Potion you use is one of our products. The Americans have a firm hold on the market, but their prices are prohibitively expensive—ours have much better price competitiveness. Are you interested in commissioning something related to recovery potions?”
“Yes.”
“What would you like?”
“I want to commission the development of a Recovery Potion that can reattach severed limbs.”
……
“Is that difficult?”

Lee Se Hee’s expression slipped—she couldn’t quite maintain her composure.
It’s not an unreasonable request, is it?

“For a moment, I was trying to understand what you’re thinking right now. Ah, well. You’d be looking to handle unexpected accidents during combat, wouldn’t you?”
“Something like that.”
“It’s possible, but I’m not sure about the practical effectiveness. Surgical reattachment is already an option, and even if we manage it with a potion, you won’t be able to fight immediately afterward.”
“But you’d be able to correct the loss of balance right away. If you switch to your other hand, combat effectiveness drops, but you minimize the damage.”
“That’s true, but……”

I dangled the bait before the hesitant Lee Se Hee.

“I’m not asking you to do it for free. I’ll provide research funding.”
“Research funding?”
“And I know something that works well for reattaching severed parts.”
“If that’s the case, we could drastically shorten the research timeline.”
“Will you do it?”
“If the hint you’re giving is reliable.”

That’s how I secured Lee Se Hee’s cooperation.
Lee Se Hee thought I wanted to reattach limbs I’d severed, but my real intention was different.
When circumstances force it, I might need to sever a head. Destroying a head with an explosive is irreversible, but if I cut it off first and then have it reattached, I can minimize responsibility.
Presentation matters.
But would the cutting marks disappear once it’s reattached?

* * *

Late at night, Cheon Myeong Guk and Jung Joo Ho met. The two sat in a shabby old-establishment bar, drinking soju with mussel soup and grilled fish as their accompaniment.

“I’m sorry for reaching out so suddenly.”
“No, it’s fine. When the director calls, I come. Besides, a major incident broke out today, so I figured a meeting like this might happen.”
“Ha ha.”
“…Are you all right?”

Jung Joo Ho grew concerned watching Cheon Myeong Guk’s dry laughter.

“It’s fine. It has to be fine.”

What would it have been like if he were Cheon Myeong Guk? Jung Joo Ho found himself grateful to God that he was merely a department head.

“I pushed very hard for Superhuman Choi Junho’s contract.”
“I was there too, so I know well.”
“As you know, a Regular Contract is seven years. Both Superhuman Choi Junho and we on the government side must maintain our relationship for those seven years.”
“……….”
“But an incident erupted on the very first day. One day after signing with Superhuman Choi Junho. Ha ha! Six years and three hundred sixty-four days remain on the contract. That’s two thousand five hundred fifty-four days, and since it’s ten o’clock now, that’s sixty-one thousand two hundred ninety-six hours left.”

He had to look after Choi Junho for sixty thousand hours? Just hearing it made his head spin. The words “please, just kill me” nearly escaped his throat.
Now he understood why Cheon Myeong Guk was drinking so heavily. The specific numbers said it all.

“Director Jung, did you know that Superhuman Choi Junho was this kind of person?”
“If I said I didn’t know, it would be deceiving you, Director. I knew. That’s just how Choi Junho is. But if I’d thought he’d cause this kind of trouble today, that’s another story. The man always exceeds expectations.”

Watching Cheon Myeong Guk drink in silence, Jung Joo Ho clinked his glass against his.
In this moment, their hearts were as one.

“I can only imagine how much you’ve suffered all this time, Director Jung.”
“It’s only been half a year for me.”
“I see. For me it’s six years and three hundred sixty-four days. Sixty-one thousand hours… Whew!”

Cheon Myeong Guk drained his glass, which he’d filled to the brim.

“It occurs to me I’m not even sure I’ll be in this position that long. And if I step down, who will control Superhuman Choi Junho? Or does he even accept being controlled in the first place? If I lose even the minimal leash I have on him now, I’m terrified of what that world will look like.”
“Why are you thinking such things already?”
“Because I’ve done something. Director, what should I do going forward? I sought this meeting hoping to gain some wisdom from you.”
“……….”

Jung Joo Ho didn’t answer, only fingered his glass. Cheon Myeong Guk poured again and drained it in one shot.

“This is crude talk, but after the incident, I saw blood in my stool. Extreme stress, they said. Just three months ago everything was normal. I, who’d been healthy my whole life, became like this in a single day. Even when I fought monsters as a hunter and suffered defeats, even when I drifted alone in a foreign land, I never despaired. But now… I’ve become someone shitting blood. Ugh!”

Jung Joo Ho took the bottle from Cheon Myeong Guk’s hand and refilled his glass. When he raised his glass in a toast gesture, their glasses clinked together.
After a moment’s hesitation, Jung Joo Ho spoke with resolve and a set jaw.

“Director. That bastard’s made my hair fall out—and I mean that quite literally.”
“Such terrible suffering…”
“You have to accept it. He’s already been certified as Level 8 and has Immunity from Arrest. The more you try to control him, the more he bolts. The one saving grace is that he has his own clear sense of justice, so he doesn’t charge blindly at every situation.”
“Then we need to understand his nature.”
“Wouldn’t a disaster you can at least anticipate be less stressful?”
“…So you mean we can only read it, not prevent it.”
“Yes.”

It was like receiving a terminal diagnosis.
Not preparation, but mental readiness—that was what was needed.
Cheon Myeong Guk shook his head.

“Still, if you become close to him, you can anticipate how he’ll move. Occasionally, like rain in drought, he’ll even listen to reason. I’d recommend you endure until then.”
“Director, just what kind of fight have you been waging all this time?”
“Keeping that man from becoming a villain—that’s my greatest achievement in life, I think.”
“I have great respect for you, Director Jung Joo Ho.”
“And for you, Director Cheon Myeong Guk.”

Two men who’d now shared the pain of blood in their stool and hair loss formed a sworn brotherhood in a shabby dive bar.

* * *

As planned with Oh Jong Yeop, Oh Jong Soo came in to work.

“Sir, hello. I’ll repay the life you saved for me by working hard so it doesn’t go to waste.”
“Welcome. Things are still in a bit of a mess—want to help me organize and get the computer program installed?”
“Of course!”

By the time I returned from a brief errand, Oh Jong Soo had finished organizing the desk and even set up the computer. He’d also brought over the documents that had arrived for me.

“What should I do next?”
“As I sort through the documents, you file them accordingly. There’ll be three categories: same-day processing, this week’s processing, this month’s processing—and items to reject. Once I sort them, just organize them that way.”
“I’ll stay sharp and work hard.”
“And the main task is to sort through the calls that come in for me.”

Everything from direct calls to emails and messenger requests. If I don’t filter them myself, work piles up at the National Guard Bureau, so I brought Oh Jong Soo in to handle it on my end.
If he falls short of expectations, that’s just how it goes—but if he does well, it could lead to other opportunities.

“I’ll do my best. Oh? There are quite a few invitations already. Awakener Academy special invitation, civil servant hunter training invitation, Large Guild lecture, discussion panel…”
“You decide the priority of each case.”
“Me?”
“I’ll just use it as reference. Your decisions won’t be reflected directly, so think of it as gaining experience and give it a try.”
“Yes!”

Just as Oh Jong Soo was settling into his work, Jung Joo Ho arrived late, his face heavy with a hangover, and called me over.

“So what happened with that reporter?”
“I ensured that legal judgment was rendered.”
“Will he be punished?”
“Even if he isn’t, he won’t be able to act out like he did before.”
“True. Since you’ve classified him as a villain, if he shows up again… I’d honestly recommend he take his own life. Anyway, that’s the end of it?”
“It was just a taste. I didn’t intend to go all the way.”

Truth be told, I don’t expect much from legal punishment. Making sure someone neither lives nor dies would be far more effective.
Some might call it vigilante justice, but my perspective is different.
A Level 8 superhuman has Summary Judgment Authority. I simply exercise it a bit more broadly—there’s no problem with that.

“…Sometimes when you talk about where ‘the end’ is, I get the chills. For God’s sake, at least keep some lights on when you come in. Do you have any idea how many people are losing years of their lives because of you?”

He’d been grumbling about losing hair, but somewhere it had shifted to losing years.
But Jung Joo Ho was the only one who ever complained like this. Lately, even when he complains, it feels like he’s enjoying the situation.
I’ve decided to take his exaggeration as just him being dramatic.

“I’ll make an effort.”
“So what’s your next plan?”
“Since my level has been recognized, I’m thinking of making a significant achievement that establishes me as a superhuman. First, I’ll sort through the various invitations and official schedules that have come in, select which ones to attend, and then crack down on the organizations involved in the villain uprising in Incheon.”
“Oh! You’re going to do that?”
“It’s something that happened because of the League anyway.”
“The higher-ups will love that. Seriously, how much we’d appreciate it if you’d take on work like that. Ha ha! The National Guard Bureau will support you from behind, so go wild.”

With the National Guard Bureau backing me, I can definitely leave the cleanup to them.

“Thank you. But it seems you had quite a lot to drink yesterday.”
“When you meet someone who shares similar pain, the drink goes down smoothly. I’m fine, but that person was going strong before hitting the brakes, and it’s been rough. I felt bad for them. Tsk tsk!”
“I hope they recover well.”
“It’s probably impossible. The source of their stress is running wild right now.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“It is. Later on, it made me feel sorry for them.”

I’m not sure what he’s talking about, but Jung Joo Ho looked directly at me as he spoke. There are things in this world that no one can overcome, after all. The best one can do to manage stress is to make peace with it.
Once I head to Incheon soon, I’ll develop a detailed plan, and for now, I stepped outside.
Returning to my office, I found Jung Da Hyun hovering outside the door. I brought her inside.

“I wanted to ask for your advice.”
“Go ahead.”
“Recently I’ve felt stuck. Watching Yun Hee improve so quickly, I want to do well too, but I can’t find my footing. I wanted to ask you for guidance.”
“Are you using Instinct in your daily life?”
“Yes. I try to maintain it twenty-four hours a day.”
“For Instinct to develop further, you need to elevate it to the level of certainty. That requires diverse experience. What you need most right now is real combat training.”

I’ve never seen a form of training that brings as much enlightenment as actual combat.
All that careful caution to avoid injury—that’s child’s play, nothing more. A true clash where blood and flesh fly, where lives hang in the balance—that’s the real crucible of understanding.
Though admittedly, it’s usually been the other person’s blood and flesh on the ground rather than mine.

“Real combat. Experience.”
“To do that, catching Villains would be best. But not weak ones. You need someone at your level—someone who can make you feel genuine tension. Level 6 would be appropriate.”
“I’ll have to hunt for them myself.”
“Instinct lets you naturally distinguish between foes you can handle and those you cannot. Refine that further, and you’ll be able to discern enemies you might defeat or lose to depending on circumstances. Once you develop that far, you’ll be ready to move to the next stage. Do you think you can do it?”

Jung Da Hyun had primarily been assigned to capture Villains in the City Center.
City Center Villain apprehension was a choice posting that everyone wanted—dealing with low-level Villains while basking in media spotlight.
Jung Da Hyun was the flower and icon of the National Guard Bureau, walking a steady path of advancement. She trained diligently and was on track to reach Level 7 in the future.
I knew that if things continued at this pace, Jung Da Hyun would improve. But she herself wasn’t satisfied with that.
This job would mean facing Villains outside the city. There were high-level Villains roaming alone, those who’d committed heinous crimes, and groups that overwhelmed with numbers.
It was work that required building results in a place where you never knew what variables might emerge.

“As it happens, I need to hunt Monsters myself, so I can take you outside the city.”
“I’ll give it a try.”
“Good.”

I watched Jung Da Hyun steel her resolve. As we swept the outskirts, a few would inevitably fall into our reach.

* * *

Lately, Jung Da Hyun had been feeling parched.
Everyone around her was growing.
Her friend Lee Se Hee, an Awakener not far behind her, was performing brilliantly in a high position at the Sacred Pharmaceuticals Guild, and Choi Yun Hee, the younger sister of Choi Junho, was displaying what true radiant talent looked like while achieving explosive growth.
And then there was Choi Junho.
A genius officially recognized as Level 8 at the age of twenty-five.
This man, once her vice-captain, had soared to heights she could never catch.
Watching that trajectory, Jung Da Hyun became acutely aware of her own shortcomings. Had she been more diligent, more relentless, she would have climbed higher by now.
Falling behind is never a pleasant experience. So she’d sought his guidance, hoping to forge ahead.

“To stand beside him, you have to catch Villains.”

And so Jung Da Hyun ventured outside the city with Choi Junho, searching for Villains.

* * *

“I thought I was going to die.”

Han Sang Min, a black-ops agent of the External Cooperation Management Bureau, had recently recovered from his injuries enough to return to active duty.
The days of recovery had been grueling. Under Director Yeom Gi Chul’s orders, he’d posed as a Villain to gather intelligence on Villain organizations, but that experience was a nightmare he never wanted to live through again.

“That madman is Level 8? Should I just count myself blessed to have survived?”

Recalling those difficult days of rehabilitation, Han Sang Min shook his head.
At the time, he’d cursed himself as if he’d been bitten by a rabid dog, but looking back now, just being able to return to duty felt like a blessing.
Where in the world had that monster come from?
Having experienced both sides—civil servant Hunter and Villain life—he’d never encountered anyone like that before.
With his injury keeping him sidelined, he couldn’t return to his old territory. Han Sang Min planned to stop by the Black Market first to acquire what he needed, then contact Villain organizations to let them know that Blink was still in the game.
He left the Black Market and was walking down a quiet street when a wave of unease washed over him. Last time he’d felt like this, Choi Junho had ambushed him, and he’d paid for it dearly.

“Déjà vu? No, that can’t be it.”

A Level 8 Superhuman wouldn’t just show up in the Black Market. He told himself it was an overreaction and was about to leave when he felt a presence behind him. His senses snapped to full alert, his body tensing.

“Found you. Level 6.”
“You’re Jung Da Hyun?”

Jung Da Hyun—the flower of the government hunter corps, more famous for her beauty than her prodigious talent.
Though her personality was somewhat rigid, she was fair-minded and overflowing with a sense of justice, earning her the title of “Light” among her fellow civil service hunters. What was she doing here?
He’d understood she mostly arrested the Villains who operated covertly throughout the city.
Right now, she was radiating such an unsettling aura it made his skin crawl.
Her eyes held the gaze of a predator watching its prey.

“Level 6 Villain, Blink—Han Sang Min.”
“Wait, wait just a minute!”

Han Sang Min stiffened as he watched Jung Da Hyun approach with her sword drawn.

* * *

Jung Joo Ho was in high spirits after meeting Cheon Myeong Guk the day before.
Finally, someone else had tasted the bitter flavor of Choi Junho. Thinking about how he’d endured that wretched taste alone all this time, it felt like a weight lifted from his chest.

“Bloody stools, I hope he recovers well at least.”

But the taste of Choi Junho was only the beginning. How much could Cheon Myeong Guk withstand against the coming flood of Choi Junho’s antics?
He was grateful beyond measure to be standing to the side, out of the way.
Now when that bastard caused trouble, the responsibility wouldn’t fall on him. He could play the role of restraint from the sidelines while contributing to the operation and reaping the benefits.
Still, since he’d decided to treat him as his senior, he ought to brew some medicinal tonic good for bloody stools.
While he was grinning at the thought of “as long as it’s not me,” his smartphone buzzed loudly. It was a call from Yeom Gi Chul, his friend and rival, the director of the External Cooperation Management Bureau.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”
-You crazy bastard!
“What’s gotten into you? Did you have a fight with your wife yesterday?”
-Listen here, you insane fool! Han Sang Min returns and immediately gets seriously wounded? He took a mission assignment today and deployed, you madman!
“What are you talking about?”
-Can’t you manage your subordinates anymore? Huh? Your subordinate seriously injured Sang Min! It’ll take a year to recover from deployment!

Hearing Yeom Gi Chul’s voice growing sharp with hostility, Jung Joo Ho realized this was serious.
But Jung Joo Ho was innocent. Choi Junho, with a 99.99% probability of causing trouble, knew Han Sang Min’s face. Since he knew the man was operating undercover as a Villain, he wouldn’t touch him.
Besides, Choi Junho wasn’t his subordinate anymore.

“You’ve got it wrong. Choi Junho wouldn’t touch him again. And what are you mistaken about? Choi Junho established a cooperation framework with the National Guard Bureau—he’s not my subordinate.”
-It wasn’t Choi Junho.
“Then who?”
-Jung Da Hyun.
“Who?”
-Your niece, Jung Da Hyun, turned Sang Min into a cripple! You crazy bastard!”
“No, that can’t be right. It couldn’t have been.”
-Are you really certain it wasn’t? Really?”

For a moment, the blood drained from his face. Jung Da Hyun—his niece. Renowned as a genius since childhood, she had always carried herself with upright conviction and a just character, handling her work admirably.
Jung Joo Ho had never doubted that she would become a hunter who illuminated all of South Korea.
He believed that even if she were influenced by Choi Junho, she would transform that into the nourishment to surpass her own limits.
No. Jung Da Hyun couldn’t be like that. Then why couldn’t he tell Yeom Gi Chul firmly that it wasn’t her?
As these thoughts reached their peak, Jung Joo Ho suddenly seized his own hair and flinched violently.

“No, this can’t be!”

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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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