The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 35

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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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Chapter 35

From day one, Jung Da-hyeon encountered quite formidable experience. Level 6 Awakeners weren’t so numerous that you’d trip over one on the street.
The problem was that her opponent was a civil servant Hunter masquerading as a Villain.
Known as Villain Blink Han Sang-min of the External Cooperation Management Bureau, he ended up taking a serious injury requiring over a year of treatment at her hands. The difference from my case was that Jung Da-hyeon never believed his credentials to the end and pressed her advantage. She never let her guard down for a moment—admirable. That’s why I rate her so highly.

The next day, Jung Da-hyeon arrived at work only to be dragged straight to the director’s office. Jung Ju-ho’s face was flushed as though it might explode. I approached her once she emerged after some time.

“How’s your body?”
“I’m fine. I almost feel like I owe Han Sang-min an apology.”
“Bad luck. What did the director say?”
“He told me to be more careful next time.”

Jung Ju-ho understands the situation well, as expected.

“You did nothing wrong. If a Black operative disguises himself as a Villain, that means he’s accepting that level of risk.”

Of course, the fact that Da-hyeon was the one who got him was unfortunate timing on his part.

“I wish we’d known about information like that in advance. If I’d known, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry to the director of the External Cooperation Management Bureau. And to Agent Han Sang-min as well.”
“He’ll understand. It was unavoidable.”
“Will he?”
“In my opinion.”
“I should visit Han Sang-min and apologize in person.”
“That wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”

Would a hospital visit go smoothly, though?
She’d hit him pretty hard.
After finishing my conversation with Jung Da-hyeon, I stepped into the director’s office to find Jung Ju-ho with his face crumpled in anger.

“So, what brings our esteemed Awakener—the one inciting Da-hyeon—to my office?”
“It was an unfortunate accident.”
“Ah, so there’s no fault on your part?”
“Now that Han Sang-min understands how dangerous it is to disguise himself as a Villain, it would be better if he returned to being a regular civil servant Hunter.”
“That’s a decision for Yeom Ki-chul to make.”

Thinking about it again, the Blink Gift was truly a Gift worth coveting.
I had half a mind to take it from him.

“In any case, stop egging Da-hyeon on.”
“Da-hyeon was my trainee and a friend with exceptional talent. You needn’t be so ungrateful for my guidance.”
“I was never grateful!”
“Were you not?”

Playing innocent like that wouldn’t wash.
Watching Jung Ju-ho cry out in exasperation, I nodded to myself. Though he’s my nephew, I hold his attitude in high regard—as the leader managing the National Protection Bureau organization, he treats everyone fairly. Still, arms bend inward. He must feel some gratitude toward me.
I’ve never led an organization myself, but watching Jung Ju-ho, I often wondered if he might not be the right kind of leader.

Personally, I’m not particularly fond of Cheon Myeong-guk. Seeing his face brings back memories from my past life.

“God, you’re going to drive someone crazy.”

But the result was that the Blood Species succeeded in pushing me out into the open. Had that relentless pursuit not worn me down so thoroughly, my previous self would have remained rooted in South Korea until the bitter end.
Cheon Myeong-guk is the man who drove me out of Korea.
Yet setting aside personal feeling, he is an exemplary person.
He is courteous and well-mannered even to his subordinates. That’s why I cooperate with him without letting my grievances cloud my judgment.

“You mean the official vehicle?”
“Yes.”
“Since you offered no particular preference, we were planning to assign a prepared sedan.”
“I suspected as much.”

A Level 8 Awakener is provided an official vehicle for the sake of dignity. Even in an Age of Great Monsters where resources have grown scarce, the fuel allowance was unlimited and free.
But how often would I actually use it? Ceremony and protocol have never concerned me much.
Cheon Myeong-guk noticed I had something to say.

“Do you have a different opinion regarding the official vehicle?”
“I don’t meet with many people, nor do I travel about much. I wondered whether an official vehicle was truly necessary.”
“That’s a fair perspective.”
“However, when I conduct operations outside the city, time is often critical. As you know, the KTX and SRT can’t be used at my discretion.”
“True.”

So I reconsidered the matter.

“I would prefer a sports car to use when I travel for operations outside the city. Ideally, the driver would be someone with an F1 background.”

The thought came to me while riding a motorcycle to rescue Yun Hui.
With a sports car and an F1-trained driver, couldn’t we hit three hundred kilometers per hour?
I’d pushed two hundred on the motorcycle, so three hundred would be one and a half times faster.
Cheon Myeong-guk’s expression shifted from bewilderment to laughter.

“Haha! Awakener Choi Jun-ho, your thinking certainly follows a different trajectory than most. I’m impressed.”
“Is it feasible?”
“You wish to reach your operational zones as quickly as possible—how could that be difficult? I’ll do my utmost to make it happen and inform you of the details.”
“Thank you.”

Next came the matter of sweeping Villains from the Incheon region. The conversation maintained a warm, congenial atmosphere throughout.
He listened readily without reservation, which I found quite agreeable. Next time, I should broach the subject of a private aircraft.

* * *

Oh Jong-su proved more capable than I had anticipated.
He had a remarkable gift for summarizing vast amounts of information.
Since reaching Level 8, the proposals flowing to me had multiplied beyond comparison to before, and Oh Jong-su was managing the overflow.
I would review what he had filtered down, select the items I deemed worthwhile, add them to my schedule, and proceed accordingly.
Now that I had become a state-affiliated Awakener, my role extended beyond simply hunting Villains. I had to meet people, attend events, and bolster government approval ratings to my advantage. This would cultivate allies and expand my operational freedom.
After hearing Lee Se-hui’s interpretation of the matter, I acted on it.
Listening to her, I realized I had been thinking along similar lines myself.

“To leverage the Arrest Immunity Privilege to its fullest, it matters.”

Awakeners have the authority to formulate and execute independent operations, and their on-site judgments are given deference.
The Arrest Immunity Privilege I received hinged ultimately on how legitimate my actions appeared. If I shaped public opinion in my favor and secured justification, no procedural objection could touch me.
And I was confident.
I was simply eliminating those who deserved it anyway.
The events I attended were primarily government-sponsored affairs. I would introduce myself briefly, shake some hands, stand about like a backdrop, and leave—hardly demanding work.
Of course, actually hunting down and killing Villains and Monsters was far easier.

“Right! Just stand there quietly like that! You need to use your bearing! Look how nice it is when you keep your mouth shut! The kids who don’t know what you’re really like are already becoming fans and losing their minds!”

Yun Hui, who appeared with uncanny timing whenever I grew tired, played no small role in all this.
She insisted I attend every event, saying the more active I was, the more allies I’d gain—but why were there entertainment industry galas mixed in with corporate events?
Those efforts hadn’t gone to waste—the reporters were covering the press conference quite favorably.
I was relieved they’d grasped my sincerity.
Today’s destination was the Academy, located in Apgujeong-dong.
The nation’s premier institution for cultivating Awakeners, it had already produced three Level 8 Awakeners among its alumni—making it the dream destination for anyone aspiring to become one.
In my previous life, Yun Hui and I both desperately wanted to attend.
But the tuition was prohibitively expensive unless you received a full scholarship based on exceptional talent.
Jung Da-hyeon and Lee Se-hui were also Academy alumni.
From the headmaster down through professors and teaching assistants, every faculty member was a practicing Hunter with proven field credentials.
The person I was meeting with was the Academy headmaster.

“Go Myeong-hak.”
“Choi Jun-ho. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Academy Headmaster Go Myeong-hak was over seventy years old and a retired Level 8 Awakener from a decade prior.
He’d retired decisively, declaring he could no longer perform at Level 8 capacity and would dedicate himself to nurturing the next generation—a stark contrast to Kim Young-hwan, who’d died absurdly at Berserker’s hands.

“That’s what I should be saying. I watched your parliamentary press conference with great interest.”
“Thank you for viewing it favorably.”
“I mean it. It was refreshing.”

I reciprocated his goodwill.

“Many journalists write about the Academy without proper verification. If you send me materials, I’d be happy to cross-check them.”
“Ha, I’ll gratefully accept the sentiment alone.”

Go Myeong-hak was someone who’d held his position at the Academy right up until the very end of my previous life. True to his retirement pledge, he’d dedicated himself to developing talent from beginning to end.
Despite his advanced age, his refined features were hardly those you’d expect of a Hunter who’d crossed the threshold into the sixties. But appearance mattered little. Berserker looked like a well-dressed, dignified middle-aged man at first glance, after all. Yet his actions were those of a madman incarnate.

“What did you make of the press conference, Headmaster?”
“Had I still been active, I might have criticized it—dismissed it as youthful recklessness. But I felt that you operate by standards others don’t see. And I meant it when I said it was refreshing.”
……
“Surprising? I suffered considerably from journalists during my active career, and again at the Academy afterward. So I’d be lying if I said I felt nothing toward them. But I never revealed my true thoughts while protecting my image. Instead, watching your actions made me envious of your poise, your courage, your youth.”
“I didn’t expect such a favorable assessment.”

It sounded like an appeal to exercise that poise, courage, and youth going forward.

“Guild recruitment has become difficult these days. I understand the guilds’ position, and the government’s too, but the students caught in the middle are blameless. For their sake, we need more openings.”
“That’s not a simple matter.”
“It’s a rule that’s been maintained for a long time.”

The Awakener world had its own employment crisis.
The government was extremely wary of any guild accumulating military force beyond necessity.
That’s what gave rise to guild personnel caps. Just as business regulations scaled with operation size—five employees, ten, a hundred, three hundred—guilds likewise faced exponentially increasing restrictions and taxes as their membership grew.
Large guilds therefore maintained membership below certain thresholds, leaving fresh Academy graduates without slots at top-tier organizations, creating an employment crunch.
Only those with exceptional ability could overcome this entirely.
Then Go Myeong-hak made a request of me—he asked if I’d conduct special lectures for his students.

“You mean I should teach?”
“People of your caliber teach quite well.”

Me, teaching students?
I’d never once considered such a thing. What could they possibly learn from me?
But then my thoughts drifted elsewhere. The Academy was still a place where people lived; there had to be twisted individuals among them. Some would likely become Villains in the future.
If I could straighten them out first, I’d be saving myself trouble down the road.

“I notice you’re interested in the Academy’s problem students.”
“Problem students, you mean?”
“Even if their character is warped, if we can correct it, they become useful assets, don’t they?”
“Exactly. Ha, I’ve been heartbroken seeing adolescents going astray, so I never expected you’d take such an interest.”
“I’ll prepare some special lectures for them.”
“Ha, I’m simply grateful.”

Go Myeong-hak adjusted his glasses and continued bowing in thanks.
It’s nothing, really. I was only thinking of putting those problem kids from the Academy through their paces for a day.

“It could be dangerous, though.”
“Twisted children need a shock of this magnitude to come to their senses. We’ll need to discuss personnel composition and scheduling. While we prepare, if you could share your lecture direction, we’ll cooperate fully.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I have one more thing to take pride in. I hope this special lecture becomes the turning point where the children finally wake up.”

In the end, everyone is equal before death.
I’d find out whether they could still harbor resentment standing at the brink of mortality.
But if I see the makings of a Villain sprouting, wouldn’t it be better to just eliminate them?
Still, I said I’d make people out of them, so I should bring back at least a few alive.
After exchanging a few more words with Go Myeong-hak, I left the Academy. The day’s schedule had been quite worthwhile.

* * *

Jung Da-hyeon’s expression was gloomy. From what I heard, she’d gone to visit Han Sang-min in the hospital, but the moment she saw him, he had a seizure and she couldn’t even apologize before leaving the room.

“There was nothing you could do about it.”
“I should have listened more carefully to what he was saying.”
“If you listen carefully to every word a Villain says, you won’t know when you’ll die. You did your best. He just had bad luck.”
…….

Jung Da-hyeon nodded quietly. Not everything in this world unfolds rationally. Both she and Han Sang-min had been unlucky.

“I heard you were the one who pushed forward the Villain suppression operation.”
“I needed to reach Level 8 and rack up results.”
“You did well. The atmosphere was already unsettled by word of the League’s arrival. Various organizations have been warring in that chaos.”

The League’s forces had been annihilated by Berserker, but in the chaos that followed, various organizations were running rampant.
Though they were minor organizations, there were quite a few of them—over five hundred Villains had emerged. The Incheon region’s Villain response team was maintaining a state of constant emergency alert and requesting assistance.

“How’s the Villain-catching going?”
“Not as successful as expected. I’ve caught a few, but their abilities are weak and the low-Level Villains keep running away…….”
“So it takes longer to find them.”
“Yes. And I got stuck with a bad Epithet too.”
“An Epithet? What is it?”

So Jung Da-hyeon finally got an Epithet. I was curious what her first Epithet would be—she’d always been called by such grand titles as prodigy, sacred flower, the light of the National Protection Bureau.

“It’s the Rakshasi Woman, apparently…….”

Hmm, it suits a Villain more than a civil servant Hunter, I’d say.
She clearly knew it too—her expression wasn’t bright.
Come to think of it, I’m a Head Breaker. I hid my identity once and ended up becoming a wanted criminal.
Looks like neither of us was fated for a glorious Epithet.
But the disappointment looked so heavy that I offered some hollow comfort.

“It’s cool, though.”
“R-really? It’s not strange?”
“It came from people fearing you, didn’t it? Of course it has to sound menacing. Head Breaker and Rakshasi Woman—we’re a perfect match.”
“Yeah, perfect match, perfect match.”

The comfort seemed to work—Jung Da-hyeon’s expression brightened.
The real problem, though, was her training. Right now she was at the stage where she needed to convert what she’d gained through fierce combat from conscious to unconscious.
The minor fluctuations of power needed to be compressed into one smooth progression.
This kind of realization is hard to achieve without pushing to the absolute limit.
I’d have to drive her to the edge with intent to kill, but if I’m the one doing it, I’m liable to actually finish the job.
If I teach Jung Da-hyeon well, I should be able to straighten out those problem cases at the Academy cleanly enough.
Then a fellow came to mind—someone with decent skills and good fortune.

“Ah, there it is.”
“A good method, then?”

As long as that one keeps his mouth shut, he passes for normal—could make him useful.
We’ll run into each other plenty when I mobilize resources going forward, so it makes sense to establish contact now.

“I’ll look into it and let you know. That guy’s got a schedule too, after all.”

He won’t have a schedule. From the way he texts me every day, he’s no seeker of the sword’s way—just some nature enthusiast on a culinary adventure.
I should reach out to him after the Villain subjugation.

—————
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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