The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 39

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

Episode 39

A hell-scape of screams stretched across the mortal world in every direction.
Woo Joo-wan, the executioner, stood with his Executioner’s Sword planted in the ground, surveying the carnage he had wrought. Each time the scar carved across his face twisted, the villains standing nearby shuddered.
One of them approached him cautiously.

“Sir, boss. What’s next?”
“We rest here tonight. Gather what you need. Tomorrow we move to Cheonan.”
“Understood.”

The villain’s expression brightened as he left. Watching the houses ignite in the distance, the executioner’s mind drifted elsewhere.

“The League is gone, but I won’t give up.”

From the moment the League landed in Korea, the executioner had wanted to join them. He was desperate to escape this country, where Superhumans were shackled and branded as villains the moment they deviated even slightly. He craved the League’s world, where strength determined worth—and he wanted to claim even greater power there.
He hungered for the strength to walk freely through the world, the strength to kill anyone who displeased him without hesitation.
The executioner touched the scar etched from his right brow to his left cheek, and murderous intent radiated from him.

“Berserker.”

This scar was Berserker’s doing.
Killing him was the executioner’s purpose. When Berserker said he would join the League, the executioner had anticipated their final confrontation—but Berserker had instead obliterated the League’s Korean branch, shattering that plan entirely.
Now, the only path to joining the League was to leave the country. His original scheme—to gain power by joining the Korean branch—had crumbled to dust.
From first to last, Berserker had been nothing but a hindrance.
Mobilizing the villain organization was nothing more than venting his rage.
The finale would be Cheonan consumed in flame. After that, he would slip quietly into China and seek out the League.
The villains returned, their pillaging complete, laughing carelessly among themselves. They were mayflies—dead within a day.

“We rest, then move out.”

That was when it happened.

“Scheming again with that shallow mind of yours, are you?”
…….

A middle-aged man approached, Greatsword in hand.
At first glance, his appearance seemed unremarkable—even handsome, in fact. But the executioner, who had glimpsed the madness lurking beneath that façade before, felt his expression harden.
It was Berserker.

“Who are you?”
“Shoot him.”

The villains, flush with victory from crushing the Villain Response Team and plundering the area, aimed their guns without hesitation.
But Berserker moved first.

Bang!

He hurled the Greatsword, and a terrible wave of Force erupted, sweeping across the villains.
Those caught in the blast were torn to pieces without even a chance to scream.
The gathered villains went pale.

“H-hiiiii!”
“A monster!”
“W-who is he?”

What the executioner said next ignited the fire of their terror.

“Berserker.”
“How have you been, Woo Joo-wan?”
“What brings you here?”
“My master has business with your neck.”
“Master? When did you join the League?”

The executioner’s mood soured at the word. This madman, who feared nothing and rampaged as he pleased—he had a master? The very notion grated against him.
Berserker laughed, picking up the greatsword the executioner had thrown.

“You think the League could ever be my master?”
“Still insane as ever. I’ll take your head and report back to the League.”
“I’d appreciate some word getting back to him. Kehehehe!”

* * *

Berserker and the executioner had clashed once, three years prior.
The executioner had breached Berserker’s refuge while raiding a hunting team. When he killed the hunters and turned to finish Berserker as well, their battle erupted.
Berserker emerged victorious. The executioner fled with a deep gash across his face, barely escaping. Even Berserker, exhausted from the fight, could not pursue him.
That humiliating defeat was like hell itself. For three years after, the executioner lived for revenge, pouring every ounce of himself into growing stronger.
He’d heard that Berserker had killed Kim Young-hwan. But some aging superhuman who’d lost his edge was no match for him—he was certain of that much.
He’d sworn that the next time they met, he would shred Berserker to pieces. Yet the moment their blades touched, reality crashed down.

“Weak.”
“You, you monster.”

There was no comparison in skill.
When had the gap grown so wide? The executioner squeezed every ounce of strength from his body, but he couldn’t even hold his ground against the onslaught.

Clang-clang-clang!

Unable to withstand the raw power transmitted through the blade, the executioner’s Executioner’s Sword was knocked flying. He staggered backward.

“Kill Berserker!”

At the executioner’s cry, the villains hesitated. They’d been as obsequious as dogs when he brought them profit, but his status had plummeted the moment Berserker began to dominate.
Yet if the executioner fell, they would not survive either. Realizing this, the villains didn’t remain idle. They raised their guns and opened suppressing fire.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!

“Feels like a massage at this point!”

As Berserker’s greatsword cleaved through the air, a tremendous Force erupted in a half-moon arc. It tore apart every villain blocking his path, and the building wall behind them crumbled to dust.
More than ten villains fell in a single strike. Berserker didn’t stop there—he charged toward the guns still blazing.

“Kahahaha!”
“R-run!”

Indiscriminate slaughter unfolded. Bullets were useless. The villains within Berserker’s range were caught by the Force of his greatsword and shredded.

Bang!

Some villain threw a grenade, but the scattering debris couldn’t pierce the thick Force shield.
A hail of bullets rained down on Berserker as he emerged calmly from the explosion, but they all bounced away harmlessly. Every villain who came within reach died.

Whistle-whistle-whistle!

Some desperate villain even fired an RPG rocket, but all that remained in sight was not shredded debris—only a smiling face.

“That was quite the thrill.”

What came back was death.
No weapon worked against it. How was anyone supposed to face a monster like that? The Villains lost their will to fight.

“Uhhh! Aaaaaaah!”
“R-run! It’s a monster!”
“Help me! Help… guack!”

Of the more than fifty Villains, fewer than ten managed to escape.
Between the thick smoke and severed corpses, Berserker and the Executioner faced each other.

“Now we can have some quality time, just the two of us. Did you recover your strength a bit? I’ll give you credit for not running away.”
“…Who sent you here.”

The rumors about Berserker held no exaggeration—if anything, they seemed understated now that the opponent was Kim Young-hwan. The man had reached Level 8, a true Superhuman. There was no possible way to win.
Despair settled across the Executioner’s face.

“My master is the one I’ve devoted everything to.”
“Who the hell is your master?”
“Krkr, not telling.”

Sparks flew from the Executioner’s eyes as he glared at Berserker.

“Kraaaah! Are you mocking me now!”
“The weak are meant to be mocked. And you’re the weak one here. My master does it to me all the time.”
“I’ve trained my entire life to kill you. So why is there such a gap between us!”
“A common complaint from someone without talent. I’m bored now.”
“I devoted every moment to killing you!”

The wailing Executioner rushed forward. As the man charged at him like a moth to flame, madness kindled in Berserker’s eyes.

“You truly don’t know what your best is. Nor do you know death. Only when you see sky above sky, struggle with every fiber of your being, and have it all denied—only then can you say you’ve exhausted your soul.”
“Kraaaah!”
“Even your screams sound like a child’s. I’m done with this.”

The moment the Executioner swung his sword, a blue Force blade formed behind Berserker.
It was his Gift, the Guillotine—he had scattered Force throughout the air and now gathered it to deploy.
The world had named him the Executioner because he enjoyed severing necks, but the real reason was his Gift, the Guillotine, which carved through gaps in defense.
It was a hidden trump card he hadn’t revealed in their last confrontation.
Just as the blade crept in to sever his neck from behind, a blue barrier materialized at the back of Berserker’s neck.

“That tickles a bit.”
“Y-you! How….”
“You only need to die about twice to understand.”

Against Berserker’s relentless assault, the Executioner’s resistance proved meaningless. His sword shattered, his left hand was severed, then his right arm flew clean off. As he collapsed, drained of strength, Berserker watched impassively and sliced through his neck.
Such was the end of the major Villain who had roamed Chungcheong Province and Jeollabuk-do like his personal domain.

“Just a warm-up. A waste of fuel.”

Berserker reflexively moved to stomp the head—then stopped. He needed to bring this to Choi Jun-ho to complete his assigned task.
For a moment, he’d nearly made a grave mistake. That man was already watching for any chance to find fault. In a situation like this, one misstep could trigger something catastrophic.
The madness that had filled his eyes moments before vanished without a trace, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

“Almost forgot. Nearly got myself killed.”

It took Berserker a long time to shake off the goosebumps covering his entire body. Though his clothes grew damp with clammy sweat, he repeatedly thanked that chill for saving his life.
Then he pulled out the smartphone in his pocket and began photographing the interior of the building.

* * *

The morning after Woo Joo-wan told Berserker to stop the Executioner.
Messages came pouring in from Berserker the moment he clocked in.

Berserker: Done.
Berserker: Got the Executioner. Got the Villains too.
Berserker: [photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached][photo attached]
Berserker: I’m having the Executioner’s head embalmed.
Berserker: Let me know if you need anything.

“Already handled everything?”

He’d told Berserker to stop the Executioner, and he’d simply killed them all instead.
Had he really gone all-out the moment he got the message?
The speed was so fast it was hard to believe even seeing it with his own eyes, and the result far exceeded expectations.
The situation had ended without needing Woo Joo-wan to lift a finger.
He headed to the director’s office with the news.

“Director.”
“Good morning. What brings you in so early? We were supposed to head to Cheonan at eleven, weren’t we?”
“Berserker caught the Executioner.”
“What? Huh? What did you say?”

Jung Joo-ho froze for a moment at his words.
The intelligence on the Executioner had come in the previous evening. The emergency meeting and briefing to Berserker happened late at night. And now, by morning, the situation was already resolved.

“So when you say Berserker caught the Executioner… do you mean killed?”
“He says he’s having the head severed and embalmed.”
“Is this really something that gets wrapped up this quickly?”

Berserker had certainly moved fast. Even Woo Joo-wan found it shocking.

“In any case, it’s been resolved well.”
“That’s true, but…”
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s already been reported up the chain. If the Executioner’s dead, I’ll need to explain how it happened and what took place.”

Difficulty clouded Jung Joo-ho’s face. The Executioner case had been connected to other Villain organizations, so his plan had been to report it to the higher-ups and request reinforcements.

“Berserker’s identity might be exposed.”
“It’ll definitely be exposed. The government didn’t lift a finger, yet a major player like the Executioner is suddenly dead.”

The President’s words came to mind in that instant. He supposed the higher-ups had a rough idea, but he couldn’t predict what would change once it became concrete fact.
At least judging by Jung Joo-ho’s reaction, it didn’t seem like a negative outcome was coming.

“Perhaps we should meet with Berserker.”
“Me? Why?”
“Once Berserker’s exposed, I’ll be the one managing him. If we’re going to coordinate, wouldn’t it be easier for you to meet him? Could we hand him over to the External Cooperation Management Bureau or the Demonic Creature Defense Front Bureau instead?”
“Of course not.”
“Then let’s go meet him.”
“Fine.”

At his suggestion, Jung Joo-ho gave a reluctant nod.

* * *

To meet Berserker, Jung Joo-ho brought Choi Jun-ho and three National Guardian Bureau Hunters to a safe house in the Gwangmyeong Outskirts.
No matter how much the world had changed, the fact that Berserker was helping the nation… the world was spinning strangely.
Such an unrealistic phenomenon became reality the moment Berserker walked into the safe house.

“I’m Jung Joo-ho, Director of the National Guardian Bureau. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Berserker Kwang-jin. An honor to meet the Director himself.”

At first glance, he seemed perfectly normal. His eyes burned with intensity, and there was something pregnant in his smile, but nothing that truly grated.

“Thank you for apprehending the Executioner. I’m in your debt.”
“Mm.”

He gave a small nod and said nothing more. If there’d been any resentment, he would have vented it—but there was none. Was he truly mad?
Berserker extended the box he’d held as he entered.

“This is the Executioner’s head. I preserved it myself.”

Jung cracked it open slightly. The face of Woo Joo-wan, the Executioner, stared back at him.

“…Confirmed. Thank you once again.”
“I simply handled what was asked of me.”

He’d spoken in casual speech throughout, which oddly put Jung at ease. If Berserker had used formal language, he would have been doubly suspicious.
The man was insane.
Jung had come expecting an insane man, but an insane man was not what he’d found, and it threw him off balance.
He couldn’t fathom why this seemingly normal man was called Berserker.

“Your cooperation with the state has been partially exposed due to this incident. Are you troubled by it?”
“What happened is a consequence of my own actions. I’ll bear the cost.”

What was this—such a measured response? Wasn’t Berserker supposed to raise hell if he disagreed?
Jung Joo-ho found himself adrift in confusion.
The Berserker he knew was the maddest of madmen.
So why did this Berserker feel so sane?
Had Jung lost his own mind? Had he contracted some affliction that made madness appear rational?
It was from nearby that Jung Joo-ho found his answer.

“In exchange, neither the National Guardian Bureau nor the other two nations will trouble you again.”
“That’s good news.”
“Shouldn’t you be more pleased?”
“Ha-ha! Excellent. Are we done?”

That’s it. Choi Jun-ho. That man right there.
The one who’d thinned Jung’s hair and sent the director of the Heavenly Mandate Society screaming in anguish—the supreme architect of chaos.

“What’s the matter?”
“No, nothing at all.”

Watching that man made Berserker seem almost gentle by comparison.
When you ate capsaicin every single day, ordinary spice tasted mild.

‘I almost feel bad.’

Jung Joo-ho silently apologized for having designated the maddest villain he knew as Berserker.

* * *

Most Hunters employed by the Republic of Korea are hired for law enforcement purposes.
The majority maintain a defensive posture, prepared against Villain arrests and Monster attacks, but hunting teams do exist among them.
However, their salaries lag far behind what the Guilds offer, so their numbers remain small and their overall caliber is low.
The government has dangled various incentives to attract skilled hunting teams, but compensation lags across the board. As a result, truly reliable hunting teams capable of consistent results are exceedingly rare.
The sole advantage is priority access to Hunting Grounds.
Yet Monsters abound, and so do Hunting Grounds.

“A Danger Level 7 Black Wyvern has appeared! I repeat. A Danger Level 7 Black Wyvern has appeared.”

The hunting team plunged into chaos at this sudden variable.
This was a hunting ground where Danger Level 5 creatures appeared, yet a Danger Level 7 creature that should have been far from here had revealed itself.

“Why is the Black Wyvern showing up here!”
“Team leader, what should we do? There aren’t many hunting teams in the vicinity.”
“I’ve heard rumors that the ecosystem has been shifting recently, but I never expected it to be this severe.”

In the urgent moment, the team leader made a measured decision.
Calling nearby guild hunting teams to converge and mount a response could easily result in total annihilation.

“Advise the surrounding hunting teams to retreat. We pull back as well. And we call in a Superhuman.”
“Sir? But the current Superhuman hasn’t been verified in any actual hunts.”

A younger Hunter from the same team spoke with a disgruntled expression.
The youngest Superhuman on record, yet someone who hadn’t even assembled his own hunting team—little more than half a Superhuman.
To entrust their lives to someone so untested, so unproven in the field, seemed absurd.
But the team leader shook his head firmly.

“Reaching Level 8 at that age means he has talent. Even without hunting experience, he should be capable of facing a Danger Level 7 creature.”
“Still, yes, understood.”

The younger Hunter, who had been about to protest further, simply nodded instead.

“Contact him immediately. We split into three groups and create a distraction. Move now!”

The Superhuman call, dispatched at once, reached Cheong Wa Dae.

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