The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 43

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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 43

The world really is entertaining.
Before the hunt video dropped, they were all whispering among themselves, but the moment footage of me taking down the Black Wyvern surfaced, their whole attitude shifted.
I’m still a Level 8 Awakener, nothing’s changed.
I spoke while looking at Yu Heungryeol.

“You were giving quite a speech, and now you’ve gone quiet all of a sudden. Why don’t you keep going? I’m listening.”

Honestly, I was just curious what he’d say next.
It was almost strange to watch him run his mouth like that while assuming I’d just sit idle and take it.
So I decided to give him an opening. I straightened my posture to show I was paying attention and pushed him forward.

……

But Yu Heungryeol couldn’t say a word.
Had he really run out of material? That would be disappointing.
The reason he’d come at me turned out to be surprisingly simple: to raise his profile. You know the type—the ones who latch onto a well-known target to make themselves look bigger by association.
His Mangho Guild had experienced rapid growth in Gwanggyo over a short period, but in situations like that, neighboring prestigious guilds often refuse to acknowledge the upstart.
A moment of luck can befall anyone, after all.
To be recognized as a truly prestigious guild, you need to maintain strength over a long time and sink your roots deep. Yu Heungryeol was trying to skip that process by challenging me.
It was strange when you thought about it.
He’d seen what I did to O Changmun, yet he still had the nerve to step forward like that.
Back when I was a Bloodkin, the ranking of what I beat most was: Monsters, Villains, then Hunters.
I’m extremely good at taking down Hunters.

“Him getting quiet all of a sudden like that is awkward.”

It made me look like I was overreacting.
So I unfolded the Classified Document.

“No experience, half-baked as they come.”
……!
“A coward who trembles and loses control around Monsters.”
……!
“Get on your knees and beg, and maybe I’ll share some hunting tips.”
……!
“You’ve got videos of the President and the Awakener Security Office director, don’t you? And I’m sure you had plenty more to say beyond that, right? Well, you can gossip about me if you want—I don’t really care—but maybe keep it somewhere people can’t hear you? Oh wait, that’s not even a crime. So don’t worry about it.”

Dead serious.
It would be easy enough to nail him with something else anyway—why bother with this?
I don’t hold grudges.
The expressions on the faces of everyone around me as they watched the Classified Document in my hands said it all.
I rolled the booklet tight in my grip, pushed off the ground, and stepped in front of Yu Heungryeol.

“D-don’t come any closer!”
“Why?”
Screech—!

I sidestepped his reaching hand easily and tried to grab him, but his trajectory shifted and he sharpened his fingertips to stab at my throat instead. Fresh. So I returned the favor—I grabbed him and unleashed a Force blast at close range.

Crack-crunch!

“Gahhhhh!”

Yu Heungryeol screamed as every bone in his right arm turned to powder. I swept his legs out from under him with my foot, shattering both of them, then grabbed his head.
The lustrous shine told me it wasn’t a style choice—it was hair loss. The moment sobered me. Would Jeong Juho end up like that someday? Though honestly, shaving it all off like Yu Heungryeol seemed like it might work fine.
Once I realized Yu Heungryeol had shaved his head because of the baldness, I stopped hitting him and turned back toward the podium.

“Disrupting my hunting turn, sowing discord between the government and the guilds, delaying our response—I find Yu Heungryeol guilty of Monster Security Violation. Does anyone object?”
……

Silence. So his guilt was established.
The Monster Security Act exists to prevent fracturing during monster attacks. Nearly every nation on earth enacted it to keep humanity united under the threat of monsters.
Even as his guilt was decided, Yu Heungryeol continued thrashing on the ground, screaming.

“Quiet.”

I pulled out a Recovery Potion bottle and hurled it at him. The glass shattered with a sharp crack, and his head split open, blood pouring down—but even as it did, the potion kicked in and the wound began to seal.
I turned my attention back to the guild representatives.

“I’ll have quite a few people to meet with soon.”
……
“But first, there’s Nuri to hunt. After that, I’ll make the rounds. I look forward to our next meeting.”

Is it just me who’s looking forward to it? They all look grim. If you’re going to talk behind someone’s back, shouldn’t you at least consider what happens if it reaches their ears? Or is it just me who thinks that way?
With my business concluded, I left the conference room.
Not long after, the room erupted into chaos.

* * *

Lee Sehee, who had been watching Choi Junho leave, turned to Baek Gunso with a question.

“What’s your assessment, Uncle?”
“Even I couldn’t pull off something like that. He used the most reckless method with perfect efficiency.”
“Is it really that impressive?”
“Did you see how freely he moved through the air?”
“Yes.”
“That wasn’t a flight Gift. He was sustaining himself purely with Force, maneuvering at will. You’d need an obscene amount of it just to maintain that.”

Baek Gunso shook his head, but Lee Sehee still couldn’t quite grasp it.

“Is it really that exceptional?”
“If I tried that same method, I couldn’t hold it for long. But Choi Junho faced the Black Wyvern and never changed his expression once, not even when he left. That means the strain wasn’t pushing him. How much Force does he have to make that possible?”
“I had no idea it was that difficult.”

Baek Gunso was far from a mediocre Awakener. He rarely ranked as the strongest among South Korea’s top three guild Awakeners, but he was a well-rounded one who pulled his weight in any situation.
Especially when it came to Force reserves, he was considered first-rate among the three. And yet Choi Junho had done something even he wouldn’t attempt? I was astounded. Where exactly did this man’s true strength end?

“Taking down the Black Wyvern so easily and insisting on Option 2—there must be a reason. There’s something about Nuri. You were right to choose Option 4.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“No, when doubt strikes, caution is the right call. That’s what an owner’s instinct is. Without you, our plan would’ve crumbled and we might have made a mistake. Your instinct was correct. Well done, Sehee.”
“Yes.”

With Baek Gunso’s agreement, the danger Lee Sehee had to bear vanished.

“Still, Director Cheon, who has to manage Choi Junho, must have his hands full.”
“He’s a capable man. I’m sure he’ll manage.”

The two of them nodded softly as they watched Cheon Myeong-guk.
Conflicting emotions—sympathy and trust—crossed between them.

* * *

Despite the commotion, the meeting proceeded smoothly afterward.
It was the Avant-Garde Guild that had secured the right to face Monster No. 8, Nuri, first.
The ranking order was as follows: first place, Avant-Garde Guild; second place, Choi Junho’s hunting team (name to be determined); third place, Reaper Guild; fourth place, Holy Guild.
The Avant-Garde, Reaper, and Holy Guilds all possessed Level 8 Awakeners.
But what captured people’s attention was not the hunting rotation itself.
It was the video of Choi Junho hunting the Black Wyvern.
Since the footage was filmed from a camera inside the conference room, the video quality was abysmal, yet its impact was remarkably intense.
Just days earlier, what had dominated the internet was the “Choi Junho half-baked theory.”
A half-baked Awakener referred to someone who demonstrated formidable power against Villains but failed to perform at full strength in the presence of Monsters.
Since the emergence of Monsters and Awakeners, the value of Hunters rose because they could obtain the expensive by-products of Monsters. With profit as the primary value, the worth of a Hunter who couldn’t hunt plummeted.
Catching Villains only marginally improved public safety, but Monsters left behind hearts, hides, and valuable materials.
There had been rumors that Choi Junho, with no hunting record whatsoever, might also fall into the half-baked category. Yet once the hunting footage was released, such suspicions vanished without a trace.
The internet reaction was dramatic.

-Insane, absolutely insane. One-shot takedown of a Level 7 Monster? For real?
-The Black Wyvern is that weak? Are you seriously defeating a Level 3 Monster in one strike and calling it publicity?
-No, you’re mistaken. The Black Wyvern is one of the most troublesome Level 7 Monsters.
-TMI) Its speed is incredible, and it can identify targets from over 10 kilometers away. Its hide requires a Level 7 Awakener at full power to penetrate, and it fires breath attacks relentlessly from the sky. Plus, it has good impulse control and flees whenever it decides to.
-If he defeats a Level 7 that easily, shouldn’t a Level 8 be a breeze? Why isn’t he ranked first?
-I don’t know the reason, but there must be something.
-Taking it down solo without a hunting team is seriously awesome;; Youngest Level 8, exceptional hunting skills, handsome too—the world really is unfair.
-That air-walking technique burns through Force insanely. Choi Junho’s Force reserves must be completely off the charts.

While most people marveled at his hunting prowess,
others focused on what happened afterward.

-What comes after this video is even scarier ㄷㄷㄷ It didn’t air, but in the conference room Choi Junho beat up the Hunter who criticized him.
-Is that even possible?
-TMI) Choi Junho also beat up the reporter who criticized him during a live broadcast. If you thought he wouldn’t touch a Hunter…
-It seems Choi Junho objected to the rotation for hunting Nuri. Choi Junho immediately slapped him with a Monster Security Violation charge.
-Monster Security Violation ㄷㄷㄷ
-But you know what’s even more terrifying? Choi Junho apparently compiled a list of everyone who’d been spreading the half-baked theory about him.
-ㅁㅊ That’s not a Blacklist? But the fact that he’d have reason to do it anyway is even scarier.
-OMG ㄷㄷ Did he write down everyone here who left nasty comments too?
-Are we going to get a visit from Choi Junho? This is insane.

While some took it as a joke, others took it with deadly seriousness.

-That’s definitely a Blacklist, right?
-Supposedly not?
-Info) Choi Junho holds Immunity from Arrest. Even without it, there’s no one who can touch an Awakener with the youngest title and verified hunting skills.
-ㅁㅊ What happens to all those people who brought it up?
-I don’t know either. But isn’t that scarier precisely because we don’t?
-Choi Junho was smiling when he beat up the reporter, but it was deadly serious.
-Those who spread it around probably can’t sleep;;
-They might’ve already panicked. Delete everything and bury your head in shame.
-Hehe, soon a bloodbath massacre will unfold…!

True to Choi Junho’s word, no private retribution occurred.
As preparations began for the confrontation with Nuri, the National Guard Bureau, External Cooperation Management Bureau, and Anti-Monster Defense Front Bureau joined forces to launch a massive Villain-sweeping operation.

“Arrest all the Villains!”

When Monsters rampage, Villains slip cunningly through the gaps. Having seized the blind spots of Hunters’ attention countless times to cause trouble, the three bureaus pooled their strength to sweep out Villains as the Avant-Garde Guild established the first defensive line.
Over a thousand Villains were killed or captured in the surprise operation.
Among them, the most brilliant performance came from Jeong Dahyun, known as the “Rakshasa Woman.”
Until now, her image had been that of a diligent, upright government Hunter.
Righteousness, brilliant talent, beautiful appearance—such epithets had preceded her name, but the demeanor she displayed during this arrest operation differed starkly from before.
Swift judgment, ruthless efficiency, merciless toward Villains.
Over a hundred Villains fell to her hand.
In the final phase of the arrest operation, when dozens of Villains, willing to die to take others with them, rushed forward wrapped in explosives, she severed both their legs, plunging the Villains into terror.
As bombs detonated one after another and Villains were blown to pieces, she issued commands with a composed expression.

“Cut off the legs of any Villain carrying explosives.”

It was effectively an order to let them blow themselves up alone, and the Villains surrendered in terror.

* * *

The arrest of the Villains and the preparations of the Avant-Garde Guild proceeded swiftly.
The government moved to implement strict controls to prevent inflation.
Some critics argued it was an overreaction, since the harmful Level 8 Monster hadn’t even appeared yet, but the government’s response was unwavering.
They pushed forward on the strength of their approval rating. The opposition grumbled, but approval ratings ruled the day.

“The country’s running smoothly.”

I was satisfied with how systematically the system operated.
Becoming an Awakener and having my face known had its perks. Especially convenient was that I didn’t have to personally handle every Villain cleanup—I could just stay in position.
If only there weren’t someone watching me with eyes wide open at my side, it would’ve been perfect.
At Cheon Myeong-guk’s request, I visited the Awakener Security Office and read the Classified Document—which is to say, the Blacklist.
I’d read it multiple times so that no matter who said what or how, the information would surface in my mind unbidden.
When someone I owed a debt to showed up, the last thing I wanted was to not recognize them.
I had no intention of disappointing them.

“······.”
“If you’d arrived, you could have spoken up. You can look at this anytime anyway.”

I folded the Classified Document I’d been reading and greeted Cheon Myeong-guk. He heaved a long sigh after glancing at the document and took the seat across from me.

“You don’t need to worry.”
“If I knew what you were worrying about, wouldn’t I have to keep worrying?”
“Fair point.”
“······.”
“But I’ll tolerate seeing the people on this list here until we’ve finished hunting Nuri.”

I keep work and personal matters separate. Right now, South Korea’s attention was focused on hunting Nuri, so I’d settle accounts afterward.

“This was the moment I realized how capable you are, Director Cheon. I never expected such detailed investigation.”
“If I’d done a sloppy job, you’d have stepped in yourself.”
“How did you know that? Either way, reading through it, there’s quite a bit that’s trivial.”
“Yes, if an Awakener takes a generous view, we can simply overlook it.”
“Everyone talks behind someone’s back now and then, don’t they? I don’t think it’s right to take revenge just because someone said one thing.”
“Meaning what, exactly?”

Hope glimmered across Cheon Myeong-guk’s face.
To any observer, I’d look like a Villain obsessed with revenge.
I showed Cheon Myeong-guk the edited version of the Classified Document—thinner than the original. After staying up all night and reading it three times over, I’d deleted three-quarters of the names from the list.

“I’m only looking at those who tried to deliberately slander me. See how much thinner it is now?”
“···I can only hope it all ends well.”
“Of course. It’ll all end well.”

For me, anyway.
When I received the Blacklist, my first thought was: well, if I go after all of them, two-thirds of this country’s Guilds will disappear.
Despite my words, Cheon Myeong-guk’s expression didn’t brighten.
Just then, his secretary entered and delivered news.

“Master Lee Chantaek of the Avant-Garde Guild has arrived to see you.”

Lee Chantaek was the master of the Avant-Garde Guild and a Level 8 Awakener.

“This person’s on the Blacklist too.”
Please…….
Isn’t this person actually more infuriating? They’re an Awakener themselves, yet all they do is criticize.

Now that I think about it, that’s true, isn’t it?

But I’m an Awakener chosen by the state, so insulting me is doubting the state’s choice — which means insulting the state itself, doesn’t it?
…….

Or never mind.

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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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