The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 46

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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 46

“No casualties from monsters.”
“Nuri remains unharmed.”
“The Avanguard Guild has… failed.”
…….

The moment the report reached him, the President squeezed his eyes shut.
Though Choi Junho had predicted failure with certainty, deep down he’d hoped the Avanguard Guild would succeed.
He was the President, but he was also a citizen of South Korea. While he had no wish to see the power of large Guilds grow unchecked, as one person he wanted more citizens to survive.
Lee Chantaek, master of one of South Korea’s three great Guilds and a man of iron resolve who maintained perfect composure and made the soundest judgments under any circumstance—surely he could capture Nuri.
Yes, if it were Lee Chantaek, he could do it. An Awakened One who had made the impossible possible time and again.
But the outcome was failure.

“A different league entirely.”

This despair was different from when Da On had struck.
Class 7 Monster Da On had tormented hunters across sea and land, yet when full force was committed, the hunt had succeeded.
But Nuri—Nuri had crushed the Avanguard Guild’s elite forces in open terrain despite all their power deployed, and they hadn’t landed a single blow.
Not even a scratch.
In a situation like this, Choi Junho, second in line, would have to step forward.
But unlike the Avanguard Guild, Choi Junho was alone.
Could he truly hold the line?
While they said Choi Junho’s words had never been wrong before, the fact that he operated alone and had only recently become an Awakened One kept gnawing at him.
Perhaps it would be better to have him join forces with the Reaper Guild and intercept Nuri together?

“Where is Choi Junho positioned?”
“That’s… he headed straight for Nuri’s location.”
“What?”

The President and Cheon Myeongguk recoiled in shock. Alone, when they couldn’t even muster enough reinforcements?
Yet they couldn’t fault the commander on site for this.
Field decisions ultimately deferred to the Awakened One’s own judgment.
Reports continued trickling in.

“The Avanguard Guild members who retreated are linking up with the secondary forces. We’re told that Lee Chantaek has remained behind to hold back Nuri!”
“That stubborn fool.”
“Order him to withdraw immediately!”

Lee Chantaek was preparing to pay for his failure with his life.

“Choi Junho has made contact with Nuri!”
“Is it over.”

Just as the President was ready to concede, Cheon Myeongguk cried out in shock.

“Wait—he’s holding his ground!”
“Intense combat! It’s evenly matched!”

The hunt couldn’t be captured on video. But the explosions of Force far exceeding observation limits were detected in rapid succession.
Though the President was not an Awakened Individual, the readings of Force displayed made his expression harden.
These were numbers that defied all conventional understanding.

“…Is this really the amount of Force a single person can emit?”

It was as though two monsters were locked in combat.
Cheon Myeongguk, who had been watching with a rigid expression, added his voice.

“He definitely possesses far superior Force than other Awakened Ones. These numbers appear only achievable by foreign Awakened Ones classified as world-class.”
“Choi Junho is world-class? How is that possible?”
“I find it hard to believe myself.”

At twenty-five, he’d only become an Awakened Individual this year. Yet less than a year later, he was being spoken of in the same breath as the world’s strongest?
He couldn’t imagine which country or which Awakened Individual could achieve such a thing.
Choi Junho defied every convention.
In fact, if you thought about it rationally, taking on a tier-eight Monster alone was itself absurd.
Even as they spoke, the fierce battle continued.
As time passed, the balanced clash of force against force gradually tilted to one side.

“Nuri’s response is weakening! Choi Junho’s Force output remains unchanged!”

When it became clear that Choi Junho had seized the advantage, everyone held their breath.

“Nuri’s response is ceasing!”
“Nuri is dead! Choi Junho has successfully completed the Hunt!”

Roooaaarrr!

The moment word of the successful Hunt spread, everyone erupted in cheers.
Breaking news flashed across the broadcasts, and the stock market, which had been falling, suddenly surged across the board.
Citizens who had been waiting anxiously for the Hunt results cried out in celebration.
The President wiped the sweat from his palm onto his trousers and sank into his chair with the expression of a man who’d had the wind knocked out of him, muttering to himself.

“Just waiting for the results drains you. This is hard labor too, real hard labor.”
“You’ve worked hard, sir.”
“You’re the one who worked hard, Cheon. Well, regardless, things are going to get messy.”
“Things are already messy, sir.”

Cheon Myeongguk joked that calls were flooding in from all directions.

“Ultimately, Choi Junho’s judgment proved correct. And he delivered results.”
“His influence will only grow from here. Those people who were going on about him being half-baked—they’re going to regret it. You’ll have more work on your hands, though.”
“Mr. President.”
“Still, he did delete three-quarters of it, didn’t he? We should at least maintain some standards.”
…….

‘But Choi Junho doesn’t even respect those standards! Getting involved with Choi Junho means bleeding every single day!’
These words caught in Cheon Myeongguk’s throat, and his face went ashen.

“In any case, foreign pressure will intensify from here on out. The Americans especially.”
“Yes. Requests from the United States and other nations to hear details of the Hunt process are already pouring in.”

Hunt processes from various nations were closely guarded intelligence, yet they were also shared to facilitate smooth hunts.
Because the Force deployed was beyond imagination, they couldn’t capture it on video, but there was considerable information to be gained from the patterns of Force movement, total quantities, and Hunt duration.
Much could be extracted from the Americans with this.
The President smiled with satisfaction.

“Tell them if they’re curious, they should come in person.”

This Hunt would send South Korea’s national prestige soaring. And he intended to enjoy every bit of it.

“There were many who cursed Choi Junho while cursing us. How does our contract with him look if we evaluate it at this moment?”
“I don’t think there’s been a more successful contract than this.”
“The criticism will die down. It’s going to be satisfying to watch the news now.”
“Your Approval Rating should rise significantly as well, sir.”
“I’ve endured plenty of stress up to now—of course it should rise.”

The President had declared he would extract every last bit of bone marrow.

“The real question is what comes after, isn’t it?”

When Choi Junho’s contract as an Awakened One expired, he would be thirty-three years old. Awakened Individuals in their thirties were often said to occupy that sweet spot where physical prime still aligned with hard-won experience. No doubt the entire world would come scrambling for him when his next contract opened.
But neither the President nor Cheon Myeongguk seemed worried.

“It doesn’t matter. I won’t be here by then.”
“Neither will I, sir.”
“We’ll trust that our successors do well, and enjoy our success now.”
“Yes.”

Placing their faith in whoever would hold power next.
The two men shared a pleased laugh.

* * *

“I owe you my life. Thank you.”

Once the hunt for Nuri was finished, Lee Chantaek, who had been watching from a distance, approached me. He looked like he’d been through a meat grinder, but he’d survived with the stubborn vitality an Awakened One possessed.

“I’m just glad you made it.”

Truth be told, I didn’t care much about Lee Chantaek’s life one way or another.
Live or die—it made no difference to me. But if he’s going to thank me, at least he won’t spend his days cursing my name behind my back.

“The Avanguard Guild will not forget this debt and shall repay you.”
“There’s no need for repayment.”
“But I have been saved. That price must be paid.”
“The one who saved you sets the price.”
……

For a brief moment, Lee Chantaek’s expression cycled through a dozen different looks. Whatever he was thinking, I had no desire to see him again—troublesome as he was.

“Thank you. If you ever need my strength, come find me. The Avanguard will be your friend.”

I’d never realized making friends could be this easy.
To mark our newfound friendship, I handed Lee Chantaek a Recovery Potion.

“Go get yourself treated. I need to wait for the Post-Hunt Processing Team.”

Lee Chantaek nodded silently and took his leave. Soon after, the team arrived to retrieve Nuri’s body.

* * *

The most praised aspect of this hunt was securing Nuri’s corpse in pristine condition.
Since every part of the body held value, the intact state meant the overall assessment was among the highest possible—in short, it was worth a fortune.
It was expensive.
When the Post-Hunt Processing Team arrived and I was about to begin the dissection, the President made a strong request that I postpone it.
Apparently, Nuri’s body would be put on display and transported to Seoul, allowing citizens to witness the capture of a Dangerous Class Eight Monster.
It was being used as a broadcast tool to announce the successful hunt live.
Wouldn’t simply announcing the hunt have been enough?

“This actually works.”

The response was explosive.
Citizens who had only seen fragmentary reports of the Dangerous Class Eight Monster’s appearance flocked to the site to witness Nuri’s body broadcast live.
And the roar of celebration that erupted.
Seeing that, I was glad I’d stepped back.
Actually, it wasn’t just Nuri’s corpse on display—I was also asked to do some kind of parade, greeting citizens alongside it. I turned it down flat.
Was it the bloodline years talking? Attention didn’t scare me, but I didn’t want it. Even after becoming an officially sanctioned Awakened One, my nature hadn’t changed much.
Unnecessary interest was something I declined. Thanks to my refusal, the spotlight fell entirely on Nuri’s corpse.

“Approval rating’s going to shoot up quite a bit.”

They say a successful hunt boosts the President’s approval rating. In this case, since Nuri’s corpse was made public, the effect would be even more dramatic. The opposition called it a show to raise approval ratings, but their words fell flat. Nobody was listening.
The next day, an emergency poll showed the administration’s approval rating had broken through 80 percent. Twenty points surged in a single day. I whistled low.

“Looking at stuff like this, you realize he’s no ordinary man.”

Maybe performance like that was essential to being a national president.
Either way, he’d spotted the chance to boost his ratings with remarkable instinct. With high approval, the President’s power would be formidable.
One interesting item showed up in the poll—a section about me. On questions about my actions, 62 percent supported, 27 percent didn’t, and 11 percent had no opinion.
Strange.
So I got support too.
Anyway, the President’s successful performance aside, I’d drawn explosive interest myself.
Foreign countries were apparently expressing their desire to meet me, but there wasn’t much I could do about that. I just figured it would turn into an annoying hassle.
I stopped by Cheong Wa Dae and left a record of the combat. I didn’t mention the Brainwashing attempt to tame her—I replaced it with destruction of the brain instead.
By the time I finished and got back home, it was morning. Now that I’d made good money, I figured it was time to move. Somewhere close to Cheong Wa Dae, the National Guard Agency, and the Holy Guild would be ideal.
I thought Yun Hui would still be asleep since it was morning, but when I stepped inside, the lights were on.

“You didn’t sleep?”
“How could I sleep peacefully when I didn’t know if you’d live or die?”
“I’m fine. Didn’t you see the news?”
“Of course I did.”
“Then you know I’m healthy.”
“Now you’re complaining even when I worry about you?”

Yun Hui’s eyes flashed as she looked at me. Worry—someone worrying about me always felt strange, no matter how many times I saw it.

“You look fine, same as always. You really caught Nuri yourself, right? You’re not lying? The government mobilized a ton of people to catch her, and you’re just taking the credit?”
“No, I caught her alone. I took everything from catching Nuri myself. That’s how I made all this money.”
“Why are you bringing up money now?”
“Everyone else was talking about the money.”

She seemed more interested in how much I’d earned than I was, the one directly involved.

“So how much did you make?”
“About 1.5 trillion won?”
“…That’s a different scale. How many hunts do I need to go on? Geez!”

If I caught just a few more Tier 8 Monsters, I’d probably be Korea’s richest person.

“Da Hyun and Se Hui texted asking if you were okay. Why aren’t you answering?”
“Oh, I turned my phone off before I went hunting. I forgot to turn it back on.”
“Tsk. You’re hopeless.”

She shook her head and even clicked her tongue. Come to think of it, Yun Hui seemed to be the only one who treated me like this.

“Did you worry a lot?”
“Welcome home safely. From now on, keep me in the loop.”
“I’ll be more careful.”
“Good. And… I need some spending money.”

There it was. I let out a small laugh watching Yun Hui give an awkward smile.

“How much do you need?”

Anything from ten thousand won to 1.5 trillion won was possible.

* * *

The President’s approval rating has skyrocketed, which explains the sudden flood of meeting requests from politicians.
Since I had no reason to entangle myself with those people anyway, I turned them all down. If they want to get connected with me, they can become President themselves.

“Our savior!”

The President’s face gleamed with the pure bliss of approval-rating intoxication. So this is the power of approval ratings. The man’s very energy seemed transformed.
Apparently, his numbers have hit an all-time high since taking office. They say politicians go crazy when approval ratings spike, and right now the President was a textbook case of exactly that.
After giving the President a moment to gather his wits, I broached the subject that had been on my mind.

“I’m curious about how we’ll dispose of Nuri’s corpse.”
“We’ll need to have the body appraised first.”

Cheon Myeongguk, who had been sitting quietly, stepped forward.
Nuri was on the smaller end of the dangerous eight-tier Monsters, but Cheon Myeongguk said that wasn’t something to worry about. In fact, he explained, a smaller body means it had to be more resilient and durable to handle the greater output—and that made it far more valuable.
Creating something that durable and tough in such a compact form requires enormous resources, which only drives up the price.
I said I’d entrust the body appraisal to the Holy Guild, and Cheon Myeongguk agreed.

“Once the appraisal is complete, we plan to sell Nuri’s corpse to the Korea Mana Corporation.”

Cheon Myeongguk spoke carefully, watching my reaction.
The Korea Mana Corporation is a state-owned enterprise, as the name itself suggests. It purchases Monster corpses brought in by government-sanctioned hunt teams, processes them into equipment, and distributes materials to research institutes—among other operations. Naturally, it’s massive, and the profit margins are staggering.
Since this is our first transaction of this magnitude, the Corporation said they need time to prepare.
The reason Cheon Myeongguk was gauging my response was straightforward.

“It’s because of Gu Byeongdo, the CEO, isn’t it? That’s fine.”
“Gu Byeongdo? Why is his name coming up?”
“Oh, well—it wasn’t exactly on a blacklist, but I did see it in a classified document. He’d been complaining about me, actually.”

Gu Byeongdo, the CEO of the Korea Mana Corporation, had been a National Assembly member who followed the President back when he was a faction leader. After losing his seat, he’d received a patronage appointment as CEO of the Korea Mana Corporation.
He’d made a big fuss saying that if I couldn’t hunt Monsters, I had no value as an Awakened One and should have my credentials revoked—and he was probably hoping to grab some scraps from the Monster corpses I’d bring in once I became an officially recognized Awakened One.
It wasn’t like I’d done anything to him, and since the President had connections to him, the whole thing had been swept under the rug without consequence.
But the President apparently had other ideas.

“That won’t do.”
“Your Excellency?”
“If he stays in that CEO position, won’t it just be a constant thorn in the side of our Choi Junho here? That’s not just disrespect toward Choi Junho—it’s an insult to me as well. It’s a betrayal of my own judgment for trusting Choi Junho.”

Does he really connect everything back to me like that? The President seems to be over-identifying with me.
Not that I mind.
In the meantime, the President had made his decision.

“If the timing’s off, he needs to step down.”

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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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