The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 49

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

Episode 49

The Villains who’d just recognized my face went pale.

“Sh-shit!”
“He’s going to kill us all!”
“R-run!”

I watched the chaos unfold in silence. Heartwalker called them benefactors, but to me they were just common Villains.
Common Villains meant only one thing: they needed to die.
Could there ever be a righteous Villain in this world?
I say no. Each might have their own story, their own twisted sense of justice that society won’t tolerate—like Berserker, perhaps. But among Villains who commit crimes for money, not a single one maintains any principle.
Not one.

“Hey.”
“Y-yes?”
“These guys are Jagalchi?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct.”

The Villain organization Jagalchi.
The moment I heard that name, my decision crystallized. Kill them all.

“Stay put. If you’re squeamish, keep your eyes closed.”
“…….”

Once I stopped hiding my killing intent, Heartwalker—who’d been trembling—squeezed his eyes shut. A wise choice if his stomach was weak.
I drew a short sword from my coat and unleashed the Blade Storm.

Slash!

A Villain standing directly in front of me exploded into pieces.

* * *

Meeting the state-recognized Awakener Choi Jun-ho had been an unexpected stroke of fortune.
He’d suggested that someone with a bit of skill could go to Seoul, and he’d offered to help pay for his mother’s treatment—his life’s goal.
Money! And a woman!
Kim Jong-hyun would have followed Choi Jun-ho on the spot, but the organization he’d been supplying goods to had gotten caught.
Jagalchi, a Villain organization experiencing explosive growth lately, had accepted Villains fleeing Busan after the raids that swept through the capital region, and was rapidly expanding in scale.
At this rate, it would grow into one of Busan’s most powerful organizations.
Kim Jong-hyun feared that if he disappeared from supplying goods to Jagalchi without warning, their blade would come for him eventually. So he’d tried to use Choi Jun-ho’s authority to escape.
Yes, he’d thought a few Villains might die or get hurt.
But he’d never imagined they would all be slaughtered.

Ahhh! Aaahhhhh!

“Ggg-ghhh!”

Anguished screams echoed relentlessly through the building. Eyes squeezed shut, Kim Jong-hyun eventually covered his ears with both hands and collapsed to the ground, trembling violently.
This was Jagalchi. An organization riding a surge of momentum lately.
He’d thought no one in Busan could stand against them. Not the city’s elite Villain Response Team, not any rival organization.
But what filled the building was thick with the stench of blood, punctuated by wails of despair and suffocating dread. Following that came the eerie whistle of something cutting through air. Each time came another scream.
In the span of a single person, one of Busan’s largest Villain organizations had received its death sentence.
Was this even human? Monsters wouldn’t have created such terror.

“…….”

At some point, even the screams ceased entirely. Footsteps echoed through the space. The wet, viscous sound reached his ears—made from the blood and flesh of the Villain who’d been shrieking moments before.

“Open your eyes.”

Choi Jun-ho’s voice carried no inflection different from when he’d told Kim Jong-hyun to close them. Had he not heard the screams just before, he might have thought Jun-ho had simply stepped out for a cigarette. It was that serene.
Perhaps he’d been mistaken. Perhaps fear had made him hypersensitive.
But the moment Kim Jong-hyun’s eyes opened, what greeted him was a scene from hell itself.

“Gah—hnngh! Bluuugh—”

Kim Jong-hyun retched violently at the sight of flesh and blood torn to shreds.
After heaving for a long while, when only bile came up, a water bottle rolled over to him from the side.

“Rinse your mouth.”
“…….”

Kim Jong-hyun drank without a word. He didn’t want to look, but his gaze drifted to the pieces of flesh scattered throughout the building.
Why go this far?
A feeling of revulsion washed over him—this was beyond excessive. But Choi Jun-ho paid it no mind and walked toward one side of the building.

“Jagalchi isn’t what you think it is.”

With a dull thud, the wall caved in. A safe emerged from the gap. Jun-ho simply grabbed the door and tore it clean off. As he pulled out the contents, packages of white powder spilled to the floor.

“Narcotics.”

Choi Jun-ho’s inspection continued. After examining several parts of the building, he gave the floor a casual kick, and a hidden passage leading underground revealed itself.
He entered, and it wasn’t long before screams rang out. Shortly after, grimy children and women began emerging behind him.

“Human trafficking.”
“…….”

Kim Jong-hyun stared blankly at the scene. He’d never imagined the organization he knew operated something like this. He’d thought of them as men who’d simply strayed down a slightly illegal path, dealing in black-market goods—wrong, perhaps, but not like this.
That belief crumbled before his eyes.
Choi Jun-ho had known everything from the start.

“This is the true nature of Villains, Heartwalker.”
“Why… why did you show me this?”
“I wasn’t showing you—I was just killing them because they’re Villains.”

After that, Choi Jun-ho pulled out his smartphone and began contacting the Busan City Villain Response Team.

* * *

After leaving the cleanup to the Busan City Villain Response Team, I accepted an invitation from the mayor of Busan and headed to City Hall.

“I’m Yu Sung-su, Mayor of Busan.”
“Choi Jun-ho.”

Mayor Yu Sung-su was a heavyweight politician from the opposition party and a leading candidate for the next presidential election.
He’d earned praise for protecting Busan from the threat of Monsters, and through connections with the neighboring cities of Yangsan and Gimhae, as well as exchanges with Ulsan, Pohang, Daegu, and Changwon, he’d elevated Busan’s standing.
From my perspective, it was typical performative achievement.
The economic improvements, ironically, came from nurturing Villains and amplifying public anxiety over safety.
But I couldn’t deny that it played well with the citizens.

“I didn’t expect an Awakener like Choi Jun-ho to visit Busan.”
“I had business in the area. I happened to come across a Villain organization and thought I should report it.”
“For a report, you handled it rather… brutally.”

There was no avoiding it—today I’d dealt with the Villains using a new Gift: Blade Storm. This Gift combined the sharpness of Slash with the area-of-effect range of Nuri’s Blade Storm, shredding anything caught in its path.
The power was disturbingly brutal, enough that it could be linked to Mal-soja, but it was far too savage to draw a real connection.
Mal-soja was a Villain who literally erased all traces—whereas the scene I’d created today was excessively cruel.

“They were trafficking narcotics and dealing in human trafficking. I couldn’t hold back and dealt with them on the spot.”
“I want to thank you for your efforts to maintain Busan’s public safety.”
“Before the Villain Response Team arrived, I looked around and found something interesting.”
“Interesting, you say?”
“The Villain organization Jagalchi appears to have made payoffs to various departments in City Hall.”
“…I can’t punish civil servants who work hard for our citizens based on mere circumstantial evidence. I’m sure you understand.”
“I suspect the connection runs quite high, though.”

As I spoke, I looked into the Mayor of Busan’s eyes. A faint ripple seemed to cross the old politician’s gaze before it quickly steadied.

“Are you suggesting I’m involved?”
“Hard to say.”
“I am a mayor elected by the votes of Busan’s citizens. Don’t forget that even an Awakener belongs to the state.”

My thoughts differed considerably from his.

“Elected authority has a term limit, but an Awakener’s power lasts far longer. Isn’t my power essentially permanent?”
……

How dare elected authority try to stand equal to a lifetime of power?
The Mayor of Busan stared at me, speechless, as my meaning sank in.

“In any case, since this occurred in Busan, I’d appreciate it if Awakener Choi Jun-ho would drop the matter.”
“I’d like to act on it, but the evidence is insufficient. However, there’s one thing I want you to understand.”
“What is it?”
“I believe anyone who cooperates with a Villain is a Villain themselves—because they benefit the Villain. When I became a state-recognized Awakener on my first day, look into how I handled a certain journalist. That will give you a standard for your future conduct.”
“I haven’t seen it, so I wouldn’t know.”
“You may get the opportunity soon.”
……

The Mayor of Busan, having made no headway, fell silent.
For now, the evidence was imperfect, so I’d let this slide—but there wouldn’t be a next time.
I should have just arrested him outright.
Thinking I’d need to go to Seoul and gather intelligence, I wrapped up the meeting with the Mayor.
After bringing Heartwalker and my mother to Seoul, I helped my ailing mother with hospital admission procedures, then came to the State Protection Agency with Heartwalker.

“You’ll be joining the Sacred Guild from now on.”
“Me? The Sacred Guild?”
“Did you think your Sacred Hospital admission was easy? There was help from the Sacred Guild behind your move to Seoul.”
“What exactly am I supposed to—”
“I recommended you, specifically. Your job is simple: learn the Processing Method I’ll teach you going forward, and master it as quickly as possible.”
“Processing Method?”

Heartwalker’s eyes gleamed. It was similar to the look he’d shown in my previous life when I first learned the Processing Method.

“Once you reach a satisfactory level, I’ll promise you a salary in the hundred millions and performance bonuses.”
“I’ll trust that.”
“So you do trust me.”
“Dealing with Villains taught me intuition. I looked it up—you’re going to make over 1.5 trillion. Of course I’m sticking with you.”

So all he really trusts is the money I’ll make. Not that it mattered to me.
I looked into his eyes and spoke.

“Right. And don’t go flirting with women.”
“Uh, why would you—”
“You know why.”
“……”

Heartwalker—this man had an appetite for women that was quite remarkable.
In my previous life, he’d dressed it up as seeking a way to survive, but the truth was he couldn’t resist his desires, went to the black market, met his match, and died.

“If I disobey your orders……”
“Imagine whatever you’d like.”
“Gack!”

Heartwalker’s face drained of color. Whatever he was imagining, he looked ready to listen to what I had to say.

“Rest for now. I’ll call you once we’re ready on this end.”
“……”

Did he really have to look like he’d lost his kingdom?
Just as our conversation was winding down.
A knock came from outside, and Jung Da-hyun entered the room.

“Pardon my intrusion.”

As Jung Da-hyun came in, her gaze met Heartwalker’s.
This was not a good situation. She’d walked in the moment I’d warned him.
Among young Awakeners, Jung Da-hyun was regarded as exceptional—both in talent and beauty.
There had even been talk that she was beautiful enough to enthrall a Villain with her looks alone and bring them in for arrest. Heartwalker couldn’t possibly ignore her now that he’d seen her.
This would become troublesome.
But Heartwalker’s gaze toward Jung Da-hyun was strange. His eyes went wide as if he’d seen a ghost, and he bolted from his seat in panic.

“A Nakshal Woman! Eek! Help me!”

Panicked, Heartwalker tried to flee but stumbled.

“……”

The conference room fell into an eerie silence.

* * *

Heartwalker had gone. Even as he left, he couldn’t bring himself to meet Jung Da-hyun’s eyes.
So this was the majesty of the Nakshal Woman. He seemed even more terrified than I was.
I’d heard that during the Metropolitan Villain Eradication Operation, a considerable number of Villains who’d escaped the Three Bureaus’ assault had fled to Busan. They’d spoken of Jung Da-hyun among the Hunters there with such fervor that the rumors reaching Heartwalker had been severe enough to terrify him.
There were stories of her deliberately forcing a grenade into the mouth of a Villain rushing forward with an explosive, or severing a Villain’s limbs and crippling them before arrest if they supposedly had no need for their appendages.
The crowning tale was how she’d cut off a bomb-rigged Villain’s legs, made them crawl along the ground, drew a finish line, and detonated them in the order they arrived.
Human imagination truly was remarkable. These war stories were more bloodthirsty than the worst Villains themselves.
Jung Da-hyun’s face fell.

“Where in the world is there a government Hunter like that?”
“Probably nowhere.”
“Then the rumors are more vicious than any actual Villain.”

Jung Da-hyun’s sigh deepened.

“Notoriety breeds vicious rumors, that’s just how it is.”

I’d suffered enough slander during my bloodline clan days to understand her feelings well.
I felt bad for her. Looking at Jung Da-hyun, I said.

“Let’s grab something to eat. When you’re feeling down like this, nothing beats a hearty soybean paste stew. Shall we go out?”
“Yes, I’d like that.”

Indeed, soybean paste stew was the best cure for a gloomy mood.
Jung Da-hyun and I talked as we left the State Protection Agency. It seemed the shock wasn’t severe enough to leave her seriously wounded.

“It means we’ve become that much more decisive. The actual number of arrests has increased significantly compared to before. The director worries, but I think it’s a positive change.”
“You could call it cruel, but breaking the Villains’ will like that lets us save more of our colleagues.”
“Exactly. That’s why we achieved such strong results this time.”

Jung Da-hyun stated that despite the unsavory rumors, she had no intention of changing the arrest strategy.

“And there’s a possibility that one more agency will be established above the Three Bureaus. Through the new bureau.”

A new bureau chief would rank at vice-ministerial level. Above the Three Bureaus, that would be formidable authority indeed.
According to Jung Da-hyun, the government wanted to seize the initiative and push forward aggressively, based on this Villain sweep operation and my capture of Nuri.
The leading candidate for the new bureau chief was Jung Joo-ho.
High public support, it seems. I’ll have to wait and see how things develop.

“And soon delegations from several countries will visit, starting with the United States. They’ll probably submit applications for an Exchange Tournament.”
“What’s an Exchange Tournament?”
“It’s where each country brings their most promising talent and they’re evaluated against each other. When they visit, Level 8 Awakeners usually come and serve as judges.”
“Have you participated?”
“I’ve been in a few of them.”

Jung Da-hyun answered with an embarrassed expression. She must have won.
The Exchange Tournament draws opinions from all levels of Awakeners, from Academy students to full-fledged Awakeners.
It looks like nothing but trouble.

“But what you need to be careful about is you.”
“Me? Why?”
“The visiting Awakeners will try to test your abilities. While they acknowledge you for capturing Nuri, there’s a lot of distrust lurking beneath the surface.”
“I don’t care if they don’t believe me.”
“Their position is different, and the government has its own position to consider.”

Jung Da-hyun gave a wry smile.
South Korea had been relatively stable against Monsters, but other nations assessed that it was simply lucky—its narrow territory and urban concentration meant fewer places to protect.
What’s wrong with that? If they don’t like it, let them concentrate all their infrastructure in cities too.
They pick at trivial things and feel proud of themselves over it.
If they spout nonsense in front of me, I might just kill them.

“You can’t kill them.”
“Huh?”
“Awakener combat forces are precious in our country and abroad alike. They’re managed so strictly that their overseas travel is tightly controlled. In the worst case, it could become a diplomatic incident and lead to severed relations. You need to be careful.”
“So what should I do?”
“Restrain them without injuring them?”

That was the hardest request in the world. Why did the universe keep imposing these trials on me?
If restraining them without injury was the goal, it’d be better not to fight at all.
Don’t trust me, then. Besides, Nuri was already credited to my capture, and all the money went into my account anyway.
As I gathered information from Jung Da-hyun about the Exchange Tournament, we were nearly at our destination—the dumpling restaurant.
A small figure burst from a corner about thirty meters ahead and came charging toward us at full speed.

“W-wait a moment! I’m Go Ye-jin from Media Force. Could I just get an interview… Oof!”

There was a loud crack as she hit her head. Reacting instinctively, I dashed forward and seized my head, lifting my hand upward.
I’d seen that face before. Blood was trickling from a gash in my forehead, and I reflexively brought my hand to it and licked it.

“I-I’m Go Ye-jin from Media Force, I was just… Eek!”

Go Ye-jin froze at the sight of me licking blood.
I remembered now—that headline-crafting journalist.
I handed Go Ye-jin, who was clutching her forehead, a Recovery potion.

“Spray it.”
“What? B-but isn’t this incredibly expensive……?”
“Bleeding out here is more trouble for everyone. Spray it.”
“Yes, sir!”

Besides, if we ever run low on recovery potions, I could always get more from Lee Se-hee. As long as we weren’t wasteful, the supply was effectively endless.

“So what did you want to talk about?”
“I’m, I’m Go Ye-jin from Media Force, and I was hoping to interview you, Awakener Choi Jun-ho. Would that be possible?”
“Not particularly interested. Besides, didn’t you write a lot of clickbait articles back when I was a civil servant Hunter?”
“I did? Then that won’t work.”

Jung Da-hyun’s worried expression hardened. Being famous herself, she’d had her share of run-ins with reporters eager for sensational stories.
Go Ye-jin’s face grew desperate.

“Please, please. Since then, I’ve written a lot of praising articles about you, Awakener. Look at this!”

Go Ye-jin thrust her tablet forward, showing articles she’d written.

<Japan is analyzing Awakener Choi Jun-ho with special broadcasts! The reason the Japanese archipelago is turned upside down by Choi Jun-ho!>
<How countries around the world marvel at South Korea, the only nation to possess an Awakener who faces Monsters alone!>,
<The real reason the whole world is watching South Korea right now? The secrets behind Awakener Choi Jun-ho’s growth!>
<Why nations that let Awakener Choi Jun-ho slip away are shedding tears of regret?! Some countries are even discussing ‘impeachment’!>
<The hunting method Korea is drawing global attention for is this! A full analysis of Choi Jun-ho’s hunting style!>
<18 shocking reasons why Awakeners from countries around the world were stunned by Awakener Choi Jun-ho!>
<The global prestige of Awakener Choi Jun-ho, who soloed a Level 8 flying Monster that even two American Awakeners couldn’t suppress!>

“…….”

The parade of headlines left me speechless. It was almost touching. Here before me was the perfected form of those sensationalist, patriotic thumbnails I’d once dreamed of being noticed for, however briefly.
Now that I thought about it, Yoon-hui had mentioned in passing that Go Ye-jin was notorious for writing provocative headlines—the kind you absolutely shouldn’t click on. But then again, she had a reputation for crafting titles so irresistible that you couldn’t help but click them anyway in an unguarded moment.
My amazement was short-lived. I asked about something that had been nagging at the back of my mind since earlier.

“More importantly—are you an Awakener?”
“What? H-how did you know that?”
“Just had a feeling. We can talk about the interview later. How about some food?”
“Yes! Thank you so much! Thank you!”

I decided to take Go Ye-jin along and have a meal together.
I’d figured out she was an Awakener when I accidentally licked that blood earlier—the information came through. It wasn’t from the heart; it was fragmented, but a form I’d never seen before.
A shape unlike anything I’d encountered in a cardiac bloodline.

W…h…a…t?

What kind of Gift is that?

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