The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 58

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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 58

The death of Zhang Zidong, China’s Superhuman. And the slaughter of more than half the Hunters and students.
Though the Chinese Prime Minister had lunged forward crying out, Choi Jun-ho’s hands showed no mercy. In the span of a few blinks, everyone who attacked fell dead, and the Training Ground was drenched in blood.
Watching the horrific scene of blood and flesh scattered across the ground, Berserker’s mouth twisted into a grin.

“Kekeke, excellent. Excellent. This is exactly what I wanted to see.”
“…….”

Jung Da-hyeon tried to maintain an impassive expression, but her eyes trembled slightly. The ruthlessness that Choi Jun-ho occasionally displayed was not easy to accept.
A Hunter who champions justice, yet acts without justice. It’s absurd to distinguish now between right and wrong, but sometimes she feels they inhabit different worlds altogether.
Was her own heart too narrow, or had Choi Jun-ho gone too far? The answer wouldn’t come easily. But now that she’d chosen to accept him, she had to embrace this.

“This is the world that Berserker and I see. It might be difficult for you.”
“No.”

Jung Da-hyeon’s denial came firm and decisive.

“Zhang Zidong, the Hunters, the students—they all deserved to die. If they’d felt the gap in strength, they should have surrendered and begged for mercy. In this world, ignorance of one’s place means death.”
“So you’re not naive.”
“I thought survival in this world is impossible without that kind of resolve.”
“Right. Hypocrites wrap themselves in pretty packaging, layer upon layer, but the essence is always the same. The strong survive, the weak die. Your background, your connections—none of it will protect you in the critical moment.”

Jung Da-hyeon answered by nodding her head.
In this world, you die if you lack strength. Especially when international sentiment enters the equation—not merely personal grievance, but nation against nation. The stakes multiplied.
In that regard, the Chinese Prime Minister had made the worst choice. In a single moment of judgment, not only the Hunters who came with him, but a considerable number of students—the future bearers of his nation’s hopes—had died. Even his own political life was finished. And could the surviving students ever be whole in spirit?
To witness such devastation and claim no wound would be a lie.

“He’s coming.”

Berserker’s comment broke Jung Da-hyeon’s reverie. Choi Jun-ho was approaching.
He moved with the ease of someone returning from a stroll. It was hard to believe that, moments ago, he’d slaughtered countless people.

“Why are you coming this way?”
“I was going to kill the Prime Minister too, but apparently I was stopped. Something about how if I killed him, there’d be no going back. But this much is going back? Isn’t it already irreversible?”
“Seems like someone still believes it can be salvaged.”
“They say he’ll be purged anyway when he gets back. Still, it’d be better to finish him myself.”

The words came out casual, but every sentence reeked of violence.

“What were you two talking about?”
“Nothing much. Just life stuff. You killed a Superhuman and barely seem bothered.”
“It really wasn’t much.”

If everyone here had heard those words, they would have recoiled in shock.
To kill Zhang Zidong, recognized even in China, and speak of it so casually—Choi Jun-ho’s composure only grew more remarkable with each passing moment.
Was there truly anyone in existence capable of giving him a real fight?
Jung Da-hyeon’s mind cycled through the Superhumans currently called the strongest, but in none of her imaginings did she see Choi Jun-ho struggling.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”
“You’re going to eat after causing all this carnage?”
“I’m the one suggesting it, so what can you do? Besides, Director Cheon says I need to disappear fast. Says we can’t negotiate with the other side if I’m around. He’s being pretty annoying about a few deaths.”
“Keke, you really are insane.”
“I don’t want to hear that from you.”

As they exchanged words with casual ease, Choi Jun-ho’s gaze turned toward Jung Da-hyeon.

“Want to come along?”
“I’d like to, yes.”
“All right, let’s go.”

The three of them left to have dinner.

* * *

After a thorough bout of fighting, rice tastes like honey. Following dinner of delicious soybean paste stew, Jung Da-hyeon returned to the National Protection Bureau, leaving Berserker and me alone together.
Berserker sipped his coffee with an elegant bearing that belied his madness. I recalled how he’d whined about preferring steak when I’d mentioned soybean paste stew for dinner. For a villain, he certainly was picky about his food.
To look at him, he might have passed for a professor standing before some religious order. But beneath that façade lay nothing but lunacy.
After discussing the process of killing Zhang Zidong at the cafe, we stepped outside where Berserker suddenly announced his departure.

“Well, I suppose I should be heading back soon.”
“This early?”
“I was planning to leave without warning anyway. No matter how well they treat me, I’m still a villain. The moment their mood shifts, I’ll be the first one they eliminate.”
“Quite the principled villain you are.”

I said it with a touch of sarcasm, but Berserker had a point. Back when I was being hunted as a Blood Species, I’d despised the government learning anything about my movements.

“Head Breaker.”
“Say what you need to say.”
“I want to ask you something. What exactly is your skill level?”

Berserker’s eyes turned serious as he looked at me.
I couldn’t fathom why he was suddenly talking about skill levels.
Because I’d killed Zhang Zidong? That wasn’t really Berserker’s caliber anyway. He’d prove far more troublesome and resilient.
As for my own strength—what standard should I even use to measure it? If we’re talking guerrilla warfare, I could probably topple an entire nation.

“I don’t know myself.”
“Level 9?”
“Hard to say. If someone comes up with a proper measurement method, I’d be willing to try.”
“No matter how I think about it, a gap of just one Level 8 can’t be this wide. I’m increasingly convinced you’re Level 9.”
“There’s nothing more ridiculous than someone talking to themselves. Let’s just call it Level 8. That way, people who don’t know their place won’t come rushing at me to die.”

Berserker was one of those people, incidentally.
He was someone whose heart had been shattered twice and lived to tell the tale.
And as for me, a Level 9 designation isn’t particularly important. Rather, I prefer it not to be.
I’d sought power and craved recognition while watching others’ eyes—and from that hunger had been born the villain called Blood Species. Since then, I’ve come to believe that obsession with numbers is the shortest path to losing myself.
I use my strength only sparingly, enough not to be mistaken for a villain.
Fortunately, I’ve managed that well so far.

“Then there’s no helping it. I got a good show out of this.”
“You did your job well. I might call on you again from time to time.”
“It was nice to stay in a hotel room after so long. But I’ll have to decline frequent summons. Getting tamed like this doesn’t suit me.”
“That’s for me to decide. Just show up when I call. And ease off the messages.”
“I’m only sending them so you won’t get lonely. Turning me down like that—I know you have no friends.”
…….

This creature doesn’t seem to know that sometimes the truth is what calls murder into being.
As for friends—if I went by similarity in age, O Jong-yeop might qualify, but in this life I’ve barely connected with him, so it’s an awkward relationship. The ones I’m genuinely close with would be Jung Joo-ho and Cheon Myeong-guk.
Both are older gentlemen, but since I’d accumulated considerable years in my previous life, getting along with them feels natural—almost like dealing with peers.
Berserker is there too, but I had no desire to call this madman a friend. I’d probably end up being mistaken for a lunatic myself just from standing next to him.
…He’s managed to make me restless with that single word: friend.

“Anyway, contact me when you unlock the Gift.”
…….
“Perfect Poison Immunity, I mean. Let me see it once it’s unlocked. Hey! Hey!”

Berserker—the bastard pretended not to hear me, turned and bolted away at speed.
Anyone watching would’ve thought he was running for his life.
Quick on the uptake, that one.

* * *

After Zhang Zidong’s death, the Chinese delegation cancelled all remaining schedules and returned to China the very next day. The entire process unfolded with startling swiftness.
China had sought to harvest Nuri’s hunting methods and eliminate Choi Jun-ho, an emerging Superhuman, only to lose Zhang Zidong instead—a painful blow that cost them both a seasoned Hunter and a promising future asset.
Though this would chill South Korea–China relations for some time, with monster-driven trade already diminished, the damage to South Korea proved negligible.
If anything, China was the one scrambling to recover substantial territory and secure whatever surplus monster byproducts it could import, which meant South Korea held the upper hand in trade negotiations.
The President spoke with Cheon Myeong-guk, his face relaxed like a decade-old weight had finally lifted.

“What was China’s position?”
“Nothing to speak of, sir. It was a legitimate duel and legitimate self-defense.”
“Their conscience is black as pitch, so they had nothing to say. In the end, it’s strength that seals lips. Very good indeed.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“You think I deserve all the credit? This is thanks to your planning. You’re my greatest strategist. Ha ha ha!”

From beginning to end, it had been Cheon Myeong-guk who orchestrated the plan to capture Zhang Zidong. A man who picked fights over every petty grievance and used Transfer Gift to funnel monsters into North Korea—from the perspective of South Korea, the government, and the President himself, Zhang Zidong had been a thorn in their side.
With him eliminated, the flow of monsters pouring into North Korea would diminish.
But most importantly, witnessing Choi Jun-ho’s martial prowess firsthand had been extraordinary—something they’d only heard rumors of before.

“I’ve seen a few Superhumans fight, but Choi Jun-ho’s strength was genuine. On a different level entirely from the Red Snake. What was your assessment?”
“I’ve never seen an Awakened One with that caliber of strength.”
“Even you, with your Grim Reaper Guild background, say the same? And there are other Superhumans besides him.”
“Choi Jun-ho was off the charts. Power, speed, tactical execution—everything was flawless. And his decisiveness was merciless. I never imagined he’d kill without the slightest hesitation.”
“Hmm. That was astonishing, wasn’t it?”

The President nodded in agreement.
It had been so ruthlessly efficient that it seemed almost surreal.
Who would have thought the once so arrogant Zhang Zidong would flee in disgrace before becoming a heap of blood and torn flesh?

“The important thing is that blade belongs to us.”
“Still, I have concerns.”
“If you were worried, you shouldn’t have wielded the blade in the first place. Choi Jun-ho is on our side. So don’t worry. And once you get a sense of how to handle him—remember this: don’t think of Choi Jun-ho in terms of ordinary people.”

The President smiled wryly.

“Never try to bridle him. Keep an appropriate distance. Show respect and trust, build confidence. Demonstrate that we’re useful to him. If you do that, Choi Jun-ho won’t try to kill us.”
“I’ll do my best to find the right approach.”
“It’ll be hard work, but I’m counting on you, Cheon.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The Japanese delegation arrives soon, and there’s much to prepare, but you know I trust you, don’t you?”
“I’ll do everything in my power to live up to that trust.”

After receiving the President’s encouragement, Cheon Myeong-guk returned to his office and exhaled a long, heavy sigh.
Ever since accepting Choi Jun-ho, the workload had spiraled out of control.
And now with the delegation visits on top of it all.
One body, a mountain of tasks.
Yet somehow, the image of Choi Jun-ho’s hands in motion lingered in his mind.

“It was… remarkable.”

Those hands that had reduced even China’s promising Superhuman to nothing but blood and chunks of flesh.
How had such a monster come to exist?
He’d investigated dozens of times and found nothing suspicious.
Born into an ordinary family, he’d awakened as an ordinary Awakened One. Then at some point, he’d gained the power to overturn the world. And layered atop that power was an even more unrestrained, ruthless temperament.
How was he supposed to control such a creature?
If things went well, it would all be the President’s success; if it failed, it would all be his own failure.

“This is driving me mad.”

Cheon Myeong-guk, feeling his stomach churn, booked a hospital appointment first thing.

* * *

The Japanese delegation arrived next, led personally by the Awakening Minister—second in the cabinet hierarchy. Unlike the Chinese, they maintained an unfailingly courteous demeanor throughout.
More precisely, the atmosphere reflected the current state of relations: Korea-China dynamics mirrored in Korea-Japan relations.
At this moment, relations between South Korea and Japan were sound.
The decisive reason was territorial—their borders didn’t touch. Without the specter of Monster incursions near shared frontiers, cooperation on Monster-related matters became feasible.
In doing so, each nation filled the other’s needs, becoming trusted trading partners in a world grown vast through limited flight corridors and sea routes.
The Awakening Minister, meticulously recording Nuri’s hunting process, let out an exclamation of admiration.

“I, too, wish Japan continued prosperity.”

The matter concerned the League.
Until recently, Japan had been a superpower of Awakened Ones, commanding five Superhumans. And there had existed a single Level 8 Villain—but when the League landed not long ago, one Superhuman defected to their ranks.
As a result, two Villain-class Superhumans now roamed free within Japan, causing no small amount of trouble.
The Awakening Minister inquired into the secret behind South Korea’s ability to maintain its League-free status.
What secret was there? Kill them all on sight—wasn’t that the whole answer?
I found myself puzzled, but the Japanese delegation seemed to genuinely believe such a secret existed.
There couldn’t be any such method.
I decided instead to pitch them on strengthening Japan’s Awakened forces—a sales opportunity wrapped in helpful advice.
I listened as the Cheongwadae representatives spoke in turn, then raised my hand to be recognized.

“…That’s correct.”

I produced a Monster Heart.

“…….”

He was a Hunter himself. The efficiency of the Monster Heart clearly astounded him.

“What do you think?”
“Remarkable! Is this the new processing method? South Korea has made an astonishing discovery. Though…….”

He was thinking about the price, no doubt.
It was expensive, true. But if manufactured locally, the situation changed entirely.
Besides, everyone knew Japan had money—I certainly did—so why the theatrics?

“Is that so?”
“Yes. Please direct inquiries to Shinsung Group for details.”

My role was simply to show the product and connect them with Shinsung Group—nothing more. Judging by this, I’d say I’m rather good at negotiating. I don’t understand why people don’t trust me.
The Awakening Minister’s face brightened at word that pricing would be set at reasonable levels.

“Think nothing of it.”
“We also have something modest we’ve prepared to present.”

The Awakening Minister spoke those words and brought forth a sealed folder, clasped shut with deliberation.
It contained something wholly unexpected.

* * *

The Japanese delegation departed, and the President smiled after reviewing the Monster Heart processing method.

“A technique from the Shinsung Group, then. We’ll have quite the cash cow for the nation.”
“Since it enhances Monster Heart efficiency, applications across multiple sectors become possible.”
“If power plant efficiency rises significantly, there’s nothing more we could ask for. We need that to raise our food self-sufficiency rate. The government must spare no effort in its support.”

Since this was a means to draw in foreign currency, the President harbored considerable expectations for the venture.

“It should generate substantial returns. Lee Se-hee, the team leader, told me I’d be earning quite a considerable fortune from this.”
“Lee? Then it’s certain to work.”
“She has excellent instincts.”
“Isn’t she the chairman’s daughter? If the chairman cultivated the soil with care, the team leader is tending it to flourish.”

Lee Se-hee’s competence had earned recognition even from the President.

“By the way, if she makes more money from this, doesn’t she become the richest person in our country?”
“I’m not entirely sure about that. It’s not as though she’s deliberately chasing wealth, but I’ve found that more money is always better.”
“Money is best in abundance, certainly. But you should be careful with tax matters. Those absolutely must follow the law.”
“I have no intention of tax avoidance. I pay what I earn—it keeps my conscience clear.”
“The National Tax Service will commend you as an exemplary taxpayer.”

So I, who was a villain in my past life, am now a model taxpayer in this one.
It felt good—like a symbol of legitimate economic activity.
Even if I paid every tax owed, I’d have no shortage of funds for what I wished to do. The money in my hands now, and all I’d earn later, was merely a means to pursue what I wanted.
But how much would I actually earn?
Lee Se-hee had spoken with confidence, so it wouldn’t be an insignificant sum.
She was even planning an elaborate showcase for it.

“But. How will you handle that?”

The President and Cheon Myeong-guk both turned their attention toward me.
Where moments before there had been ease, now something like anxiety had crept in.

“The mayor of Busan’s corruption.”

The documents the Japanese Awakening Minister had handed over were none other than evidence of corruption involving Yu Seong-su, the mayor of Busan.

—————
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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