The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 79

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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 79

‘This is bad.’

Alarm bells rang incessantly through James Reid’s mind.
Of all the rotten timing—Choi Jun-ho and Guillermo were meeting like this, far too early.
The cold sweat pooling on his palms wasn’t unfounded; he still remembered every word Guillermo had spoken about Choi Jun-ho.
Before attending the gathering, he’d committed hundreds of pages of dossier on Choi Jun-ho to memory.
When the Hazard Level 8 Plus stage monster had appeared, Mexico suffered grievous losses. In that chaos, Guillermo lost a dear friend.
He’d vented his fury at Choi Jun-ho, who claimed to have hunted the Plus stage Monster alone, saying the danger rating had been manipulated.
James Reid understood Guillermo’s grief, but he knew the man’s anger was misdirected.
Strictly speaking, it was Guillermo’s own miscalculation to assume that Choi Jun-ho hunting alone made the monster similar to any other Hazard Level 8.
Choi Jun-ho had simply become the convenient target for that resentment.

‘We handled it well.’

The United States, from the early stages, had implemented a thorough response system and hunted the Plus stage Monster with minimal casualties. The briefing on the Nuri Hunt had been invaluable to that effort.
Heated internal debates had followed, centered on one question: ‘Did Choi Jun-ho really hunt it alone?’
James Reid had concluded that neither he nor any other Superhuman could accomplish such a hunt in solitude. The Plus stage Monster was that formidable.
Yet, looking at Choi Jun-ho, he couldn’t shake the thought that it might be true.
If he had hunted it alone, Choi Jun-ho’s standing would reach an entirely different tier from where it stood now.
He would become one of the world’s strongest Superhumans.
Perhaps he and the other Superhumans were simply choosing to ignore that reality.
But one thing was certain.

‘If I mistranslate, Guillermo dies.’

James Reid recalled Choi Jun-ho’s character.
Far removed from being a righteous Superhuman; far closer to the definition of a Villain.
One more step in that direction, and it would be no surprise to call him a member of the League’s Twelve Palaces—a Superhuman with cruel hands to match.
Anything that displeases him invites violence, regardless of station. His grudges ran deep, and he never let slide a slight against himself when the offender stood before him.
His only saving grace was the absence of greed and lust.
Choi Jun-ho’s hands made no distinction between man and woman. The case of Anna Christine was emblematic—she’d suffered serious psychological damage from his age-related jabs and had taken a month off. In America, Awakened Ones scrambled over themselves just for a glance from her, yet that had been Choi Jun-ho’s doing.
That incident had ended all plans to deploy female charms.
And his lack of greed wasn’t exactly a virtue either; it led to charity work, which had him digging into corruption at a bento box company, eventually dragging Seoul’s mayor and a congressman into the scandal—proof once again that Choi Jun-ho was a time bomb waiting to detonate.
Expose him, and chaos follows. Conceal it, and chaos follows still.
He was the kind of man who brought turbulence wherever he landed.

‘If I slip up…….’

James Reid imagined the ripples his mistranslation could send.
The thought alone was horrifying.
Guillermo was called the pillar of Mexico, a Superhuman and pro-American advocate who served as a bridge between the United States and Mexico.
His presence maintained stable relations despite the shared border.
But without him?
Other anti-American Superhumans in Mexico would move to oppose the United States.
That would ignite tension across the North American continent. And Choi Jun-ho, by killing a Superhuman, would face rejection from the rest. Yet if his solo hunt of the Plus stage Monster was genuine, he represented a precious resource for confronting even stronger monsters to come. A gift to the world, in other words.
He couldn’t allow such a resource to turn the world against itself. James Reid set his jaw, adopting an expression of grim resolve.
He would prevent this collision.

James Reid accepted the interpretation offer, and I conveyed what I wanted to say to Guillermo.
What I meant to say was simple.
Why blame me for being weak yourself?
Maybe you should actually hunt properly.
Wouldn’t it be better to improve your skills in that time instead?
Since we weren’t getting through, I softened it somewhat.
If the guy didn’t realize his own mistakes and pushed back, I was prepared to act without mercy.
But our conversation began to fall into a trap James had engineered without warning.
Something seemed off about how Guillermo’s words were being translated.

“You totally exaggerated your hunt! You that strong? You got a fat head!”
“Must be nice hoarding all the hunting spoils and getting rich. Treat us to something!”
“Yeah, you’re so great! Go bald while you’re at it!”

Guillermo was clearly speaking seriously. But as it passed through James Reid’s mouth, the words were twisting into something else entirely.
He seemed to notice the Transcendent Translation, because his expression began to change.
But telling someone to go bald—wasn’t that crossing a line?
When Choi Jun-ho had complained about it before, I’d brushed it aside carelessly. But now that it was directed at me, I jolted awake like ice water had been dumped on my head.
Could my hair actually be thinning? I’d need to check.
I asked James Reid, who was working his mouth like a fish meeting water.

“Is he really saying this?”
“Yep! Totally for real!”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“For real! Trust me!”
……

Something felt heavily altered in the middle.
James Reid met my gaze with innocent, wide eyes.
Since I didn’t know Spanish, there wasn’t much more I could argue about.
But it was definitely Transcendent Translation at work.
You could tell from how both Guillermo and I had a much softer atmosphere than at first.

“If you’ve got a problem, learn Spanish! It’s super easy!”

And casually, he deceives.
This Macho Man—no, from now on he’s just “Macho,” and Macho absolutely pulled off some mischief in the middle there.
When neither Guillermo nor I said anything further, Macho burst out laughing.

“Ha ha! Looks like you two had a serious misunderstanding. If you ask me, you two could be super close friends? So how about we get along, yeah? Best friends, right?”
“Why don’t you get along with yourself?”
“I’m not that bad! Guillermo’s supposedly a food fanatic. Let me see if I can convince him to make Mexican-style miso stew as an apology.”
……!

Such a dish exists?
Mexican-style? What kind of twist would actually go into it?
At my look, Macho spoke with a triumphant expression.

“Aren’t you curious? It’ll probably be delicious.”
“If it’s not delicious, there’s no point.”
“Ha ha! Trust me!”

Why would I trust you when Guillermo’s the one cooking?

“Come on, let’s share good things! There’s a saying like that! We are the world! Mm! Super great!”
……

This guy definitely speaks Korean fluently, but I think he’s deliberately pretending not to.
Separate from that, under Macho’s mediation, I was able to taste the Mexican-style miso stew.
…Hmm! Guillermo—maybe he’s not as bad as I thought?

* * *

Japan had succeeded in bringing the World Awakened Ones’ Day event to Tokyo, and the Japanese side was making extraordinary efforts to ensure its success.
It was meant to be a stage for propaganda—a chance to announce to the world that Japan was far from finished and to display the nation’s power.
In that light, keeping a close watch on the movements of superhumans was only natural.
The fact that Choi Jun-ho and Guillermo were lodged in the same hotel was no accident; it was part of Japan’s hidden calculation.
If a conflict broke out, it could result in the elimination of a foreign superhuman.
From Japan’s perspective, a reduction in rival powers and a tarnished international image were far from unwelcome outcomes.
Especially if that rival came from a neighboring nation.
The Awakening Minister filed a report with the Prime Minister.

“Choi Jun-ho and Guillermo encountered each other, but no conflict occurred.”
“Why not?”
“James Reid mediated.”
“James Reid? I was told Choi Jun-ho wouldn’t yield to anyone’s mediation.”
“James Reid proved quite skilled. We failed to anticipate that. My apologies.”

James Reid—a man whose burly exterior might fool the careless, but who was actually an elite among elites, having pursued a doctoral degree at Stanford.
He was one of the superhumans Japan most feared at this event.
A man of both talent and discretion, skilled at securing national interest under any circumstance.

“Unfortunate, but unavoidable. Since Choi Jun-ho’s a loose cannon anyway, there will be plenty of other opportunities.”
“Indeed.”
“His skills are considerable, but his temperament is volatile. A loose cannon can detonate anywhere, at any time.”
“There are several potential flashpoints.”

The Awakening Minister zeroed in on the Nuri Hunt in particular.
As superhumans from around the world hunted the Hazard Level 8 Plus monsters appearing in various locations, more and more of them began to question the hunting intelligence that Korea had provided.
The Prime Minister and Awakening Minister harbored no doubts about the information Korea had given them. Based on it, they had established protocols to hunt Plus Stage monsters with minimal casualties.
But the presence of a young superhuman from a neighboring nation—one who could claim to be among the world’s strongest—was a burden they could not ignore.
Regardless of how close an ally that nation purported to be.

“Jealousy obscures the truth. We’ll fan the flames from the shadows—our involvement must never come to light.”
“These are hot-blooded sorts by nature. A subtle push is all it takes to spark an incident. We’ll do our best to engineer the situation.”
“Appreciated.”

The Awakening Minister bowed deeply.

* * *

The opening ceremony was truly magnificent. Drawing on Japan’s formidable soft power, the performances were as varied as they were splendid, delighting all who watched.
The amount of money poured into this event was staggering. Truly befitting a wealthy nation.
According to Lee Chan-taek, the World Awakened Ones’ Day event would involve voting on several common agenda items, though each nation’s acceptance of them was purely voluntary.

“If a nation endorses many of them, it gains favor with the UPN. The UPN can’t offer direct assistance, but it can help in countless indirect ways. In an era drowning in falsehood, it’s still the most objective source of information.”

Being the largest gathering of superhumans worldwide, the event carried considerable authority—so Lee Chan-taek explained.
Since many Awakened Ones’ perspectives converged there, important matters often emerged, and it frequently proved invaluable.

“You’re quite popular.”
“My face is getting burned off.”

I’ve felt eyes on me since we arrived.
Jealousy, rage, bloodlust, admiration, respect—a tangle of positive and negative emotions, all washing over me. I feel like a monkey at a zoo. My body’s practically itching to test my strength against theirs.
I could satisfy that itch, but I’d need to be prepared for the consequences.
Before the common agenda items were voted on, each nation gave its presentation.
Beginning with Japan, the host, followed by America, China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Canada, Brazil, India, South Africa, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea—the G15 would each submit their reports in order: presentations on hunting achievements and five special cases, for a total of twenty presentations.
These presentations were meant to showcase each nation’s accomplishments.
Nations that lack sufficient Awakened One forces to fully fortify their Monster defense lines require the help of the G15. And in Africa’s case, systematically organized Awakened One forces barely existed. By dispatching forces abroad, the G15 secured its interests in other countries.
It was ostensibly a forum for information exchange, but strip away the veneer and it was a stage of diplomacy where each nation’s interests clashed sharply.
I didn’t have the brains to concern myself with such matters, so I simply let the other nations’ presentations go in one ear and out the other. Some countries exaggerated their achievements beyond measure, and I caught myself thinking more than once that things would end badly if this kept up.
But I had no reason to step in and point it out. I simply listened quietly and passed the time.
Then, finally, our turn came. Since we were the ones who kicked off the first hunt for a Hazard Level 8 Plus Stage Monster with the Nuri Hunt, the expressions on the faces of officials from every nation came alive.
Lee Chan-taek was our first presenter.
Standing before the podium, he began his briefing in a measured voice.

“I will brief you on the hunting process of Monster No. 1 Nuri, classified as Plus Stage. For those who know, the Avant-Garde Guild I lead failed in the Nuri Hunt.”
“……!”

At a gathering where everyone was boasting, the moment he calmly confessed failure, everyone in the hall turned their attention sharply to Lee Chan-taek.
Beneath the weight of countless stares, Lee Chan-taek explained the Nuri Hunt process in a voice no different from when he began—how the guild had prepared before the hunt, how Nuri responded once they engaged, and how the Avant-Garde Guild fell before it.

“I ordered all my guild members to retreat, and I remained alone to try to stop Nuri. But Nuri’s Gift was far too powerful. It seemed I would meet my end right there.”

The Awakened Ones listened intently to this vivid account of failure. Humans learn from failure, after all. In my view, Lee Chan-taek’s presentation had been the most substantive of the day.

“I was saved by Superhuman Choi Jun-ho, a man who could have become a traitor to the people of South Korea. Let me be clear: Superhuman Choi Jun-ho did hunt Nuri alone.”

Should I interpret Lee Chan-taek’s words as simply promoting his own nation’s Superhuman, or as a sign that suspicions had been laid to rest?
As long as they don’t start trouble with me, I don’t care.
The problem is all the behind-the-scenes gossip.

“The process of hunting Nuri will be explained by Superhuman Choi Jun-ho.”

The Awakened Ones’ gazes shifted to me. I took my place before the podium, following Lee Chan-taek.
As I surveyed the crowd, a tangle of mixed emotions came through more sharply.
Several of them were physically tensing up.
Well, there are plenty of Superhumans, but there are also plenty of people who’d con others about their level.
Since I became a Superhuman at such a young age, many people want to expose it as a lie.
Here’s what I think.
The Nuri Hunt process is already widely known in every nation—why bother tiring my mouth explaining it?
Those who won’t believe won’t believe, no matter what I say.
I held up the paper they’d copied for me to read. The moment I activated Mine, Lightning engulfed it and scattered it to dust.
One thing’s for sure—that got their attention.

“Honestly, anyone who doesn’t know how I hunted Nuri already knows, and anyone who won’t believe won’t believe no matter what I say. So why waste breath talking about it? Anyone got complaints? Raise your hand and I’ll explain it to you personally.”

Of course, I meant with actions, not words.
My words were translated into the languages of nations across the world and spread far and wide.

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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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