The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 83

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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 83

After the World Awakened Association event concluded, I returned to Korea.
As for my impressions of the event—there wasn’t much worth seeing.
It felt like a gathering of hunters from around the globe whining about their hunting efforts, then patting themselves on the back.

“Ah, that’s right.”

Now that I think about it, I had content to present as well, but I forgot about it when Schwantner stirred up trouble.
It was about the significance of Plus Tier Monsters appearing. Since I experienced fragments of the future when I was a Bloodline Bearer, I know what direction Monsters will develop in going forward.
I should bring this up when I return to Cheongwadae.
As for what I gained from this trip to Japan, the Japanese Prime Minister conveyed his intent to me to increase the export volume of the Big Bang Series.
He ordered quantities exceeding tenfold what other nations received, and afterward proposed that we establish a joint venture company in Japan for production—a different approach from other nations that had merely purchased licenses.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance commented on this:

“Japan is close to Korea, so they’re thinking long-term. They’re willing to accept short-term losses for themselves.”

Currently, nations around the world were scrambling to catch up with the Big Bang Series through license purchases.
But nothing comparable to the Big Bang Series, which had seized the market first, was being produced. Japan’s strategy was to cover import volumes while establishing a joint venture company and allocating a portion to me and the Seongsong Group in exchange for producing higher-grade products.
As time passed and technology advanced, they would eventually catch up to the Big Bang Series’ efficiency.
It was a strategy only a wealthy nation could employ. And since they were a neighboring country, there’d be no shipping accidents.
I thought they certainly had plenty of sharp minds over there.
But why did they ask me and not Lee Se-hee?
The Vice Minister smiled awkwardly and spoke:

“Team Leader Lee Se-hee is famously extremely difficult to negotiate with.”
“To what extent?”
“If you find yourself on the weaker side of a negotiation, it’s said to feel like standing in hell. I actually negotiated with her once, and it felt like being flayed alive.”

…So Lee Se-hee was scarier than I’d thought.
Recalling that time, the Vice Minister shook his head vigorously, saying it made his skin crawl. He clearly didn’t want to say more.
But from my experience negotiating, no one communicated as smoothly as Lee Se-hee.
So the Prime Minister thought I was easier to deal with than her. Did he see me as a pushover?
It didn’t bother me since I got everything I needed anyway.
Aside from succeeding in exporting the Big Bang Series, there wasn’t much else to gain.
I purchased the Animation Blu-ray that Yun-hee had mentioned, and received a doenjang-jjigae recipe from James Reed.
But that bastard scammed me.

“As long as it’s delicious, who cares!”

Guillermo’s recipe was legitimate, but for the Northern European style he said it would take time; for the Mediterranean style, he piled on Mediterranean mussels and insisted it was Mediterranean-style before flying off to America.
…If it hadn’t been delicious, I might have blown his head clean off.
But it really was tasty. Next time I’ll have to try something different in it.
After returning to Korea, I decided to submit an official report the next day, then activated location tracking to find Berserker.
But she wasn’t in Yeosu—she was in Jecheon, Chungbuk.

“This woman, I told her to stay put and she went somewhere else.”

Did she think I couldn’t catch her?
I need to hear how the League found her and what they discussed.
I should also inform her about the proposal from Japan. And I need to check whether the Universal Antidote has been showing any abnormal signs.
She keeps trying to stray farther away. I should use this opportunity to make sure she doesn’t wander south of Chungcheong.
And.

“I’ll need to work on her again.”

This was the biggest objective of all.

* * *

I’d picked up the Berserker from Jecheon and worked him over carefully before spraying him with Recovery Potion.
The bastard was tough, I had to give him that.
Watching him endure attacks that would have shredded anyone else’s limbs as mere scratches—
seeing those torn and split wounds knit themselves back together, I stepped in front of him.

“How the hell did you even find me?”
“You said Kkanbu, right? I have a Kkanbu detection sensor.”
“Dammit. A Gift?”

He could believe that if it made him happy.
Before taking my fists, he’d been cradling his smartphone like it was precious. He clearly hadn’t noticed anything yet—I was certain of that. If I played it off as a Gift, he wouldn’t suspect a thing, and I could keep using it. I’d have to change it up at the right moment.

“Why’d you come looking for me in the first place?”
“Got things to talk about, things to hear.”

I tossed him another Recovery Potion, and he caught it and downed it in one go.

“Tell me about the League.”
“Nothing much. I was just living quietly like usual when they somehow tracked me down.”

Berserker told me about the proposal Shylo had made. Did these guys use location-tracking apps like I did? It was curious how they’d found where Berserker was. The odds it was the eye-type were high, but there had to be other methods. Understanding the opponent’s capabilities mattered, but endless escalation could lead to paralysis from fear.
Beyond that, there wasn’t much else worth noting.
Debuffer Shylo—seemed like he’d been famous for a while, but dying by Berserker’s hand meant he was only that level. In the end, you only became a true powerhouse if you survived and climbed to the top.

That was all? But I’d never heard of Superhumans like that before.
If there were ten of them at the level of Black Hound, then it made sense—the world was wide and strong fighters were plentiful.

“You mean Black Hound?”
“Yeah.”

Did I owe him an explanation?
I suppose that’s what happens when you’re obsessed with strength.

The League guys—they were definitely irritating.
If I knew their base, I could round up a few Monsters and drop them there.
There was no reason I couldn’t do what Zhang Ci-dong had done with his Monster herding.
I suppressed the Berserker’s continued probing and recalled what I’d said in yesterday’s call.

“…Going there would just get me used. Might be fun, but I’m not drawn to it.”
“Good thinking. Nothing fun about hanging with a bunch of lunatics.”
“…….”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

That insolent look just now—it felt like he was treating me as the crazy one, didn’t it?
He shook his head and avoided my gaze, then coughed. The more he did it, the more certain I became, but there was no proof.
Should I hit him? Yeah, I’ll hit him.
Berserker grabbed his head.

“Why’d you hit me?”
“Seemed like you were thinking something weird.”
“If you picked up a mind-reading Gift, we’d have a real problem.”

The way he was muttering to himself—yeah, he definitely was thinking something insolent. Should I hit him again?
Instead of acting on it, I explained the Japanese Prime Minister’s proposal.

“What?”
“The conditions aren’t bad, are they?”
“That Prime Minister’s out of his mind.”

The Japanese Prime Minister—what a thorough cursing he got. Being called insane by a madman. At least he didn’t hear it to his face.
Berserker refused without hesitation. I’d already known he would, so I just let it slide. I’d have to tell them he refused when I got back.
Now I brought up the last remaining question.

“Universal Antidote was pretty useful, wasn’t it?”
“Very useful. It nullified all the Debuffs outright. Without it, dealing with Shylo would’ve been more of a hassle.”
“No issues with it?”
“None.”

That’s different from me.
Berserker picked up on it and asked.

“Did something happen? A problem when I copied it?”
“No, not that.”

When I bring a Gift over, I can tell if it’s intact or corrupted.
Universal Antidote copied properly.
If that’s the case, then the Mental Barrier trying to break through must have been something unique to me—and I still don’t understand why.
He’s saying Universal Antidote didn’t work on him at all, but it only happened to me?
I thought about why that might be and reached one conclusion.
I looked at Berserker with a pitying gaze. Poor bastard.

“Looks like Universal Antidote gave up on you.”
“What do you mean?”
“It couldn’t even manage to restore your sanity, so it surrendered.”

I’d realized he was a lost cause the moment Universal Antidote fell silent after a few attempts.
Berserker had a meltdown at my words.

“What are you saying.”
“Just live as you are now. A day will come when things work out.”
“Explain properly. Tell me!”

I shook my head and turned away.
Even Universal Antidote had written him off.
Berserker was beyond saving.

* * *

After returning, I reported to the President. He seemed quite pleased, saying my diplomatic achievements and demonstrated ability were both well-received.
The landscape of Cheongwadae, which I’d visited just days ago, had changed noticeably. Cheon Myeong-guk’s face had taken on a new vitality—he seemed to have found his work worthwhile these days. Maybe it was because I was handling things well.
After exchanging greetings, I visited the National Frontier Defense Bureau, where Jung Ju-ho had recently assumed office.
The new bureau establishment this time is being praised for distributing duties appropriately between the Awakened Security Office and the Awakened Affairs Department.
Perhaps it’s the volume of work.
Jung Ju-ho’s face bore the marks of exhaustion. He must have his hands full.

“I should’ve run back at the beginning! We cursed together during the hearing, so why did it even pass?!”

He glares at me after his brief outburst.

“It’s all your fault!”
“What did I do?”

Anyone watching would think I was working him to death. He’s competent, so work naturally flows his way.
Watching how smoothly everything runs without a hint of chaos now that duties have been assigned, I found myself impressed by Jung Ju-ho’s management abilities.

“We’ll be seeing each other often going forward. I look forward to working with you.”
“Every time I see you, I feel a year older. Damn it! I should’ve declared back then that I couldn’t do it—President or not—and just bailed.”

The President would be hurt hearing that.

“If you get a moment, could you reach out to No Guk-cheol? The National Guardian Bureau is understaffed, so we should show them some attention. He’s not even taking my calls these days.”

The vacant director position at the National Guardian Bureau went to No Guk-cheol, the Special Team commander, in a promotion. He was the type to handle everything strictly by the book.
He’s good to work under, but he’ll be incredibly difficult when you need his help.

“That one’s stubborn—he’ll probably refuse.”
“…I’ve raised tiger cubs. How is it they all end up biting my heels?”

The way he exhales heavily is somewhat pitiful. But he doesn’t really blame me in earnest, does he?

“Blaming you won’t change anything. It’s all Cheon Myeong-guk’s doing.”

There’s something I don’t know. Seeing the sheen on Cheon Myeong-guk’s face and Jung Ju-ho looking half-dead, Cheon Myeong-guk must’ve gotten a hit in on him.
Their relationship really does seem good.
Though Jung Ju-ho actually had a fit when he heard what I said.

“Don’t push Da-hyun so hard! The girl’s dying!”
“I’m keeping it reasonable.”

Still, seeing how Jung Da-hyun hasn’t made a dramatic leap lately, I’m beginning to worry whether my teaching ability is lacking.
She has the talent and the passion, so I thought she’d reach Level 7 quickly, but the slowdown suggests I might be underestimating the difficulty.
I’d originally planned to bring up a topic at the World Awakened Association’s founding celebration, but Schwantner picked a fight and I forgot about it. Now I decided to slip the subject in.

“Ah, right. And though it’s not really your department’s purview.”
“What is it?”
“If a Monster stronger than the current Plus Tier appears, won’t all hell break loose?”

The Monsters designated as 8th Tier Plus were specimens that emerged at a transitional stage.
The fact that Monsters were developing higher Force Utilization Ability and opening Gifts meant their fundamental level had shifted. Once they completely surpass that barrier, Monsters of an entirely different dimension from those we’ve faced so far will appear.
These are called 9th Tier Hazards. I’m not certain whether I labeled them as 9th Tier in my previous life. One thing’s clear: they were fundamentally different from what’s currently classified as 8th Tier Hazards. I was in a broken state back then, so my memories are hazy.
With Nuri’s appearance, I figured a Monster of even higher rank would emerge sooner or later.
If we could find and eliminate it beforehand, that would be ideal—but that’s impossible, isn’t it?
Jung Ju-ho shuddered at my words.

“Just thinking about it is horrifying. Don’t even joke about things like that.”
“That’s all it takes?”
“Yeah. It wouldn’t just be chaos—the whole nation could collapse.”

I need to share this information as soon as possible so we can prepare in advance.

* * *

I compiled my findings into a report: the possibility that Monsters stronger than Plus Tier could emerge.
It was called a report, but the content was straightforward and concise.
I simply wrote that the current Plus Tier Monsters represented a transitional phase, and that the appearance of higher-tier Monsters capable of wielding their power with sophistication was imminent.
Once I finished the report, I sought out Cheon Myeong-guk.

“Welcome, Superhuman Choi Jun-ho. I take it nothing urgent has come up today?”
“I have something to bring to your attention.”

Unlike Jung Ju-ho, his face carried a certain vitality. But the moment he took the report from me and began reading, his expression darkened rapidly.

“…Is this fact?”
“The likelihood is extremely high.”

Based on what I’d seen from the future.

“Superhuman Choi Jun-ho, if this report is accurate, the nation must comprehensively reassess its Monster defense posture. And we’d need to adopt a full-scale war footing. Honestly, it’s not something I want to believe.”

Yet Cheon Myeong-guk’s hands were trembling. Inevitably, talented people throughout the government would have already discussed the current Plus Tier Monsters.
There would likely be content similar to what I’d written.
The only difference was that I’d stated it more bluntly and with greater conviction.

“Especially this 9th Tier—it will crash the stock market completely.”
“Would it be better to rephrase that?”
“I’m not certain. But if this goes public, the fallout will be considerable.”

Plus Tier Monsters were already fundamentally different from 8th Tier in nature.
Even if one could argue they existed on a continuum, a Monster that had crossed that threshold was undoubtedly one step higher.
The danger level of the Monster wouldn’t change just because we changed its name. Was this some kind of linguistic sleight of hand?
Well then, I ought to come up with something.

“What if we tried calling it Plus Plus?”

Plus Plus—didn’t quite ring right.
It somehow sounded like the name of a delicious cut of meat. Though Monster meat’s danger level doesn’t correlate with how appetizing it sounds.
Cheon Myeong-guk laughed in admiration at my naming sense.

“If the intention was to make the Monster seem trivial, you’ve succeeded.”
“Then Plus Plus?”
“That’s not a decision I can make at my level. I’ll report it up the chain.”

Somehow, I’d meant to warn of danger, but it had become an incident.
Thirty minutes after the report went up, the President summoned me.

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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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