The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 93

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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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Chapter 93

“That’s a breath of fresh air. Franz really knows how to make a point.”
……

While the President beamed, Cheon Myung-guk’s expression remained clouded. Franz’s interview at the Airport had been broadcast live in its entirety.
It was no accident that it aired.
It had been orchestrated for a particular narrative, and Franz had been chosen as the instrument.
Yet the results had come out precisely opposite to what the press wanted.
No doubt the reporters had hoped Franz would declare that Awakened Ones ought to possess righteous hearts, and they’d have seized on that to sway public opinion. But Franz had overturned everything with his words.

South Korea had come to see Awakening as a ladder for social mobility, and as Awakened Ones with riches and fame committed scandals, the nation had earned a reputation for Plebeian Capitalism.
Yet beneath that lay a far stronger current—the denial of the peace Awakened Ones had secured.
That denial was the only way to keep Awakened Ones from stepping into the foreground.
Public opinion could be swayed only because there were more Non-Awakeners than Awakened Ones.
Coexistence had held, sustained by anxiety, but the balance shattered when the League rose to prominence.
Non-Awakeners had begun to fear domination at the hands of the Awakened.
Naturally, those seeking Non-Awakener votes had seized upon that fear.

“I suspect it won’t be easy.”
“No, it won’t.”

“No, sir.”
“That’s right—we can’t. His capabilities far exceed what we ever anticipated.”

When that fails, there must be mutual exchange of favors. An absolute power beyond control brings joy at first, but once it runs wild, it brings only ruin.
For the government, Choi Jun-ho was precisely such a force. Until recently, they’d believed him manageable. But the achievements he’d been accumulating had rendered that belief increasingly fragile.
The final blow came when they received word of his collision with Franz.

“While stamina issues might arise, his Force reserves and Gift application are arguably superior.”
“And Choi Jun-ho subdued him.”
“…Yes.”

Choi Jun-ho had moved about freely.
Knowing that subduing an opponent is harder than killing them, it was clear he stood a tier above.

“That’s dangerous.”
“But it matters more that he’s on our side. What matters is that he’s a state-affiliated Awakened One. Let’s accept the truth we’ve been denying. With that in mind.”

The bill itself addresses equal legal application between Awakened Ones and non-Awakeners, but beneath the surface, it severely restricts Awakened Ones’ autonomous exercise of force.
While they claim this will dramatically lower crime rates among Awakened Ones, in reality it’s nothing more than placing a noose around their necks.
I understand perfectly why this is happening.
It’s because of Choi Jun-ho’s existence.
That’s why both ruling and opposition parties reached agreement.
Cheon Myung-guk voiced his concerns.

“There will be fierce backlash.”
“What can they do if I refuse? My approval rating is still above sixty percent. If I say this prevents South Korea from becoming the safest nation in the world, they won’t have a leg to stand on, will they?”
……
“Or do you have another good idea?”

Cheon Myung-guk bowed his head hastily.

“Law is not my primary field.”
“Then let’s do it my way. Though I suppose the journalists might see this and go running to Choi Jun-ho.”

The President said this with a smirk, looking at Cheon Myung-guk.

“You’ll have to bear more of the burden on that front, Director Cheon.”
“…I will do my best.”
“But the most absurd part is this.”

The President tapped the document with his finger, his expression bemused.

“They actually thought they could bind Choi Jun-ho with this law? If he doesn’t comply? They can actually arrest him?”

As if that were possible.
He’d more likely seek out the parliamentarians who submitted the bill.
The President and Cheon Myung-guk, thinking the same thought, met each other’s eyes and let out quiet chuckles.

“Getting accustomed to Choi Jun-ho is frightening.”

* * *

Franz departed, but his parting words left a strong impression. Particularly his sharp retort during an interview aimed at me became the talk of the town.
Those who watched the interview spewed curses at the journalists.
So the journalists really don’t like me after all. Is it because I broke Oh Chang-mun’s limbs? Though I was merciful about it, all things considered.
At least not everyone was against me—led by Go Ye-jin, supportive articles began appearing.

<Journalists Asking Foreign Superhuman to Criticize Domestic Superhuman—How Far Will National Prestige Fall?>
<Superhumans Without Protection From Domestic Media; If This Continues, Mass Exodus of Superhumans Could Become Reality……>
<Equality Application Law Enacted Amid All This? …Concerns Over Conflict.>
<Complete Roundup of National Prestige Rise Since Superhuman Choi Jun-ho’s Emergence!>
<The Countless Achievements of Superhuman Choi Jun-ho That Even Duke Franz Had No Choice But to Actively Support!>

…Looking at it this way, I’ve done quite a lot for the nation.
But what’s this Equality Application Law anyway? Well, the people making laws have been doing strange things since forever, so I figured I’d just let it be.
Anyway, seeing the articles, I really am quite an accomplished superhuman, aren’t I? Watching even the old Duke Franz worry about my going to the League, I realized he has plenty of concerns.
Still, what Franz said keeps lingering in my mind.
A prophecy that the world might perish.
And turmoil in the League.
He spoke of it as grave matters, but honestly, I couldn’t quite relate.

“The higher-ups will handle it well enough.”

I expected them to move swiftly, given their own interests were at stake.
Of course, I wasn’t ignoring the warning entirely. If such a thing were to occur, it would fall to me to step forward actively.
Living now as a trustworthy son rather than a Villain, as a dependable presence rather than prey to the Blood Species—these were the moments I’d desperately longed for in those days.
Though when the dream finally came true, it felt like not much at all.
Still, I was grateful it hadn’t driven me mad.
When I got home, Yun-hee took one look at me and started grumbling openly.

“Why do you have such a serious expression all of a sudden? It kills the appetite.”
“Is that what you should be saying to me?”
“Then who should I say it to?”
“I hope you’d at least have a girlfriend before making that comment.”
“Just drop dead.”
“Such pretty language.”
“Were you expecting me to speak all soft and measured like Da-hyun? Wake up. You’re the only one having fun here.”

She was sulking because I hadn’t introduced her to Franz when we met.
Laura was Yun-hee’s role model—the kind of Awakened One she wanted to become. Talented, and impressive enough to reach that level at such a young age.
Yet she hadn’t said a word about the fact that I’d broken Laura’s wrist.

“I’ll introduce you next time.”
“You’d better keep that promise.”
“Fine. How’s the hunting going these days? Getting by?”
“Smooth sailing. Everyone keeps saying my growth rate is incredible. I mean, if my skills weren’t improving after training this hard, I’d lose all motivation. Thanks to you for working me so relentlessly.”

She was looking at me like I was her sworn enemy.
Shouldn’t I be getting gratitude instead?
Besides, given that Indomitable Will still hasn’t awakened, it seemed she had more capacity to develop.

“If you ever suggest there’s more training to be done, I’ll flip this whole house upside down.”

…Uncanny.
Could she have awakened Detection instead of Indomitable Will?

“Anyway, forget about me. So you’re doing a joint broadcast with Da-hyun?”
“Yeah, we’re thinking of making training content out of it.”
“Training content all of a sudden?”
“Apparently there’s been talk that Hunters are just coasting these days. She wants to show the public how hard we actually train.”

I’d heard there had been strange movements in parliament recently, and I suspected it was related to the Equality Application Law.
Jin Se-jung opposed this law, citing examples of how restricting Awakened Ones hadn’t worked out well.
But if you loosened things too much, weren’t Awakened Ones and Villains practically the same thing?
As far as I was concerned, if they caught my eye, I’d crush them without hesitation.

“That’s a good idea. People seem to think Awakened Ones just materialize out of nowhere anyway.”

Yun-hee raised her voice, saying she’d had similar experiences.

“Seriously, people talk such nonsense without knowing anything. You’d think we were chosen and given power by heaven itself. Sometimes I see the comments and I want to scream. I’d honestly love to hunt them down and tear off their faces just to see what they look like.”
“You could die from flaying someone’s face off.”
“As if I would?”

She would, though.
There was no way I could tell her that.
The moment I agree with her, she puffs up like a toad.
Is this what they mean by “the king’s ears are those of a donkey”?
I can’t speak the truth, and it’s frustrating.

“Anyway, it’s good content. If high-level Awakened Ones show how hard they actually train, people’s perception of us will probably change for the better.”

As he waxed eloquent about how people only see what they want to see these days, I wondered if I was imagining the old-timer energy radiating from him. Could that have been Franz’s doing?
Yun-hee, catching on to the real intent behind the broadcast, smiled knowingly.

“I’m jealous. I wanted to be on your broadcast at least once.”
“Want me to invite you?”
“Hey! I want to be in it too.”

I’ll have to mention it to Jin Se-jung. Content production now goes through meetings with the Choi Jun-ho Team, which has become a proper outfit with Jin Se-jung at the helm, and only gets made with my approval.
In the meetings, Jin Se-jung keeps adding details to my worldview, and I’d bet a hundred won that he’d seen my past life.

“I want to do something different!”
“What would you like to do?”
“I love mukbangs! Gaming streams too! And drinking mukbangs sound amazing!”

It’s all about what’s physically easy.
That’s pretty different from what I had in mind.
This is what I’d planned for content.

<What happens when a rookie Hunter from the Shinseong Guild suddenly encounters a Hazard Level 6 Monster alone?>
<What happens if a rookie Hunter from the Shinseong Guild falls off a cliff?>
<How long would a rookie Hunter from the Shinseong Guild survive on a deserted island with nothing?>

…and so on.
Though content direction tends to shift based on circumstances anyway.
Let’s just say I’ll do it. Bait-and-switch is what matters.

“All right. Let’s do it all.”
“Yes!”

…That said, I’ll frame it as training content. They won’t object if I call it a hidden camera bit, will they?
I’m doing it for their sake, after all.
Will they accept it?
They will.
Though the odds of acceptance are 0.01% and the odds of despair are 99.99%.
Thinking of Yun-hee’s despairing expression oddly put my mind at ease.

* * *

The hottest personal broadcast channel among recent Awakened Ones was Choi Jun-ho’s channel, which went by the bland name “Everyday Superhuman.”
Despite being primarily ordinary daily-life content, the channel exploded with growth, breaking five million subscribers in a short span and recording over ten million views per video.
The impact of the videos was so potent that, beyond the image-making originally intended, efforts were made to imbue the content with public value.
Today’s broadcast fell within that same trajectory.

“Today’s broadcast explores how diligently high-level Awakened Ones train in their daily routine.”

The peace we enjoy wasn’t built for free.
This remark left by Franz revealed how Awakened Ones were regarded in Europe.
But since South Korea held negative perceptions of Awakened Ones as well, the content was designed to demonstrate how fiercely they prepare.

“How intense should we make it?”
“Is your normal training intensity rather low?”
“Not particularly.”
“That’s a problem then. How about you, Team Leader Da-hyun?”

Jin Se-jung asked, looking not at me but at Jung Da-hyun.
Jung Da-hyun, dressed in gray training clothes with her hair tied back in a ponytail, answered in an even voice.

“People around me say I’m quite strong, but I’d say it’s manageable.”
“Then could you train at your normal intensity, and then push harder once I give the signal?”

This time he looked at me as he asked, and I nodded.

“It’s possible.”
“Good. Though it might get quite rough, so viewers might find themselves wincing.”
“That’s fine. Authenticity is what matters.”
“Then let’s do it as usual.”
“Yes.”

At my words, Jung Da-hyun nodded with a resolute expression.
Jin Se-jung, not understanding what was happening, stared at us both with bewildered eyes.

* * *

Kim Tae-hyun was thirty years old and unemployed. After drifting through day labor jobs, whenever work dried up, he’d loiter at his parents’ house, killing time.
He’d fallen asleep late in the dawn hours and woken in the afternoon past lunch, when he noticed that Choi Jun-ho’s broadcast was scheduled to go live.

“They said Jung Da-hyun’s appearing today, right?”

Kim Tae-hyun was a notorious hater on Choi Jun-ho’s channel.
In his mid-twenties, with a face more handsome than most actors, the title of Level 8 Superhuman—each one of these gnawed at him, igniting his envy.
Watching Choi Jun-ho live a life utterly unlike his own, Kim Tae-hyun could only think the man was blessed by luck.
If only he’d been given Awakened talent, if only a Gift had been granted to him, he wouldn’t be drifting through day labor.
From that angle, Choi Jun-ho was the sort who’d monopolized all the fortune the world had to offer.
If luck had favored him the way it favored that bastard, he’d have worked hard too.
When the chicken he’d ordered in advance arrived, the live broadcast began. The timing was perfect.

-Hello, today’s special guest is Jung Da-hyun.
“…She’s pretty.”

For a moment, the malicious comment he’d been about to type evaporated.
Jung Da-hyun’s face on the broadcast screen glowed with beauty even with just basic makeup. In training clothes alone, her trim, sculpted frame radiated vitality, and she gave off the unmistakable aura of a Level 7 Awakened One.
Envy twisted in his chest. Seeing how naturally they stood together only deepened his hostility toward Choi Jun-ho.

-Today we wanted to showcase how Awakened Ones train in their daily lives. Captain Jung, what kind of training do you usually do on days off?
-On days without missions, I dedicate myself entirely to training. I keep my weapon in hand at all times so my body remembers its weight, and I also train in martial arts and firearms to prepare for situations without weapons.

Lies. They were born with talent, grasping wealth and fame with both hands—and now they’d claim to train this hard? Impossible. Kim Tae-hyun felt a wave of bitterness toward these two who’d robbed him even of the keyword “effort,” and he hammered at the keyboard.
Others shared his sentiment; hate comments flooded in. The manager moved quickly to block them, but they’d seen enough in the chat for it to register.
Yet both of them barely reacted. That only infuriated him more. Just as he was thinking he’d provoke them until they showed some response, Choi Jun-ho spoke.

-Now we’ll begin training. When it’s not solo practice, we mainly do instructional sparring.

The two of them turned from the chat and pulled wooden swords from a rack in the corner, then faced off.
It’s just for show anyway. They’d probably go through the motions a few times and then say something like, look how hard we work, and that would be that.
Awakened Ones were the type who preferred basking in the talents handed to them, in wealth and fame, rather than sweating through genuine effort. This would be no different.
As Kim Tae-hyun held that thought, the two wooden swords began to move.

Clang!

The two’s sparring far exceeded anything Kim Tae-hyun had imagined.
Choi Jun-ho’s wooden sword sliced through the air with vicious speed and precision.
Jung Da-hyun’s wooden sword in response was nimble and varied. Her dazzling swordwork held defense, yet Choi Jun-ho’s overwhelming strikes punched through with ease.

Bang!

-Ugh!

As the wooden sword cracked against her shoulder, Jung Da-hyun gasped and stumbled backward to regain her footing. Choi Jun-ho didn’t relent—his sword pressed forward with relentless intent.
Even to watch was to have your breath stolen by the onslaught. Caught off guard, Jung Da-hyun gave ground again.

Thwack!

Choi Jun-ho offered no quarter. Every time Jung Da-hyun’s defense crumbled, his wooden sword struck home, and amid the ghastly percussion of impact, she fought on with desperate intensity.

“No, this can’t—!”

Kim Tae-hyun, who had been watching, shouted before he could stop himself, then flinched.
Somewhere along the way, he’d begun cheering for Jung Da-hyun.
He, who despised Awakened Ones, had become this absorbed?
It was unbelievable. Yet watching Jung Da-hyun endure with such pitiable stubbornness made his chest tingle oddly.
What was she fighting so desperately for?
Hadn’t she been called a genius? In her early twenties, Jung Da-hyun had reached Level 7, possessing both wealth and renown, all the marks of a prodigy. So why was she struggling like that?

“…….”

At some point, Kim Tae-hyun lost all desire to write cruel comments. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on their sparring. He found himself genuinely rooting for Jung Da-hyun as she was tossed about and fought back desperately.
But there was no turning point.
Choi Jun-ho’s wooden sword was so relentless it bordered on cruelty, toying with Jung Da-hyun as it struck her body repeatedly. The shoulder where the wooden sword had caught and torn was a deep bruise.
The rest of her was probably in the same state.

-Ngh!

After twenty minutes of sparring, it ended with Jung Da-hyun taking a wooden sword strike to her abdomen.

-That’s enough.

As Choi Jun-ho lowered his wooden sword, Jung Da-hyun rose with a backward roll, breathing heavily.

-Ha! Thank you.
-Normally I would keep attacking even if knocked down, but since the allotted time is up, we’ll stop here.

“That’s nonsense!”

At Choi Jun-ho’s words, outcry erupted against him. Kim Tae-hyun felt the same. No matter if it was for broadcast, wasn’t he taking it too far, beating Jung Da-hyun like that?
The comment section became chaos as resentment poured toward Choi Jun-ho, and his fans rushed to his defense.

-I was being gentle with her.

Wouldn’t most people say he’d gone too far at this point?
Choi Jun-ho insisted until the end that he had held back.

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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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