The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 94

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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 94

The chicken he’d ordered had gone cold. But Kim Tae-hyun couldn’t tear his eyes from the monitor.
The way Jung Da-hyun wiped the sweat from her brow was unbearably beautiful. How could a woman working so hard shine so brightly?
What drove her to push herself like that?
In Kim Tae-hyun’s mind, Jung Da-hyun was a woman who had everything. Stunning beauty, genius-level talent, even a Gift—what people called a blessing from the gods themselves.
She’d followed the elite track at Sungsung Guild, then transferred to the National Protection Agency, where she continued to shatter age records and climb higher with each move.
Wouldn’t it make sense to be satisfied by now? To rest on her laurels?

“Could it be… what she said in that interview was actually true……?”

Jung Da-hyun had declared her goal was to create a world where all citizens could live safely.
He’d dismissed it as pretense at the time, but watching her approach her training with such seriousness, he wanted to believe it was genuine.
She didn’t seem like someone capable of lying, not from what he saw on screen.
If anything, she didn’t strike him as someone who needed to put herself in the spotlight. Not once during the training session had her gaze flicked toward the camera.

“…I have to admit it.”

Jung Da-hyun was the real deal. The negativity that had filled him completely evaporated.
Just because he was lazy didn’t mean everyone else was.
Everyone was fighting their own battles, and even Jung Da-hyun—someone he’d thought had no room for growth—carried a unwavering goal and pursued it relentlessly.

“Choi Jun-ho must be the same way.”

Without effort, he’d never have become an Awakened One in the first place.
No matter how much you tried to deny the world, in the end you were the only one standing still while everyone else quietly walked forward.
The urge to leave hateful comments had died. He stopped typing in the chat and just watched the video. Her form had become ragged from the brutal training, yet he couldn’t look away.
He wished it were Jung Da-hyun streaming instead of Choi Jun-ho.
That’s when the regret hit him.

“What the hell is this?”

A comment caught his eye—one that made his skin crawl.

Basakan—Tsk, quite the growth. But still lacking. There’s waste in her movements. She’s thinking before she acts. She needs to rely more on instinct to speed things up. Shame that Choi Jun-ho held back. He should’ve been rougher with her in their normal sessions.

“You bastard!”

How dare this guy criticize Jung Da-hyun for working so hard!
Basakan was a named user Kim Tae-hyun recognized.
They’d both left hate comments about Choi Jun-ho together before—he’d thought of them as an ally. But in this crucial moment, they’d split apart.
Eyes blazing, Kim Tae-hyun fired off a reply.

KimTaehyun—Who are you to judge? You obviously never leave your corner. Stop running your mouth and get a life.
Basakan—That’s directed at me? You were nodding along with everything I said before. Kid, where’s your manners?
KimTaehyun—And you, sir—do you have any? Just say thank you and move on.
Basakan—I’m offering insight into how Jung Da-hyun can grow further. Stay in your lane, kid. You know nothing.

It was absurd. To offer genuine advice to Jung Da-hyun, you’d need to be at least Level 7 or an Awakened One. Was this high-level master really sitting around typing in chat for fun?
Even a stray dog would laugh at that.

“Yeah, right. Everyone’s an Awakened One when they’re behind a keyboard.”

KimTaehyun—Sure, sure. Anyone’s a superhuman from their room. Congratulations, sir.
Basakan—How did you know I’m a Superhuman? Don’t tell me my identity’s been exposed. I thought I was keeping it completely hidden. Did you track me? Who are you?

“This is quite the spectacle.”

I was losing all patience watching this.
Had he completely bought into his own act?
Pity swiftly transformed into mockery.

Kim Tae-hyun—Sir, please come out of your room and face the world. Superhuman? Come on, you’ll lose your job if you don’t get to work. Wait, don’t tell me you don’t even have a job and that’s why you’re loafing around like this?
Basakan—You insolent brat.
Kim Tae-hyun—What are you going to do about it? Want to meet up and teach me a lesson? But honestly, when we do meet, you won’t even be worth one punch, will you? Uncle, you should be grateful I’m busy. Looking at you, we’d get into it immediately. Want to set a time?
Basakan—…….

“Not much of anything, but he sure loves to run his mouth.”

Kim Tae-hyun, having subdued the armchair Superhuman, smiled with satisfaction.
The internet was filled with countless armchair Superhumans like this one.
But in reality, they were unmistakable failures.

“…….”

For a moment I despaired, seeing no difference between his situation and my own, but even that didn’t last long.
Without excellent self-rationalization, I couldn’t live like this.
Soon after the broadcast ended, Kim Tae-hyun began searching the internet for information about Jung Da-hyun.
Only after joining a fan cafe did he allow himself a satisfied smile.
He’d found plenty of information about Jung Da-hyun—exactly what he’d been looking for.

“National Protection Agency Villain Specialist Team leader. Quite the elite. Well, that explains skills like hers.”

That day, the sparring match between Choi Jun-ho and Jung Da-hyun generated explosive reactions, and became an opportunity to reconsider how diligently Awakened Ones were training.
As a result, criticism of the Equal Application Law—which indiscriminately sought to constrain Awakened Ones—began to intensify.

* * *

“You’ve worked hard!”

Whether a broadcast succeeds or fails can be judged by looking at Jin Se-jung’s face.
Seeing him grinning from ear to ear, I realized today’s broadcast had been a success.
What part of it worked? The sparring intensity was lighter than usual. I wished I’d pushed harder—proper efficiency requires more pressure than I gave it.
Though Jin Se-jung’s expression remained astonished throughout the entire match. From my perspective, that level of sparring was little more than a demonstration.
Meanwhile, Jin Se-jung had approached Jung Da-hyun and was speaking with her.

“You really spar like this all the time?”
“It was lighter than usual. Normally my limbs break.”
“Goodness! So you really do train that way. That’s truly amazing.”
“I’m still far from where I need to be. That’s why I get injured. Every time I spar, I realize how much I lack.”
“If you call that lacking… goodness! People really should see how hard Awakened Ones work.”

Jin Se-jung shakes his head back and forth. Well, Jung Da-hyun’s someone even I’d acknowledge as having true grit.
Without that, today’s achievement would never have happened.

“But do you think today’s broadcast went well?”

I was curious about that too.

“Yes! It was a complete success! Actually, it’s the greatest success in Choi Jun-ho’s broadcast history! It’s all thanks to Team Leader Jung Da-hyun!”
“…….”

So my contribution doesn’t count? Jin Se-jung avoids my eyes. All thanks to Jung Da-hyun, not me—something about that stings. Still, I’m glad it went well.
At least it went well.
There is one thing that does worry me, though.
Manipulation has become a serious topic on internet broadcasts lately.
Is my match with Jung Da-hyun different from usual because it’s also been rigged?
It should have been more realistic. I’ll have to ask Jin Se-jung about it later.

“Let’s go for drinks! Come on!”

At Jin Se-jung’s words, all the team members look up. But they’re looking at Jung Da-hyun, not me. I know a good doenjang-jjigae place nearby.
Surely she isn’t asking Jung Da-hyun to decide.
As if that would make a difference.
Unaware of Jin Se-jung’s true intentions, Jung Da-hyun smiled.

“I know a great place. Let me take you there.”
“Yes!”

At Jung Da-hyun’s words, Jin Se-jung cheered.
And thirty minutes later.

……

Upon arriving at a restaurant specializing in wild mushroom doenjang hot pot, Jin Se-jung fell silent.
Still, it was an upgrade from doenjang-jjigae to doenjang hot pot.
By contrast, Jung Da-hyun wore a radiant expression she hadn’t shown even during the broadcast.

“It’s my favorite place!”
“…I’m going to reek of soy paste after this.”

Watching Jin Se-jung lament, I was impressed.
That’s a skill worth envying.
She complained, but she ate with relish.

“Before today’s broadcast started, we received pressure from several quarters.”

Partway through eating, Jin Se-jung told me this. Considerable controversy had erupted over the Equal Application Law being drafted, and objections had come in regarding the content of my match with Jung Da-hyun.
What’s strange about that?
Other channels do it all the time.
There were already countless documentaries showing how hard Awakened Ones work.
Some of them had caused quite a stir in the past.

“The impact is different this time.”

Jin Se-jung said that the influence my channel wielded could not be ignored.
As a current Superhuman with the most spectacular achievements, I apparently had an enormous viewership not just in South Korea but abroad as well.
If I showed high-level Awakened Ones working hard as usual on my channel, they feared it would obstruct the passage of the law.

“Funny people. Can’t even say it to my face.”
“It will come to you soon. The journalists will want to hear your thoughts directly.”

So they want to know what I think.
I know this law is meant to put a noose around Awakened Ones’ necks.
If Old Man Franz had heard about it, he would have thrown a fit. Actually, he did lose his temper when he saw how the journalists behaved.
Honestly, I didn’t have any strong feelings about it. One law wasn’t going to change the world dramatically. But if this was targeting me, I had no intention of dancing to their tune.
If they want to pass this law and put leashes on Awakened Ones, they need to offer something of equal value in return.
That’s how the world works, isn’t it? I put something forward, and the other person does the same. Sometimes I cheat and offer a hundred things while the other person offers one, or vice versa.
But once I’ve negotiated, the transaction should be fair. Otherwise, I might as well offer my neck.
Besides, there’s talk that the Blue House exercised its veto, so I’m not particularly worried.

“It’s not a good law.”

Jung Da-hyun, who had been eating quietly, added her thoughts.
They expressed concern that it could significantly inhibit Awakened Ones’ actions, allowing Villains to run rampant.
They argued vehemently that restricting them when full strength is already insufficient would be unconscionable.

“You’re saying this content would interfere with that bill’s passage?”
“Yes, because it directly refutes what the supporters have claimed about Awakened Ones being reckless.”

There is something moving about seeing even a high-Level like Jung Da-hyun striving so desperately.
When I asked if I wouldn’t do, Jin Se-jung answered promptly.

“No, we could never show you struggling like that. At minimum we’d need to bring in another Superhuman, but that’s not realistic.”

Berserker exists, but even he couldn’t make me struggle.
For a moment I considered putting him on broadcast, but I gave up the idea.
After killing the Red Snake Kim Young-hwan, I could never shake off the Villain image.

“Ah, but I’ve been presumptuous without knowing your thoughts, sir.”

When Jin Se-jung took a step back, Jung Da-hyun looked at me and asked.

“What do you think?”
“Me?”

I hadn’t given it much thought.

“If there’s something you want, you need to show effort worthy of it.”

* * *

Sure enough, Go Ye-jin sought an interview with me about the Equal Application Law.
Since there wasn’t much to elaborate on, I simply stated my thoughts during a live broadcast interview.

“The law sounds justified in that it protects more of the weak, but it seems like field opinions weren’t reflected at all.”
“So you’re opposed to it?”
“I think that with a bit more refinement, legislation suited to actual conditions could be prepared.”

Go Ye-jin looked uncertain.
True, with Awakened Ones despising this law, she must have thought I’d oppose it.

“So I propose this: the fourteen members of Congress who submitted the initial draft should visit monster-hunting and Villain-apprehension sites firsthand. If they still don’t change their minds, I’ll offer my support.”

From an armchair, anyone can write a book like “Ninety-Nine Ways to Capture People Without Killing Them.”
The problem is it doesn’t work in the real world.
Grasping the weight of my words, Go Ye-jin stiffened and asked me.

“Isn’t that field quite dangerous?”
“It is. People can die.”
“But you’re telling them to go…….”
“It means they must stake their lives. That’s when real understanding comes, isn’t it?”

Could they really have drafted a bill without even experiencing the field firsthand?
If some die, it’s regrettable but unavoidable.
Though from what I can see, about half would need to die before they wake up.
Go Ye-jin swallowed hard.

“That sounds like you’re saying accidents could happen.”
“Unforeseen accidents can happen anytime in the field.”

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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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