Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

Professor Geum took off the thick-rimmed glasses that had been covering his eyes. His sharp pupils, hidden behind the glasses, were now revealed. Unlike his nickname of ‘mad scientist’, Professor Geum’s eyes were filled with sobriety.

The self-proclaimed ‘foresight’ guy who had just come by.

He didn’t fully believe that guy’s words. Foresight? And with that ability, he had merely come here?

He didn’t seem to be lying, but that made it even more suspicious.

He had come to ‘save’ Baek Do-san?

Not a chance.

‘From what I know, that guy isn’t someone who would look pretty. Unless his enemy came to find him.’

But if that guy really did say those things out of goodwill, intending to save Baek Do-san, and if that so-called foresight ability was true…

‘I should reward him sufficiently.’

At least he himself, as Baek Do-san’s friend, should do so in his stead.

* * *

Jackpot.

Getting my identification tag removed for free, and even obtaining a plausible ID to use for the time being. I was far too lucky.

‘And maybe the future will even change.’

To Seol Rok-jin, Baek Do-san was an important pawn. Unlike me, who had merely been Seol Rok-jin’s lapdog, Baek Do-san was certainly a pawn that held power for Seol Rok-jin.

Part of me wanted to shout out a warning, revealing Seol Rok-jin’s abilities and everything, so that he would never meet that guy, but that would be going too far.

This was just the right amount.

Professor Geum was a tight-lipped person, so he wouldn’t carelessly spread stories about me around.

‘Still, I should change my identity once more before any unnecessary attention comes my way.’

If he took my words about being a foresight ability user seriously, I might get kidnapped at some point.

Even if Professor Geum’s lips were sealed, he might still tell Baek Do-san.

I could only hope that he wouldn’t repay Seol Rok-jin’s favor of saving him with enmity.

In any case, now that I had money, I should buy some hunter equipment while I’m at it.

My biggest weakness, no matter what anyone said, was that I had no means to directly attack monsters. That’s why I couldn’t become a hunter.

But if I just conquered gates… somehow, an answer would appear.

As I was having those thoughts and heading toward the area selling equipment, I heard a sound like an animal howling.

A monster? Unlike me, who tensed up, the people around seemed unfazed. Recalling an old memory from their nonchalance, I contorted my face.

Ah, that’s right, ‘that store’ was nearby. A few years ago, no, in my previous life, I had visited that store in this black market on Seol Rok-jin’s orders to purchase ‘merchandise’.

Perhaps it was because of those horrific memories that my steps instinctively grew heavier.

The sound of rattling chains, the howls of beasts, and the busy chatter of people gradually grew closer.

I may not be one to talk, having just committed the crime of removing my identification tag to avoid the government’s eyes, but the beings here were truly criminals who had abandoned human decency.

Kidnappers who abducted and arbitrarily modified and sold young awakeners – beings who didn’t even feel human.

I surreptitiously cast my gaze inside the partition.

Inside the iron bars meant for caging massive beasts were children who hadn’t even gone through puberty, let alone being adults, wearing identification tags around their necks just like the one I had worn.

The leashes on those children were far more vicious than the one the government had put on me.

The people buying and selling humans behind those partitions had quite serious expressions.

Surprisingly, most of those handing over tokens in front of the partitions had ordinary-looking faces.

Shouldn’t those born with such depraved minds be hideously disfigured? So that everyone could detect their monstrous thoughts from afar and keep their distance?

I inwardly clicked my tongue.

Part of me wanted to free the innocent ones inside, but with the money I currently had, I couldn’t buy anything.

If I couldn’t do anything, why had I even come here? As I was having those thoughts and about to hurry my steps, the partition in front of me collapsed as a black shadow burst forth.

“Damn it!”

“I told you not to provoke it!”

The black shadow that had burst through the shattered partition like a toy scattered people in all directions as they screamed.

The shadow, or rather the being that had broken through the partition, snarled at its surroundings.

Each time it moved its body, the iron chains restraining it scraped loudly against the floor. The men who had belatedly emerged from behind the partition tried to grab the chains, but the being moved as nimbly as a beast each time.

People grew even more terrified at the being’s quadrupedal movements, so unlike a human’s.

Watching its movements, I suddenly realized. Four legs were indeed faster than two.

In any case, the being moved swiftly as it evaded the people, and the men who had come out to capture it only had troubled expressions.

“When are you going to catch it?”

“Yeah! Hurry up and deal with this!”

At the commotion, not just the customers but even the shopkeepers doing business nearby joined in shouting at the men, but the being wasn’t easily captured.

“Didn’t you say you put a leash on it? What are you doing? Press the button!”

“We’ve already pumped it with as much as we can!”

As the men said, the collar around the being’s neck was indeed crackling with electricity. With enough current to be visibly arcing like that, it shouldn’t have been strange for a person to be completely fried, but the being stubbornly endured.

Its face, a mess of scabs and grime, was mostly obscured by its matted hair, but judging from its soft, unformed jawline and skin still covered in downy fluff, it seemed to be barely in its late teens at most.

Of course, that was just its face – its physique was large enough to overwhelm an average adult. And its barely clothed appearance made its bulging muscles hard to miss, no matter how unpleasant the sight.

“Ugh.”

Our eyes met.

For me, who had only intended to exit this commotion like everyone else, it was an unfortunate encounter. The being was looking at me with pleading eyes, as if begging me to save it.

At that gaze, I unknowingly took a step back.

Then it happened.

With a whooshing sound, darts pierced the being’s body.

It wasn’t just one dart that penetrated the being’s body. As two, then three darts successively struck its body, the being, which had stubbornly endured even the current coursing through its own body, began to collapse.

“Aaaah!”

The people standing nearby raised their voices at the sight.

“Wow, it’s finally over.”

A man wearing a white gown who had emerged from the partition lowered his shoulders and bowed his head to those around him.

“My apologies, you had to witness such an unsightly scene.”

“This is already the second time just this month!”

“I’m sorry, we’ve been getting quite a lot of fresh ones recently.”

“Well, the kids from that store over there are a bit feisty.”

It seemed escapees from that slave store were a somewhat regular occurrence, judging from how everyone brushed it off as no big deal.

“But that spiritedness might be useful. It’ll take more than the usual effort to tame one like that, but still.”

“Well, yes. But isn’t that precisely what makes taming such beings so rewarding?”

Even as people freely chattered about it, the being still kept its eyes open, struggling to maintain consciousness despite being hit with a paralytic. It had an insane amount of mental fortitude.

But soon, it seemed to reach its limit as it finally collapsed face-first onto the floor. Licking his lips as he watched the being’s last thrashes, one of the men spoke up,

“So when are you putting that one back on the market?”

“Yeah! You should send it up to the stage, I’d say.”

“If you’re thinking of putting it on the stage, be sure to let me know. I don’t want to miss that entertaining show.”

Due to the pointless escapade, the being had attracted the unpleasant attention of some rather nasty people. Tsk tsk. Just as I was clicking my tongue, someone suddenly addressed me.

“Hey, are you interested in our merchandise?”

Startled by the person speaking to me, I looked to my side in surprise.

A man in his early 30s wearing dark sunglasses was grinning at me.

I gulped and gave an awkward smile.

“Ah, no. I was just passing by when the commotion caught my attention, so I was taking a look.”

“You seemed to be eyeing our merchandise quite intently, though. How about it, we have even better ones inside.”

“No, that’s alright.”

As I was refusing the man’s words and turning to leave, the men lifted the collapsed being. Its matted hair fell aside, finally revealing its face, and I gaped in shock.

“…!”

I knew that being.

‘Kim Jae-ho?’

Why was he here? No, it made sense for him to be here. He was the very one I had purchased from this place on Seol Rok-jin’s orders.

Before Seol Rok-jin had acquired him, his record had been quite colorful. I heard his contract had been terminated numerous times for mauling his previous owners.

Until Seol Rok-jin had hammered him into an obedient meat shield, he had been a thorn in the side of this place.

‘Still, I didn’t expect to run into him today.’

Was this a sort of coincidence?

I briefly pondered.

What if I took that being with me now?

Kim Jae-ho was an awakener with the talent to meld into shadows. There was no one better suited for stealthily eliminating enemies.

To deal with Seol Rok-jin moving forward, I needed a weapon. Kim Jae-ho was precisely the talent I needed.

But how?

Unlike Seol Rok-jin, who could completely dominate that being’s mind with brainwashing, my ability was merely to tell convincing lies.

Even if I emptied out my entire current assets, no, invested more than that to ‘purchase’ that being, could I really tame him?

But he hadn’t completely lost his humanity yet. Perhaps it was time for me to play the ‘savior’ for once.

After organizing my thoughts, I asked the man, “I’m just curious, but how much for that one from earlier?”

Instead of answering my question, the man gave me unsolicited advice in a lecturing tone.

“You’d be better off buying a proper item instead of that. As you can see, that one is defective.”

“I thought it might be fun to tame it, since it doesn’t seem to break easily, like the people said.”

I twisted my lips into a smile. With my rather menacing appearance, this expression would probably make me look quite unsavory.

At my expression, the man grinned and said, “500 million won.”

At those words, my mouth snapped shut.

Kim Jae-ho, the shadow meld.

You’re more expensive than I thought.

* * *

In the end, I couldn’t buy Kim Jae-ho that day. But one consolation was that for the next three years, that being wouldn’t be properly sold to anyone either.

It would become completely unsellable deadstock for this place.

So as long as I came to retrieve that being within those three years, it would be fine.

The concept of buying and selling people was disgusting, but when in Rome, one must follow Roman rules, no?

After a few rounds of returns, that being would eventually be put on clearance, and that’s when I should strike.

For now, let me go take a look at some other items.

Since I have gates to conquer.