The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity

"This is delicious!"

Jung Da-hyun's eyes widened as she tasted the beef soybean paste stew. There's nothing more satisfying for a cook than to see such a reaction.

Yoon-hee, who was inhaling the beef beside her, looked at Jung Da-hyun with a doubtful expression and widened her eyes as she tasted the broth.

My survival dish, which made its debut in the world, was finally recognized.

"How did you make this?"

"The secret recipe is Aul Boar."

The Aul Boar, a hazardous demon with level 4 danger, was the best ingredient that boasted a deep flavor.

It was not a preferred prey because it was difficult to catch compared to its rank, but rather because the ingredients from it were extremely rare and valuable.

Actually, to properly extract the taste, one had to put the whole head of the Aul Boar, but everyone who ate it was horrified.

Since the Aul Boar's pupils could react to Force, they would move and collide whenever one ate it.

"Aul Boar? That's a demon."

While Yoon-hee was astonished, Jung Da-hyun seemed to accept it, saying "As expected..."

"The meat and byproducts of monsters with the poison removed are excellent ingredients for both taste and nutrition."

"I didn't know. I had no idea that Aul Boar would taste like this."

"I'm glad."

As a joyful meal took place, Jung Da-hyun congratulated Yoon-hee on passing the Sacred Guild and gave advice on how to adapt to it.

Even for me, there was a lot of new information. The Jung Da-hyun I'd seen up until now was a fifth-grade government hunter, and now she looked like she was from the Sacred Guild.

Yoon-hee thanked her for the valuable advice and asked for more.

"What should I be most careful of during a raid?"

"Villains."

"Not being caught off-guard or ambushes, but villains?"

Jung Da-hyun nodded her head.

"Demon hunting is a life-and-death struggle, but a coordinated response from multiple people can minimize risk and maximize power, and the Sacred Guild is the best in the world at that. But the villain strikes when you least expect it."

It's not uncommon for a raid team to go missing after being attacked by a villain while hunting a monster.

Smaller guilds, especially those with fewer members, had to risk their lives just to protect the byproducts of their hunts, and it wasn't uncommon for raid teams of even the biggest guilds to be attacked by villains and have their equipment stolen, and them being killed, or captured and ransomed.

"Then I guess I should learn how to deal with villains too."

"Hunting monsters and dealing with villains are different skills, so it's good to learn the right skills for each."

I spoke up quietly as I listened.

"I think I can help with that."

The two pairs of eyes turned to me.

"Mr. Jun-ho?"

"Brother?"

"That's my specialty."

Dealing with villains wasn't complicated. 99.9% of the time, anyone who looked suspicious during a raid was a villain. So, if one saw an unfamiliar face, attacking first and subduing them could prevent 99.9% of possible risks. In particular, if you disabled their mobility by breaking their legs, a safe retreat was possible even with unexpected variables.

"Killing is always the most certain answer."

Yoon-hee had a confident expression on her face.

"Come to think of it, that's true. Brother has arrested over 200 villains. And I had a specialist by my side. If I learn from Brother, I should be able to do it too..."

"Just a moment!"

Jung Da-hyun interrupted with a worried expression. She had eaten a lot of soybean paste stew.

"What is it, Sister?"

"Of course, Mr. Jun-ho is a specialist, but there are still differences between men and women, and you've just joined the guild. So you're still busy adapting."

"Is that so?"

"That's why you should focus on adapting first, and if necessary, I'll help you."

"Really? You, Sister?"

"Yeah, me."

"Miss Da-hyun, I appreciate it, but it must be bothersome for you."

"It's okay. I have to do it. I really have to."

It was difficult to say anything more after seeing her determined expression.

"Please take care of me, Sister!"

"Yeah, just trust me. I'll definitely help you grow, Yoon-hee."

As she said that, Jung Da-hyun gave me a sidelong glance.

***

After finishing their meal, Choi Jun-ho went out of the house for a moment. When they were alone, Jung Da-hyun cautiously asked Yoon-hee:

"I'm not doing too much, am I?"

"What? No! It’s perfectly fine."

"I’m glad."

"But is there a reason why you stopped my brother?"

Jung Da-hyun was taken aback. She thought she had intervened as naturally as possible.

"You noticed?"

"Yes, you were obviously stopping him."

"Well..." Jung Da-hyun trailed off and cautiously looked at the door that Choi Jun-ho had left through.

"Mr. Jun-ho's hands are a bit rough."

"Oh! Really? A lot? There are a lot of articles saying that."

"Hmm?"

Did she touch a nerve? Jung Da-hyun thought she might have mentioned an uncomfortable truth.

"Tell me."

"Yoon-hee, your brother, he’s a bit rougher than what you might think."

"Well, I’m glad to hear it."

"What for?"

"Because Sister is here. I know that Brother has no middle ground. But I can still be relieved because Sister is here. Please watch over him. Please."

"..."

Was it because it was Choi Jun-ho's sister who said it? The meaning made her heart flutter.

She didn't know that trust received from someone could be this sweet.

She had changed jobs to become a government hunter for this. Unknowingly, she had forgotten her original intentions and just became absorbed in her work.

"Trust me."

"Yes! Then how should I deal with villains?"

Jung Da-hyun smiled at Yoon-hee's spirited response.

"The Sacred Guild has a power-releasing type of short sword. It's called the Shot Series."

"Ah! I know that too."

"You take that and then cut off their legs when you see the villain."

"What?"

Did she not know why they should aim for the legs?

Though puzzled, Jung Da-hyun explained further.

"If their legs are cut off, they lose their mobility. That's the most important point."

"Oh, I see."

"And 99% of the people who approach during a hunt are villains. If they approach without saying anything, assume they're a villain and cut them off first. If the legs are too hard to cut, then the arms are also good. It makes it difficult for them to handle their weapon when their balance is thrown off."

"What if they're not a villain?"

"It's their fault for approaching without saying anything, but you should still apologize, right? And you can use emergency transportation. Then you can reattach the severed limb. Oh! We can reattach the neck too, but be mindful that they might die."

Choi Jun-ho would probably suggest killing or decapitating them first.

Compared to that, this was such a gentle way of dealing with those villains.

"Sister, I suddenly thought of a proverb. It's called 'yuyusangjong'." (T/N: A Korean proverb that means "birds of a feather flock together" or "like-minded people tend to gather together". It implies that people with similar interests, personalities, or backgrounds often form groups or communities with one another.)

"Why 'yuyusangjong' suddenly?"

"I don't think you should say that your brother is cruel. From what I heard, what you said should be something my brother would also say..."

"W-what?"

Jung Da-hyun was shocked.

***

After Jung Dahyun left, Yoon-hee's gaze on me was not normal.

"What did you do to Sister Da-hyun? It's all Brother's fault. Take responsibility."

"What did I do?"

"Everything from the beginning to the end! Sister Da-hyun is such a good person, but because of the mistake of taking care of you, she's in that state...sigh."

"Even if you put it that way, I still don't know what you’re saying."

"If you knew, could you do anything?"

"I could try."

Yoon-hee's expression wrinkled at my response. I felt unfairly accused, wondering what I had done wrong. Was it because I brought Jung Da-hyun and induced her to eat soybean paste stew?

Or was it because I didn't put the head of the Aul Boar? Maybe I underestimated the taste buds of Jung Da-hyun and Yoon-hee.

"Next time, I will put the head..."

"Forget it, it's worse if you care. Anyway, you're responsible for Sister Da-hyun being like that because of you. Oh, but I like Sister Se-hee too."

It seemed like the Aul’s Boar’s head was not the problem.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be responsible. By the way, why did you suddenly mention Miss Se-hee here?"

"I don't know. Brother has some things he doesn't know."

"But when did you become close with Miss Se-hee?"

"At the final interview, we got along really well, and it turns out she knows you. She was very careful about mentioning your name. I hope you didn’t offend her."

To be precise, it would be more accurate to say that I almost offended her. Our first meeting kind of went like that, so she was probably just being too cautious.

"I didn't offend her."

"Well, that's a relief. I thought she was an untouchable conglomerate at first, but surprisingly, she's modest and has a broad mind. She may seem a bit calculated, but that's actually an advantage. And she's pretty! There's Sister Da-hyun and Sister Se-hee around you. They’re total eye candies!"

"..."

"Why?"

Instead of answering, I reached out and touched Yoon-hee's head. It was clean, and my suspicion that Lee Se-hee might have used her mind-based Gift disappeared.

"Ah, what! Don't touch my head!"

"It's fine to be close with Lee Se-hee, but be careful. She's a woman with a mental Gift."

I said with the intention of warning Yoon-hee.

"Uh, she said she can get close to people, but she's been restraining herself since she met a Master a while ago. She said that she can use her charms to get people to like her. Normally, you would think she’s arrogant for saying that, but when Sister Se-hee said it, it sounded natural. How can she be cool when she’s so proud and arrogant? But Brother, you’re not the ‘Master’ she’s talking about, right?"

"Anyway, be careful."

"No, I don't like girls! I like guys?"

"Okay, I believe you."

"Hmph! Why do I have to explain this?"

"I said I believe you?"

I had gotten some scolding, but I hope I had given her a wake-up call. I also heard that Yoon-hee's taste in men was normal, so I was glad that’s cleared.

"Just in case, if you ever date a guy, introduce him to me."

"Why, to see if he's a good guy?"

"Of course."

I was not doubting Yoon-hee's discernment, but there were some villains who were good at wooing women. Either that, or they're flirtatious, trying to woo a high-profile female hunter.

It's a big world and there were plenty of people to kill, but I had never had to kill a playboy.

But if it had something to do with my little sister, it's a different story.

If he's a strange guy, I would quietly check him out, and if he didn't fit, it's best to deal with him.

Still, as her older brother, I hoped Yoon-hee could meet a good guy.

What standards should we set to determine what made a good guy? First of all, he should be able to protect his own woman, so having the ability to block my attacks three times would be good enough.

Hmmm.

But now that I thought about it, I don't think many people would survive this. The average age of Yoon-hee's prospective husband was probably in their 50s. I guess I need to look at their way of thinking more than their ability. In this day and age, knowing if the other person was sane or not was easy.

Brainwashing would have been useful at times like this. If I could handle it more skillfully, I could have extracted information without making them look like idiots.

It's like when you go to your in-laws to get permission to drink. It's the same thing, wasn't it?

"Personality is more important than ability, it's all about personality. Bring someone who is sane."

I knew well that even if someone had good skills, it's meaningless if they’re crazy.

"...Should you at least ask if there’s any decent men around?"

"Is it impossible? Well, I know one but his personality is a bit dirty."

"Why is this enemy stirring up trouble?" (T/N: An idiom that implies that someone is intentionally causing problems or making things difficult.)

Yoon-hee wrinkled her face.

***

A few days later.

The National Security Agency was calm as usual.

Until Jung Ju-ho, who came to work earlier than usual, called all personnel.

"I got information on the Eraser. From now on, we will launch an operation to arrest him."