The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity

After defeating Blink Han Sang-min, I was tasked with securing the League’s supply of drugs.

As I carried out the mission and defeated the villain as ordered, a question briefly crossed my mind: What am I doing all of this for?

It’s true that I hated villains and was performing my duties as a government hunter. But if someone was to say that eliminating villains was my life’s greatest task, that would not be accurate.

I didn’t have that kind of belief or sense of responsibility.

Becoming a government hunter was also a matter of convenience for me.

But what if it’s no longer convenient? The merit of being a government hunter greatly diminished.

So what should I do from now on?

“My head hurts.”

I didn’t think it would be possible for me to move around like this without revealing my identity or my abilities.

On the other note, the idea of disguising black agents as villains and infiltrating deeply into the villain world was quite surprising.

Jung Ju-ho sighed, saying that my existence had been revealed, and it’s hard for me to do the same strategy.

But in any case, the choice was mine. I only chose to be a black agent out of necessity, and I could quit at any time if I didn’t feel like doing it.

It felt like the League’s name was spreading more and more.

I asked Jung Da-hyun for information about the League.

“Miss Da-hyun.”

“Yes, Mr. Jun-ho?”

“Last time, you said that the League was an organization that has certain goals.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know who the leader of the League is?”

“There’s no certain information about it. We can only speculate that the Level 8 villains might be the leaders. But we do have information about the three villains who created the League.”

Argos, Hell Master, and Black Hound.

They were known as the pioneers of the League and the worst villains in the world today.

“We don’t know how the three villains got together, but the combination was an unmitigated disaster for the world.”

“......”

The three names were villains I had heard of before. They were still infamous even after I became the Blood Master, but I had never seen them in person.

Why had I never seen them? Was this really just a coincidence?

“Their strength is said to be unrivaled among Level 8 superhumans. The United States has tried to capture them time and time again, but they’ve taken extreme damage and retreated.”

Seeing the seriousness in my expression, Jung Da-hyun cautiously consoled me.

“Still, the League’s influence isn’t that strong in Korea, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

“Well, I think we should be worried about those villains, not Mr. Jun-ho.”

“......!”

Jung Da-hyun was startled by the voice from behind and stood up from her seat. Lee Se-hee, who was smiling when she arrived, was looking at her with her chin slightly raised.

“Hello? It’s been a while, Mr. Jun-ho.”

“It’s been a while.”

Because it was not just the two of us, I talked formally and showed a bit of respect, and Lee Se-hee immediately corrected me.

“You can talk to me more casually like usual. You seem distant when you suddenly use formal speech.”

“......!”

Everyone around them looked surprised, even Jung Da-hyun showed how big her eyes could get.

“I have an appointment with the director first. See you later.”

Waving her hand lightly and smiling, Lee Se-hee headed towards the director’s office.

And then, all eyes within the National Security Agency were on me.

What was that?

***

For Jung Ju-ho, a lifelong government official, Lee Se-hee was a daunting prospect.

Despite her young age, she possessed sparkling talent, exceptional skills, innate background, and beauty, making her seem like a brilliant sun.

With the rise of the large guilds becoming more and more frightening by the day, it was easy to see why someone with such a promising future could spiral out of control.

Her time would soon come.

“It was a sudden request, but thank you for accepting it, Director.”

“How could I refuse the request of Sacred Guild’s head of operation? Please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

Shortly after, Lee Se-hee took a sip of the coffee, which had steam rising from it.

“So, what brings you here?”

“I came because of a problem related to Mr. Jun-ho’s skills.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Mr. Jun-ho is Level 7, or maybe even higher.”

“...”

“Perhaps the Director has taken some action by now.”

“Hmm!”

What should he call that gaze? It was as if she already knew everything? It was clear that she knew how he would react. Nevertheless, there was no sense of hostility. That was Lee Se-hee’s greatest strength.

Should he call it daring? If he was 20 years younger, he would have thrown everything away for her, even if it meant living frugally. Of course, it wouldn’t involve marriage. One terrible experience was enough for him.

“The information power of the Sacred Guild always exceeds expectations. How much do you know?”

“I also have eyes and ears, so I know roughly.”

“Ah, you wouldn’t happen to know the color of the underwear I’m wearing, right?”

“Fortunately, I’m not interested in that.”

Lee Se-hee’s smile was insistent. Unable to shake it off, Jung Ju-ho sighed heavily.

“Choi Jun-ho is an official hunter of the National Security Agency.”

“He is also the older brother of Choi Yoon-hee, who belongs to our Sacred Guild.”

“......”

“Miss Yoon-hee’s talent is considerable, to the point that if we continue to cultivate her talent from now on, I have high hopes for her to reach Level 7, maybe even Level 8. In order to take care of those high hopes, I think I should be aware of Mr. Jun-ho’s problem. It’s for the good of the country, in a way.”

She continued to tease him with her smooth speech.

“Since the Divine Guild is also the sponsor of the National Guard, and since Mr. Junho has a connection to me, I think we can work together to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. I apologize if I’m getting ahead of myself.”

He was completely taken aback.

Even if he played hardball here, he couldn’t defeat the cause of thinking of Choi Jun-ho and Choi Yoon-hee. Even they were from the Sacred Guild, having someone who can reach Level 8 could help increased the country’s power.

Seeing that Lee Se-hee was already convinced of her victory, Jung Ju-ho let out a disappointed laugh.

“I was planning to let him do his job quietly for a while.”

“It’s hard on you, Director.”

“I’m losing twice as much hair a day because of that guy. Doesn’t the Sacred Guild develop such a remedy? Please let me know if you develop it. Even if it’s a clinical trial, I’ll gladly support it.”

“I’ll go to the research lab and check it out for you.”

“Just doing that much is appreciated. Anyway, we won’t completely exclude the Sacred Guild from future matters, so don’t worry. We also want to maintain a good relationship with the Sacred Guild, especially with the head of the operations.”

“The Director is the most trustworthy partner among the government hunters. Thank you for trusting me.”

The atmosphere seemed friendly on the surface.

In reality, he had allowed himself to be hit hard by a surprise attack, and Lee Se-hee had gained a significant advantage.

However, he couldn’t just continue to suffer losses, so Jung Ju-ho came up with a solution that he had been considering.

“Can the head of operations make Choi Jun-ho be more careful? Your beauty might sway him.”

The meaning of Lee Se-hee’s smile changed from overconfidence to bitterness after hearing Jung Ju-ho’s sincere complaint.

“Director, are you saying that to kill me?”

“What? Of course not.”

“I’ll leave.”

Lee Se-hee, who had completely lost her confidence, weakly got up from her seat.

***

After Lee Se-hee entered the director’s office, there was a brief silence between me and Jung Da-hyun. I talked about my first meeting with Lee Se-hee, excluding the demon heart incident, and her meeting with Yoon Hee.

After a moment, Jung Ju-ho and Lee Se-hee came out of the director’s office. But their expressions were strange.

Did they have a serious conversation?

After exchanging greetings, Jung Ju-ho went inside, and Lee Se-hee approached me.

At that moment, someone bravely approached her.

“Hello, Team Leader Lee Se-hee. I’m Oh Jong-yeop.”

“Oh! Are you Jong-soo’s older brother? I heard you were friends with Mr. Jun-ho, and you have a great Gift.”

“Haha, yes. Thanks to you, Jong-soo has hope for a new life. Thank you.”

Embarrassed, Oh Jong-yeop laughed, unable to meet Lee Se-hee’s sparkling eyes. He seemed like a confirmed virgin, completely mesmerized.

“I did what I could within my power. Mr. Jun-ho should be the one to receive thanks.”

“You’re as kind-hearted as you are beautiful.”

“Then who do you think is better between me and Da-hyun?”

“Huh? Um, well...”

With an unexpected blow, Oh Jong-yeop stumbled.

“Just kidding, I’ll greet you properly next time.”

“Yes, yes!”

Oh Jong-yeop stepped aside, and Lee Se-hee approached where Jung Da-hyun and I were. She looked intently at Jung Dahyun’s face before speaking to me.

“I’ll borrow Da-hyun for a bit. Hey, let’s go eat.”

“Why are you suddenly here?”

“I know everything. You’re in a slump. When you’re like this, just forget about the diet and eat as much as you want. Let’s go.”

“Uh, what?”

Lee Se-hee and Jung Da-hyun disappeared in an instant.

Someone who sincerely worried about someone’s slump and cheered them up. Was that what a friend was? Jung Da-hyun had a really good friend.

Meanwhile, my friend seemed a little lacking.

This relaxed atmosphere didn’t last long.

The next day, a news came like a bolt of lightning.

“The Berserker and the Puppeteer have made contact.

***

The moment the Berserker’s contact with the Puppeteer was revealed, all government organizations, including the National Security Agency, were placed on emergency alert.

In addition, a meeting of the National Guild Alliance was held, where the government side argued for a reduction in hunting, fearing villain raids, while the guilds argued for maintaining the original frequency.

The two villains were representative of lone villains who worked alone. Berserker was the strongest among Korean villains, and the Puppeteer was an immortal villain who could never die. No one could easily predict what disaster their alliance would bring.

“They’ll probably try to destroy us.”

Jung Dahyun, who looked much brighter after talking to Lee Se-hee, stood next to me. She said that if the two villains, both estimated to be Level 7, joined forces, they would be unstoppable unless a Level 8 Superhuman stopped them.

“Berserker is a difficult villain to catch, and the Puppeteer is even more challenging. I think both the government and the guilds will have to move to catch them.”

There was one more reason why they couldn’t just use a half-hearted force, and that was because of the Puppeteer’s ability.

‘Puppetry’ was a gift that allowed the Puppeteer to draw out the strength and potential of a corpse, and the more corpses he acquired, the more powerful the Puppeteer became.

“Maybe Mr. Jun-ho should make a move.”

“That remains to be seen.”

Originally, Berserker was my job, but with Berserker and the Puppeteer joining forces, the initiative had shifted to the government. They only knew a fraction of what I was capable of, so they would probably take other measures.

Due to Jung Ju-ho’s tendency not to want to cause headaches, he would probably want to use a Level 8 superhuman rather than me.

As someone who suspected that the Berserker might be a Level 8, I decided to watch and wait for my chance to intervene, knowing that my turn to take action would soon come.

My expectations were precisely on target.

“Honorable Minister Kim Yong-hwan, Red Snake, will prepare for the Berserker and Puppeteer’s collaboration.”

Honorable Minister Kim Young-hwan. The only Level 8 superhuman affiliated with the government.

At the age of 70, although he was considered to be power hungry and past his prime, the prestige of being a Level 8 had not faded.

Naturally, the atmosphere brightened.

In contrast, Jung Ju-ho’s expression remained serious.

“We’ll hold the Puppeteer, who will be difficult to eliminate with hammer and anvil tactics, with our elite forces, while the Minister will be in charge of the Berserker. The Blue House’s Security Office will be in charge of the operation, and we’ll organize the encirclement as one axis.” (T/N: Hammer and Anvil tactics is a military strategy that involves two complementary forces working together to defeat an enemy. The “hammer” is the offensive force that attacks the enemy head-on, while the “anvil” is the defensive force that prevents the enemy from escaping and traps them in a location.)

It was a short time, but the operation was well organized.

This was why when I was the Blood Master, if I showed up, they would follow me like a pack of dogs.

The main personnel of the three major government agencies, the National Security Agency, Foreign Cooperation Agency, and Demon Defense Frontline Agency, would be mobilized, as well as the local villain response teams.

“Everyone, wait for the start of the operation command. And Choi Jun-ho.”

“Yes.”

“Follow me. I have something to tell you.”

I followed Jung Ju-ho into the director’s office.

“Is it okay that the Berserker has left your hand?”

“Yes. It can’t be helped in this situation.”

“Well, I’m glad you understand, but there’s something I need you to do for this operation.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember the villains you captured in our last operation with the Foreign Cooperation Agency? We interrogated them and determined that the Puppeteer was behind them.”

“I see.”

“But we couldn’t get any more information after that. They said there was a ban on them.”

“What does that mean?”

I recalled the ability that was forbidden after using it on Wang Ju-yeol.

“Permission has been granted from above. Use your ability to extract information from them.”

“Understood.”

It was a good opportunity. I needed to increase my mastery of brainwashing during this mission.

***

After Choi Jun-ho left and Jung Ju-ho was left alone, he scratched his head.

“Are they already trying to restrain him?”

No matter how much he tried to hide it, the sharp thorns would always poke out.

Starting from government agencies, Head Breaker Choi Jun-ho’s name was known to large guilds one by one.

Perhaps even the secret operation of the National Security Agency, the Berserker arrest operation, might have leaked out.

It might also be because of the Red Snake Kim Yong-hwan’s intervention, demanding the withdrawal of the Berserker arrest operation.

“An ambitious person with a lot of greed...”

But as the only Level 8 superhuman the government could mobilize, there was nothing he could do but talk behind the other’s back.

Jung Ju-ho’s problems did not end here.

A subordinate employee who came in with a knock brought a report.

“Director.”

“What is it?”

“We received a call from the United States.”

“Why suddenly the United States?”

Although the United States’ influence has declined since the emergence of demons, it was still an allied country and the most influential superpower.

“That, they want to have a joint operation with the Head Breaker...”

“Refuse.”

“What? What reason should I give?”

“Tell them he’s busy.”

“Oh, I see.”

As the subordinate left, Jung Ju-ho held his throbbing head.

“They’re poking and prodding from all sides.”

He felt that the limit was approaching slowly.