The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity

The situation surrounding Choi Jun-ho was changing rapidly. Jung Ju-ho covered his face with his hands and groaned as he watched it run out of control.

“I can’t stop it after all.”

From the ‘above’ pointing directly at Choi Jun-ho, to the discovery of the brainwashing, to the interest of the United States. By now, the other large guilds, as well as other countries, must be analyzing ‘Head Breaker’.

To put it bluntly, Choi Jun-ho was too big a fish for the National Security Agency to catch.

Even if Jung Ju-ho were to personally watch his back, the treatment he received would be poor compared to his skill level.

It’s almost certain that his skill was at Level 8 and his young age in his 20s showed how bright his future could be. He was an attractive commodity who could receive the best treatment anywhere in the world.

Although Jung Ju-ho wished to tie him up here, there was no way to force him since he was just a director of a single government agency.

“But he’s dangerous.”

The problem was that Choi Jun-ho was a dangerous individual.

He’s a government hunter in the Villain Task Force, but sometimes he’s more dangerous than a villain.

Fortunately, he was not a person who sought wealth, fame, or power. However, his violent methods and gruesome ideas were a problem, even without those advantages.

Could the world really accept that?

What if he clashed with the powerful and the public?

All of these brilliant possibilities would become a dark cloud over the world.

Honestly, he seemed crazier than the Berserker.

He did not say such harsh words because the other was still working for him.

He’d tried to keep things from spiraling out of control, but the situation had reached a point where he couldn’t stop it.

“I never thought I’d be praying to God when I don’t believe in God.”

May the world be able to accept that monster.

Jung Ju-ho was less worried about Choi Joon-ho than he was about the world that would be exposed to him defenselessly.

Knock knock!

“Come in.”

The subordinate who entered lowered their head and reported, “The necessary information has been prepared.”

“Already? What is the status of the villains?”

“Well, that’s...”

“Tell me in detail.”

“They’re all in the same state as Team Leader Wang. One of them shouted that he was going to speak out, but he was speaking in Chinese— I’m late, I’m sorry.”

“Hmm, I see.”

It was strange to think that brainwashing would be used on these villains and they would come out unscathed.

The most terrifying part of Choi Jun-ho was that he showed no mercy to those he designated as ‘evil’.

“And there’s one more order from above.”

“What order?”

“To report on the process of how exactly the information was obtained...”

“It seems that Choi Jun-ho’s identity has been exposed.”

Was it Yeom Ki-chul’s doing? He had teased him quite a bit about his marriage. But since they were both married men, couldn’t he just accept it as a mutual destruction concept? What a petty guy.

As soon as he made a complaint call, Yeom Ki-chul jumped.

-It’s not me!

“Are you sure?”

-I was actually trying to keep that secret. I was going to hide it and use it a few more times, but... tsk.

The call was cut off like that.

It’s not certain that eom Ki-chul was the culprit. Choi Jun-ho should have been all over the place.

Maybe it was a luxury to hope for perfect security.

Jung Ju-ho’s face crumpled as he realized he was racing to the end.

***

The Berserker and the Puppeteer were starting to make their presence felt. When I asked about the trends in the Sacred Guild, Yoon Hee replied that they were similar.

“We’ve already been discussing it within the guild. Reducing the number of hunts will affect the guild’s revenue.”

What Yoon-hee mentioned was economic logic.

The hearts and byproducts of demons hunted by the hunters of the Sacred Guild were scattered to various workshops and factories to be reprocessed and transformed into high-value items.

Reducing the number of hunts meant a slump in related industries, leading to a decline in the group’s revenue and a slowdown in the market. The word “economic slump” was a magical word that could overcome any disaster or calamity.

At times like this, it’s okay to go after major villains.

Known villains were aware of it, but villains also occasionally hunted demons and there were quite a few who hoarded hearts and materials.

“Does Brother think it’s serious enough to reduce the number of hunts?”

“Two annoying villains have teamed up, so it’s definitely dangerous. But if guilds were too scared of villains, they won’t be able to hunt at all.”

“I think the same way. I was just starting to make some money, but now it’s frustrating. I didn’t really think about government policies, but why are there so many restrictions? It’s annoying! Oh! That doesn’t mean I have a problem with the National Security Agency.”

“Politicians are all the same.”

The hands-on organizations, including the NSA, moved quickly. But those at the top, those with political feet in the water, were inefficient.

Politicians were best changed periodically. It would be nice to get rid of everyone on the list.

“Perhaps we won’t reduce hunting unless it becomes mandatory, since we have many dependents on our side.”

“Then you’ll hunt actively, too.”

“I guess so? The water is rising these days!”

“The most dangerous time is when you become overconfident. Always be careful.”

When hunting, one could never be too careful. When they’re not at full strength in front of the demon, it’s easy to get caught off guard.

“Don’t worry, I don’t do that when I’m hunting.”

“And the Puppeteer is said to have an eye for talented hunters, so be careful.”

“So if I’m chosen by the Puppeteer, I’m talented?”

“Is that a good thing?”

Why was she so reckless and fearless? To my criticism, Yoon-hee responded confidently.

“Anyway, it means I’ve been chosen, though of course I should run away as soon as I see him.”

“Did the Sacred Guild warn you about the Puppeteer?”

“There’s no information about who the Puppeteer really is, and each of his puppet has a different purpose. Ah! It said that he secured the body of a Level 7 hunter, Jung Hae-sol. They told us to run away immediately if you see it. Even if you kill it, it’s just a puppet, so there won’t be any impact.”

“That’s probably the best option.”

I couldn’t give advice because I had never met the Puppeteer when I was the Blood Master.

The one thing that was clear was that there was no proper guy among those who hide behind the scenes. That didn’t mean that the person in charge was proper, either.

In the end, it would be better to just kill them all.

“Wear the bracelet when you’re out. Contact me immediately if there’s any danger.”

“You’re so considerate. Okay, I got it.”

“Remember, even if I help you, you should trust your own skills when it’s dangerous. Don’t choose means and methods that you can’t handle until I arrive.”

“I got it.”

Yoon-hee nodded her head, no longer playing around.

***

As plans were made to catch the Berserker and the Puppeteer, and hunters were selected from each agency, an unexpected guest visited the National Security Agency.

“It’s good to see the future that will light up Korea. I’m Kim Yong-hwan,” he said.

With a strong impression and sharp eyes like a snake, he was an old man with a thin build.

At first glance, he might seem like a senior citizen with some personality, but the weight brought by his name was by no means light.

Honorary Minister Kim Yong-hwan.

The Red Snake.

Known for his unique persistence and ruthlessness, it was said that if he chose a target once, blood would be shed. Infamous in his youth for his dealings with villains and large guilds, he was the only government-affiliated Level 8 Superhuman.

Jung Ju-ho, who rushed out of the director’s office upon hearing the news of Kim Yong-hwan’s visit, bowed deeply.

“Please come in, Minister. I didn’t know you would come in person. It’s an honor to have you here.”

“It’s been a while, Ju-ho. Have you been well?”

“Yes. I’ve been well.”

“I came to give instructions on the revised operation plan. The National Security Agency has been performing well lately, right? You’ve been stubborn for a long time, but now you’ve finally figured out how to produce results.”

“Please come inside.”

Guided inside, Kim Yong-hwan looked around the national director’s office and spoke.

“You should be close to becoming a Level 8 now, shouldn’t you? You’ve been around for quite some time. You should follow in my footsteps.”

“Haha, taking that step isn’t easy. I almost wanted to give up halfway these days.”

“It’s regrettable, but understanding your own limit is also important. You have decided to understand your own limit.”

“With so many people running around recklessly, wouldn’t it be good to have at least one person who understands their own limitations?”

“Judging from your response, it seems you haven’t given up yet.”

Pretending not to hear, Jung Ju-ho recalled the words he had just spoken and asked cautiously.

“By the way, you said you had a revision to the operation...”

“I’ve come up with a better plan. It’s an efficient way to capture both the Berserker and Puppeteer at the same time.”

“......”

Seeing the dry smile, Jung Ju-ho felt a chill run down his spine. He realized that in Kim Yong-hwan’s mind, there was no such thing as minimizing damage, only efficiency.

Kim Yong-hwan was the living embodiment of power. He was a ruthless individual who could sacrifice anything without blinking an eye to gain more power.

In fact, there was an incident over 10 years ago on a mission that Kim Young-hwan directly led that had resulted in the deaths of over a hundred government hunters.

It was a mission that could have reduced the damage significantly if more time and caution had been taken. However, due to Kim Yong-hwan’s stubbornness in wanting to achieve results at the end of the second half of the year, it failed.

Because of such a track record, the proposal he brought was dangerous.

Jung Ju-ho did not know if Kim Yong-hwan knew his thoughts or not, but the other showed a dry smile.

“There’s a pretty famous name these days. Head Breaker?”

“Yes? Yes. He’s still a junior who has a lot to learn.”

“Still, you can give some compliments to your juniors, right?”

Jung Ju-ho hardened his expression, unable to accept the other’s meaning positively.

“Let’s talk about the plan first. I want to talk to everyone, so let’s gather everyone together.”

“I understand.”

Feeling the ominousness, Jung Ju-ho called in the hunters of the National Security Agency to the conference room.

***

The ugliness of lust.

This was how I saw Kim Yong-hwan.

At the age of 70, he should be thinking about retirement, but he was still active and using his position as an honorary minister to exert his influence.

Even though he was already past his prime, the government had been unable to encourage him to retire because he was the only Level 8 Superhuman affiliated with the government.

No, by this point, it would not be right for Kim Yong-hwan to obstruct the appearance of a new Superhuman.

In the future, Kim Yong-hwan would serve for another 10 years before retiring at the age of 80.

He’s an old man who had always made sure he’s in the spotlight and got the results he wanted at all costs. Even at the age of 70, he was an expert at flirting with women.

Such an old man could not just pass by Jung Da-hyun when he saw her.

“Ha ha, how have you been? You’ve become more beautiful.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve improved a lot during that time. But it’s time to start facing obstacles. Working hard and making efforts are important, but it’s important to choose and focus at this time.”

Jung Da-hyun flinched at the sticky gaze of the old man. He was running rampant without realizing how dirty he looked.

“Come see me sometime. It’s also a hobby of this old man to develop talents like you.”

“Thank you.”

“Minister. What is the new operation?”

Jung Ju-ho, who had not seen the ‘flirting’, intervened.

“This operation is not bad, but it is uncertain whether we can definitely catch them. So I plan to modify and command it myself. If we follow my operation, we can catch not only the Berserker but also the Puppeteer.”

Everyone’s face was filled with anxiety at the voice full of confidence.

As far as I knew, this old man’s commanding ability is below average.

“First of all, since we have a large number of troops, we will build a huge encirclement and deploy elite forces to deliver overwhelming firepower.”

Kim Yong-hwan explained the modified operation with a confident voice. He was convinced that they could catch the Berserker and the Puppeteer, but the faces of the listeners were not bright.

After splitting the elite force in half to take on the two, at a crucial moment, Kim Yong-hwan said he would hunt down the Berserker and use the momentum to catch the Puppeteer.

It may sound plausible, but in the end, it was a statement that he would use the government hunters as expendables to weaken the villains’ power and then catch them himself.

Jung Ju-ho pointed out that part.

“The damage will be significant.”

“When the two villains combine their strength, the damage is inevitable. We must capture them definitively, even if there is some damage.”

It seemed like he just wanted to hog all the credits himself.

Sacrifices were inevitable, but if you unpack it, it meant ‘you should sacrifice yourselves so that I can capture them’.

Was being so shameless a talent? Honestly, I didn’t think I could do that even if I was told to.

I’d just step in and snap his neck.

“There may be casualties among you, but don’t worry. I’ll send those two bastards to hell, I swear.”

“...”

I couldn’t help but admire his iron nerves that exceeded my imagination.

“What a load of bullshit.”