The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 48:

I couldn’t believe they took my analogy seriously.

It was a bit sad that they didn’t understand the humor behind it.

In the end, to clear up the misunderstanding, I chose to show them a scene of me processing the monster core right there.

After warning people not to come closer, I began to inject Force into Nuri’s core.

Lee Myung-hak, who had been deeply frustrated, began to exclaim as if to say, ‘how did this happen?’ as he gazed at Nuri’s core emitting light from my hand.

“Oh, oh! Ohhh!”

As he tried to get closer, he saw the Force waves flying and began to watch at a distance that did not affect him. And he surprisingly maintained that distance.

I began the processing, but it wasn’t easier than when I did it with a level 6 monster core. While a significant portion of the level 8 core had been refined, impurities remained, and since all the Forces within the core had to be under my control, it consumed a considerable amount of mental energy.

If this level had this effect on me, then other Awakened individuals should be firmly prepared.

Woong! Woong! Woong! Woong!

The waves of power emanating from Nuri’s core were formidable. I didn’t know what the craftsmen who process cores would call it, but I believed it’s the last struggle of the lingering remnants of the monster’s consciousness.

The consciousness programmed to be hostile to humanity resisted control to the end.

It’s just the last struggle of a dead being.

However, the resistance was weaker than I had expected.

Maybe because I brainwashed Nuri before killing it. Or did I perhaps managed to tame it? I was not sure why, but I was able to lightly break down the weak resistance and then push in the Force to clear it my way. I learned from Heartworker, but unlike him, who did it with natural dexterity, I pushed away the resistance with Force.

The difference between me and the Heartworker was that I carved pathways with overwhelming Force, whereas the Heartworker was more of a fine-tuner, chiseling out the optimal path.

That’s why my Force consumption was heavy.

This was why I needed to catch Heartworker quickly. He must be in Busan by now. I should take some time to visit him.

After concentrating for about 30 minutes, I finally completed the processing. The Force inside the core seemed to be moving more vigorously than before.

“This… this is.”

“Please check.”

Carefully accepting Nuri’s core, Lee Myung-hak’s eyes lit up with ecstasy, which grew even larger as he measured the amount of Force in the core.

“No way! It can’t be this efficient…”

“It’s 156.9%. It turned out better than expected.”

“How did you do it? I’ve never seen this kind of processing method before.”

That’s what Heartworker did in the future. It might be because he joined forces with a villain organization, but his skills were undoubtedly impressive.

In the end, the one trillion became 1.569 trillion. I made quite a profit after just one processing.

“Then please calculate based on the processed part.”

“Th-the processing method, please!”

“It hasn’t been established as a theory yet, but I’ll explain it gradually.”

“Understood.”

I was the only one who could do it now. Another reason to find Heartworker had emerged.

Lee Myung-hak’s expression brightened. Now was a good timing to clear up any misunderstandings.

“And…”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t really mean for you to give up your life. You know that, right?”

“…Yes.”

The answer that came after a short silence didn’t sit well with me.

***

“They said that with this newly acquired level 8 core, we can power a whole power plant. And it can run longer than the ones previously processed.”

The President’s voice was filled with excitement. It had been a series of successes lately, including his recent rise in approval ratings.

The National Science Monster Research Institute wanted to use Choi Jun-ho’s processed heart for research, but the President immediately had it installed in the power plant.

Due to the monsters, humanity lost more than half of its territory and was unable to operate nuclear power plants, leading to an energy crisis. However, if they could use a level 8 or higher monster core as a power source, they could restart an entire power plant.

More energy could support a larger population, potentially preventing the refugee crisis and reducing the growth of villains.

“How did he learn to process monster core? Choi Jun-ho is like an onion. You peel him, and there’s always more. I wonder what he’ll come up with next.”

“……”

“Aren’t you excited? It’s like opening a gift box from your childhood.”

“Sometimes, you get nothing.”

“Then I would cry out of disappointment. What’s the worst that could happen here? How about something like, ‘Choi Jun-ho was actually the Eraser’?”

“That would be a disaster.”

“Just kidding.”

The President laughed cheerfully, but Cheon Myeong-guk couldn’t share the same sentiment. The very idea of such an assumption was enough to make him sick to his stomach.

“It’s hard not to speculate because of two Level 8 appearing around the same time. There hasn’t been any mention of the Eraser since their first appearance, so there might be a mistake. Or we misunderstood something, and it was really just Berserker. Even that Berserker has become part of our forces through cooperation with Choi Jun-ho. He’s really quite the asset. A great asset indeed.”

The President, still smiling, said to Director Cheon.

“With the extra power, we can run a smart farm.”

“We’ll be able to produce more food.”

“Residential areas are important, but food comes first. We need to provide benefits to the essential workforce so they can be more efficient. That way, the frequency of refugee incidents will decrease.”

“The urban outskirts’ slumification has largely come to a halt.”

“Seoul is in the stable zone, so Busan is the problem.”

“But Mayor Yoo…”

“He’s an ambitious figure, wanting to secure this position here.”

Busan, the second-largest city after Seoul, had been expanding in recent times, but behind the scenes, there was rapid growth of a villain organization.

The ambitions of Busan’s mayor align with the desires of these villains.

“It’s still at a manageable level, so let Mayor Yoo handle it.”

“It will become a significant problem in a few years.”

“Before that, we just need to cut it off. Why don’t we ask Choi Jun-ho to go there once before my term ends, and nip it in the bud?”

“……”

Cheon Myeong-guk imagined the front sea of Busan turning red with blood.

“By the way, if a single monster core can bring about so many changes, don’t you think that if the guilds were a little less greedy, even more changes would happen?”

“You shouldn’t look at it that way.”

“I know. It’s a chicken and egg problem.”

When guilds hunted monsters, most of the byproducts were reinvested into tools for hunting.

The President knew this was part of the process to hunt more monsters. However, sometimes, when energy was scarce, seeking help from the guilds resulted in minimal cooperation.

He couldn’t help but get the impression that the power of the guilds was slowly overwhelming the power of the state. What would happen when this process accelerated?

First, the government would be incapacitated. Then, the decisions of the major guilds would essentially become the decisions of the nation.

Many governments of various countries had already collapsed, and even now, organizations supported by the League were wreaking havoc, leading to near-civil-war conflicts in some nations.

But with Choi Jun-ho, the story would change.

“Indeed, if we don’t seize this opportunity, we’ll be left behind forever. Let’s proceed with the plan to establish a department above the three agencies. Let’s capitalize on our current momentum and actively steer the course of events in our favor.”

The President had thought about using this opportunity to overturn the balance of power between the government and the large guilds.

***

The place I headed to in search of Heartworker was Busan.

Since the appearance of monsters, local exchanges had become more active, and Busan had risen in status as the dominant city in the Gyeongsangnam-do region.

Busan strengthened its influence over neighboring cities and thrived through exchanges with Japan, and the results were successful.

To be precise, it would be accurate to say that it was disguised as a success.

Behind this, there was hidden booming black-market trade and the rapid growth of villain organizations.

The Heartworker I was looking for, Kim Jong-hyun, was a craftsman who processed monster cores. His ability to process monster cores was so exceptional that he was recognized everywhere.

Still, he’s been wandering the streets because of his poor writing and his penchant for women. My goal is to catch him, bring him back to Seoul, and turn him into a normal person.

He told me in my previous life that he had been active in Busan during his youth and then came up to Seoul, so it wasn’t difficult to find him.

I met him on his way home from delivering goods to the black market.

A Heartworker with a young man’s face was approaching.

“Heartworker Kim Jong-hyun.”

“…I am Kim Jong-hyun, but what’s a Heartworker? Who are you?”

“You still don’t go by that name?”

He looked at me warily.

Well, for me, it had been 20 years since we last met. Heartworker and I were the same age. So, he must have just started working.

“It’s a familiar face. Have we met somewhere before?”

“You might have seen my face on TV.”

“TV? No way!”

He belatedly recognized my face and was shocked. He quickly looked around. Whether he thought it’s disadvantageous or not, his first thought was to flee, just as it was back then and now.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t come to kill you.”

“I’ve never done anything to deserve to be killed.”

“I know, but you do have a record of supplying goods to the black market.”

“……”

“I’m not here to discuss that. Just come with me.”

“If I refuse, are you going to kill me?”

Heartworker, who flatly refused in one stroke, subtly shifted the center of his body backward. He’s got some kind of misunderstanding. He never had a choice from the beginning.

“I didn’t mention this. But if you don’t come, you’ll die.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong, so why are you trying to kill me?!”

“You’ve been supplying goods to the black market, right? Villains manage the black market, so you’re supplying goods to villains. That makes you a villain too.”

“You just said you’re not here to discuss that!”

“I changed my mind.”

“……”

“Decide right here and now.”

If he continued to be stubborn to the end, I really intended to kill him. The monster core he supplied ultimately made the local villain organization, Jagalchi, stronger.

In the future, the villainous organization Jagalchi grew into a large enough organization to take over the economy of Busan.

“Damn it! Why are you doing this to someone who barely earns enough to eat each day!”

“It’s because I need your skills. I can take you to Seoul and give you a job. Don’t you want to go to Seoul?”

“What on earth is this job that you need my skill?”

“Should we continue talking here?”

“…Follow me.”

I followed the Heartworker to a shabby space about three square meters. He was probably using it as a workshop.

“So, why does our esteemed Transcendent want to take me with him?”

“As I mentioned before, I need your abilities. Specifically, your processing skills.”

“Heh, you’re saying my skills are that needed?”

“But if you’re unfortunate enough to refuse, I’ll kill you.”

“……”

“Look at this.”

I handed Heartworker the level 6 core I processed from the monster I caught during a brief stroll before coming to Busan.

His eyes widened at the sight of the Force flowing through it.

“How did you do this? No, how did you manage this?”

“It’s a skill you’ll need to learn when you come to Seoul.”

“You’re going to teach me?”

“Yes. And I’ll admit your mother to the Sacred Hospital as well.”

“…..!”

Heartworker’s eyes widened, then returned to normal, and he sighed heavily.

“Well, if you came looking for me, you must have investigated me. I suppose this favor is because of my abilities, right?”

“Exactly. In return, you’ll have to learn diligently.”

“That’s only natural.”

I wasn’t worried about his abilities. Since it was a technology he had created, he would quickly catch up.

“Then when should we go?”

“That’s not as easy as it sounds. You know I supply the black market, and the villains there are quite protective of me. If I leave without telling them, they’ll come looking for me all the way to Seoul.”

“Then I’ll just have to kill them all.”

That’s the simplest solution.

Heartworker was shocked.

“You’re really being quite harsh with your words. Was the personality you displayed on the broadcast your real one? Well, those villains, even though they’re classified as such, aren’t necessarily bad people. Some of them have been kind to me, and I’d like to part with them amicably.”

There were villains in the world who weren’t bad?

“Are you going to talk to them?”

“Well, I suppose I can try?”

It didn’t seem like they would let go easily. I had been a villain myself, so I knew they could be quite possessive. They had a deep-rooted belief that what’s mine was mine, and what’s yours was also mine. And once something was in their grasp, they would do whatever it took to never let go. They’d rather die holding onto it than give it up to someone else.

Perhaps if they knew Heartworker’s skills, they’d never let him go.

After some thought, I said, “Then let’s go together.”

“Together?”

“Because if we go together, maybe the villains won’t be so unwilling to let you go.”

If I, a Transcendent, said it, they might give in willingly.

Heartworker might have thought the same.

He nodded obediently.

“Alright.”

***

Arriving at Busan Harbor, Heartworker and I headed for the villains’ hideout where he had been making deliveries.

Heartworker met with the person in charge there, and when he informed them that he was going to Seoul, a firm response came back.

“No, you can’t go.”

“No, boss. Last time, you said I could go when I wanted to…”

“Do you believe those words? Do we look like pushovers? Did you think we’d just send you off if you said you wanted to go?”

Sigh.

Heartwalker let out a deep sigh. The villain spoke soothingly to him in a soft voice.

“You’re doing well here too, aren’t you? Is it because of the money? I’ll talk to the boss and make sure you get a little more, so let’s keep doing well. Okay? We’ve been doing well, haven’t we?”

Alternating between carrots and threats made it impossible for him to leave on his own.

I, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward.

“Stop it and let him go.”

As a Level 8 Transcendent, if I spoke, they should understand…

“What’s this? Who’s this guy?”

“Who are you to step in? Huh? Do you want to die?”

The result of my intervention was pitiful.

They didn’t recognize me and instead laughed while making feeble threats.

“Wait a minute…”

Heartworker’s face, which had been watching this whole scene, turned pale. Perhaps he anticipated what would happen next.

“……”

Well, I began to reflect a bit.

I figured that being a state-certified Transcendent and capturing Nuri would make the villains recognize my face. They would almost certainly run away without looking back, so I was worried about how to catch them in the future. I even considered wearing a disguise, but it should be fine to go like this.

“My name is Choi Jun-ho.”

“What?”

The villains hesitated.

“Hyung-nim, now that I think about it, wasn’t the Transcendent who captured Nuri recently named Choi Jun-ho?”

“He- Head Breaker?”

“The same demon who turned Jung Da-hyun into the ‘Menacing Woman’?”

The villains’ pupils began to shake violently.

I took a step toward the door, blocking their retreat.

“That’s me.”