Chapter 51

Chapter 51

<There is one trillion won in donations there. You may take it all if you wish. That is, if you can survive the Head Breaker's hands.>

After the donation incident, it made for a sizable article. What I'd intended as a purely good-faith donation had somehow turned into a scheme to wipe out a corruption-riddled charity.

To anyone reading, it must have looked like I'd set a trap to slaughter them.

This feels oddly similar to when I told Director Lee Myeonghak to stake his neck.

Back then, I was the one who said it, so there was room for misinterpretation—but this time, couldn't it be taken at face value?

Yet nowhere could I find an article pointing that out.

If anything...

<The Shocking Truth Hidden Behind the 1 Trillion Won Donation! What Is the Secret Message Choi Junho Is Sending to the People?!>

...Go Yejin was taking it even further.

With no one reaching out to me from anywhere, I brought up the idea of establishing a foundation to my parents.

"Not doing it."

I was flatly refused.

"We're satisfied with our life as it is, and I don't think stepping into the spotlight would do us any good."

"That's right, we're happy with our life here too."

My parents said they were afraid their activities might become a burden to their son. They also pointed out that running a foundation would mean moving large sums of money, which could make us targets for villains.

They weren't wrong. Even within Seoul, villains were still lurking in the shadows. That part, I hadn't thought through enough. I apologized to my parents.

"It's fine. We're already benefiting plenty thanks to our son."

"Do whatever you want to do, Junho."

"Yes."

What I want to do... let me think it over slowly.

The whole donation thing had struck me on impulse, after all. Taking more time to mull it over wouldn't hurt.

The next day, I took the Heartworker to the Shinseong Guild.

Visiting the headquarters of Shinseong Guild—South Korea's largest conglomerate and its greatest guild—the Heartworker looked around with wide eyes before spotting Lee Sehee and looking startled all over again.

"Welcome, Junho."

Lee Sehee, wearing a white blouse and a black H-line suit skirt, greeted us warmly.

"So this is the one you mentioned...?"

"Yes. The one who'll be learning processing from now on."

"My name is Kim Jonghyeon. It's an honor to meet you, Sehee."

"Yes, nice to meet you."

Even after I gave him a warning, this Heartworker bastard kept that suggestive tone in his voice.

Lee Sehee replied in a flat, matter-of-fact voice and offered us seats.

"I saw the article about the charity. I never imagined you had those kinds of thoughts about donation."

"I share the same view as you, Sehee."

This guy just keeps cutting in.

"All I confirmed is that your thinking and mine are very different."

"Even when it's wrapped up as goodwill, a lot of donations are after tax breaks or social clout. The charity organizations were targeting that kind of blind money. It must have been disappointing, but there are also plenty of people who sincerely serve those in need."

"Come to think of it, doesn't Shinseong Guild donate too?"

"We run a foundation at the group level. But if you're thinking of donating here, I'll decline."

She saw right through me.

Lee Sehee smiled.

"I trust the system, but not people. When someone suddenly comes into big money, greed they never had before will sprout. What I want to say is, you don't need to go big from the start. Begin with a small amount, build it up gradually while watching how they work."

"Granting them discretion would be too much."

"Right. Charities inevitably have operating costs, and if you nitpick those, you end up unable to donate even when you want to."

Even if those operating costs are reasonable.

Lee Sehee added that even if I had no intention of doing so, others would.

"I'll recommend a few good places for you."

"Your heart is as beautiful as your face."

"Thank you."

"You're too kind."

The tactless Heartworker kept butting in, but Lee Sehee didn't show it. I suppose this much falls within her tolerance.

I'd brought the Heartworker along, and my next appointment was approaching, so I started to rise.

"Well, I have another engagement."

"You said you're giving a special lecture, right?"

"Come to think of it, you're an Academy alum, aren't you?"

"Yes, and Dahyun too. Those were good times. I didn't know anything back then—field trips felt like picnics, and the competition between kids was adorable in hindsight. If you spot anyone promising, please recommend them."

"That last part wasn't your real goal, was it?"

"Was it that obvious? When you go to the Academy, the kids will be quite... bright-eyed. They're still young, so please look upon them fondly."

"Kids need to learn responsibility if they're going to become proper Hunters."

It wasn't once or twice that incidents broke out of Hunters with rotten character throwing their weight around against ordinary citizens.

It's an ongoing problem even now.

Cases of people so young that they're practically children being recognized for their potential and talent, and treating the world like it's beneath them, were extremely common.

I intend to firmly instill a sense of responsibility in those kids. Cultivating responsibility isn't difficult. Once someone is gripped by the thought, "If I don't pull this off, I die," anyone will see their task through to the end.

I gestured at the Heartworker with my chin.

"For now, help him adjust. After that, I'll share the processing technique."

"Yes, now that he's joining Shinseong, I'll take care of him."

"Good."

Leaving behind Lee Sehee's reliable voice, I was able to entrust the Heartworker and take my leave.

Should be no problem, right?

* * *

Kim Jonghyeon was overjoyed.

Not only had he joined Shinseong Guild, South Korea's most prestigious, but he'd be working alongside such a beautiful superior.

Accepting Choi Junho's offer had been the best decision of his life.

But it was after Choi Junho left that he noticed something strange.

It was cold.

The air around him had dropped by about five degrees? No, ten.

The room that had been warmly heated was suddenly chilled.

What is this? What's going on? As Kim Jonghyeon wondered in confusion, he noticed the source of the cold was Lee Sehee, sitting right in front of him.

Her expression was completely different from moments ago.

"S-Sehee?"

"First, let's correct how you address me. From now on, call me Team Leader."

"H-haha! Yes, Team Leader."

"Don't laugh. Does Master Kim Jonghyeon find himself laughing in front of his Team Leader?"

"......"

The calm yet menacing aura silenced Kim Jonghyeon.

Lee Sehee seemed pleased with his expression.

"Good, Master Kim Jonghyeon. There's something you need to keep in mind. I'll say it only once, so remember it."

"Y-yes!"

Cold and coercive.

The kind, warm, obedient, devoted demeanor Lee Sehee had shown in front of Choi Junho was all an act.

Right before him now was a predator staring him down, ready to tear out his throat at the slightest opening.

Are all Seoul people like this? Or is it Seoul women?

Jung Dahyun was the same, and now Lee Sehee—both simply terrified him.

"First, I am the General Team Leader of Shinseong Guild. Think deeply about what that means. Second, although you were brought here by Transcendent Choi Junho, you are a master craftsman of the research institute under Shinseong Guild."

The chilling aura emanating from Lee Sehee was sharp, like a thin blade slicing across his skin.

No objections were permitted.

All Kim Jonghyeon could do was nod.

"Lastly, I'd like us both to be a little more careful with each other. I will treat Master Kim Jonghyeon as a promising talent of the company, and Master Kim Jonghyeon will treat me as his General Team Leader. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. I understand, so please stop now..."

The moment he answered, the pressure crushing him vanished as if washed away.

The air that had been frigid just moments ago now carried warm heating, almost making him wonder if the cold had been real.

"Good. I look forward to a constructive relationship with you going forward, Master Kim Jonghyeon. You may go."

"......"

In the end, Kim Jonghyeon had to rise from his seat as if pushed out. He didn't come to his senses until an employee approached and guided him to the research institute.

"...Seoul women are scary."

* * *

The special lecture offer had come to me long ago. And I'd accepted it to build a rapport with Go Myeonghak and to keep the Academy's students within my sights.

Go Myeonghak, though retired, was a highly respected former transcendent and the Academy's chairman.

What I've felt while living in the world and doing social work is that allies are best in abundance, and enemies are best dead.

The Lee Chantae matter was the same.

Personally, I had no interest in Lee Chantae's life, but judging from various circumstances, I chose to let him live. The result was that Lee Chantae became my benefactor, and Avant-garde declared itself my friend.

Now even I don't just kill indiscriminately.

On top of that, I had a personal admiration for the Academy.

There was a time when I, like other kids, desperately wanted to come to the Academy in Seoul as a teenager. That I'd now come as a professor, even for a day, stirred complicated feelings.

Come to think of it, what was I like as a teenager?

"Utterly colorless."

...I was one of those kids—the kind there's one of in every class, the kind you wouldn't notice if they disappeared.

It wasn't a particularly pleasant time, so let's set it aside.

The reason I want to keep the Academy's students in my sights is that there are "those kids" who will become villains in the future.

Villains are, quite literally, a social evil. If they can be eliminated, it's best to eliminate them before they cause greater harm.

For now, I'm going to check on their condition. If they can't be turned around, eliminate them; if there's room for rehabilitation, work them to the bone and make them human again. Of course, I don't mind if they die in the process.

Upon arriving at the Academy, I met Go Myeonghak first.

"Thank you for accepting our request. A special lecture by Transcendent Choi Junho—we have high expectations."

"I'll still fall far short of the Academy's professors. I'll likely just point out a few issues I've felt while working in the field."

"The voice of the field is, as always, incredibly important. Our professors here are excellent, but one's instincts inevitably rust once removed from the field. They go hunting or visit guilds every vacation to keep their field senses sharp. Your voice will be a great help to the students, Transcendent Choi Junho."

The class I was to lecture today was Class A—the Academy's top-scoring students. They would also be the ones competing in the exchange match when the diplomatic delegation arrived.

The future of South Korea's Awakened, or so they say.

I recalled the information I'd researched in advance.

"I heard there are a few problem students in Class A."

"...Hoho!"

Go Myeonghak smiled awkwardly.

"Looking at the records of their incidents, they don't seem like the childish antics of young kids."

"It does cause us trouble often."

The era of the first-generation Awakened, who had no backing, ended, and as the second and third generations came in, the forces that had built up power began to make their presence felt across generations.

Family bloodlines became guild origins, making it awkward for Academy professors to intervene.

It was the emergence of a new noble class, like the conglomerates before monsters appeared.

Not that nobles eat or shit any differently, and their blood runs just as red.

"If you wish, Chairman, I can relieve you of your worries. Accidents happen anytime, after all."

"......"

While Go Myeonghak fell silent, I looked over the attendance roster. Of the five classified as problem students, three were names I knew.

The fact that I remembered them meant they were either people to kill or people who had to be killed. Future villains, it seemed, had possessed outstandingly rotten characters since adolescence.

Even so, I had been quiet as a teenager.

"Those children have merely strayed for a moment. They still possess innocence. Won't you give them a chance—just one chance?"

"Do you believe people can change, Chairman?"

"I don't believe it. But I think that with a trigger, who knows."

I couldn't agree less. The cost of changing someone is far higher than the cost of eliminating them.

"Why do you insist on taking the difficult path? These kids have a slim chance of becoming proper Hunters. From where I stand, they look far more likely to become villains."

That was my conviction as a former villain who had lived through my past life.

But Go Myeonghak's choice was to bow his head to me.

"I'm asking you."

"......"

This man really is stubborn. Was it truly for the students' sake, or because I intended to kill them all? If the word "kill" was what triggered his aversion, then next time I should start by mentioning making them half-cripples.

I thought for a moment, then made my decision.

"...Since you've gone that far, I'll observe them and make my judgment."

"That alone is enough. Thank you."

Only then did Go Myeonghak's expression brighten.

* * *

"The kids can be mischievous, but they're all good children."

I followed Lee Hyeri, Class A's homeroom teacher, listening to her explanations about the Class A students.

Mostly, it was praise for her students. She was the type of teacher who framed even problematic areas positively, never letting things blow up.

Exactly the type students would find easy to walk over. I could picture it already—the kids running wild and Lee Hyeri at a loss.

When we arrived at the lecture hall, it was exactly time for class to begin. I stepped inside and saw about thirty teenage students.

"This is Transcendent Choi Junho, who will be giving today's special lecture. Everyone, applause."

Clap, clap, clap!

I took the podium amid applause that lacked any sincerity. Unlike the half-hearted clapping, the eyes fixed on me were sparkling with curiosity.

Every one of them had well-refined Force. It meant their education had been thorough.

Which was exactly why they were a problem.

Give power to brats, and they run wild without knowing their place. When you give someone power, the best thing is to grind them down so they can't abuse it.

"I'm Choi Junho. There must be some here who don't know my face."

"No one doesn't know you!"

"That's right!"

Students chimed in after someone's shout. So these are the nation's future, huh. Better than the Jagalchi villains, at least.

"Today's special lecture topic is the correlation between Force manipulation and gifts..."

"Um, Professor."

A cocky voice dared to cut me off.

I turned toward the source and saw a brat dressed like a punk, smirking. His face was over twenty years younger than the one in my memory, but I recognized him all the same.

Yang Juhyeok—the villain who would one day be called Innerclown.

He was the only son of Yang Gil-su, master of the mid-tier guild Hoewol, famous for his exceptional talent, and he had stirred up all sorts of trouble before becoming a villain.

The reason I remembered him was simple.

He'd run around bragging that he was going to become the second Blood Lord. Then he came looking for me, got pounded by Berserker, and was handed over to Hoewol Guild.

In short, a fashion villain. Still, I remembered what Berserker had said—that his skills were actually pretty decent.

Come to think of it, he's a rare one for surviving after crossing Berserker's path.

"Professor, I've already taken a course on what you're planning to lecture about. Could you teach us something else instead?"

To dare interrupt the words of a professor who is practically heaven itself.

Between this and the National Guild Alliance Conference, I'd come to realize something: people share a common delusion.

The assumption that I won't lay a hand on them.

Minors in this country, in particular, are protected to the letter of the law.

Surely they didn't think that meant I couldn't touch them?

If so, that would be a very big delusion.

If Cheon Myeongguk and Jung Juho had heard that kind of talk, what would their expressions have been?

One would have looked deeply uncomfortable, and the other would probably have clutched his head.

"So what do you want to know?"

"How to deal with villains, sir! You've faced countless villains up to now, haven't you? When we become Hunters later, we'll end up dealing with villains while out hunting, and I'd like to know how to respond."

The fact that he was grinning the whole time he spoke told me it was a joke.

If you're going to joke without knowing your place, then you'd better play along with my tune.

"That doesn't sound bad."

"Right? I've got all sorts of ideas like this."

"Come out here."

"Excuse me?"

I looked at his dumbfounded expression.

"You said you wanted to know how to deal with villains, didn't you? Stand here."

I pointed to the spot beside me.

"You're playing the villain."