Chapter 52

Chapter 52

“Come out.”

Those quiet words from Choi Junho shook Yang Juhyeok’s mind without mercy.

Surely not. Me? The son of the Hoewol Guild Master? The Academy’s rising star, the one slated to be captain in the exchange match?

Yang Juhyeok—Class A’s problem student, a boy who’d never had a single obstacle at the Academy—felt his heart hammering wildly.

He wanted to believe it wasn’t true, but he could feel his chest tightening by the second.

What is this? Is he serious? He’s really telling me to play the villain?

That bastard was serious. He was genuinely the kind of man who would treat Yang Juhyeok as a villain.

Yang Juhyeok’s thoughts spun into chaos.

What should I do? Should I move? Or should I hold out as long as I can?

But the man didn’t even give him time to think.

“If you won’t come out, I’ll make you.”

The moment he heard that, his body rose on its own. It felt like he would die if he didn’t stand. He’s insane. That bastard is genuinely insane.

At the Academy, Yang Juhyeok had seen countless adults. All of them were laughable creatures. He’d thought he could easily crush them with his background and his skill. And he’d actually crushed a few.

Even if Choi Junho was a state-certified transcendent, Yang Juhyeok had figured the man wouldn’t dare touch him. The higher someone’s position, the more they tended to compromise and keep things amicable. He’d assumed this time would be no different.

But that lunatic was different. The moment Yang Juhyeok defied him, he would be crushed.

As he shuffled toward where Choi Junho stood, his heartbeat grew louder and louder.

Meanwhile, Choi Junho was explaining something to the students.

“Villains don’t care about timing. They target your weakest moment. When you’ve just finished a hunt and your guard is down, when you’re done dissecting a monster and your load is heavy, when you’re scouting a good spot before a hunt—they read the moment you’re weakest and strike. They use poison. They apply debuffs with their gifts. They’ll even throw another villain at you as bait. Every year, the number of Hunters killed by villains in South Korea alone exceeds a hundred. Add the unclear cases, and it’s even higher.”

Choi Junho said all this in a flat voice, then looked at Yang Juhyeok, who had drawn near.

Those weren’t the eyes of someone looking at a person. They were the eyes of someone looking at a pebble lying in the street. Yang Juhyeok’s legs began to go numb with fear.

Yet for some reason, something in his chest tingled.

“From now on, I’ll show you how to respond when a villain attacks. Come at me.”

“How… am I supposed to come at you?”

“Any way you like. I’d go all out if I were you. Because I’ll be treating you as a villain.”

“What does treating me as a villain even mean?”

“It means I’ll kill you.”

Lunatic, lunatic, lunatic! He’s a lunatic!

As a chilling bloodlust pressed in, Yang Juhyeok cried out.

“Why am I a villain?! …Sir?”

Yang Juhyeok barely suppressed the defiance surging up inside him and spoke. The naked killing intent—something he’d never experienced before—dried his mouth and raised every hair on his body.

“A good-for-nothing who has no skill to speak of but throws his weight around on his background alone—if that’s not a villain, what is?”

“What?”

“You’re a villain.”

“I’m a genius at the Academy, and you’re calling me a villain?”

Rage that surpassed fear swept through his entire body.

He bit down hard and glared, but the man was unfazed.

“You’re the one who said you wanted to see how to deal with a villain. I’ll carve it into your body, so come at me.”

He was openly saying he’d beat Yang Juhyeok down. Under Choi Junho’s inorganic gaze, Yang Juhyeok’s legs trembled violently.

This man was different from the others who held back because of his background. This bastard might actually kill him without a second thought.

And yet, strangely, he felt a thrill. The sense that he was being seen as a person—not as an Academy student or a promising Awakened, but as one individual. It was something he had craved for a long time.

This was what he’d wanted. To be seen as a person. Even if he was being treated as a villain, he would overcome it.

But his body trembled against his will.

“B-by what right do you—!”

“Me? I’m an Academy professor. Professors put insolent students in their place.”

So he really was going to put Yang Juhyeok in his place. If that was how it was going to be, he couldn’t just stand there and take it. He opened his eyes wide and fierce, watching for an opening.

Choi Junho, who had spoken matter-of-factly, turned his head and addressed the students.

“As you can see, the situation can change at any moment. Sometimes you get stupid villains who leave their own tracks behind, and in those cases, the Hunters may raid the villain first…”

‘Now!’

The instant Yang Juhyeok saw an opening, he lunged at Choi Junho. His plan was to land one solid hit and then bolt out of the lecture hall.

In a flash, the distance closed, and his swinging fist reached Choi Junho’s face.

‘Heh, no matter how transcendent you are, no one’s invincible against a surprise attack…’

Thwack.

In his mind’s eye, he’d pictured Choi Junho getting punched and rolling pathetically along the ground.

But his fist, cutting through empty air, was caught with absurd ease.

“There are also stupid villains who charge in without knowing whether it’s an opening or a trap.”

Crack!

“Aaaagh!”

Yang Juhyeok screamed as pain shot through his arm, which bent at a grotesque angle.

It hurts! It hurts! He struggled desperately, but he couldn’t break free from Choi Junho’s grip—it was like being glued in place.

“The best target is the legs. Once a villain loses mobility, they can’t keep up with your movements. Break or cut the legs first.”

Crunch!

“Ghk—!”

Both his legs snapped like dried stalks, and excruciating pain crashed over him. Yang Juhyeok dropped to his knees on the floor, writhing and letting out a horrifying shriek. But no one responded to that scream. By then, a thick fear had settled over the lecture hall.

It hurt like mad. So this was the tyranny of the powerful. Was this how the people he’d trampled over had felt?

Even as he screamed, Yang Juhyeok shuddered at the overwhelming power Choi Junho possessed. Yes—those with strength were allowed to do this. The reason Choi Junho could act so confidently and look so impressive was that he was a Level 8 transcendent. The reason Yang Juhyeok was suffering was that he was weak.

He wanted to become like that. He wanted to make the world kneel before him and reign over it. That—that was the right of the strong.

“If the legs are hard to target, the arms are fine too. If they can’t grip a weapon, a villain’s combat strength drops sharply.”

As Choi Junho finished speaking, he swung his arm, and Yang Juhyeok felt his body lift into the air before an impact slammed into his back and knocked the breath from his lungs.

“Keugh!”

“Villains are, fundamentally, less skilled than you are. The most important thing is to stay calm during a raid and use your full ability.”

He had completely broken a person, and his expression hadn’t changed at all. He was insane. A madman. Now Yang Juhyeok understood why people said not to engage with Choi Junho.

And yet, contradictorily, he wanted to become like that. To be strong, to stride through the world unhindered—that was the true strongman he had always dreamed of.

“P-Professor! Juhyeok’s wounds look really bad…”

“This kind of wound is common during a hunt. A little ointment and it’ll heal—though that one looks pretty ugly.”

Choi Junho pulled a bottle from his coat and tossed it at Yang Juhyeok.

Thud!

“Ghk!”

A tremendous pain shot up from his groin, and Yang Juhyeok’s eyes rolled back.

This is too much! You son of a…bitch…

Amid pain beyond imagination, Yang Juhyeok lost consciousness.

* * *

I glanced at the unconscious Yang Juhyeok and shifted my gaze to the students.

Unlike when they’d first entered, they were frozen stiff. Good atmosphere.

Next came the sense of crisis—the feeling that they could be next.

That was the mindset the weak needed to have. The world’s dangers never pass you by. To wisely avoid the dangers that could strike at any moment, you had to stay thoroughly on guard.

If you didn’t understand that, you’d end up like Yang Juhyeok—getting put in your place because you didn’t know your place.

But that guy passed out with the corners of his mouth curling upward.

Was he actually a masochist who enjoyed pain?

He’s insane. I shouldn’t engage with him.

Anyway, I had a variety of villain scenarios prepared, but Yang Juhyeok had passed out. He should have lasted a bit longer—so fragile. Still, it was fine. Yang Juhyeok was out, but the other problem students remained.

“Number One has passed out, so I’ll need the next one. Ma Hwanggi, you’re Number Two. Come out.”

“P-Professor. I…”

“Not coming out?”

“I-I’ll come out!”

As I took a step forward, he bolted out in a panic. Ma Hwanggi wasn’t someone I remembered, but he was one of the guys who’d leeched off Yang Juhyeok at the Academy.

“Next is Yoon Miseon. You.”

“P-Professor! I’m sorry!”

Next was Yoon Miseon, the villain from my memories.

I taught the five problem students thoroughly, showing them how to handle villains.

No one was hurt beyond repair. A few broken bones here and there, but I’d patched them up nicely with recovery potions. Because Go Myeonghak had begged me so much, I’d attacked far more gently than usual.

“…This is also a useful method against the opponents you’ll face in the exchange match, so keep it in mind.”

I would have liked to handle those problem students a bit more roughly. Swallowing my regret, I wrapped up the three-hour lecture.

“H-hey, everyone! Are you all right?”

Lee Hyeri, who hadn’t been able to hide her anxiety until then, rushed over to the battered problem students.

I headed for the chairman’s office without looking back.

Go Myeonghak, who must have already received word, greeted me with a gentle smile.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all. It was about the level of a light warm-up.”

“I’m relieved you ended it at a reasonable level. I had faith in you, Transcendent Choi Junho.”

“I thought you’d say I went too far, Chairman.”

“Their limbs are broken, but what can you do? It’s their own karma. And they’ll suffer far worse injuries during hunts. Personally, it was quite satisfying. Very good.”

So this was the line Go Myeonghak had drawn.

“That’s unexpected.”

“Heh heh, I’m only human too. Those problem students who skillfully walk the line—just barely beyond legal punishment—have always grated on me. More than anything, what’s encouraging is the matter regarding you, Transcendent Choi Junho.”

“Regarding me?”

What had Go Myeonghak seen in me to say something like that?

“When I first met you, it felt like you were walking a slightly precarious tightrope. Now, I sense that you’re acting within those lines.”

“Could you tell me in detail what the difference is?”

“When I first saw you, Transcendent Choi Junho, I thought—how should I put it—that if you attended today’s special lecture, you might actually kill the problem students.”

What does he take me for? From the very beginning, all I’d thought about was how to quietly get rid of them.

“But now you’ve developed a sense for it. It’s as if someone who was never socialized at all is gradually entering society’s framework, exercising their influence without crossing the line.”

Was that a compliment or an insult?

Was it really because I didn’t want to kill the problem students that I’d made that choice?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure. According to Go Myeonghak, something was changing within me—but I was the one who hadn’t noticed it.

“I’m not sure myself.”

“You may take it as the ramblings of an old man. What’s clear is that the change is a good one.”

“I see.”

“If I had my way, I’d invite you often. The problem students would surely straighten up.”

“If you call me again, I’ll make time.”

“To think you’d be so gracious. I’ll have to tell the problem students.”

I didn’t know the full context, but one thing was clear.

It meant I could beat the problem students like today without issue.

It seemed like a good place to come and relieve stress once in a while.

* * *

When his son returned completely battered, the Hoewol Guild was thrown into an uproar.

Hoewol Guild Master Yang Gil-su raged and shouted.

“Choi Junho! Find me a way to kill that bastard!”

“…”

But the guild members only wore troubled expressions—none of them could move to act.

That only fueled Yang Gil-su’s fury.

“What are you doing? Find a way to kill that bastard Choi Junho, now!”

“Master, Choi Junho is a state-certified transcendent. The method hasn’t been revealed, but he also has the skill to hunt Nuri single-handedly…”

“So what? My son came home beaten, and you’re telling me to sit still?”

“Beyond that, Choi Junho is a benefactor of the Avant-garde Guild and the President’s most cherished confidant.”

“…”

At those words, Yang Gil-su came to his senses and shut his mouth. But the fury with nowhere to go churned inside him, ready to explode at any moment.

Just then, Yang Juhyeok—his limbs broken—walked into the office.

“Dad.”

“Yes, my son. Are you all right? Don’t worry. I’ll kill that bastard Choi Junho by any means necessary.”

“I’m fine.”

“What? Your limbs are broken! And you’re fine?”

“I was weak, that’s all. I’ll think of it as a chance to get stronger.”

“…I never thought you’d say something like that, Juhyeok.”

Seeing a side of his son he’d never seen before, Yang Gil-su was moved—and at the same time, rage boiled up at the thought of how great a shock the boy must have suffered to say such a thing.

“Don’t take revenge either.”

“No. If you’ve been wronged, you repay it.”

“Even if we could all die for it?”

“…”

“That Choi Junho is a lunatic. If he says he’ll do it, he really will.”

Yang Juhyeok recalled the moment he’d faced Choi Junho.

Just thinking about it sent a shudder through him. That man—if he decided to kill, he would truly kill. That terror, that chill—all of it had been a first.

“So give it up. I’ll get stronger and take revenge myself.”

“Juhyeok.”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you smiling while talking about Choi Junho?”

Yang Juhyeok unconsciously touched his face and realized the corners of his mouth were curling upward.

“…Good question.”

* * *

After finishing the special lecture, I returned to the Blue House, and the first thing I saw was Cheon Myeongguk letting out a sigh of relief that I hadn’t killed anyone.

Did he really think I’d kill the problem students? Then I recalled what Go Myeonghak had said. Acting so that things don’t escalate to the worst-case scenario the other party imagines—maybe that was what it meant to stay within the line. I still wasn’t sure, but I thought that meaning might be part of it too.

I went deep into the Blue House to meet the President, who’d summoned me.

“I heard about how you shook off the donation organization. Places like that—you have to start the relationship off on the right foot.”

“I consider it a shame. Fortunately, there are people around me saying good things, so I’m thinking of starting small.”

“Most people start that way. It’s a good choice.”

Having said that, the President sipped his tea and paused.

This isn’t like him.

Cheon Myeongguk’s stern expression was par for the course, but even the usually cheerful President had taken on a grave air—the matter clearly wasn’t light.

“Is there something you wanted to discuss separately?”

“Mm, there is.”

“Please, speak comfortably.”

“It’s not the kind of matter for that.”

The President hesitated for a moment, then spoke as if he had steeled himself.

“First—can you keep what I’m about to say a secret? From your family, from the people around you?”

“I will.”

“Then I’ll trust you and speak. We’re scheduled to visit several countries in turn, starting with the United States. The way Nuri was hunted was that impressive to other nations. And there’s considerable interest in the transcendent Choi Junho as well.”

“……”

I nodded silently. Being the object of interest didn’t stir much in me.

“Several countries will likely try to test the transcendent Choi Junho’s abilities.”

“I don’t intend to play along with that.”

“And if you have to?”

“Then the other party had better stake their life.”

Keeping someone alive is hard, but killing is easy.

I had never once saved someone who thrashed about begging to die.

If they want to live, they’ll tuck their tail and run on their own.

“It would be good to add that it’s dangerous, given the nature of your gift. Even so, there will be those who step forward. Among them, we have our eye on a Chinese transcendent.”

A Chinese transcendent? Something tried to surface in my memory.

Just as my mind began to itch, the President spoke with a hardened expression.

“So here’s the thing—I’d like you to kill that Chinese transcendent.”