Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

The decisive day dawned.

The auction was an event only specific individuals could attend. But for me, it was an exception. I could simply lie that I had an entry pass to anyone trying to stop me.

The issue was procuring suitable attire to conceal my mask. While I could wear a hoodie or blend in on the streets and at the hotel, the auction participants couldn’t enter dressed so casually.

Conveniently, it was late summer, so I couldn’t wear thick clothing either.

So I chose to infiltrate as a staff member.

Not the most stylish option, but I had no choice.

To gain entry, I selected the identity of a chef.

Imagine my atrocious cooking skills masquerading as a chef.

But the chef’s uniform allowed me to wear a head wrap while covering my neck, so I couldn’t complain.

Moreover, the kitchen directly connected to the area where the waiters worked.

Of course, given the high-value items involved at this auction, even the staff underwent stringent monitoring.

To the person blocking my path, I casually provided any random name.

“I’m Kim Moo-jae, scheduled to work here today.”

“I didn’t hear about any new personnel coming.”

“I was hastily added due to the large number of guests today, it seems.”

Normally, such a flimsy excuse would prompt verification, but the man who heard my ‘lie’ was an exception.

“Ah, I suppose that could be the case.”

Without much suspicion, the man let me inside. Once inside, I cleared the path using the same method.

Those without awakened abilities were thoroughly deceived by my talent. At the very least, security measures relying on human judgment couldn’t filter me out.

Considering Ray’s case, even artifact-based defenses might be penetrable somehow.

As Ray muttered in my ear while watching me bypass the multi-layered security:

—No matter how I look at it, that’s an excessively useful skill.

At those words, I let out a soft snort.

Of course, there was no better talent than this for petty thievery. Or cult leader charlatanism. Scamming, door-to-door sales, you name it.

—Why do all your examples involve such things?

“They were the potential careers suggested by those who mocked me back at the academy.”

—Hm…

Finally, Ray’s mouth closed.

Well, as long as it proved useful now, that was a good thing.

I had meticulously memorized the blueprints of this place over the past few days. They were hand-drawn by Han Seo-hyeon, who had lost sleep tracing every detail.

Originally, buildings used for such events underwent remodeling after construction, altering their design from the original blueprints.

Why, you ask?

To deter thieves like me, of course.

Even before awakeners emerged, this auction had been an immense temptation. Now, with awakeners around, it had only become more enticing for potential robbers. So they constantly altered the structure to stay one step ahead, even blocking off a previously open wall just yesterday.

Thanks to that, poor Han Seo-hyeon had woken up crying to revise the maps. All that effort for me to memorize them was… not particularly strenuous, honestly.

—Two steps ahead, there’s a ventilation duct.

I had a cutting-edge ego artifact at my disposal.

Following Ray’s instructions, I crouched and entered the ventilation duct. The distance covered through the duct was a mere 3 meters.

Traps for intruders were scattered throughout the ventilation system as well. If I had simply crawled along, I might have ended up shredded.

I only entered the duct to bypass a single wall. On the other side was the changing room where the waiters got dressed.

Discarding the chef’s uniform, I donned a pre-prepared wig and turtleneck before putting on the waiter’s attire.

With that outfit, I looked like a perfect waiter to any observer. Just in case, I also altered my face using the mask. Hmm, being able to constantly change faces was remarkable. Professor Geum was truly a genius.

As I finished donning the uniform, a tiny creature scampered up onto my shoe. It was Rat, sent by Han Seo-hyeon.

“I’ve successfully infiltrated undetected. Stay put at the mentioned location until I give further notice.”

The mouse formed an ‘O’ shape with its body as if in understanding before vanishing. It would likely be keeping watch over me from somewhere.

Taking a deep breath, I headed inside.

If there was someone capable of seeing through this artifact, or someone who recognized my true identity, the operation would fail.

But the auction hall interior was sufficiently dim, so no one should immediately recognize this mask.

I exhaled heavily.

Tense anticipation caused my entire body to tingle. If I didn’t clench my fists tightly, my fingertips would tremble uncontrollably.

Observing my state, Ray slightly opened his mouth.

—You did a good job of acting calm.

‘Even if I’m the boss and leader, I can’t appear weak in front of a seventeen-year-old, can I?’

Truthfully, I was rather anxious as well.

I was attempting to turn the tables on a gathering of Korea’s finest talents.

Checking the time, I gulped hard.

Only two hours remained until the auction began.

Then, a new message arrived from Han Seo-hyeon.

[Ah, right. Boss, while scouting this area, I discovered a strange device.]

At those words, I focused my attention.

“A strange device?”

[Yes.]

And upon learning about that device, I smiled.

“This, if utilized properly, could be a game-changer.”

* * *

Even within the auction hall’s upper echelons, there existed a special viewing area restricted to only the most elite participants of this auction.

To gain admittance here required meeting certain conditions – either being an executive of a major guild or holding considerable influence within Korea. Seol Rok-jin satisfied the latter criterion, allowing him entry.

As soon as he stepped through the door held open by the attendants, many who recognized the Representative Seol Rok-jin approached him.

“Good day, Representative.”

“Ah, Representative Seol.”

Flashing a perfunctory smile at the surrounding sycophants, Seol Rok-jin surveyed the viewing area. Confirming that his true target had not yet arrived, he engaged in idle chitchat while rolling his eyes at these irrelevant individuals.

Hunters and assemblymen maintained close relationships. Just as political and corporate collusion had been an issue in the past, now it was the intermingling between hunters and politicians that raised concerns.

The sheer scale of money changing hands at today’s event alone amounted to roughly several billion won. And wherever money flowed, vultures would inevitably flock.

Seol Rok-jin politely acknowledged their prattling as he waited – for the true main event to arrive. And finally, the door opened, and the woman Seol Rok-jin had been anticipating appeared.

The figure who entered through that door was dressed in an attire completely unsuited for this place.

A diminutive stature barely exceeding 160cm, perpetually half-lidded eyes and a sluggish speech pattern. And an outfit of a frayed, pilled hoodie that seemed to disregard everyone around her.

Yet there was no one present who could afford to dismiss this woman.

Her name was Jin Yeon-hwa.

The woman renowned as the second pillar of the Sirius Guild.

Following closely behind her was a considerably taller woman, Jin Yeon-hwa’s aide and bodyguard, Lee Hye-won.

“Vice Guild Leader Jin Yeon-hwa!”

“Hello, everyone.”

Clad in a chick-yellow hoodie, Jin Yeon-hwa greeted those around her simultaneously upon arrival.

People scrambled to surround her, like a school of starving carps rushing at feed pellets.

Seol Rok-jin maintained his distance as he observed the situation. While Jin Yeon-hwa was one of the ‘key figures’ with whom he wished to cultivate ties, he had no desire to join that frenzied cluster.

The opportunity soon arrived.

After addressing the men who had swarmed her, Jin Yeon-hwa emerged and flashed a bright smile towards Seol Rok-jin.

“Representative Seol Rok-jin.”

Returning her greeting, Seol Rok-jin plastered on a polished smile.

“I hope you’ve been well.”

“Not well at all! You went too far criticizing us on the news last time.”

She was referring to an incident over two months ago, yet she hadn’t forgotten to mention it.

“My sincere apologies.”

“Demanding we reveal our gate strategies – that was crossing the line.”

“Which is why it worked.”

Seol Rok-jin didn’t falter in the face of Jin Yeon-hwa’s rebuke.

“Any sane person would know how preposterous it is for the Sirius Guild to publicly disclose their gate strategies.”

It was a fair point. While they had momentarily faced criticism, no one seriously condemned Sirius’ stance.

But Jin Yeon-hwa continued grumbling nonetheless.

“You made us look like the bad guys publicly.”

“Didn’t I already advise that it’s better for Sirius to remain the villains?”

“So the reversal hits even harder?”

“Maintaining a heroic image is difficult. Occasionally doing bad deeds, but good deeds too. If this moral scale tips even slightly towards goodness, people will think it’s acceptable. But if even a speck of black appears on a pure white canvas, that canvas becomes unusable.”

At Seol Rok-jin’s words, Jin Yeon-hwa snickered.

“Uhh, you make a fair point.”

“Sirius was fated to face criticism regardless. Because you’ve become too powerful. If it’s unavoidable, it’s better to guide the narrative in your desired direction.”

Even before Seol Rok-jin’s emergence, the world had already been busy tearing into Sirius. As he said, it was simply because Sirius had become too formidable – envy, jealousy, whatever. There were many who wished for their downfall.

Seol Rok-jin had gathered those detractors and directed their biting attacks not towards Sirius’ true vulnerabilities, but towards areas that wouldn’t truly hurt them.

Jin Yeon-hwa narrowed her eyes as she glanced sideways at Seol Rok-jin.

Certainly, there was no one more skilled than him at garnering public attention.

“I understand that, but it still leaves a bad taste this time.”

Yet she couldn’t help issuing a warning.

Sipping his champagne, Seol Rok-jin spoke:

“Apparently, there’s an orphanage for children rescued from the recent Gate Break incident facing operational difficulties.”

“Oh, shall we create a nice image together?”

“Sounds good.”

While being chewed up as fodder by the insignificant masses was unpleasant, as Seol Rok-jin said, it was merely a moral tug-of-war. If the narrative had tilted negatively last time, they would simply tilt it positively this time.

Once the public grew accustomed to this back-and-forth, no matter what Sirius did, their reputation would remain unshaken.

‘Oh, Sirius is just like that. They do bad things, but good things too?’ The public would accept it and move on.

‘But the Crimson Hound Guild won’t have that luxury.’

Jin Yeon-hwa found Seol Rok-jin agreeable. If she truly set her mind to taking down the Crimson Hound Guild, collaborating with this man alone could instantly drag them into ruin.

While she didn’t particularly dislike the man Kim Myeong-cheol, she had no such intentions either.

“By the way, I don’t see the Vice Guild Leader showing any interest in the items at this auction, considering your presence up here.”

Noticing Jin Yeon-hwa’s indifference, one of the assemblymen slyly remarked.

“The current offerings are mere scraps. Not worth tasting, really.”

At Jin Yeon-hwa’s words, the others laughed awkwardly. While just scraps to a Sirius executive, those items were still precious treasures to them.

The reason they had ascended to this level had a single purpose.

“Regarding the gate-related taxes…”

“…Grant us a bit more gate development rights.”

“I heard the next gate will appear in Cheongseong City…”

“About the bidding process…”

They had come up here to secure such backroom deals. While they could have arranged a separate venue to meet, there was no cleaner alibi than attending the official auction.

The auction was merely a veil concealing their dirty meeting.