Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

“This Weltschmerz fellow, you’re talking about that guy, right?”

At Baek Do-san’s words, Professor Geum gulped hard. The ones currently shaking up the world under the name Weltschmerz – how could he not know them? They had openly appeared wearing the mask Professor Geum had gifted. At the very least, it seemed they had no intention of concealing anything from Professor Geum himself.

“Quite entertaining.”

Observing Professor Geum’s reaction, Baek Do-san chuckled as if genuinely amused.

“Truly remarkable individuals.”

Until the day before the auction, no one had known about their existence. But now, most who bore the hunter moniker were aware of them.

Baek Do-san couldn’t recall any other villains who had succeeded in making their names known so instantaneously like this.

“While claiming to be seers, I wonder what compelled them to go to such lengths?”

Baek Do-san had recently succeeded in bringing Director Oh Jun-seok, the person Kang Yi-sin had mentioned, onto his side. And he had come to believe it – that Kang Yi-sin was indeed a seer.

Why? Because even Director Oh himself had been unaware of his daughter’s illness.

Muttering to himself, Professor Geum spoke up:

“According to him, it’s to save the world.”

“Ah, I see he’s still not inclined to share the details.”

With those words, Baek Do-san turned a meaningful gaze towards Professor Geum.

“Yet you’ve been quite generous in providing assistance recently.”

“Well, consider it an investment for the future.”

“An investment without any expectation of returns, it seems.”

“We’ve already received ample returns.”

Professor Geum’s words prompted Baek Do-san to nod in understanding. Identifying the traitor that day, and escaping Seol Rok-jin’s clutches – those alone were lifesaving blessings. And the routes subsequently revealed had proven quite profitable as well.

Enabling smuggling operations through portals, no less.

“Still, you should limit your generosity. While transactions are fine, extending genuine goodwill towards them is risky.”

Professor Geum nodded at Baek Do-san’s warning. It wasn’t solely about the money.

“Whatever that guy is aiming for, the fact that he’s made such a public debut under his own name shows he clearly desires something. And it must be something monumental, to warrant announcing his presence so audaciously through such a commotion. If you continue supporting him, eventually those arrows pointed at him will turn towards you as well.”

Gazing at Professor Geum, Baek Do-san spoke slowly:

“While his actions are certainly entertaining, it’s best to observe the spectacle from a distance.”

In Baek Do-san’s eyes, the path Kang Yi-sin was treading seemed far too perilous.

“We can dip a toe in, but shouldn’t get too close.”

At that warning, Professor Geum nodded in agreement. Yes, this was the appropriate extent of their connection with that group.

“Haha.”

The sudden laughter prompted Professor Geum to turn his head.

“Was there something amusing?”

“My utterly worthless younger brother got fleeced again.”

* * *

Clutching the report she had prepared, Do Chae-hee headed towards the office.

A palpable tension weighed upon her entire being.

And for good reason.

Those who would be receiving Do Chae-hee’s report on the ‘132nd Auction Heist Incident’ were individuals of considerable stature.

And the report Do Chae-hee would be presenting before these esteemed figures was but an empty husk.

‘Dammit.’

She tried to refrain from cursing, but the expletives automatically slipped out – that was how tense she felt.

Was this the same dread felt by a cow being led to the slaughterhouse? A convict marching towards the gallows? With a pallid, haggard expression, Do Chae-hee approached her destination when a man appeared before her.

“Ah, Inspector Do Chae-hee.”

It was Representative Seol Rok-jin. Despite herself, Do Chae-hee’s lips curved upward in response to his greeting.

“Representative Seol Rok-jin.”

He truly was a sight for sore eyes – a radiant smile on that handsome visage seemed to lift the shadows weighing upon her heart.

“Have you come regarding this latest incident?”

“Yes.”

“It seems you’ve been assigned to handle it. From what I’ve heard, it was no simple case. And you were already occupied with the previous matter, were you not?”

At his words expressing concern for her, Do Chae-hee gave an awkward laugh.

It certainly hadn’t been easy. To process this incident, she had spent an entire week without sleep.

While possessing a sturdy awakener physique rated A-class, even she couldn’t avoid accumulated fatigue.

“Haha, these arduous tasks keep piling up one after another.”

She still hadn’t located the suspect ‘Kang Yi-sin’ from the previous illegal dungeon mining case, and now this new incident had occurred. At this rate, being labeled incompetent would be unavoidable.

While the injustice stung, it was also true that she currently lacked any substantial leads.

There was one lingering concern, however.

‘I’m certain I saw Han Seo-hyeon there…’

But his name was omitted from this report. She couldn’t include unverified details.

For a moment, Do Chae-hee debated whether to request assistance from this kind-hearted Representative. But she soon shook her head.

Her ego was too resolute to seek others’ aid when she couldn’t properly handle her own duties.

“Then I wish you strength for the presentation. That’s the best I can offer.”

“No! Your very existence, Representative, is a source of st-strength for me!”

“I appreciate the sentiment, at least.”

Parting ways with Seol Rok-jin at the entrance, Do Chae-hee steeled herself and entered. While her mental state remained utterly dejected despite the preparation, she mustered all her willpower.

Even after finalizing the presentation materials, for ten full minutes she calmly examined the documents she had readied.

Then, one by one, the assembled assemblymen with their bulky backsides began taking their seats – including Seol Rok-jin, who had offered her encouragement earlier.

Do Chae-hee grit her teeth.

Before these individuals, she would have to properly convey everything she had uncovered.

But as the presentation progressed, her shoulders only sagged further.

“The identity of Weltschmertz is estimated to be male. However, since he wore a mask and the smokescreen concealed his body, the possibility of it being a female using voice modulation cannot be completely ruled out. His talent seems to be water-related, but the method used to steal the Red Flame Mana Stone involved summoning a skeleton, so…”

Even before she could finish, a question was flung her way.

“That’s preposterous, isn’t it? You claim to have witnessed it directly, Inspector Do, but there was supposedly dense smoke obscuring the entire scene!”

With a sigh, Do Chae-hee explained:

“Among my talents is the passive skill ‘Eagle Eye.’ No smokescreen can obstruct my vision.”

“Then let’s assume this fellow truly did summon a skeleton, as you claim. You also stated he unleashed a water deluge. Is it possible for one person to wield two completely contradictory talents like that?”

Which was why Do Chae-hee was doubting whether the skeleton summoner had truly been the masked man.

Han Seo-hyeon, who had appeared at the scene – he possessed a necromancer’s talents. Could the skeleton’s summoning have been a coincidence?

But…

‘It’s all conjecture.’

Do Chae-hee bit her lip.

“Is there no one else who can corroborate this evidence?”

“That’s enough. Let’s just hear what you’ve uncovered so far.”

At one Representative’s words, Do Chae-hee haltingly continued:

“A-After the incident, I attempted to secure evidence by canvassing the area and reviewing CCTV footage.”

In truth, this was the bigger issue. Despite witnessing everything firsthand, Do Chae-hee had been unable to uncover anything substantial afterward.

She had reviewed the CCTV footage from that day and continued the neighborhood investigation, but nothing suspicious had emerged. Whoever the perpetrator was, they had perfectly exploited the CCTV blindspots and aroused no suspicion from bystanders.

Moreover, regarding that device pre-installed in the ventilation duct – she had received definitive confirmation that no anomalies had been detected during the inspection conducted three hours before the auction commenced.

“Doesn’t that imply internal assistance was involved?”

“You still haven’t ascertained that?”

At that question, Do Chae-hee tightened her grip on the report in her hands.

‘What support? I was completely alone in this!’

The entire Awakener Crimes Team only had five personnel. The remaining members had been assigned to patrols or dispatched to other scenes.

Do Chae-hee had undoubtedly been occupied with her own duties as well. Unable to neglect those responsibilities, she had spent nights investigating this case.

Yet even after a whole week of sleepless nights, she had been unable to properly document that perpetrator’s details.

Because she knew nothing about him.

This case had clearly exceeded her capabilities.

But those who had assigned her this task showed no inclination to consider her circumstances. She had merely been set up as a bulletproof human shield.

“The Awakener Crime Division, you say? What use are they if they can’t even identify awakener-related crimes like this?”

At those words, Do Chae-hee’s eyes reddened. As much as she didn’t want to cry, hearing such remarks inevitably drained all her strength.

Damn it, did they know how much effort she had poured into this? She had given her utmost, even risking death. Why were they saying such things?

It was then that Seol Rok-jin stepped forward.

“Which is precisely why the Awakener Crimes Team requires greater support, doesn’t it?”

“Representative Seol, what are you saying?”

“We’ve entered an era where the so-called ‘villains’ are running rampant. Just look at this recent incident. Countless hunters were present at the scene, yet not a single one acted. No, they couldn’t act, for fear of civilian casualties unlike the villains.”

Seol Rok-jin continued:

“They lack legal authority. So they can only respond passively to awakener-related crimes. To properly address such crimes, stronger laws, systems, and commensurate support are necessary. We can’t continue relying solely on individual capabilities forever.”

At those words, Do Chae-hee clenched her fists tightly, her gratitude nearly bringing her to tears.

Truthfully, as an awakener herself, Do Chae-hee did sometimes feel uncomfortable with Representative Seol Rok-jin’s anti-awakener rhetoric.

But from her frontline experiences, she had come to acknowledge his perspective. Villains were indeed that difficult to contend with – it was understandable for non-awakeners to fear them.

In response to Seol Rok-jin’s statement, the assembled assemblymen cleared their throats awkwardly.

“In the midst of this report, such comments are rather inappropriate…”

“I believe they are appropriate words. My apologies if they interrupted the Inspector’s report.”

“No!”

Do Chae-hee shook her head. Had it not been for Seol Rok-jin’s intervention, she would have endured far harsher recrimination.

Taking a deep breath, the emboldened Do Chae-hee spoke up:

“Do you know how many personnel were assigned to handle this case?”

“How would we know?”

“Just me, alone.”

Her words cast a pall of silence over the conference room. Surveying them all, Do Chae-hee continued:

“The entire Awakener Crimes Team only has a measly five members. Three of them are still deployed at other scenes. I was the only one with the capacity to take on a case without casualties.”

Not that she was the only higher-ranked awakener available to handle such incidents in the first place. But this was the crux of the issue – the Awakener Crimes Team was sorely understaffed.

“Representative Seol Rok-jin is correct. I alone am struggling to cope.”

“Hah, is this just an excuse because your abilities are lacking?”

Grinding her teeth, Do Chae-hee retorted:

“Of course, I acknowledge my own inadequacies. But without proper resources and support from the outset, there is nothing that can be accomplished.”

Bnag! Slamming her fist on the table, Do Chae-hee shouted:

“Just what am I supposed to do? Tell me! Spending a whole week’s worth of nights, all by myself!”

She had lost her composure.

But she could no longer contain herself. If they intended to dismiss her, then dismiss her! No, they might not even have that authority.

“I-Inspector Do Chae-hee! Why are you acting like this?”

“I’m going insane! I want to capture that bastard too, no matter what! But! I don’t have the time!”

At that moment, the door opened and Park Cheol-wan appeared, his face drained of color. It seemed someone had alerted him about Do Chae-hee’s outburst.

“Do Chae-hee! Come out, right now!”

“I refuse!”

“Tsk!”

Despite her refusal, Park Cheol-wan forcibly dragged her outside.

The assemblymen could only watch her with stunned expressions.

* * *

“Have you lost your mind?”

“Yes.”

Do Chae-hee was unapologetic.

“It was a maddening situation.”

“Haah.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Park Cheol-wan spoke:

“Representative Seol has submitted a bill for the next Assembly session.”

The Awakener Crimes Team was already a relatively independent organization. But it still operated within the framework of the police force. The bill proposed by Seol Rok-jin aimed to shatter that constraint.

“To establish it as a completely separate agency. Moreover, this reform is scheduled to proceed quite swiftly. You’re aware that based on the previous and current incidents, Representative Seol has garnered significant public support, right? Everyone understands the need to provide more resources to the Awakener Crimes Team.”

At those words, Do Chae-hee nodded.

“Representative Seol Rok-jin is slated to assume an oversight role for this new organization. But not just oversight – he will serve as our shield.”

The more she heard, the more Do Chae-hee’s gaze dropped towards the floor.

“And then you had this outburst today?”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

Glancing sideways at Do Chae-hee’s face, Park Cheol-wan asked:

“Have you been getting any sleep at all?”

“None for the past week.”

“For today, just go rest.”

“But…”

“You need to take care of yourself to handle this work.”

Do Chae-hee bit her lip.

Her desire was to apprehend all the criminals, but she currently lacked the means. She was still far too powerless.

“This Weltschmerz, or whatever his name is, he’ll likely show up again soon. For someone who made such a flashy debut, his ego must be immense. And what does an immense ego signify?”

“It means he won’t hesitate to commit further crimes.”

“Exactly. You know the saying I always repeat?”

Nodding at Park Cheol-wan’s words, Do Chae-hee answered:

“Evil never flees.”

She etched those words deeply into her heart.

Next time, she wouldn’t be so powerless.