Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

Upon receiving my contact, Baek Do-san promptly arranged a meeting location. Seeing me, he remarked:

“Your name has been making quite a stir lately.”

Well, there was no hiding my identity from them anymore. I had worn the mask Professor Geum provided at the auction, after all. While I didn’t fully trust Baek Do-san, he wasn’t the type to betray his word either.

I readily admitted the truth.

“It’s nothing major.”

“Nothing major, while everyone is talking about. But to be able to pull off that auction heist in such a manner – I had no idea. And now I hear you even raided some laboratory recently?”

“Yes, it’s about what I discovered at that laboratory that’s the issue.”

I explained the situation to Baek Do-san, who furrowed his brows upon hearing my account.

“You want to smuggle all those children out of the country?”

“Yes. It would be impossible for them to live normal lives within Korea.”

“Hah, you seem to have quite the soft side, despite appearances.”

Baek Do-san’s remark left me feeling indignant. Just what kind of impression did I give off?

—Sometimes when you laugh, you come across as a heartless villain without a shred of humanity.

It must be my eyes. Was there anyone kinder than me? To suffer such misunderstandings because of my eyes…

Unable to retort, I could only shrug helplessly.

“In any case, as long as I can get them out of the country, that would suffice.”

A wry smile crossed Baek Do-san’s face as he nodded in understanding.

“Alright, whether you intend to sell those children off or simply dispose of them before my eyes, it doesn’t matter. We’ll handle transporting that ‘special package.’ But in exchange, I need you to work with us on a job.”

“A job, you say?”

“There’s been an issue in China.”

At those words, I rolled my eyes. Of course. Here we go again, trading one trouble for another potential mess. An issue in China didn’t bode well, although the specifics remained unclear.

Baek Do-san straightened his posture, preparing to elaborate further:

“Well, as one of our investors, you need to be informed about this matter as well.”

His phrasing provided a clue as to the nature of this issue. Even before the awakeners emerged, China had been notorious as the world’s top synthetic drug exporting nation. And that hadn’t changed after awakeners appeared either – it remained unmatched in drug production capabilities.

“Is this drug-related?”

Nodding to confirm my guess, Baek Do-san briefly outlined the situation. And the details I heard were quite serious.

“They refuse to hand over the drugs?”

“To be precise, their circumstances no longer permit it, is what they say. Which is why they’ve asked for our assistance.”

“An internal conflict? Or…”

“A war against another organization.”

“I’d rather not get involved in Chinese gang wars. Don’t they despise outsiders meddling in their territories?”

No place valued insularity more than China. As the world’s most populous nation, their xenophobia was unparalleled. Foreign races encroaching upon their realm was utterly unacceptable.

In contrast to other nations’ guilds that readily employed foreign mercenaries, Chinese guilds adamantly emphasized ethnic purity.

The same applied to their gangs as well.

“Well, that may be true. But this time is different. The Silver Moon Society is on the verge of being wiped out entirely, name and all. They’re not just playing with fire – their pants have already been set ablaze, I hear.”

“The Silver Moon Society?”

“Yes, you could call them the spiritual successors to the Triad, of sorts…”

The formerly dominant Triad had become partially disbanded following the Gate Break incident, where their leaders and families had been tragically entangled. With the leadership eliminated in one fell swoop, infighting over successors had erupted.

In any case, the Silver Moon Society was supposedly the most legitimate claimant among the remaining factions, as the current leader was the son of a former mid-level Triad boss.

Based in Suzhou and Shanghai, the Silver Moon Society had been expanding their territory quite successfully in these prime areas of China.

Naturally, the Silver Moon Society had grown considerably influential by dominating such valuable regions.

“For an organization like that to extend their hands to outsiders – the situation must be dire.”

“Exactly.”

“Well… how about we simply abandon the Silver Moon Society this time around?”

In the future knowledge I possessed, the Silver Moon Society’s name had been completely absent. Which meant their defeat in this war was the ‘destined outcome.’

Reading the implication behind my expression, Baek Do-san gave a bitter smile.

“Ah, I see. So in the ‘original’ timeline, the Silver Moon Society lost this war, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Unfortunately, we – the Black Panther faction – cannot afford to abandon the Silver Moon Society.”

“Why not?”

“There’s something called guanxi culture in China. We’ve had ties with the Silver Moon Society since our very inception, or to be more precise, since Liu Weiyan’s father’s era. If we were to discard the Silver Moon Society here and now, no other organization would trust us as men of integrity again.”

I see. What a predicament. Letting out a resigned sigh, I asked:

“So who are we up against?”

“The Anti-Society. A nascent organization that only emerged two or three years ago.”

My face froze at that name, though Baek Do-san remained oblivious as he continued:

“Though newly formed, we can’t underestimate this Anti-Society group. Led by exceptionally powerful awakeners, they’ve been ruthlessly decimating surrounding organizations. They’ve been indiscriminately expanding their operations as well. Drugs, human trafficking, organ harvesting, you name it.”

“The Anti-Society.”

Now the full situation became clear. In the past timeline, Seol Rok-jin had chosen to side with the Anti-Society. While the Black Panther faction’s guanxi ties prevented them from opposing the Silver Moon Society, Seol Rok-jin had been unencumbered by such constraints.

The Anti-Society had devoured the Silver Moon Society to bolster their rise, then systematically consumed China’s underworld powers one by one. Riding that momentum, they had eventually unified the entire nation under their control.

‘So this divergence stemmed from me preventing Seol Rok-jin’s brainwashing.’

Originally, under Seol Rok-jin’s direction, the Black Panther faction would have aligned with the Anti-Society. But now, they stood with the Silver Moon Society instead.

Even without the Black Panther faction’s intervention, the Silver Moon Society could never have defeated the Anti-Society through conventional means – for the Anti-Society harbored a certain undefeatable monster.

However, I was aware of that monster’s identity. And I had a rough idea of how to deal with it.

If I left the Anti-Society unchecked, the Silver Moon Society would crumble. And the Black Panther faction, maintaining close ties to the Silver Moon Society, would suffer a devastating blow as well.

The Black Panther’s downfall would render my efforts to keep Baek Do-san alive meaningless.

So this was how changing the future unfolded – a cascading domino effect of disruptions!

The children’s matter would have to be postponed – resolving this took priority first.

“I’ll accept that request.”

* * *

Upon returning to the base, I informed Kim Jae-ho and Han Seo-hyeon about the situation.

“So we have to help out with some Chinese gang war in order to relocate the kids?”

“Yes.”

“Can’t we just keep living with them here?”

Despite Han Seo-hyeon’s protest, I shook my head firmly.

“I already said that’s not possible.”

Surveying our base, I let out a deep sigh. Someone had scribbled graffiti across the walls in the meantime. Noticing where my gaze had landed, Han Seo-hyeon shifted to obstruct my line of sight, though that didn’t erase the vandalism.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, the children only watched us cautiously.

It was rather pitiful seeing them so on edge around us.

Il-ho spoke up, addressing me:

“If it’s too difficult, you don’t have to do it.”

“I already told you, we can’t keep you here forever.”

“We’ll behave.”

Did he realize how heartrending those words were? If he was being intentionally manipulative, the little brat was truly devious.

Forcing a stern tone, I instructed the children:

“We depart in two days’ time. Pack your belongings properly by then. Take whatever you want to bring.”

“Boss!”

“And Jae-ho, follow me.”

Ignoring Han Seo-hyeon calling out from behind, I grabbed Kim Jae-ho and headed outside. Watching Han Seo-hyeon let out a resigned sigh as he tended to the children, I ruffled my own hair in exasperation.

Ugh, this really wasn’t my forte.

Regaining my composure, I turned to Kim Jae-ho and asked:

“How much of what I said did you understand?”

“That we need to fight for their sake.”

Without Seol Rok-jin’s brainwashing, Kim Jae-ho did indeed seem sharper than before. While still inarticulate with lapses in concentration, he no longer struggled with basic comprehension.

“Right, we must fight to ensure their safety.”

After saying that, I gazed into his eyes obscured by his overgrown bangs, hoping to discern his sincerity.

“What I want to ask is this. Are you willing to fight? Even if you might sustain injuries or potentially risk your life in this battle, are you prepared to involve yourself for their sake?”

In response to my query, Kim Jae-ho slowly opened his mouth.

“Yes.”

It was a curt, underwhelming reply that made me want to double-check his understanding. But it would suffice.

Kim Jae-ho was incapable of deception, so it must be his genuine intention.

Very well, I would include Kim Jae-ho’s strength for this operation as well.

But first, there were a few things I needed to confirm.

“However, you can’t just charge in recklessly like before.”

Previously, it had been an ambush against non-combatant researchers. Naturally, he had found it as easy as eating warm rice porridge, simply bashing their skulls in thoughtlessly.

But the opponents we would face this time were true professionals, such unrestrained tactics would not work against them.

While I had a rough grasp of Han Seo-hyeon’s combat abilities, Kim Jae-ho remained an unknown variable.

There was no surer method of gauging his full capabilities than directly engaging him.

“First, take off that collar.”

At my words, Kim Jae-ho’s eyes flickered. Despite the considerable time since his liberation, an artifact suppressing his awakened abilities still remained bound around his neck.

I had no intentions of instructing him to unleash his talents immediately. But it would be better to remove that inhibitor first.

“You don’t want to? You understand what that is, right?”

“I know.”

But fully exposing the back of his neck to me likely made him apprehensive.

“If you’re against it, then never mind.”

“No, take it off.”

Kim Jae-ho obediently lowered his head, baring his nape for me to carefully remove the restraining collar. Once freed, he repeatedly turned his head, as if marveling at the absence weighing his neck.

“Does it feel better?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s spar for a bit.”

At my suggestion, Kim Jae-ho tilted his head doubtfully.

“You’re weak.”

“Yes, I probably seem that way to you.”

I readily admitted it.

“But fighting isn’t solely about physical strength. So come at me. I need to gauge your actual combat capabilities.”

Uncertainty filled Kim Jae-ho’s eyes over whether he could truly attack me. But he eventually rose from his seated position. As I stood facing him, I gestured for him to make the first move.

The instant I signaled him, Kim Jae-ho charged forward. The fist he thrust out was undoubtedly swift and powerful. With each swing of his fists, I could feel the surrounding air being rent asunder.

—If even a single one of those lands squarely, the struck area will be utterly pulverized.

‘I know.’

I had witnessed firsthand the fates that befell those struck by his fists.

Even without employing his talents, Kim Jae-ho was an immensely formidable opponent.

‘If they land,’ that is.

Accelerating my body with mana, I evaded Kim Jae-ho’s fists. While tremendously powerful, his movements lacked any technique, far too straightforward.

I barely managed to dodge each of Kim Jae-ho’s strikes, occasionally grazing the shockwaves and sustaining torn skin. But I didn’t suffer any direct hits.

“Why won’t you get hit?”

“Your movements are too obvious.”

Relying solely on instinctive motions wouldn’t suffice against me, especially when I moved unpredictably while incorporating feints.

Kim Jae-ho seemed to grow increasingly agitated, tightly clenching his jaw as his eyes burned with intensity.

Good, was he finally getting serious?

With each thunderous footstep, the ground cratered beneath Kim Jae-ho’s weight. His movements accelerated even further as the force behind his fists intensified. But no matter how swiftly he attacked, he couldn’t land a clean hit.

Before long, my dagger found itself pressed against Kim Jae-ho’s neck.

“You’re dead.”

A violet aura flickered within Kim Jae-ho’s pupils.

“Ah ah, no talents yet. I’ll teach you those later.”

To immediately attempt channeling his mana after merely removing the suppression collar…

“Hmph.”

Following my words, Kim Jae-ho let the violet aura dissipate.

Good, I had grasped a general sense of his abilities. Despite that brief exchange leaving me drenched in sweat, I gestured for Kim Jae-ho to stop.

“You’re powerful, but lack control. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“From now on, you’ll practice the techniques I teach you daily.”

I decided to impart the combat arts I had learned at the academy. The rest would have to be honed through actual combat experience.

—Combat experience, you say?

‘Kim Jae-ho is the type who grows stronger through real battles rather than my instruction alone. It was the same in the past – just tossing him into the fray allowed him to sharpen himself and return alive.’

Not that I intended to simply discard Kim Jae-ho into battles unprepared.

But our fighting styles differed too greatly.

Unlike my meticulous, calculated approach, Kim Jae-ho’s style relied on his innate physical prowess and instinctive combat sense.

I would teach him the basics first, then allow the rest of his growth to occur through actual combat experience.

“To begin with…”

As I started to provide Kim Jae-ho some initial pointers, a voice called out from behind:

“Teach me too!”

Turning, I saw Han Seo-hyeon and the children clustered by the doorway, watching us intently.

“What? How long have you all been observing?”

“Please teach me that too!”

“So cool!”

“I want to learn as well!”

Prompted by Han Seo-hyeon, the children came rushing over, showering me with admiration. ‘Awesome! I want to learn that! So amazing!’

Amidst their clamoring praises, I shouted:

“Alright then, you brats! Why don’t you all come at me together!”

This approach might not be so bad either.