Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

“Xie Haozhu will attack the Silver Moon Society today.”

At my words, Han Seo-hyeon asked:

“Can we stop her?”

“No.”

If she has decided to strike this place, there is nothing we can do to prevent it.

“I already told you, openly confronting her would be suicidal.”

The reason the Silver Moon Society couldn’t prepare any defenses against the Anti-Society’s attack is simple:

The Anti-Society only sends a single person. And that one individual is ridiculously powerful.

If they had attempted to overwhelm with sheer numbers, our side might have stood a chance to respond. But against this solitary, overwhelming force, lacking anyone of comparable might rendered any opposition futile.

So the only advice I could offer was this:

“We can only urge everyone to evacuate.”

The Silver Moon Society didn’t welcome my warning, but they didn’t dismiss it either.

They were well aware that confronting the Anti-Society’s monster would indeed be suicidal.

I observed her from a distance.

Between the flickering streetlights, I spotted a small figure bounding along the road in a bouncing gait.

It was Xie Haozhu, her hair tied in twin braids, wearing an oversized black leather jacket ill-fitting for her diminutive frame.

She surveyed her eerily quiet surroundings suspiciously.

But no matter how carefully she scanned, not a single human presence could be detected. Naturally – I had already instructed the Silver Moon Society to evacuate everyone from this area.

Stopping in her tracks, Xie Haozhu lightly bounced on the spot before thrusting her fist forward.

And an astonishing phenomenon occurred.

With that single punch, the entire building seemed to ‘disintegrate’ before her, vanishing without a trace. Even the flow of air itself disappeared, as she had crushed the very atmosphere into oblivion.

The Anti-Society’s Anaconda.

That was the nickname she had earned.

—An utterly ludicrous punch.

She had layered mana upon mana to forge a pathway, then channeled pure physical force through that conduit.

Her talent could be considered a composite physical system. That overwhelming physical power acted like magic itself, obliterating and annihilating everything present.

Without leaving even a speck of dust behind, Xie Haozhu had successfully pulverized her intended target.

But such immense power came at a price – one that would eventually consume her as well.

How could I convince her to cease making such disastrous ‘transactions?’

I was pondering that dilemma when a piercing gaze fell upon me. Swiftly rolling aside, the very spot I had occupied mere moments ago was obliterated.

“Guhk.”

A near-death experience. Cold sweat trickled down my back.

Lifting my head, Xie Haozhu had already appeared before me, crouched while staring intently.

“I told you not to loiter around here.”

Desperately, I forced a smile.

“Haha, I just wanted to see you.”

At those words, Xie Haozhu furrowed her brows.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Yes.”

—Seriously, you spout such lines even in these situations?

Ray remarked incredulously, but Xie Haozhu was susceptible to such blatant approaches. Just look at her calmly watching me now – she was clearly flustered in her own way.

Having never encountered someone like me before, Xie Haozhu froze, uncertain how to respond to my words. After a momentary pause devoid of any expression, she finally uttered in a chilling tone:

“If you keep loitering around here, I’ll eliminate you too.”

“Really? But we promised to visit the baduk salon together tomorrow.”

“I can go to the salon without you there.”

“But ‘Alkkagi’ – only I can teach you that.”

Xie Haozhu pursed her lips at my remark.

“Who knows if I’ll even show up.”

Xie Haozhu’s reason for saying that was simple – she intended to discard her memories again tonight.

“I’ll be waiting regardless.”

Once more, Xie Haozhu departed without any definitive answer, vanishing in an instant as if evaporating into thin air.

Dusting off the dirt clinging to my body, I rose to my feet.

—You think she’ll actually come?

“Perhaps.”

—And if she doesn’t show?

“Then I’ll simply repeat today’s actions.”

If she couldn’t recall, I would keep reminding her until she did. I possessed ample patience for such endeavors.

* * *

Upon returning to the hotel room, Han Seo-hyeon recoiled in shock.

“Guhkk! What was that monstrosity? The space was literally shredded!”

Strange, I had instructed Han Seo-hyeon and Kim Jae-ho to remain at the hotel. Ah, they must have witnessed the scene through Han Seo-hyeon’s rat summons.

As I hung up my outer garments, I explained:

“It wasn’t a spatial manipulation ability. She simply compressed the area with overwhelming force.”

“That’s even worse! Ughh, how did you even survive that calamity?”

“Through my innate charms, of course.”

My flippant remark caused Han Seo-hyeon’s expression to sour. Uh oh, another ill-timed joke might provoke his wrath. In the end, I had no choice but to provide a candid account.

“She doesn’t indiscriminately kill those who aren’t her targets.”

“You risked your life purely based on that assumption? What if you had been grazed even slightly? Have you lost your mind?”

—I concur with his sentiment.

Both Ray and Han Seo-hyeon proceeded to berate me in unison.

“Please be more careful. Your life doesn’t solely belong to you, you know!”

While I was confident Xie Haozhu wouldn’t kill me based on my previous experiences with her future self, that belief lacked convincing justification to one human companion and one artifact assistant.

Left speechless, I could only endure their tongue-lashing in silence.

With my head bowed like a convicted criminal, Han Seo-hyeon unleashed a relentless stream of scolding for several minutes.

The only reason I patiently listened was the sight of his face crumpled as if on the verge of tears, his hands trembling – it was unclear whether he or I had been the one to narrowly escape death.

“Don’t act like you have two lives. And please don’t ever tackle such dangers alone again.”

Hmm, that remark sparked an intriguing thought. Perhaps by utilizing the mana circuits etched into my body, I could create a second life for myself?

—Are you kidding me? How many strokes would a talent like that require? It would be utterly impossible for you, barely capable of utilizing two-stroke abilities currently.

He did have a point. I couldn’t help but click my tongue in disappointment.

Tsk.

Having noticed my wandering thoughts, Han Seo-hyeon’s gaze hardened with renewed vexation.

“In any case, it wasn’t even worth risking your life over. There were no gains whatsoever, only increasing the dangers.”

“No, there was a gain.”

“What gain?”

“She agreed to meet me again tomorrow.”

“Hmph.”

Han Seo-hyeon scoffed in disbelief, but I was serious. Resolving this situation hinged primarily on securing Xie Haozhu’s cooperation.

For her to cease making those disastrous ‘transactions’ of her own volition and sever ties with her ‘Papa’ merely exploiting her. That was the ideal path to both saving Xie Haozhu and dismantling the Anti-Society.

And the first step was Xie Haozhu honoring our appointment tomorrow.

Despite my explanation, Han Seo-hyeon still regarded me with an utterly bewildered expression.

“Whatever, I don’t get it.”

Seeming to take offense, he flipped the blanket over himself and lay down on the bed. Kim Jae-ho alternated between observing us before shrugging and heading back outside.

Geez, not a single ally on my side, even among these kids.

Clicking my tongue, I took a seat at the desk.

Time for some training, then.

My efforts to increase my stroke count had shown no progress whatsoever. From the very start, the entire concept of enhancing my body’s processing power to utilize more strokes felt incomprehensible, something Ray had only briefly mentioned.

Unlike visible mana or other tangible elements, this ‘processing power’ remained imperceptible.

Still, I had discovered certain insights.

“Did you know it’s easier to simultaneously activate talents of similar attributes?”

—What do you mean?

“For instance, while using fire and water together is difficult, combining water and ice feels relatively effortless.”

A sense of greater leeway, if you will.

Through experimenting with various combinations, I had uncovered this pattern.

“Gravity and telekinesis also share a similar ‘feeling.'”

While wielding two or three completely opposing talents simultaneously might be impossible, perhaps I could find three relatively compatible abilities to utilize concurrently through this combinatorial approach.

“Basically, I’m trying to increase my usable stroke count that way. One plus one plus one equals three, after all.”

Since directly attempting to elevate my stroke count proved fruitless, I shifted my goal towards combining three separate one-stroke talents instead.

At the very least, I could sense progress in this direction.

And the end result would be equivalent to employing a three-stroke ability.

To that end, I began practicing meticulous mana manipulation.

Hovering ice crystals over my fingertips, I watched them shatter into snowflakes. Observing the display, Ray remarked:

—I’ll admit, you do possess considerable finesse in delicate mana control.

“Go on, say it outright. I’m the undisputed master at this.”

—Don’t get cocky.

“Yes, yes.”

Once more, I channeled my mana. The night remained long, and I intended to utilize this time diligently.

* * *

Outside, Kim Jae-ho found himself trailing a woman.

Thunk.

A dagger embedded itself at Kim Jae-ho’s feet.

“Why don’t you just stay holed up inside instead of loitering out here?”

At the woman’s words, Kim Jae-ho glared at her face.

He didn’t like it. Enough to want to kill her? Kim Jae-ho briefly contemplated whether killing this woman would be acceptable or not.

She had been the one prowling near their premises first. She had thrown that dagger at him too.

Very well! He would kill her!

As he clenched his fist, readying to strike, a voice resonated within his mind:

-You mustn’t kill indiscriminately.

Certainly, if he killed this woman, his master likely wouldn’t approve. Kim Jae-ho slightly relaxed his fisted grip.

“Leave.”

Instead, he addressed the woman curtly. Her loitering presence in this vicinity was unacceptable. With his heightened senses, this woman’s lingering had prevented him from properly resting.

“I don’t take orders from you.”

“Then go tell that person to stop monitoring us.”

Kim Jae-ho stated.

“If you keep loitering around here again, I’ll kill you.”

Whether his master approved or not.

“Your breathing is too noisy for me to sleep.”

At those words, the woman glared at Kim Jae-ho before vanishing from sight. Watching her retreating figure, he let out a weary sigh.

How frustrating, being unable to act as he desired because of others.

“While they do as they please.”

Recalling the face of the person who had narrowly escaped death today, Kim Jae-ho frowned in renewed agitation.

* * *

Xie Haozhu glared at the window that had materialized before her – a display only she could perceive in this world.

[Will you forfeit today’s memories as payment for a transaction?]

Until now, she had been making these ‘transactions’ with this entity at her Papa’s behest.

Since her Papa revealed everything important to her, she hadn’t cared about sacrificing these memories. If relinquishing them allowed her to grow stronger, she hadn’t minded this entity demanding increasingly more memories as payment.

As long as her Papa remained by her side, as long as he accompanied her, memories had been inconsequential.

But that Papa who had promised to divulge everything crucial had neglected to mention anything about that man.

She seemed to have enjoyed spending time with him, yet she couldn’t recall any of it.

Why hadn’t that man been deemed important enough to mention?

He hadn’t feared her like her Papa, had he?

Xie Haozhu puffed out her cheeks petulantly.

That was also why she had hesitated before this prompt she would normally acknowledge without a second thought.

Surrendering today’s memories meant forgetting about that man as well.

There was an alternative – informing her Papa beforehand so she could inquire about that man again later, but…

‘Papa won’t tell me anything about him.’

[Will you forfeit today’s memories as payment for a transaction?]

Xie Haozhu stared intently at that persistent window for a long while.

And finally, her hand began to move.