Yujin’s declaration to rehabilitate villains.
The news drew journalists like moths to a fla.
Everyone understood how much the world could change if he succeeded, so it was only natural for the dia frenzy to follow.
—Murmur, murmur.
"But do you think it’s possible?"
"Villains remain unaffected even by lobotomies—how could this work?"
At the sa ti, there was widespread doubt and unease.
Who were villains?
People who, until yesterday, had been family, friends, or lovers—
And in the blink of an eye, without rhy or reason, beca mindless killers.
Humanity had poured countless resources into treating villains ever since it was revealed they weren’t just ordinary criminals.
And yet, no thod had ever worked.
Villains were considered an incurable disease, an unavoidable catastrophe.
‘But Yujin said it himself—there won’t be any more villains.’
After his unprecedented conquest of the EX-class Gate,
Yujin had demonstrated power on an entirely different level.
Crowned the undisputed S-class #1, he announced that no more villains would appear.
Having eradicated the Outer Gods—the root cause of villainy—it was only natural, but…
He couldn’t reveal that, so he vaguely attributed it to his own efforts.
No one could believe it easily.
Even coming from Yujin, the claim seed absurd.
‘It’s hard to believe, but if he really cures a villain here…’
That was why the press had flocked to The Abyssal Pit.
If Yujin succeeded in rehabilitating a villain,
it would lend imnse credibility to his statent that no more villains would appear in the future.
This was a historic mont in many ways.
It was no surprise that global dia had descended on the scene.
Before the countless caras, Yujin swallowed hard.
‘If this works, it’ll be a ga-changer….’
"If it fails, you’ll never be able to show your face again, though."
"It’s fine, Master~ Just trust in your greatest partner, Hypnosis-chan!"
"Alright. Seriously, I’m putting all my faith in you, my soul mate."
With that, Yujin and Hypnosis-chan stepped forward.
They approached the villain, who was bound and spewing curses.
Coincidentally, it was one of the villains Yujin had captured before.
"Oh, it’s that panty girl from back then?"
"…Shit. Is that how you rember people?"
"Man, what a mory. That ad shoot I did with Alice and Solip for the eye drops still pops up on YouTube sotis."
"Would you fucking listen when I talk?!"
The villain ground her teeth in frustration, but Yujin didn’t so much as blink.
His attitude toward villains hadn’t changed, even after learning everything about their circumstances.
"I’m not stupid enough to waste ti listening to villains."
"Then why the fuck are you here…?"
"To treat your little villain disease."
"……?"
Yujin’s movents didn’t stop.
His eyes glowed gold.
—Ding.
[Skill ‘Complete Hypnosis ’ has been activated….]
‘Whoa. Peeking into soone else’s status window? I really feel like a novel protagonist now.’
Before him, the villain’s stats and unique abilities appeared.
Normally, only Awakened individuals could see their own status windows,
but thanks to his third-regression abilities, Yujin could now observe others’ status as well.
His reaction?
[Yikes. Hypnosis-chan, this one’s super dirty.]
[It’s filthy and stinks, unlike yours, Master~.]
Even Hypnosis-chan cringed.
Unlike Yujin’s pristine status window, the villain’s was polluted with the Outer God’s divine power.
It was cracked like a spiderweb and oozing a foul, bloody aura.
[Can I just smash it?]
[If you do, her soul will shatter too, Master~.]
[Hmm. Then what should I do?]
[I’ll restrain her soul while you smash it. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure it doesn’t break anything else.]
Hypnosis-chan’s eyes shone gold.
Her essence infiltrated the villain’s soul, just as it often had before she gained a physical form.
And then…
—Ding.
[Hypnosis-chan wraps the target’s soul in tape!]
[You better stay still unless you want to end up peeing yourself like that other one!]
[Master~ Smash it when I give the signal~.]
[Hypnosis-chan bounces up and down on her tiny legs.]
Though she’d done this countless tis before, it was Yujin’s first ti witnessing the process directly.
Her antics unfolding before him felt so ridiculous that he almost lost focus.
‘What the hell is she doing?’
Despite the absurdity of the scene, Yujin steeled himself.
He drew upon his abilities, forging part of his soul into a hamr.
"Master, now!"
"Got it."
At Hypnosis-chan’s cue, Yujin swung.
The enhanced ‘Complete Hypnosis’ struck the polluted status window directly.
Crunch.
The sound was soft, like a spider being crushed underfoot.
The divine power that had once flowed through the corrupted status seeped away like blood.
‘I’ll just store this Outer God power for now.’
[Is it over?]
[We’re done on our end, but hang on a sec, Master~.]
[What now?]
Hypnosis-chan wrapped up the remnants of the divine energy.
As she worked, Yujin turned his gaze forward again.
His eyes glead with renewed focus.
—Ding.
[System severely damaged. Initiating restoration protocol….]
[Target’s soul confird intact. System restoration complete.]
The shattered status window reassembled itself.
The nacing, chaotic display disappeared, replaced by the clean, clear interface Yujin was used to seeing.
[Hey, her soul got slightly damaged. Was that a mistake?]
[It was on purpose, Master~. If we left those corrupted mories intact, who knows what might’ve happened!]
Normally, the soul would have been destroyed along with the corrupted status,
but thanks to Hypnosis-chan’s guidance, only the mories tied to her villain transformation were erased.
"…Huh? Where am I?"
Light returned to the villain’s—no, the woman’s—eyes.
The madness that had consud her, fed by the Outer God’s divine power, was gone.
She no longer rembered the days she’d spent killing under that influence.
The first to notice her change was Seol Hayeon.
"……."
‘I had my doubts, but he really did it.’
Her instincts scread the truth.
This woman, who had been a villain just monts ago, was no longer a villain.
Yujin had truly succeeded in rehabilitating her.
And what did that an?
"It’s really over…."
‘This tragedy is finally over.’
The curse lurking behind the blessing of Awakening—villainy—
that had turned friends, family, and lovers into monsters, had co to an end.
No more villains would appear, and even existing ones could now be saved.
“…My duty as well.”
The girl who had been forced to beco a hero because of the villains,
the woman who sacrificed her happiness to protect Korea,
the only one able to distinguish villains from others—Seol Hayeon—
Her burden had finally been lifted.
For so reason, sothing warm flowed down her cheek.
—Drip.
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