Iron Blooded Villain’s Academy Class

Episode 126

The sky has risen.

The sun was strong with no clouds, but not as hot as before. Smiles bloomed on the lips of those who enjoyed the cool breeze in the shade.

Click, click The lock hanging from the barbed wire made a sound. Evidence of consciousness that hopes that love will continue in the future.

However, unlike the wind, change is inevitable. Just as a locked lock rusts away, people’s emotions change easily.

Still, another lock fills the void.

Under the towering Namsan Tower, a man was watching the scene.

“Are you here?”

A woman approached him.

The long gray hair resembled that of an old man, but beneath it was the youthfulness that everyone desired.

“Looks like Torso is going to do something.”

The man glanced at her and then looked away. A view of the city from a high place.

It was a nice day and I could see quite far.

“Legs, you know what? Before the cataclysm, there were many buildings that were quite tall. Buildings with dozens of floors.”

It was an absurd story.

But the woman, Rex, listened to him in silence.

“But with Cataclysm, those buildings became kind of a milestone. It was easy for large-scale structures to overlap with dungeons.”

He let out a short laugh.

“We don’t build tall buildings anymore. Thanks to that, I can see the sky better than before.”

“… It is difficult to understand because of lack of learning.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to teach you anything. It is just a simple impression.”

He turned to look at Rex again.

“I always hope for change. Everyone wants to change. Whether the outcome is right or wrong is up to each individual.”

Rex thought he was laughing. But I didn’t know exactly.

She couldn’t accurately recognize anything, let alone his face.

“Rex, Torso is afraid of being abandoned. Her parents abandoned her, and her lover abandoned her. Nobody wanted her.”

Rex shook his head.

You can’t perceive it, but you can feel its presence. His voice is proof of his presence.

I couldn’t let go of even one.

“Extreme separation anxiety. People regarded her as a patient. I thought it was a problem that needed to be corrected as an object of treatment.”

A bitterness emanated from his voice.

“Rex, let her do what she wants. Change begins with freedom.”

“… All right, Head.”

Head and No Name were satisfied with Rex’s answer.

“I am envious. You really are free.”

“Do not worry.”

Rex said with a determined face.

“My wish is to set you free.”

* * *

A few days have passed since the school trip. Kang Tae-min visited the association at Seol Gyu-jin’s request.

“Thank you for your time. Mr. Kang.”

Seol Gyu-jin bowed his head respectfully. Bae Seung-ju, who was next to him, bowed even more.

As soon as he received a report that an incident had occurred in the underground, he tried to visit him, but Kang Tae-min refused.

‘Since Seol Ga-eun was also caught up in it, it could be out of focus.’

If I met them right away, I could have put weight on the fact that I saved Seol Ga-eun rather than the problems of the underground.

He gave the two people time to focus on this incident separately from Seol Ga-eun, and came to the association separately from Seol Ga-eun.

“I think this situation is entirely our fault. Thanks to Mr. Kang’s handling, we were able to prevent a major accident.”

“We have prepared a reward money as a token of appreciation and consolation for students who may have been surprised.”

At Seol Gyu-jin’s words, Bae Seung-ju shook his head. However, Kang Tae-min was not very interested in money.

Of course, I had no intention of refusing the offer, but there was something more important than that.

“Rather than that, I’d like to hear about a follow-up.”

“Ah, yes. Immediately, the gate was staffed and the attack was completed.”

After the incident, the underground management headquarters closed the dungeon according to the association’s instructions.

It was because it was an easier and quicker solution than searching for a villain who might be hiding.

“And we decided to increase the number of supervisors in charge of gate labor in the future.”

“… Is that the answer?”

Taemin Kang frowned.

Still, it wasn’t going to change that much. There were no other casualties, only the villains died.

“If you have any other opinions, I will listen.”

“If I hadn’t been the supervisor and had another villain come in with me instead of my student, the chances of a prison break would have been higher.”

The association said they sent the villains to different places, but in reality they joined forces and attacked.

“I think it’s important to prevent the villains from getting together in the first place. By reducing the number of attackers per gate or not forming groups.”

“But if that happens, there are safety concerns… .”

“Chief, who do you think should put safety first? Which one should the Association protect?”

Kang Tae-min cut off Bae Seung-joo’s words.

As the atmosphere was about to sharpen, Seol Gyu-jin raised his hand to intervene.

“Teacher Kang Tae-min is right.”

“The president of the association… ?”

“Director, the underground is a product of the old era. The system created to cover the national finances that were in trouble during the cataclysm has continued to this day.”

At that time, the association was not properly self-sustaining. It was because the government recruited good Awakeners, not an organization founded by Awakeners.

From the beginning, the underground was not a facility for the reformation of villains.

“It would be an excuse to say that there were many more important things. As the person in charge, I will reflect and reorganize.”

But now it is different.

As the number of Awoken increased, the Association became an independent organization, establishing a cooperative relationship with the government rather than a hierarchical one.

‘As expected, Seol Gyu-jin is more flexible than Bae Seung-joo.’

Emphasizing principles can sometimes be stubborn. Since Seol Gyu-jin nailed it like that, Bae Seung-ju had nothing more to say.

“All right. I believe that it will not end with just the word.”

Taemin Kang finished his story and left.

There were many places to go today.

* * *

Veritas guild estate.

However, unlike before, a new building was erected here. It was a special ward built together while preparing for the Shinto Insanity Inspection Office.

It was a facility for isolating patients who were judged ‘suspect’ as a result of the test.

‘On average, it changes within about 3 weeks after the test.’

Naturally, the director of the facility was Johanna. She frowned as she looked at the test results of the patients.

‘As expected, there are no signs in the body before the mutation. It is entirely the result of the change of the soul.’

In other words, it meant that treatment was possible only if the deterioration of the soul was prevented. The problem was that it wasn’t easy.

She asked for a pipe. Smoking is common knowledge in hospitals, but not here.

‘What Lunatic Don planted is kind of like a switch. It’s up to you whether you press it or not.’

Johanna identified the magical structure of Lunatic Money through case studies. Patients activate the mutation switch for different reasons and unconsciously.

‘That’s probably why the fog showed hallucinations during the Crown Island Incident.’

madness, despair, fear, etc.

It works when negative emotions put pressure on the switch planted and cross the threshold.

White smoke billowed from her mouth.

‘If you want to save it, you can save it… .’

If you take that switch off the soul, the patient can remain human. However, the switch is directly connected to the soul, causing problems.

‘Because I don’t live just by breathing.’

Disappearance of emotion, oblivion of memory, loss of ego, etc. The expected side effects were very serious.

Better than being a monster, though they say less evil is better than the worst.

‘It’s as good as dead already.’

It will become something that can be classified as a human only by its appearance, responding only to external stimuli. Johanna brushed off the cigarette ash.

‘If I could only know something at the base of the soul, I could remove it without damage.’

Fundamentally, if the soul can be disassembled and reassembled, treatment can be performed safely. Unfortunately, even with her achievements, the answer could not be known.

‘The rest of the way… .’

Thinking of the next best thing she had envisioned, she had to put her thoughts aside.

“Johanna?”

“yes? Oh, you came quickly.”

familiar voice.

It was because Kang Tae-min came to visit her.

“You seem to have been quite focused this time.”

“That is my strength. But what about this time?”

He had already been notified that he was coming. But the dragon was not heard.

“Let’s talk about the details in subspace.”

“I will.”

It means a secret story. She obediently headed to the sub-space with Kang Tae-min.

Besides her, there were passengers.

“Ah, are you here?”

“Why is Johanna the last?”

“Because I wanted to see you first?”

There were Pyo Ji-hoon, Hwang Ye-ri, and Ko Jeong-hwan. They were seated around an iron round table.

2 chairs left.

It was Yohanna and Kang Tae-min’s seat.

“therefore… What is it?”

She got to the point without even replying to a greeting. Taemin Kang started talking as if he knew that would happen.

“Ko Jeong-hwan brought the intelligence.”

* * *

Go Jung-hwan conveyed what he had seen and heard with a slightly snobbish attitude. It was a bit distracting, but not difficult to understand.

“… The Chimera Corps.”

“Are you going to carry out simultaneous terror attacks through Pete’s portal?”

Johanna and Pyo Ji-hoon muttered with serious expressions. On the other hand, Hwang Ye-ri gave Go Jeong-hwan a glare.

“You asked for help and accepted it lightly?”

“ok.”

Go Jung-hwan nodded brightly. Hwang Ye-ri’s eyes grew sharper.

“What is an eong? You said you wouldn’t get involved in nobody’s business!”

“Still, you have to hit the head to finish it. I need help to meet him. That way I can stay with my sister.”

“No, you… ! Ha, I won’t tell you.”

She had a spirited expression, but the corners of her mouth twitched. Go Jung-hwan smiled and continued.

“Do not worry about it. It’s not like I’m hurting anyone.”

“then?”

“I’m in charge of this.”

With those words, Ko Jeong-hwan’s face and body swarmed and changed. Before he knew it, he had changed into the form of Pete, a man without eyelids.

“They asked me to draw some attention with this look.”

“Um… Is it Seongdonggyeokseo?”

Pyo Ji-hoon shook his head.

Pitt has already been publicly wanted by the association, so that appearance will surely draw attention.

While the police hunters were missing to catch Go Jeong-hwan dressed as Pete, the real Pete was planning to go around and solve the chimera.

“Then, when is the terror period?”

“Oh, he didn’t talk about that. He said he’ll call you when it’s ready.”

“Can’t we just hit it first without waiting? Where is she?”

When Hwang Ye-ri came out aggressively, Go Jeong-hwan averted his eyes with a shy face.

“Oh, that’s a bit of a problem. I don’t know where.”

“… You don’t know?”

“I’ve only been to the Torso hideout through the portal.”

Access was only through the pit, so the exact location was unknown. Although others were dumbfounded.

“Can you recognize the monster that became the material for the Chimera?”

Taemin Kang was different.

Go Jung-hwan rolled his eyes at the question.

“Oh, wait… They are so messed up guys. Let’s see, it had a griffin body, a gnoll head, and whether it was an ogre arm or an orc arm, anyway, it had green arms… .”

As he listed the monsters he remembered, Johanna’s eyes lit up.

“I see, you should investigate the habitat of the monster used as the material for the Chimera.”

“Yes, that should limit the location of the hideout.”

Everyone shook their heads at the answer. Eventually, when Ko Jeong-hwan’s list ended, Hwang Ye-ri opened her mouth.

“these… These are the guys from the DMZ?”

DMZ, Demilitarized Zone.

More strictly speaking, it meant the area above the existing Northern Limit Line, including the area that North Korea withdrew after collapsing.

Since it was a place untouched by humans, it was an area with many realistic dungeons.

“this… It is an area managed by the military.”

Pyo Ji-hoon frowned.

A search of the entire DMZ would have required the cooperation of the military.

“Even if we seek cooperation, if the military side moves, Torso won’t notice, will it?”

“Um… Then what?”

Go Jung-hwan scratched the back of his head. While everyone is rolling their eyes to see if there is no clear alternative.

‘No, I don’t need the military’s cooperation.’

Kang Tae-min came to a different conclusion.

‘If you miss the backdoor, you can find it.’

He had more useful helpers.