I Woke Up as the Villain

Helen Mirren was emitting an unusually fierce energy before Yu-Seong appeared, and the reason for that was nothing special.

"So you got angry from waiting?" asked Yu-Seong.

"I am not known for my patience, and I am not a pleasant person, sweetie," said Helen.

Helen Mirren had the appearance of a young woman in her early to mid-20s, but she was actually over the age of 80. It was not strange for her to call Yu-Seong ‘sweetie’ in such a condescending manner.

"Why did you take the promotion examination after calling me to Korea?" Helen asked irritatedly.

Yu-Seong was briefly lost in contemplation. Fortunately, it didn’t take him long to come up with an answer.

‘Helen Mirren is hard to meet once she enters the dungeon, where she’ll stay for at least a few months or even up to a year.’

Without contacting Helen Mirren immediately, Jin Do-Yoon’s treatment would have been too delayed. Therefore, even though Yu-Seong had been undergoing the promotion evaluation, Jin Yu-Ri had decided to contact Helen urgently and had luckily been able to reach her.

"That’s inevitable. If seonbae-nim[1] suddenly goes into the dungeon and doesn't come out for a few months, there's nothing we can do about it, right?" said Yu-Seong.

Yu-Seong felt that Yu-Ri had made the right decision, so he expressed that opinion confidently.

Lifting an eyebrow, Helen said, "Alright, sure, let’s say that’s inevitable. But why make me wait for more than a month?"

"Did you really wait for a month?" asked Yu-Seong in surprise.

Helen Mirren was known as an impatient person. It was rather unexpected that she would wait around for Yu-Seong for more than a month.

‘I never would have thought that the promotion examination would take two months. but…’

Helen furrowed her eyebrows and nodded fiercely. She yelled, “Now you finally realize how much of a mistake you've made!”

“Not really,” said Yu-Seong

“What?” scoffed Helen incredulously.

“I don’t have the ability to set the duration of the promotion examination, and I wouldn’t know how much time has passed here upon entering it. How can this be my fault? Seonbae-nim's words are just empty talk,” said Yu-Seong.

“Wow, this brat is talking back to an adult, look at him…”

“By the way, it's interesting that you, seonbae-nim, can speak Korean so well.”

“Curious? If you're curious, ask your daddy Choi! Hmph!” Helen gnawed on her lip as she glared at Yu-Seong. She was struggling to keep her anger in.

‘Come to think of it… She’s not putting up with me just because I know the location of the Philosopher's Stone, is she…?’

Yu-Seong, feeling surprised, looked at Helen closely. He noticed her disdainful expression.

"You really thought I came all the way to Korea and waited this long just because I believed what you said? You’re just some kid!”

Helen Mirren looked young, but she was in fact an old fox of over 80 years old. As if able to read Yu-Seong’s mind from his expression alone, Helen gave him a contemptuous look.

'Father's third gift is Helen Mirren.' 

Choi Woo-Jae must have known that Yu-Seong was searching for the Miraculous Alchemist. It would have been strange for him to remain oblivious since Yu-Seong was looking for her quite openly.

“I am indeed looking for the Philosopher's Stone, but after so many years of dealing with various guys, I've developed some sense of judgment. If your name was the only thing written in the message that led me here, I wouldn't have waited a day, let alone a month," said Helen.

"I see," Yu-Seong replied.

"Good. I can be nice and say that everything you’ve done so far, like making me wait, is okay and let you off the hook. But if you're lying about the Philosopher's Stone..." Helen spoke as she suddenly began emanating dark energy. She added, "I won’t consider your father’s reputation, and you'll experience the worst suffering you can imagine.”

A chill ran down Yu-Seong’s spine. Wiping the cold sweat on his forehead, he forced a smile and disguised his real feelings.

‘Father's gifts never come without a catch.’

If he was not careful, the gift could turn into poison. Yu-Seong had to handle the situation with care.

"Hey, kid, I'll give you one last chance if you’re lying to me. Do you really know where the Philosopher's Stone is? If you tell me honestly now, I'll let you off by only cutting off one of your legs.” Helen displayed a cold smile.

Yu-Seong gave a slight nod. He did have a fair amount of confidence in the location of the Philosopher's Stone.

"Where is it?"

"Do you know Pyongyang?"

Helen’s eyes widened because she certainly knew the place. She asked, "Isn't that the only remaining area of humanity in North Korea?"

"That's right. In Pyongyang, that's where the Philosopher's Stone is at," said Yu-Seong.

The Philosopher's Stone was hidden underground in Pyongyang. Thus, Yu-Seong knew the location but thought it would be difficult to access.

Despite losing most of its territory, the Kim family, who ruled North Korea, still held unchallenged power in Pyongyang and received god-like worship. However, from the perspective of other countries, North Korea was now little more than a city-state.

‘The military was desperately trying to defend Pyongyang from monster breaks originating from the outside, but this was all they could urgently defend. Although rumors said that there are many skilled hunters thanks to their harsh living conditions…’

Even compared to the dire state of the planet Earth’s North Korea, it was the worst-case scenario.

‘It's not strange that North Korea continues to survive even as it approaches its demise.’

It was because of the Philosopher's Stone. To be precise, a group seeking the power of the Philosopher's Stone was ruling Pyongyang.

‘The Demon King Worshipers.’

They believed that, by using the Philosopher's Stone, they could have support in summoning the Demon King. They were currently conducting various cruel experiments using the lives of Kim Un-Jeong and the citizens of Pyongyang as collateral.

‘After all, the person who first obtained the Philosopher's Stone was the Godfather…’

Godfather, the leader of the Demon King Worshipers, had realized the great power and dangers of the Philosopher's Stone before handing it over to Kim Un-Jeong. He chose not to use the power recklessly until it could be completely controlled. It was a cruel but prudent choice of the Demon King Worshipers’ Godfather, and thanks to that, the Kim family were able to maintain the city of Pyongyang.

Helen's lips twisted peculiarly as she fell into a momentary silence. She tried to organize her thoughts before saying, "For sure, I've never been to Pyongyang, but I've heard rumors about Kim Un-Jeong being an alchemist. But...the Philosopher's Stone is quite a powerful object for him to deal with…”

"Kim Un-Jeong is a follower of the Demon King Worshipers," said Yu-Seong.

"Well… I guess that's how that small city has managed to survive until now."

That was the reason why Helen Mirren hadn’t been able to find any clues or obtain the Philosopher's Stone itself.

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“Those damn Demon King Worshipers..." Helen glared at the distant horizon as a malicious energy flowed through her.

'Good.' 

In truth, Helen Mirren was not a good person. Why else would even Yu-Ri firmly stop Yu-Seong when he had mentioned the Miraculous Alchemist? Helen Mirren’s personality was unpredictable and wild, and nobody could tell just where she would end up. It was also understandable for Yu-Ri to feel resentful toward Helen, whose help always came at an unreasonably high cost.

The most important point was that, at this moment, Helen held a grudge against the Demon King Worshipers.

‘After all, Demon King Worshipers have used and taken advantage of Helen Mirren several times.’

The Demon King Worshipers were aware of the location of the Philosopher's Stone, but had kept it a secret and had provided Helen Mirren with false information. They also took advantage of her.

Even if Helen Mirren was a skilled and powerful hunter, she had no way of getting the information if the worst criminal organization—the Demon King Worshipers, particularly the Godfather—was using their full power to cover it up. Now that she had just found out this truth, how could she not hold a grudge? From now on, the Demon King Worshipers had created a formidable enemy, Helen Mirren.

“Just a moment ago, the weight of your words grew even heavier, sweetie. Do you know the meaning of the phrase ‘equivalent exchange’?”

"It's the exchange of two goods of equal value," replied Yu-Seong.

"If the Philosopher's Stone is in Pyongyang, and if I were to acquire it, I will pay you a fitting reward under my name, the Miraculous Alchemist. But if all of this is just a scam..."

Looking at the woman who was threatening him, Yu-Seong awkwardly laughed and nodded. He said, "I am ready to take responsibility, so please don't worry too much."

Yu-Seong had his own insurance.

"Alright. Let's go together," Helen Mirren simply said.

Choi Yu-Seong was surprised. "Pardon?"

"This is your responsibility. Surely you weren't going to send this old woman alone to that dangerous place?" asked Helen Mirren.

Despite her advanced age, Helen Mirren was a renowned expert recognized all over the world. On the other hand, Choi Yu-Seong had recently advanced to C-rank, and was finally gaining enough experience to no longer be a greenhorn.

"Don't worry. I'll also make sure to repay you for following me..."

"No, wait. What if I get hurt following you, seonbae-nim?"

"I'll heal you."

"Alchemy is all about equivalent exchange! You’re asking me for more than you’re giving!"

"But what if I get lost and can't find my way back?" asked Helen.

"I'll make you a detailed map."

"I can't read maps."

Helen Mirren was pretending to be nonchalant about it, but her thoughts were easy for Yu-Seong to read.

‘If she suspects that I’m lying, she wants to deal with me right away.’

In any case, as long as Choi Woo-Jae’s influence was present within Korea, Helen Mirren would have more incentive and pressure to harm Yu-Seong.

"I can't go. Pyongyang is too dangerous for me," said Yu-Seong.

"Sweetie, does my proposal sound like a casual suggestion to you?"

Helen Mirren's attitude changed once again. At the same time, Jin Yu-Ri and Jenny, who had both been guarding Yu-Seong, pulled out their weapons again. The sharp and confrontational air that had been present before Yu-Seong's appearance had returned to the room.

Yu-Seong frowned as he slowly transformed Pharaoh’s Caprice into the spear.

'I can't keep being treated like a fool anymore.’

The opponent was an S-rank hunter and an Irregular, so she was particularly powerful. However, Choi Yu-Seong did not spend all his time training and improving himself in vain.

'If there is a commotion, the people around will hear and report it.' 

Yu-Seong just had to hold out until that moment. If there was an accident at his house, Choi Woo-Jae would not stand idly since he had already lost Yu-Seong once.

“Sweetie, it’s not late to follow me. Listen to me calmly and come with me. Otherwise, your precious two people could get hurt," Helen cooed, trying to persuade Yu-Seong.

However, this situation was like spilled milk.

Yu-Seong firmly shook his head. At the same time, he tensed his shoulders and activated his Third Eye skill.

"Who do you think you are…to take Choi Yu-Seong away?" a low male voice echoed coldly.

A silver sword light split Helen’s dark energy wide open. Then, it spread out and completely destroyed the tension between Helen and Yu-Seong. It was an overwhelming presence. Pure power itself might be pushed back, but this pressure was enough to overwhelm the S-rank hunter Helen Mirren.

The cold tip of the man’s sword was pointed at Helen's neck.

"If you want to take someone with you, at least get the person's consent, old woman."

It was the arrival of the returnee, Kim Do-Jin.

1. This term is used in South Korea to address or refer to an older person who is in a position of seniority, such as a mentor, a teacher, or a senior colleague ☜