I Woke Up as the Villain

At that moment, there was another person who had safely completed their A-rank promotion evaluation and returned to Earth.

"At this rate... It seems like I've almost recovered my full strength," said Do-Jin with a strange smile on his face as he checked his physical condition.

‘I purposely tried to match my pace with Yu-Seong, but it seems like this has actually helped with my growth.’

Do-Jin's initial expectation was that he would fully recover all the power he had accumulated in the other world by the time he reached S-rank. However, he had already almost fully recovered that power at A-rank.

Although not yet complete, he might become stronger by the time he reached S-rank and might even surpass the strength he had when he defeated the Demon King.

‘Should I go find Choi Yu-Seong right away and challenge him to a duel of retribution?’

After some thought, Do-Jin shook his head. Although Yu-Seong was strong at his B-rank, he was not yet comparable to Do-Jin himself, who had surpassed that rank and leapt over the walls multiple times to progress to A-rank.

Should he give Yu-Seong more time to grow? After a moment of thought, Do-Jin shook his head again.

‘I'll defeat him when I'm more perfect.’

Do-Jin now clearly knew what his feelings were toward Yu-Seong—that of a complete rival. If he were to face such an opponent, he wanted to meet Yu-Seong in a state where Do-Jin himself could demonstrate his true ability. He did not want to battle in a state where he was not yet fully recovered.

How much longer would Yu-Seong take to chase after him until then? Do-Jin smiled inwardly and picked up the phone. He said, “Association Chairman, this is Kim Do-Jin. I have a request.”

In fact, the best way to recover to his optimal condition as quickly as possible was through real combat or harsh training that was almost like real combat. With that thought, Do-Jin had come up with a great idea.

"Yes, I want to fight all the hunters of S-rank and above who are affiliated with the Association. Yes, I think it would be a great help. And if possible, I also want to fight with the Sword Master..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Do-Jin heard a startled and astonished voice on the other end of the line. It was only after receiving a calm response on the other end of the line did he reply, “Could you kindly arrange this as soon as possible? Yes, thank you.”

After giving a brief answer, Do-Jin hung up the phone, walked out of the room, and looked at a family photo hanging on one of the walls. In the photo were a middle-aged man and woman, his younger brother, and Do-Jin. Among them, the middle-aged man's eyes looked empty, as if asking him a question.

- There's no way you're going to be blinded by useless friendship and forget about revenge.

A sudden voice echoed in his mind, causing Do-Jin's gaze to quickly turn cold.

'...Of course not.' 

Regardless of his rivalry with Yu-Seong, Do-Jin was determined to seize the life of Woo-Jae at any cost. His original plans had changed and the scale of the Comet Group had grown larger, and he already had a newly established plan. Revenge would be successful in the end.

‘The big day is just around the corner.’

Do-Jin would put a knife to Woo-Jae's throat and demand retribution. Then, he would strike the man’s neck in a single blow like the executioner on the guillotine. Do-Jin calmed his mind and thought of the fate that awaited him.

'When that time comes... I'll be free too.'

Do-Jin no longer wanted to be swayed by the vice that had been tormenting him.

***

After returning home, Yu-Seong sat down in his room with a contented smile on his face.

‘I can't believe I was able to bring Choi Jin-Woo to my side.’

When he had gone to fight with Jin-Woo, all Yu-Seong had wanted was for him to stay out of the succession battle. After all, given Jin-Woo's strong sense of pride, it was unlikely that he would side with someone much younger like Yu-Seong.

‘If it weren't for Choi In-Young's Charm Skill, it would have been almost impossible for her to convince Choi Jin-Woo.’

Although, even with her Charm Skill, In-Young hadn't been able to completely control Jin-Woo's mind. The man was simply too prideful.

However, Jin-Woo had changed his mind to help Yu-Sung with Ji-Ho's persuasion. This was different from Min-Seok being on Yu-Seong’s side, which was futile.

‘In fact, it is safe to say that Jin-Woo's power within the family is just below In-Young's.’ 

Therefore, Yu-Seong’s direct forces had rapidly strengthened. Furthermore, the amount of stocks that Jin-Woo and his followers possessed could not be ignored.

‘In this situation, even if I just used a majority vote in the company meeting, I might be able to gain the majority support.’

Now, Yu-Seong had the option to use a scenario where he could even win completely without shedding blood.

Of course, considering In-Young's personality, the chances of her consenting to such a plan were low.

‘Eventually, shedding blood is inevitable, but…’

Still, the fact that he had gained an advantage in the in-house political battle was already a huge accomplishment. Now, Yu-Seong would be able to lead the fight instead of being dragged along by In-Young.

‘I need to change the plan, but this is the first time I feel so happy about it.’

Yu-Seong smiled as he checked his phone. At the top of his messages was one from Ji-Ho, saying that he had safely arrived home. Just below was a message from Jin-Woo.

‘I'm counting on you from now on.’

Yu-Seong was aware that the earlier incident had taken place, but receiving a message directly from Jin-Woo made it all the more tangible.

‘At this point, In-Young won't be able to avoid using the power from her maternal family.’

Ultimately, this would probably displease Woo-Jae. However, before moving on to the next battle, she had to win the internal company fight first.

‘Maybe she has already drawn them in.’

Yu-Seong didn't let his guard down. He went through all the possible scenarios in his head, making preparations for all that could happen.

But this time, he didn't need to be as aggressive as before. The wall that his opponent believed to be sturdy was now crumbling, with water pouring out. At this point, Yu-Seong certainly had no reason to hurry.

‘In-Young's side will contact me first.’

Currently, reading In-Young’s intentions was a top priority.

After writing and erasing his plans on paper several times, Yu-Seong finally settled on the most ideal plan and put down his pen. Then, he crammed more information into his head before tearing up the paper.

‘That's enough.’

The only remaining task was for Yu-Seong himself to continue to steadily grow to the point where he could prepare for the worst-case scenario. Training and leveling up would be advantageous in achieving this goal.

‘In addition to that… I even got a new skill this time.’

The fight between Ji-Ho and Jin-Woo was one of the best gifts that Yu-Seong could have received.

‘Now that my level has risen, I can even copy Ji-Ho hyung-him’s Palm Gust Strike.’

Furthermore, after returning home, he had combined the Palm Gust Strike and the Dancing Electric Doll Skills. This produced amazing results for him.

『 Lightning Strike A.

The power of the condensed lightning can be shot out like Palm Gust Strike.

The power and shape will vary depending on the chosen martial technique.』

It was a simple skill description, but acquiring the skill by his Fusion made Yu-Seong want to jump up and down in ecstasy. To put it simply, his new skill, Lightning Strike, was Palm Gust Strike mixed with lightning. Moreover, with the additional effects provided by the Fusion skill that had reached A-rank, it became an incredible force to be reckoned with.

‘Unlike Palm Gust Strike, I can unleash the skill not only through my palms, but also through any weapon or tool I choose.’

If he were to shoot it from a spear, for example, it would become the Magic Spear that Cu Chulainn boasted.

‘If I combine it with a Raging Snake…’

The attack would become an unstoppable force, extending to the full range of his lightning power.

‘Of course, it's not usually this easy to do both at the same time…’

However, since Yu-Seong had the Split Mind Skill, this difficulty did not apply to him. With Lightning Strike in his arsenal, his spear skills had reached an unpredictable level that nobody could easily anticipate.

‘And if I use a gun…’

Unlike his spear skills, Yu-Seong's gun abilities were still lacking at this stage. However, with the power of Lightning Strike, he could shoot out powerful magical bullets from his gun, just like Jenny.

If he were to use a sniper rifle, he could even pierce through the armor of A-rank hunters, and perhaps even the heads of S-rank hunters from a long distance.

‘What if I also use a cannon or a tank?’

It wouldn’t be as powerful as using the power of a god from summoning Loki, but it would allow Yu-Seong to directly unleash a considerably powerful attack.

With all these thoughts in mind, it was impossible for Yu-Seong not to smile.

‘Now, most of the space is under my control.’

Having the ability to utilize more space in battle was certainly a boastful feat.

Additionally, Yu-Seong had a Restoration skill and a Mental Defensive skill, as well as Resistance from Insignia of Protection.

‘Thanks to that, the consumption of Chakra is really intense, but…’

This was also mostly covered by the skill, God's Chakra, which raised his mana to an astounding amount. With the power of the mana potions he had saved up in the Tower of Heaven, Yu-Seong could fight all day long.

‘I feel like I'm becoming a true All-Rounder.’

With his direct combat abilities alone, Yu-Seong could easily rank among the top fighters in the world.

‘Perhaps the top 1%.’

It was an incredible level, but he was still disappointed by one particular aspect.

‘There are still more than a hundred people stronger than me.’

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

And there was Do-Jin.

‘I wonder if he's come out of the Tower of Heaven by now?’

The competitiveness in Yu-Seong's eyes grew as he thought of his opponent.

‘Considering the difference in growth rate from the original novel… It would still be plausible for him to regain all the strength he had when he defeated the Demon King within A-rank.’

Although, at that time, Do-Jin had been armed with equipment with god’s blessings, it was a fact that his skills were already exceptional to begin with.

‘According to the original novel, there were less than 30 beings with superior skills to Do-Jin. This was after he has fully recovered his strength.’

And among them, there were only about five people who could single-handedly fight against the Demon King who had descended upon the earth.

‘And somehow, the Demon King who descended upon the earth was said to be stronger than those in the other-world.’

Perhaps it was because the authority of the gods who practically existed in another world had limited the Demon King’s power.

‘Moreover, in the original novel, the number of Demon Kings who descended upon the earth was only eight.’

And only five people were capable of fighting against them. In addition, among them, three were actually those who had a well-suited disposition for the Demon King.

In other words, the emphasis in the original novel was that Do-Jin had to fight and defeat all eleven of them who had the level of power of a Demon King. That was why, by the end of the first part of the original novel, Do-Jin was only able to defeat one Demon King.

However, things were different now.

‘There are at least two people, Kim Do-Jin and I.’

Additionally, what if Bernard, who was also rapidly growing, and Ji-Ho, who had recovered through the Elixir, were added?

‘I shouldn’t forget about Yoo Jin-Hyuk and Chae Ye-Ryeong too.’

The number of people was starting to match the opponent’s side to some extent. However, to achieve this, stability in their immediate environment was a priority.

‘First, I’d need to completely stabilize the Comet Group…’

And if possible, Yu-Seong would have to remove any individuals who could become a liability before the Demon King descended.

‘And of course, before that…’

However, there was one more important thing left to deal with.

‘I have to find a way to reconcile with Kim Do-Jin and Father…’

In fact, this was truly difficult. The situation was so complicated that it made the fight with In-Young seem easier. Therefore, Yu-Seong started investigating the situation.

‘Since this world is pretty much different from the description in the original novel…’

Perhaps there were facts that could become variables if he looked into it in detail.

‘They must exist.’

Yu-Seong no longer resented Woo-Jae. In the first place, to Yu-Seong, who no longer thought of himself as an outsider in this world, Woo-Jae was a person who made him feel the love of family. This was unlike his previous life as an orphan.

‘It won't be easy, but I have to find a way to do it.’

Indeed, that was Yu-Seong's determination.