Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

We decided to remain confined within our base for the time being.

Having earned some money, we intended to focus on the training we had been neglecting.

Enhancing Han Seo-hyeon and Kim Jae-ho’s abilities was important, but honing my own combat prowess took precedence.

Unlike before when my growth had stagnated, numerous areas now remained for me to train in, reigniting the flames of progress.

Especially since a new objective had emerged for me.

“Attaining the three-stroke ability, you mean.”

—It won’t be easy, though.

I nodded at Ray’s words.

“Certainly, it might not be simple, but as I mentioned previously, attributes that complement each other well should be manageable when combined.”

I had discovered several such compatible pairings through my explorations thus far – fire and wind, water and lightning, darkness and gravity. Gravity and telekinesis also seemed to blend rather seamlessly, being from similar disciplines.

The attribute boasting the most potential combinations was water.

Water could intermingle with various other attributes quite readily. Moreover, the possibilities for amplifying its destructive force were virtually endless. While the combination of water and lightning yielded the most potent devastation, combining water and freezing temperatures could potentially produce even greater results with equivalent mana expenditure.

In fact, the combination of water and freezing shared almost identical properties to the ice attribute itself. However, employing both elements to create an ‘ice blade’ far surpassed the raw might of the singular ice attribute while actually requiring less mana consumption.

If the ice attribute alone yielded an output value of 2 for an input cost of 2, perhaps combining water and freezing temperatures could achieve an output of 3 while only expending inputs of 1 each.

I had uncovered several such complementary combinations following this principle.

Continuing to explore these synergistic pairings would undoubtedly allow me to utilize mana far more efficiently.

Of course, the paramount objective remained synchronizing the three separate mana circuits within my body simultaneously.

I activated my mana-enhancing bracelet, outputting around 10% of its full capacity. Even that fraction caused the summoned fireball to swell to an uncontrollable size for most. But it remained under my complete dominion.

And now, one more element.

Closing my eyes, I concentrated my mental focus. The mana circuits etched into my body became clearly visible.

With Ray’s assistance and my persistent efforts, I had successfully visualized portions of the mana circuits embedded within me.

This wasn’t something I had only recently begun during our time in China. Every night, I had analyzed and committed those mana circuits to memory.

The sheer number of mana circuits woven into my body was staggering, but through gradual daily stimulation and examination, I had managed to discern and categorize their distinct systems, so to speak.

As a result, I could perceive precisely which mana circuit needed to be activated.

Adjacent to the currently active fire-affiliated talent lay the line I sought – the wind mana circuit branching out like the bough of a tree.

All I needed was to channel my physical mana into that specific segment.

Slowly, carefully.

Yet despite cautiously infusing my mana into that circuit, it failed to accept the influx. The mana, having nowhere to flow, violently churned within my body instead.

“Kughk!”

The agonizing pain left me unable to properly vocalize. Blood surged up my esophagus as internal injuries manifested. Coughing out the bloody discharge, I immediately channeled healing mana to soothe the upheaval raging within.

“Kughk.”

Despite their ostensibly compatible natures, the combination of fire and wind had ended in failure.

Wiping the blood from the back of my hand, I remained seated, contemplating intently.

“Why didn’t it work?”

Guiding the mana into the circuit, regulating the appropriate input quantity – I had succeeded in those aspects. Yet the mana circuit had failed to activate. What was the reason?

The path to success had been clearly visible, fueling my determination even further.

—You mustn’t act impetuously!

Exhaling deeply at Ray’s cautionary words, I acknowledged their validity. Recklessly forcing the mana flow could indeed result in sustaining internal injuries like these.

Still, this attempt had demonstrated potential progress.

Unlike before when I couldn’t even influence the mana circuits themselves, I had managed to channel mana into them this time. The issue lay in the circuits’ inability to accept and circulate that influx properly.

While it had resulted in numerous internal wounds, I had glimpsed a tangible possibility.

And with gradual, incremental advancement through repeated efforts, perhaps eventual success could be attained.

—Relying on such a crude, brute-force approach is foolish. Do you intend to keep battering away until you finally stumble upon the solution?

‘My body will simply heal itself, so it’s inconsequential.’

Ray responded with a derisive click of the tongue, seemingly dissatisfied with my reasoning.

‘But there has been gradual progress, hasn’t there?’

—That’s precisely the baffling part.

Rising from my seated position, I realized recuperation would require time regardless. This interval should be utilized productively.

“Jae-ho, come over here.”

At my summons, Kim Jae-ho ambled over leisurely.

Kim Jae-ho possessed extraordinary physical abilities. His musculature was resilient, his joints as flexible as a feline’s. Even his fundamental senses surpassed ordinary human capacities.

Hence, through sheer bodily movements alone without any formal training, he exuded devastating force.

The researchers at the laboratory whose skulls he had crushed served as a prime example.

But Kim Jae-ho’s true prowess lay in leveraging those physical gifts for infiltration and stealth. That feline agility rendered him a peerless assassin – though he currently only utilized his abilities in an crude, unrefined manner.

Leading Kim Jae-ho to a clearing blanketed with fallen leaves, I instructed:

“Move around here without making any sound.”

Kim Jae-ho responded with a wordless glare of disdain.

“Hmm, but you should be capable of this.”

Crunch, crunch.

The dried leaves crunched audibly beneath Kim Jae-ho’s footsteps as he deliberately trampled them underfoot.

“Are you trying to protest me or something?”

Narrowing his eyes, Kim Jae-ho shook his head dismissively.

“How?”

“What?”

“How am I supposed to move?”

Well, I didn’t know either – these had been natural instincts for the former Kim Jae-ho. Scratching my head, I suggested:

“Let’s just keep practicing until you regain the ability.”

His gaze darkened further.

“Alright, we’ll try to find a method, then.”

Kim Jae-ho disliked tedious tasks lacking any inherent appeal. While possessing the willingness to train, that determination remained fickle at best. To genuinely motivate him, I would need to adapt my approach.

“How about we turn this into a game instead?”

“A game?”

“Yes, like hide-and-seek.”

Recalling how Kim Jae-ho had played with the children, his gloomy demeanor after their departure likely stemmed from missing those playful interactions.

I intended to recreate a similar dynamic.

“You’ll move around my vicinity. I’ll pursue you solely through tracking your sounds, flinging ice shards in your direction. Your goal is to approach and tag me from behind without being detected.”

Despite my internal injuries, generating small ice shards the size of fingernails posed no difficulty.

Having explained the rules, I shut my eyes. Even blindfolded, tracking Kim Jae-ho’s movements wouldn’t be particularly challenging.

—If you asked me, I could pinpoint that brat’s location easily. Isn’t this a bit unfair?

Though Ray murmured those words, I remained unperturbed.

‘For now, I’ll primarily rely on auditory tracking, merely concealing my own secret advantages.’

Wasn’t it only natural to conceal trump cards in a competitive arena? Though I responded thus, I had no intentions of actually asking Ray to pinpoint Kim Jae-ho’s location – merely verifying he didn’t resort to outright cheating.

Whenever the crunching of disturbed leaves reached my ears, I hurled ice shards in that direction.

Thwack.

Though struck by the ice, Kim Jae-ho seemed annoyed, proceeding more cautiously. But it was futile.

Crunch.

Thwack.

Crunch, crunch.

Thwack, thwack.

Crunch.

Thwack.

Displeased with this situation, Kim Jae-ho let out a low growl. Until now, victory had been entirely mine.

But undeniably, the sounds emanating from his footsteps were gradually diminishing in volume, however slightly. I persisted with this training regimen for quite some time.

And finally, when the rustling of crushed leaves had become nearly inaudible to my ears-

“Enough.”

Kim Jae-ho, having approached silently behind me, bore an utterly aggrieved expression.

“We’ll continue this tomorrow.”

My internal injuries had healed.

Apologies, but my training took priority.

* * *

While Kim Jae-ho dedicated himself to refining bodily movement, Han Seo-hyeon continued practicing skeletal manipulation.

His control over the skeleton had improved considerably.

“I’ve even sparred against Jae-ho hyung a few times recently.”

“How did that go?”

“Well, it ends in the skeleton shattering every time, but still.”

Nonetheless, he claimed to have gained familiarity with actual combat. Additionally, Han Seo-hyeon had been attempting various necromantic spells.

“I can wield dark magic, you see. My skeleton is essentially a recomposed manifestation through summoning.”

Certainly, while the current skeleton had originated from Han Jo-hee’s remains, its physique differed significantly from his original form.

“It’s been reconstructed by intermingling with my own mana. Even when destroyed, it can regenerate due to being reconstituted by my mana.”

Nodding at Han Seo-hyeon’s explanation, I inquired:

“So what have you discovered?”

In response, Han Seo-hyeon channeled his mana, his pupils igniting with blackened flames. Simultaneously, the skeleton’s appearance began transforming gradually – razor-sharp blades protruding from its ordinary skeletal forearms, akin to a mantis’ appendages.

“Haah, haah… It seems possible to morph the skeleton’s form like this by applying mana. Though it’s exceptionally draining without any additional materials.”

Judging by the profuse beads of sweat dotting his brow, that brief exertion had already depleted Han Seo-hyeon considerably.

“You achieved that solely through mana manipulation, without any supplementary materials?”

“Yes.”

While the Necromancer’s talents inherently required a corpse as the primary catalyst, reconstructing a skeletal vessel purely through mana exertion was certainly impressive.

“Hmm, it could definitely prove useful in combat scenarios.”

“I can’t remain confined to the rear lines forever, after all.”

It seemed my persistent relegation of Han Seo-hyeon to solely gathering information had wounded his sense of self-worth.

Well, I had been rather negligent in overlooking the adolescent’s formative growth.

—Even so, involving him in lethal combat might be excessive.

‘Could you stop surreptitiously whispering as if you’re my conscience whenever the notion suits you?’

—I am your conscience, constantly guiding you away from misguided thoughts.

Clearing my throat audibly, I brushed aside Ray’s remark.

Regardless, after Han Seo-hyeon had invested such diligent efforts, outright excluding him would be unwarranted. Moreover, his initial motivation for following me had stemmed from a desire to avenge his brother.

Even if he appeared youthful, possessing a clear objective meant he could not be treated as a mere child.

“Well done.”

Reaching over, I ruffled Han Seo-hyeon’s hair affectionately.

Beaming with uncharacteristic delight at my praise, Han Seo-hyeon’s grin was radiant.

For Han Seo-hyeon’s sake, I should venture into the black market soon as well.

A Necromancer required proper materials to maximize their potential, after all.

‘Hmm, how much money do I currently have available?’

They said money tended to dissipate as quickly as it was earned. But after barely scraping by, a sizable fortune had unexpectedly manifested once more.