[Chapter 1]
Damn it, I died from overwork.
To think that death was the price for working so hard just to receive a mouse-tail-sized salary.
It was unfair, and I vowed that if I were born again, I would absolutely not overwork.
And I was reborn in another world.
"...."
The man let out a long breath.
He had many scars on his face, and even the hand pushing up the long, black bangs that seemed to poke his eyes had scars.
The gray eyes revealed as the concealing hair was lifted were glaring fiercely at someone.
"Hey, Seo Hyeon-yul. What are you gonna do, glare at me?"
The man leaning deeply into his chair looked up at him and sneered.
"I definitely applied for sick leave yesterday."
Hyeon-yul spat out the words to his boss.
He looked quite tired and exhausted.
"Sure, you applied. But I clearly told you sick leave wasn't allowed, didn't I? …What are you doing? Go work."
The boss tilted his head.
"It was clearly written in the employment contract I signed when I joined here."
"What?"
"Adherence to closing time, compliance with legal annual leave, and that justified sick leave would be counted as paid leave."
Pfft.
The boss burst out laughing.
It seemed he found this situation incredibly amusing.
"Hey. Do you think this is some ordinary company? Don't you know where this is?"
"I know."
Hyeon-yul replied calmly.
This place was modern, but different from the modern world he knew.
The Taisen Empire.
An empire existed, and so did an Emperor.
There was a Prime Minister, but the Emperor's power held much more sway here.
Except for a few small nations, the Taisen Empire had swallowed all other countries, dominating the world and enjoying an era of peace.
But historically, there were always those who disrupted peace.
Those dissatisfied with the Empire, those aiming for the imperial throne, and others carried out indiscriminate acts of terror.
The Empire officially recognized them as 'villains' and took the lead in their eradication.
The being before his eyes was a villain, and this place was a company founded by one of those villains.
"If you know, then get lost. What the hell do you expect from me, a villain? Would I be a villain if I followed that stuff? You should uphold the dignity of a villain too."
"It doesn't matter whether you're a villain or not, Manager. As per the employment contract, I will take my justified sick leave."
Hyeon-yul spoke as if issuing a warning.
The conditions agreed upon before he joined were good.
The salary was also satisfactory.
Since he couldn't fill anything on his resume, it didn't matter if the company owner was a villain or whatever.
Any workplace where he could avoid overworking was fine.
"That's hilarious. Stop bullshitting, and if you don't want to die, go back and work, Seo Hyeon-yul."
Though the boss threatened him, Hyeon-yul didn't bat an eye.
If they didn't even abide by the contract just because they were villains, who would work under a villain?
"Fine. I'll ask the President."
"Hey. Don't you understand what I'm saying..."
The boss stopped talking.
Hyeon-yul had vanished.
Just as he was looking around to see where he went, the boss' shadow squirmed, and Hyeon-yul emerged from within it.
It was quiet.
Hyeon-yul aimed a ballpoint pen at the boss' neck from behind.
"You don't even keep your promises, so should I consider the nonsense you spout as actual words?"
"You… You, what are you doing right now?"
The boss' breathing quickened.
Hadn't Hyeon-yul been hired through the general recruitment process?
He couldn't understand what was happening.
"Come to think of it, I guess I'm a villain too. I should just do things the villain's way."
If you need it, take it, even by force.
If you're displeased, kill them.
Pook.
Hyeon-yul shoved the ballpoint pen into the carotid artery area.
Watching the spurting blood, Hyeon-yul felt a sense of liberation.
I should have done this sooner.
"Villains need trust too, Manager."
"...Keoheok, heok."
"You blabbered about offering the 4 Major Insurances, but nothing came of it."
Hyeon-yul released his hand.
He dropped the ballpoint pen.
"I'll ask the President, and if it doesn't work out, I'll just have to kill him."
As Hyeon-yul wiped the blood splattered on his face, it vanished cleanly as if it had never been there from the start.
He didn't understand why anyone would establish a company that couldn't even provide the 4 Major Insurances.
Unlike when he first joined, the increasing overtime was starting to annoy him.
Because dying from overwork was something he detested.
Hyeon-yul looked at his wristwatch.
He took out a container of medicine from his pocket and walked towards the water purifier.
Thick blood pooled on the floor, and corpses lay in rows.
All had only their necks pierced.
Even amidst the pile of corpses, Hyeon-yul calmly poured water and took out pills one by one.
He was feeling unwell and tried to take sick leave, so why wouldn't they let him?
Why did everyone sacrifice even their lives for something like this, as if the world would collapse if he went to the hospital?
'I just don't get it.'
Not only were the shadows under Hyeon-yul's eyes dark, but he also looked exhausted.
"Are you going to attack too?"
Hyeon-yul asked after swallowing the medicine.
"Nah. We're partners, so I called, but damn it, couldn't reach them for 2 hours."
"Ah, I apologize. They made it so I couldn't even answer the phone."
Hyeon-yul recalled the phone that had rung shortly before.
He thought it had rung quite a few times.
"Right. You must've been busy."
The man looked around and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket.
"Yes. Because of some bothersome matters, I'll be a bit late for the hospital. The doctor is going to scold me."
"Oh dear, you don't look well?"
Hearing the question, Hyeon-yul looked at the man.
He was ready to kill at any moment.
A chilling atmosphere formed.
"I don't know which villain company it was, but I was born as their test subject, and they messed me up from head to toe. Injecting all sorts of drugs, taking out and putting back organs… Do you think my body would be okay?"
"Crazy! A test subject? You?"
The man, about to light his cigarette, threw it down instead.
His voice was filled with joy.
To stand against the Empire, they needed strong test subjects.
The survival rate must have been abysmal, yet he survived.
Whatever experiments he endured, his strength was already proven.
This was the 3rd floor, and besides that man, no one else had survived.
"Yes. Are you happy?"
"Yeah. Fucking happy."
Hyeon-yul turned his body towards the man.
Facing Hyeon-yul, the man felt a shiver and grinned widely.
Hyeon-yul took out the ballpoint pen from his pocket and clicked it.
His eyes slowly narrowed.
"I'm a bit busy, do you want to try me?"
"Wanna join our company? I'm Kim Dae-an!"
Dae-an proposed, looking at Hyeon-yul.
Power was everything in this world.
Talent was right here, what else was there to do?
"Do you offer the 4 Major Insurances?"
Hyeon-yul stopped clicking.
"Of course, we do! Use sick leave whenever you want! Instead, can you kill the people I tell you to kill?"
"I will only kill villains. I don't want to kill innocent people."
"Alright, do that!"
"Honestly, I prefer paperwork, but if you let me leave on time, it's fine. I can tolerate overtime two or three times a month."
"Great, great! Then, let's go quickly."
Dae-an smiled warmly.
Pook!
Hyeon-yul shoved a ballpoint pen into someone's neck.
It was a pen he liked, but it couldn't be helped.
"…Are you idiots? Why the hell do you keep breaking promises?"
He had an annoyed expression.
Wiping the blood off his clothes with his hand, it vanished completely.
"Speak, President Dae-an."
"...Keoooook."
Blood trickled down from Dae-an's neck and mouth.
Why was office life so difficult?
"I said I'd tolerate overtime up to three times, but how many times has it been now? Twenty times a month? And the pay only came for 10 days' worth. Doesn't this make you angry? Or not?"
Dae-an floundered, looking ahead with blurring vision.
At the end of the black power extending from Hyeon-yul's shadow were Dae-an's subordinates.
All their necks were snapped.
Dae-an looked at Hyeon-yul and became certain.
That thing was a monster.
—I've been very patient. Give me paid leave and my overdue wages.
What Hyeon-yul demanded was simple.
But Dae-an refused.
From that moment, the shadows moved on their own.
Using light abilities was useless.
Everyone died by those shadows.
"…Cough."
Hyeon-yul coughed and looked at his wristwatch.
He let out a long sigh.
"See, I'm late for the hospital again. Do you know how hard it is to get an appointment at a university hospital?"
He thought the doctor would intensely dislike him.
Why did they always make him seem like someone who couldn't keep promises?
Hyeon-yul took Dae-an's cell phone out of his pocket.
"I'll just take the unpaid overtime pay and the wages you sneakily withheld."
He moved Dae-an's hand to scan his fingerprint.
"Don't worry about the password. You foolishly told me when you were drunk. …Ah, you used me like a designated driver a few times too, so I'll take payment for that as well."
This was an untraceable account, and his own account was also a virtual one.
The company itself had bribed a small country to masquerade as an overseas corporation, and the same applied to its employees, including himself.
He was simply a non-existent person, effectively having no employment history.
This wasn't for employee protection but an act to protect themselves from the Empire's grasp.
Some villains brazenly set up companies, but there were also cases like this.
"Clutch the remaining money and pray to that great god of yours. See if they come or not."
Ha.
Hyeon-yul let out a light breath.
Now that he was completely fired, he had to start job hunting again.
'I haven't even paid off my hospital bills yet. How did it come to this.'
The hospital bills were substantial.
He had a lot of debt because of the hospital bills.
He considered working as a freelancer, but it didn't suit him.
If he chased only money, he might accidentally overwork himself, and if he worried about overworking, he couldn't earn money.
The only places that could handle this were companies run by villains, like this one.
"Are you done sightseeing?"
Hyeon-yul looked ahead.
It was a familiar scene.
It must have been like this when he met Dae-an too.
"That bastard Dae-an asked for help, so I came to mock him, but something interesting happened, huh?"
To think this was the work of one person.
It was utterly unbelievable.
The corpses and the smell of blood he saw while coming here were enough to send shivers down his spine.
A smile crept onto his face.
Why such talent was languishing under Kim Dae-an, why he hadn't known until now.
It was just regrettable, truly regrettable.
"Come to me. I'll nurture you into something greater."
He was truly the epitome of a villain.
How much more magnificent would he become if nurtured well?
Take what you want.
Kill what bothers you.
A being like this was the perfect talent to bring down that enormous Empire.
"I don't need nurturing. I'm already all grown up."
Hyeon-yul was tired.
He didn't know why he had to have this conversation again.
But job hunting was better done quickly.
"Do you offer the 4 Major Insurances?"
Hyeon-yul asked, his gaze sharp.
"Of course."
The answer came.
"If you don't keep your promise, I will kill you. Understood?"
Hyeon-yul gave advance notice.
That if the employment contract wasn't honored, he would kill them.
"...Ha."
Hyeon-yul swept back his bangs, which were long enough to cover his eyes.
Hearing his sigh, the subordinates who were working glanced nervously at Hyeon-yul.
'How many times has it been already?'
Annihilating a company, seeing it, clapping hands in approval, and scouting him.
Then, not honoring the employment contract again.
Every time a scout offer came, his rank strangely went up.
He knew it meant more work, but it wasn't supposed to mean they could work him like a dog.
—Why are you being like this between us?
Employer and employee.
That was precisely the relationship.
—We agreed to be like brothers, right? Can't you overlook this?
When had they ever met before to be talking about brothers?
'All I asked was for them to abide by the contract, is that so difficult?'
Salaries were delayed, overtime increased, and instances where he couldn't even use annual leave, let alone sick leave, grew more frequent.
How many times had he changed jobs?
How many times had he received scout offers while looking at the blood-soaked interior of a workplace? He'd lost count.
He had reached his limit.
Wherever he went, whether his rank rose or not, it was the same.
In the end, nothing was ever kept.
After countless job changes, Hyeon-yul reached a conclusion.
A villain is a villain.
It wasn't that he himself was clean.
But at least he did the basics.
He was never late, acted according to work instructions, and was polite to his superiors.
'...Ah.'
Hyeon-yul belatedly realized.
'Right. This was just a black company, wasn't it?'
The places he worked were all similar, so he hadn't realized, but now he knew.
It seemed somehow funny.
To realize it only now.
Hyeon-yul clicked his ballpoint pen. Ttal-kkak.
Hearing the sound, the subordinates watched Hyeon-yul.
Fear flickered in the eyes looking at him.
It seemed they were thinking, 'What is that crazy bastard planning now?'
'…Five people.'
As he counted and was about to stand up, something caught Hyeon-yul's eye.
It was a recruitment notice on a portal site.
「Black Eagle recruiting new members.」
The Black Eagle was an organization established by the Empire to catch villains.
In other words, special civil servants.
There were also rumors that it was like a private company despite being governmental.
'A place that kills villains, huh?'
Curiosity grabbed Hyeon-yul, and he scrolled the mouse wheel.
「Eligibility Requirements
—Gender, age, education, past experience: no restrictions.
—Must possess power (physical or magical, doesn't matter).」
'No restriction on past experience?'
That sentence caught Hyeon-yul's eye.
「Special Recruitment
—Individuals with a history of subduing or arresting wanted villains (excluding police).」
'Does killing count too?'
All the presidents he killed were wanted villains.
「Benefits and Welfare
—Paid leave possible for sick days.
—Additional paid leave for overtime work.
—Early departure possible depending on conditions.
—Medical expense support..」
The corners of Hyeon-yul's mouth lifted.
More than anything else, the benefits were what he liked most.
The fact that there were such enticing details suggested the work was proportionally dangerous.
But to Hyeon-yul, it was nothing.
He had already taken the heads of countless villains.
'Let's go here.'
As he smiled that smile, everyone sitting there felt a chill.
"…Ex, excuse me, Team Leader?"
As a subordinate spoke up, Hyeon-yul stood from his seat and said.
"I need to go somewhere for a bit."
"Wh, where?"
"Going to satisfy the conditions for special recruitment."
Ignoring the follow-up question, Hyeon-yul walked out, went down the hallway, and took the elevator.
This company was large.
Given that there was a Chairman, one could guess how big it was.
What was needed for special recruitment was one head.
He headed straight for the Chairman's office without hesitation.
Ding.
The elevator opened.
Hyeon-yul adjusted his tie.
"What business do you..."
Just as Hyeon-yul's gaze turned sharp, the head of the guard approaching him dropped off.
Blood dripped from the dagger in his hand.
Before the other guards could notice, Hyeon-yul's body collapsed.
Flowing onto the ground as if turning into liquid, he then appeared behind the guards.
Kwak.
He stabbed the nape of one's neck and slashed sideways.
'Two left.'
Hyeon-yul's gaze shifted to the left.
Whether it was magic or natural agility, someone approached him incredibly fast, and electricity sparked right in front of him.
Side and front.
It seemed two people were planning to attack him simultaneously.
Hyeon-yul reached out his hand towards the one coming from the side.
A shadow shot out, grabbed the man's leg, pulled him down, and Hyeon-yul vanished from the spot.
Kwajjijijijik.
As his colleague's body trembled from the electricity, the expression of the guard who used magic darkened.
"This is why I tell you to be careful when using magic."
A voice came from behind the remaining guard.
Gulp.
When, how did he get behind him?
Seo Hyeon-yul.
Was this person always this strong?
As the dagger pierced his neck, his thoughts stopped there.
Puk.
Blood flowed down steadily.
"...Keoheoook."
Hearing the sound of someone coughing up blood, Hyeon-yul walked forward and opened the door.
"What's going on?"
The man was leisurely reading the newspaper while finishing a drink.
At this time in the morning.
"I told you, didn't I."
Hearing the voice from behind, the man froze.
Goosebumps rose.
"To please follow the contract properly. I am someone who deeply despises overwork. Yet, it's already been 5 days since I haven't been able to go home."
"…Seo Hyeon-yul. Let's talk. Talk."
"I spoke, but you were the one who didn't listen."
"I'll do it properly. Huh? From now on..."
"No. I plan to end it all before I die from overwork. Isn't this the law of villains?"
Hyeon-yul spoke calmly and moved the hand holding the dagger.
Hyeon-yul stood in front of a building.
The building itself bore the Black Eagle emblem.
He could find the location just by searching the internet.
That was quite amusing.
Villains desperately hid, yet this place that caught villains was so brazenly out in the open.
"…Is this the place where the Black Eagle is located?"
Hyeon-yul asked.
"That is correct."
The man standing in front of the main entrance replied.
He said this was where the Black Eagle was, but it seemed not everyone here was a Black Eagle.
There was a sparrow emblem on the guard's left arm.
"I came here because I want to become a Black Eagle."
Hyeon-yul took something out of his bag.
He held out a head covered in dark red blood.
"This is the head of Shin Dae-ho, the bastard you were looking for."
Everyone was horrified, but Hyeon-yul wore a confident smile.
Filled with anticipation, he asked.
"Here, do you really offer the 4 Major Insurances?"