Villain wants to live as a commoner chapter 77

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Kwon Sahyeok’s icy gaze scanned the surroundings before he used a skill on the man charging at me.

Shadows from the floor surged up, binding the man in place.

Even fully restrained, the man wriggled and thrashed wildly.

Kwon Sahyeok frowned, displeased, then turned to me with a softer expression.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“What’s his deal?”

“I have no idea. He just bolted out from one of the stalls.”

Kwon Sahyeok approached the stall the man had emerged from and checked inside.

Finding nothing unusual, he came back.

“He seems familiar somehow…”

Before he could finish his thought, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, and the door burst open.

“What’s going on—?!”

“Oh, Team Leader?”

The hunters from the Samho Guild had evidently come running after hearing the gunshots.

Recognizing Kwon Sahyeok, they relaxed slightly.

One of them, scanning the situation, spotted the man sprawled in the corner and gasped.

“Kim Inseok?!”

“You know him?”

“Yes, he’s a new recruit who just joined our team…”

The sharp look Kwon Sahyeok gave made the hunter’s voice falter.

“Shouldn’t someone check him out first?”

Trying to ease the tension, I spoke up.

Kwon Sahyeok glanced at me, then motioned to one of the hunters.

“Hunter Shim Yesul.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Figure out why he’s acting like this.”

“O-of course…”

Shim Yesul hesitated entering the men’s restroom, her gaze darting around nervously.

With a sigh, Kwon Sahyeok used his shadows to lift the man and carry him out.

Chaos reigned outside.

The sudden gunfire had panicked the other patrons, who seemed to have evacuated in a hurry, while a few brave staff members peeked in to assess the situation.

As the Samho Guild hunters explained the circumstances to the staff, Shim Yesul examined the unconscious man.

“This… this looks like classic mana intoxication.”

“Mana intoxication?”

Mana intoxication typically occurs when someone is exposed to more mana than their body can handle.

For someone like this man, who seemed to be around B-rank, it wasn’t common.

Normally, someone suffering from mana intoxication would collapse.

But this man had moaned strangely in the restroom and then attacked me.

It wasn’t a typical case.

“Is it serious?”

“Not life-threatening, but he needs rest.”

“Then take him back to the guild.”

“Understood.”

Kwon Sahyeok turned to me.

“Want to come along?”

“…Sure.”

After a brief hesitation, I nodded.

There were things I needed to discuss with Kwon Sahyeok, and I wanted to find out more about the man’s condition.

At the Samho Guild’s research lab, I waited in a reception room adjacent to the lab itself.

They were analyzing the unconscious Kim Inseok’s condition.

I’d never been inside another guild before, and the atmosphere was much stricter compared to the more relaxed vibe of the Somang Guild.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’ll explain while we take a look. Come on.”

I followed Kwon Sahyeok into a small lab.

Kim Inseok was seated there, visibly tense but fully conscious.

“This bastard was on drugs.”

“…Drugs?”

“Yeah. And not just any drugs—these were from the Baekmyeon Sect’s lab we raided recently.”

Kwon Sahyeok glared fiercely at Kim Inseok, who shrank back with a frightened squeak.

“Of all the things to take, this idiot chose the Baekmyeon Sect’s drugs? He’s practically begging to be put down.”

He probably wouldn’t actually kill him, but Kwon Sahyeok’s aura was terrifying enough to make it seem possible.

Watching his reaction, I cautiously asked:

“Should we report this to the Hunter Administration?”

“Hold on. We need to find out the distribution channels first.”

Before I could even say, “Isn’t that something the Bureau should handle?” shadows began to creep and swirl around us like smoke, rising from all directions.

A foreboding feeling tightened in my chest.

“What are you trying to do?” I asked.

“The Bureau takes too long to figure things out. I thought I’d speed things up a bit.”

“How?”

“Like this.”

Kwon Sahyeok bound Kim Inseok in shadows.

The sudden confinement made Kim Inseok flinch, but the real terror began after that.

The shadows started to seep into Kim Inseok’s body—through his nose, ears, and mouth… even into his eyes.

The sensation of the shadows invading him must have been palpable; Kim Inseok froze in horror, unable to move for fear of making it worse.

“You know, right?” Kwon Sahyeok said, his voice eerily calm. “If I put too much pressure, whatever’s inside you might come spilling out.”

“H-heuk… Hngh…!”

That was a fact Kim Inseok clearly didn’t want to acknowledge—but one he seemed to already know well.

“Don’t even think about doing anything stupid. Unless you want to live a life worse than death.”

Kwon Sahyeok’s tone remained disturbingly composed, as though he wasn’t threatening someone’s very existence.

‘They say none of the high-ranking hunters are entirely sane,’ I thought grimly.

Kwon Sahyeok was no exception.

In fact, this kind of quiet insanity—more subtle than the overt kind—felt infinitely more dangerous.

While I mentally raised Kwon Sahyeok’s danger rating a few notches, he continued his interrogation, unperturbed.

“Where’d you get it? Speak.”

“A d-dealer… They use a code… and set a time and place… to meet.”

“When’s the next meeting?”

“T-today…”

“Today? Perfect timing. Where’s the meeting spot?”

“A c-club…”

“Which club?”

Kwon Sahyeok pressed for every detail, only releasing the shadows once he had wrung all the information out of Kim Inseok.

The man was drenched in sweat by the time it was over, his face a mask of exhaustion.

“The Baekmyeon Sect bastards… What the hell are they even making?”

“No idea.”

Awakened individuals are generally resistant to most drugs.

For someone at Kim Inseok’s level—Grade B—it would take an exceptionally strong substance to have any effect at all.

Yet, somehow, they’d managed to create something potent enough to incapacitate him.

Leaving the laboratory, Kwon Sahyeok ordered that Kim Inseok be restrained.

Following him to the team leader’s office, I finally asked, “Aren’t you going to report this?”

“If I report it, the information I just got might become useless.”

“So, what’s the plan? You’re going to check it out yourself?”

“Of course. Why else would I bother asking so many questions?”

“The Bureau could handle it.”

“I’d rather see for myself.”

Kwon Sahyeok clearly didn’t trust the Hunter Bureau.

Not that I understood why—our department’s director was plenty competent.

Sure, not every hunter in the Bureau was reliable, but still…

“Come with me.”

“Me?”

Was he out of his mind? He wanted me to join him on a drug bust?

I gave him a look that made my feelings crystal clear, but Kwon Sahyeok only stared back, as if I were the irrational one.

“Yeah. You’re not coming?”

“Why would I?”

The idea of going undercover to bust a drug dealer was as far removed from my life as a regular office worker’s daily grind.

There was no way I’d go.

“I’m leaving. Just drop me off out front.”

“Wait.”

Kwon Sahyeok stopped me as I moved to leave.

He was probably planning to rope me in, but I had no intention of falling for it.

“Isn’t it strange?” he said.

“What?”

“Kim Inseok. That guy’s a Grade B hunter. If someone had gone after him seriously, an F-rank would’ve been wiped out instantly. But he survived, somehow.”

What was he getting at now?

A cold sweat ran down my spine.

Keeping my expression neutral, I replied, “I shot him, didn’t I?”

“Kim Inseok’s body is reinforced. Your gun wouldn’t have done much.”

“He was already mana-addicted,” I countered.

“If anything, that should’ve made him stronger.”

Kwon Sahyeok was relentless, dismantling my excuses one by one.

I was cornered.

“…I don’t know. Maybe he’s just incompetent. What do you want me to say?”

I crossed my arms and looked away, effectively ending the conversation.

Kwon Sahyeok narrowed his eyes at me.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh…”

“What’s with the look?”

“Nothing. Just thinking you might not be an F-rank after all.”

‘What the hell…’

“You’re reading too much into this. What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?”

“I’m not basing this just on today,” Kwon Sahyeok said smoothly.

“Remember when you got kidnapped by Baekmyeon Sect? You said you managed to observe the situation back then, but for an F-rank… the way you moved didn’t add up.”

Damn it. I should’ve realized the moment he said he’d been watching me from the start.

Lately, I’d been forced to use my powers more frequently, and it seemed inevitable that I’d slip up.

Back during the kidnapping, I really should’ve avoided using my abilities.

But with a syringe aimed at me, I hadn’t had much choice.

“Is it even possible to hide your grade?” Kwon Sahyeok mused aloud. “Well, if you’re Seo Hoon’s kid and a friend of Lee Shinhae, I suppose you’d find a way. But why would you hide it? It’s not like you’re up to anything shady.”

“Enjoy your delusions.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is?”

‘What else would you expect me to say?’

If I was going to admit it, I wouldn’t have hidden it in the first place.

Kwon Sahyeok only chuckled at my defiance.

“Come with me. You owe me, remember?”

“Haven’t I paid you back enough by now?”

“Aw, come on. Aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to see how this unfolds?”

“I’m curious, but it’s not my problem.”

“Come. If you don’t…” His smile turned sharp.

“I might feel chatty. You know, with the Bureau.”

“….”