Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

We infiltrated the basement through the casino’s emergency staircase.

There were quite a lot of people in the casino. It was easy to get to the emergency stairs while avoiding their eyes, but the problem was getting to the emergency stairs leading down to the second basement floor.

‘Normally the stairs should be connected, but here the stairs aren’t connected.’

They blocked the original stairs and placed different stairs on another side to connect to the second basement floor.

To get to those stairs, we had to cross through the center of the first basement floor.

It was almost impossible to get to the stairs leading to the second basement floor while avoiding the eyes of the people in the first basement.

But with Han Seo-hyeon’s all-purpose surveillance system, it’s a different story.

“Even if I can see over there clearly, coming up with a route where we won’t be caught by anyone is a different story, you know? Do you know how many people are walking around there?”

Han Seo-hyeon who sighed said to me:

“Can’t we just beat them all up and go in?”

The reason I came up with a plan to break through the first basement floor without being caught by anyone was not only because there’s no more effective method for attacking the enemy than a stealth attack, but also because I didn’t want to create unnecessary victims.

“Not everyone working at the casino is a bad person. Maybe there are people who really think they’re working at a normal casino without knowing anything, or people who are working here out of necessity for their livelihood even though they vaguely know something bad is happening inside.”

In fact, this casino was one of the pillars supporting the local economy. Most of the people working here are local residents.

Looking at the big picture, it might not be very helpful in reviving this region’s economy, but there are quite a few people who would immediately become unemployed if they didn’t work at this casino.

“Can’t you do something?”

“Really…”

At my words, Han Seo-hyeon rolled his eyes and grumbled:

“So you’re saying let’s not make innocent victims as much as possible, right?”

Han Seo-hyeon summarized my words at once. I nodded.

“You were just talking earlier like someone who enjoys violent situations.”

“Well that…”

“You were trying to scare Song-jin hyung, right?”

So that’s why he suddenly said things like ‘It does feel good to do bad things to bad guys.’ He didn’t mean to just tease Cha Song-jin.

“You didn’t need to go that far though.”

At my words, Han Seo-hyeon pouted his lips.

“But it was convenient thanks to that, wasn’t it?”

I couldn’t say no to those words. Thanks to Han Seo-hyeon’s help, the atmosphere did lighten up a bit…

Han Seo-hyeon who was examining my face shrugged his shoulders and said:

“Anyway, I got it. I’ll do my best.”

“Tell me if you try and it doesn’t work.”

“Forget it! I’ll definitely do it, so just be quiet and watch.”

Han Seo-hyeon who said that closed his eyes and concentrated. Kim Jae-ho and I quietly closed our mouths so as not to disturb Han Seo-hyeon.

Han Seo-hyeon groaned for about ten minutes, rolling his closed eyes this way and that.

“Done.”

At Han Seo-hyeon’s words, I looked at Han Seo-hyeon and gave a thumbs up.

“You have to move exactly as I say, got it?”

“Yeah!”

Seeing us two talking like that, Kim Jae-ho slightly melted into my shadow.

‘Oh my.’

Those of us without such fraudulent skills had no choice but to avoid people passing by one by one.

Han Seo-hyeon who opened the emergency door gave me a look. I followed Han Seo-hyeon and walked straight. As soon as we opened the door leading to the first basement floor, we felt numerous presences.

I walked as Han Seo-hyeon guided. Sometimes striding, sometimes sneaking. When we needed to stop, Han Seo-hyeon raised his hand in front of me, and I stopped in my tracks each time as if hit by an ice beam.

There were times when employees almost discovered us, but even that was already calculated in Han Seo-hyeon’s mind. I felt exhilarated by the movements fitting together like cogwheels.

It felt like I had become a special agent appearing in an infiltration movie.

“This is quite thrilling.”

Just when I let my guard down thinking we were almost there. Han Seo-hyeon grabbed my wrist and pulled me down.

“Hup!”

The door that had been closed until just now suddenly opened and a waiter appeared from there.

[Who sent this up?]

[What’s the matter?]

[There’s a stain left on the towel!]

[Oh no.]

We were almost caught by the man who suddenly appeared. I covered my mouth while hiding behind a table. After the man who was shouting like that disappeared, Han Seo-hyeon grabbed my wrist and walked quickly.

“Huff, huff.”

When we finally found the stairs going down to the second basement floor, Han Seo-hyeon and I silently let out cheers of joy.

—You look just like squid grilling on a gas stove.

Even Ray’s merciless evaluation couldn’t stop our joy.

“Well done, Seo-hyeon!”

“I think I did pretty amazing myself.”

If we had just beaten everyone up and come, we couldn’t have felt this thrill.

We succeeded in coming down to the second basement floor without encountering anyone, so all that’s left is to sweep through the second basement floor.

Kim Jae-ho who slightly revealed himself again as the difficult section ended squeezed in between me and Han Seo-hyeon sitting on the stairs.

‘Seeing how hard it was to get in here, they must be doing something fishy behind the scenes.’

Otherwise, there’s no reason they would block a perfectly fine emergency staircase and put separate stairs.

I sat down on the stairs and asked Han Seo-hyeon about the outside situation with my eyes.

“There are two people in the corridor that comes out as soon as we open the door. There are CCTVs installed in three places in the corridor.”

It was definitely different from the first basement floor which seemed like anyone could come and go. Does this mean security guards will face us as soon as we open the stairs?

“Block the surveillance cameras first as we enter.”

At my words, Han Seo-hyeon nodded. Han Seo-hyeon’s sand entered through the door crack. With this, we don’t have to worry about CCTVs. If they were watching the CCTVs in real-time they might notice something strange, but we’ll be faster in subduing them before they notice anything strange.

“While I open the door and draw attention, take care of both of them at once.”

“Kill them?”

At Kim Jae-ho’s question, I shook my head.

“No, don’t kill them, just knock them out for now.”

Seeing them working here, they’re definitely fishy guys, but I was planning to avoid hasty loss of life before assessing the situation.

At my words, Kim Jae-ho who nodded melted into the shadows just like that. As planned beforehand, I opened the emergency staircase door and went outside.

I drew up magic as I watched the guys pointing their guns at me. Kim Jae-ho jumping out of the shadows was faster than the guys firing their guns at me. The moment attention was drawn to Kim Jae-ho, I also closed the distance at full speed and planted a knee kick in the stomach of the guy in front of me.

[Urgh!]

The guy clung to me while in pain. This has become troublesome. I went behind the guy, put my forearm around his neck and knocked him out by pressing on his carotid artery.

—Wow, your skills have really improved by leaps and bounds after going through such real combat.

It’s certainly much easier compared to Kim Jae-ho.

Kim Jae-ho and I dragged the unconscious people and roughly threw them into a room connected to the stairs. They won’t wake up for a while.

Meanwhile, Han Seo-hyeon who finished a brief reconnaissance led us two.

“It seems to be this way.”

The corridor extending from the stairs led to other corridors. The second basement floor looked like a maze, it seemed they had divided what was originally a large space into several rooms by putting up partition walls.

The narrow corridors had lots of luggage piled up, so visibility wasn’t very good. It also seemed poorly ventilated, much more stuffy than the floor above.

No, it’s not just poor ventilation.

I frowned and stopped walking as soon as I smelled the faint strange odor mixed in the air.

‘This is…’

“What’s wrong?”

Han Seo-hyeon standing next to me asked as if finding it strange.

“There’s a stink coming from somewhere.”

At my words, Jae-ho hurriedly shouted:

“It’s not me!”

“…I know it’s not you. There’s a strange smell coming from that corridor. So don’t take off your masks, no matter what.”

I gave a firm warning to the two.

It’s fortunate the masks have an air purification function. I almost had to send the two back as soon as we came.

—What on earth did you smell to be so startled like this?

‘This is the smell that comes when manufacturing drugs.’

The unique smell that comes when making synthetic drugs was vibrating in the corridor. When I raised my senses by raising my magic power, it was enough to make me dizzy. For such a smell to come through closed doors. It means drugs haven’t been manufactured here for just a day or two.

‘Since I haven’t seen anyone doing drugs around here, they’re probably not distributed here. There must be a separate place for sales.’

Synthetic drugs were relatively cheap in terms of raw materials and easy to manufacture by bringing in raw materials separately. If they can just avoid people’s eyes like this, it means they can manufacture anywhere.

But I didn’t know they would be making it so blatantly…

Ray casually threw out words at my hardened face.

—You really hate it despite having jumped into the drug industry yourself.

In the past, I had curried favor with China’s Silver Moon Society, and gained a stake in the drug trade between the Black Leopard Faction and the Silver Moon Society. It meant I had a foot in the drug industry, even if I didn’t directly manufacture or distribute drugs.

But that doesn’t mean I like drugs.

As Taika Cooper said, drugs were dangerous things that could instantly plunge people’s lives into the abyss…

Especially the damage to ordinary people who misused drugs for awakeners was unspeakably huge.

But despite that, why did I put my hand in the drug business?

‘Because I needed money.’

—Weren’t there many ways to make money other than that?

I didn’t say anything to those words of Ray.

There were many excuses. That at the time I couldn’t see any other way, or that it’s impossible to eradicate drugs in this world anyway and someone would make money in that market even if I didn’t get involved, so what’s wrong with me getting involved and making money together.

But the conclusion is one.

I’m just a person who sold my conscience for money, and that’s right.

“What do you mean by stink? Tell me exactly, what’s going on?”

But seeing Han Seo-hyeon asking me like that, my breath caught, so it seems I still had a little bit of conscience left that I hadn’t sold off.

I tried to compose my expression and said to Han Seo-hyeon:

“It seems they’re making drugs here.”

“Drugs?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a big problem, isn’t it?”

Listening to Han Seo-hyeon’s answer, I thought.

It seems there should be a line between us too.