Villain Education Commences
"What exactly am I supposed to do here?" Ju Joyeon asked his followers as he approached the gathered crowd alongside Kim Changkyung, confirming his tasks.
-We need to deal with Choi Sik, who committed those despicable acts.
-We should also find the person who suggested using humans as feed for the Morion Roaches.
-I believe we must eliminate the man named Gangcheol who attacked the school Master attended.
-Shouldn't we also weed out anyone who hasn't taken any action yet?
"There's more to do than I thought. What should I handle first…"
"Mister."
"Yes!"
At Ju Joyeon's call, Kim Changkyung immediately responded, eyes sparkling as he waited. The thought of survival filled him with renewed vigor, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor.
I probably should've told him I wasn't planning to touch him later.
"There was a room on the fifth floor where the Morion Roaches were gathered. Whose idea was that?"
"Morion Roaches… Ah, you mean those giant cockroaches?"
"Yeah."
Kim Changkyung answered without hesitation, spilling the mastermind and his reasoning. "There's a mage named 'Hans' in the hideout. He claimed that Morion Roach shells could block magic well enough to make excellent defensive gear if mass-produced. That's why they turned one of the fifth-floor classrooms into a breeding farm to increase their numbers."
-What nonsense. While it's true that Morion Roach shells have magic resistance, anyone without knowledge of the processing methods can't even remove the carapace. Furthermore, the processing efficiency is abysmal, which is why no one has ever used them for armor.
-It seems they blindly trusted the words of someone with zero proper knowledge.
-He's likely not even a real mage, just someone who never received proper education.
As House explained the precise reasons in response to Kim Changkyung's words, Ju Joyeon nodded. "I see."
While talking, they arrived before the crowd of over three hundred people. Everyone knew Kim Changkyung, but the unfamiliar young man beside him made them realize something significant had occurred. The once-noisy chatter gradually died down.
Should I establish distinctions first?
-Lady Arty usually demonstrates her status and authority first when standing before many people like this.
Oh? Authority… I don't have any of that.
-Master, in this world after the fusion, power is authority.
-Although you've only spent half a day with them, no one here can oppose your strength.
Nodding as if enlightened by his followers' words, Ju Joyeon scanned the crowd. He could clearly distinguish between those who had eaten and slept well and those worn down by exhaustion and despair. The sight irritated him. After a brief moment of thought, he decided on his first course of action.
"Hello. Nice to meet you all. My name is Ju Joyeon."
The simple self-introduction from a young man who looked barely of age felt completely out of place in the current situation. Murmurs spread among the gathered people.
"Who's that guy?"
"Do you know him?"
"No, I've never seen him before. Did he arrive recently?"
"Huh…? That guy… Wait, wasn't he a slave…?"
"Changkyung! Who the hell is that guy?!"
"Everyone, focus! Please focus! I'll explain why you've all been gathered here!"
Kim Changkyung desperately tried to control the crowd, eventually managing to quiet them down again. Unable to spot the people he wanted among the three hundred, Ju Joyeon turned to him.
"Where are the guy named Gangcheol and the mage named Hans?"
"Gangcheol hyungnim! Hans-nim! Please come out!"
Kim Changkyung called out while waving. Two men emerged from the crowd. Park Gangcheol strode forward with a menacing expression, having wanted to speak with Ju Joyeon anyway, while the man named Hans was a gaunt, malnourished-looking fellow, just as the followers had predicted.
Ju Joyeon stared at Park Gangcheol, who loomed over him with a threatening glare, completely unfazed. Before the world fusion, the high school student Ju Joyeon might have avoided eye contact, but after everything he'd been through, the man posed no threat whatsoever.
"You the brat behind all this bullshit?"
Watching Park Gangcheol attempt a pathetic intimidation tactic the moment they met only soured Ju Joyeon's mood.
"I'm not a brat."
"…What?"
"I said I'm not a brat. I clearly introduced myself as Ju Joyeon."
"You little shi— How dare you speak informally to me!"
Park Gangcheol grabbed Ju Joyeon by the collar and lifted him up. Being smaller in build, Ju Joyeon was easily yanked off the ground.
"Hyungnim!"
Kim Changkyung paled and tried to intervene, but he lacked the strength to stop Park Gangcheol.
"A snot-nosed kid who's never tasted real society… I'll make you experience firsthand just how cruel the world can be."
"…Hah."
At the empty threat, Ju Joyeon let out a dry laugh and gave his command with lifeless eyes.
"House. No need to keep both of them around. Just deal with this guy."
"What the hell are you suddenly saying? House? What is that supposed to— Urk…?!"
Before Park Gangcheol could finish questioning the order, the baby roach hidden in his stomach began to move. It chewed through his stomach lining from the inside.
"Graaah…?! Aaaagh!!!"
A burning sensation followed by indescribable pain erupted in his abdomen. Park Gangcheol released Ju Joyeon's collar and collapsed, writhing on the ground while clutching his stomach. Being eaten alive from within was agony no ordinary person could endure.
"Graaah! It hurts! It hurts!! My stomach, my stomach~!!"
Unable to kill the baby roach inside him, Park Gangcheol could do nothing but scream until his final moments. The onlookers didn't understand what was happening, but the genuine agony on his face made their expressions grow increasingly grim.
After two or three minutes, Park Gangcheol stopped moving, eyes still open. Ju Joyeon casually straightened his crumpled clothes beside the corpse.
"D-Did he just die…?"
"No way… He really died?"
"What the hell just happened…?"
The whispers grew louder, unease swelling into panic, then into outright terror.
"Aah, so noisy…"
"E-Everyone, quiet! Please be quiet! We haven't even started explaining yet!"
Despite Kim Changkyung's frantic attempts to calm everyone, his voice failed to reach them after witnessing a man's death right before their eyes. Several people began edging away from the group, ready to flee.
"Everyone, stay calm…! If you don't cooperate, something terrible could really happen…"
Just as the terrified crowd started to scatter, a voice exploded from the first-floor lobby.
"Nobody move!!"
The people froze, forgetting their escape as they turned toward the source. It was Tiasia, returning after collecting those who had remained inside the building per Ju Joyeon's orders. She no longer bothered hiding her identity, crimson light blazing from her eyes as she emerged.
Her menacing aura made everyone go rigid.
-Master, I don't think further delay would be wise.
You're right. If more chaos breaks out, it'll be harder to control them.
"Everyone, come out."
Crack. Crackle.
At Ju Joyeon's command, four skeletons burst from the ground, surrounding the crowd.
"H-Hiiek?!"
"W-What?! Skeletons!!"
"Hiiiik!"
"G-Guns! Where are the guns?!"
The followers suppressed anyone attempting to flee with glowing eyes, but the panic remained.
Aah… Seriously…
"Everyone, please be quiet."
Death Aura LV1 has been activated.
Status ailment: Fear has been inflicted.
Saaaah…!
The Death Aura, spreading across the floor like black water, made everyone within its range freeze as a chilling killing intent ran down their spines. The certainty that any further movement would mean certain death dominated their minds. All they could do was obey the master of that cold aura.
Ju Joyeon finally had everyone's complete attention, their mouths shut tight as they stared at him.
I should've done this from the start. No, wait—this only happened because I stopped them from running away.
Tap.
As expected of Master! Everyone is overwhelmed by your presence and unable to resist!
Tap.
Of course Master is different from these commoners.
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
"Hiiiik?!"
"S-Scary…!"
Karl and Ron laughed maniacally while praising Ju Joyeon, startling the nearby people.
"Karl, Ron. If you laugh like that…"
"It's only natural! There exists an insurmountable gap between Master and these lowly humans! Comparing them would be an insult to Master!"
Tiasia, who had approached Ju Joyeon's side at some point, growled in rebuttal to their words. Hans, standing nearby, couldn't withstand the bloodlust radiating from her beautiful yet terrifying face and collapsed unconscious.
Looking at the fallen Hans, Ju Joyeon pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed.