Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: America's Respected EX-Rank Villain
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#1
After a whopping nine failures, Do-hyun finally reached a conclusion.
‘Korea’s a no-go. No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop the end of the world there.’
Life for humanity changed completely after the Great Cataclysm.
There was initial chaos, but with the emergence of Awakeners, humanity adapted.
And with the endless byproducts from the swarming monsters, they ushered in a new golden age.
But no one suspected a thing.
That this was merely Phase Zero—the ‘Tutorial’.
Five years from now, Phase One would begin with dimensional interference, kicking off the true apocalypse.
Twenty years later, with the fourth phase as the finale, humanity would face total extinction.
And Do-hyun had lived through it all—regressing nine times in the process.
That’s how he learned the truth.
‘No matter how strong I get on my own, it’s pointless. I need to bolster humanity’s overall strength.’
That resolution came around his fifth regression.
Afterward, Do-hyun seized control of Korea’s power structure.
But… he still failed to avert the end.
Four more times.
It was tragically due to Korea’s limitations.
Korea was undoubtedly impressive, and under Do-hyun’s leadership, it faced the apocalypse better than any nation on Earth.
But the country was simply too small.
His ultimate conclusion:
‘I need to back myself with the power of a superpower capable of uniting humanity.’
Only two countries on the planet fit that bill.
America and China.
Do-hyun scowled.
‘If it weren’t for those two damn countries, humanity wouldn’t have been so helplessly wiped out every time.’
America and China bore more than half the blame for humanity’s repeated pathetic downfalls.
Each trolled in their own way.
China’s number-one leader, the Chinese Chairman, became an apostle of the ‘Outer Gods’ and sold out his country. From then on, China sowed chaos worldwide in every conceivable manner, accelerating humanity’s doom.
‘It wasn’t until my fourth regression that I learned the Chairman was a lackey of the Outer Gods.’
After that, he’d assassinate the Chairman as quickly as possible each time, but what blew his mind was that his successors would invariably sell out to the Outer Gods too.
‘Backing myself with China’s impossible. They’re too insular—foreigners are just disposable pawns to them. No real opportunities.’
That left only America.
But recalling America’s state after the apocalypse… Do-hyun sighed involuntarily.
‘Who’d have thought America would collapse that fast?’
America hadn’t committed any major blunders.
It simply crumbled faster than anyone else once the end times hit.
It couldn’t even survive Phase 1.
‘The problem is that America’s pathetic downfall takes out more than half of humanity’s Awakener forces.’
The current point in time was Phase Zero—the ‘Tutorial’.
Humanity reveled in this new era of prosperity, blind to the disasters ahead.
And the nation that had flourished most brilliantly in the post-Cataclysm world? None other than America.
Because it welcomed every top hunter from around the globe.
‘Even half of Korea’s S-Rank hunters naturalized there.’
S-Rank and A-Rank hunters from across the planet flocked to America.
The issue was that when America fell, all that precious Awakener manpower vanished in one fell swoop.
The infrastructure for Awakeners being so concentrated there only compounded the disaster.
‘If they were just going to collapse so easily, they shouldn’t have been so greedy. Or was it the greed that caused it?’
America didn’t fall to the apocalypse or external attacks.
It imploded from within.
The greedy influx of Awakener immigrants proved problematic—and the signs were already visible now.
Paradise for villains.
That was the dark underbelly of America’s new golden age.
Having absorbed so many Awakeners, it boasted the world’s highest rate of Awakener crimes.
Villains and heroes clashing like something out of an American blockbuster? That was everyday life in every city.
‘If America hadn’t hoarded the world’s Awakener forces only to self-destruct so pointlessly, humanity could’ve endured the apocalypse far more easily.’
Do-hyun continued his train of thought.
‘What if America doesn’t collapse so pathetically? What if I can harness that immense power to unite humanity?’
“Mr. Kim, welcome to the ranks of heroes. Your power will serve humanity well.”
This was the Awakener scout he always met right after his initial awakening assessment.
‘Tenth time meeting her, and I still don’t remember her name.’
He heard her introduction every time, but it never stuck—this encounter just wasn’t memorable.
Do-hyun’s initial rating was B-Rank.
Per America’s Awakener Immigration policy, they made standard recruitment offers regardless, but it wasn’t a rank anyone would lament passing on.
If his initial awakening skill hadn’t been somewhat unique, no scout would’ve bothered showing up in person. Probably just a text message.
Of course, that didn’t mean America was bending over backward to recruit him.
Just enough effort for a scout to visit. Nothing more, nothing less.
“For humanity? Or for America?”
At Do-hyun’s retort, the middle-aged Hispanic woman’s eyes lit up slightly.
Ah, her name came back to him.
Camila—Colombian descent, if he recalled right.
“Serving America is serving humanity. Humanity must unite its strength. Pax Americana is the only path to survival.”
Do-hyun chuckled inwardly.
In the past, America had shouted ‘Pax Americana’ until it quietly vanished, replaced by ‘America First.’
Now, they were back to chanting Pax Americana.
America’s goal was to reassume its status as the sole superpower with the Awakener forces it gathered from around the world.
It would fail spectacularly, of course.
‘Perfect for me to exploit.’
Do-hyun gave an answer he’d never uttered in his previous nine loops.
“Very well. I’ll immigrate to America.”
“...Really?”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, I just figured you’d turn it down. You seemed like the patriotic type or something.”
Do-hyun wasn’t like that at all.
America and Korea were both shitholes in their own ways, but Koreans preferred the familiarity of home.
‘Hard to get jeukbok or kimchi jjigae in America.’
“But I have a condition.”
“What is it?”
Do-hyun snatched the documents Camila had brought and tore them to shreds.
A contract tailored for B-Rank.
“Wh-what?”
“At minimum, A-Rank terms… No, make it S-Rank if possible.”
Do-hyun had spent his school years in America once.
Not fond memories. That history had kept him from considering America until now.
Still, it gave him useful knowledge.
With Americans, you had to go big from the start.
Of course, you needed the skills to back it up.
“In exchange, after entering America, I’ll retake the ranking test. Not the standard international one—the tougher AAA test. If I fall short of S-Rank then, you can withdraw the naturalization offer, no hard feelings.”