How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 59. Judgment

“What are we going to do now? Maybe it’s because the butterfly is still young, but its intelligence isn’t that remarkable for a spirit. Training it might be a bit of a hassle?”

At Jin Seo-hyun’s words, Kim Do-jin licked his lips, lost in thought.

If training it in a short time was difficult, then one of the three of them had to stay with the butterfly for now.

Yet, for some reason, the butterfly didn’t seem to want to follow Jin Seo-hyun and kept clinging to either Kim Do-jin or Im So-hee.

“Hmm…”

It wasn’t hard to keep the butterfly in its fox form like now.

The problem was that the butterfly could unpredictably transform.

What if, while Kim Do-jin was holding the butterfly, it decided to change into Im So-hee?

Conversely, it could also transform into Kim Do-jin while Im So-hee was holding it.

—

“Jin seems to dislike butterflies… It’s best if you, Im Sohee, keep her with you.”

In truth, Kim Dojin was not as concerned as Im Sohee about the butterfly transforming into her own likeness.

After all, this body was never truly his to begin with.

Thus, he suggested that Im Sohee take care of her, and though she showed a hint of discomfort, she ultimately agreed.

“Alright. Then I’ll take care of it.”

As Kim Dojin prepared to rise from his seat, a sudden movement caught his attention—Im Sohee flinched and reached out.

“Wait? Alone?”

She looked at him with a hint of regret, but Kim Dojin had his own matters to attend to that night.

“Yeah. I have something to take care of right now.”

“Oh, I see…”

With that, Kim Dojin bid farewell and stepped out of Im Sohee’s hotel room.

And then, at that moment.

“Something to take care of?”

Jin Seohyun, who had come out with him, asked with a look of curiosity, as if she had been waiting for this.

He still hadn’t properly explained his spontaneous outing from the day before.

As expected, Kim Dojin mumbled a vague response.

“Yeah. I’ll go quietly like yesterday, so no need to worry.”

He could sense her curiosity about what he was up to, but he doubted she would get any answers even if she asked.

With a deep sigh, Jin Seohyun finally replied.

“Fine… I understand. If you need help, just contact me anytime. I’ll be on standby.”

“Okay.”

Kim Dojin turned and trudged back to his hotel room.

Jin Seohyun watched his retreating figure, her shoulders drooping in confusion, unable to comprehend his actions.

* * *

Before long, the darkness had thickly settled over a corner of the Karasuma Hotel’s rooftop garden.

Kim Dojin set down the magical engineering equipment he had brought, just as he had the day before, and activated it.

– Clank, clank!

He mounted the transforming hoverboard, and without delay, Kim Dojin soared into the night sky.

– Whoosh!

Perhaps it was only natural; this time, Kim Do-jin’s path diverged from yesterday’s.

The destination he sought now.

Astonishingly, it was the residence of Kazuo Fukuda, the current Minister of Justice in Japan, known as an S-class Awakened.

“At last, I shall bring him to justice, Kazuo Fukuda.”

Suddenly, the image of Kazuo Fukuda flickered in Kim Do-jin’s mind, his eyes narrowing as a glint of malice surfaced.

Yet, this was a reaction that would seem strange to an ordinary Japanese citizen.

For Kazuo Fukuda was one of the most beloved figures among the people of Japan.

Before becoming an Awakened, he had already garnered a reputation for his exceptional abilities and character, and after his awakening, he achieved numerous feats that elevated Japan’s standing, earning him ample popularity among the populace.

However, the truth of his identity was that he was a meticulous facade, concealing his true nature as a psychopathic serial killer.

“How can such a b*stard still revel in power… How many more lives have been taken in the meantime?”

About seven years ago.

While staying in Japan, Kim Do-jin received an anonymous tip.

Surprisingly, the content revealed that Kazuo Fukuda was a psychopathic serial killer, and upon thorough examination, he found all the evidence to be true.

In a state of shock, Kim Do-jin pondered who could have sent such a tip, and the truth unfolded as follows.

The first to uncover Kazuo Fukuda’s true nature was none other than the Karasuma family.

Yet, Kazuo Fukuda was an extremely useful asset to the Karasuma family, and even then, as they manipulated the levers of Japan’s national power, they astonishingly sought to conceal the truth for their own gain.

Thus, one of the individuals involved in the cover-up, feeling a pang of conscience, secretly exposed the truth to Kim Do-jin.

Regardless, at that time, Kim Do-jin aimed to make both the psychopathic serial killer Kazuo Fukuda and the Karasuma family, who had buried his crimes, pay for their sins.

However, due to the complex web of power dynamics, it was regrettably decided to first assassinate Kazuo Fukuda.

While preparing for that plan, he fell into a trap set by Cheon Sang-seok, and was whisked away to another realm, leaving the psychopathic serial killer Kazuo Fukuda alive to this day.

Now, however, having returned to Earth, even in a possessed form, he could no longer allow Kazuo Fukuda to secretly commit murder while enjoying wealth and power.

Kim Do-jin meticulously reviewed his assassination plan for Kazuo Fukuda as he continued to move, and after a considerable time, he finally arrived at his destination.

“Quite the opulent place.”

Kazuo Fukuda’s residence was indeed as luxurious as one would expect from one of Japan’s most prominent figures.

This only soured Kim Do-jin’s mood further, and he cautiously approached the airspace above Fukuda’s residence as planned.

He then activated the security system neutralizer he had prepared in advance.

– Vwooom…!

Though it had only just been completed with the help of Dr. Yoo Eun-ah, designed seven years prior, it functioned flawlessly.

“Good.”

With a smirk curling at the corners of his mouth, Kim Do-jin began his stealthy descent, ultimately landing on the rooftop of the building where Kazuo Fukuda resided, without being detected by anyone.

Now, all that remained was to move to the study where Fukuda Kazuo was, assassinate him, and slip away with ease.

Kim Do-jin, still equipped with the device to disable the operational security system, glanced around cautiously.

Fortunately, the greatest challenge—the world-class security system—had already been dealt with; now it was merely a matter of evading the guards’ watchful eyes.

‘Less troublesome than I thought.’

Soon, having found the optimal path, Kim Do-jin concealed his presence and began to move quietly.

Of course, he avoided the guards’ gazes whenever possible, but given that this was the residence of Japan’s current Minister of Justice, the security was not so lax.

“Ah!”

Inevitably, a guard spotted Kim Do-jin in the hallway, and he immediately sprang into action, overpowering the guard.

“Ugh!”

Using his ‘Time Transcendence’ ability, Kim Do-jin’s movements were so swift that they could not be followed by the naked eye.

The guard, unable to even scream or press the emergency button, fainted before he knew what hit him, and Kim Do-jin continued on toward the study where Fukuda Kazuo awaited.

Time passed.

– Thud.

Finally, he halted before the door of the study.

Inside, Fukuda Kazuo was clearly alone, engrossed in his work.

Kim Do-jin spread a mana veil to muffle any sound, then kicked the study door down with a forceful strike.

– Bang!

In that instant, Fukuda Kazuo, seated at his desk, jolted upright in shock.

“What, what is this!”

Fukuda Kazuo shouted, reaching for the emergency button to call for the guards, but they had already been neutralized by Kim Do-jin.

“You! Who the hell are you?!”

Flustered, Fukuda Kazuo pointed an accusatory finger, but there was no time for answers.

“Not your concern, you b*stard.”

Kim Do-jin strode forward, drawing his sword without hesitation.

He then drew back his arm, poised to strike at Fukuda Kazuo’s neck.

But just then—

“Got you!”

Suddenly, from a closet nearby, another Fukuda Kazuo burst forth, lunging at Kim Do-jin with a sword.

– Swish!

Though the original Fukuda Kazuo stood bewildered at his desk, how could another Fukuda Kazuo emerge from the side to launch an attack?

If it had been someone else, they might have been horrified, mistaking it for a mere hallucination, but not Kim Do-jin.

In truth, Fukuda Kazuo had been concealing a supernatural ability that crafted illusions so intricate they felt real, and Kim Do-jin had already uncovered this fact through an anonymous tip seven years prior.

Even after the Karasuma family discovered that Fukuda Kazuo was a psychopathic serial killer, they chose to cover it up and protect him, all because of this very ‘illusion’ ability.

The Karasuma family had been using Fukuda Kazuo’s ‘illusion’ powers to orchestrate all manner of schemes, including information disruption, and that was still ongoing.

Of course, that would come to an end today.

– Clang!

Kim Do-jin, who had already pierced through Fukuda Kazuo’s true intentions, deftly twisted his sword and launched a surprise counterattack.

“What the hell!”

Fukuda Kazuo, taken aback by the sudden blow, widened his eyes in shock.

‘How did he know!?’

But that moment of disbelief was fleeting.

– Slash!

In an instant, Kim Do-jin’s retaliatory strike severed Fukuda Kazuo’s neck.

“Ugh!”

He had raised a mana shield to bolster his defenses and had hurriedly tried to retreat, but it was all in vain.

The blade of Kim Do-jin, imbued with S-class mana, mercilessly cut deep into Fukuda Kazuo’s throat.

“Grk!”

Though they were both S-class Awakened, the outcome was decided in a single strike.

Fukuda Kazuo gushed blood, quickly losing consciousness before collapsing lifelessly to the ground, while Kim Do-jin wiped the blood from his sword and sheathed it with a click.

“Ha…”

Even if Fukuda Kazuo had originally been a weak combatant, he was still a foe with formidable S-class power.

Kim Do-jin let out a deep sigh and slowly surveyed his surroundings.

It appeared to be an ordinary study, but according to the anonymous tip, there was an exit leading to Fukuda Kazuo’s secret space right here.

‘Is this it?’

At last, Kim Do-jin found the hidden mechanism beneath the desk, deciphered the code, and pressed the button.

– Zzzzzzzing…!

Suddenly, the large bookshelf beside him split apart, revealing a passage leading to the secret space.

‘Oh…’

Fukuda Kazuo had a horrific hobby of freezing and preserving all the people he had killed, and this secret space was created just for him.

Reluctantly, Kim Do-jin stepped into the passage to confirm what lay beyond, and finally beheld the interior of the secret space.

“Chomp….”

It was a sight that could not help but provoke a stream of curses.

The corpses, trapped in ice, stood in the vast chamber, arranged with a maddening precision, not a single inch out of place.

“Ha….”

If only I had killed Fukuda Kazuo seven years ago, how many innocent lives might have been spared in the time since?

Now, having finally slain Fukuda Kazuo to halt the bloodshed, I knew it was still not over.

The ‘Karasuma Clan,’ aware of this horrific truth yet allowing it to fester, would also have to pay for their sins.