The Man with Hypnotic Powers Doesn't Hold Back the Second Time Around

Chapter 89

The thing the Chairman brought out... Winterer and I jumped back in horror as soon as we saw it.

Because...

"Is she insane, this twisted bastard!?"

"Honestly, I’d rather just die than wear that!!"

"Listen. Even though it looks a bit odd..."

"A bit odd, my ass! That’s a dog collar if I’ve ever seen one!!"

Yes, in her hands was a dog collar.

No, not just any dog collar. Clearly, the Chairman meant to put that thing on Winterer.

Efficiency aside, it looked like a collar for a pet.

She expected me to take someone around like that? And not just anyone—a scrawny girl like Winterer?

Yeah, the journalists would have a field day with this one. Just the sight of me holding that would set the news ablaze.

"This is social suicide. Absolutely no way..."

"You’ll only have to use it inside the Gate. And you don’t need to hold it yourself anyway."

"Okay, fine. Go on."

After a brief moment of panic, I calmed down.

Only Awakened beings are allowed entry into Gates, and this time, only people from Cheonhwa would be joining.

Even if I put a collar on a time bomb, no one would care. There was no one who would want to drag down the reputation of their own clan.

"Look at this guy, acting all cool since it’s not his problem...."

"......."

Winterer’s glare was painful, but hey, my safety comes first.

The Chairman chuckled.

"First, let me explain. About 30 years ago, I devised this while attempting to utilize a Villain...."

Then she began her explanation.

About 30 years ago, when it became widely known that Villains were beyond redemption, the Chairman, having just assumed her role as head of the association, thought to herself:

“Ah, there’s just not enough Awakened out there. What if we could harness the help of Villains?”

"Now, there are more Awakened people, but back then, we were short-handed. It was to the extent that—"

"I don’t care about your nostalgic stories. Get to the point."

"Brat. Anyway, so I decided to capture a monster. The very one we now call a Basilisk."

The Chairman explained that she had dragged a monster out of the Gate. A Basilisk, whose mere gaze could temporarily paralyze an Awakened’s power.

A bit cute and harmless, maybe. But dragging out a high-level threat that only appears in S-rank Gates?

Those things are at least 20 meters tall. How on earth did she manage that?

Suddenly, the Chairman felt a bit more awe-inspiring.

"I handed it over to Yoo Jeong-cheol, the head of Cheonhwa Research Lab at the time, and what we came up with is this."

Noticing the awe in my eyes, the Chairman grinned and dangled the dog collar in front of us.

Since it was originally made to handle Villains and with limited materials, it had to look this way.

Well, I can see why. After all, Sia’s outfits are revealing for a similar reason.

"So, when you use that, it can paralyze someone’s power? Like the Basilisk?"

"Exactly. Once the collar is applied, it’ll paralyze her powers for about three seconds."

I finally understood the Chairman’s plan.

Once we enter the Gate, put the collar on Winterer and deactivate the Mana Seal.

Then we go about conquering the Gate normally.

If Winterer starts acting up, the Awakened holding the collar immediately activates it to restrain her.

It was indeed a plan fitting of the Chairman.

"A restriction almost equivalent to another Awakened is required to restrain her, so I kept it stored away until now."

"This time, it won’t be an issue. Cheonhwa has enough A-rank members."

"Correct. Now then..."

After her long-winded explanation, our gaze turned back to Winterer. Her eyes darted around nervously.

"Hold on, you bastards. Isn’t this just a fancy way to drag me around with a dog collar? Are you Villains?"

"......."

"Wait. I’ll tell everyone who demanded my release. Do you think you’ll get away with this?"

"......."

"The strongest Villain in Korea, Winterer, in a dog collar...."

"......."

"This is truly messed up, damn it."

Sorry, Winterer. But let’s just get this done.

We decided to test the collar’s effectiveness.

After all, it was a 30-year-old item, and we needed to check if it still worked.

The Chairman, monitoring Winterer as she gathered mana, activated the collar at the right moment. A soft hissing sound indicated her mana dissipated.

The effect was as potent as ever.

Of course, this left Winterer looking... well, less than pleased.

"This is absolutely ridiculous... beyond words...."

Her expression soured while the Chairman simply nodded, satisfied.

There was nothing I could do to avoid—

But then...

"Huh?"

"......."

"This chick’s got no moves."

There was no need to dodge.

Winterer’s move was painfully telegraphed.

"Seriously? She has no intention of killing me, huh."

It was clear she didn’t actually want me dead; she just wanted to mess with me.

She was like a chihuahua barking but too proud to admit it.

"Why’d you dodge, you bastard?! I’m the strongest Villain, Winterer! There’s no way a weakling like you could avoid my attack!”

Now she was starting to sound like a chihuahua in need of some discipline.

I just calmly stepped back, refusing to react with anger or even a hint of irritation. After all...

Step.

"Stop running away! I swear, I’ll kill—"

"—Oh? Perfect, since both of you are here."

"......!!!"

Knowing the Chairman and what happened the last time she disciplined Haru in the bathhouse, there was no need for me to get involved. She would take care of Winterer better than anyone.

"Dad, what’s happening with big sister..."

"There’s nothing we can do here, Haru."

As the memories of that previous incident rushed back to Haru, she clung tightly to me. Together, we turned away in silence, paying our respects to the impending disaster.

"Wait. Why are you two acting so strange...?"

Clank. Snap.

"......!? H-Hey! Where are you putting your hands, you twisted bastard!?"

"I recall mentioning a hundred smacks for a failure. Already forgotten, have you?"

"W-Wait, but why are you... Why are you stripping the top half!?"

"Didn’t I say I would completely strip before administering punishment? Hey, Yu-jin, look if you want~"

"I swear if you look, I’ll kill you!! I’ll—"

SLAP!!!

"KYAAA!!!"

"That’s one down. Ninety-nine to go."

"I-If you’re going to do this, at least take off the collar! With it on, it feels so damn—"

SLAP!!! SLAP!!!

"Nghhhh!!!"

"Talking back adds three more smacks."

"No... I can’t take anymore...."

The Chairman’s cabin was filled with the sound of Winterer’s punishment, each smack echoing sharply. It was a painful process, so let’s leave out the details. The important thing is...

"Hic... I-I won’t do it again...."

"Good."

Winterer had received a true lesson in humility.

Afterward, with the punishment concluded, I quickly left the cabin.

"Dad, I’ll blow on it for you. Blowing makes it feel better."

"Just... just help me get dressed..."

"Nope. If you wear clothes right now, it’ll hurt a lot more. Trust me, I know."

Winterer was sprawled out on the living room floor, looking quite pitiful, and there was no way I was sticking around.

So, I made my escape, claiming I had to head back to class. On my way, I figured I’d apologize to Alice and Sia for dragging them into this whole exercise mess.

When I got back to the lecture hall, I planned to offer my apology, only to be greeted by their serious expressions.

Clack.

"Yu-jin. Come sit here for a moment."

"We need to talk. Just the three of us. For a nice, long chat."

"...Uh?"

What was this? I thought I was the one supposed to be apologizing, but it seemed like I was about to be on the receiving end instead.