Only I Am A Reader-Chapter 551: Lists, Targets, And Past Hobbies

After taking so long to take down one Villain, Leo knew that the current pace was unacceptable, but it was all part of one big plan.

Although he had to hunt as many Villains as possible to make the most out of the repeatable quest, he couldn't just run around and do whatever he wanted, there was a certain approach to be followed.

'Who and when.'

While the 'Villains' part in the novel's title didn't refer to those who proudly proclaimed themselves as such, their numbers were still very high.

However, considering the area that Enigma City reigned over, they were far too spread out for the city to be constantly on fire. In addition, there were usually twice as many Heroes as there were Villains in most areas.

Sometimes they responded quickly enough the Villains just ran away, some other times they would come late and take care of the aftermath. Regardless…

'Priority is important.'

Leo's targets were far too abundant to add them all to a scratch list. Instead, he made two separate lists. Those who had to go, and those who could go based on convenience.

Naturally, the first list included high-profile Villains the Ability Eraser. The reasons were varied, but their continued existence wasn't something that Leo could tolerate.

Some of them created unnecessary events that only made the final battle harder, while others were just too vile to be left alive. Taking the Ability Eraser as an example, he had a foot in each place.

As someone who wasn't only an obstacle but also a child kidnapper and a brainwasher, he was at the top of the list for a reason. However, there was one more important reason why he was prioritized.

'He paid well.'

Although not the main factor, it was granted that vile and influencing Villain gave the most Reading Points in return for their removal.

Compared to hunting small fry that only harassed people for fun, the payout could never be the same even if it was doubled.

As such, spending a lot of time hunting down the first list actually had a lot of worth.

During the first month he camped at his safe house, Leo wasn't just tracing the Ability Eraser's location, he was also picking up solid leads to the rest of the Villains on his first list.

That being said, it didn't mean that Leo had no plans to get a piece of the other cake. Rather, thanks to the way the higher-ups tried to distort his image, Leo was even more inclined to increase his hunting count.

'As long as the timing is right.'

Considering the speed that Leo could move with, it wasn't like he couldn't have gone out to hunt some of these small fry while tracing the Ability Eraser. However, there were other factors to consider.

Was hunting some clowns who would be only worth pennies in Reading Points worth screwing up the Ability Eraser's hunt? The answer was an obvious no.

Although he seemed like a crazy man drowning in arrogance, the Ability Eraser was a very careful person. If he had heard words of a disturbance, he would have changed locations just in case, and all of Leo's hard work would have gone to waste.

Following the same vein of thought, as someone who personally delivered Gene to Aurora, Leo couldn't possibly be the obstacle that stands in the way of their early reunion.

If he, Cassian, started a disturbance, Aurora would be the first one to hear of it, and if she did so, she might just throw Gene to someone else in order to focus on pursuing him. However…

'And it is finally right.'

Now that he had received a confirmation mail from Gene herself, Leo had no more reason to hold himself back.

The high-priority list wasn't over yet, but not all of the names at it were as simple to catch as the Ability Eraser, certain points in time had to be reached before Leo could initiate their hunt.

'So…'

Now was the perfect time to start sowing some organized chaos. A Villain publicly hunting other Villains was a good way to create a proper distraction, especially if it was a notorious Villain like the Lord of Shadows.

'Who should I hit then?'

The question currently at hand was still Who. These Villains had been downgraded to the second list precisely because they weren't relevant enough, so it wasn't easy to pick an immediate target.

However, the same factors that made hunting other high-profile Villains impossible quickly narrowed down the endless list into a more viable one. Specifically…

'Murderers.'

The ones who caused great massacres were already on the first list, but not all Villains were that strong. Some of them only had enough power to hide and take a few lives every now and then.

Although they were troublesome menaces, catching them was just too inconvenient for most Heroes of the same rank, at the same time, the compensation they would receive wasn't worth it for higher-rank Heroes.

At one point, they had become one of Enigma City's many common diseases. They constantly took lives, but their lethal effect was just too small compared to the gigantic population, so a 'vaccine' was never urgently needed.

'They will do.'

Nonetheless, Leo was willing to take that role even if no one wanted him to. Compared to other attention seekers, they were actually dangerous enough to be worth the hunt.

At the same time, it was precisely these silent threats that hid the biggest vexation in the normal civilian's hearts. By using this factor in his favor, Leo could further challenge the higher-ups.

Of course, this wasn't all based on a guess. At one point in the future, there was someone who used the same method to garner attention and praise, though their purpose was far less pure than Leo's

'I guess it's time for the smiling cat mask to return in a new outfit.'

As much as it coincided with the strange hobby that Leo put off before everything happened, he had no qualms about doing some direct vigilante work one more time!