Stratagem (2)

“If you stepped in, it seems like it would be solved quickly, so why are you not demanding a deal first?”

It was a sudden visit from Jeong Gil-sun, and at his absurd question, a hollow laugh came out.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Well, with your current abilities, dealing with those things would be nothing, would it not?”

“I could solve it easily, of course. But as I said before, I have no intention of moving without compensation, and it is not a disaster that happened in my country, so I do not know why I should go out of my way to step in. That is why I am not stepping in.”

“Do you have no compassion?”

“Do I have to show compassion even to people from other countries?”

Jeong Gil-sun clicked his tongue.

Then he calmly leaned back on the sofa and looked around.

“Did you not say you would not act as a professor?”

“I am the CEO of this place, though?”

“Tsk. Old Man Han Sang-gil must have refused the position in the end.”

“He threatened that he would not even teach unless I sat at the top. I had no choice but to sit there if I wanted to make him work. Grandpa Gil-sun, why do you not retire from being association chairperson and focus on raising the younger generation?”

“There are no worthy people. No worthy people.”

“You have your granddaughter, do you not?”

“If an expert-level person sits in the association chairperson’s seat, only people trying to tear her apart will cling to her. I have to endure until she rises to Master.”

To rise from the 6th Circle to the 7th Circle, great effort and luck were needed.

Among them, luck required an environment filled with abundant “mana,” and at present, the only person who could satisfy that part was “me.”

I could have casually tried to make a deal, but I pushed that part aside and spoke.

“Did Kim Dae-san send you?”

“I came here after walking around on my own. It seems the government is planning to put up a wanted bounty.”

“On the Chimeras?”

“Yes. About 100 billion won per head. They likely intend to sweep up Masters short on money and put them to work.”

It was an excessive bounty. However, if the reward was not at this level, they would not move to catch Chimeras that even Masters supposedly could not deal with easily.

There was nothing like money for making people with heavy backsides move.

On the other hand, there would be humans hidden all over Korea who would not so much as twitch a nose hair for an amount that did not satisfy them.

At the very least, the Master-level experts I knew, the so-called hidden masters, exceeded ten.

“Are you not too immersed in another country’s situation?”

“I have no choice but to be immersed in it. That damned Wang Sun bastard keeps going around saying it is because our country instigated them, does he not?”

“Let him say that?”

“Public sentiment is the problem. In the end, their words and actions continue to match, and the only excuse our country can make is that the facility caught fire. Is there any way to prove anything beyond that?”

If there had been even records left, they could have presented them as evidence. However, because of Jo Yun-hui’s meticulousness in committing the crime perfectly without leaving evidence, the government also had no choice but to fidget.

‘What exactly did she use them for?’

In addition, the fact that the most important person, “Bak Hyeok,” had not been found among the Chimeras was also a questionable point.

Was she using only him separately to do something?

Or, when he regained his mind, did he escape?

There were many variables to think about in various ways, so it was complicated, but Jeong Gil-sun spoke as if grumbling.

“Rumors are circulating. Very malicious rumors.”

When I asked back about what rumors, Jeong Gil-sun grumbled as he spoke.

“There is talk that this incident also happened because of what you did. They are muddying the waters in connection with the Magic Tower incident and Pi Jin-hyeok. On top of that, the rumor says that if you had not dragged them out first, it would have ended as nothing more than secret research.”

“Are there people who believe that?”

“It would be fun to try finding people who do not. You know Where’s Wally?, right?”

I clicked my tongue. In the end, it meant many people thought of it as an operation led by black mages and the aftermath of that.

That was why he had come to find me. He was telling me to do something about it somehow.

If others stepped in, the damage would surely increase. So if I, who possessed overwhelming strength, stepped in, I could go beyond minimizing damage and gather a huge amount of merit.

Hearing Jeong Gil-sun’s words, which contained all of that plainly, I began calculating for a moment.

‘100 billion, huh. Even if I move for that money, it will only make Kim Dae-san look good….’

I wondered if he had intentionally encouraged the rumors and moved Jeong Gil-sun, who was sensitive to this sort of thing.

Was that why?

“Please set up an appointment with Kim Dae-san for me. You have a hotline, right?”

“…Do you not have one too?”

“I do not want to.”

“Huh. To the point that you do not even want to contact him first?”

“Yes. I do not even want to answer when he contacts me.”

Jeong Gil-sun clicked his tongue, then said he would quickly try to set up an appointment, told me to make sure to answer his calls, and left.

A yellow Gate, glowing alone in the deep, deep sea where not even a single speck of light could easily enter, began to ripple.

Those watching it spoke while looking at the Gate that was certain to cause a Break before long.

“Who do you think will come?”

“I hope at least a single-digit Apostle comes, not some empty husk like Saturn.”

“True… Since Beral is also a double-digit Apostle, was it inevitable that he would be weak?”

Clark Hunt agreed with Trinity Abel’s answer, then examined the Gate and spoke.

“We said three, but if even one single-digit one appears, there will be no need to call in as many as three. In that case, we can join forces with them and push forward.”

“I told you not to let your guard down. He said He had gone through a fairly large expenditure when He sent us to this land. In particular, I do not think there is any need to make an enemy of that nasty bitch Jo Yun-hui.”

For a moment, Clark Hunt revealed tremendous hostility.

“That rotten bitch. Someday, I will rise higher than that woman.”

“I will look forward to it. When that time comes, you may handle me even more roughly….”

Then, amid the raging vortex, the two, seized by desire, mingled together.

Meanwhile, the rift grew larger and larger, and its scale and flow were so great that they differed from what had come before. However, in the current situation, the two knew no one could stop it anyway, so they focused on what they were doing.

Meanwhile, there were people blocking Wang Sun and the Chimeras, who had begun in Nanjing, China, and were now heading toward Fuzhou while carrying out terror attacks.

“Your evil deeds end here.”

Seeing the person who appeared wearing a black cloak with a golden sun drawn on it, Wang Sun laughed.

“Sea Sun Brigade?”

“Hoo. It feels rather uncomfortable, as though I am playing apostle of justice, but there was information that you are also connected to the Church of Ruin. And… you are committing sins that cannot be left unstopped.”

“So how does this apostle of justice intend to punish us?”

“I will kill you.”

“Then you must also have come prepared to die, correct?”

To Wang Sun, the courage of coming alone felt not admirable, but simply reckless. Was that why?

He looked at the Chimera human moving with him and spoke.

“Cheon Seong-ho, it seems you can handle him alone, so take care of him.”

“I told you not to order me around. Do you not know what a ‘request’ is?”

At the words of Cheon Seong-ho, the Lizardman Chimera, who flicked his tongue with a slurp, Wang Sun laughed and spoke.

“Fine, let me ask you a favor. Kill that guy.”

“Kuh, yes. Ask favors from now on. Favors….”

Then Cheon Seong-ho moved forward, looked at the Sea Sun Brigade member, and spoke.

“Why are you alone?”

“Because I alone am enough to deal with the likes of you.”

The Sea Sun Brigade member drew his sword, and Cheon Seong-ho asked him a question while looking at him.

“You, are you an existing member? Or a new member?”

“It is obvious at a glance that he is a new member. Existing members do not walk around wearing that kind of cloak.”

Just then, the Chimera beside Wang Sun opened his mouth, and at those words, the Sea Sun Brigade member answered.

“I am a new member. But do not look down on me.”

“A corpse is talking?”

At that moment, Cheon Seong-ho charged forward with explosive speed, and the Sea Sun Brigade member also did not let his guard down as he drew his sword and attempted a horizontal slash.

Powerful aura gathered on the sword, making it seem as if he could cut Cheon Seong-ho down in one stroke. But the problem was that Cheon Seong-ho received it with his body without making any preparations at all, and the Sea Sun Brigade member showed a confident smile at that sight.

However, unlike the tremendous roar that spread with a “boom,” Cheon Seong-ho dug into the Sea Sun Brigade member’s chest without even a single scratch and spoke.

“If you are beaten by them, it will hurt more than being beaten by me, so do not resist.”

His outstretched, sharp hand blade dug in, aiming for the Sea Sun Brigade member’s heart.

However, the Sea Sun Brigade member narrowly avoided that offensive, raised his aura with all his strength, and hurriedly retreated. Holding his chest, he exhaled roughly.

“D-Damn it… Why?”

“Why did I not get sliced?”

“…”

“Because you are not the only one who can operate aura?”

Then Cheon Seong-ho emitted a deep green light from his glossy scales. And because he once again created a roar and rushed at the Sea Sun Brigade member, the Sea Sun Brigade member, who was urgently pushed back without even a moment to breathe, fell into confusion.

‘Damn it, they were this strong?’

Unlike what he had thought, that they were merely people who carried out simple terror attacks, the Sea Sun Brigade member recalled “death” as he watched the enemy pressure him far too leisurely.

The side effect of recently recruiting people as members if they had excellent skill, even if they lacked “experience,” in order to rapidly increase numbers, was now causing a problem.

So, compared to his own shallow experience, he acknowledged that the enemy was a fairly seasoned Awakener and chose to ignite his aura.

Kuwaak. As aura erupted from his entire body and exerted powerful strength, Cheon Seong-ho lightly retreated and widened the distance before speaking.

“You will die once the duration of that runs out, you know?”

“…At least I will be able to die honorably while taking you with me.”

“Honor does not feed you, you know. So… even now, settle this and run away. Then your life alone can be spared. Though you will be finished as an Awakener. Kkeke.”

At that mocking laugh, as if he found it amusing, the Sea Sun Brigade member eventually steadied his breathing and rushed in. But as if he had been waiting for this, Cheon Seong-ho charged straight forward as well, and the moment their bodies crossed and clung to each other, the sword blade pierced through Cheon Seong-ho’s chest. At the same time, Cheon Seong-ho’s hand blade also pierced the nape of the Sea Sun Brigade member’s neck, and they stood locked together as if confronting each other.

But only for a moment. The Sea Sun Brigade member collapsed limply and exhaled his last breath, thinking he had taken at least one of them with him. Then he saw Cheon Seong-ho casually pull out the sword from his own body, throw it onto the ground, and speak as if nothing had happened. With both eyes wide open, the Sea Sun Brigade member departed this life.

“I am a lizard, so I do not die from this much. What was it again? Mad Lizardman? Anyway, I mutated with that thing’s genes, so I am crazy in all sorts of ways. Keke.”

It was the futile death of Rick Arhen, a Sea Sun Brigade member evaluated to be above Master-level, and as the footage spread all over the world, it ended up cracking the Sea Sun Brigade’s pride.