Episode 157
Bang!
Danyang County Governor Kwon Un-jeong slammed the desk. Papers poured out and made a mess on the floor, but because of what had happened a moment ago, I didn’t notice it at all.
No, rather, the urge to kick more bloomed.
Even though I tried to control my anger, I couldn’t control it.
“Choi Junho! “No matter how superhuman you are, you can’t believe you ignore me like this!”
All I had to do was take one picture. However, the guy rejected even that and committed violence against himself. I heard that he was an expert, but it was like this. Even if I tried to move on, there was no forgiveness.
I know that this guy is overconfident in his own strength. But the insult inflicted on him was beyond imagination.
For him, who was born in Danyang-gun, ruled like an emperor, and was eagerly aiming to run for a member of the National Assembly, Danyang-gun was his world and he was planning to use it as a stepping stone to advance into the wider world.
How dare you do something like that to yourself? I will never forget the contempt I received from Choi Jun-ho.
It was around the time when I was burning with revenge.
A secretary came in with a knock from outside.
“Old County Governor.”
“what?”
“They say Choi Jun-ho has finished hunting.”
“Why are you telling me that? “Once it’s over, he’ll disappear on his own!”
“The governor told me to report it….”
“That’s enough! Tell them to go back on their own! “If you go, sprinkle some salt!”
Meeting Choi Jun-ho was the worst meeting that I never wanted to deal with again.
Kwon Woon-jeong frowned as he looked at the secretary who did not leave even after speaking to him.
Was he this tactless? If I get nominated, I’ll have to replace him with a smart guy. It would be right to put new alcohol in a new bag.
“What else is there?”
“The party leader says he can’t contact the county governor.”
“Representative?”
Kwon Woon-jeong’s expression changed completely. The leader of the opposition party is a person in power who can exercise the right to nominate candidates in the general election that will take place shortly thereafter. It was a golden copper rope that could be connected only by using all kinds of strings.
And after a lot of effort, we succeeded in tying the knot in the center some time ago and were able to gain an advantageous position in the nomination process.
Does the central government recognize the insult they suffered?
“Connect now! No, I will contact you. “Go out.”
The relieved secretary went out and Kwon Un-jeong immediately tried to contact the party leader. His arrogant posture changed to polite, and his voice calmed down a few times.
After a while, the call was connected, and Kwon Woon-jeong opened his mouth, making an action as if he was bowing his head.
“CEO! “I heard you were looking for me.”
But what came back was Noh Ho-seong.
-Governor Kwon! Hey you bastard! Are you crazy now?
“Yes yes? What if I did something wrong….”
– I heard you clashed with Choi Jun-ho? Are you crazy now? Even if you use your best effort to avoid it, you end up causing an incident by meeting a guy with a hat that looks like a bomb? Are you crazy? Are you going to kill us all? uh? Are you a spy sent by the ruling party?
“Oh no.”
-No, no! We could all die because of you!
Woonjeong Kwon felt like his hair was turning white. Then he said whatever came to mind.
“It’s not like that. I just thought I would leave a photo since I was coming to Danyang-gun. Don’t you know that if you take a picture with a superhuman, it can be useful in many ways, and if you pay the corresponding price, you can mutually help each other…”
-You mean, that’s why we risked our lives?
It didn’t work at all.
“Well, I think there is some misunderstanding. I will go up to Seoul. “I will meet with the representative and explain in detail.”
-shut up!
“yes?”
-Do you think things will be resolved with that excuse? I’m going to throw away everything you’ve been living in that small town, so if you want to survive, shut up and cooperate. Stop!
The call ended before Kwon Woon-jeong could make an excuse.
I made a blank expression as I recalled the conversation we had a while ago.
Could it be that you are reacting this way because of your meeting with Choi Jun-ho?
I said it was amazing, but is it this much power?
“….”
I instinctively felt that my future was messed up.
* * *
What is it?
I was returning from hunting, but the stares I felt at the last moment made me feel uneasy.
What on earth? If I and Yongyong can sense it at the same time, it would mean that it has substance. If so, I should have caught it right away, but it was difficult to guess what it was because it was so secretly hidden.
“You don’t know?”
[Of course you should know, right?]
“What is it?”
Yongyong looked bewildered at my response of not knowing.
No, you can’t even ask. He’s a strange guy.
[Have you ever done something you wanted?]
“Yes.”
[Then you can think about it among them.]
“There are so many that I don’t know which one is the right answer.”
[….]
Yongyong makes a cheeky and absurd expression. Anyone who sees it will think that you cause a lot of accidents.
Well, to be precise, even if there was an accident, the cleanup was done neatly. Why would they say that I boldly invaded and went to assassinate them? It was a promise to me that I would completely erase the witnesses and make it look like an assassination.
If you sloppily keep an enemy alive, there will be consequences later, so it may be right to get rid of them while you can.
But when I think about the number of people who actually have a grudge against me, there are too many.
It’s just strange that monsters are like that. Did the monster have the intelligence to calculate that in the first place?
“Can monsters become smart?”
[Then do you know that there are only idiots who get bullied by you all the time?]
“Is it possible that a smart guy can grow into a new level?”
[…I don’t like it, but that kind of guy sometimes appears. That’s the heart I gave you. However, considering all aspects, it is far inferior to a divine beast!]
My guess is that the monster is at the Plus Plus stage.
It’s weaker than the Shinsu, but it’s probably at least a threat.
If Shinsoo is a human, Plus Plus is like a hunting dog?
When you put it this way, it doesn’t seem very strong.
A guy like that is even smart?
Yongyong added that it is said that if a monster undergoes some kind of awakening, it can have power comparable to that of a divine beast, but such cases are very rare. Even if you reach that stage, it takes a long time to learn how to properly handle power.
Well, there are a lot of conditions.
[We understand all things in the world through practice, but monsters learn instinctively by being stimulated by the world. Just like humans, monsters also have differences in talent and intelligence.]
Naturally, monsters with higher intelligence have a higher chance of becoming stronger.
Learn how to utilize your own power.
It’s terrifying just to hear that that incredible body can be put to good use.
[So, you should have accrued a fair amount of resentment.]
“I don’t know, but have you ever held a grudge?]
This is my first time seeing you.
Yongyong’s bewildered expression.
[Do I have such a thing?]
“Not if I don’t have it.”
[You’re trying to cover it up clumsily.]
Well, it was a failure to cover it up with Yongyong.
[and! You are a truly evil person!]
“Isn’t it true?”
[That’s funny! Do you know everything?]
You noticed. Yongyong has appeared in the world and seems to be becoming more perceptive.
It was obvious that if I said more, I would be cornered, so I changed the topic.
“It’s because I can’t figure out where to go. “Who are you really?”
Since there is no one to guess, there is a possibility that it is just a monster.
A monster handles its momentum in such detail? And do you have the intelligence to judge the other person’s opinions? I didn’t think it was a very good sign.
…Of course, this is a personal wish and my karma must have exploded somewhere.
“It’s my fault.”
[Have you noticed it now?]
I seriously reflected while ignoring Yongyong’s comment.
If I had cleaned things up more thoroughly, this wouldn’t have happened. Since I was not in a situation where I was being chased, I guess my guard was relaxed.
In the past, I thought it would pretend to be dead even if I killed a monster, so I made sure to kill it about three times.
It doesn’t even happen these days.
I will have to confirm and kill more clearly in the future. If you pierce a hole in the heart, slit the throat, and destroy everything inside, you won’t be able to revive.
[Ugh, what are you? I felt a very evil energy right now!]
As I was quietly making my resolutions, I heard Yongyong whining.
People are trying to make sure, but they’re getting in the way.
* * *
After returning to Seoul after hunting monsters, I held a brief press conference at the Blue House.
Reporters always had a lot of questions. In addition to how I hunted, additional questions were asked about the trouble I had with the Danyang County Governor, whether I had any additional meetings with Lee Chan-taek, whether there was any other collaboration with the Holy Guild, Berserker’s whereabouts, etc.
Then I heard that the governor of Danyang resigned citing his shortcomings, but I don’t know why. Why does a man who seems to live for his own good taste like that?
“I guess the opposition party was surprised by your behavior and made you resign.”
“….”
Berserker This guy is making me out to be a bad guy. Even though the governor of Danyang County was an eyesore, he acted on the spot and that was the end.
“You may think so, but you are not the opposition party.”
[That’s right, a person whose expiration date is slightly past understands the situation well.]
With Yongyong helping from the side, a great collaboration is completed.
It would be better to say that I am the source of all evil.
“I guess you’re not afraid of the aftermath?”
“Isn’t all I see torn, cut, and broken?”
…Usually that’s enough to freak you out, right?
I guess Berserker just got used to sparring with me and left. Is this what immunity is? The other guys died before that, but the one that survived is on a different scale.
Then I have to use my special move too.
“But when can I see my nephew?”
“….”
“You said you were my fan? “I’m also curious about what my nephew’s face looks like.”
“…It’s our family business. “It’s none of your business.”
“A guy like that would abandon his family for a long time?”
“Grunt.”
I guess I have nothing to say. I understand because I was in the same situation in my last life. So, I am trying to see my nephew who is my fan. It’s all for Berserker?
“Anyway, once you see my face, you’ll feel more at ease, right? I won’t do anything else, so just introduce me. “You should upload your image so it will be easier when doing various things in the future.”
“Are you really not going to do anything else?”
“How on earth are you looking at me? What can you do? Did you think I would behave like you?”
I also know how to distinguish between people.
But looking at his reaction, I feel like he is a major villain with whom I should never interact.
The Great Villain Project is on hiatus, which is unfair.
“That too.”
Wow, why is it so hard to just look at my nephew’s face?
[They say this is a good thing for self-employment.]
One day, I will tell my tamed pet to bite Yongyong once.
* * *
I found several monsters to tame, but it wasn’t easy to select a target.
If the level of harmfulness was high, it would rebel violently and die, and if it obeyed a person with a low level of harmfulness, it would not be able to withstand the power radiating from Dodam’s heart and would explode and die.
“Tsk tsk.”
These days, monsters have no grit. They have no guts. As I struggle to survive, I have to somehow digest my strength, but I don’t have that kind of temperament.
So, I feel eyes on me from the side. Yongyong is looking at me with surprised eyes.
“why?”
[I saw it for the first time. A person who speaks of grit to monsters.]
“Do monsters have no grit?”
[There must be this, right?]
“Then you said the right thing.”
[That’s true, but…]
What’s so unusual about that? When I show no sign of concern, Yongyong sighs.
Just looking at that makes me feel like I’m helpless.
“Even if the level is lower, I need to bring in someone with a developed survival instinct and grit.”
[Could there be such a monster?]
“The world of monsters is much more violent than the world of humans. If you look inside, there are many interesting things to see.”
It’s been a while since I remembered the time when I had a hematoma. When I was being chased, I often used monsters to elude the chase team.
The world of monsters is a strict system of strength against meat. When they are young, they are protected by their parents, but if the parents die, the young must survive in a harsh environment.
Such guys have a strong survival instinct and a thirst for power.
If I don’t have the one I want, I’ll have to pick up one with qualifications and raise it.
“Let’s go to the outskirts.”
If an extreme situation is created, a pearl hidden in the soil will reveal itself.
* * *
The border between southern Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do.
This place, devoid of human presence, is a world of monsters. The center of the forest, which was rich in food, was taken over by powerful monsters as their territory, while weaker monsters moved around the center, weaker monsters moved to the outskirts, and weaker monsters were pushed out of the forest.
An environment where you cannot survive unless you are strong.
The monsters engaged in a fierce competition for survival and lived by establishing an established order.
Then one day.
Lightning struck an ecosystem that seemed to last forever.
It’s literally a thunderbolt.
As a result, the forest ecosystem collapsed. The monsters that were absolute predators were killed, and the monsters that had established their own territories ran rampant.
The surrounding area became hell as some monsters fought to occupy an empty territory and others to occupy a new territory.
And at the end of the forest, on an abandoned land, a monster was dying.
It was a wolf cub, only about 80cm long.
The wolf cub, whose stomach had been pierced, was bleeding and moving with difficulty, cackling.
Both eyes were filled with the passion for survival. If you reach a place where there are no more predators, you can survive.
The wolf cub had a hard time moving to its safe home.
But I am gradually losing strength. If we continue like this, we won’t be able to move anymore. I had no strength because I hadn’t eaten anything for several days. If you don’t move from here you will die.
I felt sorry for dying helplessly without being able to avenge my parents. The wolf cub did not want to die like this.
[Do you want to live?]
A shadow fell in front of the wolf cub. The wolf cub raised his head and saw. It was a completely different creature from what I had seen in the forest. Although it possessed a frighteningly great power, no hostility was felt.
The creature gave the wolf cub a choice.
[Obey me. Then I will give you strength.]
The wolf cub was worried.
Currently, he couldn’t do anything. I didn’t want to die in vain like this. If I could survive and gain strength, I would gladly serve this creature as my master.
I leaned over as much as I could and turned it over. It was a gesture signifying submission.
Then, suddenly, I felt my whole body becoming warm. What was welling up inside was vitality. The wolf cub fell asleep, feeling as if it was being held in its mother’s arms.
“I’ll pick it up and try it out.”
If you can’t adapt and rebel, you can deal with it then.
The wolf cub did not understand the last words.