Episode 260
King Ahmed seemed friendly to me, as if he had known me for a long time.
I remember what Nasir said. What he said was that he had been keeping an eye on me even before I became a superhuman. I don’t know if it has to do with this person’s insight or luck in getting the picture.
“huh?”
When I arrived at the airport and saw the scenery of Riyadh, I had to feel unfamiliar.
Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, is the largest city in the Middle East and is known for its splendor as the capital of Saudi Arabia, which claims to be the leader of the Middle East.
But what I could see now was a thoroughly fortified city.
High-rise buildings that were once a symbol of splendor were repaired after being half-destroyed and turned into fortresses to intercept flying monsters, and structures were formed throughout the city to be used as cover.
First of all, with that structure, low-level monsters won’t be able to easily access the city center.
King Ahmed said as I was looking closely at the city.
“Everything changes in order to survive. But foolish people refuse to change and want to become complacent. “While trying hard to deny that the end is destruction.”
It is said that when the monster invasion reached its peak, Riyadh also suffered from attacks. But his foolish brothers could not give up the splendor of the city.
It caused greater damage.
It takes a long time to train awakened people, but the number of monsters increases day by day.
King Ahmed, who was worse off, prescribed extreme medication and succeeded.
“You have to do whatever it takes to survive. That’s why it survived.”
“okay.”
They say he carried out a series of brutal purges. Was he just rationalizing it or was it shock therapy to survive?
It’s none of my business, but I do know that King Ahmed has a very pragmatic view.
So, he must have trained himself rather than leaving it to those below him. In order to ask someone below you to do something, you must have a good understanding of the content yourself.
We headed to the palace. I had high expectations because it was said to be the place where the king stays, but the appearance was different from what I expected.
“Has the royal palace also been invaded by monsters?”
“That’s right.”
It is said that a huge number of royal family members died at that time. As he watched his brothers unable to come to their senses from the shock of that day, Ahmed revealed that he thought he should become king.
Upon entering the palace, the once splendid appearance was still preserved. I felt like I knew what kind of person King Ahmed was as I saw the facilities that required huge maintenance costs being neglected.
Everything, not just the exterior, is focused on dealing with monsters.
“Rest in peace. “If you need anything, please let Nasir know.”
“Of course.”
As I looked around the accommodation, which was the height of splendor, I was struck by a strange feeling.
Although his palace is frugal, he does his best to treat guests. Was this intentional? I found it interesting that it was different from the image I had imagined.
[That’s right.]
Yongyong agrees, probably thinking the same thing.
After a short rest at the hotel, we met again for dinner.
King Ahmed greeted me in more comfortable clothes than before and spoke to me with a smile.
“Thank you for coming again. “My dear friend.”
“It’s nice to hear that you are the king’s friend, but I also want to hear why you invited me here.”
Even though I got straight to the point, King Ahmed did not show any sign of displeasure.
“As expected, he is as straightforward as the rumor suggests.”
“I think coming here is enough to say thank you for the 100 trillion won.”
“That is also true.”
So what is the purpose of calling me? Looking around the city, support for the king seemed solid, and even here in Riyadh, it felt reasonably stable.
Of course, considering the glory of the past, you may be greedy, but it doesn’t seem like it’s unreasonable.
“Headbreaker, I invited you because I wanted to be your friend.”
friend? Are you saying you want to be friends after calling me your best friend? Is this the romance? The kind where you’re already in a relationship and confessing is a confirmation process?
While I was thinking about what I was saying, Yongyong gave an odd reaction.
[Is he paying friend fees too? Tell them to pay it quickly.]
We’re not even friends yet, so why are you making such a fuss about depositing friend fees?
“This is the first time I’ve heard that you want to be friends.”
I’ve heard it from Shinsu, but this is the first time I’ve heard it from a person.
“Haha, it’s a thought hidden deep in my heart, so it makes sense. “What I said earlier was because I was happy to see you.”
King Ahmed burst into laughter and explained why he wanted to be my friend.
“I decided something when I overthrew my brothers and became king. Since I call myself king, I must protect those under my rule. With that determination, I was able to train hard and become a superman. But I clearly feel that that alone is not enough.”
Monsters were getting stronger every day, and the number of superhumans was insufficient.
King Ahmed, who originally liked to socialize with everyone, began to invite powerful people to Saudi Arabia and build friendships with them.
It may seem like a king’s extravagant hobby, but for King Ahmed, it was a desperate struggle for survival.
“When I was able to share the same vision and thoughts with them, I felt that my thinking broadened. I was able to see their cause, show respect, and become stronger by taking what was theirs. And I have been looking forward to meeting you, the pinnacle of them all, Head Breaker.”
“I don’t have any grand cause like that.”
“no. “Your cause is so big and deep and so similar to mine that no one can recognize it.”
I?
This is the first time.
But King Ahmed spoke seriously.
“Punishing the wicked mercilessly. It is consistent with what we have been doing on this earth for a long time. “We abused it, gained notoriety, and the cause became corrupted, but the teachings are correct and certain.”
King Ahmed said that no matter what stigma was placed on him, he tried his best to protect his brothers in this land, and he was convinced by me that this was the surest path.
They say I resemble the king who slaughtered his brothers and established the most solid dictatorship among all kings.
This is a compliment, right?
[I think you’re worse off? That person is normal.]
Meanwhile, Yongyong didn’t seem to have any intention of taking my side.
“I can say that I have achieved my goal through this meeting alone, but I want to become stronger after hearing the opinion of the world’s strongest superhuman who hunted plus-level monsters.”
King Ahmed is said to be ready to pay any price for that.
It certainly seems like the resolve is solid. The forward-looking attitude toward developing skills also looked good.
There was an image of a low-income person who made a fortune by selling oil and then fell into ruin, but there were decent people everywhere.
And if a leader is confident in the right direction, the society he leads can develop at a remarkable speed.
More than 90% of the country is desert, so there is a reason why Saudi Arabia, which was occupied by monsters, still exerts its presence.
“Why do you want to become stronger?”
“I want to hunt the desert nightmare.”
“A nightmare in the desert?”
“It is the name of the monster that brought us to the brink of destruction.”
In the vast Arabian Desert in Saudi Arabia, there is a being called God.
This dealt a fatal blow to Saudi Arabia and was revered as a god by some desert tribes.
To a certain extent, they think that even being eaten by that god was God’s decision, and they meekly accept their fate.
King Ahmed was outraged.
“If it weren’t for that monster, we wouldn’t have fallen like this. I will forever regret that my strength was weak and I could not protect my people from them. It would have been possible if my strength had supported it a little more….”
I wondered if the Desert Nightmare was such a great monster, but King Ahmed is a guy who uses the desert, which occupies most of the country, as his own territory, so it is difficult to find him, and even if he does find him, he is not suitable for hunting. It is said that it is difficult to bring it into the environment.
The entire Arabian Desert is its territory.
This guy uses a wide range of habitats.
King Ahmed said that the difficulty of hunting nightmares in the desert is close to impossible.
It is said that it is impossible to even measure strength, but in my opinion, this is absurd.
If you take it out into the desert and see its bare body, it is nothing more than a monster. If you explode its head, it will inevitably die.
You can’t believe you treat a guy like that as a god. It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
Anyway, I understand that King Ahmed has a great thirst for power.
You want to become stronger and hunt down the guy who is a nightmare and all.
“Friend, can you help me?”
“It seems different from what I first said.”
“It doesn’t matter if you refuse. Just by meeting you, I have fulfilled my purpose.”
He confidently said that he would give it a try if possible.
Is it because he is the king? Why do I never feel servile when I ask for something? In fact, it feels more confident than Yongyong.
[Why am I there?]
That’s just the comparison group.
Since I didn’t believe what was said anyway, I thought for a moment after hearing King Ahmed’s request and then spoke.
“I don’t help for free.”
“I am willing to pay any price.”
“What can I give you?”
“Anything! “Anything is possible, especially when it comes to oil.”
King Ahmed told me that there is an unlimited supply of oil.
It is said that eco-friendly energy sources emerged with the advent of monsters, but oil still occupies the top energy source for mankind. South Korea suffers from chronic energy shortages as oil imports are close to impossible. I was able to catch my breath by hunting monsters, but if possible, oil is still the most efficient energy source.
The reason Saudi Arabia was able to maintain its independence was because it considered oil refineries to be more important than human lives and desperately protected them.
The president would be happy to hear that he would sell oil at a low price if a safe route was secured, right?
Of course, there are concerns about transportation, but I found a solution while flying this time.
You can safely come and go by simply sinking one claw at a time into the oil carrier.
This seems surprisingly feasible, right? I think it will also make money.
[hey! Why does that suddenly come out there?]
Yongyong shouted in horror, but I didn’t care.
I’m sure he wasn’t trying to hit me with one claw for helping me meet the guy named God. Because Yongyong is not that rare a divine beast.
Toenails grow quickly anyway, right?
[Why are you doing this all of a sudden? Pulling out toenails hurts me too.]
I’ll pull them out without causing any pain, so let’s just take what you provide.
You could be of great help to your friend by being sick for a while, but you coldly refuse that?
[That’s not what I said…]
Anyway, this was a story that could be told when everything went well.
We’ll have to check if the oil tanker is still there and deal with the desert nightmare that is Saudi Arabia’s worries and all.
To be honest, although the desert is a harsh environment, it didn’t seem difficult.
After I finished organizing my thoughts, I spoke to King Ahmed.
“Let me help you.”
King Ahmed’s expression brightened after hearing my answer.
“oh! After all, you are a friend and benefactor of Saudi Arabia. “Thank you very much.”
“That’s not something you should listen to just because you’re hunting a single monster.”
To them, he may be a god with overwhelming power, but to me, he is not.
Then I need to get ready.
“Let’s go to the training room.”
“yes?”
King Ahmed looks like he doesn’t understand.
Did you really think I would hunt you?
If so, you are mistaken. When I say I will help you, it doesn’t mean I will prepare and feed it to you on my own.
“I am not a person who catches fish, but a person who teaches you how to fish.”
In the process, it is inevitable even if you fall into the sea or get stabbed to death by a fish.
Everyone has to take that level of risk.
If you succeed, you catch the monster. If you fail, you become food.
Once you learn how to catch it yourself, it will become a valuable asset.
Only then did King Ahmed seem to understand what I meant.
“No way…”
“I will help you become stronger.”
Rather than inviting superhumans to have a classy conversation and peek into their lives or whatever, the shortcut to becoming stronger is to engage in fighting.
Just looking at it, I could see that he had been training hard all this time, and he looked good at rolling.
How long will that well-trained body endure before screaming?
I wanted to beat it up right away.
I made eye contact with King Ahmed and smiled.
“Just trust me. Basically, friends trust each other.”
[Was that something like that?]
The astonished Yongyong was proving with his whole body that that wasn’t the case.
In fact, I also didn’t trust Yongyong, so we are teachers.
But even if I don’t trust them, the other person may trust me.
“The easiest thing in the world is to become strong.”