Episode 262
“Oh.”
King Ahmed fought better than I thought.
Especially considering that the opponent is a monster on the verge of becoming a fighting horn. If I closed my eyes and enjoyed what I had, I would be able to enjoy wealth and fame, but I was working hard for my own development.
Is this called noblesse oblige? I like acknowledging reality and asserting my beliefs rather than being hypocritical.
The fact that I raised Jeong Da-hyun, who died by my hands in my last life, also had that meaning.
anyway.
I think King Ahmed, who calls himself my close friend, will be useful in many ways.
[I don’t think he did his best?]
But Yongyong dismissed it as luck, not because Ahmed’s skills were outstanding.
The monster didn’t give it its all from the beginning. But that’s not that strange, considering that he reigned like a king here in the desert and did whatever he wanted.
[Are you doing this because you don’t know, or are you joking when you know it?]
What are you talking about?
When I became puzzled by Yongyong’s incomprehensible words, I finally screamed.
[It’s because of you!]
Me? Why all of a sudden?
[That guy looked at you and said he couldn’t deal with you properly because he was
so focused on you!] A monster cares so much about its surroundings? I didn’t know that.
I was quite surprised because the guy I thought was at the plus level was on the verge of throwing. I thought he was trying to make fun of me, not to protect me, but I didn’t expect it to be like that.
[It’s not like you.]
It’s not like me. It’s too self-conscious to think that you didn’t do your best because you cared about me.
I guess you came here to deal with it like this because it’s me.
Anyway, this is pretty uncomfortable.
I had dug deep into the ground, following the guy called the Desert Nightmare. It was protected from sand by a thin layer of force covering its entire body, but the speed at which it moved was unusual.
What I find strange isn’t the speed.
This is because he tries to walk away even after seeing me.
Usually when monsters see me, they try to deal with me somehow, but this guy is different.
Why is that so?
After thinking about it for a while, one hypothesis crossed my mind.
At that time, Yongyong said to me.
[Should we use spatial movement?]
No, let’s just figure out the location and leave it as is.
[Why?]
There must be a reason why that guy is running away. It could be because of the family members left in the desert or because of hidden treasures. And since he is on the verge of turning into a fighting horn, that may be why he wants to fight me by becoming a fighting horn.
If you were conscious of me, wouldn’t you think now is not the time?
[Uh, then…?]
It doesn’t matter what the reason is. I think it would be best to let him think he got rid of me and then attack the scene.
[Wow, you thought about that in the meantime?]
Inferring and seeing through the opponent’s weaknesses is my specialty. If you can easily eliminate your opponent, it’s natural to take this much effort.
[…Do you know that I’m getting more and more scared of you?]
It’s scary. When we’re friends, where can there be someone as kind as me?
[….]
Silent Yongyong also realized my mistake.
Well, as I said, I don’t think it’s kind. I guess I made a mistake.
[Please don’t cross the line!]
Okay, let’s go after him.
* * *
Everything went smoothly.
Sandworms, who were born in the vast desert and fought fiercely for survival, were able to rise to the top through battle after battle in the harsh desert environment.
All of the countless competitors entered the stomach as food, and all living things that could become competition or pose a threat were wiped out.
In this desert, the sandworm was the undisputed king. The sandworm, which took over the entire desert, had a never-ending supply of food called humans, and it grew in strength by eating the monsters that appeared from time to time.
Monsters coming from outside could not compete. They were all losers and they were just great prey.
At some point, the sandworm realized that it was blocked by a wall. It took a long time of preparation and effort to overcome that wall. But I felt that I could become complete after this stage.
From then on, Sandworm proceeded with preparations step by step. At the same time, he was torn between a reality where there were no beings that could threaten him and a utopia where he could become perfect.
The desert was his home, territory, hunting ground, and food warehouse.
If only that person hadn’t appeared.
Grrrr!
The sudden appearance of a human being was an unexpected disaster.
The man had the power to kill himself and was aiming precisely at himself from beginning to end. If you make a mistake, it can disappear.
Only then did my forgotten instinct for survival and desire for power awaken.
The sandworm ran away without hesitation. He was convinced that no matter how fast humans were, they could not chase him.
And I planned to evolve into a complete being by absorbing the things prepared in the foundation.
If he had become perfect, he would be able to kill that person and eliminate whoever came.
The place where the sandworm finally arrived was a hideout located in the very center of the desert. This space, which existed underground since the sandworm was born, served as a hiding place and warehouse.
There was countless loot there.
Countless monsters, including the former master of the desert who was once much stronger than him, rivals who fought for the top, local powerhouses who controlled the largest territory, etc., disappeared as food for the sandworm, but they also remained as ingredients to become perfect.
Grrrr!
The sandworm arrived at the hiding place and looked around.
If you take these, you will finally become complete. And it will eat anything that gets in its way.
It was time for Sandworm to step forward.
“oh! “You’ve collected quite a lot, right?”
The person who appeared with bright admiration was a person who thought he had been completely left out.
* * *
It was as expected.
It was one of the hypotheses, but the prediction I had been weighing was correct.
And it was the most beneficial direction for me.
Monsters basically have developed attack instincts and survival instincts. Most of them have more developed attack instincts, but those who come up from the bottom have equally developed survival instincts.
Doggy is such a case.
They say it was a nightmare in the desert and all that while it was running around like it was its own home, but looking at the amount of scraps that were made through the back hole, you can see that it was hit here and there before it could get out.
From by-products of various monsters to old relics of unknown age.
I have picked up a lot of things while reigning here.
[But why do you like it?]
Yongyong asks that without even noticing it.
Well, now that the owner is gone, everything I have gathered here will be given to me, right?
[Oh, was that something like that? If the owner disappears, it becomes yours!]
If I acquire it while the owner is gone, it becomes mine. In particular, the hearts of some of the monsters rolling around looked unusual at a glance.
I’m leaving you with a luxurious special meal.
Grrrr!
The guy exploded with murderous intent as he looked at me. As expected from a monster that has ruled the desert for so long, its body length is well over 20 meters, and the force it emits is more powerful than that of any other plus-level monster.
It’s so bad that even a dog can’t handle it. I thought the dog still had a long way to go.
When I return, I will train him more harshly so that he can handle the monsters on his own, except for the fighting horn.
[So what are you going to do?]
Huh? What are you talking about, Yongyong?
[To catch it like this?]
I still didn’t know what Yongyong meant.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Yongyong told me what he was thinking.
[Ah, I thought you would evolve it to the fighting horn stage and give it a try.]
“Ah.”
Only then did Yongyong understand what he was saying.
Certainly, in order to properly utilize my practical experience, I need to be at the level of a fighter.
Now that I think about it, I wonder what will happen if I let this guy grow up.
Of course, that’s just the thinking. When you turn your imagination into reality, that’s when problems start to arise.
“But you don’t know much about me, do you? “You said you were a friend?”
[You don’t know? I’m saying this because I know you well!]
“It’s true that I don’t know you well.”
If you knew me well, do you think I would let the monster grow in this situation?
Of course not.
“When dealing with anything, there is the best timing.”
The first of these is when you let your guard down, the second is when you are confused, and the last is when you are excited.
Now that monster was excited at the thought of becoming a fighter, but was thrown into the gutter because of me. Since my hopes have been trampled and I am mentally confused, it is the perfect time to end it.
But you’re giving me room to grow here?
“Giving up to see the opponent’s skills is something only stupid people do.”
[You do that sometimes too.]
“So I lost?”
[….]
You can’t refute it, but you’re murmuring.
After catching a glimpse of Yongyong, I looked at the nightmare of the desert. Now is the time to end the nightmare.
“Nightmares are just bugs.”
* * *
Choi Jun-ho disappeared along with the nightmare of the desert. Although it was only for a moment, I thought that the fierce competition up until then might have been a dream.
Ahmed looked blankly at the desert. As a few hours passed, the dark desert was emitting a cold that would freeze everything, as if mocking the heat of the day.
How many people have become helpless in front of great nature. I thought I couldn’t go against it or go beyond it.
Who is Choi Jun-ho? Is it possible to overcome nature?
“Nasir.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do you think my friend will return safely?”
“I will return safely.”
“Even though I saw you go into the middle of the desert?”
“yes. Otherwise, he is not a superman called the world’s strongest. The head breaker will most definitely break the enemy’s head at any moment.”
Ahmed chuckled at Nasir’s confident words. It was the same opinion he wrote in the report he had been researching.
Choi Jun-ho solved things that were previously thought to be impossible. The youngest superhuman to hunt solo plus level monsters and even hunt plus level monsters.
It was the Choi Jun-ho effect that dampened the momentum of the league, which was running wild as if it was going to take over the world at any moment.
“I think the same thing. No matter how much I think about it, I don’t feel like I’m being harmed. Isn’t it funny? In this desert, this guy is called a god. “It makes me think that I will be safe while dealing with a being comparable to a god like that.”
“That’s because he is such a great powerhouse. And he is also a close friend of His Majesty the King. “There is no way an ordinary person could be a close friend of His Majesty the King.”
“It’s nice to hear even empty words. Although the other person is still unfamiliar with the term ‘close friend’. “It will be something that we will have to overcome in the future.”
Ahmed turned his gaze back to the desert.
“The strength I experienced for a week was not human. No matter how strong the opponent was, I felt pity for the person who would face him. Even the nightmare of the desert.”
“That…”
Anyway, it was an opponent that caused fear in the Arabian Peninsula for decades. Dealing with Head Breaker is enough to make you feel sorry for that monster? Nasir felt that his evaluation of Choi Jun-ho was excessive.
However, it was the master’s evaluation, not anyone else’s. There was a belief that Choi Jun-ho’s inhuman strength would be enough to hunt even the nightmares of the desert.
It was then.
“That…”
A light flashed in front of them. And what Choi Jun-ho showed up in was the same clothes he wore when he came out, as if he had just gone for a walk.
Coo!
It was the corpse of a gigantic monster over 20 meters long. Ahmed’s Nasir’s eyes trembled uncontrollably as he saw this.
I was afraid, calling it a nightmare, and couldn’t really look at the outside, but I can’t forget the glimpse of Choi Jun-ho chasing after me.
That must be a desert nightmare. A monster that terrified the entire Arabian Peninsula for decades.
“Friend, this is….”
“This is the guy who impersonated God here.”
Choi Jun-ho, who patted the body as if it was no big deal, smiled.
Ahmed’s eyes were fixed on the nightmare corpse in the desert. Even though he was dead, the tremors that ran through his entire body did not go away easily.
“It’s a gift to a close friend.”
“gift…?”
“This is called friend’s rain in Korean.”
“Friend rain.”
What a great gift for a close friend. Ahmed, who thought of Korea as a small but strong regional power, learned that it had a culture that was better than he imagined.
“Thank you. I gratefully accept the friend’s money.”
“I just want you to be satisfied.”
“Now.”
Ahmed smiled at Junho Choi.
“I have to pay my friend’s fee. You can look forward to it, my friend.”
It was the moment when a problem that had driven the Arabian Peninsula into hell for over several decades was resolved.