Episode 394
: Phantom and I changed places. Both of his arms had been cut off, but his left arm was awkwardly attached.
Even if you are pitiful, you have to pay the price.
“You have a more merciful personality than I thought.”
“I consider the transaction more important than that.”
“Did the information we provide save your life? There is nothing wrong with working hard all this time.”
“I don’t necessarily need what you think you deserve.”
“Keep that in mind.”
These transactions are things I learned while working with Sehee Lee. There are aspects of the chaebol’s way of thinking that are different from those of ordinary people like me, so I think I learned a lot from watching their trading methods.
If I had known this in advance, I would have blown off the heads of all the guys who tried to scam me when I was a hematologist.
It’s just a shame that now it’s something that has never happened before.
[Let’s get to the point quickly.] Yongyong
got even more excited when I heard that I was going to ask about the story about Shinsoo.
“Then let’s get to the point.”
“First of all, the data we will deliver are all divine beasts whose existence has been confirmed.”
“Where is it located?”
“If I hadn’t moved, I would have stayed here.”
“okay?”
They may have moved their residence after coming in contact with humans, but I thought that if they didn’t think of it as a big deal and stayed where they were, some of them would be easy to find.
“The total number of divine beasts that we are currently aware of is nine.”
Phantom explained as he handed me the materials.
Chimera Akeri Windigo Hydra Centaur Pegasus Golem Basilisk Awixotl.
It is said that they attempted to contact a total of ten divine beasts, including the Thunder Bird.
“Aren’t there also ghosts and monsters other than divine beasts?”
“They are collectively referred to as divine beasts, but their names are usually determined by their high level of recognition among mankind.”
It is said that there are certain points around the world where force gathers, and the rate of birth of divine beasts there is overwhelmingly high.
I found out something I didn’t know.
“If we add the number of divine beasts managed by other countries, it reaches twenty-five.”
“There’s more than you thought?”
“There are divine beasts that do not reveal their existence at all, so the number is likely to be much higher.”
“surely.”
“The divine beasts each had distinct personalities and treated humans as being far below them.”
“I have the ability to do that.”
“of course. We tried hard to utilize that power, but failed due to the indifference of the divine beasts. “The only one among them that could negotiate was the Thunderbird.”
It is said that, for a divine beast, he was unusually interested in the human world. In addition, the party had excellent transaction skills and put in a lot of effort, but the White House intervened at every important moment and did not reap the results as expected.
Rather, it is said that the Thunderbird cleverly took advantage of the situation in the middle.
“I was able to learn something from Shinsu.”
“He was a great guy.”
“That great divine beast also died at the hands of Head Breaker.”
“I was lucky.”
“How humble.”
It wasn’t just empty words, it was real.
I still think that winning the battle with the Thunderbird was a result of luck.
If it weren’t for a little bit of luck, I would have been the one to die.
Well, luck is the most important thing.
“There’s one more.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“A divine beast served by the Hell Master.”
“…You’re talking about the god of death. “That guy was never a subject of negotiations from the beginning.”
“why?”
Considering the Hell Master’s gift, this is the one the party would have wanted the most.
“Every time we went, they demanded the lives of half of our people.”
“You’re crazy.”
[Who to whom?]
“He was a guy who refused to be a scapegoat and only targeted the lives of those who met his standards.”
Therefore, it is said that the very mention of the divine beast was prohibited.
Good idea.
What Yongyong just said was wrong.
“This is all the Shinsu we investigated. Not only this, I will also give you information about the divine beasts that I have identified.”
I quickly read the material Phantom handed me. The information about the remaining fifteen divine beasts was also more than 90% consistent with what I found out through the Shinsung Group and the government.
In fact, the party was much more detailed about the details.
Yongyong, what do you think?
[….]
He ignored the documents I was looking at and pretended not to notice.
That reaction was enough. Through Yongyong’s verification just now, I am confident that this data is quite reliable.
“Are you okay?”
“It would be natural, considering the material and human resources used to obtain that information.”
“good.”
At this level, it was worth not having the party wiped out.
Is this why even though it can be swept away, it can also be left behind? If you pursue your own interests without worrying about everyone else, you will have something to gain.
I’m learning one thing.
[I think the leap in logic is quite severe.]
The worst thing is that they are mutually helping each other like this.
[The problem is that the other person won’t think that way.]
Anyway, as long as both parties are satisfied, that’s enough.
While I was talking with Yongyong, Phantom’s story came to an end.
He opened his mouth cautiously, as if he had one last thing to say.
“Is it okay if I ask you one thing?”
“doesn’t care.”
“What do you think about our party?”
“I have no idea.”
“what?”
“I don’t think anything of it.”
If the interests of each other are well aligned and there is something to exchange, that is enough.
If each person can satisfy what they want without clumsily backing them down, wouldn’t that be a great partnership?
My relationship with Shinsung Group was like that, and the government led by President Jeon Han-cheol and Cheon Myeong-guk was like that.
The U.S. government is also cooperative, but it still has its own unique quirks.
“…haha. “I felt so threatened that I ended up shooting myself in the foot.”
“There are many people who think I am a threat just by looking at me. Actually, I never thought of it that way.”
[They probably thought they could send them away at any time if they get caught. Actually, that’s the case. There are bound to be mistakes in such a large organization, but if you catch one, it’s over. I understand those people better than you?]
…I thought you could definitely think that way.
But wouldn’t it be okay if you don’t do that?
[Does that make sense?]
Well, I thought it was a bit unreasonable.
“You probably know something about me, so as long as you don’t play tricks, you won’t touch me. “Small things can be resolved through conversation, right?”
“I’ll pay more attention from now on.”
That’s how the conversation with Phantom ended.
Although there was an error in the Phantom’s arm and an additional arm was lost, it was quickly reattached, reducing the loss, and I also benefited by obtaining the most pure material.
“I have one last question.”
“what?”
“I don’t think there is any information about the blue dragon among the information about the divine beasts here. Do you know anything about the blue dragon?”
[Why are you suddenly asking about the Shinsu next to you?]
That’s because I’m curious.
Still, aren’t you curious about how the organization that took over the human world found out about you?
Yongyong immediately jumped at my urging.
[That’s right. I’ve already had humans come into my territory a few times, and I think they must have been very scared. I am a friendly divine beast, but I can be quite scary to humans.]
A lowly divine beast tries to look scary.
How did Yongyong look in the eyes of those who covered the world?
I was curious too.
“If it is the blue dragon that rules Mt. Baekdu, it was also included in our intelligence. “I tried to contact them first, but I remember being embarrassed because they contacted me first from North Korea, which you call North Korea.”
[I didn’t hold his hand, I just accepted it because he said it wouldn’t be a bother!]
Yongyong makes an excuse, but he should have considered the fact that it might look different.
“What do you know about that guy?”
“…They say he’s quite eccentric. “It seems like he wants to look scary, but deep inside he has a lot of curiosity and admiration for the human world.”
[That human! What are you saying now? Do you want to die? How dare a mere human judge a divine beast!]
As expected, my eyes are not wrong.
Just accept that this is reality, Yongyong.
[Let go! I will kill that person! Let go!]
For your information, I have never caught Yongyong and stopped him.
* * *
When I finished the conversation, Maxim Guedes, who had been wandering nearby, quickly caught up to me.
An ambiguous emotion appeared on the guy’s face.
[I think you like it? I guess I’m grateful for saving that crazy person.]
The crazy person Yongyong was talking about was a phantom.
He immediately turned into a crazy person for giving me a bad evaluation despite having high expectations.
He said that I was the only person who thought he was truly crazy, and that was a very useless evaluation standard.
“I didn’t know you could save the phantom.”
“So you’re dissatisfied?”
“No way. If we only think about elimination because we have different thoughts, we have no choice but to go to the extreme of having to kill each other. “I am actually grateful to you for showing me mercy.”
“You can think of it as information that can replace your life, not mercy.”
“Information about divine beasts is the most highly regarded item within the party.”
It is said that although he actually did not gain much from Shinsu, he was able to gain countless inspiration just by encountering them.
Yes, I too was able to feel the awe that exists in the phantom when it comes to beings that are more than human.
Except for Yongyong.
[I will kill that person. Really don’t stop me? I will kill you.]
I will say this one more time: I have never once stopped Yongyong.
So, this is all just a bluff.
[I’m really just doing this to get to know you. I guess I’ll have to show you the might of a divine beast sometime.]
If you’re stronger than the Thunderbird, that’s okay.
[No, that’s a bit…]
Yongyong shrunk again and became silent, and I asked Maxim Geddes about the business he had come to see me for.
“You saved the Phantom, but because of this incident, the Phantom will have to retire.”
“He is a capable man.”
“Even if you have good skills, if your judgment is wrong, you can lose everything. In fact, I almost lost everything.”
Maxim Geddes said he would be filling in for Phantom.
“I know that, but why do you have to come and tell me?”
“Once I take charge of the party, I plan to start improving my constitution from then on.”
Before the advent of monsters, the party was an organization that encompassed all over the world. However, as the Atlantic broke and anti-party forces centered around Herbert the League’s revolt grew in strength, the party’s influence rapidly diminished.
As the League disappeared, Phantom tried to increase its power once again, but failed and ended up bringing on a crisis that almost led to the party’s extinction.
To be precise, it is the opposite of me.
“The world has changed too much to recreate its glory again. “We will comply with the newly reorganized order and establish ourselves as one of its pillars.”
“Do the members agree?”
“Of course there is opposition. But what about backlash? “Repulsion without an alternative is meaningless.”
As Maxim Geddes said, there were many obstacles for the party to regain world power. One of the obstacles is me. In that respect, I think I made the right decision.
however.
“Why are you telling me your aspirations?”
“Of course you might be curious….”
“I don’t care what you do. Whatever you do, they support you. “Do your best.”
“….”