Episode 86
Kieeeek!
Garam, who was crying mournfully, trembled and fell limp.
He struggled to support himself on his four tattered legs and fell to the ground.
thud!
As I watched all of this, I lightly clicked my tongue.
“This is a bit surprising.”
Hunting Garam, who had not yet reached the plus stage, was not difficult. But it was much tougher than I thought. Is it because you saw the hatchling dead? It would have been easier to catch it if I had kept it alive and used it.
After neutralizing Garam, I tried brainwashing like I did with Nuri.
I was thinking of testing to see if a level 8 harmful monster could be tamed.
Garam, who resisted strongly at first, gradually became weaker due to repeated brainwashing.
Their resistance subsided and they responded obediently to my message. At the moment when I thought the time had come, Garam’s eyes suddenly flashed and he lunged at me with all his might.
Wow!
However, it was different from the level 8 monsters I had seen so far.
Although his power was less refined, the magnitude of his violent burst of power was similar to that of Nuri.
This phenomenon meant only one thing.
“The monster has awakened.”
It was amazing. Although it was only for a moment, Garam demonstrated power equivalent to the plus level. The gravity control, which was supposed to be a gift, caught me off guard for a moment.
But eventually he collapsed again. I then tried to resume brainwashing, but what Garam did next was surprising.
It stared at me with eyes full of murder, but then it became blurry and lost its light.
He committed suicide.
Could it be that he chose to end his life rather than succumb to brainwashing?
I had no idea that monsters had this level of intelligence.
I watched in silence for a long time as the adult Earth Dragon and Hechling fell side by side.
“······.”
My impression was that it would be nice to have one more animal here.
If there are parents, isn’t it usually two entities?
Since the spouse and children also died, it would be good if the rest showed up and were caught together.
However, even after a long time, it did not appear.
Should I smell blood? For that reason, there was nothing that bothered my senses.
“Was it a hermaphrodite?”
I waited for about 10 more minutes, but when he didn’t show up, I contacted the Blue House.
* * *
Choi Jun-ho’s reconnaissance was due to the Blue House’s preemptive response.
In the meantime, humanity has taken a defensive stance in hunting down the harmful level 8 monsters. The reason is that in order to explore the place where the monster’s reaction was felt, you inevitably have to take on the burden of dealing with other monsters.
What if a level 8 harmful monster appears while you are dealing with a monster?
Since the hunting team could be wiped out, it was better to set up a cordon and wait for the harmful level 8 monsters to appear.
The reason the Blue House was able to move like this was entirely due to the presence of Choi Jun-ho.
Unofficially, he was a being comparable to a teenage superhuman, perhaps even higher.
“This is an abnormal reaction!”
An emergency report was sent to the Blue House, which was closely watching the Andong area.
The appearance of harmful level 8 monsters is directly related to the existence of the nation.
No, the Awakened Powerhouse no longer feels much of a threat to level 8 monsters. Because I have been hunting continuously and have accumulated hunting know-how by accumulating data.
However, the next plus stage that appeared was an entity that could drive even powerful countries to destruction.
Monsters keep appearing, but it takes a long time to replenish dead superhumans.
Cheon Myeong-guk ran without any regard for face, issued a response order, and went straight to the president.
“A level 8 monster has appeared. “It’s towards Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do.”
“This is where the superhuman Choi Jun-ho is.”
“yes.”
Although the situation was urgent, the president’s expression was calm.
Do I trust Choi Jun-ho or the power of Korea’s awakened people?
Cheon Myeong-guk thought it was both. Since Choi Jun-ho was there, I thought preemptive action would be taken.
The President’s gaze turned to Cheon Myeong-guk.
“Is this a plus level?”
“It’s unclear.”
“I hope it’s not a plus. It’s still hard to deal with. Choi Jun-ho, a superhuman, will do well, but accidents happen when you least expect them.”
Meanwhile, a report was posted and Cheon Myeong-guk reported it with a bright expression.
“It’s not a plus.”
“Then hunting will be easier. Okay, move right away.”
“I will immediately contact the sacred guild that received the bid earlier and prepare countermeasures.”
The name of the newly appeared harmful level 8 monster was Garam.
Even if it is not at the plus level, it is absolutely prohibited to do so.
The President decided that the intended purpose had been achieved.
“First, contact Choi Jun-ho and order him to retreat.”
“yes! Then right away…”
Just as Cheon Myeong-guk was about to move, the secretary came running towards him with an urgent look on his face.
“Chief!”
The eyes of the President and Myung-guk Cheon were simultaneously fixed on the Secretary.
“Why but?”
“The reaction of the harmful level 8 monster has disappeared.”
“Live?”
“yes! “It’s completely gone.”
What on earth happened? The eyes of the President and Cheon Myeong-guk met. Both had dumbfounded faces.
For a moment, the President spoke with confidence in his voice.
“Something happened. “There is a high probability that it is related to Choi Jun-ho.”
“I think the same.”
“It is clear that the reaction has disappeared…”
It was more likely to be good news than bad news.
Because Choi Jun-ho is at the scene.
I wonder who will be safe if caught in those hands, be it a person or a monster.
As various thoughts crossed over, Cheon Myeong-guk’s smartphone rang loudly.
“Choi Jun-ho is a superhuman.”
“Take it.”
“This is Cheon Myung-guk.”
As soon as the president gave permission, I received a phone call. After a while, his expression hardened slightly and he nodded repeatedly in response.
“What?”
Cheon Myeong-guk answered in a hollow voice.
“I’m asking you to send a team to clean up after I hunted a level 8 monster.”
“As expected.”
“yes.”
Was the level 8 remains a monster that could be hunted so easily?
I was preparing with all my might to deal with a monster that could destroy even a nation. An individual grabbed it as easily as twisting the wrist of a child.
An individual can never surpass the nation.
It should never be like that.
This was a belief that Cheon Myeong-guk maintained without change.
But today, when I saw Choi Jun-ho, I felt like I was falling into pieces.
The entity that the nation needed to prepare for as it was threatened with destruction was being killed as easily as twisting a child’s wrist.
“Uh-huh! “Good, good!”
Perhaps unaware of Cheon Myeong-guk’s feelings, the President’s laughter did not stop.
* * *
While out scouting, I caught a level 8 monster.
This situation actually happened.
They found an immature Earth Dragon, and as a joke, told them to bring their parents, but they ended up catching the real parents as well.
It is literally an incident created by coincidence and coincidence.
I was hoping to catch one more, but it seemed like it was either a hermaphrodite or something that noticed and ran away.
As a result of the hunt, an income of close to 1 trillion won was generated, but the details of my hunting of the monster named ‘Garam’ were dramatized completely differently.
It was Jin Se-jeong’s work.
“In order to calm the citizens who were terrified by the appearance of plus-level monsters, Choi Jun-ho made the decision to go to Andong and it was celebrated as a splendid feat.”
“······.”
Should I call the ability to package even this amazing or scary?
I just went there to pay my salary, and I caught it because I saw it while I was there.
The skill at giving meaning was beyond imagination.
I thought Jin Se-jeong was amazing with that, but it looks like Jin Se-jeong doesn’t plan to stop here.
“Superman, this is not a problem that ends here. You said Garam’s body will be displayed again tomorrow, right? “You must participate this time.”
“I didn’t participate last time.”
Is there any reason to participate?
If you go there, you’ll probably be surrounded by unidentified fans who call you oppa, even though you’re older than me, and take pictures.
I signaled my refusal, but Jin Se-jeong cut me off resolutely.
“So you should participate this time.”
“I want to know why you must participate.”
“Yes, first of all, because the spotlight should be on the superhuman. If things are left like this, the government will take the biggest credit for hunting down Garam. But the one who hunted Garam was Choin. “We need to let the people know exactly that.”
Is it important to tell who did the hunting?
“Yes it’s important! “This is the most important part.”
He speaks as if he can read my inner thoughts.
Jin Se-jeong looked into my eyes and emphasized once again.
“In Nuri’s case, he generously gave up credit to the government. The current President is a man of common sense, so he expressed his gratitude to Choin. But will we remain grateful? Even if you feel grateful once or twice, it’s human nature to take it for granted the next time. At some point, there will be a natural perception that the government only cares about the results of hunting, and Choi Jun-ho only hunts. “Why is it that a superhuman did the hunting, but the government has to take care of the results?”
“······.”
“There is a saying that you lend while standing and receive when you bow down. “I don’t want the government to show off the achievements of Mr. Choin and hand out Congo products like a generous person.”
“I agree.”
That makes sense.
However, what Jin Se-jeong misunderstood was that I would stay still.
I have no intention of staying still if I make a mistake.
Did you treat me kindly? Well, since I am a normal person, it is not strange for me to see it that way.
Jin Se-jeong’s expression also relaxed at my acceptance.
“Even if you give it up later, you have to make sure to take care of what’s yours. “I’m sorry if I was presumptuous.”
“No, it wasn’t presumptuous at all.”
“thank god. In fact, I was very prepared and spoke tremblingly.”
…I think you’re just talking about something like that.
But there was nothing wrong with what Jin Se-jeong said.
It’s not that I didn’t know.
I just didn’t care because I thought it was annoying and uncomfortable. From Jin Se-jeong’s words, I learned what order to go through when giving up.
To put it simply, doesn’t it mean to be condescending?
Rather, this advice is exactly what I need.
“Please give me advice if you think this is something I need in the future.”
“Is that okay?”
“yes.”
“Then yes. Okay. “Actually, there was a lot I wanted to say.”
I missed seeing Jin Se-jeong smiling brightly.
···It’s a mistake.
I was completely buried in Jin Se-jeong’s endless chatter.
Still, it was a useful time.
Especially if you haven’t experimented with new styling.
* * *
The square was crowded. Countless people exclaimed in admiration when they saw Garam, the 30m tall Earth Dragon. Some of them were too scared to approach even though they were corpses.
Monsters were something like that to the citizens.
An object of fear that destroys my home and threatens my life.
In order to dilute the fear of monsters, the government put on displays like this when monsters were hunted. It was a kind of protest and advertisement that it was no big deal if you died.
Lee Se-hee and Jeong Da-hyun were at Gwanghwamun Square, where Garam was on display.
The two were talking far away from Garam’s body.
“It’s new to see it like this.”
“huh.”
“Congratulations on reaching level 7.”
“thank you.”
“······.”
Silence fell between the two for a moment. Lee Se-hee saw Jeong Da-hyeon looking awkward.
He seems like a good kid.
He is worried that his pride may have been hurt.
It’s true that my pride was hurt, but it wasn’t enough to show it outwardly. Rather than expressing these emotions negatively, you can use them as nourishment for your own growth.
At times like this, I would rather comfort myself.
“I will work hard too. Being left behind doesn’t suit my temperament. And I can become a superhuman first, right? So don’t let your guard down just because you’re ahead.”
“huh.”
The slightly awkward atmosphere settled down again.
Lee Se-hee also didn’t say anything this time.
Citizens were in a festive mood. Although hunting Garam did not free the Republic of Korea from the threat of monsters, they were happy. Maybe we need a moment like this where we can cheer, even if only briefly.
After a while, the president’s official car appeared a little distance away from the square. Choi Jun-ho got off first and the President got off with security.
There were no security personnel around other than Choi Jun-ho. I could feel the president’s trust and confidence in him.
And Choi Jun-ho.
Wearing a black suit and full makeup, he looked like a Korean Wave star playing the role of a bodyguard.
Sure enough, cheers erupted from all directions.
But why are people who look well over 40 called oppa?
‘Well, it’s a trustworthy image that seems like it can do anything.’
I watched it again, thinking that Jin Se-jeong was amazing.
“awesome.”
“···huh. But whose idea was it to decorate it like that?”
“There is someone famous in the industry named Jin Se-jeong. why? Ah.”
Lee Se-hee curled the corners of her mouth.
Jeong Da-hyun’s body trembled at the look in her eyes as if she had discovered a toy.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
“Do you feel like you’re being taken away?”
“no it’s not.”
Although Jeong Da-hyeon denied it, Lee Se-hee’s smile was getting deeper.
A look of resignation appeared on Jeong Da-hyun’s face as she felt that she had been completely stopped. Once Lee Se-hee has caught the enemy, she hangs on until the opponent raises the white flag and surrenders.
“I know everything. When a star that only I knew about becomes popular with the public, I feel a great sense of loss. “Are you very anxious, our cute Dahyun?”
“I said no.”
“I know everything.”
When I patted her shoulder with a mischievous smile, Dahyun Jeong slapped her hand.
What a disgusting thing!
Lee Se-hee held her hands and cried out as if she was reading a Korean book.
“Ahh, level 7 Jeong Da-hyun catches people.”
“Sehee, don’t act.”
“Yeah, I won’t.”
Dahyun Jeong burst out laughing at the playful response.
* * *
Time passed smoothly.
Sometimes, a similar reaction occurred when hunting Garam, so I went out to scout, but the monster never showed up.
Did they try to conspire with each other?
This is by no means a good phenomenon. Since there is a reaction but no detection, it is seen as a possibility that a harmful level 8 monster may appear at the plus level.
Two months after hunting Garam, all level 8 monsters that appeared had changed to plus level.
Scholars called this the upward standardization of all monsters. Like the awakened monsters, their level is rising rapidly as they compete fiercely for survival.
The government named the next plus stage ‘Soye’ and the sacred guild received a bid for hunting rights.
Lee Se-hee was eager to use this opportunity to show off the capabilities of the Holy Guild.
But something unexpected happened.
-brother! It’s a mess now! I clashed with my sister and the director!
I received a call from Yunhee in an urgent voice.
The team leader was Lee Se-hee and the director was Baek Gun-seo.
What does it have to do with me that the two clashed? Anyway, there was nothing surprising in Baek Gunseo’s opposition to Lee Se-hee when she became the chairman of Shinsung Group.
-I’m involved with my brother.
“me?”
Yoonhee said that it was an internal matter within the guild, but it would all be spread by tomorrow, and threatened to keep it to herself and not to tell anyone else, and then began to explain the details.
To put it simply, Baekgunseo’s pride was hurt because Lee Sehee included me as an observer.
From Lee Se-hee’s point of view, it was insurance to reduce sacrifice, but from Baek Gun-seo’s point of view, it seemed like he did not trust himself.
My pride is hurt because of separation.
But you don’t have to think that way. Some say it was Lee Se-hee’s mistake because the sacred guild’s hunting know-how was also strictly managed.
why? Is the sacred guild hunting method that special?
I have no intention of forming a hunting team anyway, so I’ll just pass it up.
“okay. “I’ll take care of the rest.”
-You’re not trying to overturn it, are you?
“Do you think I will?”
-Uh, I think there’s a 99% chance that’s the case.
···Something like a ghost. How did you know I was thinking that way?
“is not it.”
-Don’t make people around you uncomfortable for no reason. This is my workplace.
“OK.”
After hanging up the phone, I summarized the previous situation in my head.
It is not strange for opinions to differ within the guild.
Baek Gun-seo pretends to care about Lee Se-hee, but he turns away at a critical moment, which actually happened in the future.
As if the commotion could not be resolved, the next day, the media began chewing, tearing, tasting, and enjoying the < Holy Guild Feud >.
Two days later, key executives of the Holy Guild and Baekgunseo Lee Se-hee participated in the Soye hunting meeting.
At first glance, there was a cold atmosphere between the two. Meanwhile, Sehee Lee was secretly looking sideways at me.
It must be related to me. My name also appeared in the media.
Or did she think that I would get into trouble like Yunhee did?
I thought it wasn’t easy to trust people.
So, I abandoned the idea of overturning it and approached Baek Gun-seo and asked him kindly.
“What are you complaining about?”