Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: 85. King (5)
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There are no precise research data anywhere on exactly what kind of harmful effects Erosion Zones have on humans.
The closest thing comes from China, where they've suffered erosion for so long and can afford to throw away tens of thousands of test subjects. They finally started serious studies on the adverse effects of Erosion Zones on humans, but the conclusions were ambiguous.
Humans living in Erosion Zones show far higher rates of psychotic episodes than those in normal areas, but the zones themselves don't cause any physical harm to the body.
But we hunters who've operated in Erosion Zones for extended periods know full well that the people living there are all out of their minds.
There's a toxic air in Erosion Zones that drives humans insane.
Something our science can't explain.
"It's safe here."
The girl said.
From a distance, she'd looked like a middle school girl at most, but up close, she seemed about Jeon Si-hoon's age or a bit younger.
Her tiny stature, under 150 cm, and her skinny frame probably made her look even younger.
"See? This is the talisman from the Beast Master. No mutants come into places with this talisman up."
There was a faint North Korean accent in the woman's speech.
It was common to see young female refugees from the North pick up Seoul dialect quickly.
Anyway, there was no doubt this woman was a fanatic.
Worshipping some nobody from a backwater in rural China who played games and read wuxia novels as the "Beast Master," and calling humanity's enemies—monsters—God's messengers.
She didn't show the wild-eyed frenzy or rambling typical of fanatics, but I'd already put her on my kill list.
"Thanks. But you're sure no monsters can get in?"
King caught his breath and eyed the crude talisman stuck to the wall.
It was yellow paper like you'd see in a jiangshi movie, with bizarre characters—probably illegible even to Chinese—scrawled in red ink.
But this talisman wasn't even handwritten. It was printer output.
The stair-stepping from a cheap inkjet was a dead giveaway.
Yet the fanatic woman had fanatical faith in this sham.
"No worries. You have no idea how vigilant the messengers' minions are, do you, sir?"
I didn't know if the talisman worked, but it was clear the spiderlings weren't chasing us anymore.
I looked out the window.
Hundreds of spiderlings that had swarmed us were retreating as if nothing had happened.
"See? Now you know how miraculous the Beast Master's talisman is, right?"
King said nothing, just watched with his mouth shut.
He probably couldn't find a counterargument.
I thought the same.
This wasn't the talisman's doing.
There had to be some other reason I didn't know about.
"... ."
I glanced at Jeon Si-hoon.
He watched us warily but desperately.
Were sick of life here?
I checked out the house protected by this so-called Beast Master's talisman.
Just one tent, with canned goods and sacks of food scattered around haphazardly.
There were fire pits everywhere.
Hygiene wasn't great, but there was soap, towels, underwear, and even a drying condom.
Looked like Jeon Si-hoon was living here with this North-accented girl.
"What the hell, Jeon Si-hoon. You living with this kid? Huh?"
King leered at the washed condom on the clothesline with a sleazy grin.
Jeon Si-hoon's face soured.
At the same time, the faint glow in his eyes deepened.
Suddenly, an oppressive pressure hit like suffocation.
As expected from an over-level-10 Awakener.
This was just from an emotional shift.
If he unleashed his real power, dominating the battlefield wouldn't be mere rhetoric.
Yet even knowing he was clearly inferior to Jeon Si-hoon, King stood tall.
"How long you gonna live in a dump like this? Till you die in this shithole?"
"That's none of your business."
Jeon Si-hoon growled.
He definitely hated King.
At least, he didn't like him.
King turned to me.
"Alright then, Skeleton. Shall we get started?"
"... ."
I looked around.
No spiderlings, no spider types.
Not even the legendary mid-sized ones.
Once I confirmed it was safe, I looked at King.
"Me first?"
King grinned.
"Obviously, right? You go first. I looked the other way on you being a spy, didn't I? So you gotta show some sincerity by revealing your hand first."
"Hm... ."
I didn't like it, but he had a point.
If I were King, I'd have killed Skeleton.
I don't take even 1% risk unless there's no other way. That's Park Gyu's nature.
"He's from Woo Min-hee."
King blurted out my intro.
"Director Woo?"
Jeon Si-hoon's wary look at me matched the one he gave King.
He clearly didn't like Woo Min-hee either.
I fixed my gaze on Jeon Si-hoon and spoke.
"Woo Min-hee asked me to pass on one message."
"What message?"
I felt eyes on me: Jeon Si-hoon, the nameless girl, and King.
As the heavy, sticky silence unique to Erosion Zones wrapped around my mind, I relayed the message exactly.
"Your father's dead."
"Oh, really?"
Jeon Si-hoon showed no real reaction to his father's death notice.
The girl glanced at him.
"Brother Si-hoon."
"It's fine. I wished he was dead anyway."
King, watching from the side, chimed in.
"That guy who ditched your family and set up a new one?"
"Yeah."
Jeon Si-hoon nodded and looked at me.
"How'd he die? And what about his real family?"
"All I heard was that your father passed. Nothing else."
"Didn't tell you how much I hate Director Woo Min-hee?"
Jeon Si-hoon stared at me intently.
"She mentioned you hated her."
"I really hate that woman."
"Why?"
"She's not human. She's a snake. No blood, no tears. She enjoys watching others suffer and die. Thousands dying around her, and she's worried about her birthday party. How could anyone like her?"
"...Well, half of that's true."
Jeon Si-hoon turned away.
"I'll never go back to that woman. Ever."
King, watching, smirked.
"My turn now."
"Hold on."
"What? You got more to say? Looks done to me."
One thing left.
I hadn't wanted to use this dangerous trump card lightly, but this guy...
He seemed more pure and good-hearted than he let on.
Like Kang Han-min from the old days.
Maybe he'd fight for this country's—no, humanity's—survival like Han-min.
I was obsolete on the battlefield, but if young blood like him joined, it might ease the burden on Kang Han-min and Na Hye-in a bit.
Just a hunch.
"Si-hoon."
I looked straight at Jeon Si-hoon.
He stared back warily.
Memorizing his face, I dropped the forbidden name.
"...I'm Eom Chang."
"Pardon...?"
Jeon Si-hoon's face paled.
"I'm Eom Chang."
"W-what does that... ."
"I'm the Eom Chang who trolled Woo Min-hee on Failnet. Don't believe me? Come to my place. I'll show you the logs."
Jeon Si-hoon backed away.
"Uncle, you're that Eom Chang...? The legend who messed with Red Mask...!!"
I nodded.
Jeon Si-hoon wasn't the only one shocked.
King shed his aura of arrogance and leisure, staring at me in stunned disbelief before forcing out words.
"Skeleton...!!"
"...You know not to spread this online, right?"
"For real? Skeleton. You were that... Eom Chang?"
"Yeah. I'm Eom Chang. I took issue with Woo Min-hee's actions and trolled her. But listen, Si-hoon."
I'd dropped the bombshell casually, my expression unchanged.
"Right now, Kang Han-min and Na Hye-in are closing rifts. Based on risks and sacrifices beyond imagination."
They had no choice.
Because I was doing the biggest thing I could.
For humanity's future.
"...If you were by their side, wouldn't it lighten the load on Kang Han-min's shoulders a bit?"
Jeon Si-hoon, who'd been negative throughout, lowered his head in thought.
Looked like it worked.
The Eom Chang wild card.
King was still eyeing me in astonishment.
"Skeleton, you sneaky bastard. Hiding that power."
"...Could get me killed if it got out."
"Must've felt good raking in over ten thousand likes."
"Of course."
King lightly smacked his forehead.
"You got me good. Fuck."
"What, wanna throw down now?"
"Nah. Not doing that."
King's face regained its signature arrogance and ease after the shock.
He looked at Jeon Si-hoon.
"Hey, Jeon Si-hoon."
Jeon Si-hoon looked at King.
"Wanna go see my dad?"
"Huh? King's dad? Isn't he dead? Everyone says so."
"He's alive. Doing great. I won't interfere with your decision. You're way stronger than me anyway. You could smash this shitty city if you wanted."
"... ."
"Go see my dad. You've got daddy issues too, right? Same story. Skeleton doesn't, but."
"I don't have a dad."
King ignored me.
Before I could speak softly, the small, skinny girl next to Jeon Si-hoon raised her voice.
"Where are you taking Si-hoon? He has to stay here!"
"What bullshit is that?"
King snapped irritably.
"Si-hoon is God's chosen child! He must live in God's land!"
King looked at Jeon Si-hoon.
"Hey. Whether you go with Skeleton or me, up to you. But I can't stand you sticking with this bitch. If you want, I'll hook you up with a cuter one. Don't like older? I'll find someone. City's got 30,000 people—bound to be cuter than her."
"Why?!"
The girl barked.
"She's a fraudulent cultist!"
"Can't you see this talisman's power?!"
As the girl raised her voice, I'd already reached the door.
Sizzle—
I ripped off the talisman.
Everyone's faces went pale.
Even King wasn't exempt.
"H-hey, Skeleton. What the hell?"
"This talisman."
I examined the ripped talisman, then tore it to shreds in front of everyone.
"It's just decoration. See?"
I looked out the window.
A few spiderlings patrolled but showed no interest in us.
Not the talisman.
Now I remembered.
Strange experiences from the battlefield.
We'd built a base, and small-type minions had a chance to push, but they'd ignore us and leave. Not once, but multiple times.
Back then, our crises involved not just minions but fanatics and rebels too, so no time to dwell, and too few instances for a hypothesis. But now I got it.
Small-type territories have areas even small-types and their minions avoid, for some reason.
Fanatics who'd lived near monsters long-term (most dying off) must've gathered their own data.
They figured out safe zones and slapped scam talismans on them.
To make it look like the talismans worked.
It fooled others, but not me.
I'd spent less time next to monsters than fanatics, but I'd killed more than any fanatic. Fact.
"King's right. Eom Chang has no issue if you go with him. But Eom Chang strongly opposes you staying here."
"Are you really Eom Chang...?"
"...No."
"Then why keep calling yourself Eom Chang?"
"Just a figure of speech."
Why do great men often refer to themselves in third person?
Ten thousand Failnet comments make you one.
Who else is great?
But our fanatic had no intention of letting Jeon Si-hoon go easily.
"Sadly, you'll pay dearly for removing the Beast Master's talisman. Looks like Ma Won-gap saw your sins from beyond the rift."
The fanatic looked out the window.
"See! The wrathful messenger of God comes to punish us!"
Beyond the broken glass and silicone-crusted empty concrete frame, something massive moved.
Something walking with eight crossed legs, evoking a giant millipede.
The moment I saw it, I named the monster type from memory.
"...Annihilator."
King, sensing ill omens, shuddered lightly, donned his gas mask, and asked me.
"Skeleton, what's that? Anni-what now?"
"War monster."
Nicknamed the Exterminator.
A war monster specialized in human slaughter more than any mid-sized type revealed its gloomy form at the heart of the ash-gray ruins.