Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Prepare for the Party
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Smiling Man.
The "Great Collapse" that Valkyrie mentioned.
It referred to the massive monster outbreak that occurred in China in 2008.
At least thousands of monsters had appeared all at once.
The area was reduced to rubble, and a huge number of Chinese heroes perished.
It was a horrific incident. The disaster that caused the worst casualties.
Nearly an entire generation of heroes had been wiped out.
It was that devastating. An unprecedented catastrophe.
But...
"From what I know... that won't be in the simulation room."
"Hmm. May I ask why?"
"It only happened once. Before then, and after. There hasn't been a single case since that 'Great Collapse' where monsters appeared in such numbers, all at once in the same space."
Twenty years had passed since the Great Collapse, up to today.
How many times do you think monsters have appeared around the world?
At leasttens of billions of times. An astronomical number.
If you include cases before the Great Collapse, it's double that.
Hundreds of billions. And in all those instances, the Great Collapse never happened even once.
That's why even monster scholars no longer debate the possibility.
They just see it as a freak accident caused by bad luck.
"I see. That's right. Bad luck. Such bad luck..."
"Why are you suddenly like this? I'm getting really anxious here. Does that mean a Great Collapse is happening in our country too?"
"Who knows?"
Who knows. Valkyrie couldn't hide her bewilderment at the absurd answer.
After building up all that tension, and now he says he doesn't know? Does that even make sense?!
"Didn't you just say the past Great Collapse was due to bad luck?"
Right? Valkyrie nodded.
"I know nothing about that luck myself. I can't make any rash assertions."
"Then why bring up the Great Collapse at all..."
"I've been wandering around here and there lately, and I happened to hear about it back then. It just piqued my curiosity. No deeper meaning, so don't worry over nothing! Hahaha!"
It's not a lie. He's being serious.
And then he spouts more out-of-left-field stuff. Harmless, though.
"You look pretty worn out. Want me to give you a massage? It'll loosen up those muscles nicely."
"Ah, no. It's definitely not anything suspicious. I know how to respect boundaries!"
"If it's really that bad, should I just wipe out the Union branch for you? I could manage that much."
Something scary just slipped out, but anyway, it's a joke.
...A joke, right? It has to be a joke. Please don't let it be real.
'More importantly, that thing from earlier.'
Smiling Man was insisting there was no real intent behind it.
Just something he tossed out there, smoothly changing the subject like flowing water.
But by now, Valkyrie knew better. After tangling with this man so many times.
Smiling Man never showed up without reason.
There had to be something. He'd heard something.
That's why he'd appeared out of nowhere and said all that.
'It's been 20 years since the Great Collapse happened... but I hear quite a lot of records from back then still survive. And since Korean heroes provided so much support to China, they won't just brush off a request from us.'
The purpose of the combat simulation room was simple.
To let heroes face every type of monster at least once.
All the battles heroes had fought against monsters so far.
It was a device to let them experience those with sweat instead of blood.
'Come to think of it, maybe we should include the Great Collapse too.'
The Great Collapse was an event of incomparable scale.
Experiencing the whole thing would be impossible. Just a portion, at most.
But even that would be a valuable experience for the cadets.
'Conveniently, most of the combat simulation room's installation costs come from Hwiwoon's pockets.'
Being an S-Rank hero came with perks from various places sometimes.
For example, getting to meet personally with Hwiwoon executives.
And the academy already had Jeong Ye-bin, from the Hwiwoon owner's family.
And everyone was connected to this "Smiling Man."
If she played her cards right, adding the massive Great Collapse event to the combat simulations.
Wouldn't be impossible.
"Oh, and if you're seriously interested in getting friendly with me, give me your answer by November."
"What?"
"To hack all the broadcast stations again for Christmas like last time and upload a video..."
"I'm seriously going to kill you!!"
Hahaha! You know it's a joke, but you're reacting so seriously?
Don't worry. I have no intention of actually doing that.
Why would I tarnish a hero worthy of the name?
Just take good care of the cadets until winter comes.
This year-end will be pretty harsh... but also hot.
The next day. Valkyrie visited the Hero Commission.
"...The Great Collapse?"
The person in charge didn't hide their troubled expression.
"You want to add the Great Collapse to the on-site cases for the Hero Academy's combat simulation room, which is about to be completed soon."
"Yes. Is there a problem? According to international agreements, information on monster outbreaks should be shared."
Monster outbreaks by country were highly sensitive information.
Assessing damage scales. Gauging hero capabilities per nation.
Early on, no one shared it for those reasons.
But through various efforts, it became possible.
'The Union put in the biggest effort back then. Man... it's kind of bewildering in a way. The ones who were more serious about hero work than anyone were pulling that crap behind the scenes.'
For reference, the Union's internal cleanup was proceeding smoothly.
Everyone who'd tried shady stuff was on trial.
No slap on the wrist. The world was watching.
And it was better for them to face proper punishment.
A half-hearted penalty would just draw public fury.
"I'll contact the Chinese side first. The Great Collapse was their biggest incident, so even after all this time, plenty of records should remain."
"And we'll use those to create a virtual reality scenario in the simulation room for training?"
"It'll take some time, though. Contacting them, discussions on their end, getting the reply, receiving all the data, implementing it... we're estimating two weeks. Is that okay?"
"Make it one week."
"Pardon?"
The person in charge couldn't hide their astonishment.
Two weeks, and she wants it cut to one?
"Hero Valkyrie. Even so..."
"Please."
This was too much, even for her. Basically abuse of power...
"I'll request it directly from the Chinese side right away. I have some connections there from when we provided support. We could get their help. What do you think?"
"Ahem. If you do that, we could definitely shorten it to a week."
Ahem. Abuse of power? How dare they see a Republic of Korea S-Rank hero that way!
This wasn't abuse—it was helping with the trickiest, most headache-inducing task.
Sending formal requests, waiting for replies, receiving them—that was the real ordeal.
Offering to handle it personally? They should be grateful enough to bow.
"I'll contact you as soon as we have results."
"Great. I trust you."
Leaving the Hero Commission, Valkyrie stretched with a groan.
How did she end up doing something like this?
If not for that damn Smiling Man, she wouldn't have come at all.
'But really, why did he suddenly bring it up? Making me uneasy for no reason.'
It was a bit unfair to compare, but to Valkyrie, Smiling Man was like Conan.
Incidents popped up wherever he went. Or he only went where they were happening.
And now this Smiling Man had casually mentioned the Great Collapse.
As Valkyrie recalled, the death toll alone exceeded 50,000.
Not casualties. Deaths. A horrific disaster.
It left a bad taste. She wanted to talk it over with someone.
Someone she trusted. Who also trusted Smiling Man.
'...That leaves only one person.'
Damn it. Visiting that old man would mean another lecture!
Valkyrie hesitated for a moment, but her conclusion was clear.
"What's this sudden visit? No heads-up?"
"You order me around without a word and act surprised."
"I heard you were busy, so that's why."
The Sword Saint, who had been swinging his sword alone, greeted Valkyrie.
And unusually, he offered her a seat and sat with her.
"What brings the wind your way? Usually, you drag me into a spar the moment you arrive."
"I was going to, but seeing your face killed the mood. Look at you. That 'I've got a ton of worries' expression. Sparring? You'd end up hurting someone."
Was her face like that? Valkyrie tilted her head.
But whatever. She opened her mouth.
"Smiling Man is back."
"Oh ho."
A spark lit in the Sword Saint's eyes. He seemed genuinely pleased.
Here we go again with this old man. He just couldn't let go of sizing up that guy's true worth.
He was itching for a proper fight with Smiling Man.
Valkyrie quickly continued before he could pry into other things.
"...Smiling Man mentioned the Great Collapse incident?"
"He asked why it's not in the combat simulation room's scenarios."
"Obviously..."
"I told him it's because it only happened once 20 years ago. Even scholars say it was just bad luck. He seemed to accept that."
But thinking back, an inexplicable unease spread.
So today, she'd gone to the Hero Commission to request adding it as a scenario.
And she planned to contact the Chinese side herself.
"Hmm."
Having heard her out, the Sword Saint stroked his chin.
"I'll be better than you for this."
"Pardon?"
"Those continent folks got serious about swords because of that martial world nonsense. Thanks to that, I know full well how renowned the Jin family's name is in China, don't I?"
"Well... true."
Definitely. The old man would be better than her.
"If it's fast, tomorrow. At latest, within three days, we'll have an answer."
"That quick? Wow. Our old man is popular."
This should go pretty smoothly. Valkyrie was pleased.
But the Sword Saint's reaction was a bit off.
He was lost in thought, pondering something.
"What're you thinking, old man? You're making me anxious again."
"If Smiling Man said that, it sounds like he wants to raise the cadets' level."
"He said it was just offhand."
"You really think so?"
As if. If it were, she wouldn't have stepped up like this.
"I've been a bit bored lately anyway."
"What are you planning..."
"I hear there's an opening for a second-semester instructor at Hero Academy. I should apply."
"Ehhh?"
The Sword Saint heading to the academy. This terrifying training demon.
Another wave of change stirred up by Smiling Man.