Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: No More Expectations
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“More certain than any fancy rhetoric. You get paid for the work you do. If you can’t pay, then don’t hire us. How great is that?”
“Th-that doesn’t make any…”
“It makes perfect sense, Deputy Association Chairman.”
Suddenly, a voice cut in between Yoo Seongwon and the deputy association chairman—a man who had been quietly listening until now: Go Cheonsu, master of Blue Dragon Guild.
At his intervention and words, the deputy chairman’s face drained of even more color, a look of utter distress crossing his features. He’d never imagined Go Cheonsu would side with the other party.
Go Cheonsu, arms crossed, scanned the room before continuing.
“With seven S-class Hunters under his command, why wouldn’t it? Especially ones who can turn the tables on S-class monsters in even matchups. You saw it, didn’t you?”
Individuals who could go one-on-one, buffed up against S-class monsters in a 5v5—and they’d crushed them instead.
Of course, those monsters hadn’t coordinated at all, which was why they’d won, but a fact was a fact.
“For people like that to suggest a contract instead of resorting to violence? You should be grateful they’re even bothering with a deal.”
“Hah, but… still…”
“The government and Association could throw their weight around before because they held ‘authority’ over all Hunters. But they possess power that surpasses all that authority. And… they don’t seem beholden to any particular Constellation or bound by strict rules. Anyway, we’ve got plenty to do—don’t waste time whining about what can’t be done.”
‘With that damn Knight’s Grace… Well, at least it cuts down on the back-and-forth.’
Yoo Seongwon inwardly sighed in relief as he watched Go Cheonsu, long-time head of one of the Big Three Guilds, leave the man speechless.
Truth be told, he’d had zero intention of negotiating or compromising from the start. He’d only brought up payment to protect Choi Choong-seon.
Without Go Cheonsu’s intervention, he probably would’ve escalated to some ugly threats against the sniveling deputy.
“Then this issue… Ack! We’ll table it for now. Whew~ In any case, with the Yi Moksa incident and the shifting landscape of S-class Hunters, the future of Korea hangs in the balance. The damage was severe, but we still took down two S-class monsters—a major victory. Including the previous Regkhorn, that makes three. Down from ten to seven now. Plus, the chaos from the fall and presumed death of Yi Moksa, that massive Demon force. They’ll be disorganized and rampaging for a while… so we strike Slaughter King’s territory in the gap.”
‘…Where have I heard this before?’
Yoo Seongwon glanced sidelong at the knights seated nearby.
Yeah—right after a successful counterattack, the enemy would be in disarray, so hitting them now would be effective.
It was exactly what his own knights had suggested before.
Sure, these Association execs sitting at the table weren’t complete idiots, but good plans meant nothing without the ability to execute.
“We’ll need the military’s power, of course, but we’ll need you Hunters too. Undercities can be shelled with artillery or missiles, but dungeons ultimately require Hunters to clear.”
“Leave a portal behind and get flanked from the rear? That’d be a problem.”
“Dungeon raids… yeah, S-class Hunters are crucial there. You’ll be the pillars holding the line, and when we push forward, S-class monsters will come to defend the Undercities—we’ll need you to handle those too. It’s an opportunity that might never come again…”
The Association exec eyed Yoo Seongwon’s group openly, but the armor obscured their reactions, making it hard to gauge.
Having clashed head-on earlier, he decided not to press the conversation himself and subtly signaled the government official beside him to take over.
“…Ahem, since we’re getting into operations now, I’ll take it from here. The military’s current plan is to start with artillery barrages and missile strikes to destroy Undercities, then advance with army units and guilds to clear dungeons, installing dungeon detection devices as we reclaim key strongholds.”
“But the enemy won’t just sit idle, right? Even leaving S-class aside, the A- and B-class monsters under Slaughter King are no pushovers, and there are hordes of them.”
“Correct. We’re aware. But that perception comes from the enemy concentrating on one city, Seoul. In reality, A- and B-class numbers are higher than S-class, but not by hundreds or thousands each. If we widen the front and push offensively, they’ll have to disperse their forces to respond.”
Olympus and Blue Dragon Guilds nodded as they heard the military strategy.
For something thrown together on short notice, it was a solid plan with plenty of considerations.
The timing was perfect too—the factions that had allied with Yi Moksa and betrayed everyone had failed, and this total mobilization had identified them all, so they couldn’t move freely.
As long as internal intel didn’t leak, it was a feasible offensive.
“The goal of this operation is to destroy the notorious major Undercities and wipe out the Scavengers first and foremost, but if possible, we’d like to reclaim Pyongyang too. Ultimately, secure the hub from Pyongyang through Kaesong to Seoul, turn Pyongyang into a frontline city, and push Slaughter King’s domestic forces completely north—that’s the endgame.”
‘…Dreams as big as the sky. Well, everyone dreams of going to Seoul National University…’
“We also plan to coordinate with Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King’s Chinese forces and the Russian military. A three-pronged attack, essentially. No matter how vast Slaughter King’s forces, they can’t send all their S-class monsters our way. This is the moment our counterattack truly pays off.”
Yoo Seongwon was surprised by how reasonable the plan sounded.
Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King was an enemy of the Chinese Communist Party but a benevolent Constellation overall, having descended as an avatar to rule northeastern China around Beijing.
It cherished the people under its protection and was mortal enemies with Slaughter King’s man-eating forces.
“Of course, relations with the Chinese Communist government will sour, but national security comes first, so this seems the best course.”
“But Dragon-Phoenix King is busy fighting Constellation Qin Emperor and the Communist government internally?”
“Still, they’ll agree to removing one threat. Same for the Russians. If it works, we might even aim for a core dungeon raid to finish Slaughter King’s forces for good.”
Core dungeon.
The heart of a Constellation force that descended to Earth with its own army.
Unlike Constellations that chose humans, if a core dungeon was destroyed, all subordinate forces vanished naturally, preventing that Constellation—Slaughter King—from bringing more to Earth.
Though it could still select humans like the others afterward.
‘Core dungeon, huh. Easier said than done—who’s gonna tackle that? It’s basically beyond S-class… Well, whatever.’
“Anyway, that’s too far ahead, so back to the point… As I said earlier, we’ll need S-class guilds, but above all, S-class Hunters. To block S-class monsters. Especially ones strong enough for one-on-one matchups… that’d be ideal. Blue Dragon and Olympus are vital, but… we absolutely need Yoo Seongwon’s power.”
“…….”
Yoo Seongwon was so flabbergasted he couldn’t speak.
What kind of face allowed them to say that? Did they even have consciences?
His restraint snapped under the absurdity and rising fury.
“Yoo Seongwon?”
“Hahaha… This isn’t even funny. After what you pulled earlier, what you did to me, what I did to you… You saw it all, and that’s what comes out of your mouth? Did you investigate me or not? No, you’re just oblivious? Or deliberately ignoring it?”
“W-wait…”
“I despaired in this world. I expect nothing from you. So why do you keep expecting from me? What do you want? You always say it yourselves.”
He’d stood up at some point, armor shed, venting his rage.
This ordinary citizen, hardened by a life of deprivation, pain, and grief, could no longer tolerate people who obliviously imposed their demands as if it were natural.
“Live with what you have! Resign yourself! Give up! Do as you’re told! Don’t act out! What era do you think this is? In those damn shelters! That shitty army! Even the academies! Courts! Government! You…”
He’d learned the cheapness of human life in the shelters.
The worthlessness of human value in the military.
That humans atop humans existed in academia.
That to the government, humans were mere cogs, parts in society.
Humans progressed, they said—but the Awakener and Constellation crises regressed everything.
Thus, he learned this world was just a brief 100-year stopover.
So even when emotions stirred, he expected nothing from them, desired nothing.
He wished they’d extend the same to him.
That was his sole wish.
“You clueless bastards only get it when it’s spelled out. If you’ve got grudges, blame the ‘gods’ who Awakened trash like me this strong. Apocalypse or whatever—I don’t care. I only talked contracts to make deals smooth. Kids, let’s go.”
“W-wait just a moment. If…”
“The only one who can say a word to me is that old lady who gave ungrateful scum like me free grace. One more word of bullshit, and I’ll grind you into hamburger right here.”
“H-heeek!”
The official tried to intervene but collapsed trembling at Yoo Seongwon’s fully unleashed killing intent.
The knights silently opened the portal to the knight order’s sanctuary and filed through. Choi Choong-seon glanced around before following Yoo Seongwon.
Those left behind panicked at the storm of fury that had raged and departed, unsure how to interpret the scene.
“Well, even psychos can Awaken, I guess.”
“I-I was really shocked too. Whew~ No idea what he’s thinking.”
“Th-that guy… if we leave him be, won’t he become a huge threat later? His ideology is way too scary…”
“N-no, why the sudden outburst? Jeez~”
Starting with Go Cheonsu, they desperately chattered, badmouthing the departed to lighten the mood.
Except for Baek Ga-yeon and Go Cheonsu, everyone seemed deeply shaken by Yoo Seongwon’s wrath, hands and feet trembling as they struggled to calm down.
‘Aigoo, my head. I told him to stay quiet, but he couldn’t hold back. Sigh… Didn’t he already know these idiots would act like this? Just nod along vaguely, ignore later or go radio silent—that’s all it would’ve taken. Why act so immature?’
A mix of pity for him and fury at these humans left Baek Ga-yeon feeling even older, vitality draining away.
“…Uh… uh… anyway, l-let’s take a short recess. N-need to change pants… c-clean up too.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. Meet back in two or three hours. As you said, we need to discuss the Slaughter King assault.”
“Yes. No better opportunity than now. We’ll talk to Olympus leadership about the strategy right away. And the lack of consideration for the hero too.”
Surprisingly, Olympus Guild slipped in a supportive remark toward Yoo Seongwon’s side before leaving the meeting room.
They owed him for saving Diomedes from Rem during the Yi Moksa chaos, and they were a bit miffed at ignoring the man who’d fought at the Seoul walls.
Thus, the total mobilization meeting, begun just an hour ago, ended in fiasco—only widening rifts between Korea’s guilds, government, and Association—before breaking for recess.