Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: The Human Factory Scheme
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“Hand over all the Olympus Guild data you’ve got first.”
“…What, talking like I’m holding it for you or something. You think I’ll just give it up that easily?”
“Hmm… If you don’t want to, how about we throw down right here? I’m no expert, but this looks like some pretty valuable equipment.”
“St-stop! Don’t touch anything recklessly!”
He’d hidden his important project well enough, but Yoo Seongwon’s ignorance made it all the worse as he poked at the machines and devices with Titan’s Stake, threatening him.
Was this ordinary equipment? A human factory. It was packed with data and facilities essential for advancing beyond mere production to custom-ordering humans like vending machine snacks.
Having it manhandled like this left even the unflappable Pastor Lee flustered.
‘At least he doesn’t know about my research yet…’
“Anyway, this is wild. I heard you were making a ‘human ranch’… but this setup rivals a cutting-edge lab.”
‘Kuh…!’
By some miracle, the man still didn’t realize he was trying to build a human factory.
That fact, above all, could never get out.
Humans creating humans was humanity’s ultimate taboo. If it leaked, starting with this guy, people from neighboring countries would smash his research to bits.
And without the power or means to subdue this human right now, he had to hide it even more thoroughly.
“W-well, even a regular ranch needs facilities like this as standard. For breed and feed improvements, plus countermeasures against new diseases from emerging constellations and monsters every year. This is actually on the small side for me.”
“Is that so?”
“Anyway, I’ll give you the Olympus Guild data! Just wait!”
Pastor Lee’s face paled as he hurriedly booted his computer to transfer the files to an external hard drive, desperate to send Yoo Seongwon packing as quickly as possible.
The Olympus Guild data volume was beyond imagination, and copying it over took considerable time.
‘Even splitting it and using a data cable, it’ll take a whopping 8 hours and 34 minutes.’
Leaving Yoo Seongwon here that whole time weighed heavily on Pastor Lee.
He wanted him gone yesterday.
In the end, Pastor Lee decided to hand over the pre-copied backups they used for their own purposes or sales.
‘But if I give it right away, even this guy would get suspicious. I need to kill at least a few hours…’
“Takes a while, huh?”
“That’s right. It’ll take some time, so why not step out for a bit?”
“Nah, not really in the mood. If I run into someone who recognizes me out there, that’d be a headache.”
And so began their bizarre, uncomfortable cohabitation out of nowhere.
Letting the man who’d killed the apostle of the Slaughter King constellation slide was bad enough, but lunging at him now would unravel everything he’d built—so Pastor Lee had no choice but to endure.
Swallowing humiliation for the future—wasn’t that just how it went? He gritted his teeth and prayed the time would pass uneventfully.
“But… sneaking in here to grab stuff on the sly? Sounds like you don’t want Olympus Guild knowing. Am I right?”
“Spot on. To be top dog in guild society, I’ve gotta take down Olympus Guild eventually. Those bastards treat me like their lapdog whenever they’re bored. ‘Maintain East Asian peace,’ this and that…”
“Heh heh heh, I see.”
To keep Yoo Seongwon from rummaging through his lab, Pastor Lee fired off questions to distract him.
Oblivious to the scheme, Yoo Seongwon lounged in a corner, casually answering while waiting leisurely.
“Heh heh heh, still, toppling Olympus Guild won’t be easy. What’s your plan?”
“Dunno. Play it by ear. More importantly, what possessed you to kick Olympus Guild in the nuts? Sure, you were confident, but most folks steer clear of that hornet’s nest. Weren’t scavengers all about self-preservation first?”
“Huh, h-heh! W-well… y-yeah! That’s right. But s-sometimes, for profit, you gotta take b-big risks.”
“You don’t strike me as the cautious type? That’s what the other scavengers said.”
As Yoo Seongwon probed deeper, Pastor Lee started trembling in panic.
He’d targeted Olympus Guild for his grand goal: a human cloning factory, endless service to the Slaughter King constellation. Spilling that now? The guy wouldn’t sit idle.
He’d lose his hard-built facilities—and his life.
“I’ve got my mission too. As a servant of our Slaughter King constellation, I must offer sacrifices when I can. That’s why we moved into the Japanese market, and Olympus Guild was just a juicy target in the process.”
“I see. Speaking of, what happened to those ship folks you dragged to the core dungeon? Not asking for them back—just checking in. No way to anyway.”
“Exactly. They put up futile resistance, but that place isn’t a joke. You can’t escape without beating the incarnation in the depths. They all ended up as apostle chow.”
“Figured as much.”
“You’re awfully dry about it for a guy who fought us spouting justice and chivalry. Shouldn’t that be unforgivable?”
Pastor Lee suddenly questioned the disconnect between the rumored distant figure and the one before him.
The knight in golden armor who’d fiercely battled them yelling about chivalry and justice—hard to believe it was the same guy casually hearing about deaths.
“Yeah, true. By that damn chivalry code, I should wipe you out, especially with Olympus Guild’s commission. But everything has its order, and that’s why you’re still breathing.”
“Using us as bait, huh. Keeps Olympus Guild’s eyes elsewhere while we live.”
“Roughly… yeah. Plus, it’s not just this—you’ve done plenty of rotten stuff before.”
“Heh heh heh, rotten stuff? That’s a loaded term. Humans—no, all creatures live by taking others’ lives. You gonna call that evil? Condemn all life built on it?”
“Not condemning, just… my take. Hey, even a stray mutt can bark as it pleases. Woof woof! Though if it’s weak, it ends up in the soup pot.”
“Keh heh heh, fair point.”
And so they killed time with idle chit-chat.
As conversation topics dwindled, Pastor Lee slyly pulled out the external drives with his separate copies, ready to hand them over.
‘Once I pass these and tell him to scram…’
“Pastor Lee! Pastor Lee! You there? Gimme more goods! These are flying off shelves in China and Japan—total chaos. So… Huh? New face? Who’re you?”
Perfect or disastrous timing—Park Sookja barged in right then, here to restock after sales boomed.
Alarms blared in Pastor Lee’s head as he scrambled for a fix, but turning around, he saw Yoo Seongwon had already stowed Titan’s Stake, bowed 90 degrees with hands politely clasped, greeting her.
“Ah, yes! I’m just an errand boy under Pastor Lee’s orders. Move this, fetch that—whatever he says. Heh heh… heh heh heh…”
“Hmm… You don’t quite seem the type. Pastor Lee, another experiment?”
“A-hem! Something like that! F-for now, we’re busy—come back in two hours! G-get out! Quick! It could mess up the results!”
Park Sookja gawked at the flustered, shouting Pastor Lee she’d never seen before, but figuring compliance was best, she backed off.
Crisis averted—miraculously, without her recognizing Yoo Seongwon. Pastor Lee locked the door behind her, slumped into his chair, and exhaled in relief.
“Phew~ Felt like a decade shaved off my life.”
“Hmm, guess without the armor, folks don’t recognize me. That lady seemed pretty strong…”
“That armor’s aura versus now? Night and day. A-anyway! Ahem! Here’s that data you wanted. Take it and get… er, go.”
“Faster than expected. Good equipment here, huh?”
“Ours came from looting Olympus too, so yeah. Heh heh heh. I swear on my god—these are every scrap we took from Olympus Guild!”
Of course, they were mere backups, but Pastor Lee bluffed shamelessly as he handed over the drives.
With the oath overheard, Yoo Seongwon nodded in satisfaction, stowed them neatly in his inventory, and left the lab.
‘Phew~ Dodged that bullet.’
“Then take care, and stay alive long as bait. Avoid heading south if you can~ Also… not sure on exact timing, but bounty hunters requested missile strikes on Russia and China, so expect bombing soon. Better bounce.”
“What?”
“Live long for full bait duty~ See ya!”
Yoo Seongwon vanished in a golden flash like a gust of wind.
Pastor Lee, who’d followed him out, watched him speed off in armor, relieved his secret was safe—until he spotted missiles streaking from the distant sky, vanishing into the ensuing explosions.
***
Meanwhile, departing Yoo Seongwon glanced back at the exploding Yanbian Under City with a faint smile.
He’d requested the strike himself—slipping a note with coordinates and timing through the knights’ sanctuary portal while stashing the goods.
His name alone made missile strikes from the Korean government a breeze.
He’d called in mana stone warheads and assorted long-range barrages for a proper payback.
“Tricking him’s wrong, but compared to your human cloning plot? Small potatoes. A factory for humans? What a mess.”
He’d played dumb, but Yoo Seongwon had sniffed out the research long before meeting Pastor Lee.
Before arriving, posing as a customer in the Under City, he’d first “met” Pastor Lee’s clone wandering around.
‘Heh heh heh, what’re you shopping for? Take your time…’
‘How’re you here?’
‘Thinking of that human ranch duo and this Pastor Lee? Pieces fell into place.’
Crazy folks didn’t stop at half-measures, right?
[Master, scan of enemy facility complete. Not mere agrotech—likely a biotech factory. Human remains hidden inside and scattered…]
‘…Even without me, the knights watching from the sanctuary would’ve caught on.’
Having seen through Pastor Lee’s scheme, Yoo Seongwon couldn’t leave it be—so he’d secretly called in the firepower.
Imagining the man wailing amid ruined equipment, Yoo Seongwon raced toward the frontline city for his next task.