Chapter 69. The First Crime in the Group.
Chapter 69. The First Crime in the Group.
Chairman Lee listened to my answer, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Heh... hahahaha!! A pastime, is it... I've read a few of the novels my grandchildren enjoy, so I know how this goes. Overwhelmingly powerful beings who can't endure boredom descend to the mortal world, change their appearance, and amuse themselves with diversions."
This old man was genuinely entertaining.
"Then what is it you want from me?"
"Entertainment."
"Entertainment, you say..."
"Yes. Whether you wield that power as a tyrant or a sage king makes no difference to me. The process itself would be my entertainment. Though if harm were to come to my group, that would be an entirely different matter, of course."
"Heh heh... Representative, have you ever been called a demon?"
Terion, who had been quietly present since the conversation turned to Titan, muttered beside me.
"Even demons would piss themselves at the sight of the 'Calamity.'"
"Big brother, so the Representative was that terrifying a man."
Chairman Lee's affinity was remarkably high. The way he unhesitatingly called Terion, who had lived far longer than him, big brother was proof enough. If you looked at this man's MBTI, he'd be an extreme-E type, no question.
Chairman Lee received the jewel with a resolute look in his eyes.
"This actually builds trust. No honeyed words, no demands, simply offering me power without asking for anything."
And with that, he swallowed the jewel in one gulp. Smoke began rising from his body as impurities were expelled. Soon his wrinkled skin filled out somewhat, and a sharp clarity settled into his eyes.
After the transformation was complete, he no longer looked like an octogenarian at all. He had grown young enough to feel like the same generation as my father-in-law. He clenched and unclenched his hands, feeling the change.
"Representative, might you be a 'god'?"
"I wish to be human."
Not "I am human," but "I wish to be human." He nodded, as if understanding the subtly different answer.
"This power brims with vitality, and unfamiliar knowledge enters my mind as if I'd known it all along..."
The average Awakened wouldn't even be able to scratch him now.
"Hah... I had intended to return at once, but it seems I must stay a little longer."
To help him adjust to his abruptly changed strength, I called him out to the clearing. Naturally, the others, their curiosity piqued, followed along as a bonus.
I scooped up a handful of small pebbles from the ground and threw them at him fast, putting a little force behind them. But he deftly swatted them all aside with the back of his hand. He'd done it himself, yet even he was astonished by his changed strength.
"I could see the pebbles you threw... It felt as though time was flowing just a little slower."
I called Min-cheol over and had him spar with Chairman Lee. He was pushed back a little due to lack of experience, but with a bit of training they'd be evenly matched. Assuming, of course, that Min-cheol stopped training.
"Truly, I can't remember the last time I exercised enough to break a sweat. It must be decades."
"With that level of strength and the Awakened you have, Chairman, you'll be able to repel external intrusions. Clearing out the zombies won't be impossible either."
He bowed politely, bending at the waist a full ninety degrees.
"I will never forget this kindness. Thank you. Next time I come, I will bring a gift."
We had them stay for dinner, saw them off afterward, then returned to the assembly hall ourselves. But Jia was staring at me with a slightly pouty face.
"Oppa, why don't you do that kind of thing for us?"
Her pouty face was so adorable I had trouble holding back a laugh. The other adults were also gazing at Jia with fond amusement.
"You... aren't my diversions."
As I spoke, I turned and looked at everyone. They stared at me with touched expressions, which made me scratch my head awkwardly.
Anyway, we finished tidying up, and everyone returned to their own homes.
* * * * * * * *
Time passed like that. Chairman Lee visited us several more times, and sometimes a few other people living at the Research Complex came along. Chairman Lee always wore an apologetic expression, as if he had no choice.
They probably came hoping I'd give them something too.
I gave them nothing, naturally. They always left with displeased expressions.
We had been gradually expanding the safe zone as planned, but even though everyone had become Awakened, the results weren't visibly dramatic.
People who had only just started learning couldn't just go around casually slicing up zombies like something out of a novel. They were simply sturdier and faster than ordinary people.
Then one day, David called on the radio for the first time in a while. I took it.
"Mister Cheon, it's been a while."
"Ha, it has. I hadn't heard from you in so long I thought you were dead."
"Ha ha ha!!! So you do know how to crack a joke. Anyway, thanks to you, we dealt with the orc and goblin groups successfully."
I had actually explained about orcs and goblins to him. I told him leaving out any mention of Titan, so he probably thought I just named them after their similar appearance to fantasy creatures from novels.
"David, anyway, what's the reason for your call?"
"It's just that other countries have been experiencing similar events. So when I shared our strategies, they asked for the source, and I mentioned Mister Cheon. If that offended you, I apologize."
"I don't particularly mind."
"Actually, that's why I contacted you. I thought it better to tell you and seek your understanding than to hide it for no reason."
I genuinely did not care. It wasn't some great secret. Though if this ended up being a nuisance, that would be another problem.
"I shared the information with Japan and several European nations. Incidentally, I understand China's communications have also come online, but for some reason they've been quiet."
"Well... they are a famously closed-off country."
"That could be it. Ah, Japan says an enormous forest has appeared there. Do you know anything about it?"
"A forest? Mountains, if left unmanaged..."
"No, it's not on that scale. It's a forest of tremendous size, like the Amazon jungle."
"Hmm... I'm not sure."
"I contacted you as a heads-up, just in case. I'll be in touch again. Stay healthy."
And so that brief conversation ended, and I hung up. Naturally, the others had been listening by my side the whole time.
"A forest... Could it be orcs and goblins appearing again?"
"Probably not. As far as I know, they don't have the power to alter the terrain itself."
Hmm... well, it's probably nothing major.
The actual reason we'd gathered was that the Group's people had reached a certain level of training, and we were discussing the idea of holding a tournament.
"Sihu, so as we discussed, do you intend to award prizes for first, second, and third place?"
"Yes. For fourth through tenth I'll give swords of decent quality, and for first, second, and third I plan to divide them by grades of quality."
Eventually the day of the tournament arrived, and I permitted a modest amount of drinking. In this desolate world, it was the first diversion anyone had experienced, and everyone watched the matches in high spirits.
And plenty of people came to visit from the Research Complex as well, including Chairman Lee.
"You may all attack as if you intend to kill each other. No one needs to worry about dying. I will be right here watching the entire time."
Several hours later, everyone's rankings were decided. I personally handed out the prizes.
First place: a Mithril Sword forged by dwarves.
Second place: an iron sword forged by dwarves.
Third place: an iron sword forged by a human master craftsman.
And fourth through tenth place were awarded high-quality iron swords.
Even after the tournament ended, its excitement hadn't cooled. So I permitted the people a bit more drinking for the first time in a long while. The Research Complex people and our executive staff gathered separately in the yard in front of the assembly hall to enjoy more drinks.
And on this day, I brought out a special dish.
"Wow... I was already amazed by the fish I ate last time, but raw fish? I couldn't have imagined it. And where on earth did you get this whiskey?"
It was a bottle of whiskey David had given me earlier; there was some left, so I brought it. We also provided some fish to the others. The whiskey, though, was just for us.
"Chairman Lee, how are you feeling physically these days?"
I wasn't asking about his health, but how the power he had received was settling in. He understood, of course.
"My body brims with more vitality by the day. And I am steadily learning the martial techniques the Representative taught me."
"Good to hear you are adapting well. I can see for myself you've been training consistently."
"However... discontent has been surfacing little by little."
"Discontent?"
"Yes. Talk like: why did you give power only to him and nothing to the rest of us, isn't this discrimination."
Humans are all alike. They don't separate what's yours and what's mine with cool, objective logic. When they don't have something, envy and jealousy are inevitable.
"Just leave them be."
"Excuse me...? Why would..."
"Don't you think a changing of the guard is overdue... Chairman?"
At my cold words, Chairman Lee pressed his lips shut and stared. Then he began to nod.
"You are right..."
"Then wait until their discontent turns into action. That would give you ample justification, wouldn't it?"
We continued our conversation as time passed.
"It's getting quite late now. Everyone, let's wrap things up."
Another day ended like that. After seeing the Research Complex visitors off, we returned to our daily lives.
The chief secretary notified us that an extremely urgent report had come in, requesting we gather at the assembly hall. We assembled at the hall and listened to the report together. The chief secretary began the briefing with a very grave expression.
"A murder has occurred..."
On the faces of my companions, emotions surfaced one by one: shock, silence, rage, disbelief. Then, all at once, people began to murmur and speak up.
"What bastard would...!"
"Chief Secretary, what was the reason? Have you caught the culprit?"
"..."
"How could this..."
It was the first murder and the first crime to occur in a group that everyone had believed was endlessly peaceful.