Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Goose
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Suni reminded me, and the memory came flooding back.
The prisoners, including Cheon Su-ho, were hunting in Cheongju in groups of eight.
They'd head out from Sejong City early in the morning by car, hunt, collect mana stones, and return to camp. That was their routine.
There was no pay, of course.
Just enough food to keep them from keeling over dead.
Guilt? Not a shred.
These were vile criminals—perfect slave labor with a rock-solid excuse to work them to the bone.
In the original world, the government sent the worst villains to the front lines to fight monsters pouring down from North Korea.
I'd seen it done and thought it was brilliant.
Now that I was doing it myself, I got why. It was a golden goose, mana stones rolling in without lifting a finger.
Only an idiot wouldn't use it.
Two men had been appointed managers of these golden geese.
Do Hyun-seong was one of them.
I'd just blanked on it for a second since I didn't care much.
He was a D-rank Body Enhancement Awakener, a former executive from the survivor camp who'd hunted zombie monsters.
D-rank meant decent combat skills, but I'd told him to stay out of the prisoners' hunts unless absolutely necessary.
All I wanted was for him to manage them properly.
The prisoner hunting team would stick to two managers and roughly platoon-sized groups.
The other executive seemed to be guarding the prisoners.
"You found a mid-level Corrupted Being?"
"Yes. We spotted a giant spider monster about five meters tall. But..."
Do Hyun-seong glanced at me nervously as he reported.
"Two prisoners died."
I thought it might be something serious, but it was no big deal.
The current prisoner hunting team was a mix of Awakeners and non-Awakeners.
Excluding Cheon Su-ho, there was just one F-rank Body Enhancement Awakener.
Casualties weren't surprising.
Spiders might come one at a time at first, but deeper into the city, they multiplied. It was inevitable.
"There are plenty of prisoners at camp. Pick some suitable ones to replace them. Add more if you think it's necessary..."
"Understood."
Sejong City saw all sorts of people trickle in—not just healthy survivors, but crazies too. We'd been capturing and locking them up.
Jang Seo-won had a bunch stashed away for experiments before.
We weren't short on prisoners to deploy.
"What about the rest?"
"Th-the prisoners, sir?"
"Yeah."
"They're resting after pulling back."
"........."
"Sh-should I give them some orders?"
My displeasure must've shown on my face, because Do Hyun-seong eyed me anxiously.
It was still midday.
They could've bagged a few more, but they'd earned some credit, so I'd let it slide...
"Fine. Where's the monster?"
"I'll show you."
"The deeper we go, the more organized the monsters' movements seem—unnaturally so. We spotted the big one like you said and retreated immediately."
On the outskirts of the spider monsters' territory, I saw the prisoners resting and their manager watching over them.
The executive guarding them spotted me and jumped in surprise.
"Th-the boss is here! G-get up!"
'Been a while. Let's see that Cheon Su-ho mug.'
The prisoners, collared in thick metal necklaces, staggered to their feet at the executive's bark and lined up in a row.
I scanned them casually.
They all averted their eyes the moment they met mine.
Unlike them, at the end of the line stood the defiant one, shooting me a rebellious glare... the goose. No, Cheon Su-ho.
He looked ragged, but thankfully uninjured.
He was the one mining mana stones hard—if he got hurt, it'd cripple the prisoner hunting team.
Sparing him after seeing his potential was paying off now that I was tasting the steady mana stone haul.
Obvious, really.
Even though we'd formed the prisoner hunting team, Cheon Su-ho was probably handling most of it solo.
He was the golden goose itself, delivering mana stones daily.
"Park Un-ho, and you're still doing this...?"
"What're you talking about?"
"Treating humans like disposable tools... Is this forgivable?"
"........."
This guy... was he about to lecture me on human rights?
Empathizing with these criminals? Did he not know what they'd done?
Or had hunting together sparked some camaraderie?
These were rapists and murderers who'd done it like it was breakfast.
I had zero intention of coddling scum like that.
"Then you work harder."
Honestly, the prisoners surviving this long was mostly thanks to Cheon Su-ho.
If he was hung up on human rights or brotherhood, it'd be easier to exploit that.
I ignored Cheon Su-ho's pointless rant and turned to the manager executive.
"Lead the way."
"Yes, sir."
The manager led the prisoners and me into the city where they'd been hunting.
Occasionally, we'd pass dead spider monster corpses leaking green fluids.
The prisoner team's kills, no doubt.
As repulsive as ever.
"R-right around here..."
Signs of battle and red bloodstains marked the spot.
No sign of the dead prisoners, though.
The spiders must've dragged them off...
Out of sight, out of mind. Call if needed.
"Poke it."
I ordered the nearest prisoner.
"Pardon?"
His face went blank.
"Deaf? Want me to toss you in?"
"N-no, sir!"
The tense guy prodded the spiderweb with his spear.
An unsettling sound followed.
-Clack. Clack.
-Screech!!
Soon, a massive spider monster emerged, even more grotesque up close.
"Gasp!"
The prisoners and executives swallowed hard at the sight, their bodies stiffening with tension.
Good—only one.
Cheon Su-ho and the prisoners must've cleared the small fry.
More useful than expected.
No time to waste.
I pulled a long, thick iron spear from my Inventory—one too heavy for any normal person.
Then I infused it with mana.
The spear, wrapped in black mana, stretched absurdly long.
I had no desire to get close to that thing.
-Thud!
I stomped forward, launching the spear at its head.
-Crunch!
It pierced the head before the monster could dodge.
The countless eyes in its massive head lost their glow as it collapsed.
A pleasant message popped up.
-Gulp.
The prisoners stared at me dumbfounded after the intimidating giant spider went down so easily.
Cheon Su-ho looked frustrated.
"Have the prisoners collect the mana stone, fangs, legs—any tough parts."
"Y-yes, sir!! Got it!"
Monster byproducts had their uses.
Grandpa Cheonbu Gate Leader said so, and camp deputy Im Gu-seong agreed.
If it were up to me, I'd toss them, but...
'Having guys to pawn off the grunt work definitely makes life easier.'
The prisoners swarmed the giant spider at the manager's orders, harvesting byproducts.
"Cheon Su-ho's been a bit rebellious..."
Do Hyun-seong approached cautiously.
He'd known Cheon Su-ho since Jang Seo-won's days running the camp, and with his skills, he couldn't just crack down hard.
"Hmph… If he doesn't listen, tell him you'll blow the prisoners' heads off. Make an example of one or two. That human-rights whiner will fall in line."
"Yes, sir..."
Do Hyun-seong replied with a queasy look.
Regardless, the sweet taste of easy points was addictive.
"Good work."
In a good mood, I gifted the two prisoner managers cold beer and hot chicken.
"Th-this is..."
Their eyes bulged—they'd never dreamed of begging for luxuries like this.
Impossible in this world.
The chicken's aroma was killer.
"Th-thank you, sir!!"
They clutched the bags tight and bowed deeply.
The criminals butchering the spider gulped enviously.
Luxuries were off-limits for prisoners, naturally.
'Wish I could deploy more manpower...'
Unfortunately, Cheonbu Gate and the survivor camp were busy reorganizing living areas.
Once that was done, I could ramp up properly.
'Down to 6 points now.'
These prisoners wouldn't find mid-level Corrupted Beings daily, so it'd take at least two weeks minimum.
To speed it up, I'd have to scout around myself.
Maybe hunt down that wild boar in Daejeon.
But I hesitated.
It wasn't that I doubted I could take it.
Obviously, it wouldn't go down as easily as that dumb black dragon from the original world.
Even compared to Black Wolf, it wouldn't seem weaker.
If I engaged, I had to kill it.
No letting it escape.
If it had Black Wolf-level smarts and slipped away... headache city.
Still, just scouting... that should be fine, right?