Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Compelling Cooperation
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About 30 minutes later, a voice finally rang out from the group I'd been facing down.
"Enough! I'm done! What the hell is that guy?!"
One of them shouted that, sheathed his weapon, and raised both hands in surrender.
"Wise choice."
I gave his shoulder a friendly pat. Sure enough, some desperate hunter tried to exploit that split-second opening, and his jaw shattered as a result.
Once things reached that point, the remaining hunters sheathed their weapons and raised their hands too.
"What the hell are you doing? Fulfill the contract!"
Even as Daniel Royce bellowed, the hunters who'd already surrendered refused to lift a finger against me again.
"Damn it all, open fire!"
Daniel finally yelled that, drew his pistol, and took aim at me.
As he fired, bullets and grenades rained down like a storm on the spot where I'd been standing.
"Can't we just talk for a minute? Is that so damn hard?"
There was no way they'd hit me. Even the mana-wielding hunters had whiffed completely and somehow convinced themselves they'd landed a shot. Ordinary people couldn't touch me with gunfire.
The spot where the bullets and grenades had poured in was empty. I'd been right beside him the instant he'd pulled the trigger.
With an arm slung casually around his shoulders, I pressed my spear tip to his throat and grinned.
"You gotta know when to poke at someone's temper."
The blade slid lightly across his neck, slicing skin and drawing blood along its path.
"You really wanna die today, huh?"
I could feel his body go rigid. Even the guys who'd been gleefully unloading bullets and grenades just moments ago couldn't bring themselves to attack now.
"I could just scrap all this, lop your head off like picking an apple, and head home."
"And how do you plan to deal with the fallout?"
"You think I'd come here without considering that?"
In this situation, honestly, it wouldn't be hard at all.
"...Let's talk it out. Talk."
"Talk sounds good. I've been politely asking the whole time."
Having to hold a blade to his throat just to get a conversation going. It was so pathetic I almost felt like crying.
I readily pulled the spear away from his neck and handed him a handkerchief.
"What's the reason you're not cooperating with the train?"
I was genuinely curious. Let's hear it.
Daniel took the handkerchief and wiped the blood trickling from his neck as he answered.
"We need the shield generator more than Britain does."
"Because of Ristorante?"
He nodded immediately at my words.
"Obviously. Britain's not dealing with any major erosion zones right now. But we've got Ristorante pushing up from Italy!"
I made a sympathetic face at that.
"The shield generator's still in the experimental phase. It needs a safe spot to collect data."
Dragging it straight into one of the Great Eight's erosion zones like Ristorante's was out of the question. Even if they secured data, retrieval would be a nightmare.
And on top of that...
"Like I said on the radio, the Korean government doesn't see you as Germany's shiny new legit authority."
More like a bunch of punks squatting in the ruins. Hard to argue with that view. How could anyone call these guys a proper government?
The Hunter Association's European branch wasn't in Britain for no reason.
Put simply, it was like lending an aircraft carrier to Somali pirates because they promised to return it "clean and tidy." Yeah, right.
"Besides, you'd give it back if we asked nicely?"
Daniel fell silent for a moment before replying.
"If the price was right, sure."
"What are you, common thugs?"
They didn't make the damn thing, just hijacked it, and now they wanted compensation for handing it over? Talk about the British Museum pretending to be saints with their mummies.
"Gimme something to drink anyway."
Daniel jerked his chin at my request, and soon I had a glass of some liquid. I took a sip, grimaced, wiped my mouth, and glared at him.
"What, this your idea of payback?"
I'd expected something cola-like, but what the hell was this?
"Beats me. Haven't had real cola in months. That's just the closest color match we can scrounge up."
One guy's bottle was labeled "Cocoa Soda Extract." North Korean soda? How the hell did that end up here?
No way something this foul-tasting got consumed in Korea. Must've been dumped overseas.
"I said we should talk, but this ain't exactly a negotiation table."
I set down the glass after one sip and stated flatly.
"Cooperate."
"Talking like you think they've left you any choice."
Instead of answering, I flicked his spear.
"There are other options. I don't recommend them, though."
If they hated dying that much, they'd have to die anyway. Not my problem.
"I won't ignore a dying man's last wish if they say 'just kill me.'"
"You son of a bitch. Who the hell's calling who a thug here?"
He had no comeback for that. I took paid jobs too, and these guys had just judged it wasn't worth their while to escort the shield generator.
To put it bluntly, this thug was tougher than that thug, so this was the result. Not exactly my favorite way to do things.
"What exactly do you mean by cooperate?"
"That's not for you to discuss with me."
I tapped the radio on his belt.
"Think of me as a matchmaker."
I just set up the meeting—the actual talk is between you and Lee Se-eun, who's busy handing out relief supplies in Warsaw right now.
"Did Candy Lady ask you to do this?"
"Nah, I just got fed up with the delays and jumped in."
Daniel muttered "Figures" under his breath.
"Candy Lady wouldn't come out swinging like this."
Lee Se-eun already had a reputation, and these guys knew it—and planned to exploit it.
"You think Candy Lady will just let your solo act slide?"
"I'm not with Zanabi LLC. My contract's with Embargo Tower. Whatever she thinks of my actions is her business, not mine."
Daniel's eyes darted around as he processed that.
"The respect and authority tied to the Candy Lady name runs deep among hunters."
"If I gave a damn about that, you think I'd have helicoptered in cursing you out?"
I spun my spear with a flourish and tapped the ground.
"Fair enough."
I grinned and added,
"If I head back without a solid answer, she might spin it differently later. I'm sticking around."
Daniel looked utterly baffled.
"In Korea, they say guys like you have their gallbladders hanging out their asses."
"I can hold my liquor pretty well. Just hook me up with a place to crash and some food."
They'd already decided to cooperate, so no backing out now. After staring at me for a while, Daniel sighed and replied.
"Yoo Chan-seok, I get that you're the reckless type."
He barked some orders to his men, and soon I had quarters assigned.
"What's that?"
On the way to my lodgings, I spotted people hawking jars on the street and asked Daniel. Something chunky floated in liquid inside the jars.
"Canned mixed meat."
Curious, I bought one for 350 won. Popping the lid unleashed a fishy stench. I grimaced at Daniel.
"This smell's killer."
Daniel seemed to have never smelled it up close either. He covered his mouth with a handkerchief and snapped coldly,
"Damn it, toss it. We'll provide dinner—don't even think about taking that."
"Seriously, don't eat it. Some aren't properly sterilized, and you could die."
One of Daniel's soldiers warned me. Botulism risk, he said. Untreated fatality over 50%, and proper care wasn't available in Europe anymore.
"Still looked like they couldn't get enough of it."
I thought of the gaunt folks milling around the vendor. Not the faces of people eyeing potentially lethal rotten meat.
The seller even had a shotgun propped openly nearby, ready for looters. That meant trouble was expected.
"Not our problem."
"Yeah?"
Daniel shot me a glance.
"We're paying hunters out of our own pockets, arming and manning defenses to hold this land. They should be grateful."
We arrived at my quarters mid-conversation—a large tent barracks. A petroleum heater glowed inside, and food was laid out.
Sautéed cod, bacon, and potatoes, served with rye bread, beer, a stew of turnips and beef, and fruit pudding for dessert.
"Big step up from that canned crap."
"You've been picking fights all night."
Daniel stared at me openly annoyed.
"Nah. Thanks for the spread. Digging in."
I was the one eating their food; no reason to starve because others were. I chased big changes over small mercies.
I sat at the table.
"So, how many hunters facing Ristorante down south are coming here?"
Daniel paused mid-forkful and fixed me with a stare.
"Cut the asshole act already."
They'd rolled out the red carpet after I crushed 80 of their hunters, but they sure as hell weren't welcoming me.
They'd probably pulled some skilled ones from the southern front somehow.
I chewed a piece of cod.
"You know that and still let me hang around? You're the crazy one."
"Can't leave. And why should I?"
I slapped a hand on his shoulder. Paradox Flame clung to him, thin as a candle flame.
"...?!"
Daniel flinched and frantically brushed at the flame on his shoulder. But it wouldn't budge.
"That flame's harmless. Don't sweat it."
It was burning away his body odor.
Sounds and smells regenerated fast even if burned off. Not like torching his senses themselves.
"But if things go south, it'll burn you alive."
I crossed my legs and kept eating.
"Hey, this stew's killer."
Daniel didn't reply. Not in the mood for chit-chat.
"You can't keep that up forever."
I chuckled.
"Ask your hunters. They'll tell you if I can maintain it or not."
They'd felt it firsthand. I chugged my beer, slammed the empty mug down, and said,
"If I want, I could keep that flame on you for life."
Threat delivered, I wolfed down the rest of the food, let out a satisfied belch, and stood.
"Good luck with the negotiations. Pull any tricks, and that bomb around your neck goes boom."
"You bastard..."
I waved casually as I rose.
"I'll spectate too, so call me when talks start. I'll rest till then. Aim to kick off by tomorrow afternoon—no dragging your feet."