Chapter 74
Chapter 74
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: 074
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about human nature.
You shouldn't expect anything from people. That's one ironclad fact proven by the years I've lived and the experiences I've had.
No matter how many people I've saved, it doesn't really matter. The friends and family of those I couldn't save can still resent me, facts be damned.
"132 people died in that situation."
132 people. It's only natural that some of them would blame me. Hell, I've even killed people who were still alive.
That's just how humans are. Even if there's no way to bring someone back, there will always be those who turn their arrows of resentment toward the guy who killed someone still breathing.
Was there really no other way?
Didn't Yoo Chan-seok act too hastily in killing people?
But there wasn't a single trace of resentment or doubt about me on the internet. Sure, that couldn't be the majority opinion, but the complete absence of even a shred of criticism or questioning was downright bizarre.
No, people naturally pop up to envy and tear down anyone who's doing well. But right now, there wasn't even a hint of that. Not even a whiff.
This couldn't happen naturally. It's impossible. I had one conclusion.
Someone's controlling the media for later—for now, probably the government.
They're likely suppressing the voices of the bereaved families while quietly gathering data. And they'll use that collected evidence and testimonies down the line.
They'll prop me up as a savior, a hero, until I'm no longer useful—then dump all those simmering grievances and "credible" research to bury me.
I've pulled that exact con plenty of times. That's why I'm going around apologizing now, nipping any such scheme in the bud.
"It'll take a decent amount of time to visit everyone one by one. While I'm out doing that, Han Sang-ah and Jeong keep up the training."
With that, I threw on my coat and got in the car. As I drove, scrolling through articles on my phone, I let out a low sigh.
[Threat Outside the Erosion Zone. Blue House: 'Above All, This Is a Time for National Unity']
[Tragic Incident in the Heart of Seoul: What's the Government's Plan Moving Forward?]
[A Trembling Populace, Shifting Government Policies.]
[The World's Sole Safe Zone—No Longer Safe? Overcome Through Thorough Preparation and Public Cooperation.]
Most articles focused on the incident in downtown Seoul, sprinkling my name in for flavor.
The gist was simple: Citizens of Korea would have to pay a bit more in taxes, and blackouts and water shortages would drag on longer.
Any inconvenience from that? Swept under the rug with lines like, "Korea's getting dangerous too—do you really have time to complain?!"
If we don't unite now, we're all dead! That communal spirit. Not a bad play, really.
More precisely, none of my business. The Korean government wants more taxes and stockpiles from its people. As long as they don't get caught, any means justify the ends.
The problem is they're hawking my name in the process. That pisses me off. And I'm not playing along. This is Earth—where I have to live the rest of my life.
I met every single one of the 132 families. Naturally, some understood and thanked me for coming.
"Get lost!"
Others spat curses and swung at me. I took the abuse and the hits, of course.
They wailed, lunged, raged, cursed—as if I were the root of all their grief, emptiness, and despair.
"Are you okay? Honestly, I don't think Hunter Yoo Chan-seok deserves treatment like this."
Later, a reporter tagging along asked me that.
No reason not to be. I didn't come apologizing to beg forgiveness. This was just building a shield against them exploiting these victims to trash my rep later.
The thanks and kind words from some didn't move me, nor did the hate from others.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
I smiled at the reporter. He's probably no different.
Would he say I don't deserve this if I'd killed his wife, kid, parents, or siblings?
Fat chance. Whether this reporter resents or forgives me is irrelevant. My goal isn't saving the handful in front of me—it's wrenching this world back to normal.
Of course, on Earth, I have zero intention of taking the heat for it. That's why I'm hustling around apologizing.
"Guess I'll be at this for a few more days. Thanks for your hard work."
Back at the Korea Hunter Association building in Seoul, I thanked the reporter and stepped out of the car.
"Well, at my level, going nuts like that is basically a given."
Look at me.
I glanced at the association building, then headed to the training room where Han Sang-ah and Jeong Oh-hoon were.
"Hey, you beat him up pretty bad."
Jeong Oh-hoon's face was swollen pathetically from Han Sang-ah's "training" session.
"Hard to mimic your style. He kept screwing up."
Jeong Oh-hoon muttered a curse at her words.
"You took a few hits yourself, though."
"Yeah."
Han Sang-ah fights up close; Jeong Oh-hoon specializes in range. Still, him landing a few on her was good news.
"Dunno about anything else, but my body's feeling real light."
Han Sang-ah stretched without sparing a glance at the sprawled Jeong Oh-hoon. He glared, then sighed heavily.
"My fate's scraping the bottom of the barrel. Sorry, son—maybe born in some distant future. Dad's probably dying here."
I clicked my tongue and tapped the floor with my spear. The shock rippled through, jolting Jeong Oh-hoon upright.
He stared at me like I'd seen a ghost.
"What the hell? How'd you do that?!"
"No need to know. Anyone can pull off parlor tricks like that with enough training. Don't sweat it."
Like the ketchup packet that comes with your burger.
"Jeong Oh-hoon, you can't do that, right?"
Han Sang-ah looked mildly surprised. I turned to her.
"Yeah, sure—while you two trained, I just sat around twiddling my thumbs."
As if. I'd absorbed how many spirit pills? Spent days training.
"So, what if we fought that thing from before again—the one we ran into battling So Hwi?"
Jeong Oh-hoon's question. The walking corpse shitting bugs like turds. Valera, was it? I sighed softly.
"Jeong, our road ahead is long and rough."
I grow stronger bit by bit just sitting here, honing my meridians with ambient mana. But this body still feels sluggish—far from where I need to be.
If I fought it now, I'd die. It burst out using So Hwi's body with a time limit—that saved me. A win, sure, but a razor-thin one.
"So, we could die in a Grade 1 Erosion Core if we're not careful."
I scowled at Han Sang-ah's words.
"Obviously."
Thinking you'll always survive makes life easy, but the price is inching toward death.
"We're all lumps of flesh and bone that could die anytime, anywhere."
If you wanna live, ditch the pointless hope and claw desperately to improve.
"Jeong, it might be unpleasant, but can you help with something?"
"Unpleasant? What're you talking about?"
Experience beats explanation.
"If you really don't wanna, no big deal."
I figured he could anyway. My guesses about realms I've reached are rarely off. But just to check.
"Dangerous? I gotta make money."
"Not dangerous. Just unpleasant."
Jeong Oh-hoon nodded.
"Alright then. How bad could unpleasant be?"
Doubt he'll say that after. Anyway, he's game—I'll gladly take the help.
Paradox Flame flickered at my spear tip.
"Wait, that's what you needed help with?"
"No permanent damage."
We're diving into the Grade 1 Erosion Core Jaun Valley together soon. No plans to cripple him.
"Don't resist. I'll go easy."
"I know what to say in situations like this. 'No, I don't want this, spare me.'"
"Shouldn't the last be 'don't'?"
Whole world knows that doesn't work. Do real child predators actually flee at those three words?
Yeah, probably—the idiot who suggested teaching kids that crap first.
Jeong Oh-hoon said he'd cooperate but didn't. I subdued him with a few strikes and applied Paradox Flame to his body.
"Gahhhh?!"
He screamed briefly, then went blankly slack-jawed.
"Wha... what? No, what'd... you do?"
I observed him quietly, then extinguished the Paradox Flame clinging to him. Han Sang-ah, watching with interest, spoke up.
"What'd you burn?"
She'd fought and sparred with me enough to have a rough idea of Paradox Flame's effects.
"Thought."
Han Sang-ah whistled.
"Thought it'd be reason or something."
"Then he'd be like that forever."
Thought is just reason's byproduct. With reason intact, you can regenerate thoughts after burning them out—just like blood replenishes if stem cells are fine.
"Can you burn reason too?"
I shook my head. Possible once, not now. Concepts defining a being—like reason or emotion—are brutally hard to incinerate.
"Whew, control's still tricky."
I wiped sweat from my brow and doused the flame on him. High ignition point makes it tough.
Plus, him still talking showed I couldn't fully incinerate thoughts in a human-level being yet.
"What happens if you lose control?"
"The black flames spread unchecked. Fire spreads—that's what it does. Get bad enough, and the world's concepts lose 'thought' entirely."
They call that hell in two letters, right? Paradox Flame's my power, but handle with care.
Can't save the world only to torch its building blocks.