Ch.190190. Daegu Front Line (1)

A meeting between Heo Jin-ho and Gyeon Gwan-im.

The usurped and the usurper.

The one who reclaimed and the one who was defeated reunited in the Daegu Governor’s Office.

Gyeon Gwan-im wore an awkward smile as he looked at Heo Jin-ho, while Heo Jin-ho sat calmly in the office chair, observing Gyeon Gwan-im.

It was indeed an extremely awkward meeting between these two.

“Well, well. I didn’t expect to meet you again so quickly.”

“Hmph. You’ve got some nerve.”

Gyeon Gwan-im pretended to be composed and greeted Heo Jin-ho as if he was happy to see him.

Heo Jin-ho was somewhat taken aback by how casually and calmly Gyeon Gwan-im greeted him like an old friend, but he recognized this friendly demeanor as part of Gyeon Gwan-im’s nature as a warlord.

“Indeed. I didn’t expect to meet so soon either. You look better than I expected.”

“Haha. Only until today. To think you’d have my life in your hands. Is this… the fate of the defeated?”

Though he maintained a calm exterior, Gyeon Gwan-im was actually looking at Heo Jin-ho with fear in his eyes.

After all, the man who now held his life in his hands was standing right in front of him. If Heo Jin-ho decided to torment him for personal revenge, there would be little he could do to stop it.

He had been guaranteed safety through a plea deal with Yuna, the Dragon Priestess, but even that wouldn’t help if Heo Jin-ho decided to attack him in a fit of rage.

‘He probably won’t give up his position as governor just for immediate revenge. But humans aren’t creatures that act solely on reason. We’re emotional beings.’

Of course, Gyeon Gwan-im knew enough about Heo Jin-ho’s skills and inner thoughts to believe he wouldn’t easily give up his position as governor.

However, humans don’t always act rationally.

They’re often driven by emotions, and considering that Gyeon Gwan-im himself became a warlord partly for emotional reasons like revenge, it wouldn’t be strange if Heo Jin-ho declared vengeance against his enemy standing before him.

Like it or not, Gyeon Gwan-im had once brought Heo Jin-ho down and was responsible for demoting him from head of the Daegu Interim Government to Daegu Governor.

“Any complaints?”

“Of course I have complaints. But… I don’t have any other chance to make a comeback, do I?”

Heo Jin-ho asked somewhat uncomfortably if Gyeon Gwan-im had any complaints, and Gyeon Gwan-im honestly admitted that he did, but accepted the deal because it offered him a chance to rebuild his life.

Though Heo Jin-ho likely already knew this, from Gyeon Gwan-im’s perspective, he couldn’t afford to lie and make a bad first impression with the person who was now his master.

He had already made a bad first impression, but that was as warlord Gyeon Gwan-im, not slave Gyeon Gwan-im, right?

“I heard that dangerous criminal who came in before me got life imprisonment without parole? Despite his extremely high level. No chance to appeal at all.”

“You mean Jo Sun-do.”

He explained that he accepted the plea deal because otherwise, he would never be able to escape prison.

As evidence, he mentioned Jo Sun-do, the king of Gyeongju who had been captured during the Balhut Cult era. Jo Sun-do had been sentenced to life imprisonment and was now under strict surveillance at Pohang Prison.

Even now, Jo Sun-do’s level was high enough that with a little investment from Seorabeol, he could reach superhuman levels. Yet he never received any opportunity for redemption or atonement.

In that sense, Gyeon Gwan-im, being a warlord with proper common sense and manners, had been given the opportunity to serve Seorabeol.

“Yes, that fellow.”

“That’s right. By the way… before we sign the contract, there’s something I need to do.”

“Ah!”

Heo Jin-ho stood up, approached Gyeon Gwan-im, and struck him hard across the face.

With a thud, Gyeon Gwan-im fell helplessly to the floor, and as if that was enough, Heo Jin-ho dusted off his hands.

“With this, the debt is paid.”

It was a declaration that he would end the hatred he had harbored in his heart.

Honestly, he wanted to make a bigger mess of Gyeon Gwan-im, but from the governor’s perspective, recruiting Gyeon Gwan-im was nothing but beneficial.

So rather than harboring small grudges, he resolved all his emotions with just one blow.

“Ha. You’ve got quite a punch. I almost died just now, Heo Jin-ho.”

Gyeon Gwan-im exaggerated that he nearly died from Heo Jin-ho’s sharp blow.

Touching his swollen cheek as he got up, his expression, contrary to his words, showed only relief.

Gyeon Gwan-im had considered Heo Jin-ho’s grudge to be the biggest problem, and now that he had somewhat settled it with that punch, he felt that Heo Jin-ho had essentially permitted him to join Daegu.

“You’re not dead, so there’s no problem, right? Gyeon Gwan-im.”

Heo Jin-ho could clearly see the calculations going on in his head, and while he didn’t like it…

“Right. I’ve prepared the contract. Read it carefully and decide whether to sign it or not.”

In the end, Governor Heo Jin-ho won over the human Heo Jin-ho’s inner conflict.

Consoling himself that he had resolved his grudge with that one blow, Heo Jin-ho showed Gyeon Gwan-im the prepared contract.

“Well, if you don’t want to go back to that lovely prison, you’ll have to sign it.”

“Hold on a moment. Contracts should be read carefully. There might be some trap in there that I don’t know about.”

Heo Jin-ho told him to sign the contract right away, but Gyeon Gwan-im asked for a moment to read through it.

There was a possibility of hidden clauses that could put Gyeon Gwan-im at a disadvantage.

Knowing that once signed, the contract couldn’t be revoked, Gyeon Gwan-im read each clause carefully…

“I see. So I’m booked for 10 years of slavery.”

He remarked self-deprecatingly that he was scheduled for 10 years of slavery.

He had known this before coming here, but 10 years was enough time for mountains to change.

He couldn’t even guarantee he’d be alive until then, but…

“It says the term can be reduced based on meritorious service.”

“Then I’ll have to earn merit. The kind that no one can ignore.”

Fortunately, the contract included a clause stating that the term could be reduced based on Gyeon Gwan-im’s achievements.

Believing in that clause, Gyeon Gwan-im promised to earn merit, but…

“Are you willing to be loyal to Seorabeol?”

“Loyalty… I’ll have to see what kind of place Seorabeol is first.”

He said he wasn’t yet certain about pledging loyalty to Seorabeol.

He would only swear loyalty when Seorabeol was established as the victor in the Korean Peninsula, not blindly pledge allegiance and risk falling together.

“You’re like a wolf.”

“In this apocalypse, you can’t survive unless you’re a wolf, Heo Jin-ho.”

Heo Jin-ho called him a wolf in disgust, but Gyeon Gwan-im countered that in the apocalypse, one couldn’t survive without being a wolf.

“Good. I’ve signed my part. If you sign this contract, then the deal is done.”

He signed the contract without hesitation, as if there were no problems.

“Right. I’ll sign too.”

When Heo Jin-ho signed the contract, the magic engraved in the geas scroll activated, establishing a covenant between Heo Jin-ho and Gyeon Gwan-im.

With tremendous magical power, the covenant was successfully completed.

“With this, I’m the governor’s subordinate. Seorabeol’s dog. Now, shall I make a proposal to the governor?”

And Gyeon Gwan-im, thinking he couldn’t rot as a slave for 10 years, immediately presented his plan to the governor to earn merit.

“A proposal?”

“How about offering the same contract to my subordinates? You’re short on personnel for the front lines, aren’t you?”

The proposal was to utilize Gyeon Gwan-im’s subordinates.

Seorabeol had only made a plea deal with Gyeon Gwan-im alone, and his subordinates were still imprisoned in Pohang Prison.

He was suggesting releasing them all and using them as the governor’s forces.

“Oh? Would your guards be willing to make such a contract?”

Heo Jin-ho seemed intrigued by the proposal and asked if his side would be willing to contract.

Of course, since they hadn’t even been asked yet, there was no guarantee the contract would be successful.

“They wouldn’t normally sign such a suspicious contract. But if I persuade them, it should be possible.”

Heo Jin-ho declared that he would persuade them all.

“Above all, they must be longing for life outside that dreary prison by now. After becoming Awakened and experiencing the ultimate freedom, wearing those magic-suppressing shackles turns that freedom into helplessness in an instant. I know that feeling of reversal all too well.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Yes. Even the confidence in what you could do suddenly turns into helplessness, like falling into depression. If they want to escape that, they’ll definitely sign this suspicious contract.”

He explained that the shackles that suppressed an Awakened’s magic power eliminated all the omnipotence that Awakened possessed, causing severe depression. He guaranteed that if they could gain even a little freedom, they would immediately sign such a slave contract.

And just as Gyeon Gwan-im predicted…

“I heard you can gain freedom? Who wants to be Seorabeol’s dog?”

“Sign! I’ll sign!”

“P-Please free me from these damn shackles right now!”

“Please use me as a dog! Make me your dog!”

When their leader Gyeon Gwan-im began persuading them, his guards signed the slave contracts without hesitation.

With this, Heo Jin-ho had gained a loyal elite Awakened unit to use for Daegu, which was definitely advantageous.

An Awakened unit pledging absolute loyalty due to the geas scroll.

During the Daegu Interim Government era, this was exactly the kind of elite unit composed solely of Awakened that they had desperately wanted.

“You cunning bastard.”

“Hey now. I just told my subordinates the reality. How about it? My performance is impressive, right?”

Heo Jin-ho was amazed at Gyeon Gwan-im’s cunning, having assembled an elite Awakened force with just a few persuasive words.

While using prisoners as subordinates was something Heo Jin-ho himself had considered, implementing it was another matter.

However, Gyeon Gwan-im had boldly conceived the plan that Heo Jin-ho had only imagined and succeeded in it. Even now, he was showing off his competence and trying to prove his loyal devotion.

That was what made him frightening.

‘If this guy decides to betray me, who in Daegu could stop him? Well, Seorabeol would stop him eventually. I’d just likely lose my head first.’

Though Heo Jin-ho somewhat regretted releasing Gyeon Gwan-im, he decided to trust in his competence and give him a chance.

“Yes. Your performance is impressive. But… were those shackles really that problematic?”

First, he asked about the magic-suppressing shackles used on prisoners, and Gyeon Gwan-im explained:

“They’re certainly effective at capturing Awakened. But they only capture; they don’t consider the human rights of the Awakened.”

He evaluated them as so cruel that he never wanted to wear them again.

The shackles that sealed all the omnipotence of the Awakened and returned them to ordinary humans gave Awakened an enormous sense of reversal.

Because of this, some prisoners in jail suffered from severe depression.

“…Isn’t it strange to guarantee the human rights of raiders?”

“Well, I guess that’s true!”

The problem was that most of those imprisoned were bloodthirsty raiders.

They were so vicious that their human rights couldn’t be guaranteed even if one wanted to.

At that point, Gyeon Gwan-im scratched his head as if he had no response.

“So, now we just need to train these freed individuals as soldiers and deploy them to the front lines. Or perhaps use them as guerrillas.”

The rest was about what to do with the acquired forces.

It would be possible to train them as soldiers and include them in Daegu’s forces.

Having more Awakened who could fight was always important, but if they wanted to properly utilize raiders who had been running wild outside, Gyeon Gwan-im suggested using them as guerrillas.

“Either way. I must follow the governor’s orders.”

“You’re being more compliant than I expected.”

However, he implied that the choice was ultimately up to the governor, saying he would obediently follow whatever was ordered.

Heo Jin-ho expressed surprise at Gyeon Gwan-im’s compliance without resistance.

“Well. Isn’t my level, which is more precious than life, at stake? The moment I refuse the governor’s orders even once or twice, my level, which is more precious than life, will drop without mercy.”

As long as his level, which was as valuable as his life, was at stake, the moment Gyeon Gwan-im disobeyed orders even once or twice, his value would plummet dramatically.

No one else would desire a fallen Gyeon Gwan-im, so refusing the governor’s orders would be equivalent to death for him.

“For an Awakened, level is credit and life itself.”

“Ha. You cunning bastard. I’ll never trust you.”

He’s too aware of his own position.

Heo Jin-ho found it impossible to trust Gyeon Gwan-im.

“But I will place my confidence in you.”

However, he could believe that Gyeon Gwan-im would somehow complete the tasks assigned to him.