episode_0184

The Businessman.

In the original work, he appeared as one of the three major villains, alongside the Monarch and Baov.

He was a magnate who held a tight grip on the empire’s black market, involved in slave auctions, drug trafficking, contract killings, and more.

At the same time, as he frequently engaged in [beast-human hunting], he was also diametrically opposed to the fox.

Especially for Irene, the Businessman was no different from the enemy who had burned down her entire hometown.

He was the one who had instilled distrust in humans within her.

‘He was a despicable human.’

Truly an adult.

More precisely, he was a figure who illuminated the depths of depravity.

He coveted money, treated the world as mere matter, and enjoyed crushing others rather than engaging in dialogue.

For him, there was no understanding, no sympathy, and no mercy.

If there was a standard for dividing good and evil for him, it was whether or not it made money.

His inherent nature had placed the man at the pinnacle.

-If money had a devil, it would surely be him. -For he only answers to gold. -Who could snatch greed from evil?

It was an NPC’s reflection.

This passage clearly revealed the Businessman’s character.

He was the kind of person one might imagine if the word ‘capital’ were sculpted into a demon.

His overwhelming wealth commanded the underworld, and based on that, he employed private armies, including ‘hounds’.

In addition to that, his connections with various nobles.

But perhaps it was because of these characteristics.

He was a character whose evaluation was quite harsh even in the original work.

[Category: Free Bulletin Board] [Title: The Businessman <- Something unsettling about every part he appears in]

How should I put it, it feels somehow direct.
The evil deeds committed by characters like the Monarch or cultists feel somewhat unrealistic.
Like ruling as a king, handling human weapons on par with nuclear bombs, or destroying the world…
It's okay because it's villainy with a characteristic fantasy feel.

But

The Businessman There are annoying aspects, aren’t there? -> That’s why he also seems like an impressive villain. -> Should I say he knows how to use money properly?

[Even though he’s a bit unpopular, I think the character itself is well-made.] -> According to developer comments, he was designed as ‘a villain who becomes more unsettling the more you understand the fear of money’. -> So even those unsettling feelings were all intentional. -> It just goes to show how amazing the quality is, again. -> No, if you exclude the outrageous quality, it’s a great game. -> No, it’s a great game even with it.

[Truly an ‘adult’ character] -> I think he’s the most extreme example, reflecting the negative aspects of adults. -> If he had been ‘adult-like’ in a different way, he probably would have been more popular. -> Let’s get a TS potion now.

[Seeing the Businessman, who gives players a vague sense of unease, makes me realize how amazing the Dean is, who has been maintaining the top spot for unpopularity for years…] -> As expected, the Dean reigns supreme when it comes to the discomfort index. -> Undeniably, Obose is the GOAT. -> Damn it, it’s the Great Dean again. I was just going to read this post and go to sleep, but I saw the Great Dean again. Now I must shout. Even though I know shouting will wake me up, I shout. That is the mission of one who has witnessed the Great Dean. As of today, I withdraw my support for the Great Dean. From today onwards, I will break free from the support relationship… (continued) -> Ugh, so long. -> Does he write the comment section by himself? -> Clean public etiquette is Dean-tier haha.

A villain who showcased the depths of depravity.

Especially in the episode that dealt with the fox’s past, he truly showed his peak form.

To the extent that anyone who considered Irene their favorite character would have found it even harder to watch.

The cruelty driven by money and greed was so cold.

[Category: Free Bulletin Board] [Title: I just can’t watch the Fox Gaiden.]

Irene is my favorite, but I can’t handle her suffering. She was deceived and betrayed by the Businessman, and her village was burned to ashes without a trace. The Teacher-nim she relied on died, and other adults were sold off in various places. Even the little ones she tried to protect were taken away. I at least thought the story would go with her retrieving the lost children. But they say they’re all dead already. And the ways they died were incredibly varied. Abuse, torture, taxidermy, butchering… just hearing about it sounds horrific. It was the first time I’d seen Irene despair like that in the story. It’s too grim. I’m dropping this side story.

[It’s tough, alright] -> If you don’t have a high tolerance for grimness, you can’t endure it. -> It’s just a side story anyway, so skipping it won’t affect the main story. -> You play games to enjoy yourself, you shouldn’t get stressed.

[The Businessman is a real motherfucker.] -> The Irene fan group is seriously angry. -> Our daughter is being tormented! -> I’m going to go take the Businessman’s head right now.

[But what exactly is ‘butchering’ among the ways they died??] -> I looked up the setting, and apparently there was a rumor that the meat of young fox beast-humans was a delicacy. -> It seems it spread like a trend, and there was quite a demand for it in the underworld. -> Oh, damn… -> So, was it actually tasty? -> According to a certain gourmet’s review, it was bullshit. -> Even more damn.

[That rumor mentioned in the comment above, the Businessman probably spread that too?] -> ?????? -> Is this for real? -> It’s true. It came out in a new video by Pledge Master-nim. -> If it’s a video from that side, it’s trustworthy. -> The Pledge Master is practically semi-official now. -> Wow, but that’s truly disgusting…

Truly, humanity scraping the bottom of the barrel.

On the contrary, precisely because of that, he received praise for being well-designed.

Because the mainstream opinion was that he effectively portrayed a compromised adult, in the aspect where his sole purpose was money.

Of course, character design or whatever. To me now, it was completely irrelevant.

For me, he was merely a death row inmate.

I quietly smiled.

‘Looking down on people, huh.’

The guys who brazenly attacked the academy.

Vanity had already been crushed, so now it was the Businessman’s turn.

As for Baov… he was shrouded in mystery, so it would take time to track him down.

But that guy was as good as in the palm of my hand.

Because I knew all of his movements.

‘He’s a quick-witted guy.’

As quick as he was to catch on, he must already be preparing to escape.

He would have felt that things were taking a strange turn after Vanity’s collapse was announced.

I thought he’d probably flee to another continent.

Since he followed a similar path in the original work.

‘Whose permission?’

Of course, I had no intention of letting him go.

Because I had a nature that demanded I always repay debts.

And isn’t it proper for people to keep their promises?

-Let’s leave it to imagination. -What price you will pay.

He was a rat in a trap.

He was already caught in a trap, so struggling would be futile.

Who would dare try to stop the steps of retribution?

His connections with noble families built up over the years?

‘So what?’

What’s that supposed to mean?

I have the Emperor backing me.

After the previous decree to eliminate Vanity, the imperial family’s authority was higher than ever.

It was as if they had engraved the fact that their heads could be chopped off if they made a single mistake into the nobles’ minds.

In such a tense time as now, there would be no family that would actively oppose the Emperor’s will.

I mused with an obvious sneer.

‘If he wanted to fight with connections… he should have at least done this much.’

Judgment does not err.

In life, all matters eventually return to their rightful place [a proverb about justice prevailing].

The price for wrongdoing would surely be paid by the wicked.

We intended to approach him in the way he was most familiar with.

That is, by crushing him rather than negotiating.

“Then.”

I quietly turned around.

Standing at the end of my gaze was a girl clad in a white robe.

Her orange hair fluttered in the wavering breeze.

The fox remained quietly in place.

“Shall we go? Irene-yang.”

Beyond her pupils, a poisonous determination gleamed.

Her clenched fist, its trembling held the girl’s emotions.

However, Irene’s atmosphere was calm, as if she had accepted it.

The chilling coolness symbolized her growth so far.

I held out my hand.

“Into our night.”

The fox was silent for a moment.

Soon, as if her thoughts were organized, she nodded her head.

Their hands intertwined, not letting go.

“Yes. Because it’s something that must be done.”

“Because this is Irene-yang’s story.”

“For my deceased Teacher-nim, the adults, the children I couldn’t save, and…”

“And?”

Her gaze was resolute.

Like a winter that would never be broken again.

“…….And, for myself.”

Fwoosh-.

A small flame flickered.

Her dark pupils fully reflected me.

As if responding to that will, I smiled.

A tribute to one who had risen from despair.

“May a star always be by your side.”

The night had fallen, black as pitch.

It was the adults’ time.

***

A spring that had quietly settled.

And the dawn that covered the brightness of that season.

Within the dark backdrop, only two people walked.

One was a slit-eyed boy wearing a black coat, the other a fox girl clad in a white robe.

Their harmonious steps crossed the night street.

Thud thud-.

Soon, a massive building entered their blurry vision.

For a building erected in a secluded area, its exterior was excessively extravagant.

The boy spoke as if recalling a memory.

“It’s been a long time. This place hasn’t changed at all.”

“…….Indeed. It hasn’t changed, to an unbearable extent.”

Their gazes lingered on its grandeur.

The Empire’s largest slave auction house, Apple Tree.

It was an illegal facility operated by the ‘Businessman’, a magnate of the underworld.

And it was also the setting where certain characters’ narratives began.

The two approached the large entrance.

“Then… shall we announce it?”

Apple Tree.

A place where the fox was once imprisoned, and at the same time, a hateful space.

Simultaneously, the miraculous cage where her first encounter with the serpent took place.

Irene clenched her dangling hand.

The chilled blade glinted.

Its light resembled a star.

“The return of the prodigal child.”

The two stepped forward.

Towards their still vivid past.