Part 1, Chapter 9, Section 16

Unlike me, who was eager to know the progress of the negotiations, the three of them seemed to want to prioritize dealing with the monsters that had burst forth like an inexhaustible spring.

[Customer-nim. You did this, didn’t you? Right?]

“There’s no one else but you who’d do something this crazy, is there?”

“Huhu.”

The three of them surrounded me from three directions, pressuring me. Eun Yuha and Hwanryong, with their tall male bodies, pressed in on me, making it look like we were filming something dangerous from a distance.

“Calm down for now. We can talk about this slowly.”

“How can I calm down? Don’t you know this is more serious than a dimensional gate opening?”

[Unless it’s a dimensional gate, the local Chinese Heroes have no choice but to deal with it. That’s what the international treaty says.]

Eun Yuha pointed out the validity of the treaty. The treaty, which stipulated that ‘each country handles its own monsters,’ was a persistent flaw that remained even five years later.

“That damn treaty. Tsk. Don’t worry. Each of the Black Scorpions is weak. They’re only A-rank level.”

“But there are a hell of a lot of them, aren’t there? I can’t leave here without requesting cooperation. Unless they reach Beijing, that is.”

[But it seems like they’re going to come all the way to Beijing. Like they’re chasing someone.]

Seok Harang and Eun Yuha were suspicious of me. I pulled out the cores from my pocket to defend myself.

“You felt the core presence of the Black Scorpions I caught before, and the monstrous human Qin Shi Huang that was revived with them. The parent Black Sand Scorpion is seeking revenge for its offspring.”

In reality, they were chasing me with their entire force because the Cube had been stolen, but this much of an excuse would be enough to be understandable. Indeed, Seok Harang and Eun Yuha were glaring at me with exasperation, but they seemed to somewhat accept my excuse.

“So what do we do now? Are we going to catch them all?”

[If we catch all of them, their monetary value… is incalculable. We absolutely have to catch them all.]

“Yes. We have to catch them all, of course. But let’s not be too greedy.”

I had to calm Eun Yuha down first, whose eyes were gleaming at the S-rank core goldmine heading towards Beijing.

“If you eat something you can’t digest, you might get an upset stomach. The Black Flame Dragon will bring back the Water Keeper’s core, so for now, be satisfied with this.”

When I handed over the two Black Scorpion cores I hadn’t used yet, Eun Yuha quickly took them and put them in her pocket. But as the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side, so the thousands of Black Scorpions advancing eastward seemed to be a source of regret for her.

[If we catch them all, it’ll easily be in the trillions….]

“We have to give opportunities to many people. Hwanryong.”

“……Huh?”

Hwanryong replied in a sleepy voice. He must have been sleeping and not listening, but I pointed to the empty seat next to Hwanryong.

“Use Mao Zeping to justify the intervention of other countries. As the director of the Monster Management Bureau, claim that it’s difficult to subdue the Black Scorpion horde without damage without the aid of the Round Table and other nations.”

“I’m not good at that….”

“This guy will help you.”

I flicked Bonghyo’s core, and Hwanryong snatched Bonghyo and immediately revived him.

“Huuuk!”

As soon as Bonghyo got up, he checked his waist and broke out in a cold sweat. Then he looked at our faces in the waiting room and grasped the situation.

“Hmm, hmm-hmm.”

“Bonghyo tried to present S-rank monsters to Hwanryong after catching them, but he ended up waking the Black Sand Scorpion. He successfully caught Jiparyong, but he got carried away by that success and made a reckless move. Didn’t you?”

I glared at Bonghyo without others noticing. Bonghyo glanced at Hwanryong and then nodded.

“…It was my oversight.”

“Well… things happen in life, don’t they? Haha.”

[I understand the desire for results, but the risk was too great. This is putting the cart before the horse.]

Seok Harang scratched his cheek and looked out the window. Eun Yuha, without hiding her identity, scolded Bonghyo. Bonghyo blinked as if he felt wronged, but when I subtly sharpened my nails, his shoulders hunched.

“My lord….”

“…Hmm. A troublesome situation has arisen. I’m grateful, but there’s nothing we can do. Let’s just clean this up first. Only then can you rest easy, right?”

Hwanryong was also watching my expression. Whether it was the Azure Syndicate or the Hwanryongdan, they were ultimately groups dominated by the logic of power-fists and abilities. If they had a problem, they should have won against me.

“Ahem.”

I drew their attention.

“If this were Korean territory, the Azure Syndicate would monopolize everything, but we can’t just sweep everything up in someone else’s land.”

“We always come to the Yellow Sea and steal fish, so wouldn’t taking a thousand Black Scorpions be fine?”

“…Seok Harang, I’m not finished talking yet. Calm down. Ahem. Anyway, we’ll frame it as a number that even a Beast Tamer’s abilities can’t handle. People currently believe that Cheonghwa is waiting for the Black Flame Dragon to defeat the Water Keeper in the Huai River, so they’ll instinctively realize they have to deal with the Black Scorpions themselves. Because someone took the monstrous human Qin Shi Huang, made from a Black Scorpion core, and provoked the Black Sand Scorpion.”

So, Bonghyo, who provoked the Black Sand Scorpion, was the bad guy. I shifted all the blame onto Bonghyo.

“Even so, there are too many for the Chinese Heroes to push through with human wave tactics. There will be actual S-rank level individuals near the Black Sand Scorpion, so if they confront them with an ordinary number, there will be casualties.”

[Right now, they’re advancing eastward in one stream, but they could suddenly spread out into dozens of streams.]

“Then should I go? If the Round Table steps in, it’ll end easily, won’t it? …What about Unjang?”

“He’s busy dealing with a crazy bastard right now.”

If Xiaolin were to display his martial spirit against a killing machine who knows nothing but fighting, he would probably fight Jilpungek until Jilpungek was satisfied, regardless of the Black Scorpion horde. So, it’s easier to just not count Xiaolin and Jilpungek as part of the fighting force.

“You should also restrain yourself. You enjoyed yourself enough yesterday.”

“Oh, why? I could turn them all into ice cream with just a flick of my finger.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to restrain yourself. There are plenty of others whose bodies are itching for a fight right now besides you.”

The 20,000 ability users gathered to praise Seok Harang were proof of that. Having witnessed Seok Harang’s exploits firsthand, they must be unable to control their surging mana, wanting to achieve similar feats themselves.

“It won’t just be the Chinese Heroes. Those who want to get a piece of the pie will be the same.”

“Ah.”

Bonghyo seemed to have understood my intention.

“Are you going to give everyone a chance?”

“Yes. When it comes to monsters, you see.”

I mentioned the absolute unwritten rule of the hunter world.

“Possession is nine-tenths of the law.”

“Ugh. Ah, what a waste.”

“There will be many monsters in the future that can’t even compare to the Black Sand Scorpion. I’ll definitely call you when we catch an SS-rank, so bear with it.”

“…Is that so? Then there’s nothing I can do.”

Seok Harang pouted regretfully, but he had just defeated Chaos, the world’s first SS-rank monster, yesterday. It occurred to me that it was just like him to be greedy even after achieving unprecedented feats one after another.

[Hmm.]

Eun Yuha also twisted her lips and tilted her head. No matter how many S-rank cores I gave her for free, she seemed to regret the cores she could have obtained entirely if she had just been a little more greedy.

“Eun Yuha.”

[Yes, Customer-nim.]

“Think about how you’ll use the Cube I was going to send to Korea via Cheon Gaeul.”

[……Oh my.]

Fortunately, Eun Yuha seemed satisfied. Having gained the opportunity to use an item incomparable to hundreds of S-rank cores, Eun Yuha would now agonize over how to make a fortune with the Cube.

“Huhu.”

“Are you subtly falling asleep again?”

“……Sleepy.”

“You, go immediately to the Chairman and discuss this. So that all ability users, including the Round Table, can confront the Black Scorpions. If you succeed, I’ll let you rest as much as you want.”

“Really?!”

Hwanryong’s face lit up, showing enthusiasm. Although he seemed to lack ability when unmotivated, Hwanryong could control a possessed target as if it were his own body if he put his mind to it. A motivated Hwanryong would display more wisdom than Mao Zeping against the Chairman and the Premier, and achieve what he desired.

“Then let’s invite everyone from around the world to China. Oh, and don’t forget to mention this when sending out invitations worldwide.”

I recalled the effects of the Black Scorpion from my memory.

“If you properly brew and drink the Black Scorpion’s inner core, the Black Scorpion’s toxins will spread throughout the body, which has the effect of removing fat accumulated in blood vessels-“

“I’m going to the association!”

[Just a moment. Could you be more specific? So I can spread rumors to the media right now.]

“Alright. Just a moment. Hwanryong.”

“Huh.”

I pointed towards the door at Hwanryong, who still hadn’t left.

“Whether you use the Hwanryongdan or the Chinese Heroes, I won’t care about the cores you earn. Use them to your heart’s content.”

“…Th-then.”

Hwanryong asked, blushing. I hoped he wouldn’t do such things with Mao Zeping’s face.

“Can I… make a bed out of cores and sleep on it?”

“……Do as you please.”

“Huhu, huhuhuhu!”

Hwanryong showed enthusiasm. Even if left alone, he would do well on his own. I picked up Deokbae, who was leaning in the corner, and rose from the sofa.

“Alright, Bonghyo.”

“…Yes.”

The three heroines, who were about to do something else, gulped. They looked back and forth between me, swinging Deokbae in the air, and Bonghyo, who was terrified, then pitied Bonghyo with sympathetic expressions.

“Well… you know. Don’t be too harsh.”

“I won’t kill him. Don’t worry.”

I waved my hand to reassure the three of them, then gestured to Bonghyo.

“Shall we go to that safe house from yesterday first?”

“…Yes.”

Bonghyo became a spirit body. He teared up like livestock sensing they were being led to the slaughterhouse, and suddenly I became the bad guy.

“Ah, no. I said I won’t hit you.”

[Wouldn’t it be more convincing if you put that down before you speak?]

“Don’t try to break my eggs again….”

“……Alright. I’ll just talk. Just talk.”

I put Deokbae down and changed him into a core. For some reason, when I said I would only admonish him with words, Seok Harang and Eun Yuha’s expressions towards Bonghyo deepened with pity, but I decided not to mind it.

“Then, I’m counting on all of you. Tell them to catch as many Black Scorpions as they want.”

“Are you okay with having nothing? Should I get you some of the ones we caught?”

“No need. I’ve already achieved my ultimate goal for coming to China in the first place.”

“What is it?”

I opened the window and, standing on the windowsill, pointed at Hwanryong.

“Meeting the Spirit.”

“…….”

“I’m going.”

I spread my wings and hid myself in the sunlight. Bonghyo, who had become a spirit body, followed behind me, and we quietly hid ourselves in the Hwanryongdan’s secret base, where no one would hear us.

A moment later.

We sat facing each other on the sofa in the secret base. Bonghyo, with a much more relaxed expression than when he left the Central Party waiting room, fanned himself with the Black Ox Fan and reclined on the sofa.

“Huu. Then, shall we talk again, Bonghyo?”

“Why are you suddenly speaking formally?”

“It’s a waste to speak informally to you.”

“Huh???”

Bonghyo seemed not to understand. He wasn’t an executive of the Azure Syndicate or a heroine, so there was no reason to speak informally to him or treat him comfortably. Nor was he someone I knew from the original story; if anything, he was the one who had stabbed me in the back and messed with me.

“Let’s not dwell on trivial matters and get straight to the point.”

“Yes. Understood. Then, where shall we begin?”

“I’m the type to eat the strawberry on the cake last, so let’s start with the miscellaneous things.”

“Miscellaneous things, you say….”

I took a sip of the strawberry shake I bought on the way. Bonghyo was smelling the tea he had brewed.

“Jiparyong’s core. You can handle that as you wish. I’m too lazy to argue over shares.”

“To dismiss an S-rank monster’s core as miscellaneous… No, no. Thank you for your magnanimous generosity.”

“You caught it, so use it as you see fit. Whether you turn a Dongchang member into a monstrous human with it, sell it for budget, or even turn Jiparyong into a monstrous human, do as you please.”

“…Can you create a monstrous human from the core itself?”

“Yes.”

The West Sea Weapon I first created was a prime example. It seemed that the higher the rank, the stronger the monster’s consciousness from its monster days would emerge. So, I had a random thought that if I had made Cheon Gaeul’s core, the Tentacle Toad, into a monstrous human, an unprecedented tentacle pervert might have been born.

“So, next problem.”

“Can we really just skip the core issue? If we go further-“

“SR-6974.”

Bonghyo flinched. And his expression changed. It was an ‘of course’ kind of look.

“You seem to be interested after all.”

“Of course. Because I can’t have you trying to threaten Xiaolin with it.”

“…You seem to care for Xiaolin more than I thought?”

“She ended up becoming Hwanryong’s monstrous human, but she’s as good as my own person. Anyway, if you try to spread that, I’ll break your third egg, Hwanryong or not.”

I sharpened my nails and pointed at Bonghyo’s core. Bonghyo gulped and nodded heavily.

“……This is different from what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“I thought you would want to see it.”

“It would be a lie to say I have no interest at all. But I’m saying this because I’m more worried about you misusing it than about my interest.”

“My lord, no, I swear on my soul. I have no intention of harming Xiaolin.”

“Then why did you have the original?”

Bonghyo gave a bitter laugh.

“Mao Zeping ordered me to keep one original to use to threaten Xiaolin later.”

“He’s a real son of a bitch, truly.”

“Yes. He’s the root of my bloodline, but truly an unspeakable sinner.”

“……It doesn’t matter now. Then, finally.”

“Ah. About that SR-6974.”

Bonghyo cut me off. I wanted to just rip his neck off, but I held back because of what he was saying.

“After everything is over, I will give you the USB containing the original. Whether you watch it, destroy it, or use it as Xiaolin’s leash, you may do as you please.”

“……I’ll accept that. But there’s one thing you’re mistaken about.”

After getting his verbal promise to hand over the video, I corrected his misunderstanding.

“Do you really think Xiaolin would be leashed if that were to be leaked?”

“……With a bizarre sexual activity video circulating, how could it not be blackmail?”

“You don’t know your sister at all. Never mind. Let’s get to the real main point.”

I distorted my handsome face and revealed my true colors to the confused Bonghyo.

“The Cube.”

“……..”

“Tell me everything, without missing a single detail, about how you know about it and where it is now. And….”

I can predict other things. But there’s something else I’m truly curious about.

“Your name.”

“Yes?”

“I haven’t heard your name yet.”

Something so important that I could call the Cube ‘mere.’ To confirm my hypothesis, I asked for Bonghyo’s real name.

“……I can tell you my name right away. My name is.”

Bonghyo smiled faintly, looking resigned. That smile strongly resembled someone. The golden-haired young man I was most wary of, and most afraid to meet.

“I am called Baek Cheong-yeong.”