Chapter 182

〈 Chapter 182 〉 Part 1, Chapter 9, Section 16

Unlike me, who was eager to quickly learn the progress of negotiations, the three seemed more interested in handling the sudden monster outbreak first.

[Customer. Wasn’t this your doing? Right?]

“There’s no one else who’d pull such a crazy stunt, kid.”

“Hmph hahaha.”

The three surrounded me from different angles, applying pressure. Yun Yuhwa and Illusory Dragon Group’s towering male figures pressing down on me made us look like we were filming some dangerous scene from afar.

“First off, calm down. We can talk this through slowly.”

“You want us to calm down?! This is way worse than a Dimensional Gate opening, you know?”

[Without an actual Dimensional Gate, local Chinese Heroes have no choice but to handle it. It’s international law.]

Yun Yuhwa pointed out the validity of treaties. The gist of the treaty—”Each nation handles its own monsters”—was still a persistent issue even five years later.

“That damn treaty. Tsk. Don’t worry. Black Flame Dragons are weak individually. They’re only A Rank level.”

“But there are so many! If I don’t request help here, I won’t be able to leave. Unless they invade all the way to Beijing.”

[And it seems like they’re heading towards Beijing. Like they’re chasing someone.]

Seok Harang and Yun Yuhwa were suspicious of me. To justify myself, I pulled out cores from my pocket.

“These are cores from Black Scorpions I captured before, and I sensed the core resonance from the revived Emperor Shi monster. The mother scorpion, Black Sand Scorpion, is seeking revenge for her offspring.”

Truthfully, they’re coming after me because I stole the Cube and rallied full strength, but this excuse should be enough to satisfy them. Indeed, Seok Harang and Yun Yuhwa glared at me with disdain but seemed to somewhat accept my explanation.

“So what do we do now? Should we just beat them all?”

[If we destroy them all, their monetary value would be… incalculable. We must capture them all.]

“Yeah. We need to take them all, but let’s not get greedy.”

I needed to calm Yun Yuhwa, whose eyes were gleaming at the thought of S-Rank cores rushing toward Beijing.

“If you eat something you can’t digest, you might get sick. Black Flame Dragon will bring back Water Monkey’s core, so you should be satisfied with that for now.”

When I handed over two unused Black Scorpion cores, Yun Yuhwa swiftly snatched them and shoved them into his pocket. But as the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side; he clearly regretted not going after the thousands of Black Scorpions advancing east.

[If we catch them all, we could easily surpass tens of trillions…]

“We need to give others a chance too, Illusory Dragon.”

“…”

Illusory Dragon responded lazily. He was definitely ignoring me and sleeping, but I gestured to the empty spot beside him.

“Use Mo Taegyeong to legitimize foreign involvement. As the director of the Monster Management Countermeasure Bureau, declare that without the Round Table and international aid, it’s impossible to subdue the Black Scorpion horde without casualties.”

“I’m not good at that kind of thing…”

“This guy will help you.”

I flicked Bonghyo’s core, and Illusory Dragon immediately revived him.

“Gah!”

Bonghyo checked his waist upon waking, breaking out in cold sweat. After assessing our surroundings in the waiting room, he seemed to understand the situation.

“Hmm, ahem.”

“Bonghyo tried to capture S-Rank monsters for Illusory Dragon but accidentally awakened the Black Sand Scorpion. He successfully caught Earth Dragon but got overconfident due to his success, didn’t he?”

I glared at Bonghyo, who subtly glanced at Illusory Dragon before nodding.

“…My mistake.”

“Well… These things happen sometimes, right? No harm done. Haha.”

[Though I understand wanting results, the risks were high. This is putting the cart before the horse.]

Seok Harang scratched his cheek while looking out the window. Yun Yuhwa openly criticized Bonghyo without hiding his identity. Bonghyo blinked innocently but flinched when I subtly raised my fingernails.

“Master…”

“…Hmm. Annoying business has come up. Though I appreciate it, there’s nothing to be done. Let’s clean up the mess first so we can sleep peacefully, right?”

Illusory Dragon was also watching me carefully. Whether it was Blue Wind Sect or Illusory Dragon Group, both were ultimately ruled by the logic of fists—special abilities. If he had any complaints, he should’ve beaten me.

“Hmph.”

I gathered everyone’s attention.

“If this were Korean territory, Blue Wind Sect would likely monopolize everything, but we can’t sweep everything away on foreign soil.”

“Every time they come to the Yellow Sea and clean out the fish, surely taking a thousand Black Scorpions wouldn’t be too much, right?”

“…Seok Harang, I’m not finished yet. Calm down. Hmm. Anyways, we’ll package this as beyond what a Beast Tamer’s abilities can handle. People already know that Xiao Lin is waiting at Huai River for Black Flame Dragon to defeat Water Monkey, so they must sense that they themselves need to deal with the Black Scorpions. Someone took Emperor Shi, transformed from a core made of Black Scorpion cores, and angered the Black Sand Scorpion.”

So, it’s Bonghyo’s fault for disturbing the Black Sand Scorpion. I pushed all the blame onto Bonghyo.

“And even if Chinese Heroes try to overwhelm them with sheer numbers, there are too many. There might be real S-Rank level individuals near the Black Sand Scorpion, so challenging them recklessly could lead to casualties.”

[Right now, they’re moving east in a single line, but they could suddenly spread out into dozens of directions.]

“In that case, should I go? If the Round Table gets involved, it’ll be easy, kid. …What about Unjang?”

“He’s busy dealing with some crazy guy.”

If he unleashed his warrior spirit against someone who knows nothing but fighting, Xiao Lin would probably battle indefinitely until Gale Guest was satisfied. Thus, it’s better not to fully engage Xiao Lin and Gale Guest.

“You should restrain yourself too. You’ve had your fun yesterday.”

“Ah, why? If I just flick my finger, I could turn them all into ice cream.”

“That’s exactly why you need to hold back. There are plenty of others itching to fight right now.”

A proof of that is the 20,000 special ability users who gathered to praise Seok Harang. Having witnessed his prowess firsthand, they must be boiling with their own unspent magic power, yearning to perform similarly.

“It’s not just Chinese Heroes either. Those trying to grab a spoonful of the feast are the same.”

“Ahhh.”

It seemed Bonghyo understood my intentions.

“Are you trying to give everyone a chance?”

“Yes. Monsters belong to whoever captures them.”

I referenced the unwritten absolute rule of hunters.

“The captor owns the spoils.”

“Ugh. What a waste.”

“There will be far greater monsters in the future, ones incomparable to mere Black Sand Scorpions. When I capture an SS-Rank monster, I’ll definitely call you. For now, bear with it.”

“…Alright then. Can’t help it.”

Seok Harang pouted, clearly disappointed, but he did achieve an unprecedented feat yesterday by defeating the world’s first SS-Rank monster, Chaos. Despite accomplishing feats no one else could, he still exhibited greed, which was quite characteristic of him.

[Hmm.]

Yun Yuhwa twisted his lips and tilted his head. Even though I generously offered hundreds of S-Rank cores, the prospect of obtaining even more by being slightly greedy lingered in his eyes.

“Yun Yuhwa.”

[Y-Yes, Customer.]

“The Cube I intended to send to Cheon Gaeul in Korea, think about how you’ll use it.”

[…Oh my.]

Fortunately, Yun Yuhwa seemed pleased. Compared to hundreds of S-Rank cores, obtaining the opportunity to use the Cube was incomparably valuable. Now, Yun Yuhwa would ponder how to extract massive profits using the Cube.

“Hmph.”

“Illusory Dragon.”

“Hmm?”

I pointed toward the door since he wasn’t leaving yet.

“Whether you use the Illusory Dragon Group or Chinese Heroes, I won’t concern myself with the cores you earn. Use them freely.”

“R-Really?”

His face turned red as he asked. Please don’t make that face with Mo Taegyeong’s visage.

“Even if you build a bed out of cores and sleep on it… that’s fine.”

“……Haha, hehehehe!”

Illusory Dragon showed enthusiasm. Left alone, he’d surely manage well. I picked up Deokbae, leaning against the corner, and stood up from the sofa.

“Then, Bonghyo.”

“Y-Yes.”

The three heroines, who were about to do something else, swallowed hard. They alternated glances between me swinging Deokbae in the air and the terrified Bonghyo, showing pity for him.

“T-There, there. Don’t go too hard on him.”

“I won’t kill him. Don’t worry.”

I waved my hand to reassure them before beckoning Bonghyo.

“Let’s head back to that safe house from yesterday.”

“Y-Yes.”

Bonghyo turned into a spirit form. His teary eyes resembled those of livestock being led to slaughter, making me seem like the bad guy all of a sudden.

“A-Ah. I won’t hit you, I promise.”

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

“Don’t start cracking eggs again…”

“……Okay. I’ll just talk. Only talk.”

I converted Deokbae back into a core and set it down. For some reason, seeing me promise to only lecture made Seok Harang and Yun Yuhwa’s expressions toward Bonghyo even more sympathetic, but I decided not to dwell on it.

“Then, I leave everything in your capable hands. Feel free to hunt the Black Scorpions.”

“Do you not want anything? Shall I fetch you a few?”

“Not necessary. I’ve already achieved my ultimate goal for coming to China.”

“What is it?”

I pointed at Illusory Dragon while standing on the windowsill.

“Meeting a Spirit.”

“…”

“I’m leaving.”

I spread my wings and hid my body under the sunlight. Bonghyo, now a spirit, followed me, and we quietly hid ourselves in a secret Illusory Dragon Group base.

A little later…

We sat facing each other on the sofa in the secret base. Bonghyo looked much more relaxed than when we left the Central Party Waiting Room, leisurely reclining with a black bullwhip in hand.

“Hmm. Shall we continue our discussion, Bonghyo?”

“Why are you suddenly speaking formally?”

“Because talking casually to you would be a waste.”

“Wha???”

Bonghyo seemed confused. He wasn’t a senior member of Blue Wind Sect or a heroine, so there was no reason to treat him casually or kindly. Moreover, he wasn’t even from the original story and had tricked me from behind, causing me trouble.

“Let’s skip the small stuff and get straight to the main topic.”

“Understood. Then, where shall we begin?”

“I usually save the cherry on top for last, so let’s start with the trivial matters.”

I sipped a strawberry shake I bought on the way. Bonghyo smelled the fragrance of the tea he prepared.

“Regarding the core of Earth Dragon. Handle it yourself. I find splitting shares troublesome.”

“To dismiss an S-Rank monster core as trivial… No, I thank you for your generous consideration.”

“It’s yours since you captured it. Decide what to do with it—whether to transform old comrades into monsters, sell them for budgeting, or turn Earth Dragon itself into a monster.”

“…Can a core alone create a monster?”

“Yes.”

The Western Sea Weapon I created first serves as a prime example. The higher the rank, the more the monster’s consciousness seems to resurface. A random thought crossed my mind—if I had used Cheon Gaeul’s core, the tentacle frog, it might have birthed a legendary tentacle pervert.

“So, next issue.”

“Wait, really okay to overlook the core problem? Here, perhaps—”

“SR-6974.”

Bonghyo jumped slightly, his expression changing. He wore a face of “Of course.”

“Indeed, you seem interested.”

“Naturally. Since you shouldn’t threaten Xiao Lin with it.”

“…Do you care about Xiao Lin more than I expected?”

“Even though she became a monster under Illusory Dragon, she’s practically my person. Anyway, if you attempt to disseminate that, whether through Illusory Dragon or otherwise, I’ll crush your third egg.”

I raised my nails, pointing at Bonghyo’s core. Swallowing hard, he nodded heavily.

“……I see now that my assumptions were mistaken.”

“What assumptions?”

“I thought you’d be curious about it.”

“It’s a lie to say I have zero interest. However, I’m more concerned about you misusing it.”

“Master, I swear on my soul—I have no intention of harming Xiao Lin.”

“Then why keep the original?”

Bonghyo gave a bitter laugh.

“Mo Taegyeong ordered me to keep the original to threaten Xiao Lin later.”

“Damn bastard. Really.”

“Yes. Though he’s my bloodline, he’s truly an unforgivable sinner.”

“……Irrelevant now. So, lastly.”

“Ah. Regarding SR-6974.”

Bonghyo interrupted me. Although I wanted to rip his head off, I restrained myself to hear what he had to say.

“After everything concludes, I’ll hand over the USB containing the original. Whether you choose to view it, destroy it, or use it as Xiao Lin’s leash is entirely up to you.”

“……I’ll accept that. But there’s one misunderstanding you have.”

After securing his verbal promise to hand over the footage, I corrected his misconception.

“Do you really think releasing that would serve as a leash for Xiao Lin?”

“……With extreme sexual behavior videos circulating, how could it not be a form of blackmail?”

“You don’t know my sister at all. Fine. Let’s move on to the real main topic.”

I distorted my round face, revealing my true colors to the bewildered Bonghyo.

“Cube.”

“…”

“You tell me everything—how you know about it, where it is now. Nothing omitted. And…”

I can predict the rest. But there’s one thing I’m genuinely curious about.

“Your name.”

“Pardon?”

“I haven’t heard your name yet.”

Something important enough for me to refer to the Cube as “trivial.” To confirm my hypothesis, I asked for Bonghyo’s real name.

“My name… I can disclose that readily. My name is…”

Bonghyo gave a weary yet faint smile. That smile strongly resembled someone. The blond youth I am most cautious about and fear meeting the most.

“My name is Baeg Cheongyoung (白靑英).”