This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 536

Maybe it was because the goal itself was set so high.

Despite my passionate explanation, Yoonseo, who had struggled to grasp anything for a while, finally managed to create a single attack and witness the resulting outcome. The only thought that came to my mind was—

‘This… doesn’t seem like something you should use on a person…?’

It was that powerful. Just that one attack.

In fact, I remember that the dummies used for the power test only resembled humans but were as tough as ordinary steel plates.

To see something like that get punctured so easily…

It made me realize something anew.

That the power test dummy actually fell under the category of consumables.

Still, even in its raw, unrefined state, to unleash that much power…

That meant there was a chance for even greater strength here.

Of course, the difficult and arduous process might be refining this newly mounted attack method for practical use, so there’s no guarantee the power would increase; but if it did happen by any chance?

Perhaps there would be no hero left who could rival Yoonseo in terms of attack power.

Not just limited to Korea, but on a global scale.

Honestly, it had to be this way; if there were heroes firing off attacks with that much power regularly, the world would probably already be under the Association’s control by now.

While my thoughts stretched to truly unnecessary areas, Yoonseo was still immersed in her confusion.

She had tried to follow my instructions, but the power was far more savage than she had imagined, and it was natural she would be surprised.

Seeing her wide-eyed like a rabbit spotting an approaching predator, staring blankly at her own hand—the one responsible for that attack—was just too cute to believe.

“Hey, hey, stop spacing out and come over here.”

That’s why I called Yoonseo over.

It was fine to admire what she had created, but there were things to do after all.

So as soon as Yoonseo responded to my call and rushed over, I asked her:

“So, how was it?”

“Uh, uh…?”

“Do you feel like… you’re starting to get the hang of it?”

It might be a natural question, but that wasn’t the only reason I called Yoonseo over.

If I just wanted to ask a question, I could have done that when she was in that state.

But still, bringing Yoonseo in front of me was—

“Ugh…”

To help recover Yoonseo’s Talent Organ, which must have been naturally overworked from repeatedly unleashing the power she had just shown.

If it was up to me, I would have liked to pat her on the shoulder and tell her she did well, but this was the Association’s training ground, and as such, there were cameras set up for any unforeseen situations.

Recalling what Chae-rim said, it seemed the current Association Chairman was somewhat aware of my secret, but… it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.

My intuition was overflowing, but having tangible evidence was entirely different.

So I chose to pretend to have a feedback session and naturally help Yoonseo recover, but perhaps Yoonseo caught onto my intentions.

The moment my hand reached for hers, she flinched and shivered with a soft sound, desperately trying to suppress something that was escalating.

As a result, her cheeks were a bit redder than before.

Though I thought it wouldn’t hurt to be careful, there was no need to hold back to that extent… perhaps it’s because Chae-rim was also around, and she didn’t want to reveal an embarrassing sight.

Thanks to that, as I held firmly onto Yoonseo’s trembling hand for a while, I let go when I felt it was enough.

Right after Yoonseo was freed from my grip, she started taking hurried breaths as if she had just sprinted.

“Well… if it’s really tough, maybe we should take a short break and continue?”

“If so, just 5 minutes…”

Knowing Yoonseo’s personality, it wouldn’t be strange if she rejected my suggestion, but… maybe she was just that desperate right now.

She shook her head wildly, looking very flustered.

Of course… up and down.

‘That was close…’

Thanks to Dogun letting go of my hand at the right time, if he hadn’t, it would have been truly dangerous.

After all, there’s a limit to how much one can suppress something.

At first, it might be manageable, but eventually, it would burst out.

And at that moment, in front of Baeksulhwa, I would have certainly made a ridiculous scene.

Could it be that the thought of such a scene popping into my head was the reason?

Even though the indoor atmosphere was filled with warm air, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine, as if I were thrown outside wearing only thin clothes.

That naturally led me to think.

‘Is it just me, or does it seem like I’ve gotten stronger in the past few days…’

I was specifically referring to Dogun’s abilities.

More accurately, it might be better to say the byproducts of Dogun’s abilities.

When he had just returned from Heogye, it didn’t seem this intense…

Was something different about him now?

Honestly, I couldn’t know.

There were still too many aspects of Dogun’s abilities that hadn’t been properly unveiled, but… one thing was for sure; I’d never regret listening to what Dogun had to say.

He hadn’t done anything particularly special; I had just changed the way I attack a little according to his words, and yet this much power came out.

Sure, the process leading to the attack had been somewhat long, but the important thing was that I was getting the hang of it.

The time taken to prepare the attack would surely decrease gradually as I went through feedback.

It had always been like that till now.

Considering that there was a chance for even greater power, perhaps I was truly acquiring an incredible attack option.

Granted, it seemed hard to use it against people, due to how much stronger it was than I’d anticipated.

‘Villains, well…’

It wasn’t really necessary to use something like this; the methods I usually used would suffice.

But the important thing was that I now had the means to pierce through the exceedingly hard exoskeleton of the Another Ones.

And with this power… perhaps it was really possible.

To pierce through the nests where those peculiar entities that looked like nasty little flies were produced…

Of course, it wouldn’t be as easy as it sounds.

Considering how the frequency of those peculiar entities’ appearances had increased over the week since their arrival from Heogye, it seemed the Another Ones were also realizing their usefulness.

They would surely try to protect the places where they were produced as much as possible.

If I had to break through each one before reaching there, it would definitely be a long road, but… the Association wouldn’t just sit around and do nothing either.

‘Right now, the monsterization phenomenon has affected only Korea, but…’

There’s no guarantee it would stay that way in the future.

Especially now that the Another Ones seemed to have recognized how useful those peculiar entities were against humans.

Sooner or later, they would definitely start showing up in other countries, and… the Association Headquarters, recognizing that the point of this information sector wasn’t far off, would likely make some preemptive moves before such tragedies actually occurred.

For that part alone, I could be pretty sure.

After all, the Association had always dealt with things in that manner.

Even if the terms were harsh, they preferred to take the initiative and give a preventive shot rather than post-event measures.

So, I needed to find a way to secure my name in the main force that was likely to be swiftly formed.

That way, I could at least secure something that resembled a sample.

And this ability that Dogun had bestowed upon me would be… a tremendous help in achieving that.