This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 560

When an ordinary person finds themselves dropped into a strange place, it’s natural to feel a bit intimidated, to say the least.

Especially when those unfamiliar surroundings are packed with unfamiliar faces… well, that’s a different story altogether.

That’s probably how it should be… but the woman approaching me doesn’t seem affected in the slightest.

Is she truly the world’s strongest Hero or what?

With each step she takes, confidence practically radiates off her.

Could that be why?

With reporters gathered around like this, you’d expect at least one or two of them to act out, but surprisingly, they seem remarkably well-behaved.

No, not just well-behaved—it’s like they’ve been drained of spirit.

Instead of boldly stepping forward as usual, they’re all timidly exchanging glances from their spots.

Meanwhile, Miss Almighty effortlessly weaves through the crowd, finally coming to a stop in front of Chae-rim.

“It’s been a while. What… has it been six years?”

With that, she smiles and extends her hand toward Chae-rim.

Was she suggesting a handshake to commemorate their long-awaited reunion?

For a fleeting moment, Chae-rim, who had looked dazed, grasped the outstretched hand.

At that moment, Miss Almighty’s eyes, still smiling as she looked at Chae-rim, began to sparkle with an unknown light.

“You look great.”

“…?”

“I can tell you’ve been living really well.”

What could she possibly mean by that?

Is it perhaps because the language she’s using isn’t Korean, but English?

If it were Korean, I’d have been able to understand the nuances hidden within the words, but since it’s in English, that’s virtually impossible.

“Oh, would it be easier for you if I spoke in Korean?”

“You can speak Korean?”

“Um… not a lot, but a little?”

Miss Almighty, who said that with a slight smile, added, “I wanted to meet you first, so I studied a bit while on the plane.”

Her Korean was surprisingly fluent for someone who claimed to have just started learning it.

Sure, there was an accent typical of foreigners, but it wasn’t annoying in the least.

Well, who would have thought Miss Almighty could speak Korean?

I could almost see the reporters’ eyes lighting up as they caught this news.

Thanks to that, I could easily imagine article titles soon to appear in the portal sites.

It would probably be something like “Even the World’s Strongest Hero Acknowledges the Glory of Hangul!” or “What Made the World’s Strongest Hero Study Hangul?!”

For reporters, nothing attracts clicks like a title that stirs up national pride.

Still…

Even without that nationalistic sentiment, I was genuinely taken aback.

It’s just that having heard a lot from Chae-rim, I expected her to be someone almost arrogant enough to disregard other people’s opinions. Who would have thought she would personally learn Korean just to have a comfortable conversation with Chae-rim?

Looking at it this way, maybe she’s not as arrogant as I initially thought…

I must have been lost in thoughts like these when Miss Almighty’s gaze shifted back to Chae-rim, as if she suddenly decided a few photos were in order.

“Shall we move on now?”

…

…

…

…

In a way, their meeting could be seen as a summit in the Hero world, and took place in a specially prepared venue by the Association.

Naturally, since I had become inseparable from Chae-rim, I tagged along too.

However, perhaps because of the gravity of the situation, the people bustling about to facilitate their meeting began to exit one by one.

So, it was only natural that Miss Almighty’s attention turned to me, who had no intention of moving from my spot.

“And who might you be…?”

It felt like her words were questioning why I was still lingering here.

But before I could respond, Chae-rim spoke up on my behalf.

“This is my manager. Due to some circumstances, he can’t leave my side.”

“Hmm…”

“He’s the person I trust the most in this world, so you don’t have to worry about anything we discuss getting out.”

For her to say that I’m the one she trusts most in the world…

Maybe it was just a way to boost my reputation, but the sincerity in Chae-rim’s voice made me feel unexpectedly touched.

“By ‘some circumstances,’ are you referring to your left arm?”

This time, Miss Almighty, who had been silently listening with an unreadable expression to Chae-rim’s words, unexpectedly let those words slip.

The moment I heard that, my mind raced to the question, “How?”

After all, I hadn’t shown my left arm since Miss Almighty appeared on the scene.

Thus, my left arm had remained encased in a long sleeve and glove.

Not to mention, I had been keeping my hands clasped behind my back.

Yet she pointedly mentioned my left arm.

Could it be that she had studied more than just Korean on the plane?

Or perhaps… she was employing some method only she could use?

I didn’t know which was true, but personally, I preferred the former.

I personally preferred the former but—

“That’s interesting… a guy with ‘Talent’ like that.”

Was I underestimating her too much?

That comment had my eyes wide open.

Just as I’d been trying my best to shrink away and minimize interest, my eyes lit up, and Chae-rim suddenly perked up in surprise.

“Oh, is that a secret I shouldn’t be mentioning?”

Having witnessed our reactions, Miss Almighty casually commented, “I didn’t realize it was such a big deal.”

The way she acted, it felt like she had blithely unwrapped a secret someone had desperately concealed for years, as if saying, “I didn’t know!”

Perhaps it was due to her response that Chae-rim’s already intense gaze became even sharper.

“…How did you know?”

She asked, her eyes radiating a fierce wariness.

“I’m sorry! I just thought it looked interesting…”

The answer I received in return was, admittedly, quite unexpected.

“I wasn’t asking that.”

“Ah, that… I just thought it looked that way.”

“You thought it looked that way?”

What does that even mean?

In hearing that, I wasn’t the only one to ponder it.

Doubt began to creep into Chae-rim’s piercing gaze.

And it seemed the feeling was mutual.

“Do you know about the Talent Organ?”

Her question rang out, too obvious to warrant a reply, and perhaps that’s why I hesitated to answer.

After a moment of silence, Chae-rim slowly nodded in acknowledgment.

Confirming that, Miss Almighty cautiously continued, “That guy has something similar in his body. Though, of course, it’s a bit different from the well-known Talent Organ…”

“Similar to a Talent Organ in my body…?”

At that moment, my gaze instinctively shifted to my left arm.

If there was something that hadn’t existed before but suddenly appeared at some point, it had to be found there.

‘Could it be…’

Was that shining stone I grabbed while escaping Heogye the reason for this?

That was the only link I could identify in my mind.

The real shocking fact was that this woman could see what I had yet to realize over these years.

Is the world’s strongest Hero truly that exceptional?

“Did you… see it?”

And I wasn’t the only one surprised; Chae-rim’s voice lacked its usual firmness, revealing a tinge of worry.

“Yes? Oh, yes.”

“Aah…”

“In that case… can I take a closer look?”

Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Miss Almighty’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked.