This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 606

“It seems everyone is already aware of the monsterization phenomenon.”

They may not have gotten to the classified details, but they must have crammed in all the general information they could access.

As soon as I brought it up, a strange tension settled over the faces of those sitting around the round table.

Their demeanor had changed dramatically from just a moment ago when they appeared relatively relaxed, listening attentively.

However… there was nothing they could do from their standpoint.

After all, they couldn’t afford to let that one piece of information slip past them.

It’s only natural, really.

No matter how successful a hero might be, they would just be another monster the moment they took a hit from the spit those creatures throw.

“Honestly, if it stopped there, I’d consider myself lucky…”

Thinking back to that incident when the monster leading those Another Ones rushed our forward base, it seemed highly probable that once monsterization began, they would immediately point their weapons at the expedition team.

And at that moment, not only the individual’s honor but also their friends and family left behind in reality would be caught up in the backlash.

It’s not like they choose to become one; it’s because they were monsterized, so in a way, they can be seen as a victim too. But is it really fair to hold them responsible for that…?

Well, when have heroes ever not been blamed for something?

There are numerous individuals, driven by jealousy and hatred for just being better off than others, all over the world. For such bitter souls who couldn’t land a bite on someone else, the expedition formed to achieve the glorious task of completely exterminating the Another Ones would provide them with an excellent excuse to act up.

Considering that they might harm not only themselves but also those left behind, it’s hardly surprising that the people gathered here now wore such tense expressions.

Maybe that’s why.

Clearly, everyone was intensely focused.

I could almost feel the concentration radiating from them.

“I believe everyone is aware, but before I dive into the detailed explanation about that peculiar entity, let me elaborate a bit more…”

I can’t say for sure if that’s why, but naturally, my voice gained strength as I spoke.

Thanks to that, even though I wasn’t using a microphone, my words echoed loudly throughout the meeting room.

As they bounced off the walls and returned to my ears, it felt somewhat like recording a song on my mobile phone in an empty room and then playing it back with the phone close to my ear, yet I resolutely continued with my explanation.

“Um…”

“Yes?”

“Before we begin with the explanation, may I ask one question?”

“Oh, then I’d like to…”

“If it’s okay, I’d also like to ask one…”

Perhaps it was because their attitude towards listening had changed completely from before.

As soon as I wrapped up the basic explanation, questions started to fly in at an entirely different level from before.

I had to spend quite a bit of time answering each of those.

Of course, I didn’t feel displeased about it.

If anything, I found this situation quite delightful.

While having some downtime before the important moment is nice, the Heogye I’ve experienced firsthand is a place that demands tension rather than comfort.

Just thinking about that flying peculiar entity, which had brought such chaos to the meeting room moments ago, reminded me of that.

Fortunately, thanks to the sensors installed along the walls of the containers near the forward base, even if those guys approached stealthily, they ultimately couldn’t escape the sensors’ gaze and ended up being blown to bits. But that was only possible because the sensors were there. What if they hadn’t been?

Perhaps a few of those included in the exploration team would have been monsterized by those creatures.

In that context, once the operation truly begins, the expedition team must advance towards the heart of the Heogye, teeming with Another Ones?

Above all, they should be cautious of those flying entities.

Still, heroes are much more perceptive than ordinary people, so if they just stay a bit alert, won’t things be fine?

That’s the kind of naive talk you can only say when out of touch.

While it’s undeniably true that heroes possess a heightened sense of perception compared to regular folks, that doesn’t mean they maintain that state all the time.

In fact, they can’t possibly do so.

The more acute their senses become, the more information they receive, thus increasing the load on their brains.

In that sense, keeping a continual sense of detection as easily as breathing, like my sister, is truly an extraordinary feat.

I doubt there are many people here who can do that.

As I answered each question flying in nonstop, my thoughts briefly wandered, but I quickly snapped back and continued with the explanation I had intended to deliver.

This included the behavior of that flying peculiar entity, the things we’ve uncovered about it, and its weaknesses.

Among them, the information that garnered the most significant reaction from those sitting here was, of course, the fact that there’s a spawning ground beneath the massive tree located at the center of the Heogye.

“How did you find that out?”

“Did the Korean exploration team directly confirm the existence of the spawning ground?”

“Sorry, but that part is classified, so I’m unable to provide an answer.”

“What did you say?”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

Despite their eagerness to fire off more questions, the reaction to that statement—unable to answer about that specific subject—showed their shocking expressions, as if questioning the legitimacy of it. But it couldn’t be helped.

Honestly, I couldn’t do anything else because that was part of the agreement with the French Hero Association.

Thus, unlike the previous situation where I answered most inquiries, I couldn’t just blab carelessly.

So, I took a somewhat rebellious stance, and surprisingly enough, it worked quite well.

It seemed that despite their incredulous expressions at my refusal to share certain information, they also appeared to think, “Well, there must be a reason for it…”

After all, since everyone here had earned their place with the talent they possessed, it was no surprise they didn’t push too hard for details.

“Spawning ground…”

“If it’s possible to achieve all the operational goals in a short period, then I don’t really care whether it exists or not…”

“But if the operation takes longer than expected, it could definitely become a problem.”

“Indeed. There are plenty of similar expressions floating around, but the fact that we chose to use the term ‘spawning ground’ suggests that the numbers inside are far from trivial.”

It was particularly notable that, instead of wasting time fretting over what couldn’t be done, we swiftly dove into what resembled an operation meeting.

“Ugh… I hate bugs.”

“Now that I think about it, it does look a bit… bug-like.”

“It feels like a mix between a bee and a mosquito, perfectly half and half.”

“Still, according to the description, it shouldn’t be too hard to handle them, so that’s a relief.”

“Then we should definitely aim for that spawning ground, right?”

“Looks like that’s the plan. Who knows how long it’ll take to completely exterminate the Another Ones…?”

“Do we really need to deal with the little ones ourselves?”

“Then do you have any other suggestions?”

“What I’m saying is… we should focus on dealing with that creature known as the Queen and the enormous tree at the heart of the dimension while leaving the ordinary ones to be handled later by the heroes below. That seems far more efficient, doesn’t it?”

“So, you’re suggesting we should prioritize and concentrate on certain targets.”

“Exactly.”

Thus, the expedition team, which initially showed some hesitancy due to various reasons, began to stride confidently towards the complete annihilation of the Another Ones as if nothing had ever happened.