This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 384

Hoo…

How did it get this chaotic?

I just wanted to see Dogun’s face, using the excuse of treating him to something delicious since it’s my day off and 복날 (Boknal) is coming up.

But as I headed back home, feeling gloomy after learning from the Association Employee that Dogun had long since gone out to eat, I witnessed someone who had looked perfectly fine just a moment ago suddenly convulsing and collapsing as I walked past.

In my momentary shock, I stood there flabbergasted, unsure of what to do, while the person convulsing on the ground morphed into something resembling an Another and lunged at the people around them.

Almost simultaneously, Another creatures—specimens that bore human bodies—started appearing out of nowhere, and I found myself desperately trying to fend them off to protect the still-ordinary folks nearby.

Before I knew it, I was right here.

First of all…

I hadn’t hidden in a particularly secretive spot; I just entered the first place that caught my eye, locked the door, and muffled the sounds filtering outside. Yet, the monsters hadn’t discovered me yet, which suggested their cognitive and perception abilities were likely far worse than when they were human.

Could this be the result of becoming Another?

Well, if that were the case…

I could probably relax a bit for now.

And with that slight easing of my heart, the feelings I’d been forcefully suppressing began to resurface—like my worry for Dogun.

Is Dogun okay…?

Honestly, I couldn’t be sure.

After all, if the Association building was in chaos, then the situation outside was probably worse, if not the same.

Of course, an employee I ran into earlier outside the Vice Chairman’s Office said that as soon as lunch hit, Chae-rim went out to eat with him, so there’s a good chance they’re together.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t shake off my worry.

Of course… I know.

The Association building had never allowed an external breach since it was established, making it essentially impregnable. It was undoubtedly one of the safest places in Korea, and that safety might very well be beside Chae-rim.

I had learned firsthand just how absurdly strong Chae-rim was, having felt the pain myself when I crossed her. So that was something I was well aware of… But it didn’t alleviate my concerns for Dogun.

It was natural to feel that a worry was never enough.

What if…

Should I call now?

As I mulled over this in my mind, my mobile phone, which I’d almost forgotten in the chaos, vibrated briefly. I quickly pulled it out to check, and it was a message from Dogun full of concern for me.

Given that this message arrived at such a timing, could it be that Dogun was thinking about me too?

The thought calmed my anxious heart a little.

Speaking of which…

Chae-rim too, along with Yoonseo, was in a situation together.

Didn’t she say…

That she went out to eat with just her sister, right?

So where on earth did Yoonseo suddenly come from?

That question popped into my head, but I decided to ponder it later.

Because that wasn’t what mattered right now.

What was crucial now?

It was to ensure that Dogun wouldn’t worry unnecessarily and to convey that I was safe—and that I had finally received the go-ahead from Chae-rim, who said she’d handle the rest, letting me run wild.

What could I say?

Even though I could take down my opponents easily if I wanted to, I opted to hide with the regular folks not out of fear of the mysterious monsters, but rather… out of concern for the inevitable collateral damage that would occur once I started clashing with them.

Honestly, if I weren’t in the Association building right now, I would be focused on defeating the monsters without hesitation.

But as I was hidden in the heart and brain of the Association, where all the equipment and personnel were concentrated, I couldn’t ignore that aspect as I normally would.

After all, there was no way I’d start taking down the perfectly functioning equipment and people just to handle some monsters outside.

So I chose to stay hidden until I had something concrete to act upon…

But now that I had the permission from Chae-rim, who was second only to the Chairman in the organization, to go wild…

There was no need to hold back anymore.

That was also why I’d just slightly gotten up from my spot.

“Uh… S-Seolhwa?”

“Oh, it’s nothing special, just felt the need to keep track of what’s happening outside.”

To be honest, it felt good to say that.

It really wasn’t my style to just hide like this.

That wasn’t all, though.

There was another reason to act immediately.

Before they transformed into Another, everyone was still perfectly fine…

Which meant it was very likely something external had intervened to change these individuals.

And that external factor might be linked to the transformation of Dogun’s left arm.

Of course, there was also a solid chance it wasn’t connected at all.

But still… there wouldn’t be any harm in securing a sample.

With that in mind, moving now seemed to be the closest answer.

So—

“I’ll try to hold them off as much as I can, but… just in case, you all know, right?”

With those final words, I slipped out from where I had been hiding.

I wasn’t planning on being careless, so I remained vigilant as I prepared to prevent any potential incidents. Almost simultaneously, an eerie presence seeped through the sound barrier I’d set up.

It was just like the massive, insect-like body mentioned in Dogun’s text.

“…Found you.”

I began to slowly move toward the source of that feeling.

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At the very same moment that Seolhwa darted out of her hiding spot, smashing through everything rushing at her, Dogun’s team was having a similar encounter with the Another creatures possessing human bodies.

However, unlike Seolhwa’s apparently frantic situation, there was a key difference…

The reason was simple.

Over there, only Seolhwa was present, while Dogun’s group included Chae-rim and Yoonseo.

Among them, Yoonseo’s actions stood out remarkably—perhaps unsurprisingly.

Reason being, not a single attack managed to penetrate the double walls of water and ice created by Yoonseo.

Thanks to that, even though they were perfectly defending against attacks, their movement was exceptionally slow.

“Ugh… How much longer did you say was left?”

“When I checked earlier, it was about seven hundred meters, so we should have around five hundred left!”

“Five hundred…”

The number of creatures surrounding the wall made by Yoonseo was staggering.

They seemed to swarm like zombies in a post-apocalyptic world, all crashing into the walls that Yoonseo had created.

And among them, attacks utilizing their talents were being viciously launched.

“Maybe we should just act now…?”

It was a truly chaotic situation—calling it a total mess would be an understatement. And considering that, it made sense Yoonseo, who was effectively handling the defense alone, would voice such a sentiment.

With her face paling as she strained her abilities to the limit, it was only natural that she would say something like that…

“Like I said, no.”

Yet, Chae-rim’s response remained resolute.

And perhaps for Yoonseo, Chae-rim’s firm demeanor felt frustrating.

Yoonseo’s previously pale face twisted slightly.