This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 446

“No way, what the…?”

How on earth did this happen? I don’t know who plotted this in these times, but wasn’t the aim to have the heroes rise up en masse?

Yet, instead of heroes, it’s the regular employees of the association going on strike.

Did I really not consider that possibility at all?

It felt like being hit on the back of the head by a hammer, leaving me dazed and numb.

And as that strange sensation traveled up my neck, I realized — I figured out what both Chae-rim and I had been missing.

“Yeah…”

Thinking about it, it had been odd.

When the words “hero” and “strike” combined, I became so captivated by the destructive potential that I failed to notice it at the time, but now that I think about it, it does make sense.

The act of striking requires a backing voice, public support, but from a structural standpoint, it was impossible for heroes to have that support for a strike.

Honestly, how could it be any other way? Who are the heroes?

They are those who have been granted special abilities since humans acquired talents — a new privileged class.

They receive many more benefits compared to ordinary people, which is why they are often referred to as modern nobility, and it’s no surprise that many envy the privileges and fame they enjoy.

And this trend has only intensified recently.

It’s no wonder that those who consider themselves aware claim that if things continue like this, humanity might split into two factions: a small number of heroes and those who aren’t, and they argue that to prevent such a situation, some of the privileges currently granted only to heroes must be revoked to soothe the public’s dissatisfaction.

But in such a situation, heroes go on strike saying they can’t take it anymore?

Realistically, how many average citizens would sincerely support that?

“It’s a miracle if they aren’t met with disapproval given how their bellies are full…”

And if they can’t gain the support of the overwhelming majority?

The strike would inevitably end up being a mere farce.

Unless all the heroes belonging to the association stood up together, if only a few did, then it would be even more so.

Could those who orchestrated this not have realized such an obvious fact right from the seating arrangement?

Only those people know the truth, but… they probably knew.

The idea that they already anticipated this outcome means it could never have been their main aim.

It probably reached the point of clarity at that moment where I thought of a term that flashed through my mind — “feint and attack.”

Making a scene in the east while hitting in the west.

Nothing describes the current situation more accurately than this, and to be able to summarize it with just one term shows how perfectly the opponent’s strategy has unfolded…

“If that’s the case, no matter what they demand, we’ll have no choice but to comply…”

Honestly, the association couldn’t do anything else.

Because the longer this situation dragged on, the more peoples’ trust in the association would plummet.

Perhaps those who orchestrated this were aiming for just that.

“What a finely timed strike.”

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that way.

Had the association been in its usual state, such a tactic would have never worked.

They would have smashed the opponent’s head using the immense authority they held rather than even sitting down at the negotiation table.

“Still, the only silver lining is…”

There’s a high chance that they won’t make unreasonable demands on the other side.

They wouldn’t want things to escalate beyond this.

If it blew up to an uncontrollable level, it wouldn’t just hurt the association.

Right now, controlling this minor blaze is possible, but if it spreads and becomes a wildfire, then it’s pure disaster.

“The problem is…”

It’s of course what they could possibly demand… what in the world do they want from the association to go to such lengths?

“Phew…”

I just hope Chae-rim isn’t too stressed because of this…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

When Dogun was worrying about Chae-rim, the situation faced by the association amidst this unprecedented strike was far from good.

For starters, contrary to the flood of articles coming out now, the actual proportion of employees participating in the strike was less than half.

At most, perhaps two or three out of ten?

Yet, the reason why this strike became such a painful blow for the association was that various factors were intertwined.

The most significant reason was, of course… due to the previous attack, a large number of the existing employees had been wiped out.

The efficiency seen in the existing association had come from a long time of refinement, achieving extreme efficiency, but this success also hinged on the invisible efforts of the staff supporting it.

However, due to the previous attack tied to the monsterization phenomenon, the main association building was raided, resulting in the deaths of many skilled employees.

Although they scrambled to fill the void with people from elsewhere, it was virtually impossible to catch up to the previous efficiency due to the absence of experienced personnel… And so, while everyone was muddling through, this strike erupted.

Naturally, even those who weren’t participating in the strike were starting to lend an ear to the voices calling for action.

In short, from the association’s perspective, if they didn’t resolve this situation quickly, what started as a mere farce could potentially spiral out of control.

Nevertheless, the association was unable to act rashly, and the reason for this was simple.

Firstly, the current state of the association wasn’t normal, and… among those often referred to as the “leadership,” opinions on how to handle the situation were beginning to diverge.

Some would say?

“They must not be allowed to meet their demands at any cost.”

“Isn’t that too absolute?”

“I agree. Once you start conceding, they’ll keep making demands. Those sorts of people.”

“Exactly. The mere fact that they started striking in this situation proves their intentions are highly suspect.”

They passionately decried those attempting to take advantage of what could be seen as a national crisis, stating that no matter how tough or difficult the situation became, setting a precedent should not happen.

In contrast, some were saying?

“Then what?”

“Excuse me?”

“If we hold out, will the situation improve?”

“No, what I mean is…!”

“It seems like you haven’t been in touch with the field for a while, so your instincts have dulled… If this doesn’t get dealt with quickly, it’ll escalate.”

“What?! What did you just say?”

“Enough, let’s hear each other out. Let’s first listen… If it’s something we can concede to, responding appropriately to quickly wrap it up would be better than letting it escalate.”

Given that opinions on the association were rather poor, and as the strike prolonged, the backlash would ultimately return to the association, the idea was being discussed that it would be best to just listen to the demands and concede to those worth conceding to quickly.

With all these opinions splitting apart rather than coming together, neither Chae-rim, who was keen to understand the perspectives before taking action, nor the association chairman, who had convened a meeting to form a response, could readily make a decision.

In the midst of such sluggish discussions…

Vrrrrr—!

“Hey, who brought a mobile phone into the meeting…!”

“It seems the atmosphere has heated up a bit, let’s take a break and continue.”

Her slightly old-fashioned mobile phone, placed before the association chairman, started vibrating with a loud noise.