This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 450

This is a private military company formed mainly by the Awakened who were discharged due to disarmament.

“So, does that mean the RK Guard doesn’t like the Association?”

“Well… It’s been a matter of decades now, and because of that, they’ve undergone a lot of generational changes, so it’s said to be less than before, but the basic stance remains the same.”

The basic stance remains the same, huh.

Thinking about it, I should have expected that.

After all, the military is an even more closed-off group than schools.

And once something is established in such closed groups, it rarely changes.

Just recalling the unit I served in during my past life, I can readily think of the countless useless bad practices maintained in the name of security.

“Of course…”

That place had conscription, while this side has volunteer enlistment, and since women play a significant role here, once you dig into the details, there will be various differences… but honestly, how different could it be?

Originally, all human places tend to be quite similar.

“…No, wait.”

It might actually be more rigid on this side.

“A group dominated by women, huh…”

That’s basically a female-dominated workplace.

And for someone like me who has experience working at a company that was pure female-dominated in my past life?

There was no place scarier than that.

Yet adding the military’s unique strict discipline into the mix…?

“Oh wow…”

Just imagining it was horrifying.

But throwing their hats into the ring in a place like that.

Were they thinking of proving their abilities and tarnishing the Association’s image?

First, they would need to have the capabilities for that…

“How good is the RK Guard actually?”

“Well, it’s a pretty secretive place, plus I haven’t directly interacted with them, so I’m not sure, but considering that all the high-ranking people are clients of that company, I think they must have the basics covered?”

Must have the basics covered, huh.

If anyone else said that, I would have brushed it off, but the source of that statement was none other than Chae-rim, so the weight of it felt substantial.

It couldn’t be helped; compared to others, Chae-rim was someone with an exceptionally high standard when it comes to talent.

That’s why saying “they must have the basics covered” almost felt like a compliment coming from her.

“Well, when you put it that way, it does make sense.”

The high-ranking individuals tend to be quite sensitive about their personal safety.

No matter how much their connections exist, if they did not have the basic skills to back them up, they would not risk entrusting their safety to someone else.

“Right?”

“Considering the kinds of operations being carried out in Heogye, it might actually be better to go with them than the Association…”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“Well… they’re all from the military, right?”

If this was just a one-time scouting operation, that might be fine, but for ongoing exploration, establishing a base is essential.

And groups that can be considered specialists in establishing bases are precisely the military.

Of course, while the chance of Another Ones watching blankly as they set up a base there is practically close to zero… if they manage to establish a base?

They would be able to survey Heogye more stably, more thoroughly, and more extensively than when they couldn’t.

Moreover, having a direct connection to the military is a significant advantage in this situation.

Unlike the Association, which has a poor relationship with the military due to various incidents, they can easily bring in weapons through their established military connections.

Of course, engaging Another Ones with modern weaponry is an extremely cost-inefficient move, but—

“At least it could buy some time, right? Plus, it could ease the fatigue of the Awakened involved in the operation.”

“That does make sense. The most irritating thing about being there was the constant swarm of nuisances coming in with sheer numbers…”

Even those who have been granted the title of Hero and can showcase their talents in powerful bursts, are still just human.

And once the Another Ones decide to proceed with overwhelming numbers, inevitably, a limit will be reached, whether it’s physically or mentally.

Comparatively, the Automatic Turrets that are used in the military to guard the border these days?

As long as they’re properly maintained and resupplied with bullets or shells, they can fight endlessly without rest.

“So, Dogun, what you’re saying is that you see RK Guard as having the most potential among the places that have expressed willingness to participate?”

“Well… I don’t know how many more will express interest in the future, but at least looking at the current list, I’d say so, yes?”

“Hmmm… is that so…”

“The fact that all members are military personnel distinguishes them from others.”

“That’s true. While many places have some military personnel among their ranks, this is pretty much the only one where everyone is from the military.”

As I mused, Chae-rim seemed to process something in her head and nodded thoughtfully for a moment—

“Anyway, so that’s your opinion, Dogun? Okay, got it.”

Chae-rim muttered that, and while I was grateful for her trust in my opinion, on the other hand, it also felt a bit burdensome.

That’s to say, my opinions don’t always turn out to be correct.

If they did, I would have been setting up mats somewhere to profit off of that.

“That’s just a guess, the reality might be different.”

The reason I said that to Chae-rim, who had been nodding along since earlier, was really due to my concern.

“Well, I can confirm that myself.”

“Is that possible?”

“Yeah, it’s still a secret, but I’m actually part of the field survey team.”

“You mean the team that checks if the places that want to participate actually have the capability?”

“Yeah, exactly. I think they also reached out to Seolhwa and Yoonseo about it.”

“Really? Those two as well?”

“At least that’s how I understand it… but who knows? They might have accepted or not.”

And was that part what made her curious?

“Maybe if you ask Dogun, he might tell you? If you’re that curious, you could casually bring it up.”

Chae-rim slipped that thought into our conversation with a hint of amusement.

“Isn’t it because you’re curious, noona?”

“Hmm… well, there is a bit of that…”

“Well… I’m also curious about that, so I’ll ask.”

.

.

.

“What is this… I heard that you both accepted, but…”

I didn’t expect all three of us would end up involved like this.

Was someone pulling strings behind the scenes?

“Right? Doesn’t this mean Bora totally wins here?”

“Why’s that?”

“Well… today was originally supposed to be the day when noona has Dogun all to herself.”

But now, not only has Chae-rim, the main character, disappeared, but the other two who were supposed to act as watchers have vanished with the field survey as an excuse, leaving Bora free to break the ‘rules’ without anyone to point it out, as explained by Yoonseo.

“I didn’t know Yoonseo thought so highly of her noona…”

“Well, I mean… If you’re going to set rules, it’s a bit disappointing when someone breaks them right away.”

“But you don’t have to worry too much about that.”

“…?”

“I actually already made a deal with Bora.”

It’s a rare opportunity that comes around every four days, and even if there were unavoidable circumstances due to work, I couldn’t let it slip away so easily.

So, I’d already contacted Bora the night before to seal the deal.

“So, let’s stop worrying about unnecessary things and…”

Let’s focus on work.

I looked to the sides at the two beside me and then raised my head to see a rather sleek building with a prominent emblem shaped like a shield, the letters RK boldly engraved upon it.