This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 452

“Sulhwa, that one really…”

Doesn’t know the meaning of moderation.

Well, I guess that just means they’re serious about training.

Anyway, since the situation has come to this, what can we do?

Pretending to care for the opponent now would only sound sarcastic in the ears of someone so stunned they seem half-conscious, so it’s better to take this opportunity to suppress some of their arrogance.

“What are you saying, Sulhwa? This is obviously how training goes, right?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve experienced it, so you know. No matter how intense the training is, it doesn’t compare to the real deal.”

“Ah, that’s true… It’s different in reality since you never know when something will happen…”

“Right? You think the same way?”

I’ve hinted enough for Sulhwa to get it; now the only one left to deal with is that manager lady?

“Yuna, do you think so too?”

I was secretly hoping Sulhwa would fail miserably, but when I opened it up, I saw another kind of miserable scene before me.

Seeing her so shocked made me curious about what kind of training RK Guard was conducting that would leave her so rattled.

Is this really something to be that surprised about…?

If I were to be completely honest?

That’s the only thought I could muster.

It’s true that Sulhwa displayed an overwhelmingly impressive visual, but many could achieve similar results.

The final image may differ, but there are at least two people here who could do it too.

“Well…”

Unlike other talents, Sulhwa’s talent is something that sends shivers down your spine in its invisibility.

I continued my thoughts inward, making sure no one else heard, while waiting for a response from Yuna.

Only after hearing what seemed like a request for agreement from my side did I finally start to shake off the shock.

“Ah… yes. Right.”

Still, it seemed she wasn’t quite able to control her expression perfectly, as she nodded awkwardly, looking a bit flustered.

“Just as I thought?”

“Yes, yes…”

“But… it definitely seems like the training intensity is a bit low. I think they might have deliberately dialed it back out of concern for potential injuries before the real thing…”

Even as she said that, a look that seemed akin to acute embarrassment floated across Yuna’s face.

In other words, it seemed she had plenty to say.

And after I pressed her shoulders down like that?

Everything from there suddenly became much smoother.

Looking at the scene, it seemed they had prepared a lot for this but were perhaps afraid of failing to recoup what they lost earlier, as the next procedures went off without a hitch.

Well, strictly speaking, the “real” test hadn’t even started yet.

“All that’s left is the skill tests of the participants for the expedition.”

What more can I say?

The true purpose of this expedition was just that.

In other words… the skill tests for those who would be deployed on the Heogye expedition.

Of course, when the association first announced they would conduct something like this, many organizations and companies that expressed their willingness to participate collectively protested, questioning whether their abilities were being doubted…

But for the association, that was not something they could yield on at all.

From the association’s perspective, they simply couldn’t afford to deploy people without even the most minimal skill verification since that inevitably would lead to “casualties.”

And ultimately, the responsibility for any resulting casualties would rest with the association.

“Although, given the circumstances, casualties are almost guaranteed…”

If they could minimize them, they were right to try their best to do so.

Just because Dogun positively assessed RK Guard didn’t mean I had any intention of being lenient.

“Have… preparations been made?”

“Yes, yes! You can go right away.”

Leading the now considerably more obedient Yuna, we began heading towards the testing area, where RK Guard personnel were waiting.

As I followed Yuna, who took the lead…

“Yoonseo, Sulhwa.”

“Yes?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you both remember what I told you before entering here?”

Meanwhile, I checked their readiness.

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

“Good, just do exactly as I said.”

Fortunately, it seemed they had not forgotten the warnings I had given before entering.

Seeing both Yoonseo and Sulhwa nodding without the slightest hesitation showed that must be true.

So then?

I could relax and trust the two of them.

Although there was never going to be absolute trust between rivals, we were currently executing an official task.

And as for those two?

In a world where people were falling short of fulfilling their given roles, both were individuals who sufficiently completed their parts.

At that moment, the internal checks were wrapped up neatly.

As the saying goes, good timing, it seemed we had just arrived at the test area that RK Guard prepared for this.

“Here is the place.”

With that statement, a gargantuan iron door appeared before my eyes, starting to creak open with a heavy sound.

“This is one of the panic rooms created in case any unforeseen situations occur during a VIP security operation, so you don’t need to worry about any collateral damage around.”

After scolding Sulhwa earlier, she was making statements like that now.

Had she somehow regained her confidence?

Well, that might be part of it, but… they were definitely afraid of not being accurately assessed due to external factors.

As Dogun said, it’s undeniable that RK Guard held a strong position in this regard, but the newcomers chasing closely behind were not to be underestimated either.

For example, the Sprinter, unexpectedly tasked with dealing with foreign organizations because of language skills, had companies pouring in from America and Europe just to test here in Korea.

Thanks to that, watching the Sprinter lamenting why they had to take on such a task was quite amusing.

Anyway, with domestic companies competing alongside some of the biggest international enterprises and groups, you knew they had been grinding hard to prepare for this test.

As Yoonseo and Sulhwa took their places marked A and B respectively—

“Well… can we start?”

“Yes, of course.”

The true skill tests were ready to begin.

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For a smoother test, RK Guard was in a situation closely aligned with the current heated topic in the community, facing formerly formidable villains who had become puppets controlled by Another Ones due to some form of monsterization.

Consequently, Yoonseo, who unwittingly took on the terrifying hybrid role of a villain and Another, could only feel dumbfounded.

No, I know this is an unavoidable situation for the test, but there’s no way they would assign such a role to a Hero.

They might compare me to that villainous Frozen every time I made headlines, so it must be causing these melancholic feelings.

“I need to get this over with quickly.”

It was indeed the reason behind those thoughts.

Seeing those who were likely A group piling out as soon as I stepped onto the practice stage, their weariness from all the preparation was clearly visible, but I didn’t want to prolong this miserable feeling, so I resisted the urge to give them any slack.

Above all… they wouldn’t want that either.

Thus, the moment the test began, I focused on freezing the feet of those participating.

“Alright… I will start now!”

That’s when I would finally unleash what I’d been building up.

Boom! A sound echoed like a bomb had gone off near my ear—

“Ugh?!”

Suddenly, I realized a fist was right in front of my face.