This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 460

Something seems a bit ridiculous, Chae-rim thought.

Looking at the scene unfolding right before her, it was hard not to have such thoughts.

After all, both Captain Jiwon, who had been going on about the necessity of restraints, and the Management Team Leader, who was directly rebutting him, were passionately debating something so evident.

Why couldn’t they realize that acting normally in times like these was, in fact, the closest thing to the right answer?

No, they must know.

Even if they knew, their behavior was likely a reflection of how shocking the recent strike had been for them.

Thus, it was unavoidable that they would become overly cautious.

The conversations about receiving applicants first were possibly a result of that influence as well.

If they had approached this expedition the same way they usually operated within the association, they would have selected heroes with talents deemed most efficient to form the exploration team without considering the applicants.

Naturally, there would hardly be any reflection of the heroes’ will in that choice.

Their usual method involved pursuing maximum efficiency, ignoring any noise that could arise during the process. This was how the association operated.

But if they handled things like that in the current situation—

‘The heroes would end up revolting just like the staff.’

Yes, that was undoubtedly going to happen.

Honestly, this seemed inevitable. Reflecting on the stories heard through Seolhwa and Yoonseo, everyone had a certain pride that came from being granted the title of heroes and how they had been treated up until now. They had been choosing to comply with the association’s orders without complaint, but this was separate from the mounting fatigue from their activities that was slowly building into dissatisfaction.

Some of those with more impatient personalities had already begun openly expressing their discontent with the association.

Now, imagine being mobilized for an expedition into Heogye, where anything could suddenly jump out, and not knowing if they would even come back safely, regardless of one’s personal intentions.

Would those who had fought to earn the title of heroes by overcoming fierce competition remain silent upon hearing that news?

Some might feel relieved at the thought that they wouldn’t, but it was likely that most would choose to join together and revolt.

‘…No.’

If it ended at that level, like just a strike, it might actually be fortunate.

In the worst-case scenario…

There could be something resembling a civil war among the heroes who couldn’t accept the situation with the association.

Of course, those who had much to lose hated fighting more than anyone else, so it was unlikely to reach that point, but still, one could never be too sure.

Just looking at the distant third-world countries, there were places that had tried to impose some sort of restraints on Awakened individuals, only to end up in a civil war after those Awakened individuals united and revolted.

And among those locations, there were several where only Awakened people were treated as proper human beings.

Considering that such places existed, there was no reason why it couldn’t happen in Korea.

And if things truly escalated that way… regardless of the outcome of the conflict, the association would ultimately suffer.

They likely knew that, which was why they were having such pointless arguments.

“What if we recruit applicants as you said, Team Leader, but the heroes aren’t responsive?”

“Well, that…”

“There are likely quite a few people glaring at this place right now. Do you really think they’ll sit quietly after hearing that news?”

“Then should we reach out to the heroes first to check their willingness before proceeding with the work…?”

Honestly, what I wanted to say was that I’d handle that part myself, and to stop wasting time on useless things and just send a few capable juniors my way.

The sight of their incompetence was driving me crazy, and the urge to voice my frustration rose like bile in my throat, but I held back.

After all, there was a concern that held me back from acting out of simply exasperation.

For instance, the well-being of Dogun.

It was a fact that Dogun was able to live fairly freely in a VIP hospital room because there were strong people backing him up.

However, if the reason for the expedition caused me to stay away for weeks or even months…

The things he had been hesitant to do because he had to watch out for me would surely reach out for him with claws the moment I was gone.

Honestly, it was a foregone conclusion.

After all, the Doctor was someone who could easily recognize the greed surrounding rare specimens.

But would such a woman, someone who had even openly shown her greed for Dogun right in front of me, only babble in front of the Association Chairman?

‘The problem is…’

There were factors to consider that went beyond just her.

This was inevitable since the recent Monsterization incident had revealed certain facts regarding Dogun’s left arm, leading some stakeholders to perceive him as a very unique case, unlike ordinary individuals, as only the left arm showed signs of monsterization.

And if those who were aware of Dogun’s uniqueness spread that information to other stakeholders…

The moment I was absent, the others would surely make an effort to secure Dogun.

They might believe that studying him could uncover a clue to solving the problem of monsterization.

However, among the properly functioning companies or research labs, could there really be any place that would rashly commit such acts? Still, the world is vast, and there are plenty of lunatics.

And regardless of the process, if they managed to find a solution to monsterization, they would gain significant leverage.

‘Of course…’

Even if I was absent, with Seolhwa and Yoonseo around, it wouldn’t be that easy to manipulate Dogun without getting past them.

And considering Bora’s talent, it would be even more so.

The problem was… trusting them based on that alone didn’t quite feel reliable enough.

It wasn’t about their combat capabilities.

Honestly, with the Seolhwa and Yoonseo combo, their fighting power would be more than enough.

It was just that their relationship wasn’t great. If those two decided to team up seriously, for instance, if Yoonseo focused on defense and Seolhwa took charge of offense…

‘…That would be tough.’

We’d have to fight to know, but I doubted I could break through them in a short time.

So, there wasn’t much worry about the combat aspect… The key factor was the experiential side, that was for sure.

Both Seolhwa and Yoonseo had been active as heroes for three years, but socially, they were still rather inexperienced.

And if someone recognized that and took advantage of it…

Things could unravel far too easily.

‘If they were just three years older, I would have entrusted everything to them without a second thought.’

It’s a pity that this isn’t the case.

Watching things unfold was frustrating, but directly intervening felt like another kind of tricky situation.

Perhaps because of that, I was trying to relieve the frustration that boiled up inside me by taking deep breaths.

Suddenly, my mobile phone, resting in my pocket, vibrated loudly, and cautiously pulling it out, I found a text notification from Yoonseo.

‘I have a suggestion I’d like to discuss. Are you free for a call?’

What on earth was she up to now?