This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 477

Would mixing rusty iron particles with air create such a color?

It was a color that seemed unfamiliar yet ominously natural.

And perhaps I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

Everyone was standing far back from where that air was seeping out.

In contrast, those presumed to have been dispatched from headquarters were fully equipped, as if they had come to a site of radioactive leakage, dressed in pristine protective suits and gas masks with air purification filters.

‘Wait a moment…’

The fact that everyone was dressed that way made me wonder—could it be that one must dress like that beyond the Rift?

The thought that it might be necessary made my mouth feel bitter already.

It was only reasonable, given that even with one’s head fully in the game, one couldn’t guarantee survival in a place like the Heogye, so one wouldn’t be able to display their true capabilities wearing such outfits.

Thus, hope relied on the fact that those rushing off to collect the red gas might bring something crucial back.

It appeared that they hurried off to confirm if the gas was actually harmful to humans… but wasn’t there a chance that despite its color, it might be nothing?

‘After all, Dogun and my sister spent almost weeks over there without any issues…’

Unlike everyone who was secretly worried, it would probably be fine.

Well, I honestly wasn’t sure if those people would take it at face value.

At that moment when humanity first witnessed the spectacle of opening a Rift with their own hands,

The air, which had been continuously sluggish in anticipation of the light beams, suddenly split open with a tearing sound, and in that gap, a massive entity landed with a thud.

My body reacted right after that moment.

The sound of something freezing, and alongside it, ice grew and swallowed whatever darted out of the Rift.

When I first began using my hands, I found myself looking at an entity trapped in ice that was larger than the typical Another.

Had it been close to the Rift when it opened, getting sucked in?

Given its size, it seemed to be a Bruiser level, and that meant…

“Prepare for battle!”

Perhaps they reached a similar conclusion as us.

With a sudden shout from the left, those who had been slightly frozen by the unexpected situation started moving as if it were always their role.

It was as if they readied a massive black shield to quickly charge toward the undulating Rift, in contrast to the on-site response earlier.

Following them were those armed with baton-like tools.

Why were they using blunt weapons instead of blades? Perhaps they believed it would be more effective against the softer-inside Another creatures compared to their solid exoskeletons.

How effective that choice would be was uncertain, but personally, I thought it wasn’t bad.

This was because the level of detail they were considering indicated their genuine commitment to this expedition.

‘Compared to that, we are…’

Like grains of sand.

Of course, while it would be an understatement to label us as merely grains of sand, the individual capabilities were not to be overlooked… that was about all there was to it.

Unlike the team-based operations of the RK Guard, this side lacked any semblance of teamwork.

In hindsight, that was probably expected.

Unlike them, whose basic activity was team-oriented, we were strictly focused on individual operations.

Sometimes we band together, but basically, that was how it was.

Different reasons also contributed to why each person supported this exploration mission.

While some joined for reasons similar to ours, others did it purely for rapid advancement in rank.

With such varying fundamental support reasons, how could there be anything resembling teamwork?

“Wait a moment. Let’s just observe for now?”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I mean, let’s just keep watching for now and not jump in.”

“No… who do you think you are…?”

The reason I stepped in to restrain those who instantaneously entered combat mode upon witnessing the Another was that it wouldn’t benefit us to interfere in our current state; we’d likely just become a hindrance.

Of course, I knew that if I stated that outright, those overly proud folks would likely react predictably, so I offered an alternative reason.

“We’ll have to move together with them for a while. We should assess their level, shouldn’t we?”

“Well, I suppose…”

“Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”

“Tch…”

Fortunately, the reasoning I devised seemed to resonate well even with those leading the charge against the Another.

Even the member most expressing hatred toward the Another eventually showed signs of agreement with my statement.

Despite their disdain for the Anothers, they probably recognized the need to assess their capabilities first.

Though she clicked her tongue in displeasure, she nonetheless calmed her previously heightened spirits, so I felt relieved.

In truth, I had been prepared to intervene if she had insisted stubbornly without yielding, but thankfully, it didn’t seem necessary.

While I was soothing the heroes, combat was already underway on the other side.

Following the general principle that Bruiser-level entities don’t operate alone, it seemed this one wasn’t by itself either.

With a heavy thud, what seemed to be guests arriving prepared to attack the RK Guard personnel, who had been on standby.

The HQ personnel who had been lurking near the Rift had long since evacuated to safety.

Thus, with nothing left to obstruct them, the RK Guard personnel started advancing, shields in front.

Utilizing the mindless tendencies of the lower-level creatures, who fixated on immediate targets, those wielding shields diverted attention while those armed with blunt weapons struck from the back in a seemingly simple strategy.

Yet sometimes, simplicity works best.

Especially in a well-prepared situation like this.

“Hmm… it’s better than I thought…”

“Not bad at all?”

“Are they a team that usually operates in this area?”

“I don’t think so. If they were part of the Association, it would be a different story, but if they’re corporate personnel like that, then the more they catch Anothers, the more they lose.”

“That’s true. No matter how hard they try to catch them, there’s not much to gain…”

“By the way, what is that baton? Given its intactness, it doesn’t seem like an ordinary one…”

“It does look remarkably sturdy…”

“By the way, I think I’ve heard something about how the military once studied materials derived from the corpses of Anothers…”

“The corpses of Anothers, you say?”

“Yes, since their exoskeletons are exceptionally tough, there was a discussion about whether those could be used as armor material.”

“That does sound plausible.”

“Yes, they thought it could be utilized for armor, but as you know, the corpses of Anothers…”

“…start to decay over time.”

“Yes, they said that’s why they abandoned the project, but hmmm…”

Perhaps because I had initially harbored a dismissive attitude towards anyone from the military, one collision made me reconsider a bit.

Everyone wore a subtle expression.

“That said… this is better than I expected…”

“Yeah… not too shabby…”

“That’s to be expected. After all, it’s ‘Lightning Lady’ handling this part.”

“Oh, so that makes sense.”

It might be the reason, but the nuance of the voices spilling out was no different from their expressions.

While the dispatched heroes familiarized themselves with the skills of those they would soon collaborate with…

—Kiiieeeek…!

The somewhat chaotic scene was now nearing full organization.

It was happening faster than we had anticipated.