This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 506

They must be fully aware of just how crucial this matter is to the Association at the moment.

Honestly, why wouldn’t they know?

According to the story my sister Chae-rim told me, the RK Guard, which had initially focused on high-profile protections, suddenly threw themselves into the investigation of Heogye, and it’s all related to this.

I heard that one of the people backing the RK Guard had a child who got caught up in the recent attack and ended up monsterized.

This means the urgency isn’t just on the Association’s side, but also for the RK Guard.

Even in such a situation, to speak so confidently like that…

‘Is there some sort of solid evidence?’

Yeah, it must be so.

The real question is, what exactly is that evidence… what could it possibly be?

What could they have secured during the interrogation of that villain that would leave them so certain, even after failing to validate the information that should have led to their dismissal?

And what could possibly be their intention behind revealing it in such a manner?

‘Could it be…’

Are they trying to draw me in like this?

It was just a fleeting thought, but honestly, the possibility seemed high.

If the information written at the end of this document is true, then it looks like their lair is quite deeply located even within this Heogye.

It’s not the core, but just exploring the outskirts was already tough enough to make the RK Guard feel like they were gasping for air. It’s natural they would find it impossible to reach there alone.

So perhaps they’re subtly hinting at something to lure our interest.

Or… they could know the secret about Dogun.

Having witnessed just how much Dogun has struggled to keep his own secret, it felt unlikely, but the latter possibility couldn’t be casually dismissed either.

Considering that even Chae-rim acknowledged the incredible backing behind those who are testing the waters here, it seemed even more plausible.

‘Could it be…’

Did they secretly investigate me? Is that how they reached such a conclusion?

The thought made me instinctively sharpen my eyes. Even I could tell my voice had become sharper, and that was just a bonus.

“Could you tell me the basis for that judgment?”

And as my voice sharpened, my tone naturally followed suit.

What could I say?

Among the information that those who returned from the verification operation additionally revealed, there was information about the peculiar entity that had made Dogun’s left arm that way.

So, knowing it wouldn’t do me any good to be at odds with those I might not see often again, I couldn’t help but react sharply.

Even if it was just eyewitness accounts, I would have reacted the same way, but this was even information about their habitat.

So, reacting sharply could almost be seen as a given.

Though no solid evidence had been presented yet, if the information written here is true… it might really be possible.

For now, I have to try and see, but perhaps I could actually secure a sample from those who turned Dogun’s left arm into that.

And if I succeeded in securing that sample… maybe someday, I might see it.

Dogun walking freely outside without hiding his left arm and hand, without a care for others’ gazes.

Honestly, if I could just see that, I would want for nothing more…

To increase that possibility even a little, I needed to wrap this issue up more solidly.

I swallowed once to calm the anxious thoughts welling up inside me. Given the expression of the person who brought this information, they seemed to be contemplating whether or not it was okay to say this, so there was no point in unnecessarily pressing for haste.

Doing so would only reveal our desperation; it was right to endure the anxiety for now.

And perhaps that silence played a role in creating some sort of pressure on the other side.

The continued silence seemed to only heighten their anxiety, as the one who came to report began to gnaw on their lips.

They were chewing so hard that it seemed like if they kept going, their lips might burst and bleed.

The scene was vivid, almost as if I were watching it right in front of me, but… I had no intention of stopping the other’s actions.

Honestly, why would I?

The more anxious they became, the more advantageous it was for me.

Just look right now.

Now that the emotion of anxiety was starting to rise on the other person’s face, the anxious feelings I felt earlier seemed to vanish as if they had never existed.

It felt just like having a carbonated drink suddenly ease an upset stomach.

Just moments ago, my insides had felt choked, and now they were suddenly clear as day.

And it must have been in that moment where we were half-keeping original silence.

After what seemed like deep contemplation, they finally seemed to arrive at a decision.

A short sigh escaped, echoing through the container building temporarily acting as the command post, and their tightly shut lips slowly started to part.

“Actually… we have several pieces of information that were investigated at the company level for this exploration.”

Information investigated at the company level for the sake of exploration.

I was deeply curious about what that could be, but I refrained from rushing them.

It seemed like they were already about to reveal it all without my prompting.

‘By the way…’

From the way their voice carried that distinctly hesitant emotion, it was clear that this information wasn’t obtained through a legitimate route.

So they were probably hesitating to speak because of that.

It’s understandable, as it was almost like confessing a crime committed at the company level. So, without needing to say it, I figured their insides must be quite a mess right now.

While thinking this, I listened attentively to what they were saying.

And the result was… quite surprising.

Honestly, when I heard they had gathered their own information for the exploration, I wondered how impressive that information could be, but it turned out that what they had wasn’t much different from what we had.

That was genuinely remarkable.

It couldn’t be helped; we had firsthand experience of Heogye from those who had been there before the exploration team.

Yet here they were, possessing information that matched ours closely.

They even knew that numerous people were trapped in the giant old tree at the heart of Heogye, unable to live or die, and that a monster disguised as a human was protecting that area.

It felt almost like they learned of these facts from someone who had actually been there themselves.

How was this possible?

Could there be another survivor aside from Dogun or Chae-rim? Was the information they had about Heogye obtained from that survivor?

It was just a fleeting thought, but I already knew such a scenario was practically impossible.

That’s because Chae-rim had explicitly mentioned that her exit from Heogye had been pure coincidence, and if that rift into reality had not opened at that moment, she would have been pulled into danger instead.

It’s not like… among the currently existing heroes, Chae-rim was one of the top ten who could speak with such certainty about the Queen of the Another Ones being a monster.

To take those down without any damage… wouldn’t it require the world’s finest heroes to be mobilized for it to be possible?

But an ordinary person returning safely to reality, all while evading the gaze of such a monster? Logically, that wouldn’t make sense.

Thus, there probably weren’t any other survivors.

So where did they obtain such information from?

‘Could it be…’

Did they eavesdrop on my sister or Dogun? Was their hesitation earlier because they were worried that might be revealed?

Though I couldn’t believe they’d go that far, the problem was that it was entirely plausible.

And if they really did eavesdrop on either of them… then the subject was likely Dogun.

Honestly, this is the only scenario that makes sense. The RK Guard probably saw him as the less risky target compared to Chae-rim, who is the Vice-Chair of the Korean Hero Association and has impressive personal abilities.

That’s indeed what it is.

Suddenly, perhaps due to that possibility rising in my mind, the person before me started to look less appealing.