This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 508

Who was it that said that?

The day you leave is also market day.

Using the expression “just in time” in this situation feels a bit off, but anyway, tomorrow marks exactly one week since I entered here.

And the exploration team organized for the Heogye expedition decided to switch out every week for stress and mental management.

So what does that mean? It means that today is the last day spent in this annoying world.

‘Of course, unlike the exploration team, the heroes are working in shifts, so…’

In a week, I’d be returning here again, but still, at least I get to spend a week in reality.

So, my original plan was to rush over to Dogun as soon as I returned to reality and stick by his side for the entire week, but…

Like I said before, today is market day, and it’s not just any ordinary information; with this kind of info in hand, I guess I have to put that plan on hold for now.

Honestly, I really want to storm into that chaotic place right now, but… there’s no one around to back me up, and doing it alone would be a suicide mission.

So, I had to hold back for now.

My goal is to find a way to revert Dogun’s left arm back to normal, not to die.

That’s why I’ve been postponing the much-anticipated reunion with Dogun to relay this information to the Association as quickly as possible.

What if this information in my hands reaches the Association? Even the notoriously sluggish Association won’t be able to sit idly by.

Especially not when they’re currently racking their brains over the issue of managing the victims of monsterization.

Of course, I know.

I know well that ideals differ from reality.

Frankly, who wouldn’t?

I’ve experienced that several times while doing hero work.

So perhaps… even if I brought this information to the Association, there’s a good chance they’d come up with excuses to keep delaying their decision.

But that’s merely a ‘possibility’; no one knows how the Association will respond until we actually find out.

That’s why I need to at least attempt this.

‘And, well…’

Honestly, while I hate to imagine it, just in case the Association receives this information and chooses to remain silent, I’ve got one method prepared.

It’s something I pretty much came up with on the spot, but its effect should be significant.

Especially in a situation where all eyes are on the Association like now.

Of course, since it’s the ‘Association’ we’re dealing with, even if I try some media play, there’s a chance it won’t have the anticipated effect. The Association is known for being skilled at manipulating the press, so perhaps even a disclosure could end up being buried.

If the Association decides to go all out, there’s certainly a chance that’s how things could play out… But in that case, I can just borrow my sister Chae-rim’s strength.

Given the nature of the situation and its connection to Dogun, if she hears about this, she won’t sit quietly either.

‘…Alright.’

Then, let’s organize things first.

This wasn’t part of the original plan, but given the situation, it feels a bit wrong to just run away for the sake of convenience.

Above all… from the perspective of those coming to listen to the exploration team’s report, even though I hold the title of team leader, I’m just an employee from a collaboration agency. What I say wouldn’t hold as much credibility as someone who’s part of the Association and is known as a vice-chairman.

So this time, it’s better for me to take the initiative.

“I’ll handle this report.”

That’s why I declared it, facing the person I’d been looking at for a while.

Of course, that’s a rather obvious statement, but even while saying it, I didn’t feel entirely comfortable.

It couldn’t be helped; from my position, I couldn’t easily concede on this matter, so I said it, but I thought it might make the other party feel displeased.

I was secretly worried about that, but thankfully, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Would you really do that?!”

The response I got was not one of annoyance at having their place taken but rather of someone releasing a sigh of relief.

While it didn’t look like that… maybe they were unexpectedly burdened by it since they didn’t say anything.

‘Well…’

Dogun is also the type to get anxious about presentations. He speaks well on a normal basis, but when it comes to presentations, he’s surprisingly nervous. It’s almost as if he has some sort of bad memories associated with them.

Therefore, whenever there was a presentation in school, it was always my responsibility.

So, even though I was nervous, I had some confidence that I could do it well.

‘What the heck, let’s just think of it as potatoes and sweet potatoes.’

As I organized the information to be conveyed the moment we returned to reality, it was suddenly time to go back.

However, I couldn’t just leave the base behind after all the effort I’d put into gathering it, so we gathered in the open area right in the center of the base, waiting for the latecomers to arrive through the rift.

“Shouldn’t they be coming over soon?”

“Yeah, what on earth are they doing…?”

Ultimately, while it’s just a week-long vacation, knowing that we can enjoy our time without worrying about an assault from Another Ones makes everyone feel a bit giddy, even if we don’t voice it.

But in that situation, where we should quickly see the replacements show up, they haven’t shown their faces at all… So, naturally, my temper started to flare.

If that was the end of it, it would have been great.

Waaaahhh—

That sound, which has become all too familiar over the past few days, began to echo through the base, instantly sharpening my senses.

The automated turrets installed along the base’s outer walls began to raise their heads, following the lead of various sensors.

“Damn it…”

“Ugh… I just changed my clothes…”

“If we agreed to take turns, why the hell aren’t they showing up?! What are they doing?!”

“Stop whining and everyone get ready for battle!”

Most issues would be handled by the automated turrets, but if that wasn’t enough, we’d have to take action ourselves.

Everyone knew that fact, so even while grumbling, they were getting ready for battle when finally, the latecomers revealed themselves through the rift.

“Ah, I’m really sorry. We rushed as fast as we could—um?”

Perhaps the staff from the Association who had been sent to guide them were being difficult in some way.

As the representative of the latecomers spoke with an apologetic expression, it was clear that their faces were filled with question marks just afterward.

It was already a troubling situation due to the unnecessary delay, and now things were chaotic with sirens blaring, creating an atmosphere as if a bomb had dropped.

Surely, they must have imagined some scenario where this could happen in a place they’d be staying for a week, yet they all wore blank expressions as if they had agreed in advance to look clueless.

“Why aren’t you getting ready for battle?! Can’t you hear the sirens?!”

“Ah, ah! Yes! We’ll get ready for battle!”

Despite not having officially switched out yet, this situation where we’d have to battle before the shift began seemed absurd.

The speed of those who showed up claiming to be the latecomers was comically slow compared to ours, which had been trained up over the past week.

I couldn’t help but worry that I might burst a blood vessel before getting to the heads of the Another Ones.

‘No way…’

They’re not deliberately dawdling because it’s not yet time for the shift, right…?

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like that.

But judging by their expressions, which all seemed to say ‘What’s going on here…?’, they were likely just confused by the unexpected situation.

‘They shouldn’t be getting flustered over this…’

Thanks to that, I felt a little anxious, but I decided to trust the other heroes who were part of the latecomers.

Moreover, right now, worrying about that is secondary to driving away the Another Ones.

‘If that’s the case…’

Let’s see how they all perform.

While I took a quick glance at them in their battle suits, I casually waved goodbye to the Another Ones, who had managed to reach the front of the barricade through the barrage of fire.