This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 539

Suddenly shaken from my thoughts, I jumped up from my seat, issuing orders to the startled secretary who had rushed in.

Looking at the relative calm apart from the tremor in the building, it seemed more likely that an accident had occurred rather than an attack like last time.

But just to be safe, I had to get a handle on the situation first.

After giving the orders, the secretary returned with a story that was simply absurd.

“They said it happened during training…?”

“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard.”

No wonder the secretary had such an unusual expression when she came back into the room; this must have been the reason.

Honestly, it was outrageous. Even if these so-called heroes could fly and fight, it didn’t make sense for a mere training session to shake a massive building like it was an earthquake.

Well, technically speaking, it was indeed nonsensical.

True, this building was meant only as a temporary venue until the reconstruction of the actual headquarters was finished. Yet, we hadn’t just picked any random building in a hurry.

After all, given the current, most dangerous times, we had carefully selected this location, known for its sturdiness above all.

And yet, to think there was an attack powerful enough to shake this place, even if only briefly?

In a training setting, no less?

Is that even logical?

I wondered if the secretary was thinking the same.

“So, whose doing was it?”

With a slight disbelief etched on her face, I asked to confirm who had invented such a ridiculous excuse.

When I asked, there was a moment of hesitation before the secretary said the name that had recently become quite familiar.

“Who was it?”

“Well… it was just Dogun, Yoonseo, and Baeksulhwa who were inside the training ground at the time of the tremor.”

Now that I think about it, Chae-rim had approved a request for training through her underlings after considerable thought…

But why was that name popping up now, of all times?

‘Could it be…’

Was it somehow related to that tremor?

That seemed likely.

According to the secretary, when the shockwave rocked the building, only those three were present at the training ground.

‘I doubt he caused it himself, but…’

Whether or not Dogun had intentions of marrying someone was a mystery, but given how secretive his underlings were, I couldn’t say for sure what abilities he possessed. Nonetheless, I had already ascertained that it wasn’t related to offensive powers.

And this meant… one of the other two must have been responsible for that incident.

But who?

Who could have delivered such an absurd blow?

The first name that popped into my head was Baeksulhwa.

It made sense, seeing as Yoonseo’s talents would make it relatively difficult for her to be the cause of that shake.

On the contrary, Baeksulhwa had the kind of potential to cause such phenomena, depending on her control over her abilities.

It was an exceptionally special talent. Manipulating sound at will is no small feat.

While everyone was busy lifting Yoonseo on a pedestal, calling her the next “Frozen,” it was Baeksulhwa who had been offered a chance for a trip to Japan.

And Baeksulhwa did not disappoint, coming back with nothing short of overwhelming results, despite it being her first time working in a foreign land.

Thanks to that trip, the Japanese Hero Association had contacted us multiple times for similar requests.

In contrast, Yoonseo—who had gone through the drawn-out process of the special license exam to join the Association—seemed less impressive than the expectations she was supposed to live up to.

Sure, her power, developed from manipulating liquids, would be impressive given the historical context of Frozen, one of the most feared villains in Korean history, who had emerged nearly a few decades ago.

However, looking back at how she typically acted, it didn’t feel “special” enough to match her being a successful passer of such a grandiose special license test after nearly a decade of fading into obscurity.

Honestly, it seemed that Baeksulhwa was the one who truly embodied the standard for what a new special-class hero should be.

So when I first heard the secretary’s words, Baeksulhwa was the first face that came to mind…

“That’s just my personal opinion, and it’s not at all based on the actual facts…”

It seemed the secretary had a different idea after personally visiting the scene.

She thought it was Yoonseo’s doing, not Baeksulhwa’s.

What led her to that conclusion?

“Why’s that?”

“Well, it seems she got damp when we tried to stop it. When I reached the scene, Yoonseo’s clothes were a bit wet.”

Not trying to challenge her, but genuinely curious, I asked her that, and that was her response.

A bit damp, huh?

It seems her ability with liquids might have provided some compelling evidence for that incident.

No major faults in her reasoning; it seemed quite sound at first glance.

Yet, I couldn’t easily accept it since I knew that Yoonseo’s abilities weren’t developed enough to cause such a phenomenon.

Unless she had some sudden epiphany…

Could living in the extreme environment of Heogye for a week have acted as a revelation of some sort?

It seemed far-fetched, but I couldn’t outright dismiss it either.

After all, in retrospect, I had a similar experience during my prime.

If I hadn’t experienced what would later be called the Second Great Invasion, would I have even earned the undeserved title of “hero”?

Or would that fame have shot me all the way to the position of Association Chairman?

Thus, it’s undeniable that experiencing extreme situations can enhance the abilities of heroes… but still, it just didn’t feel right with Yoonseo.

Such epiphanies only happen to those preparing for them; in my eyes, Yoonseo was nothing more than a created genius, neither above nor below that title.

And yet, how could she trigger a phenomenon like that?

Well, could it be that Chae-rim’s eye for potential as she stood out as a genius since her Candidate days was simply sharper than mine?

No, surely this must relate to another factor.

What could it possibly be?

As I pondered, a name scurried through my mind; one I’d recently become quite familiar with.

‘Could it be…’

No way…?

Someone who could elevate the potential of others just by touching them?

This isn’t a novel, and such a person shouldn’t logically exist.