This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 599

Such peace hasn’t been seen in years, I wonder if that’s why it feels so strange.

At the same time, work proceeded smoothly, unaffected by the peculiar anxiety that surrounded Dogun.

In a way, it was a rather expected outcome.

After all, who were the ones pushing this initiative?

When it comes to the level of influence they wield, those behind this operation are among the top ranks in the world.

It would indeed be odd if something were to disrupt this smoothly running process, given that these powerful figures are not merely lurking in the shadows, but fully committed and actively involved.

Ah, of course, there are always dissenters wherever you go—those who cannot accept the situation.

Like the Russian heroes, who have been completely sidelined from this event, or the Chinese side, which, despite their strong willingness to participate, found themselves in a precarious position due to internal matters and a shortage of viable cards to play.

Thanks to that, complaints originating from them reached various channels in various ways… but ultimately, the ones listening were Americans.

Not regular Americans, mind you, but those who knew all too well how China or Russia would react when they gained power, so would those threats and attempts at negotiation actually work?

Naturally, anyone involved in the operation didn’t bat an eye, and perhaps that was why the expedition team, which was supposed to consist of twenty members, filled up in the blink of an eye.

And looking over the completed expedition team, the term “luxury members” barely scratched the surface.

After all, the least well-known person in the lineup was Yoonseo, who was referred to as the “Super President” in Korea!

Such globally renowned figures had set their sights solely on the extermination of the Another Ones, answering the call of the World Hero Association…

“Are the preparations for the ceremony ready?!”

“About ninety percent completed!”

“Still? What on earth have you been doing until now?!”

Thus, the burden fell squarely on the Korean Hero Association.

It was unavoidable.

The situation had to unfold this way, as soon as the composition of the expedition team wrapped up, the World Hero Association notified the Korean Hero Association, no, requested “cooperation.”

Due to certain circumstances, they intended to utilize the forward base established by the Korean Hero Association as the base camp for the expedition team, and they sincerely hoped for their cooperation.

Given that the Korean Hero Association already felt somewhat guilty, the threat from the World Hero Association of possibly closing the artificial rift they had opened if they refused, and the immense benefits that would come if Korea was selected as the base camp—it was surely an enticing whisper in their ears, leading to the acceptance of the World Hero Association’s offer.

Of course, among the conditions presented, there was also a proposal to send personnel from the World Hero Association to Korea, considering the difficulties faced by the Korean Hero Association recently…

However, no matter how capable those foreign personnel were, could they truly understand the nuances of the situation better than those who had been working in Korea all this time?

Naturally not, so the responsibility of hosting the members of the expedition team fell onto the employees of the Korean Hero Association.

Yet the problem was… the guests coming in were all of such high-profile status that they should never face anything less than a state guest treatment!

It’s one thing if they were mere heroes, but everyone was either a representative of a prominent association or concurrently holding advisory positions in well-known organizations.

Not to mention? Among those coming were two real state guests!

One hero from Norway and another from the Arab Federation.

Not only were both active heroes, they were titled “Princess” from royal families!

And the one flying in from Norway was the first in line to the Norwegian throne… making it a double whammy for the staff of the Korean Hero Association, who now had to cater to renowned heroes and genuine state guests at the same time!

“Uh… weren’t there supposed to be two vegetarians among the visitors?”

“That’s correct.”

“Have we confirmed their needs? Is it done?”

“Yes!”

“Allergies, anything there?”

“W-We’re in the process of confirming that right now…”

“…What?”

Given how much time has passed, their failure to finish confirming was enough to instantly spark irritation in the External Cooperation Team Leader, who, having dedicated nearly twenty years to the association, felt this event was crucial for their reputation.

With such a fierce look and intimidating presence, they could easily rival even the legendary guardians at a temple!

For the employee standing before them, cold sweat began to bead down.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Y-Yes…?”

“You think it’s okay to just do whatever you want when you don’t hold any responsibility? Is this a joke?”

“W-Well… everyone has their own entourage, and allergies can be sensitive information…”

When it came to world-renowned heroes, there were quite a number of details known due to their fame.

This included what kind of allergies they might have.

However, allergies essentially represent a “weakness.”

After all, who’s to say that someone harboring resentment against a hero couldn’t put some allergenic substance in the hero’s food?

If it remained just a worry, then that would be lucky, but instances similar to this had happened before, and some had sadly lost their lives after missing the chance to act.

It was only natural everyone would be rather sensitive about this issue.

Thus, even an employee sweating profusely was trying to explain why delays were occurring, citing these reasons.

Yet from the point of view of the External Cooperation Team Leader, responsible for everything, the employee’s every word only seemed to be an excuse for their incompetence.

“Enough. You get exactly two hours—no, one hour from now.”

“…Yes?”

“Well, about 59 minutes are left now.”

“…”

“What are you doing? Planning to stay like that?”

“N-No!”

“Then hurry up. Go get me results!”

“Yes, right away!”

“Next! Who’s responsible for the halal food?”

Considering all the incoming visitors, it wasn’t just allergies they had to consider.

Religious matters needed attention as well.

After all, what would be more disrespectful than serving pork or beef to someone who couldn’t eat it for religious reasons?

So that was an area they absolutely needed to keep an eye on.

“Who’s in charge of the Arab Federation side? Is nobody here?!”

“Um, that would be me.”

“How are preparations going there?”

“Fortunately, there’s a supplier that exports food specifically to the Middle East, so we’ll be sourcing ingredients from them.”

“Really? Then who’s doing the cooking?”

“Luckily, we have a chef from our association’s hotel who used to work as a head chef at an Arab Federation hotel, so we’ll let them handle it.”

“Good? Well done.”

Perhaps the team leader was pleased with how things were being handled this time, as their usual fierce demeanor finally softened for the first time.

“But don’t forget to double-check everything.”

“Yes!”

Thus, just as the Korean Hero Association was buzzing with preparations, at that very moment, Yoonseo, who had joined part of the expedition team by her own desire, was wondering what she was doing…