This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 609

Why is one person missing?

The reason was quickly deduced.

The total number of arrivals, including Miss Almighty, was nineteen, while the expedition team had twenty members, so the remaining one must have been someone who was already here instead of arriving like the others for the meeting.

This means the remaining person is not a foreigner but a Korean.

‘A Korean…’

Who among our country’s heroes has the capability to participate in the expedition team?

In that moment, the first face that sprang to mind was none other than Chae-rim.

Honestly, for me, there couldn’t have been any other suitable candidate since no one compared to Chae-rim.

If we are to look at it by reputation alone, it was clear.

After all, the people participating in this expedition were heroes representing their respective countries.

Thus, to avoid being overshadowed in front of them, it was necessary for us to send out a ‘representative’ from our side.

And right now, the face representing Korean heroes was none other than Chae-rim.

Even though it’s already been four years since Chae-rim retired from active duty.

What have the other special-class heroes been doing that they still look the same after four years?

In reality, this is something that should also be considered from the perspective of the other two; Chae-rim’s performances during her active years were overwhelming.

No, maybe overwhelming doesn’t quite capture it.

It was so widely acknowledged that while heroes as strong as Chae-rim might emerge again, heroes like Chae-rim are unlikely to show up.

So, how could the call sign ‘Lightning Lady’ just fade from people’s memories in just four years since her retirement?

Moreover, since Chae-rim’s inherent talent naturally drew people’s attention, this trend was even more pronounced.

To put it bluntly, comparing it this way feels wrong, but honestly, when you see a lightning strike with a simple gesture versus moving quickly or putting up shields, the visual impact is far more awe-inspiring.

‘Anyway…’

Due to this reason, Chae-rim’s face was the first to come to my mind, but the chance of her being the missing member was practically zero.

It couldn’t be any other way; if that last spot truly belonged to Chae-rim, then I wouldn’t have been unaware of that fact from the start.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that Chae-rim intentionally hid related facts from me… but the likelihood of that being true is equally low.

Thus, just as quickly as I conjured up Chae-rim’s face, I excluded her name from the candidate list.

If it wasn’t Chae-rim, who could it be?

Who represented our country on the expedition team?

Once I eliminated Chae-rim’s name from the candidate list, the names of the other two special-class heroes who represented our country came strikingly to mind.

‘Sprinter’ and ‘Shield.’

The only difference is that their recognition might not be as high as Chae-rim’s, but without her overwhelming presence, they would have been more than capable of representing a generation.

Among them, especially for ‘Sprinter,’ his reputation as a party lover might give off a slacker vibe, but he was one of the few ‘genuine’ heroes recognized by Chae-rim.

Considering that not long ago, he was the only senior who had passed that recognition threshold, you can understand how challenging it was to earn Chae-rim’s acknowledgment.

‘Even Yoonseo only became recognized recently…’

For Sprinter, who had already passed that hurdle, that’s saying something.

Compared to ‘Sprinter,’ I felt that ‘Shield’ had a less impactful presence.

Honestly, that’s to some extent ‘Shield’s’ fault; while Chae-rim consistently embodied what it meant to be a hero, and even if Sprinter didn’t have the same level of zeal, he was often in front of the media. On the other hand, ‘Shield’ had practically no public engagement aside from the bare minimum required of a hero.

‘Not to mention, when he did show up, he was often fully hooded…’

It’s worth mentioning that I had met ‘Shield’ only once.

It was an event attended alongside Chae-rim…

While it was just that one time, meeting him in person made me realize how diverse people can truly be.

He was the type of person who couldn’t simply be described as shy or introverted.

I’ve met quite a few people who were shy or reserved in my life, but ‘Shield’ was just plainly closed-off.

He seemed to avoid communication entirely.

‘Looking at it this way makes me think that an individual’s personality or values significantly affect how their talent manifests…’

Anyway, what I wanted to say is while Sprinter’s personality was vibrant and boisterous due to his love for parties, ‘Shield’ felt completely mismatched for an expedition team.

Given that the expedition’s goal wasn’t just to show off strength against Another Ones in Heogye but to completely obliterate them from this world, it would undoubtedly be a long-term mission. How could they possibly succeed in that with someone who has no will to communicate?

At that point, wouldn’t the other members of the expedition team collectively question the decision to put such a person in their ranks?

‘Besides…’

The very essence of the operation that the expedition team was to carry out was ‘attack.’

In contrast, ‘Shield’s’ talents, as indicated by his call sign, were predominantly and almost exclusively devoted to defense.

Of course, even if talents are of the same type, how one utilizes them can vary widely, meaning that even a talent focused on defense could be applied in intriguing ways to present a threatening spectacle.

That’s undoubtedly why Shield earned the ‘special-class’ status granted to just three individuals in this generation.

Nevertheless, in the end, it simply meant that his talent was much more efficient for defense.

In contrast, Sprinter had the versatility to be used for various purposes, including attack.

For instance, reconnaissance.

If you’re making it onto the expedition team, everyone must have detection abilities that are certainly above average, but nothing beats seeing something with your own eyes over relying solely on innate talent.

Then again, could the last person be Sprinter?

I might have been thinking this just as someone opened the door, which I had intentionally kept closed for the sake of readiness to react.

The door creaked as it opened, revealing an unexpected face peeking in.

“I was hoping to see our vice-chairman. Is he here?”

The timing was so coincidental that I blinked in surprise.

Wait… wasn’t he supposed to participate in the expedition? Why was he here?

If he indeed participated in the expedition, he shouldn’t have been able to come here now…

‘Could it be…’

This place or something else?

Thanks to that, I suddenly thought this but after reconsidering, it didn’t seem like the World Hero Association would choose to pick Shield over anyone else.

This meant there was the possibility of a third party unrelated to the two.

But who on earth could that be?

Inwardly repeating this, the image that popped into my mind was strikingly of Yoonseo, who had been acting strangely lately.

Out of the blue, she’d taken a two-day leave, then today, she claimed she might have a busy time with work, saying I should understand if she couldn’t contact me…

‘…It can’t be, right?’

It absolutely couldn’t be.

It shouldn’t be.

Honestly, why would the World Hero Association want to put Yoonseo, who hadn’t yet ascended to even First-Class, let alone Special-Class, on the expedition team?

It’s more than possible for them to include heroes stronger and more famous than Yoonseo.

So it can’t be.

It shouldn’t be…

Then why are my hands unconsciously reaching for my mobile phone?