Chapter 372: Chapter 372

-But this is the human method.

Choi Yeonseung calmly tried to explain it to the goddess of sloth. Overcoming problems that couldn’t be solved alone by using a system devised by many people was the human way.

-Don’t try to make this sound reasonable.

[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ is touched.]

-......

The goddess of sloth was bewildered by the emotional reaction of the goddess of balance. No matter how much she was in love with him, it was unbelievable how easily impressed she was.

***

Anyone working in the cities of the Abyss were bound to hear the news somehow, given that everyone was on the lookout and preparing for a possible monster invasion.

Garner, Peleza’s general manager, asked with a worried look, “Do you really think this will be okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

The hunters cast Garner looks of confusion. They were wondering why the executive of a large company like Peleza was so worried.

“I heard that Dragon Industry is operating a defense shield.”

“Whoa... Is this true?”

“Do they think the value of money will drop every time they do something like this?”

The hunters murmured among themselves with a hint of surprise. However, Garner couldn’t laugh about this in the slightest.

There were quite a few businessmen who looked down on Choi Yeonseung because he was a hunter, but Garner didn’t underestimate him in the slightest. After all, it was very impressive for a hunter to take charge of a huge company like Dragon Industry and actually manage to run it well and achieve good results.

Some people tried to brush this off as beginner’s luck that would soon end, but it was impossible to achieve this many things through luck alone.

Didn’t Choi Yeonseung know something if he was putting up a shield around the city?

“There must be a reason...”

“Isn’t he afraid of casualties?”

“What are you talking about? Using expensive cores just to prevent some people from dying?”

“Yeah, you’re right...”

One of the hunters suggested that Choi Yeonseung was doing this in order to protect people, but the others quickly refuted his theory, and he fell silent. On second thoughts, it actually didn’t make sense to spend such an exorbitant amount of money just to save one or two lives.

Businessmen would never bat an eye at the thought of a hundred employees dying. However, raising their wages by one hundred dollars was so harrowing that they felt like their hearts were being ripped out.

“Is he perhaps hiding something in the city? A secret project...”

“Slush funds... Maybe he hid some gold bars or something?”

The hunters had their own guesses but still couldn’t convince Garner.

“Hunter Jeong Wonuk, you’re also Korean. Have you heard anything about it?”

Jeong Wonuk was one of the current Korean A-grade hunters. He was much older than the other two, given that he was from the first generation, so it was only natural that Garner asked him about this.

‘This guy is annoying...’

Of course, Jeong Wonuk was irritated by this whole situation. Peleza had spent a lot of money to hire him, but the involvement of the Golden Blood Fish clan in the city defense was strictly business.

In fact, Jeong Wonuk wasn’t even that close to Choi Yeonseung. He saved Jeong Wonuk from dying in a dungeon before when they were low-rated hunters, but that wasn’t a particularly pleasant memory.

“No idea. If you really are worried about the defense, wouldn’t it be better to talk about it with your higher-ups and take proper measures instead of making such a fuss?”

“I wish I could.” Garner sighed. Other people might envy him as an executive of a large company, but he couldn’t do as he pleased.

Bonnefant, the current CEO, led with an ironfist and had the support of the board of directors. If those with real authority were acting like this, the rest of the executives couldn’t do anything.

Garner had already proposed to Bonnefant to increase the defense, but he vehemently refused.

-I don’t have money to spend on things like this. We need to end this situation quickly and expand the production line to make more materials. Don’t you know the basics of increasing the market share?

-But the situation in the city hasn’t stabilized.

-The city is safe! We have invested so much and hired so many hunters. What can happen if a few monsters appear? Commotions always occur. The only problem is the fearmongers! Control the reporters and stop them from making so much noise!

Hearing Garner’s words, Jeong Wonuk looked at him with pity. Indeed, people like Garner were usually the ones who suffered the most in such organizations. However, even if the higher-ups didn’t listen, that didn’t mean they couldn’t do anything...

“I’m jealous of South Korea...” Garner lamented. “Something like this never happens there, right?”

“...What the f...?”

“?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just a misunderstanding, that’s all.” Jeong Wonuk cleared his throat awkwardly and hesitated a bit before he continued, “Everywhere is the same. Something similar happened in South Korea, and it was pretty bad.”

Jeong Wonuk was dumbfounded by Garner’s preconception about South Korea. Things like this happened in South Korea as well, and quite often at that!

‘I don’t know what illusions he has about other countries.’

-Emergency! Emergency! Monsters have invaded the city! Citizens, please stay calm...

“!”

“Monsters!”

“What?! Wasn’t there any noise from the outer barrier?”

The hunters were startled and quickly drew their weapons. No matter how flawed or weak the city’s defense system was, it shouldn’t be possible for monsters to enter the city undetected.

They had designed the defense system as carefully as possible, or rather, as carefully as the low-cost allowed it.

In any case, it didn’t make sense for the monsters to break through that easily.

‘...This doesn’t bode well.’

Jeong Wonuk suddenly had a bad feeling about this, the kind of gut instinct that only experienced hunters would get.

***

[The ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’ warns you of danger.]

“?”

Choi Yeonseung raised his head in surprise at the sudden warning.

‘What? Is there a problem with the formation?’

He had installed the formation as thoroughly as possible, but he received a danger warning anyway. He also hadn’t seen this with the Future Sight, so he wondered what kind of mistake he had made.

[The ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’ says that monsters have invaded the city in the west.]

‘...Aha.’

Choi Yeonseung finally understood. It wasn’t the city he was in charge of, but the city of another company that got invaded.

“But there must be many hunters over there, and yet the city is still in danger?”

Choi Yeonseung was puzzled.

Humans had evolved a lot while he was gone. Besides overall strength, humans had also developed some unique skills, such as sharing information about hunters, devising and analyzing strategies, and developing new magic with the help of unique technology!

‘In a way, it’s more dangerous outside the dungeons than inside.’

After the military mobilized itself and brought out tactical weapons, and hunters formed an encirclement, the monsters would usually fall.

[The ‘Iron-Blooded General Who Shakes the Battlefield’ says that the evil god constellations are trying to tempt Illingars.]

[The ‘Monk Pursuing Glory’ says that somebody needs to prevent Illingars from being swayed by the evil god constellations.]

“...!”

It was only then that Choi Yeonseung realized what these constellations were afraid of.

The powerful monsters of the Abyss were so noble and arrogant that they usually didn’t bow down to any constellations. However, there was an exception to every rule.

If a monster was pushed to the limit and became desperate, it was plausible for it to succumb to the temptation of an evil god constellation.

If this powerful tiger monster with a realm close to Earth did in fact become the household member of an evil god constellation, it was indeed terrible news for the good god constellations.

[The ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’ says that the other household members are now heading to the city as well.]

-Successor, it seems that the other constellations have already acknowledged you.

The goddess of sloth pointed out something important to Choi Yeonseung.

The fact that so many good god constellations sent him messages without any particular purpose or reason proved that they acknowledged Choi Yeonseung as one of them.

Choi Yeonseung was no longer a wandering constellation coming from an obscure place. He was a constellation who actually had authority on Earth!

[The ‘Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead’ is curious as she has never heard about this.]

[The ‘Monk Pursuing Glory’ is puzzled and wondering why no one told the goddess about this.]

“...”

-......

Choi Yeonseung pretended not to hear the last part and walked away. He knew it was best not to intervene in this.

***

[The ‘Greedy Owner of the Treasure House’ is persuading you to stop.]

[The ‘Greedy Owner of the Treasure House’ warns that humans will come to kill you.]

[The ‘Chef of Endless Gluttony’ is laughing and saying that you are doing well.]

[The ‘Black Magician Who Shares Everything’...]

[The ‘Expert of Twisted Hallucinations’...]

[The ‘Rider of Thirst and Famine’...]

[...]

Illingars, a beast of the Abyss, was now receiving tons of positive messages from the evil god constellations. No one had ever received this much attention from the evil god constellations in recent memory.

There was this misconception that evil god constellations reached out to pretty much anyone, but they actually had very specific preferences. For example, they preferred to use minions as chess pieces for any occasion rather than household members.

In that sense, Illingars was perfect for the evil god constellations. If they got their hands on Illingars, they could control this entire area!

Shut up! You corrupt, filthy beings!

[The ‘Hound of Instinct and Liberation’ likes your sharpness.]

[The ‘Snake of Alcohol and Dancing’ says that constellations no longer have any dignity because they are trying to make a monster they don’t like into their household member.]

Illingars ignored the noisy comments of the constellations and charged toward the city.

There was a roar and the sound of rocks and concrete crumbling was heard.

Illingars was aware that humans had set up alarms around the city, so the tiger monster wasn’t stupid enough to just barge in through the front door.

Illingars broke into the city from underground. With tremendous force, the monster dug straight down for several kilometers to avoid detection, then it suddenly emerged in the city center.

You!

“...!”

The man captured by Illingars realized that he was completely screwed. He was so terrified that he couldn’t even scream.

Guide me to your leader!

“W-w-w-wa-what leader?”

Don’t pretend like you don’t know! The leader of the city! He must be called Bonnefant!

Illingars was an intelligent monster. After listening to the conversations of the hunters in the Abyss, he already knew the identity of the leader who was causing trouble.

“Ah, that guy, yes! I know him!”

If you don’t want to die miserably, take me to him now!

“Yes! O-over there! I’ll be your guide!”

The man hurriedly pointed to the Peleza Building. He didn’t think that Bonnefant was actually in the city at this moment, but he still had to at least guide the monster there. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

***

“...Peleza’s executives have been caught?”

Choi Yeonseung arrived and was astounded by the shocking news. It had taken him less than thirty minutes to get here, and yet the executives had already been captured.

Had they laid down a red carpet for the monster?

The hunters realized how baffled Choi Yeonseung was and exchanged worried looks among themselves.

“Uhm...”

“...Just say it.”

“Some executives from Raiden and Klein were also caught.”

“Oh... I see...”

[The ‘Monk Pursuing Glory’ asks if you really just want to go back.]

[The ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’ says that this is unfortunately not an option.]