Chapter 21
I gazed at the Supreme Leader, who was still thrashing about wildly. Then, I looked over at Hong-ryeon and spoke.
[We’ve confirmed its existence. Let’s call it a day for now.]
“What nonsense are you spouting? We’ve already inflicted a lethal blow!”
Her voice was urgent. Of course, I’d probably react the same way. A monster like that, if left unchecked, could unleash a threat of unimaginable scale.
But my thoughts differed.
‘Who knows what the New Humanity Association is plotting?’
Maybe their goal was just to guide that thing and wreak havoc on South Korea, but my gut told me they weren’t that simple-minded.
Sure, I could finish off the Supreme Leader right now if I wanted to, but would that actually move things forward? Not really.
Of course, if I killed it, I might grow stronger—probably to a level similar to Bing Seol Hwa. But that kind of growth wouldn’t be all that significant.
In other words, there’s no immediate benefit to taking down the Supreme Leader right now. It simply wasn’t necessary.
Having decided to make an excuse, I said to Hong-ryeon:
[Look over there. It’s not as much of a fatal wound as it seems.]
Though the Supreme Leader was thrashing about in pain and fury, the injuries I had inflicted were already healing quickly. At the level of an S-rank monster, its regenerative ability was no joke. It was practically half-immortal.
“You could still beat it, right? And yet, you’re planning to just run?”
[I can beat it. But what’s the point in that?]
“What?”
Hong-ryeon’s expression was one of disbelief. To her, a monster was simply a target to be eliminated, so her reaction was only natural.
But I knew better. I understood how the New Humanity Association was using monsters.
If that was the case, there was no reason I couldn’t use them too.
[We’ve learned that this thing is leading the monsters south. Now, we should focus on using it. What’s the point in fighting blindly?]
If I defeat it now, will that lead to the magical girls growing stronger? No. There’s no way that the prey I’ve hunted will make them stronger.
And even if I take it down, will that mean peace for the North? Absolutely not. There are still monsters teeming in North Korea. Even if I deal with the Supreme Leader, expecting the magical girls to clean up the entire North would be absurd.
Moreover, the Supreme Leader isn’t some highly intelligent entity—it’s just a brute that kills everything in its path. The idea of using a monster might be difficult for most people to grasp, but once you start thinking that way, it’s not that hard to execute.
“How exactly do you plan on using that thing?”
In response to Hong-ryeon’s question, I answered lightly.
[Simple. Change its course to go where we want. All we need is bait.]
“…You’re saying we can predict where the monsters will head in advance?”
I didn’t bother replying. At the frontlines, we had both Hong-ryeon and Artillery. Both of them were among the top five in firepower in all of South Korea. As long as we could lure the monsters to the desired location, wiping them out wouldn’t be too hard.
“…Damn it, I feel like I’m the one being used by a monster.”
[…]
“Fine, I get it. So how about we leave this place for now?”
[You go first.]
“What? You’re just going to leave after running your mouth?”
[You must have some room to breathe if you’re worried about the monster’s safety.]
At my words, Hong-ryeon fell silent.
And then, in an instant, she soared into the sky and vanished. Watching her quietly, I finally turned around to face the Supreme Leader.
[——————-!]
With a roar that could shake the heavens and earth, the creature charged at me. I effortlessly dodged the rush and landed a strike on its forehead.
[As I thought.]
The ‘Supreme Leader’ was under some sort of suggestion. A technique used by one of the executives of the New Humanity Association. This thing was so overwhelmingly powerful that a full mind control couldn’t be performed, so they probably guided its movements with subtle suggestions instead.
But that couldn’t be all. If it’s the people I know, they’d surely have set up something more.
Suddenly, I realized something unnatural about the flow of its magical power.
It felt as if the magic that should have been regenerating naturally was constantly being siphoned off somewhere. Like undergoing blood donation drop by drop, 24 hours a day.
[This is… suspicious.]
I started to interfere with the flow of magic within the creature. The boar-like beast began thrashing wildly, but that didn’t particularly hinder me.
The flow of magic led to a central point on the mountain, gathering into a singular mass on the creature’s back.
[-Ah.]
As expected. Now I understood what this was all for. The moment I came to that realization, someone suddenly landed on the boar’s back with a thud.
[You can’t just go around revealing other people’s business secrets like that.]
I recognized him. An executive of the New Humanity Association who appeared in the latter half of Magical Girls Never Fall, Gremlin.
He let out a bizarre sound, something resembling laughter, and continued speaking.
[So, you’re the Black Knight, huh? Our boss has been stubbornly insisting on recruiting you, and because of that, I’m stuck here suffering in this unfamiliar land. But the more I think about it, the more it seems like things would be easier without you around.]
[What’s your point?]
[I heard Bastet chickened out and fled without even putting up a fight. How about we give it a go, just you and me?]
At those words, I smiled inwardly.
[Sure.]
However, things won’t go the way you’re expecting.
Swish! Both Gremlin and I lunged at each other simultaneously. I grabbed him and hurled him to the ground without hesitation.
Crash! I followed, descending toward where Gremlin had been thrown. He managed to roll out of the way and attacked with his claws.
But none of it reached me.
[Wha-what? What are you, a monster?]
I didn’t bother responding.
[Aargh, damn it! I knew that damn cat, Bastet, would screw things up like this!]
He began activating something. A sign of preparing to teleport back to his base, as I had seen in the original story.
I had already let Bastet escape once. I had no intention of letting another executive slip away. I scattered my magic, disrupting the teleportation circle that appeared beneath Gremlin’s feet.
[-Huh?]
Boom!
[Argh! Aaargh! K-Kieeeck! Arrgghh….]
His legs were severed. I doubt he’ll be thinking of running anywhere now.
[W-wait. Wait, please. I… I made a mistake. Okay? I won’t cause any more trouble.]
I didn’t listen to a word he said.
It would be troublesome to leave this guy alive. Especially considering the character’s relentless nature in the original work, reacting severely even to minor grudges.
However, maybe… leaving him alive, just alive, might not be such a bad idea.
“Fine, I’ll let you live.”
“Re-really?”
The guy looked genuinely startled, as if he didn’t expect me to spare him. I stared down at him coldly, summoning my magic power.
“Wa-wait a second. That’s not— That’s really not—”
Whatever he was about to say, it didn’t matter to me.
…
I quietly snuck back to the lodging. After checking on Su-hui, who was soundly sleeping, I took my seat. By the time I settled down, the dawn had already begun to break.
I didn’t feel particularly tired, although I did feel a bit mentally drained.
Since sleeping seemed out of the question at this point, I figured I might as well prepare breakfast.
As I was tinkering in the kitchen, there was a loud banging on the door.
“Huh?”
I was startled. Who on earth would be banging on the door this early in the morning? As far as I knew, military personnel usually called ahead before showing up.
I opened the door, and standing there was… Hong-ryeon.
“What?”
I let out a confused noise, to which Hong-ryeon nonchalantly ran a hand through her hair, seemingly forgetting that it was still early in the morning.
“Hey, Baek Seung-hyun. Wake the newbie up. And bring out some tea. We need to talk.”
“Wait, you just show up out of the blue and start giving orders—”
“Hurry up. Time is of the essence.”
I blinked at her, giving her a quick once-over.
“Well, you’re not in your tracksuit today, so fine. Just hurry up and wake her.”
“I didn’t say anything about your outfit, though…”
She suddenly snapped, her voice raised.
“Hey!”
“Alright, alright!”
I hurried to wake Su-hui and prepared the tea. Once everything was set, Hong-ryeon closed her eyes, then opened them and spoke.
Just what in the world did she want to talk about?
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