READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 340. I’m Going to Retire (3)
Even if it’s a totem that’s practically useless, it might be better to leave it alone.
At least from a Korean perspective, that is.
Moreover, if it is indeed an apple, then it’s still an apple.
He knelt down and expressed what could be considered his best apology.
‘At least that’s what he says.’
So, what good would it do me to pick a fight here?
‘There’s no fun in brainwashing him into begging. There’s no gain at all.’
If the Ki-simche heard this, they’d surely be unimpressed, but the truth is, Kang Chang-ho’s opinion isn’t wrong.
A person’s heart can’t be easily won over with money or violence.
Even if such intangible things were simply manufactured as a means to an end, what would be generated would be at best shallow feelings.
Thus.
‘Right. That’s true. Human sincerity is something that cannot be casually obtained by others.’
Having reached this conclusion.
Change of plans.
‘But what if it’s just the facade of a human that we’re after?!’
It finally dawned on me.
At least at this moment, making Kang Chang-ho truly repent is impossible.
‘I haven’t seen it firsthand yet, but there’s definitely something wrong with his frontal lobe. Otherwise, how could he maintain such a dogged stance?’
Even if the opponent were to be tortured or robbed, they’d probably just brush it off without a second thought.
Seeing his expressionless disregard as he spewed insane nonsense confirmed it.
So I immediately devised another wicked scheme.
‘My body is already quite unstable, even with just a bit of high-level magic. This works out nicely!’
Thinking back, I hadn’t tested the body swap for S-Class Hunter yet.
The plan swirling in my mind was as follows.
Contrary to his appearance, Kang Chang-ho’s emotional system isn’t fully psychopathic.
He certainly gets mad from time to time.
And the most representative example of this is the incident in front of Incheon’s sea.
Specifically, it was when his expectations were dashed.
‘He must have been furious when the plan he laid out for ten years fell apart.’
I recalled the incident that had particularly enraged Kang Chang-ho.
Right now, I intend to forget the past and pretend to forgive him.
What would happen if I struck at that mammal’s back someday far in the future?
‘Someone as wealthy as him probably already planned for his old age.’
When others are comfortably settling down in life, an alien suddenly shows up and says, ‘You’ve sinned in the past and repented too lightly. Now it’s time to pay the price,’ taking his life a bit earlier.
I confidently imagined this scenario.
No matter how good Kang Chang-ho is, he would undoubtedly suffer quite a bit from such an event.
‘If I wait and harbor resentment for about 50 years before getting my revenge, it would truly catch an Earthling off guard.’
Furthermore, I haven’t exactly played fair with the Knight’s Pact either.
While it feels bad to solely blame and pressure him, such minor acts fit perfectly as the Great Mage’s way to relieve stress.
Killing an old mammal isn’t exactly some monumental evil, right?
‘Hmm.’
…Am I wrong about this?
‘Still, I do need a backup body.’
But as an alien being, I ultimately have to prioritize necessity over conscience.
In a way, this could be considered my own form of forgiveness as an Alphauri.
Originally, I had contemplated hanging that egoist in the marketplace, but if just making him kneel reduces my degree of revenge this much, it’s not unreasonable to say it’s an act of mercy.
“Alright, you can get up now.”
“Okay.”
It’s time.
‘Almost time to be discharged too.’
I gestured for Kang Chang-ho to rise.
‘You primate, the Great Mage has decided to use your body as insurance, so take care of it from now on.’
I was curious to see if there would be any genuine repentance when I went to collect the corpse.
‘Quit smoking, eat a Mediterranean diet, exercise three times a week… and on the moment he confidently submits the Silver Town deposit, I’ll exact my revenge. I’ll just go and kill him, using the spare golem afterwards.’
Hehehe.
After rolling my plans through my mind, I conveyed the final sets of schedules and took my leave.
I thoroughly instructed Kang Chang-ho on what he needed to help with next.
In the end, I double-checked the bank account number where the confirmed compensation for the building would be deposited.
*
Surprisingly, it’s a tame conclusion.
“……”
No. Can this really be seen as a good ending?
From someone’s perspective, an Awakened who had been thoroughly oppressed suddenly returns significantly stronger than the average S-Class.
‘Oh dear. This increase in Awakening Level, which I merely speculated about, is indeed possible.’
A question arose in one person’s mind.
‘And for someone who was already strong, breaking through the growth limits means they defeated beasts with a 1:3 ratio?’
Of course, that negative flow ended there.
‘Well, living life means facing all sorts of happenings…’
What good would it do to dwell on past assaults?
The third S-Class Hunter of Korea.
Kang Chang-ho just decided to be thankful that his previous contractor had been a magnanimous person.
He merely paused for a moment due to some pain.
The other side must have already been qualified as S-Class, and now seemed to have grown even stronger.
And they didn’t even enact revenge for that.
Considering that everything was resolved with just him kneeling, it seems Kim Gi-ryeo is entirely unrelated to Gate-making.
Kang Chang-ho organized his thoughts while standing in a familiar room.
An empty living room with no furniture.
The only thing hanging on the white wall was a massive painting.
Beyond the wide-open windows was a swimming pool, and contrary to how much time he spent here, there was no dust on the wooden furniture.
Thud, thud, thud.
Kang Chang-ho changed into indoor slippers and moved to the second living room of the house.
“……!”
Then, unexpectedly, someone appeared in the corridor, bowing slightly.
“……! ……!!”
It was a middle-aged man with graying hair.
“……”
Dressed in a suit, he looked like a chauffeur or company employee, and then made a gesture.
He was holding a cellphone in one hand.
Moreover, he was pressing the screen toward Kang Chang-ho, displaying some written message.
-Welcome!
At a glance, it seemed like he had been waiting after receiving notification of Kang Chang-ho’s arrival.
“Alright.”
Despite the strong welcome, Kang Chang-ho’s response was dry.
The landlord ignored the person waiting inside and continued walking.
The destination for this third S-Class was the kitchen adjacent to the second living room.
-Zuuuuuu…..
-Drdrdrdrdrdr.
As soon as Kang Chang-ho arrived at the kitchen, he activated the coffee machine.
And while the coffee beans were being ground inside the machine, a thought hit him.
‘Kim Gi-ryeo has broken through his limits.’
Even amid the noisy sounds, the man’s thoughts were clear.
‘Moreover, not to mention he said that protective skills are basic activating, he became so powerful with just his simple water attribute ability that he could drown monsters to death?’
The Enhancement Heart simply inherited the rank of the skill it stole.
If the human skill stone he had coated with saliva under the contract turned out to be extremely outstanding…
Based on common sense, the possessor of the Enhancement Heart would likely react in this manner.
“Ah. If I had known this would happen, I should have just killed him when I had the chance before.”
Drdrdrdrdrdr.
In front of the loud machine,
The man who had been waiting for the coffee to brew began to speak.
“I never knew that guy would be this competent.”
“……?”
“But not only did he kick away every opportunity I gave him, he’s now boldly declaring that he’ll break the contract himself.”
His eyes widened slightly, and his mouth fell open, the man bore the expression of regret that some green alien had wished for only now.
“Oh dear.”
Of course, he didn’t seem terribly serious about it.
Kang Chang-ho pretended to sigh shortly, then quickly focused on his main objective.
He raised a cup and waited for about a minute, and only after receiving the brewed coffee did he turn around.
This was to meet the gaze of the guest who had followed him to the kitchen.
“…….”
“…….”
However, contrary to the basic elements of conversation, the two men remained silent for a while.
Heh.
The settled silence was broken by an S-Class Hunter.
Kang Chang-ho let out a sudden chuckle, and as the sound faded, he began chatting.
“By the way, I have something to ask you.”
The aroma of the espresso he was holding began to waft slowly.
“It seems Kim Gi-ryeo isn’t too interested in survival. It’s clear that a close reporter relayed that he collapsed after bleeding the moment he entered the dungeon.”
“…….”
“Honestly, considering his condition, it was bound to happen if he pushed himself, yet he plans to exert himself anyway.”
“…….”
“He must be planning to meet the people who brought beasts to Korea.”
“…….”
“Well, judging by previous actions, the intent is clear. He’s probably concerned that others in the industry might get hurt again. He’ll likely carry out bomb disposal personally.”
Kang Chang-ho quenched his throat with coffee floating with white crema as he added.
“Kind of impressive.”
Though smiling, his expression wasn’t merely positive, as was his nature.
“However, if such an Awakened pushes themselves for others and dies unexpectedly, that would be quite unfortunate.”
The Enhancement Heart activates only when the strong are beaten by their own hands.
Based on that information, someone might perceive the sacrifice of industry individuals negatively.
“Such a waste.”
Then a scheme slipped out of his mouth.
“……What if I just use the Dragon’s Eye to keep an eye on him?”
After all, the commitment to stop watching was a verbal promise, so there was no compulsion involved.
Then the topic flowed directly opposite from what had been discussed in the hospital.
Kang Chang-ho knew that he could violate the promise at any time, should he choose to shed his conscience.
There was no way to detect the Dragon’s Eye peering at someone within the world’s common sense. Even if he tracked him without permission, it would be hard for the victim to realize.
“Anyway, for an Awakened who probably won’t live too long. Why not let someone who needs it use them…”
So, should I continue monitoring him secretly?
After all, like during the Six-legged Corridor incident, if someone nears death, I could rush in like a hyena.
“Well, I really shouldn’t do that.”
Those thoughts ended there.
Did all the words shared until now turn out to be a joke?
The master of the mansion suddenly changed his attitude.
Yet the listener in this conversation appeared to be at least twenty years older, while oddly, Kang Chang-ho was still using a lowering tone of voice up to this point.
“Oh, right.”
Without a chance to clear that question, the next line flowed.
He still had many unresolved matters awaiting him.
Like leftover files from deleting a program, the past contracts continued to linger.
But I hope that just finishing this current assignment will free me from this troublesome relationship.
“Anyway, as you’ve heard, Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo is set to handle some beast matters next time. So please secure an entry plan ahead of time.”
“…….”
“The final destination is America. So, we will need a vehicle to get there.”
Kang Chang-ho finished his coffee.
After issuing all the orders, he also turned the Dragon’s Eye toward the window.
A garden completely covered with plants, like any rich household.
It dawned on him only now, but the trees planted there had turned into red and dark leaves.
Kang Chang-ho personally didn’t care much for September.
However, most Koreans tend to welcome the arrival of autumn.
Compared to the suffocating heat of summer, when sweat pours like rain, this time of the year was pleasant.
“Get everything I just mentioned prepared as quickly as possible.”
“……”
“By the way, it’s already autumn. The weather has gotten quite cool, so I suppose it’s easier for you to work for a while.”
Tap.
Kang Chang-ho placed the empty coffee cup in the sink.
And while he approached the corridor, he lightly nudged the person who stood there.
This person had been passively listening to the conversation all along.
“Isn’t it time to cover up things like this now with thicker, longer pants?”
Moreover, Kang Chang-ho nudged close to the other person’s ankle.
Oddly, a ticking sound erupted from where their toes met.
It was not the sound of a human skin; rather, it sounded like something plastic when kicked.
“Would it make you angry if I do this?”
Right after, he asked the seemingly much older man this question.
But the one who heard the question shook his head cautiously.
The S-Class Hunter smiled as he replied.
“Glad to hear that. I was about to pluck your tongue out if you agreed.”
That was the man’s final remark.
“Anyway, your perception is excellent. You truly excel at socializing…”
Leaving behind that almost complimentary remark, Kang Chang-ho put his hands behind his back and vanished down the corridor.
Thus, the sorrowful expression of the weeping servant went unnoticed.