Chapter 75 : You, Become My Companion (3)
Chapter 75: You, Become My Companion (3)
Beggar King had a habit of turning people into puppets whenever he decided they were complete pieces of shit.
Truly the mindset one would expect from an orthodox faction.
Even so, the fact that he only targeted the worst of the worst served as something of an excuse.
He primarily remodeled vicious criminals like death row inmates, so public opinion toward him was generally favorable.
Well, that's the hypocrisy of the Orthodox Path for you.
In any case.
Someone perceptive would have already noticed something here.
The moment the words death row inmate came up, they would have felt something was off.
There was no need to look far.
I, Lee Taebaek, had been a death row inmate myself.
Things only turned out differently because I had established cooperative relationships with Law Beggar Elder Seopunggae and Jin Sobang, the Branch Master of District 31.
Judging solely by appearances, Lee Taebaek was practically the model example of a violent criminal.
On top of that...
He had escaped prison.
After arriving in the City, he had never hesitated to kill.
'Objectively speaking, I really am insane.'
It was only tolerated because the City was a gathering place for people whose lives had already gone completely off the rails, and because strength ruled above all else.
To someone like Hong Geolgae, a pillar of the Orthodox Path...
There was no way I looked favorable.
Which meant...
'I have to offer something even more tempting.'
It wasn't money.
Nor shares.
Nor land.
None of those.
“I'll present you with a brand-new puppet.”
What I offered...
Was knowledge.
“Haha.”
“You certainly understand what I like.”
“But my boy, you're hardly the first person who's promised to give me a puppet—”
“What if it's MegaCorp's anti-Ten Wings decisive weapon?”
Knowledge known only to Lee Taebaek...
The developer.
[Buffing the Operator's Mental Strength.]
Applying a Buff to my Mental Strength before saying something important really was effective.
It truly was a wonderful skill.
“Would that make things a little different?”
This was how Beggar King had ended up sitting here.
I had seen people dying while still standing.
The same fate awaiting the puppets underground would soon reach the people laughing and chatting above ground as well.
Before long.
If that was true...
Then there was a high probability that that plan, led by Siesta, was progressing rapidly as well.
MegaCorp didn't want to be controlled by the Ten Wings.
There was no way they'd tolerate their stock price fluctuating every time one of the ten made a move.
Naturally.
They must have been grinding their teeth over it.
Furthermore...
From MegaCorp's perspective, the Ten Wings were monsters with egos swollen by overwhelming power.
The contract might say MegaCorp held the upper hand.
But did the Ten Wings actually behave like subordinates?
Well...
That was another matter.
MegaCorp wanted replacements for the Ten Wings.
Slaves with no sense of self.
Slaves who obeyed only their commands.
So they decided to manufacture them.
Human experimentation.
Net Sockets.
Artificial Intelligences sold at suspiciously exorbitant prices.
Mix those three ingredients together...
And they inevitably led to one horrifying conclusion.
'An android army.'
MegaCorp was creating artificial humans.
Using its overwhelming financial power to challenge the authority of God.
'The original story never progressed this quickly.'
I had planned to reveal MegaCorp's outrageous ambition in a future DLC.
'The world is changing.'
I intended to exploit that change.
The fact that MegaCorp was rushing meant they were desperate.
And whether it was a person or an organization...
When panic set in, they inevitably made mistakes they normally never would.
'They've openly exposed their android production.'
That was why I could speak without being overwhelmed by Beggar King's pressure.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have listened to a single word.
Yet this was no empty promise.
The evidence, both circumstantial and tangible, had already seeped deeply into everyday life.
'He can't simply ignore it.'
There was a response.
Hong Geolgae personally came to the Resistance headquarters.
No one even needed to guide him.
Trying to argue security was meaningless when Beggar King already knew the entire route.
Was it because the Beggars' Sect excelled at gathering information?
I didn't think so.
At this point, the most plausible explanation was that he'd already planted puppets among the Resistance members.
The Supreme Commander seemed to have realized that as well.
Instead of urging Lee Taebaek with his eyes, he glared directly at Hong Geolgae.
Even beneath the helmet, a chilling hostility radiated outward.
Very few people in the City could glare directly at one of the Ten Wings.
“Young Hero Lee Taebaek.”
“Repeat what you said earlier while trying to persuade me.”
“This time, say it in front of your superior.”
Hong Geolgae said as he lifted his teacup.
Despite knowing several Battalion Commanders and countless Resistance members were waiting outside the Supreme Commander's office...
Beggar King remained completely at ease.
It was confidence born of overwhelming strength.
“Exactly as I said.”
Lee Taebaek slowly opened his mouth.
“At Siesta, they're currently developing high-performance androids to oppose the Ten Wings.”
“When I was still working there as one of their hounds, development was already in its final stages.”
“So by now...”
He deliberately left a brief pause.
'From here on...'
'I have to lie.'
Given the circumstances, implementation was practically guaranteed.
The details, however, remained unknown.
So I'd have to improvise.
'In front of Beggar King and the Supreme Commander, no less.'
For the first time in my life...
I actually missed job interviews.
Lee Taebaek lowered the zipper of his jacket to the middle of his chest.
Sweat had already formed concentric circles across it.
After a long silence, he spoke in the calmest tone possible.
“By now...”
“The prototype should already be complete.”
“Hah.”
The Supreme Commander let out a sigh.
Reactions like that were exactly what made writing stories so enjoyable.
Should I add a little more seasoning?
“Since it's still in its early stages, its combat ability won't even come close to matching yours.”
“That much I'm certain of.”
“But before long, they'll deploy them into the field to evaluate their performance.”
“They'll fix their shortcomings.”
“And continue improving them.”
“You people have lived in this City far longer than I have.”
“You know better than I do how MegaCorp operates.”
“Why else do you think they've been so quiet lately?”
Lee Taebaek had once served as one of Siesta's hounds.
That fact alone had nearly gotten him electrocuted to death.
There was no better proof of his credibility.
“This is the important part.”
“'Stripping away humanity's free will' directly contradicts everything the Resistance stands for.”
He shifted his gaze toward the sofa on the right.
The Supreme Commander silently nodded beneath his helmet.
Lee Taebaek nodded back before continuing.
“And if their goal is to create 'replacements for the Ten Wings'...”
“Beggar King.”
“That directly conflicts with your very reason for existing.”
“For all you know...”
“This could become the first step toward killing the Ten Wings.”
“There's a flaw in your reasoning.”
Hong Geolgae interrupted him.
The cold, formal smile lingering on his lips only made it worse.
“I've never been particularly hostile toward MegaCorp.”
“I swear upon the martial world they've never once paid me a single coin.”
“And people insist on grouping me together with the others under the title of the Ten Wings.”
“But honestly...”
“Isn't that merely a reputation others forced upon me?”
“I see no reason for MegaCorp to regard me as a threat.”
He was testing me.
“Then all the better.”
“They're already stuffing themselves with absurd amounts of money simply by carrying the title of the Ten Wings.”
“Perhaps it's time they let go of that greed.”
“Replacements for the Ten Wings?”
“What's so bad about that?”
“Hm.”
“Now that we've talked for a while...”
“I almost regret coming all the way here, lured by the thought of android puppets.”
“It's not exactly comforting to realize I've personally walked into a place where so many blades lie hidden in the darkness.”
“What an optimistic way of thinking.”
“...What?”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
An artificial pressure shook the enclosed room.
Even so...
Lee Taebaek knew it was merely intimidation.
How much life experience did Hong Geolgae possess?
How high was his Mental Strength?
Someone like him wouldn't truly lose his temper just because someone challenged him once.
It was an act.
Anyone conducting negotiations had to seize the psychological high ground.
Had he merely raised his voice a little, most people would've fallen to their knees and begged for mercy.
“Beggar King.”
“From MegaCorp's perspective, the fact that you're openly acting as the master of a public subway station already makes you an eyesore.”
“...I've already reached an understanding with them.”
“Were you even listening?”
“MegaCorp is creating replacements because they don't even want to sit at the negotiating table with people like you.”
“Beggar King.”
“You may operate differently from the others...”
“But you still made some sort of deal with them.”
The martial artists of the Central Plains would rather have both legs severed than kneel.
What was the reality now?
Lee Taebaek clawed directly at that pride.
My life was already no more than duckweed drifting on water.
I might as well roll the dice a little further.
“Something felt strange earlier.”
“The underground level of the subway is packed with your puppets.”
“But the level above is crawling with MegaCorp's puppets.”
“You already know it, don't you?”
“You know MegaCorp is monitoring you through people fitted with Net Sockets.”
“And despite that, you're still acting so arrogantly.”
“That's not very wise.”
“Regardless of your age.”
“......”
Though hopelessly outmatched in raw strength...
Lee Taebaek cornered Beggar King with words alone.
When it came to talking...
Lee Taebaek ranked among the very best.
Of course...
Had it been anyone else, the conversation would've ended the instant they talked back.
They would've skipped straight to drawing swords.
'But Beggar King is different.'
At his core...
He was a good man.
More importantly...
He harbored deep resentment toward MegaCorp.
Because they were the force that had effectively destroyed the martial world he had loved more than anything.
Driven by that resentment, the entire Beggars' Sect migrated to MegaCorp.
Only to eventually compromise with reality.
The Nine Great Sects alone could no longer oppose them.
Why...
They had even scattered apart.
Aside from a handful of fundamentalists...
They had all surrendered to money.
Long ago abandoning righteousness and chivalry.
He...
Hong Geolgae...
Spent his old age reminiscing about the glorious past.
Projecting the faces of those he'd lost onto his puppets.
Spending the remainder of his life mourning the vanished Central Plains.
Even someone counted among the strongest in the world...
Couldn't forgive the past version of himself that had failed to protect his homeland.
He blamed himself.
Endlessly.
After swallowing thorns for decades...
Even his tongue had become covered in sharper and sharper barbs.
“Officials and the Martial World shall not interfere with one another.”
At those words...
His rough, cracked lips slowly parted.
I squeezed every last scrap of martial arts knowledge from my head.
Trying to reignite the dying flame inside a martial artist whose world reality had extinguished.
“Just before meeting you...”
“I met an old man who still understood romance.”
“It made my heart itch.”
“But then I saw those walking corpses afterward.”
“And it pissed me off.”
“Then I realized something.”
“I could've become one of them first.”
“And my personality absolutely refuses to live after taking something like that lying down.”
“You were born in the wrong era.”
“You're perfectly suited for the martial world.”
His expression softened noticeably.
“I've heard that a few times already.”
“So.”
Hong Geolgae suddenly asked,
“Let's say I fell for your sweet words.”
“Ah, and you don't have to mention the android puppets anymore.”
“I already know that's merely your justification.”
“If I personally cooperate with you, the Beggars' Sect's elders will object.”
“But if I claim it's to strengthen our forces, they'll quiet down.”
“You considered that before saying all this, didn't you?”
“Well...”
...I hadn't actually thought that far.
Apparently Hong Geolgae had been moved more by the romance than by the puppets.
“Lee Taebaek.”
“What exactly do you gain from all this?”
“The Resistance will naturally reward you.”
“But even taking that into account...”
“I still don't understand.”
“You're an exceptionally proactive person.”
“I'm curious.”
“What drives you?”
“Is it simply revenge against MegaCorp?”
“I'm curious about that as well.”
The Supreme Commander, who had remained silent until now, finally turned his head.
Silence followed.
After letting it linger for a long while, Lee Taebaek finally spoke.
“To take it back.”
“What?”
The world moved forward.
It never looked back at those left behind.
They were discarded.
Forgotten.
“A world where people come first.”
It should never become a world where people ceased to be people.
Especially not in the world I created.
Because...
It was a world I had created so people could enjoy it.
[＃1 Small-Scale] Version 1.9.3.4 Patch Notes
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
• The appearance of the 「Android Prototype No. 1」 has been moved forward by approximately two years from the original release schedule.
• As a result, a bug has occurred, causing it to appear directly before 「Lee Taebaek」.
• 1,543 'Likes|👍' have been added to the Recent Evaluation section of the Operator Menu.
• Additionally, 「Lv.69 Hong Geolgae (SSR): Beggar King (-) → (Available)」 has been updated.
》》 Auto Save······.
》》 Applying Patch.