Guide to the Fallen World - Chapter 17

#17. Merchant

The balanced formation collapsed in an instant.

The power loss that occurred while dealing with the swarm of wererats was fatal.

Lee Hyukcheon grimaced sharply while tearing off the wings of a rat as large as a wild boar. This was because the defensive line holding back the monsters had collapsed due to Kang Dohyuk’s sudden actions.

From that moment, the chaos began.

The number of wererats that broke through the gap was significant, so the damage to the merchants would also be severe. With things turning out like this, they would likely have to bury a few more people today.

“Dammit. I’m sick and tired of digging graves.”

Muttering to himself, Lee Hyukcheon glanced back at the merchants, expecting to see them frantically fleeing.

However, contrary to his expectations, depleted uranium bullets fired from the merchant waists were systematically blowing off the wererats’ heads.

With near-perfect precision, each shot struck the wererats eyes without a single miss.

The sniper, who had been holding back the monsters by landing two uranium bullets into their heads, shifted to providing rear support, and the battle suddenly became much easier, almost like a miracle.

“Whistle—Not bad at all.”

A soldier rather than an esper, or perhaps one of the recently developed combat androids, displayed such skill.

What mattered was that this sniper was incredibly skilled. Thanks to them, the defensive line that had collapsed due to Kang Dohyuk’s blunder was quickly restored. At the same time, they could refrain from overusing their skills.

“Push them back now!”

“Everyone, return to your positions!”

The swiftly resumed battle concluded as the last remaining wererat’s head was split in two. Fortunately, none of the espers had suffered any injuries.

Catching his breath, Lee Hyukcheon spat on the ground as he approached the merchants, ready to give Kang Dohyuk a piece of his mind for disappearing in the middle of the fight without a word. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel curious about the sniper who had provided rear support.

And then he saw Kang Dohyuk grabbing the collar of a shelter official, shaking him violently. The menacing aura around him made Lee Hyukcheon’s intention to confront Kang Dohyuk vanish like a lie.

When someone who had been quiet the whole time suddenly acts like that, it’s always more terrifying. And when an esper’s eyes turn that way, there’s usually only one reason.

‘Has that bastard’s rampage level gotten so high that he’s lost his mind? Is that why he bailed during the fight? Should I run away?’

Yeah, let’s get out of here. No one here can stop him now.

Just as he made the decision and was about to turn and leave, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Someone had boldly grabbed onto Kang Dohyuk’s forearm.

“Please don’t do that.”

For a brief moment, that fascinating scene caught Lee Hyukcheon’s attention.

It was hard to understand how an esper would allow such a sloppy contact, but it was just as hard to understand how someone would approach an esper in that way.

That was the kind of action that could only be taken by someone with at least five lives to spare.

When Lee Hyukcheon confirmed that the person hanging from Kang Dohyuk’s arm was a girl who had recently joined, he clicked his tongue in disbelief.

‘Young ones are fearless, especially girls.’

‘Girls only live in the shelter, so they’re fearless and know nothing. That’s why they all end up getting their heads blown off.

However, contrary to Lee Hyukcheon’s expectations, the girl, Yeowon, did not have her head blown off.

“First, explain. What just happened?”

“That person threw a grenade. You can check the drone footage.”

“A grenade?”

“Yes. Dohyuk kicked it away, so it didn’t hit the barrier, and since no explosion occurred, it seems like a fake grenade.”

“R-Right! It’s a fake grenade! I-I was just playing around!”

At that shout, the commotion momentarily froze. Everyone involved in the merchant business was risking their lives as they moved. No one here would tolerate such childish pranks.

Dohyuk asked once again.

“Should I kill him?”

Instead of answering, Yeowon looked around, searching for a response. She was an outsider, having only recently joined the merchant group.

Because of that, she felt it was necessary to listen to the opinions of the leaders of the group.

“Is it okay to do that?”

Everyone hesitated, glancing around before responding.

***

The story goes like this: The prankster is the nephew of a diplomat who is one of the heads of the merchants, and whose father is the de facto ruler of Shelter Yantai.

Therefore, punishment was impossible.

Most importantly, they were in the middle of the mission. There was no time to hold a trial or make a decision in the midst of their urgent movement. Furthermore, any form of punishment or disadvantage could cause issues with their relationship with Shelter Yantai.

The merchant’s leader, sweating nervously, laid out the explanation.

“I see. The situation is complicated. Does that mean we can’t impose any punishment?”

“Well, there were no direct injuries, and no damage was done, so could you please show some leniency…?”

He bowed with an expression of shame, but underlying it was a silent message, ‘What are you going to do if you don’t let this go?’ It was a subtle threat, implying ‘I’ve apologized this much, so you should let it slide.’

Well, this is usually how outsiders are treated.

Yeowon briefly assessed the distance to their destination, the volcanic region. Thinking about it, in three days, she would be saying goodbye to this merchant group.

After finishing her calculations, Yeowon turned away from the leader and looked at Dohyuk.

“Kang Dohyuk Esper.”

“Yes.”

“If something like that happens again, don’t bother asking for my permission.”

“….”

“It means you can kill them.”

Yeo-won’s words made the atmosphere of the crowd turn strange.

“I will,” Dohyuk replied.

However, the atmosphere quickly shifted to shock at Dohyuk’s calm response.

The thought struck everyone, ‘This woman, who can control the infamous esper of Shelter Noah, might not be an ordinary person!.’

That realization settled in everyone’s minds, including Lee Hyukcheon’s.

“And you, Lee Hyukcheon Esper.”

So when his name was specifically called, Lee Hyukcheon was a bit surprised.

“Me? Are you talking to me?”

“Since we’re outsiders, we’ll let it slide this time, but during the battle, when Kang Dohyuk Esper left, the fight escalated into chaos… Is your rampage level okay? Since we’re on a mission, you can’t get your guiding medication, so I’m worried.”

She subtly gave him a meaningful glance. Outwardly, it sounded like concern, but the real question being conveyed was clear: Aren’t you considering filing a compensation claim against them on my behalf?

Now that he think about it, the idea was tempting. It was true that his rampage level had slightly increased due to the unexpected situation.

If it hadn’t been for the rear sniper, his rampage level would have increased even more. He might have had to take the guiding medication in fifteen days, instead of waiting a month as he had planned.

The calculation was quickly completed.

“Thanks to that, my rampage level is a mess now. If I’m lucky, I might be able to claim compensation from Shelter Yantai. Could you share the evidence footage with me?”

“Of course.”

At Yeowon’s gesture, Jay handed over the memory chip. As Lee Hyukcheon took the chip, he suddenly looked at Jay with a gleam in his eyes.

“Ah, you’re the sniper? Your skills are far beyond what i’d expect from a regular combat android.”

“Of course not.”

“You’ve been talking so much like a person. Where did you come from? You seem like one of those new AI models—what’s the model name?”

Instead of answering, Jay just grinned and stood next to Yeowon. It was a subtle gesture, as if saying, ‘I’m not going to tell you.’

A high-spec combat android and an esper from Noah. With those two and Yeowon standing at the forefront, Lee Hyukcheon gazed at her with a strange expression. What’s going on here?.

Is she perhaps a high-ranking official from Shelter Montreal?

As soon as a threat emerged to Yeowon, Kang Dohyuk also left the battlefield. The android, who quickly assessed the situation, secured evidence, and provided rear support, was equally remarkable. All of them were anything but ordinary.

Now that he thought about it, the reason Kang Dohyuk hadn’t been able to focus on the battle the entire time was because of her. During the fight, whenever there was a moment, he had been turning back to check on the merchant group.

What is it about that woman that has him so concerned?

Is she a guide or something?

No, that can’t be it. That’s going too far. Lee Hyukcheon shook his head, mocking his own thoughts. Little did he know, the path his mind was taking was inching closer to the truth.

***

After the grenade incident, Dohyuk became extremely sensitive. So much so that he redirected the gaze of anyone who looked at Yeowon, meeting their eyes one by one.

No one wanted to get into a staring contest with an esper from Shelter Noah, so Yeowon quickly escaped the attention of the merchant group. While everyone still couldn’t help but sneak glances, that level of attention was something she could tolerate.

Now, no one try to argue anymore. In just one day, she had become a high-ranking official from Shelter Montreal.

Although it was all just a misunderstanding, it was too convenient to dismiss as just that.

Is this what power feels like?

Yeowon thought as she chewed the meat, a gift from the peddling group leader as an apology.

Originally, it was supposed to be goods for Shelter Yantai, but every bite melted in her mouth. The saying, go to eat meat when you’re upset, clearly wasn’t just a figure of speech.

“Ha. This is so good.”

“Please, have more.”

“I wish I could, but I’m already full.”

As she spoke, Yeowon subtly glanced at Dohyuk. She had been so caught up in eating quickly, but now that she thought about it, she realized she had only been eating the meat without even grilling a single piece.

She remembered reading online that doing something like this while everyone else is eating would be considered rude… but since she had never properly experienced social life, let alone school, she only realized her mistake after she had already eaten her fill. It was only after her stomach was full that her mind began to process things.

Wait, but Kang Dohyuk Esper, has only been grilling the meat this whole time. Didn’t he not eat a single piece?

The color on Yeo-won’s face suddenly disappeared as she thought about it. Jay approached her and asked as she suddenly turned pale, even though she had been eating well.

“What’s going on? Do you need some digestive medicine?”

“It’s not that. Kang Dohyuk, Esper. Please pass me the tongs. From now on, I’ll grill it myself. You should eat the meat quickly.”

“I’m fine, I don’t need to eat.”

“Eat. I already put the meat on the grill.”

And so, the second meat party began. Everyone in the merchant group watched the scene, drooling in anticipation.

Among the many industries that collapsed along with Earth, the livestock industry is of course included. Therefore, meat is incredibly expensive no matter what type is it. In a world where many people had no idea what meat even tasted like, the smell of meat grilling naturally attracted attention.

But these people, just yesterday, were spitting on the ground, rolling their eyes, and kicking up dust as if it were a mistake.

And that’s not all. They were the ones who sent bomb threats to the chat while someone was riding their bike, insulting and criticizing them relentlessly. If Jay hadn’t blocked them all, they’d probably still be doing the same thing now.

Anyway, these are people I won’t have anything to do with in two days.

As for the desire to share the meat? Not in the slightest.