Episode 89 – What’s Right (9)
“They’re really going all out with the promotion. They’re saying they’re going to replace the Magical Girls.”
“Oh, come on… surely not.”
Inside the usual school bus, Hong Soo-young and Kang Jin-soo were chatting about something while sitting in the back seat.
It was all because of the big banner hanging in front of the facility. “Recruitment for the Awakened Special Task Force” was boldly printed on it.
“But still, it seems to be pretty well received.”
Kang Jin-soo muttered absentmindedly. He wasn’t wrong.
The Awakened Special Task Force, being the first of its kind in Korea, had gained quite a bit of popularity. Only those who passed the qualifications could undergo the procedure, and once they did, they would become superhumans, wielding powers that looked like super abilities.
On top of that, one of the benefits of magical powers was the enhancement of physical abilities, increasing internal immunity and regeneration, not to mention anti-aging effects.
Aside from the idea of replacing the Magical Girls, the general public had no choice but to show a favorable reaction to the Awakened Special Task Force. If their technology advanced further, those benefits might someday come to them.
“I’ve said it before, but I really don’t like it.”
Hong Soo-young bit her lip, knowing the kind of reaction she was getting. Her feelings were understandable; she was a victim of illegal biological experiments.
She couldn’t help but despise human experiments.
“Don’t you think so too?”
“Interesting. Why would you assume I hate them?”
“Just… because you’re the opposite of them in personality? And you like Magical Girls.”
At that moment, Hong Soo-young gently tapped my head from the front seat. I turned around and chuckled at her remark about my personality.
What exactly did she think of me?
“You’re not wrong. I don’t particularly like them either. Above all, power that ignores its vessel will eventually turn into poison.”
“Ignore its vessel?”
“They don’t know their place. How dare they?”
The One Road. And the Awakened Special Task Force, which they pursued as a result of their experiments. They were truly a group I could never like.
False strength, hypocrisy, and arrogance.
Those would eventually tighten their own noose.
“Just as I thought.”
“What do you think of me to have such a reaction?”
“Well, a smart but cocky middle schooler?”
Hong Soo-young giggled and patted my head again, not in a teasing way but as a sign of familiarity.
Since we started studying together and after hearing about my grades, her reactions toward me had changed noticeably. It felt like she viewed me as a close little brother.
It was a stark contrast to how she looked at me when we first met or afterward when she saw me as a delinquent.
“Huh, can’t we just have both?”
After Hong Soo-young returned to her seat, Kim Soo-jung, who had kept quiet until now, spoke up.
“What do you mean by having both?”
“Having the Awakened Special Task Force and… the Magical Girls.”
Her thought was a bit more naive than Hong Soo-young’s. However, the look Kim Soo-jung shot me was undeniably one of genuine sympathy.
“I looked up multiple articles online and watched YouTube channels. There’s a lot that’s hard to understand, but one thing is clear: they both hate each other and want to fight.”
“…Right. It would be hard to understand.”
I chuckled at Kim Soo-jung’s words, which displayed the most age-appropriate mindset among the slightly twisted characters around me. I wondered if it would be okay to keep injecting my logic into her; I thought it might not matter much.
“There’s a fundamental competitive structure between the two groups. Excluding the additional political situation, this is the most important: the competition for resources.”
What people in this world value most. Even those who preach beliefs and justice flip out and do anything when their resources are at stake.
Whether they are politicians, commoners, or Magical Girls, it’s fundamentally the same. Naturally. The instinct for survival; competition is the essence of nature.
“So don’t overthink it. Think and act in a way that benefits you. There’s no right answer in this world, only competition.”
In the survival competition of nature, there is no good or evil, no laws or morals. It’s about eliminating and tearing down the opponent by any means necessary. That is the truth.
Of course, one must be prepared for some retaliation in return.
“You’re really in your middle school phase, huh?”
“Do you think what I’m saying is wrong?”
“No? I think it’s right. But you’re an idiot; for weaklings like us, we should cling as much as possible to the law and order to get anything at all. Do you think we could compete if the strong acted like you said?”
Hong Soo-young interjected and put her face on the seat, chuckling.
“What do you think, Senior? Will the Awakened Special Task Force and the Magical Girls compete? Who’s the weak, and who’s the strong?”
“Uh? Well, that…”
“And if they do compete, how will it happen? There’s no way they’ll fight openly, right?”
Though Hong Soo-young was flustered, the truth was that this was not a question that the now 15-year-old middle school sophomore had intended to receive an answer for.
“Neither side will stop fighting until they get rid of the other. So both sides will have to prove their maximum ‘usefulness,’ in their own way.”
The war had already begun. The two groups, with their differing strengths and weaknesses, were now going to struggle a bit.
What would be important now would be which side could unite, and which side had fewer bugs squabbling internally.
This was something I had felt personally while planning power struggles.
“Hey guys. Wait a moment. They say a monster has appeared in the area!”
Our supervising teacher shouted as he turned his head.
Monsters, the crazy creatures that had poured into this land through the Dimension Gate not long ago. In this power struggle, they would be the main dish.
Which group could hunt them better, and how well could they utilize that for political gain were the keys.
“Are they not coming out? Well, of course.”
[I hope I won’t have to step in. Unless they directly attack me.]
Ren had stopped expecting anything from me. I, too, didn’t want to be bothered by jumping into something troublesome. The only thing I was nervous about was that things in this world always seemed to go the opposite of what I wanted.
*
“Ugh, that foolish Dae-ran. He’s just spilling everything out.”
In the middle of the city, the sounds of whistles and sirens were controlling the streets.
Looking toward the scene, he stood amidst countless people and police controlling the situation.
“It’s a lively and good world, too. It’s also fun and intriguing.”
While everyone else pulled out their phones or whispered to each other, he murmured to himself under his hood. A sight that would look crazy to someone unfamiliar.
“It’s also a place that’s quite hard to understand. Here, quite a few ‘monsters’ can live ‘normally’. Indeed, how about you?”
“You’re right. Trash without strength or ability… thinking they’re something… Instead of such scumbags, it would be better for the ‘Sun’s’ legion to rule this land…”
“No need for flattery.”
He scoffed and turned to the青年 beside him.
The青年, who looked gaunt, pale, and somewhat dazed, resembled a typical new office worker, dressed in a smart suit.
“Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“Oh, oh, oh… Sun, please grant me that!”
He smiled crookedly and handed the青年something from his possession.
“Yes. I’ll give it to you. Use this to gain power and fulfill your grievances. Kill those who deserve to die and show them their place. Do those scumbags even have the right to live? Is letting them live your law? If so, then break it.”
Bright golden eyes gleamed from beneath the hood.
Entranced by his words, the青年quickly accepted it and dashed away.
“Heh, while it’s a bit risky, isn’t this place more rotten than I imagined?”
He looked at the青年’s retreating figure and smiled with satisfaction. It was such a wonderful world. It was overflowing with things he could devour and spread.
Having finished the under-the-table work and officially begun his activities, he soon left the scene as well.
“Seo-jin, where did Lee Hee-chan go?”
“Oh, Chief.”
In the government office during lunch. Department Chief Oh Young-soo was searching for someone with a frown on his face.
The female employee met him with a smile, but her insides told a different story. He was fundamentally not a good boss.
“Ugh, where the hell did that guy go without saying anything?”
Thanks to the existence of a colleague who had become a punching bag in his stead, he was still able to smile.
The problem was that the fool wasn’t present.
“Ah, stupid brat. These days, kids have no perseverance. If they endure a little longer, things will get easier, right?”
“Of course.”
“Not you, Seo-jin. Uh… Let’s talk about the kids these days. Did they go through military training that’s easier than camping or something? Huh? Back in my day…”
He habitually started to vent his frustrations about the absent person.
“That disgusting old timer, shifting all the work and not taking responsibility. Ugh.”
She nodded along, somewhat exasperated. Even if he was annoying with the young women, he always took care of them to an extent. But others bore the brunt of the damage.
“So I was saying…”
“Oh look, he’s coming!”
While she had been half-listening to his rant, she suddenly saw someone trudging over from a distance and reacted brightly.
The somewhat dazed-looking青年was heading straight toward them.
“Where have you been? You seem to have plenty of time?”
“Chief.”
“What’s up? Why the expression? Tired?”
He chuckled at the face of the青年, Lee Hee-chan, standing before him.
Although the青年had an odd, vacant look about him, the Chief, drunk on his usual authority, didn’t notice it and just laughed.
“If you’re tired, you could just not do it. There are plenty of kids waiting to take your place. After trying hard on the test, and only getting this…”
But he couldn’t continue to laugh or speak.
“Ugh…”
In a blink, a large knife had been deeply stabbed into his throat, causing him to spew blood like a fountain and fall over like a useless straw. In his eyes, he saw a strange eyeball wriggling on the knife’s hilt.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
