Chapter 151 : Tag

At Ho-cheol's nonsense, the head of the Legal Department showed a rare expression of pity.

Of course, he had quickly skimmed through it before Ho-cheol arrived, but how could he possibly organize this much content?

Seeing his gaze, Ho-cheol waved his hand.

“Ah, I get it. I’ll just look at it myself.”

It was just something he had said on a whim, and since they would have called him before the printing was even finished, of course.

When he placed his hand on it, the stack of papers was still warm, as if it had just been printed.

He pulled a nearby chair and sat down.

He placed the stack of papers on his thigh and also took out a pen and notebook from his inner pocket.

He flipped through the pages one by one, quickly checking the contents.

The head of the Legal Department had also printed two copies beforehand, so he was checking his own stack.

It was not a matter light enough to be checked only by Ho-cheol.

By the time a couple of pages had passed.

Ho-cheol's brows narrowed, and he tapped the paper with the pen in his hand.

“There's too much content that’s not really substantial.”

“It seems they sent all the collected information without any selection or classification.”

“A shallow trick.”

Ho-cheol answered, as if spitting out the words.

What a pathetic act that he could see right through.

Sending this much information without any filter or classification was simply to induce a misunderstanding on their part.

As if they had also revealed everything they had.

“They’ve probably filtered out all the really core content, the parts that are disadvantageous to them or are better to hide.”

In the first place, they were far from being allies, and they weren't even in a position to have a common enemy.

They just had similar directions, that was all.

They were an enemy that could never be left alone, whose priorities could be overturned at any time.

They were just setting the stage to unilaterally manipulate their thoughts and direction.

On their side, they just needed to use the necessary parts, and there was no reason to play along any further than that.

In fact, if he had the chance, he felt like backstabbing them right now.

“For now, though, they’re still useful.”

“Right.”

In any case, the priority was to deal with the ones that could be dealt with for sure, based on the information received.

After dealing with them, he would naturally be able to get information about these guys as well.

The price for their rude behavior last time could be collected then.

The New World Trait Liberation Society is largely divided into three factions, and currently, they are active as separate organizations without any sense of belonging to one another.

However, the true spirit and foundation of the original New "The New World Trait Liberation Society is largely divided into three factions, and currently, they are active as separate organizations without any sense of belonging to one another. However, the true spirit and foundation of the original New World Trait Liberation Society is undoubtedly inherited by us……. There’s a lot of useless fluff.”

Ho-cheol, who had been reading the document in a mumble, scoffed.

He didn't know which idiot had created the document, but there were quite a few of his own opinions and fluff attached to the information document.

Since most of these annotations were useless, Ho-cheol crossed out those parts with the pen he was holding.

No, was it created with that intention in the first place?

Ho-cheol looked at the still-large stack of papers and asked.

“I’ll take the back half. You take the front half?”

“Let’s.”

He would have to read the other half someday anyway, but in the current situation, the priority was to quickly organize it and grasp the overall situation and flow.

Ho-cheol took out his own notebook and compressed and organized the information.

How many hours had passed?

Ho-cheol flipped the last page and finished checking the information.

“Damn, that was long.”

Grumbling, he raised his head and looked at the opposite side.

The head of the Legal Department had finished reading before him and was organizing the materials.

Ho-cheol put down his pen and returned to the front of his notebook.

“Let’s organize it once. I’ll rattle off what I’ve organized, and let’s go through it with thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.”

Thesis, antithesis, synthesis.

It was a convenient system for collecting and organizing opinions.

If the contents they had organized overlapped, it was synthesis.

If it wasn't in the organized content, but was a valid point with little room for refutation, it was a thesis.

If Ho-cheol didn't bring up the core content or presented a wrong opinion, it was antithesis.

Ho-cheol brought up the major premise he had organized first.

The New World Trait Liberation Society.

It was a group with the single goal of ‘transcendence,’ but it was now virtually split into 3 factions.

Each faction had a different method for achieving transcendence, and naturally, they considered their own faction's method to be correct and looked down on the other factions.

Since all three secretly held such thoughts, their relationship continued to worsen.

And in that situation, one faction forgot the original grand principle of pursuing transcendence without being discovered by the outside world and started external activities, which eventually led to the complete separation of the three factions.

So far, it was all known information, so there was no need to go through thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.

Ho-cheol flipped his notebook.

Among these three factions, the ones who had approached Ho-cheol first and tried to achieve transcendence by reviving the dead called themselves the ‘New World’ faction.

And that was all.

They had stubbornly omitted and abbreviated information about themselves, and what little there was was on a level of having no credibility at all.

“Shameless bastards.”

It was a blatant sign to only attack the two factions that were openly opposing them.

“First, I’ll share the front part that I’ve organized.”

The head slowly read out the contents he had organized.

The second faction focuses on the awakening of the non-awakened and the research of granting separate Traits to the awakened.

The name of this faction is Trait Liberation.

He let out a faint sigh.

“Also, it seems that all the villains who betrayed the boss of the second-generation organization you have, have gone over to that side. It seems their method of operation is to gradually expand their influence from within the organization and eventually take over the organization itself.”

“You mean they're just parasites.”

“The problem is that they’re quite effective at increasing their scale.”

Ho-cheol didn't particularly refute it and nodded his head.

Although his defeat in the battle with Ho-cheol had played a part in Ji-an's downfall, it was not the actual cause.

At the end of the battle, the betrayal of the organization's executives and subordinates.

It was a situation that even Ji-an had not expected at all.

Although she had treated her subordinates worse than consumables, since the villains she had gathered were also ones with no future, she had thought the possibility of betrayal was almost nonexistent.

And the one who had persuaded them was a researcher belonging to the organization, the so-called ‘Doctor.’

He was not Ji-an's subordinate in the first place, but from another organization that had a cooperative relationship with her organization, and that cooperation was not just about sharing research results, but about taking over the organization itself.

After their core researchers and facilities were destroyed by Ho-cheol in the past, they had completely changed their operating system.

“Well, the Association is still tracking these guys.”

Although Ji-an's ‘Organization’ had been disbanded, most of its core personnel had gone over to the Trait Liberation side.

Naturally, the Association was persistently tracking them.

“In fact, there have been no tangible results so far, but that’s not the case now.”

The head tapped the paper with the back of his hand.

“This information, although it stopped being updated a few months ago, contains detailed information about their branches and headquarters. There’s a certain pattern to it as well. If we track that, it seems we can definitely catch them within a month.”

“Then it seems we can leave this to the Association for now.”

In fact, in terms of risk and social impact, they were the safest among the three factions.

In the end, since they were parasites that only harmed villains, it would be fine to let them act as they pleased for the time being.

In fact, if they were to be destroyed after they had swallowed a few more villain organizations, a wider area could be cleaned up.

“Then shall we move on to the next one.”

Ho-cheol flipped the page of his notebook.

He immediately frowned.

This was the real problem.

“The third faction, where the traitor from my ‘Organization’ days was a member.”

Their goal was to achieve transcendence through the fusion of monsters and humans, and they were the most active externally among the three.

Their name is ‘Society.’

The three combined make the New World Trait Liberation Society.

What a sense of style.

Ho-cheol clicked his tongue as if it was pathetic.

“They may have no sense in naming, but their business acumen is certainly there.”

The head muttered with a displeased expression.

If it were just a powerful villain organization, no, even if they were deeply involved in politics and business, he wouldn't have been so surprised.

But the content of this information was far beyond his imagination.

“Not a cooperative relationship or a subordinate organization of Black Oskopf, but rather, the leadership of Black Oskopf is the leadership of the faction.”

The head turned his gaze and looked at the three syringes on his desk.

“This drug. If it really came from Black Oskopf… what’s the purpose?”

“Test subjects? Money? Or simple chaos?”

“Whatever it is, it’s the worst. And they’re the most dangerous of the three factions.”

“That’s true.”

Even setting aside his personal feelings of having to punish the traitor, it was a problem that had to be solved as a first priority.

Spreading monsterification drugs among villains to induce terrorism and all sorts of crimes.

At least from the perspective of the citizens, they were the most malicious of the three factions, and a problem that needed to be solved as soon as possible.

However, how much could an individual like Ho-cheol do against a dinosaur corporation that was not at all inferior to a country?

And the aftermath if things went wrong.

He covered his face with both hands and asked.

“Are you really going to hit Black Oskopf?”

“If necessary, by all means. In the first place, if I don't hit them, am I just supposed to watch?”

The country would rather welcome Ho-cheol hitting Black Oskopf, they were by no means in a position to refuse or be displeased.

No, in fact, they should actively support Ho-cheol.

“This is crazy.”

The head let out a sigh.

The opponent was a powerful corporation with enough power to never bow down even to the state.

Even Ho-cheol, with his overwhelming power, was just an individual in the end.

It was impossible to fight against a group of a similar weight class.

It wasn't for nothing that he had established a villain organization in the past.

“Is that possible?”

“It would be difficult to go head-to-head with force, but there are also things that are effective when hit on a small scale.”

Just as the government couldn't carelessly touch Black Oskopf because it stood outside the bounds of the law, the opposite was also true.

They couldn't ask the state for help when they were subjected to illegal activities, nor could they legally pressure this side.

Ho-cheol was quite confident in a fight where the law was not abided by.

“And the information I received this time, most of it is trash, but it’s not like there’s nothing useful.”

Black Oskopf.

There were quite a few weaknesses in the corporation itself.

Of course, whether they could be trusted was another matter, but it was worth a shot.

“Of course, the Association will have to help me with some of the clean-up.”

“What kind of help?”

Basically, Wolf Fang's range of activity and free time.

And the dark hero being tracked by the Association.

For the two of them to act as Ho-cheol's collaborators, the Association's cooperation was also essential.

“You don't need to help. Just be a little lax in your surveillance and tracking.”

“Understood.”

“Ah, and. That kid. She wants to enroll in the academy this time. That's okay, right?”

“……What?”

The head asked back, genuinely flustered.

When Ho-cheol had said ‘that kid,’ he had wondered who it was, but at the mention of enrolling in the academy, a face flashed in his mind.

There was no need to wonder who it was.

And the answer was, of course, singular.

“Absolutely. Absolutely not.”

A reaction more intense than the dean's or Se-ah's.

But that reaction was normal.

In fact, the head, who knew Ji-an's Trait and mental state better than the two who simply held a grudge, could absolutely not allow it.

“To keep a bomb that could go off at any moment in a classroom, that’s absolutely not…”

“In fact, that’s also funny. The classroom and her dorm are only a few minutes apart. Wherever it goes off, it’s just the end at the point it goes off.”

“Isn't the number of times she receives external stimuli different?”

At the much more stubborn refusal than he had expected, Ho-cheol thought.

To think he would oppose it this much.

I hadn't really thought about persuading this side.

What should I do?

“Ah.”

Something good to persuade him came to mind.

Ho-cheol raised his index finger.

“If I take down all of Black Oskopf, I’ll hand over all the byproducts to the Association.”

It was a statement Ho-cheol had uttered casually, but the weight of his words was by no means light.

Technologies comparable to those of a major power.

In particular, Black Oskopf's monster biotechnology was known to be more advanced than any other country's.

If the Association, this country, could monopolize it.

He belonged to the good side, but that didn't mean he had no greed or avarice.

Gulp—

The head swallowed.

“……Really?”

“What would I gain by lying? In the first place, I have no use for such things even if I have them.”

The deliberation was not long.

The head nodded his head.

“Alright. Do as you please.”

“Permission granted.”

Ho-cheol smiled lightly.

In any case, as he had said, even if he got the research data or technology from taking down Black Oskopf, it would be of little use to him.

He didn't particularly want it either.

There would be no major problem in handing it all over to the Association.

Assuming, of course, that there was anything to take.

The head was a good person, but the Association he belonged to, and the government above it, were mostly no different from Black Oskopf.

If he handed over that good technology to such guys, the aftermath was all too obvious.

Ho-cheol had no intention of taking out even a single sheet of paper, a single wire, for such people.

By the time Ho-cheol stepped out of the Legal Department building, the sun was already halfway over the horizon.

And on the rooftop of another tall building far away, two dolls stood on the parapet, looking at Ho-cheol.

Were they even fifteen?

The twins, though of different genders, had a similar appearance and atmosphere.

The boy, with one foot on the rooftop railing, asked.

“What should we do?”

At his question, the girl, perched precariously on the railing, answered.

“They said that person is the one who wants to kill us?”

Then she answered cheerfully.

“Of course, we have to kill him!”

Kill before being killed.

Where else could one find such a simple and clear logic?

“So. Dismemberment? Drowning? Cremation? Crushing? Strangulation? What would be good?”

“That old man said to leave as little trace as possible.”

“What should we play! How should we play! How long should we play!”

The twins looked at Ho-cheol, casually saying such gruesome things.

“Still, he looks a little strong. I hope he lasts a little longer than the other toys.”

As they were talking, Ho-cheol, who was walking towards the bus stop, suddenly stopped.

“Did he just hear us talk?”

“Hey. What nonsense are you talking about.”

The distance between Ho-cheol and them was well over a few kilometers.

Their physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary humans, and even with vision-enhancing Traits, they could barely observe Ho-cheol.

Detecting them from here was impossible without an S-rank detection Trait.

However.

Whirik—

Ho-cheol's head snapped back, and he looked at the twins.

The boy who was observing him was startled.

It wasn't his imagination.

Their eyes had definitely met.

The cold eyes, devoid of any emotion, seemed as if they would suck in even his soul.

The boy momentarily slipped from the railing.

He barely managed to hang on to the railing with both hands and corrected his posture.

Clearly staring at them, Ho-cheol's lips moved slightly.

He couldn't be sure, but from the shape of his mouth, he could somewhat hear what he was trying to say.

‘Do you like playing that much?’

“Wh-what? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

The girl, with her relatively poor eyesight, asked, but the boy didn't even have the leeway to respond to her question.

He was focused on reading Ho-cheol's lips.

‘Then shall we play tag?’

Ho-cheol, who had said so, turned in their direction.

A shiver ran down the boy's spine.

Until just a moment ago, the twins had been the overwhelming predators in this concrete forest, against whom no one could dare to stand.

Ordinary humans, outstanding heroes, and ferocious villains.

To them, they were all just mere herbivores.

Squirrels, rabbits, deer.

There might be a difference in size, but in front of a wolf, they were all just the same prey.

But into the forest where they had reigned as the overwhelming predators, a hunter with a gun, no, a tiger, no, not even that.

Ho-cheol muttered softly again.

‘If you get caught.’

That was a tiger with a gun.

Ho-cheol's mutter and the boy's mutter overlapped.

“‘You die.’”

At the same time, Ho-cheol started running towards the building they were on.

“Let’s run.”

“Huh? Why? Kkeuhik!”

The boy, with his foolish sister who still hadn't grasped the situation tucked under his arm, ran in the opposite direction of Ho-cheol.