Chapter 482. Campaign (2) |
Chapter 482. Campaign (2)
"Seriously, I've got zero motivation to work today."
A few minutes later, I arrived at a Break site somewhere in South Korea. But what greeted me there wasn't monsters—it was just a handful of humans.
"Is it a protester?"
Earthlings wearing cheap, plastic-like capes, waving placards in sync with their slogans. Looking more closely, the signs they held read:
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Stop Using
Unsafe Magic!!!
Protect the Environment with Our Clean Technology.
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At first, I really had no idea what was going on. Looking again, these people in front of me seemed like one of those notorious cult-like groups that have been causing trouble online and offline recently.
"They say their voices got a lot louder ever since the [Sadist] appeared... Honestly, groups like these never seem to get tired of popping up."
A peculiar mind-controller named Su Yehwi had long since been dealt with by the Archmage's influence. But as I was just thinking, didn't this Earth also see the appearance of monsters resembling angels? Now, with the massive organization called [Rakshasa Temple] having collapsed and the vacancy lingering for a long time, it seemed that the emergence of these angelic monsters had offered a prime opportunity for second- and third-tier cult-like groups to grow.
"It might be impossible in human history to completely eradicate unhealthy religions..."
However, the group causing trouble this time is showing some uniquely unusual traits as well. This pseudo-religious protest group was extremely averse to using mana. Their leader was a radical opponent of dungeon resources, and apparently, that ideology naturally spread to the followers.
"No I mean, those people were claiming that monsters emerging from gates are proof of God's existence, yet they insist we shouldn't use mana resources...?"
"Did they really say that?"
"Yees. I'm the guild master of the well-connected Korea Magic Tower—how could I have not known about such a noisy situation~"
I froze for a moment, unable to comprehend human behavior. But after hearing the explanation from Esther, Korea's second-ranked hunter, I finally nodded in understanding.
"By the way, Giryeo-ssi, did you know? Those people protesting over there... they're actually doing it to commercialize the weapons they made themselves."
"Really?"
"A total fraud with a forged degree, who doesn't even have proper doctorate credentials, is holding a high-ranking position in that organization. And according to this 'Doctor,' he claims that with just one piece of his patented technology, even a child could easily take down a magical beast..."
"Wow, a patented scientific technology for hunting monsters?"
"But when they actually tested it, that fraudster's claims were obviously a scam. So the Ministry of Defense doesn't pay any attention, no matter what those people are shouting."
A sigh naturally escapes at the background of it all. There's not a shred of genuine belief to be found—just a band of rogues united purely by the desire to make money has formed once again.
"Ha."
The thought weighed heavily. At the same time, a question arose. Right now, everyone at the scene is shooting them sharp, disapproving glances—but could those people really not notice how bizarre the situation looks, even with all these eyes on them?
Or maybe, from their perspective, even this just looks like a simple difference of opinion?
"Get lost, Awakeners! Stop contaminating ordinary citizens and go hide in your bunkers!"
"You walking radiation hazards!"
"You hunters! We know all about how you bribed the government to block the civilian weapons patented by the doctor!"
At that moment, the protesters were shouting at the top of their lungs. I waited for the police to secure the scene and had a brief conversation with the second-ranked hunter. From just a few exchanges with Esther, I came to a new realization.
"Ah, no wonder the negative reactions about me online never seem to stop—they've been persistent."
The group in front of me was the kind that's more likely to sell off patented technology the less influence a hunter had. So, it turns out that most of the malicious comments online up to now had been made by these people.
Ssshik.I leaned my body to one side so Esther wouldn't have to stand on tiptoe to whisper to me. Then, while listening carefully to what she was saying, I turned my gaze toward the protesters.
"What are you looking at? You ugly piece of—!"
It was truly a moment when all kinds of emotions got mixed together. And this time, there was no influence from any [Brainwashing] magic. With the keen intuition I had honed over a long life as an Archmage, it seemed that these people were simply insulting me out of their own free will.
"Have Earthlings collectively gone mad lately? Why do they cause such chaos so often?"
They were mocking an Archmage who had even gone as far as to "go to work" just to try and make the world safer. Being criticized by ordinary people whose faces I didn't even know naturally brought my mood down.
"What is it? Who just insulted our Giryeo? Come out, I heard you clearly!"
But if I let my irritation show recklessly, I'd end up exposing myself to "those kinds of things" again.
"Esther, calm down."
"No, but still!"
"There's... someone with a camera over there."
"You mean that reporter? It's fine. I've been watching them myself since earlier anyway."
Click.Soon came the familiar noise. As could be expected, even a rather bold reporter was mixed in at today's scene. Although they kept generating content that had no sense to common sense, netizens seemed quick to spread that person's name everywhere.
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[Exclusive] Kim, S-Rank Awakened, Sparks Controversy Over Threatening a Civilian
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For reference, yesterday's report was so absurd that even I remembered the author's profile. Ahead of me stood the person who had scribbled all those exaggerated criticisms about me. And yet, even with two S-rank Hunters staring right at them, they didn't seem the least bit nervous. The reporter who had spread rumors about me didn't stop filming.
"Look at that. His lips are curling upward."
In South Korea, freedom of the press and publication is guaranteed, so this behavior is completely normal.
"Should I just give a little smack...?"
But if I acted like that with my SS-rank body, someone would definitely end up dead, so I held back.
"Let's just get to work."
Unfortunately, in a place with so many eyes watching, an alien couldn't afford to act recklessly. So I gave up on taking any action against the reporter and focused instead on dealing with the immediate crisis—the dungeon break.
"By the way, have the [Korean Magic Tower] team finished analyzing the monsters inside? If you've collected all the samples, I can step in and clear it now?"
"Ah, yes. Yes!"
I wiped out the countless monsters swarming like cockroaches with a single spell. Without even setting foot inside the otherworld, the site was wrapped up smoothly as usual. No matter how chaotic my state of mind was, this body of mine was still the only vessel on Earth to have undergone a second awakening.
So how could something as trivial as an A-rank gate possibly pose a real challenge?
"Still, there may come a time when circumstances force me to enter a dungeon personally, so I should hurry and finish a self-protection spell that'll be useful then."
The series of actions I carried out was, by any standard, flawless. Yet for some reason, today felt twice as exhausting as yesterday. I was the type who already suffered an immense amount of stress every time I had to go to work in the first place.
And lately, on top of that, the moment I arrived at a site, I'd end up facing strange groups like those—people glaring at me with bulging eyes and hurling insults. Naturally, each job left me completely drained.
"At this point, I'm half tempted to ignore the advice that civil servant Seonwoo once gave me and just pick out a handful of Earthlings I actually like, then place only them under protection and observation..."
But still, even today, I chose to exercise the patience befitting a archmage and simply let it slide. It wasn't irritating enough to make me snap just yet, so I brushed the matter off with the positive thought that "as my popularity rises, the attention naturally increases too."
***
And, then a few hours later once again.
[Today's HOT Board]
To be precise, it was that hour when the outside world was still draped in the dim light of dawn. After four hours of rest, I started the next day and reflexively picked up my phone. What appeared was a familiar layout: a neatly arranged collection of news clips from various broadcasters. Alongside that content, countless reactions from present-day humans were scattered throughout.
"I was too busy working yesterday to check the online situation at all."
What I was looking at was the video-sharing app I always monitored.
"As expected, the articles about those strange people have already been published."
They barged into a zone where monsters could erupt at any moment, making their claims. For reference, humanity's reaction to the absurd incident that happened yesterday was fairly standard.
[Where did those clueless idiots even come from?? Why are they protesting on-site so recklessly?;;]
[I heard they're pretending to be doctors without any proper degrees and leading people astray. We should arrest that pseudo-scientist from the group before they cause an even bigger disaster.]
[Thank you for your hard work, Hunters!]
Well, if the world were filled only with weird people, it wouldn't be called Earth—it would have to be called Alphauri.
"The reporter must have gotten a lot of money from somewhere, but he blatantly edited the video to favor the cult... but, I guess ordinary people weren't so easily fooled after all."
At least in South Korea, being a Hunter was a highly respectable profession. Online, public opinion overwhelmingly supported the Hunters. Of course, that made sense. But as I was scrolling through my phone screen, my smile suddenly froze.
[Comments: Latest]
[What are these people even saying, seriously...]
[Hard work, my ass---]
[Anyway, this time too, Kim Giryeo just cleared the dungeon with a single skill, and the Hunters left on time...]
[All that talk about S-rank Hunters overworking and collapsing is just manufactured news. In reality, people like Kim Giryeo and Esther just lounge around all day, living the easy life, tsk tsk.]
Oh my goodness. Me, living an easy life? How can the world come up with such a hurtful thing to say?
"Looking back at the timestamps, this post was made around 4 a.m. And on top of that, there are almost 15 more lines of criticism added above it..."
I stared at the newly discovered purveyor of false information and eventually sank into a thought. It was true that recently, someone tried to manipulate public opinion with money, the fake reactions that followed would inevitably have at least one weak spot. Maybe a newly created account was used. Or perhaps the posts mindlessly praised someone without any real sincerity.
"..."
I sank into a new concern right there. The main topic was my worry about the humans currently living on this planet. If I, an Archmage, had to deal with the consequences of these people's actions, I would be in a lot of trouble. If I were just an ordinary person, I would be in even more trouble. If I were just an ordinary person, I would be in even more trouble.
In any case, most of the intelligent beings on Earth are surprisingly perceptive. They tend not to get swept up in forced controversies like this.
"Among mammals, there are many who knowingly understand the dominant flow of the world and yet deliberately choose to stand in the shadows."
And yet.
Even so, within this planet, the groups that spewed hatred at high-ranking Hunters showed no sign of diminishing.
"Because ordinary citizens point fingers at them from the sidelines. They probably enjoy that kind of attention, which is why they keep spouting provocative nonsense. I've seen too many kinds of creatures in my life to not understand psychology at least that much."
Of course, living on Earth, I had often experienced the kindness and consideration of good citizens. But the souls of Alphaurians were little more than bundles of cunning. So, I found myself more impressed by the abusive words of a few individuals than by the hundreds of kind words offered by virtuous beings. The negative public opinion about Hunters unfolding right before my eyes was a case in point. And the actions of a certain citizen who openly tried to sue me for money? That was another matter.
"Ah, right. When am I going to deal with that damn case? I looked it up online later, and apparently, frivolous lawsuits like that usually end up being dismissed."
The stress was no small thing.
"On top of my head already spinning from learning the truth about dungeon shock... why do irritating things keep happening so often these days?"
I lamented, if only for a brief moment, the behavior of those individuals I found distasteful.
[Ding.][Ding.]And just as I was lost in thought, a notification popped up on my phone screen, announcing the arrival of a new message.
Author's Thoughts
Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)