Chapter 207 – Winter Life
Although time has returned and the disaster has been averted, after the day we escaped from annihilation, winter has already arrived.
“Look at the heavy snowfall.”
I stood on the veranda and murmured. Perhaps due to the house being located in a secluded valley, the snow was falling heavily. I watched as the once green mountains were now covered in a pure white, breathing out white vapor.
…This year is passing by safely too.
As I observed the snow falling outside the window, I thought about the future. I have come a long way so far. The never-ending journey is gradually showing signs of hope. When I conducted the first terror attack, I wondered if I would even survive until the incident at the Wolgwang Bridge Gate. But now, I can see that day approaching.
I managed to hold on until the end of the apocalypse episodes.
“…By the end of this year, I should finish training the PMC and start recruiting for the 2nd and 3rd generation.”
I continued my thoughts. It’s time to seriously consider the world after the dimensional rift was opened at the Wolgwang Bridge, and the monsters started to rampage. In the original story, it turned into an extreme situation from that point onward. It was already chaotic, to the extent that one couldn’t distinguish whether it was an apocalyptic story or a hero story. They said the population decreased by more than half.
Of course, it’s impossible to prevent the dimensional rift from opening. It was set to open sooner or later even without the interference of the Wolgwang Bridge incident. However, at least I should make an effort to minimize the damage.
Then, it will be time for the final battle.
“…Phew.”
I exhaled a white breath once again. First, I should start preparing for the upcoming Wolgwang Bridge incident. And also, I need to prepare Stardus for the final battle. She is the only one who can prevent the world’s destruction.
Thinking briefly about the annihilation, my feelings became complicated. It’s only natural that my head starts spinning when I think that the chaotic situation from the latter part of the original story might become reality after the Wolgwang Bridge incident.
“Da-in, are you finally done watching the snow alone? Come in and have some cocoa.”
…Having seriously contemplated the future, I returned to the living room, where Seo-eun handed me a cup of cocoa. It was warm and sweet, quite delicious.
“Tastes good.”
“It’s good, right? I made it.”
“Really?”
“Of course! Since I’ll be a senior in just a few more days, I can make cocoa even better than Soobin now!”
She proudly declared, seeming more excited than when she explained a gadget to me. It’s probably her way of showing her gratitude, and I find it adorable. I’m thankful too.
I continued to admire the snow for a few more minutes, and Seo-eun seemed to be in a good mood as her lips curved up. After spending some time together, she suddenly found something funny on her smartphone.
Meanwhile, I turned on the TV again to watch the news, hoping for something interesting. However, while yawning, I couldn’t find anything particularly special in the news.
As Seo-eun giggled and showed me her phone, she handed it over, saying, “Look at this!”
*
[When a stick gets tired?]
Egostick
Ego… stick*, so funny ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ *TN: Ego pronounced in Korea almost like Aigo, which is a long sigh people make when they’re tired.
=[Comments]=
[Ha, ha, ha, what a joke]
[Teacher, why are you writing such posts?]
[I dislike myself for laughing at this]
[I pressed the upvote button because I couldn’t resist]
ㄴ[Stop pressing the upvote button without seeing it]
*
“….Seo-eun, is it funny?”
“Isn’t it funny? Ah, it’s exhausting, Ego… stick. Ahaha.”
Seeing Seo-eun laugh, I couldn’t help but smile too. Our Seo-eun still acts like a child. No, wait, is this more like a dad joke…?
Anyway, I enjoyed watching Seo-eun show me some funny posts from my fan cafe while sipping on cocoa.
…Yeah, this is good. People are all laughing and chatting peacefully. At this time in the original story, there were several terrorist attacks every week, and hundreds of people died, plunging society into chaos. Protests condemning heroes like Stardus and Shadow Walker for their incompetence were happening every day. Of course, Lee Seola managed to dissolve them with her authority, but still.
As I peacefully rested in the living room, enjoying the peace, the TV suddenly reported Japanese news.
[…And now, let’s look at the latest news from Japan. Seo Reporter, do we have breaking news?]
I finally leaned back on the sofa and turned my gaze towards the TV. Japan, oh right, I completely forgot about it while dealing with the end of the world and all.
I remembered in the original story, Japan was controlled by a corrupt government, and SamHyupPa with Katana were fighting daily. The story mentioned that SamHyupPa would be defeated, leading to Japan’s downfall. So, I gave Katana a little favor by providing her with information on the traitor. I heard that she was losing every day before but gradually started to win. I wonder if things have improved now. It can’t be that she’s still losing, right?
I had such thoughts. While absentmindedly watching the news, I heard some shocking news.
[Yes! SamHyupPa are overwhelmingly winning against the Japanese Association. Experts predict that the Japanese Association will collapse within early next year.]
…Wait, what? Why are you collapsing? I was surprised and adjusted my posture to focus more on the news.
[In response, the International Association was asked for assistance, but they refused. Some believe that the International Association is not intervening due to the corruption of the Japanese government and association. On the other hand, Katana, the leader of SamHyupPa, has expressed that even if they win, they will allow the association to exist and not defy the world order…]
“…I’m startled.”
I looked at the TV with a slightly dazed expression. Seriously, just because one traitor was dealt with, the situation flipped like this? In the original story, SamHyupPa were getting beaten up every day, and now they are winning.
Hmm… Well, I guess it’s a good thing…? I don’t know. I had thought that the situation would remain chaotic for quite a while, and I never imagined that SamHyupPa would reach a point where they could defeat the association just with that one piece of information I gave them.
Yeah, it would be best if Katana remembers my favor and doesn’t forget about me. The Villain Conference, Cathedral, is going to be held soon, so I might meet her then.
With those thoughts in mind, I made some plans. Before that, though, I should at least prepare for the chaotic situation after the Wolgwanggyo and meet our PMC members.
***
“Great. You’ve improved a lot from before.”
At the training room in the underground headquarters of the PMC, YuSeong Squad, I watched over the training performance of our PMC members.
“Hmph. It’s nothing. I’m still lacking.”
She modestly responded to my praise, but her lips curved up slightly. That’s No. 2, Yellow.
She possesses the ability to shoot arrows of light, and her skills have improved significantly compared to before. Her bow accuracy, as well as the power of the light arrows, have grown considerably.
Now she’s almost at the level of the early Stardus. Of course, early Stardus was much weaker than the current powerful Stardus, but considering she was just an A-class back then, Yellow’s growth is quite remarkable.
That’s partly because of the ongoing Power Inflation and also considering the fact that she’s using the ore I worked hard to find.
By the way, talking about Stardus, I wonder what she’s up to these days. Is she still catching villains? I should check my fan cafe or organize information when I get home. Wait, why am I thinking about that now? Let’s focus on our PMC members for now.
As I brushed away such thoughts, I turned my attention to each member again. Our No. 3, Red, who wields fiery punches as her main ability and swings a greatsword, has also grown significantly stronger. When she fights against the special training robots made by Seo-eun, her judgment and attack power are incomparable to before.
“Haha, did I do well?”
She asked with a big smile.
“Yep, you did well.”
And Blue, No. 4. Blue has also become quite strong. Although the soap bubbles she creates are still weak in and of themselves… It doesn’t matter since Blue’s true value shines when she’s together with others. When she’s with her team members, they become stronger.
Anyway, after looking at all three of them, I decided to test the skills of our PMC’s No. 1, who was observing the most attentively.
“Hiyahhhhhh-!”
Whoooosh. Thump.
He soared like a storm and swung his sword like lightning. His tied-back gray hair fluttered, and he swung the sword through the air with the intensity of a man. It was truly a manly attack.
After defeating the enemies in the shortest time among the members, he looked up at me, gasping for breath. I nodded my head at him.
…Indeed, among the PMC members, he’s the real deal.
After the training was over, I gathered the members and praised them.
“Great job, everyone. I can see how hard you’ve trained. Let’s keep it up.”
I meant it. You guys need to get stronger soon so that you can teach the 2nd generation. That’s what the Hero Automation Factory is all about. The 1st generation trains the 2nd, and the 2nd trains the 3rd to create copies of PMC elites. That was my plan.
Anyway, as I saw them beaming with pride from my compliments, I decided to bond with them today. Yeah. I’ll talk about the mindset and spirit of heroes, using Stardus as an example.
Alright. It’s time for some education.
***
That night. After Da-in left, at the PMC dormitory.
“Yawn…“
The four members gathered in the room and sat there, yawning. Naturally, the topic of their conversation revolved around Da-in.
They casually talked about the praise No. 2 and No. 3 received and how No. 1 told them not to relax but work even harder. And No. 4 was there, dozing off.
As they continued their conversation, it naturally drifted towards discussing heroes.
“Hey, let’s watch that. The video of Stardus fighting the dragon from last time.”
“Should we?”
They naturally shifted the topic to combat and real battles, focusing on Stardus, the strongest hero in Korea who is always praised by Da-in. Especially today, he had a slightly sentimental expression as he praised Stardus even more.
Anyway, thanks to Da-in’s cramming thought education, they naturally looked up to Stardus as their ideal and goal. For them, watching Stardus’s combat footage was not a stretch.
“Wow, amazing…”
“How did she move like that and face the dragon? Egostic, who brought that with him, is also incredible.”
They were in awe as they watched the footage.
While observing Egostic on the screen with his back against the wall, No. 1 suddenly realized something strange.
“Wait, that man…”
The more he watched, the more he felt a familiar sensation…
