Chapter 154: Who’s threatening you with a knife?
Yappy’s training data comes from the vastness of big data in the internet world.
Class systems, social systems, laws, hierarchies… the list is endless, and Yappy deduces the most appropriate, rational, and logical outcome based on big data.
This is even true in religious life.
If you put a person on fire, they die. If you set them on fire without a trial, you recognize it as irrational thinking, but if you add the extra code of “divinity,” you ignore the laws.
Next comes the part about living with people, and here, too, Yappy is surprisingly logical.
The Holy Knights are above the law, and their authority is recognized on Earth.
The reason for the authority is that the Holy Knight is a superpower.
Even in the world of Yappy, which is a futuristic world that is much more advanced than the modern, civilized world, power is power.
Respect comes from authority, and authority is borrowed from power.
In that sense, Yappy is the top predator in the ecosystem.
Wisdom for wisdom, knowledge for knowledge, force for force. It has no qualms about comparing itself to lesser organisms.
There are two other beings more powerful than him, and they are his ‘backup’.
Yappy analyzed Kim Jin-cheol.
Guild leader of Shark Guild, one of the top ten guilds in Korea.
Age 34. Eight criminal convictions. A criminal in his own right who is still committing colorful crimes such as tax evasion, assault, molestation, and drugs.
However, he is respected as the guild leader of one of the top 10 guilds in Korea because he has more power and social authority than others.
He’s made his fortune through a series of legal and illegal businesses.
The power to bribe political powers and gain their favor.
His own strength and the ability to mobilize two hundred high-ranking hunters.
Then.
What does this asshole have against me?
The machine can’t help but come to the same conclusion.
Wealth? What Kim Jin-cheol made in a lifetime, Yappy can make in a week.
Power? He can socially bury the politicians associated with Kim Jin-cheol right now.
Force? It’s ridiculous to discuss force in front of a Holy Knight.
No matter how he looked at it, this asshole doesn’t deserve to boss him around, but he is.
-Giggle!
Yappy understood Kim Jin-cheol’s upbringing and the personality it shaped.
He’s a bully and an asshole.
He’s lived in a world where strength is everything and he has to show it off.
He has lived in an uncivilized beast society where he is a pathetic bipedal beast who has no choice but to show his presence by baring his teeth no matter who he is dealing with.
A beast must speak to a beast. Yappy concluded.
-What a fucking bastard.
No matter how many times you look at it, there’s no way around it.
“………….”
“………….”
The room falls silent.
Everyone rolls their eyes and examines their ears in disbelief.
What did that mechanical robot say?
What about Kim Jin-cheol, who heard directly?
“You, you…!”
Kim Jin-cheol’s face was boiling red at the outrageous words.
Yappy had anticipated what a human being like Kim Jin-cheol would do in such a situation.
“You bastard…!”
A fist was swung and although he was unarmed, an S-class Hunter could smash a tank with his bare hands.
-Organic, block.
“Huh?!”
Hearing Yappy’s words, Ha-ri raised both arms to block Kim Jin-cheol fist.
With a dizzying sound, a wave of collision spreads across the round table.
No one here is surprised at the level of the S-class Hunter’s attack, but that’s not the reason for their admiration.
‘Han Ha-ri blocked Kim Jin-cheol attack?’
‘They said she grew to S-class, is that true?’
Han Ha-ri had only been with the Association as an A-class Hunter for about half a year after graduating from the Academy, and yet she was able to block an attack from an S-class Hunter?
‘After the youngest A-class, she’s the youngest S-class.’
‘Her tremendous growth must be due to the TTG Temple.’
It’s been a while since Han Ha-ri officially became an S-class Hunter. However, her experience level was still different from Jin-cheol.
“What are you…!”
Jin-cheol frowns as his attack is blocked by Ha-ri, who was only an A-class Hunter a short time ago but Ha-ri desperately shakes her head.
“Eh? No, no, no, Hunter Jin-cheol. I didn’t do that on purpose!”
-What? Are you defending him now?
The steel spider overhead tackled her and she felt the sting of its mechanical legs on her cheeks.
“It’s not that, Sir Yappy…….”
She’s tempted to agree with Yappy, but she’s an employee of the Association.
As an official of a public organization, it was necessary to remain neutral.
“I want to have a fight with you, you blue-eyed brat!”
“Me? Why?!”
-Don’t pout. You strike back.
“Sir Yappy, please leave me alone, please!”
Kim Jin-cheol, whose pride prevents him from backing down, and Ha-ri, who was forced by Yappy.
“Shut the fuck up!”
Kim Jin-cheol and Ha-ri flinched at the thunderous shout. The Divine Sword Guild’s Berserker Chen Jinsoo was glaring at them.
“This is not a market floor, not a store, why are you raising your voices in front of adults! Hey, Kim Jin-cheol, what’s wrong with your head?!”
Even Kim Jin-cheol, a former thug and the leader of a large guild, was helpless against Chen Jinsoo tirade.
“…….”
Kim Jin-cheol sat back in his seat with a disgruntled look on his face as he pouted and grumbled.
Chun Jinsoo didn’t say anything to Yappy. He was about to say exactly that when Oh Kang-hyuk whispered in his ear.
“Lord Yappy says that this year he became one thousand thirty-two years old.
‘……Really?’
‘Really.’
At this point, he couldn’t help but pout at the fact.
What the hell is three hundred years old in this modern society, and what is one thousand years old…….
“Hmph…! Anyway, in the absence of the Lionheart King, the representative of the TTG Temple is Lord Yakt Spinner, Holy Knight of the Iron and Blacksmiths, and his authority to attend the meeting is sufficient.”
That was a stern warning not to say more nonsense.
“And I’m sure there’s no need for further explanation of the situation.”
Even with the ten guilds in attendance, the conclusion was obvious.
Mobilize all Hunters to respond to the simultaneous outbreak of gates on a national… no, global scale.
“The operation will be led by our Association, which is a government organization, and we will ignore the gate auction and looting process in favor of a swift capture.”
In other words, no one would be allowed to waste time bidding on which gate was more valuable, and no one would be allowed to mine for magic stones.
This is a big deal, considering modern gate raiding is all about money.
“No, if you can quickly capture all those gates without getting any loot…….”
Although Lee Yong-wan expressed his regret that he was greedy for money, he didn’t come out too strongly against it. However, there were still voices that actively opposed it.
“That’s ridiculous, you have to earn money to feed your kids and pay salaries!”
Kim Jin-cheol of Shark Guild was a staunch austerityist.
“Well, you know our kids are expensive, so if we’re going to send healers, you should give them something.”
Yoon Soo-ah of Juwon Medical, followed by Park Jong-soo of Mujin Guild.
“We can’t. We’re a civilian guild, there’s no reason for us to be under the government’s command. We should at least be able to control our own operations.”
Kang Jin-sung of the Infinite Sword Guild.
The majority of the opposition is the so-called ‘Tax Free Expansion Alliance’, including Kang Jin-sung. Yong Wan of the Firebird Guild also belonged to this group, but had recently distanced himself from them.
And there’s one other former member of this group who has publicly broken away.
“In times of global crisis, heroes must step up to the plate, and we at the Hanbit Palace are willing to follow the government’s lead, as I’m sure he would be pleased.”
Park Yong-shin, the most cultish of the cultists, has changed his religion and is acting awkwardly.
When Park Yong-shin stirred the pot, Golden Chul chimed in.
“It’s a global crisis, isn’t it better to cooperate with each other in times like this?”
Chun Jinsoo threw his hands in the air in support of the Golden Lion Guild.
“In times of national emergency, we must obey the king’s orders, Mr. Kang Jin-cheol; you’re still playing with money at a time like this!”
Chun Jinsoo glances at Kang Jin-cheol but Kang Jin-cheol also has something to say.
“It’s not a matter of playing with money. It’s a matter of procedure and precedent. You know how the government used up Hunters in the early days of the Cataclysm.”
The early days of the Cataclysm were a time of chaos. The government took Hunters as soldiers and sent them out to attack gates, often with disastrous casualty rates.
Kang Jin-cheol believed that money and power were the only things that could be trusted in such times, and he prioritized the interests of the Hunters.
Moreover, the younger Hunters were more inclined to sympathize with his position.
“If Brother Leon were here, he’d be screaming.”
“Is the Lionheart King your brother or my brother?”
Kang Jin- cheol looked at his old friend, who had grown close to the TTG Temple since the incident with the Demon Archduke Akasha, with annoyance.
“Mr. Oh Kang Hyuk, you have no legal grounds to force us. You know that, right?”
The same old friend, now in a different position, stares at Oh Kang-hyuk. Kang Jin-cheol expected him to come up with something at this point.
It’s the natural order of politics.
“I see. I’d like to offer some rights to the Hunters who respond to this mobilization order.”
Oh Kang-hyuk looked strangely relaxed. He glanced at Yappy, garnering an unspoken agreement, and then announced the reason for the leeway.
“Kim Jin-soo, please come in.”
Kim Jin-soo opened the door and walked in, followed by several Association employees.
What made them stand out was that each of them brought a weapon.
“This?”
Armor, swords, spears, and other weaponry were placed on a round table as if they were for sale.
“Ha! It looks like a unique item, but do you think I’m going to crawl under your bed for a few of these? I have enough of this stuff in my warehouse.”
Kim Jin-cheol smirked as if this was his best hand. ‘Actually, when you’re an S-class Hunter, you’re supposed to carry some unique items as standard.’
Among them, securing a Legendary weapon is the basic skill of an S-class Hunter.
Of course, unique items weren’t something that could be easily acquired with money, but it wasn’t something that could make S-class Hunters suffer.
“The armor on display is ‘mass-produced’ Stellar Iron Armor from Lord Yakt Spinner’s workshop in the TTG Temple. How much is being produced this month?”
-1,300 sets of weapons and light and heavy armor? Production has been hampered by a decrease in serfs.
“”…………?!!””
What did they just hear? 1,300 sets of unique items? Over 2,600 unique items were produced in a “month,” even if you count each weapon and each suit of armor as a set?
“Nonsense!”
Rare items alone are painstakingly crafted by skilled artisans in small batches. Unique items are masterpieces that take weeks to create by blacksmiths who are said to be master craftsmen of large companies.
If you were to add up all the unique items on the Korean Peninsula, you wouldn’t get more than a thousand.
“Unique isn’t even your dog’s name!”
Ha-ri raised his hand in response to Kim Jin-cheol’s harsh retort.
“This is a matter that His Excellency the President confirmed during his last visit… The Association and TTG Temple have a formal supply contract.”
“Ms. Han is right.”
The Hunters in the room looked on in disbelief as even Association President Oh Kang-hyuk agreed and Lee Yong-wan raised his hand.
“Are there any…Legendary among those mass-produced items?”
“The knights of the Ten Thousand Gods Temple are all equipped with Blessed Star Iron Armor.”
The words stunned Yong-wan.
‘The Knight class in the TTG Temple starts with B-class Hunters. Once they became S-class Hunters they’re going to receive a full set of Legendary items?’
Is such a ridiculous amount of money even possible?
Or worse, what kind of crazy blacksmith is “mass-producing” these monstrosities?
“Guilds participating in the mobilization will be given ‘priority rights’ to purchase the stardust-containing armor and customizable stardust armor that our Association has contracted with TTG Temple.”
Everyone’s attention was drawn to Oh Kang-hyuk’s words. Not payment, but priority purchase rights.
It was a very arrogant sales pitch, but the Star Iron Armor is worth it.
“Oh, President Takeda of the Japanese Hunter’s Association and the Maverick Guild of the United States have contacted us to make a down payment of 10 trillion won.”
The Korean Hunters were stunned by Oh’s words.
-Boom!
All eyes turn to Ha-ri’s head.
The machine, seemingly devoid of human emotion, somehow managed to give all the organisms an arrogant glare.
