“If I had made this proposal first, I would have listened to your condition. It’s a pity that it wasn’t me, so make your decision. Will you accept?”
They left matters regarding Cha Jun Sung to the side for a moment. If his level increases, they will have to meet even if they do not want to. They can figure it out then.
White Queen closes her eyes in consideration. Her finger taps the table. Black Demon did not rush her. He knows that it is an unreasonable demand.
“Alright.”
“Ho?”
“I’ll trust you and kill him with my own hands. I ask for your support.”
“I’ll support with Red Eye and Tacit Wriggle. Trust me. If you play your part well, there won’t be any issues for the underlings’ battles.”
“Hah! What is a Tacit Wriggle?”
“The son is a new recruit from New Zealand. It’s what I call him since he is quiet for a worrisome parasite type.”
Two is enough. Parasite King arrived safely in the Philippines. He has reduced parasitism as much as possible and is struggling with the other mutants there.
Black Demon gets up. He is going back to Korea since his work here is done.
“How much time do you need?”
“Just give me 1 year. We need that much to grow Beholder.”
Beholder’s ability excels individually, but shines more in a massive war. She must grow him and take him with her.
Black Demon nods in affirmation and leaves the office.
Shortly after.
A giant mutant, large enough to cover Buckingham Palace, appears. Black Demon gets on it and they disappear into the clouds. At a glance, it resembles a dragon from the Middle Ages, but it is Black Demon’s mutant pet, Dragonos.
“Make him trust….. Human.”
Under White Queen’s standards, Black Demon is the only being that goes around while revealing his thoughts. He remains the most human of them as well. There is nothing to fear if he agrees to become their ally. They will be able to take on the other 3 disasters if they combine their strength. That is what Black Demon is like.
White Queen looks south. She is not sure if that is actually south. She has just looked in the direction relative to how she is sitting.
“Anubis…..”
White Queen says quietly. It is an ancient Egyptian god that controls death. It is also called the god of canines, and is Africa’s disaster.
Noble king Anubis.
3 of the 6 disasters evolved from humans, but the other 3 did not. That must be why the way they think is different.
Anubis initially evolved from an animal. They know that it is in the canine family, but the rest has not been revealed. He morbidly hates humans.
Africa’s humanity became extinct because of his direct involvement.
“It’s a lifetime of gambling.”
The mutant that White Queen needs to kill is Anubis, who is at the peak. Africa’s influence is higher than Europe’s. But if the support comes, Europe has an advantage.
The key to success or failure is whether she can win against Anubis or not.
White Queen looks up to the ceiling with an expressionless face. It is dangerous but she decided to just think of it as a way to get what she wants.
***
Cha Jun Sung is walking around a supermarket in casual clothing. He has a large hiking backpack on his back, which is full of necessities he found while searching through the city.
It was easy to find things like clothes and shoes. There are retail stores everywhere. He did not have food in there because he could just consume mutants. He tried to find some but did not see any. It had either already been looted or rotten.
“Found it.”
Cha Jun Sung looks over a small store and enters. All he needs to find are a map and compass, but these were the ones bothering him. The inside is a mess like everywhere else. Odds and ends are rolling around. It would be stranger if it were clean since it has been neglected for a long time.
Cha Jun Sung picks up a world map made of quality leather. He picked an expensive compass as well. It will become a long distance journey.
He is not the type to go after luxury brands, but expensive things are less likely to break.
“I’ll take a few more in case.”
There is extra space in the pack. He needs to go through this bothersome task again if he takes one of each and something breaks. It is better to end it all in one go.
“All done.”
He completed preparations for departure within 2 days. This would not have been necessary if he had his PDA and space compression bag, but he is going through a struggle.
Kik!
He hears a cry from a corner of the market. Cha Jun Sung glanced over and lost interest. It is a level 1 that chose this place as its home. It has come in for the first time and runs away in terror with a young roar. It will not have the nerve to take the lead.
“It’s alright to have a conversation.”
There is no hindrance. The supermarket entrance is sized for humans. Anything greater than mid-sized mutants cannot enter. There is no worry because even if something breaks through the wall to get in, it will make a lot of noise.
“I know you’re awake. Don’t pretend you’re not and disappear, you sly bastard.”
Cha Jun Sung mumbles to himself. Is he crazy? Of course not.
He is talking to the Oriax that has awakened. He felt it wake up a little while ago. Cha Jun Sung’s biggest problem right now is the Oriax.
The enemy within is more dangerous than the enemy outside. To him, the Oriax is the enemy within. If it is determined to make a fit, there is no way for him to do anything about it.
[Let’s refrain from doing anything that’s harmful to the body from now on. It’s a loss for both of us.]
It is a different concept from that of Odin. It is a direct voice into his brain. What the Oriax wants to say comes into his mind like thoughts. Since it has absorbed Cha Jun Sung’s abilities, a smooth conversation is possible.
In the beginning, it only had the thought that it needs to kill Cha Jun Sung’s mind and take over the body. That is definite. That is why they choose hosts.
But it had not imagined that the fight to take over the body would last so long. The more surprising thing is that it is not over, but that they are in a truce.
If they decide not to give in and fight it out to the end, they could go back to fighting fiercely. That is something that they do not want.
[What are you? Are you a human?]
“Then do you think I’m a mutant like you?”
[I tried to absorb you and take shape in my style, but it was impossible. Your body flowed regardless of my will as though it’s an unbridled colt.]
“What do you mean?”
[I lit the fire, but the waking appearance is your own.]
[You said that mutants were created because of the A virus? It’s a very small amount, but you were already infected when I was infiltrating you.]
Hands need to match up to clap. There cannot be a clap with just one hand, no matter what the person does. This is what the Oriax is telling him. It might be hard to believe, but there is no need to listen to the words and understand. What the Oriax is trying to say is relayed automatically in his mind.
“That means…..”
[I’m the cause, but the waking appearance is something you already had.]
“How do you explain the whole body mutation?”
[That’s yours as well. I just used it. According to the ranking you people have, I’m level 7. Medusa and Beholder are level 8.]
A level 7 cannot become 8 from taking on a host.
“You’re saying that’s me?”
[Yeah. That was you. There was mutant potential hidden inside of you. You were awakened as a level 8 because I released the seal.]
“….. You said a small amount of the virus?”
[It seems to be because of body modifications or whatever that is. It’s a contradiction that the human body’s abilities are increased in ten-fold in the first place.]