Chapter 129 - I'm Full Just From Looking
"Who are you?" asked the person sitting in the meeting room's high seat. The man had a slash scar over one eye.
He was Sword Wraith Tian Wuxian—the Heavenly Sword Clan's second-in-command and Tian Wuchen's younger brother.
Kang-Woo leaned back in his chair.
"That's what I want to ask. You were the ones who asked for reinforcements, so what do you think you're doing?"
"Too many cooks spoil the broth."
"Don't try to sound wise with stupid idioms like that. I'm sure your heads aren't full of shit, so you should all know what's going on."
"…"
There was a heavy silence.
Their heads weren't just for decoration, after all.
They were the ones who'd asked for cooperation, so they knew how rude it was for them not to let the guests participate in the meeting while asking them to just follow their orders.
But…
Everyone in the room looked at Wuxian.
"What a rude man you are." Wuxian let out bloodlust and grabbed the handle of his sword.
"Ahhh…" Kang-Woo sighed and placed his hand on his forehead. "I'm seriously sick and tired of people like you."
"…"
"Alright, I will explain to you what kind of person Tian Wuxian is," Kang-Woo remarked.
"… What are you talking about?"
Wuxian's eyes shone sharply.
What was Kang-Woo trying to explain about him to Wuxian himself?
Kang-Woo explained, "Once upon a time, there was an incredibly talented big brother and a decently talented little brother."
"…"
"The little brother lived all his life in the shadow of his big brother. He was always jealous of him but couldn't do anything because he couldn't surpass his big brother."
Wuxian's expression hardened.
"But a perfect opportunity came. The big brother wasn't available, and an army of monsters was invading."
Kang-Woo continued in a low voice, "He wanted to make a huge achievement. He probably wanted to show everyone he could do it too, which was why he placed the reinforcements at the back to ensure that they wouldn't be able to make any achievements whatsoever in the battle."
There was a whiteboard in the meeting room with the formation for the battle drawn on it. Everyone looked toward it.
The Korean Players were placed near the rear end, around the supply unit.
In comparison, the Heavenly Sword Clan was in the vanguard; not at the very front where they would be human shields, but right where they would be able to play an active role.
"An idiot struggling within the shadow of his big brother. That is who Tian Wuxian is."
"…"
Wuxian remained silent.
Someone he'd seen for the first time—to make it worse, someone whom he'd known for barely five minutes—was talking about him as if he knew everything about his life.
The problem was… most of what he said was true.
"You know nothing." Wuxian's expression distorted.
"I think I've pretty much figured out everything about you as a person just from your first line, man. Seriously…" Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as if bored. "You have no individuality, you're boring, and you don't even leave an impression. You're common to the very core, and exhaustingly plain."
"…"
"You're like a character that an author took three seconds to think up because their deadline was approaching. I'm seriously so sick and tired of meeting guys like you."
"Kurgh."
Wuxian bit his lips. Kang-Woo's words were more unpleasant than any of the humiliating comments that he had ever suffered.
He trembled in anger. Veins popped up from the hand gripping his sword handle. The Qi inside his dantian spread through his body.
"Haaa."
Kang-Woo sighed. He could already see where this was heading.
"Alright, I guess it's time for you to charge at me in an uncontrollable rage."
There was no need to even think about it.
Expressionless, Kang-Woo raised his hands and made a beckoning gesture.
"Bring it already. Don't waste precious story content."
* * *
"H-How could this be?!"
"How could he defeat the Sword Wraith so easily…"
Everyone in the meeting room was shocked.
Five seconds…
That was all it took for the unknown Korean Player to overwhelm Sword Wraith Tian Wuxian.
After losing his temper, Wuxian had unsheathed his sword, charged toward Kang-Woo, and lost.
The martial artists looked at Wuxian, who had been smashed into the wall unconscious, in disbelief. Even Sword Emperor Tian Wuchen wouldn't have been able to overwhelm Wuxian so easily.
"Alright, let's do it like this," Kang-Woo said to the rest, who were looking at him in disbelief for having overwhelmed Wuxian instantly.
"There's no way we'd be able to cooperate like this. We can fight together, but let's just act separately."
He was talking about dividing command. In reality, doing something like that in war was dangerous, but there was nothing they could do about it in their situation.
'This will be better than fighting because we couldn't get along.'
It would be a frontal assault in a non-complicated terrain, anyway. There wasn't much strategy needed in the first place. In that case, it would be better if each side fought on their own.
"Then, let's all go our separate ways, okay?"
Kang-Woo stood up and turned around.
Cha Yeon-Joo called out to him dumbfoundedly, "K-Kang-Woo, you—”
Kang-Woo placed his hand on her shoulder. "In that sense, do your best."
"… On what?"
What did he mean?
Kang-Woo smiled.
"Yeon-Joo, I want you to be in charge of commanding the Korean forces."
"Wha—Why me…?"
"Or ask Mr. Jang Hyun-Jae. I can't do it."
"But you're the one who caused this mess."
"There's always someone who creates work and another one who cleans up after them."
"…"
Yeon-Joo felt as if someone had hit her from behind.
Commanding an army… It was something not even she, who commanded a major guild, had experienced before. Leaving experience aside, it didn't match her personality.
"Y-You piece of shit."
Yeon-Joo sighed and grabbed her forehead. She had felt refreshed after seeing him teach the Chinese a lesson, but in exchange, he'd put a huge burden on her.
She asked, "Why can't you do it? I'm sure you'd be a great commander."
Commanding in war was a difficult task and wasn't as simple as shouting something like 'Kill them all!' She had to know the characteristics of each squadron and mobilize the right one at the right time.
'But if it's Kang-Woo…'
From what he'd shown until now, he could command the forces easily.
Kang-Woo shook his head.
"I have other things to do."
"… What else is there to do in war except for fighting?"
"Haha, that's a secret."
He avoided answering.
Kang-Woo smiled bitterly.
'I can't tell her I'm going to eat demons.'
The Demon Cult army consisted of thousands of demonic beasts and hundreds of demons. What Kang-Woo needed the most were demons.
'I'm going to take advantage of the chaos and hunt only the demons.'
He had to go deep into enemy lines, but that would be no problem at all with his current strength.
Kang-Woo turned his head and looked at the frantic Chinese Players.
'They just have to make enough chaos so that the Demon Cult becomes restless.'
He had come here for that reason.
Even for him, going through tens of thousands of demonic beasts and then facing hundreds of demons was too much.
It was necessary to drag the demonic beasts away and disperse the demons' forces.
'I'm sure they'd be able to do that much.'
Although their strongest Player had just lost terribly to him, Chinese Players couldn't be underestimated. If he got rid of the demons, they should be able to deal with the demonic beasts by themselves. And if Yeon-Joo and the Korean Players were added on top of that, there was absolutely no question about them dealing with the demonic beasts.
'Hurry on over.'
Kang-Woo clenched his fists expectantly. Although he was unable to feel hunger due to his body being that of a demon, he couldn't help but feel a tickling sensation in his stomach.
* * *
Three days passed.
The preparations for war were done very quickly.
Yeon-Joo had spent day and night studying formations and strategies to fulfill the role of commander.
And finally…
"Th-The've appeared!" shouted a Player specialized in reconnaissance.
There was a heavy nervousness going around. Everyone looked in the direction the Player pointed.
A cloud of dust was rising over the horizon.
"Urgh."
"H-how many are there?"
"It feels like we've gone back in time to five years ago…"
The Players trembled in fear. It was their first time seeing such a huge invasion since the Day of Calamity.
"Everyone, calm down and make sure you've prepared everything for battle! We still have some time!" shouted Yeon-Joo, who was holding a megaphone. Her voice rang out through the area.
Just as she'd said, there was some time before the demonic beasts reached them.
It wasn't as if demonic beasts moved at supersonic speed, so they wouldn't be able to arrive in a flash just because they could be seen on the horizon.
"They're here."
Kang-Woo's eyes shone, and he stood up. Unlike others, he was excited.
'They're finally here!'
He used the Authority of the Beholder and looked beyond the dust above the horizon. He saw the demonic beasts he'd seen in the news.
'But I don't see any demons yet.'
Kang-Woo clenched his fist while licking his lips. Delicious meals were walking toward him on their own. He wanted to thank the Demon Cult.
"Good."
He nodded and smiled in satisfaction. The demonic beasts might look like horrifying monsters to others, but to him, they just looked like nutritious lunch boxes that were fervently running toward him.
"Kang-Woo," Han Seol-Ah said as she walked toward Kang-Woo. She had a rice ball in her hand. "I made you something to eat."
It was an attractive proposal. The combat rations that the Chinese provided were so horrible that he wanted to eat it even more.
But Kang-Woo shook his head.
"No, I'm okay. Give it to Echidna."
"Have you eaten already?"
"Nope." Kang-Woo smiled and looked at the demonic beasts. "I'm full just from looking."
He stroked his stomach.
'Hurry up, guys.'
Thinking about the feast he was about to have made him full already.
Kang-Woo let out the gas that was bubbling up from his stomach.
Burp.
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