Chapter 329 – Seoul (20)
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are now crossing a zone of turbulence. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts…”.
The in-flight broadcast came out.
“Hyung, they want you to buckle up.”
“What about the belt?”
Instead of wearing the seatbelt, Hochi used his powers to adjust the surrounding climate.
The aircraft, which had been shaking earlier, immediately became stable.
“… Huh?”
Yong-yong, who was dozing off, raised his head.
Yong-yong, who had fallen asleep as if nothing had happened, looked around and rubbed his eyes in reaction to Hochi using his power.
“It’s nothing. Go back to sleep, Yong-Yong.”
As Hochi patted his back, Yong-yong, who had been blinking for a while, soon closed his eyes again and went back to sleep.
It was a new feeling; he felt, as he looked out the plane window and held Yong-Yong, who was fast asleep.
For Hochi, Korea and j.a.pan were so close that it seemed like you were merely crossing a stream, one where you could cross and return at any time.
However, he felt a sense of satisfaction when he faithfully completed his duties and returned home by flight according to the protocol.
“By the way, when are we going to eat?”
He heard some nonsense somewhere, but Hochi ignored it.
Instead, he asked Lee Jun-seok.
“Aren’t we going back too late?”
“Uh… Well. At this rate, yes we are … .”
In fact, it was too late to return home.
It was a return after almost two months.
Hochi wanted to get the job done “well” just as Lee Ho Jae asked.
He did his best to fulfill the numerous requests of the j.a.panese government as much as he could.
As soon as the j.a.panese government realized that Hochi was cooperative as the j.a.panese government did,they filled his schedule with jobs that weren’t planned but somehow seemed really necessary.
Of course, it was to delay his return as much as possible and try to recruit him in the meantime while he was in j.a.pan..
But, it didn’t work.
Thanks to this, Lee Jun-seok, who wanted to return to Korea as soon as possible and receive his items, had to worry about it every day.
“But aren’t you hungry?”
“Didn’t you just eat the in-flight meal earlier?”
Eventually, Hochi couldn’t stand it, and he replied to the Mantis.
The Mantis was lying on the bed in the box, and pouted.
“I’m still hungry.”
“Shut up.”
This guy had evolved into a new race because it couldn’t adapt to life in the box.
From a mantis, to a carnivore.
All-day long, it just thought about eating something.
At first glance, it looked similar to Seregia, but in Seregia’s case, her interests were extremely limited, and snacks were one of her interests.
The Mantis was only thinking about eating or sleeping.
“Oh, I’m hungry.”
Like a wasted man in his room, lying on a bed in the box, scratching it’s stomach and saying, ‘I’m hungry.’
No matter how the Mantis behaved, it didn’t matter much to Hochi, but it was still unsightly.
“If you shut up until we arrive, then I’ll buy you something delicious.”
“Really?”
The Mantis was delighted and clapped its hands.
In the meantime though, the Mantis did not budge from the bed.
Hochi was grumpy because he didn’t like that.
“Stand on your hands until we get there.”
“Yes!”
Hochi sighed as he watched the Mantis beginning to do a handstand and thought,
‘I shouldn’t do that.’
Not long ago, Hochi himself was equally aimless, and he loved being lazy.
In fact, it wasn’t much different now.
However, looking at the Mantis, he decided that he should not become someone without goals.
* * *
An uninvited visitor came first thing in the morning.
The visitor was j.a.panese.
She was told to go home after finishing her tasks, but she tried to meet with me and told me about Hochi, who had not gone back in 2 months.
“So the G.o.d of Balance intervened on Earth. You came to tell me that?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
A j.a.panese woman called Hisano answered calmly.
Her tone was polite, but something in her mannerisms irritated me.
It felt like a parrot talking to a city hall official who only answered with “yes” or “no”.
Hisano started talking, saying the G.o.d of Balance had something to tell me.
The story went like this:
In the midst of the chaos in j.a.pan, the G.o.d of Balance intervened on Earth.
It was something that I also knew about.
The woman named Hisano spoke to me as if to inform me of that fact.
And that was it.
The G.o.d of Balance intervened in my realm, Earth.
But did he just send her to inform me about it without apologizing or compensating me for it?
I stopped yawning because it was embarra.s.sing.
I knew quite a bit about the G.o.d of Balance.
He was one of the Hundred G.o.ds that showed interest in me.
I remember he was a pretty good G.o.d at first.
When he saw that I was satisfied with the way I was willing to kill my enemies, I thought that all the G.o.ds in the Hundred G.o.ds Temple were also different.
Still, among the G.o.ds of the Hundred G.o.ds Temple, he had the most common sense.
Anyway, the G.o.d of Balance is a G.o.d who gives back the same thing as what was given to him.
Notifying me that he violated my territory and returning without mentioning any compensation for it?
Given that this is the G.o.d of Balance, this was like a declaration of war to me.
Rather, if he didn’t inform me about it, then I wouldn’t have taken it like that.
“I don’t know why the G.o.d of Balance told you this.”
Hisano replied in a somewhat disgruntled tone.
“Anyway, that’s what you should know. The G.o.d of Balance has a purpose, so I’m sure he wants it delivered.”
“The G.o.d of Balance isn’t like that.”
The G.o.d of Balance, as I know him, doesn’t do things this way.
I put great importance on the divinity of the G.o.ds.
Since the beginning of the tutorial, I have done so.
With the divinity of the G.o.ds and their character in the message, I tried to a.n.a.lyze the G.o.ds even a little more.
That’s why I was pretty sure that the message from the woman named Hisano was not the G.o.d of Balance.
“No, the G.o.d of Balance told me to tell you that.”
Hisano spoke with a sharp voice, but she was visibly embarra.s.sed.
What is the problem?
“Did you miss anything? The G.o.d must have said something else other than that.”
Hisano looked hurt by my harsh words.
“The G.o.d… You know… Heuk…. Keuk…….”
Hisano, who was trying to raise her voice, immediately began to shiver and tremble when I pressed her down with force.
The G.o.d sent her, so I had to deal with it.
At times like this, it was necessary to use force to squeeze out information.
“Did you leave anything out of what the G.o.d of Balance said?”
It seemed more likely that the woman did not convey the words of the G.o.d of Balance correctly, rather than the G.o.d of Balance did not even offer an apology or a reward.
Unless the G.o.d of Balance really intends to declare war on me.
“Tell me. The truth.”
Hisano trembled and stuttered.
“Th, the compensation for intervening on Earth… He said he’ll pay…….”
Yeah, that’s right.
He is the G.o.d of Balance, after all.
By the way, there was a reason why this woman was not appointed an apostle even though she had received power.
Considering the divinity of the G.o.d of Balance, he would prefer you to execute the instructions received without error, rather than for you to omit words to preserve his honor.
“Is there any more?”
“… He said he would meet you in person and apologize… … .”
Ah, yes.
That would be awkward to convey from a G.o.d-worshiping standpoint.
[Can I come in?]
I heard a voice from outside.
It was a divinity manifested.
I felt the energy at first, but since there was only one deity that would appear at this timing, I knew that it was the G.o.d of Balance.
“Come in.”
At the same time as my permission, the s.p.a.ce in the room began to distort.
After a while, when the distortion of s.p.a.ce ceased, the G.o.d of Balance appeared.
The G.o.d of Balance was in the form of an old human man.
“I think this apostle candidate will be insufficient as your apostle.”
I said, looking at Hisano who collapsed on the floor trembling.
Instead of affirming my words, the G.o.d of Balance shook his head with a smile.
“No. My explanation wasn’t enough, so I could have made a mistake.”
The G.o.d of Balance defended Hisano.
Meanwhile, he breathed some power into Hisano, who was being pressed down with my power.
I did not expect that the G.o.d of Balance wouldn’t disapprove of her.
Hisano was released from my pressure by the G.o.d of Balance’s power , but she didn’t get up from the floor properly.
“Now then, tell me what you want.”
* * *
“Is this enough?”
Asked the G.o.d of Balance.
Of course it was enough.
The G.o.d of Balance neatly apologized to me for invading my territory.
It was just a word of an apology, but that was enough.
The G.o.d of Balance not only apologized, but also paid sufficient compensation.
First of all, he cleared the quest, and gave me the dimensional coordinates of the common area of the Hundred G.o.ds, so the price for a slight intervention in the earth was enough.
“Of course.”
He laughed as if he was fortunate to be the G.o.d of Balance.
Unlike the G.o.d of Duel, which had a geek-like side, the G.o.d of Balance really looked like an ordinary human old man.
Maybe he’s from human origins?
Do you have a deep understanding of humans?
“Thank you for understanding. Although. Even though it was an urgent situation, I thought it might get bigger if I didn’t apologize because I intervened without permission in the realm of another G.o.d.”
It is true that the Earth is my realm, and that the G.o.d of Balance intervened without permission, but I was a little angry that he sent a message to one of the Awakened who had a relationship with him to run away.
If Yong-Yong hadn’t blown up the s.p.a.ce in time, it would have been clear that Hisano, who was actually lying face down, would have died without leaving any bones.
Maybe he thought it was fortunate that things went well, but the G.o.d of Balance smiled brightly.
I had a long conversation with the G.o.d of Balance.
Whether he liked me, or if he thought I was a little short of reward, the G.o.d of Balance gave me some valuable information.
“As you say, it is true that there are factions amongst the Hundred G.o.ds. However, apart from the factions, most of the G.o.ds choose to judge their own right. Of course, the actions and choices of the G.o.ds are often forced according to their divinity.”
“Maintaining the incarnation within the Hundred G.o.ds takes quite a lot of power. Just being in the Hundred G.o.ds’ Temple and having to leave the incarnation there at all times is a big constraint.”
“So, the G.o.ds of the Hundred G.o.ds Temple often compare their superiority with each other with the power of their incarnations. The G.o.d of Hope, who fought with you not long ago could barely maintain his incarnation in the Hundred G.o.ds Temple with the little power he has..”
“The G.o.d of Adventure was the leading G.o.d at the time of the establishment of the Hundred G.o.ds Temple.”
“Interesting, of course…. It’s better not to care.”
“The G.o.d of Slowness and her followers are too dangerous. The G.o.d of Hope is the only one who’s been running around but….”
This was the information I received.
Thanks to that, I learned more about the Hundred G.o.ds.
I was also happy to hear once again that the G.o.d of Hope had suffered a devastating blow.
The G.o.d of Balance asked me one last request.
It was a little surprising.
“I want to take that child as my apostle in the near future; however, she still wants to live with her family in her hometown. Will you allow me to summon her from time to time while living here?”
I see.
After all the apologies and rewards, he still shared more information.
He was hoping for more.
I pondered for a moment, and then I replied.
“If you receive a favor, then you should return just as much. You may summon the apostle Hisano anytime. I am also allowing her to return to Earth.”
The G.o.d of Balance was greatly pleased with my answer.
It seemed like a good idea to maintain a proper friendship with this kind of G.o.d.
Since he is a G.o.d who returns whatever he is given, there is less risk of being stabbed in the back.
The G.o.d of Balance went back after our little chat.
I also got up from the sofa and prepared to return to the temple, when I saw Hisano standing up awkwardly…
He didn’t take her with him.
“Hey.”
“… Yes, yes!?”
Hisano replied in a daze.
It was a huge contrast to her previous manner when she informed me in a clerical tone.
Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot.
The drool that dripped earlier dried up around her mouth and her eyes were puffy.
The G.o.d of Balance gave her some strength earlier, but it would have been difficult just to be around me and the G.o.d of Balance.
In fact, it was amazing that she was able to endure it without losing consciousness.
My first impression of her wasn’t that good, but she’s quite useful.
No, she was very useful.
An apostolic candidate who is cherished enough that the G.o.d of Balance came and made a deal with me in person.
However, she is not yet an apostle.
And she still lives on Earth, my territory.
I secretly blocked off access to the outside and told Hisano,
“Work with me.”
The G.o.d of Balance is an honest G.o.d who can’t stab me in the back first.
But of course, I am a G.o.d who can stab anyone in the back first.