Rust - Chapter 903



Only Krnovel

RUST [RUST]-903

The South Korean president’s brow furrowed as he put down the phone.

“What do you all think? There’s talk of a monster suddenly coming over from Japan.”

Up until now, they had been fighting off the monsters coming from Japan, but now they were saying that they had reached their limit.

“What a clever guy.”

“Yes. You’ve been doing a great job of keeping the monsters coming from Japan at bay, but it’s ridiculous that you’ve reached your limit today of all days.”

“So you called after watching the live broadcast?”

“Aren’t you trying to use the Holy Kingdom?”

The Japanese armed group was also of considerable size, so it could not be ignored.

“We must avoid Japanese forces taking action while the Chinese refugee settlement is not yet complete.”

“Realistically, it is difficult to deal with Chinese refugees and Japanese refugees at the same time.”

“First of all, there are many capable people among the Japanese refugees.”

There were many people with powers among the Japanese refugees. The place where the great disaster really hit was Japan, and they had overcome earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mutated monsters, and mutations to arrive in Korea. That may be why the number of people with powers relative to the population was so much higher among the Japanese refugees.

“We should have used winter to reduce the numbers.”

When winter came, they bowed their heads as if they had made a promise. They talked about humanitarian aid and peace, saying that food and heating supplies were in short supply.

If it had been a cannibal regime, I would have ignored it, but the new government was not that vicious. At least they continued to provide enough support to keep people from starving or freezing to death.

As winter was coming to an end, in mid-March, they showed their true colors. They used force to demand more food, more necessities, and even their territory, and this is the result.

“So, you’re saying we should send him to Busan?”

The President of Korea could not pronounce its name. It was because he felt a strong sense of rejection and discomfort. He could not call it Vladimir Kalin, and it was difficult to say the King of the Holy Kingdom.

Physiological fear – the feeling of fear taking over your head momentarily.

Even though I only watched the video, it felt like my mind and soul were being wounded. I wanted to avoid talking about it.

“······.”

“······.”

It was the same for other people. Most people lumped them together as the Holy Kingdom, not calling them the King of the Holy Kingdom, Vladimir Kalin, or Hamaru.

“First of all, we must eliminate the Chinese armed groups.”

“Yes. Siheung and Pyeongtaek are under attack. At the very least, we need to reclaim Ansan and Hwaseong, as well as Dangjin and Asan, to reestablish a defensive line to defend Siheung and Pyeongtaek.”

The request by the armed refugee group called the New Japan Reconstruction Association was decided to be discussed again after the construction of the Siheung-Pyeongtaek defense line.

The reply to Busan was along the lines of, ‘You’ve been doing a good job of blocking it, but if you’re going to watch the live broadcast and start making a fuss, wait your turn.’

However, he left open the possibility that discussions could be expedited if samples of the monster and footage of the encounter were sent that is said to be coming over the Korean Peninsula.

It was a diplomatic rhetoric, but the Japanese forces responded faster than expected. There was a video of the battle taken from a distance and a video of the captured monster being held in captivity.

“Are you saying that the Genkai Sea froze over this winter?”

The story was that the sea connecting Busan, Tsushima Island, and Kyushu, Japan was completely frozen.

“The sea must have melted by now at around -10 degrees Celsius?”

“It is said that the temperature along the coast of Gyeongsangnam-do has dropped from minus 35 degrees Celsius to as low as 40 degrees Celsius, and the waves are so calm that the Korea Strait has frozen over.”

That was the reason why the number of Japanese refugees skyrocketed in an instant. They walked across the frozen sea.

“Right now. Are the monsters following the refugees?”

“I’ll check it right away.”

There is a story that monsters also come across the frozen sea.

“Video pause now.”

“Behind the refugees. Far away. On the right.”

The screen began to expand. The blurry parts were corrected and the monster’s appearance became clear. It had a horribly burned appearance and there were dark gray lumps stuck here and there like scabs.

“It looks like he mutated while being burned.”

“Are you sure this person has mutated?”

“It looks horrible, but it looks human.”

Judging by its size and the fact that it was clearly walking on two legs, that was the case. But that was not why the Korean president asked.

“The video was taken in late December. Isn’t it the middle of winter? If the temperature is below -35 degrees Celsius… wouldn’t it be strange if it mutated? How can it move like that with its bare body in -35 to -40 degrees Celsius?”

Everyone was so focused on the horrific sight that they missed that part. The bitter cold, with temperatures ranging from -35 to -40 degrees Celsius.

Even though the cold was so terrible that it would make even mutant monsters hibernate, something from Japan was moving around calmly.

‘What on earth are the refugees bringing?’

The South Korean president decided to send a video.

“Let’s send this video right away.”

We need to push back against the Chinese armed groups for now, but we need to make it known that something like this exists in Busan.

‧

‧

‧

Ki-sun was at a loss as to what to say.

‘Ah- shi-‘

I boasted that if I just showed my full strength, things would work out on their own, but the result was completely unexpected.

‘I asked you to show me things as they are.’

It was overwhelming. Even Ki-soon, who was watching the live broadcast with me, flinched. But the people’s reaction was as if the Demon King of the End had come.

The PD’s speech put out the fire, but the shock to the Korean government, media, and citizens was so great that the live broadcast was stopped midway.

They swept away the armed refugee group that was advancing toward the capital city of Seoul, and pushed back the refugee force that had taken over Bupyeong and Bucheon. Far from being happy, they looked like they had lost their minds.

As someone with the ability to feel emotions, Ki-soon was able to see how people’s emotions changed from shock and fear to deep horror.

Even though I responded by poking the PD in the ribs in an attempt to stop it, deep-rooted fear took hold in the people first.

‘The PD told the truth, but people’s feelings remained unchanged, as if concrete had hardened.’

‘The death of the enemy, the life of an ally.’

‘The end of the enemy is our salvation.’

PD’s words were clearly an empirical fact and a historical truth. However, the fear that had taken hold in the people watching the live broadcast did not change at all. The same would be true for the general public watching the live broadcast on TV.

‘Damn. That damn first impression.’

Primacy Effect. A psychological term that refers to the first impression or atmosphere felt forming a kind of stereotype.

In other words, whatever impression you get, the image of the other person you get when you first meet them is engraved in your head.

‘I helped you, so you’re treating me like a demon lord?’

Ki-soon was frustrated. What would happen if he remembered Maru as the Demon King of the End, the Demon King of Terror, or the Demon King of Death? He wasn’t even a demon god, but a demon king.

Would it be possible to gather faith even if people believed in the Demon King? Would such a faith have a positive effect on Maru?

‘I know the rats’ faith has melted well, so it won’t go to the worst.’

If I had known this would happen, I would have infiltrated the Holy Church first…

‘Ah- The Holy Cult members who came with the PD were also out of their minds.’

Nothing works.

Ki-soon scratched the back of his head. Whether he was the Demon King or the Demon God, he couldn’t give up on gathering faith after coming this far.

If we only count Koreans, the number exceeded 35 million. If we add Chinese and Japanese refugees, the number also exceeded 35 million.

‘Since China reduced the number by about 1.3 million this time, should we count it as 34 million?’

In any case, if you combine Koreans and refugees, the population is over 70 million, so we couldn’t miss the faith they would create.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

There was another problem. This was a world where faith and belief affected reality. What would happen if you believed in the Demon King of the End?

A world where if you truly believe that you will starve to death, you might actually starve to death. What if people truly believe in the Demon Lord of the End?

What if the Demon King is over and the ‘end’ is put into focus? It’s already the end, but what if people believe that the Demon King of the End has come down and that it’s the real end?

It was still the same now, but if things got worse from here, it seemed like the only way left was to hold out as long as Maru could and then go out into space.

‘He sang a song saying that he would go to space if he had to. Marushak- Is that right?’

Now that I think about it, everything was a bit subtle.

If I had been in Korea and been exposed to Maru’s knife skills, I would have been in trouble. Since I had decided to escape early on, I was able to take Ms. Kim with me.

I was able to get connected with the Charlotte Group by flying straight to Busan, and then I was able to meet the nurse because I ran away to Japan.

If you think about it seriously, it wasn’t a situation that could be simply attributed to luck. It wasn’t a series of simple coincidences. It was a matter of ‘life and death.’

And Maru had to assume that at every moment of those choices, he chose the correct answer that gave him the highest chance of survival.

Just like when I was on a plane with him to Korea right before the great earthquake hit Japan…

‘Even if people think of Maru as the devil of the apocalypse, it’s not the worst thing.’

If it wasn’t really what he thought and judged, he would have hidden his ability. Then he needed to think about it in reverse. At that moment, a sudden voice was heard from behind Ki-sun.

“female-”

“Kee-cheep-”

Ki-sun was startled by the sound of Maru approaching without any warning.

“What are you thinking so seriously about?”

“Ah- shi- I thought my liver was going to fall off. What kind of ghost is that? Why isn’t there any sign of life?”

The corners of Maru’s mouth slightly went up as he saw Gi-sun’s eyes widen in resentment.

“You little brat. So you have to be careful. If you lie around thinking you’re in a safe place, you’ll end up with a hole in your head-”

Ki-sun was furious at Maru’s warning.

“You AI idiots. Are you putting the users on the back burner just because the god you believe in has arrived?”

[It’s a misunderstanding.]

“What misunderstanding? You didn’t even make a sound.”

[Aren’t you two on the same side?]

“Stop making excuses. From now on, whether it’s King Maru or God Maru, just say you’ll come.”

[Your request has been confirmed.]

“Ah- really- the AI, you know, sent its faith to our king, but after that, it treats ordinary users like cold rice. Even you can see it now, right? Right?”

[Oh. Hae. It is.]

“Did you hear that just now? Did you see the reaction? ‘Oh. Hae.’ That’s how forceful the threat is.”

“What about threats? That’s enough. Do you want to fight with the kids?”

“No, I’m telling the truth. I know why you’re swearing, Miss Kim.”

“Why are you here again, Ms. Kim? Stop it. What were you thinking so intently about? Don’t change the subject.”

At Maru’s words, one of Ki-sun’s eyes twitched.

“It doesn’t work.”

“It doesn’t work. If I did that, would it work on you?”

Write-

“The plan to gather faith failed, so what are you going to do about it?”

“Are you ruined?”

“If you go to the Demon King of Terror, it might be possible to do it directly. If a hero appears, you’ll definitely believe that the hero will win. It’s meaningless.”

“so?”

“I think I have to choose between the two. One is. Going from the Demon King of Terror, the Demon King of the End to a divine being. The other is going according to what the PD said in his speech.”

“Someone’s death is someone’s life?”

“Yes. Let’s build faith and gather belief in that direction. If we start with the soldiers and their families who were deployed in the Bucheon-Bupyeong defense battle, I don’t think we’ll be heading from bare ground.”

“You said you could just show it as it is? Why has it become so complicated?”

Ki-soon hit his head right away.

“Real. Sorry. I didn’t expect this kind of reaction.”

“···Okay. Then what should we do from now on? After we digest this, are we going to continue to push like this? Or are we going to push the command center with pinpoint accuracy and let the Korean military take care of urban warfare and refugee clearance?”

“Let’s think about it. We need to talk to the Korean government about what to do.”

“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind. Let me know when you’ve decided. I’m going to rest.”

The assistant AI reported before Maru left the room.

[The Korean government sent us video footage from Busan.]

“Busan? Is it the Japanese refugee problem?”

The assistant AI answered Ki-sun’s question.

[They say a monster came chasing refugees who escaped from Japan.]

“A monster? Japan? Isn’t this the one that Kim Yang encountered on the last expedition? Replay the video. Right now.”

[Upload to video monitor.]

There were monsters slowly chasing the refugees who were running away in panic.

The skin and hair were melted and stuck together as if they had suffered full-body burns. As if trying to hide the ugliness, dark gray and black lumps were attached to the torso like armor.

“That’s right. That’s what Miss Kim saw in the sinkhole in Tokyo, Japan.”

Maru confirmed with heavy eyes. Ki-sun, who had been looking around for a while, agreed.

“That’s right. That’s right. But why did it come all the way to Korea?”

“I guess I’ll have to find out.”

Maru stood up, holding the Newclips that was on the display case.

“Wait a minute. You said you were taking a break?”

“I need to check that first.”

[The Korean government requested support for operations to secure the Giheung, Pyeongtaek, and Suwon defense lines.]

“Tell him to wait. That comes first.”

“······.”

[······.]

The white airship headed south into a blizzard.