am-books Chapter 235: Prelude to Catastrophe
Chapter 235: Prelude to Catastrophe
Chapter 235 – Prelude to Catastrophe
The power structure of South Korea is divided into two main pillars: the strong central government that unites the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, and the Association, which essentially functions as an extralegal entity overseeing the nation’s defense through heroes.
And at the helm of this Association, the leader with the longest tenure in South Korea’s history, the Association President, Park Junho.
The president’s office is on the top floor of the Association headquarters.
“...”
The president scratched his empty head, gazing beneath his desk with a grave expression.
“Hmm...”
He made up his mind after a long contemplation
The president called his secretary into his office with a stern expression.
“Secretary.”
“Yes, president.”
With the secretary now inside, he spoke with a serious tone.
“Let’s go with black bean noodles for lunch today...”
Although the choice between jjamppong and jjajangmyeon presented a dilemma, he settled on black bean noodles today.
The president relished the delivery of his jjajangmyeon.
He patted his full belly and yawned.
“Mmm...peaceful.”
Honestly, South Korea wasn’t particularly peaceful, but for the most part, there were no significant problems for him. When reports of Stardus tearing through the place started pouring in, it wasn’t a massive issue since most of the witnesses vanished. Moreover, Egostic, the villain, occasionally helped capture other villains, so things were relatively stable.
Of course, the mere presence of villains could stir up the media, but these days, the media has toned down the excitement. Plus, with the former president, who used to bother him a lot, having retired after he launched a missile attack on Stardus, things were very tranquil.
Afterward, the government managed its affairs quite well, and heroes went about their hero business, capturing villains autonomously. The president only needed to do his own job, and so he was content. When noises from a television on the side reached his ears, he thought of them like white noise and began to doze off in his chair.
And it was during this moment when he was on the verge of falling asleep.
“President, something significant has happened!”
“Hmm? Oh, well, I see. What is it?”
The president responded groggily.
“The sky in the eastern part of Seoul is now home to a massive something!”
...That was until the secretary rushed in with an urgent look on his face.
And then, conveniently timed, a live scene video appeared on the TV, displaying “Breaking News.”
[Breaking news! A massive disc-shaped entity has appeared on one side of downtown Seoul! Resembling a portal as seen in video games, this entity currently hovers motionless... Oh no! The moment we mention it, something popped out!]
As such, a bizarre, dark, and purple entity against the blue sky erupted in front of the camera, with grotesque monsters dropping out.
The president instinctively smacked his broad head.
Moreover, if things go as I envision, Wolgwanggyo is essential to prevent this event. So, for now, all I can do is wait for that day.
“...There’s really not much time left.”
I muttered without even realizing it.
“Surely, when we initially planned this, it was supposed to be five years from now, so I felt relieved. But how did it suddenly come so close like this? Of course, during this time, Stardus has become strong beyond measure, and I’ve gathered everyone in the Ego Stream and EgoSquad. But... is that enough?
‘...Right. If we can get through this catastrophe, I’ll finally be able to breathe.’
The most important thing before my retirement is to get through this catastrophe safely. While the plans are well-prepared, it’s impossible to completely prevent a certain number of monsters from spreading throughout South Korea. Just like the original storyline, even if it’s not tens of thousands, at least several hundred will continue to appear periodically. There’s a certain level of risk.
To address this, I’ve established the PMC, but it’s obviously insufficient. A national level of preparation is required. Of course, the government has someone influential like Isol, so it’s not a problem there, but the issue lies with the association that oversees the military power. Cooperation from there is necessary to make a perfect preparation.
So, I’ve made up my mind to achieve that.
“Tomorrow, I’m going to visit the association for a bit.”
“Huh...?”
“Yes?”
In the evening, at the gathering of everyone, I made the announcement that I’d be visiting the Association.
“Da-in, are you... by any chance, planning to turn yourself in...?”
“What are you saying? Of course not.”
“Oh! Da-in, you’re not thinking about Stardus...?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but no.”
I cleared the strange atmosphere that had suddenly developed around the dinner table and got straight to the point.
“Tomorrow, I’m going to meet the association president and be back.”
“Huh...?”
***
“My head hurts...”
In the morning, on the top floor of the Association, the president muttered, scratching his head while looking at the paper.
“What kind of portal is that...? Haa, should we name it a Portal Maker S-Class Villain?”
The first portal phenomenon in France occurred in the Republic of Korea, with the presumption that the villain with the ability entered the Republic of Korea. Behind the back of the president of the association, who was rolling his head, that was not working well to reveal his identity. Suddenly, a man’s voice came in.
“Hello, president.”
“Hmm? Who is it...?”
Curious about who had come, he looked up, but the door in front was still firmly closed. It was only then that the president realized the voice was coming from behind.
As soon as he realized this, he turned his head behind him, and there stood Egostic, wearing a half-mask and a familiar black hat, with a smirk on his face.
“...Nice to meet you. I’m Egostic.”
The president almost fainted upon seeing him.