Chapter 244: Victor Poison, President of the Association (1)
G1tGCThe class routine of the Heavenly Class was simple you died, died again, and kept dying in subspace.cxrE
WTx“Ugh, seriously…”6pfJih
WeOFVSpeedweapon rubbed his stomach to soothe the burning.eUBZ6Z
JdwpP“…Even though a month has passed, at least in the ‘Living’ classes I don’t gag as much anymore.”7UQ2jd7
7MC‘Living Classes’ was the nickname for the “Getting Used to Dying” sessions.tzG
9G1gl1Speedweapon gave a bitter smile remembering what had just happened.PrVb
M0a87Ps…SzRw8Gf
2YtO2kjAs soon as the bell rang, everyone rushed at Professor Meain.8KLHjC
ZG2The cadets attacked with everything they had.lOF
5cZkSome lunged straight on, others tried to slip in from the flanks, and some even threw weapons from blind spots.aH3rIy
YbGgUnNThey used any means available. Everything was fair game.9T0YOxH
5AJAnd the result was…dMjNJ
6JR9FCThud!6qO
ddIjThe crack of breaking bones was their lullaby to close their eyes.z2f
688“Guhk.”aQv7AK1
CukgCAHis vision blurred. The warm sunlight streaming through the window dimmed. A black curtain fell over his eyes. The last spark of light vanished.IQAa72
MdG1And in the next instant, he opened his eyes wide. Total darkness. He couldn’t even tell if his eyes were open or closed. Black ink devoured his skin and mind.terb1O
M14sMzGrrrkkk.lT9o
9xtazLcEverything around him was a sea of shadows. Black bubbles oozed from his nose and eyes. The crushing pressure from all sides suffocated him. Struggling was useless.rTF
MWma5YThe process of dying was silent. The end, an abyss.fm1fPw8
OMYIMPlAnd now, time to open his eyes in the middle of death.h3h
XvG2With effort, he moved only his eyes. The classmate next to him, sprawled like a corpse, squirmed like a zombie. A faint light lit up his cloudy gaze. He tried to breathe deeply. Fresh oxygen flooded his brain, confirming he was still alive. Finally, a relieved breath.aO8Is
J29iQ9d‘I—I’m alive…!’ZbV
ngXe6GThe joy of being alive lasted only a moment. There was no time to reflect on the value of life because Meain was already slamming down a punch.Upx
lbvDRiIHer strikes sliced through the air. The knobby joints of her fists etched themselves into his retina.Uxyuq
uTp3Thud!Kzv
A8JPHis jaw dislocated, nose and cheekbones collapsed. The smaller the impact point, the greater the pressure. Internal pressure forced nerves and eyeballs outward like snails.Vc1
LQT7PA0“Help—”D5qo00
4anRWGHCorrection.pFER
rT9V5Thud!edRdsi
7XquThe process of dying was horrific.dGHj6
C7qt“Guhk.”I6a
S7d45And its end, miserable.h9q
9o2O…Xq3ffE
mVN2CIt was like a moth flying into a flame. You knew you’d die, but still charged forward without stopping.lj4
WpzuPtTwenty times a day. Five days a week. Not counting weekends.oLo1
lmlqToSpeedweapon curled up. His fingers, hugging his knees, trembled uncontrollably.1BaWy
6LW4D83“Uuugh…”tlVkI
97Y7BACThat’s when someone sat next to him.IO02
t8D“Is this seat taken?”Ja3fMD
JVXHFAbel asked after sitting down. Then why ask? Speedweapon was about to respond, but Abel covered his mouth with one hand.bPj35A
tpyE“I think I’m going to throw up.”Z4D
GZOMXD“……”mlc
0a4Speedweapon pressed his lips shut. Nausea was contagious. If someone nearby vomited, you inevitably followed.YljtmKM
t3n6‘Not today, please.’tEw
TP1VNlPHe slid slightly away. Abel glared at him. Just days ago, he’d been a living “pizza factory,” and now he acted like this? Shameless.M5ooDZ
MK1k0Still, Abel had his reasons for approaching.UXQj
AAAf“Hey, so…”Eudm
R6LOHe cleared his throat awkwardly.tQu9NlK
DxjT“Do you know why Kang Geom-Ma isn’t here today?”0WfqG
7ssu“The president’s absence?”E74
nwGwqSpeedweapon tilted his head.ADY2
r914“Yeah, I kinda do. I called him this morning for something and he said he was off on an urgent mission with the director. But I don’t know the details. I didn’t ask.”DLGkjEi
9TWr“You didn’t ask on purpose? Why?”dkF
A6Ab“The president doesn’t mingle much with us. It might’ve been confidential, so I figured I shouldn’t pry.”BfOsi
vwmdcas“Ah, makes sense…”FgTtYWp
4ytcAbel hesitated before continuing. He’d opened the conversation with a light topic, now it was time for the real question. He spoke in a low voice, like a spy in a dark alley.axQ
ibeAw“Hey… do you know what Kang Geom-Ma is doing on December 18?”MEgLh
PsS3enSpeedweapon shrugged.YTJx
7IMt“He didn’t say anything. Honestly, he’s indifferent to that kind of event. Even the fan site thing—he only found out because I told him. He probably forgot that the 18th is the ‘Day of the Seven Disciples’.”JnWZ
sLHrThe Day of the Seven Disciples. Celebrated in honor of Balor Joaquin’s disciples and their noble deeds.exyiEMu
mFYTbAt first, it was a solemn day. People gathered in chapels, fasted, and prayed through tears.6Hde
8o1‘And to think that was just a century ago.’R14Jhao
NqNcvBut no one can stop time.dLmOzu1
HrZXThe sanctity of the date turned into a product. Some adults still protested, but the public had already fallen in love with the marketing. After all, it was better than fasting.Xn6h
XjycThus, the Day of the Seven Disciples became the year-end event. Unused candles turned into shiny decorations, and prayers into gift exchanges.QaQ
C4PlAt Joaquin Academy, it was also celebrated. And since it was based on the original heroes, the scale was massive.48C
Rc2Nqk1“I see. I guess that makes sense…”BQfE
3vnZrwMAbel fiddled with her fingers. Suddenly, Speedweapon felt irritated. Did she think he hadn’t noticed?mGemz48
Jt2“In the end, you just want to know who the president’s going to dance with at the Seven Disciples Ball, right?”XitYTG3
TzTY43ZAbel’s face twisted into a strange expression and turned completely red.N9z2xQ
q4uM8***Mu1ts2p
L7R5Meanwhile.QKQWqtS
tHLThe Antarctic base, Angel Factoria, was in chaos. Only Victor Poison remained calm, seated with his legs crossed.O66
nt5‘My God.’y1YH1B
b014The assistant’s eyes widened in horror. His jaw hung slack, unable to close.A6YoT
NrGDuring his career as an assistant, he had seen it all. That’s why, even when reunited with the president of the Association after decades, he had managed to stay composed.p2g
ZW2kHBut now, he couldn’t hide what he was feeling. His face betrayed him completely. The images appearing on thousands of monitors were simply too shocking.rwR
HaCIn a gray vault, humanoid figures stood in rows. Their bodies were covered in metal plating, but their ivory-colored wings made it clear.TQyoSmH
bjBThey were divine beings. They were angels.Zdu
Ogce“A-are those really angels…?”oBOFs
9LZJxOAt the assistant’s question, the president of the Association gave a smile.LPU
YhBTNoj“Of course. I have a reputation to uphold. Do you think I’d pass off a fake as the real thing? I may not have a certificate of authenticity, but they’re genuine angels. And on top of that…”ZOWqZ
w3eWVictor tapped his feet on the floor from his chair.zB87ao
LRFmsZP“They’re underground. Right here, in Antarctica.”q82P
ETdDDTThe assistant said no more. He simply kept shifting his gaze between the floor and the screens in silence.lKJEg
9RXAVictor let out a hoarse chuckle.XMV
UlBb9V1“Seems you’re all pretty shaken. Well, even I wouldn’t believe it if I saw something so perfectly preserved, like they weren’t even fossils.”mJwV
1gbHzONThen, the secretary, who had been silent, spoke up.WfgaGER
jWPtk“B-but, President… if those really are angels…”B89DC
ZbMZK“What? Are you going to say this is blasphemy? Well, it is. But you two, as my daughter’s secretary and assistant, should know this.”ZMaDm
5DuVictor’s gaze turned icy. The secretary and assistant held their breath.NxSeS
3iL29“The hidden history of the Poison family.”11zStS0
LrectdAccording to the recorded tradition, it was the angels who cursed and slaughtered the Ancients. Supposedly because they had committed unforgivable sins.CqER3mL
G9dICQThat story, though distorted, was what the secretary and assistant knew. Media, even though she was an Ancient, had never told them the truth. She herself didn’t know it. So little was known about the Ancients that their history was lost even before the word “century” existed for mankind.2XP
e9peOToday, most people don’t even know how the Day of the Seven Disciples started 700 years ago. How would they know what happened millennia ago?C0YghDY
Ii177SBut it wasn’t just human ignorance. False gods had meddled in humanity’s history, distorting it with lies.sww
LBX0w“Don’t get me wrong. I found those angels purely by chance. And living in Antarctica has nothing to do with the ancient tragedies of the Poison family.”LWtK7
sf6ZeLkThe secretary furrowed her brow and replied.JLAnR
71Y0Bpf“…Still, the world won’t accept it. If people find out, not just you, President, but the entire Poison family will be attacked. If the one who turned angels into cyborgs turns out to be an Ancient…”JTpGRu
5vEdnlH“I know what you’re getting at. They’ll say the victims became executioners. Or that Ancients and demons were always allied.”err
tY3QVictor stood up and walked toward the screens. He extended a hand toward one of them.k47x
znNGTack.YEtGpOs
x8qA spark of static leapt between his fingers and the monitor. It looked like a link between man and machine.4phrWOM
pZK“When I was born, these electronic devices didn’t even exist. All we had were steam-powered machines. Compared to this age of smartphones, it was prehistoric.”TIuh6
Ok29cJVictor looked at the screen as if watching an old TV set.SXxo0mZ
9iPmUfC“You know what’s funniest? Since the day I was born, the world hasn’t stopped changing. One day the sound of horse hooves disappeared, and things with wheels started to roll around. Not long after, those metal chunks started flying through the sky.”M1RklRS
35J56KaHe pulled his hand back and gestured broadly at the hundreds of monitors around him.RH9D3
En8“And while everything was changing so fast… I stayed the same.”B93
rRp8There was once a friend Victor held dear. They had grown up together.3ybZ
LquNbThat friend knew Victor was an Ancient. Even so, they got along well.kd1F
WXlJOne day, the friend told him.etLo
Uzk—Victor, I don’t care that you’re an Ancient. Any hero who fights for humanity deserves respect!pWIu6eH
W0IBut the years went by.D1G
cWEFor his friend, it was a long time. For Victor, just a fleeting moment.rHCws
WoYTen years. His friend became an adult, while Victor still looked like a child.4NQ6pu
tcFlAnd then, the friend realized.pyFb
FekThe distance between humans and Ancients. That even time didn’t belong equally to them. And that green-haired youth wasn’t happy about it in the least.Xw1RV
4NbrBIjSuddenly.edbZFXT
4LiwHis friend threw a stone at him.1wxU5f
yxU5Y—Damn Ancient! You must live so long because you’re stealing years from people like me!cdUIktp
zFD5bQfTen seconds. That’s how long it took to go from friend to enemy.cQwihAh
eHaBB3i“When humanity launched satellites into space, that’s when the Hero Association was also founded. And I wondered what had become of that friend of mine. It was simple curiosity. I just wanted to know what happened to him. And I found him. He was in New Zealand.”BLaduK
nj79V“……”jXGDkE
rSoxO“I went to see him right away. And what happened? The guy welcomed me with a smile, like he knew me! I got so excited I called out his name—and you know what he said?”bzM
k7PHSRVictor suddenly turned and shouted at us.Y6p
zmqA“‘How do you know my grandfather’s name?’ That’s what he said! It felt like I’d been hit in the head with a hammer.”vPW
VsGFveD“…Dad.”dgqZK91
3VR0Media had reached out instinctively, then pulled her hand back. Victor continued speaking.S89
91du“That’s when I decided to isolate myself. I searched for a place far from human contact, a place untouched by time. And I found it, here in Antarctica.”cdrpn3k
k2tJVictor’s dream was simple. He wanted to clink beer mugs with his old friend and talk about the good old days.sOAyW
QwiHe just wanted to live among others.0ue
ERTRrTW“And then, purely by chance, I found, sleeping beneath the ice, the ancestral enemy of us Ancients. Imagine the scare!”qOql2z
d9AMHBut the world didn’t allow it. So he chose to become a madman. Because this world is too cruel to stay sane.axSdWM7
baAUjr“That day, I made my decision. I’d turn those damned angels into an army for humanity. I took it as my final mission and devoted decades to it. And now, today, that cycle is complete.”sqnCII
TVxfVictor walked with firm steps and stopped right in front of me.ZKD
y5FFe“When you face Corps Commander Fermush, that angel army will be a great help to you. Even though millennia have passed and their strength has waned, if you use them, humanity’s bloodshed will be less. If you have specific configurations in mind, I can prepare them. I won’t hold back on technical support. But in exchange…”6hw7bX
PZZEI stepped back instinctively. Victor’s gaze was too intense.jvRdTq
QstsVz3Suddenly, he grabbed one of my hands with both of his.Qls
9Bt“Will you, when all of this ends, be able to kill me with this hand?”zwY
sLBcmd1In that grip, I could feel the regret of a madman.7jF
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaWhat a depressing story.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaI think there is some mistake in translation Abel is “her” not “his”