Ubermensch – Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Ring, ring, ring.

After a long wait, the phone rang. It was a call from the very person she had been waiting for.

“I’ve answered the call,”Yekaterina said in a calm voice.

“Mr. President.”

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Unlike the noisy mundane world, the Han River was quietly and peacefully waging war.

Comrades in the same ranks, facing the same enemy.

Among them, the distinction of race wasn’t that important.

Or at least, it seemed unimportant.

Discrimination is a very strange act. When discriminating is the trend, people do it without hesitation, but when not discriminating is the trend, they hesitate.

The point is, the surrounding circumstances, or more precisely, one’s position and power, determine whether or not discrimination occurs.

A minority that can be ignored and a minority that cannot be ignored may seem similar, but they are completely different, and the pseudo-humans in this Han River defense battle were undoubtedly the latter.

Because they fought well.

“Uwaaaagh!”

From the superhuman Mason, who single-handedly smashed through the enemy lines, to the others who steadfastly did their part in their respective positions.

They were strong, and because they were strong, they could be respected.

Of course, that logic only applied to the Han River, the battlefield.

Those on the battlefield could only receive fragmented information about what was happening outside…

‘I wonder if things are going well?’

Mason sometimes had an anxious expression, but only when he was alone.

It wasn’t the time to show weakness.

When the time came, the Han River froze, and a large-scale battle took place, with the entire frozen Han River as the battlefield.

“Masika! Separate the sniper team! Only target monsters that are intelligent or show unusual behavior! We can’t create new Warlords!”

“Yes.”

“Red Knight! Andrei! We’re moving forward!”

“Yes!”

Mason and the pseudo-humans vied for the front lines and fought with greater sacrifices than anyone else.

Because they all believed without a doubt that this fight would determine the future of pseudo-humans.

Then one night…

“Raid Leader Mason, can I talk to you for a moment?”

It was Oh Junghee.

“Would it be alright to talk while we walk?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

Mason nodded.

Patrolling outside the camp at night had become a habit ingrained in his body. It was one of the good habits Sung Kijun had instilled in him.

Oh Junghee and Mason walked along the banks of the Han River.

A place that was once open to everyone, now inaccessible without risking one’s life. The Han River.

But now, walking here was a privilege only a few could enjoy.

“Recently, I wrote a report at the behest of the higher-ups.”

“What report?”

“A report about Raid Leader Mason.”

Mason gave a wry smile.

“They didn’t complain about me eating too much, did they?”

Oh Junghee’s face was serious.

Mason’s face also darkened.

“…What kind of report was it?”

“It was a report on leadership.”

“Can I ask how you wrote it?”

“I wrote it truthfully.”

Oh Junghee looked out at the Han River.

“You tried to minimize casualties, led by example, and demonstrated sound tactics…”

“…But?”

“But you have a tendency to put yourself and your direct subordinates in danger.”

Mason was silent for a moment before speaking.

“It was because I revealed the existence of pseudo-humans. Because I believed that if we fought harder, they would acknowledge us.”

“Now you’re calling pseudo-humans ‘us’.”

Mason was momentarily caught off guard and could only speak after a brief silence.

“…Is there a problem with that?”

“Perhaps.”

Oh Junghee said calmly.

“If pseudo-humans and humans were to fight, where would Mr. Mason stand? That was the last question on the report I received.”

“What did you write?”

“I wrote it truthfully.”

Oh Junghee said calmly.

“That you would protect the weaker side.”

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<It’s me, Nam Junsik.>

President Nam Junsik.

A former field soldier, he was also a renowned general who had defended against the nightmarish invasion of monsters.

Opinions on whether he was a good leader or not would differ depending on one’s political stance, but no one could argue that he was a responsible wartime leader.

“I’ve been waiting for your call, Mr. President.”

Yekaterina said calmly.

Until now, Player Union Head Yekaterina had never had to plead with anyone. The reason was simple. She had nothing to plead for.

But Yekaterina, leader of the Minority Alliance, had much to plead for and had no choice but to return to the position of the weak.

Especially at this moment, when this one phone call could decide the fate of the pseudo-humans.

<I’ve heard a lot of advice and read a lot of reports. About Raid Leader Mason, Union Head Yekaterina, and the pseudo-humans.>

“Then… can I assume you’ve reached a conclusion?”

<That’s right. I’ve reached a conclusion.>

Nam Junsik said calmly.

<That you are too dangerous a force to keep in South Korea.>

Yekaterina bit her lip.

‘If he’s already reached a conclusion…’

Before frustration, cold reason took over.

‘Why did he bother calling?’

Yekaterina thought calmly.

Instead of ordering an extermination operation or expulsion, he bothered to call.

That meant…

‘There’s room for dialogue.’

There was only one kind of dialogue between politicians:

‘Room for negotiation.’

Negotiation.

Yekaterina said calmly,

“Even if it’s difficult for you to accept us as citizens…”

Nam Junsik was a politician. If a general’s best outcome was victory, a politician’s best outcome was no fight at all.

A deal that only benefits one party is the work of a merchant; a deal that benefits both parties is the work of a politician.

“I believe there is room for a mutually satisfactory negotiation.”

Yekaterina could almost hear Nam Junsik’s grin over the phone.

<There is. A deal befitting a president of one nation to offer to the leader of another.>

“What is it?”

<The Northern Expedition.>

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“The Northern Expedition.”

Oh Junghee said calmly.

“That is the government’s conclusion.”

“The Northern Expedition…?”

When Mason asked, Oh Junghee opened a military map app.

The Korean peninsula was divided into North and South, and even now, after the fall of North Korea, it was divided into monster territory and human territory.

This meant that Korea had become a de facto island nation.

The most efficient sea routes had become unreliable trade routes due to the monster-infested seas, and the sky was a nightmare where encountering even a single flying monster could lead to disaster.

The most stable trade route was by land. Even if they encountered monsters, at least they could put up a fight.

And the most efficient land trade was…

“Railroads.”

Oh Junghee drew a line.

“Connecting to China and Russia by rail. That’s the best option we have right now.”

“But isn’t North Korea swarming with monsters?”

“Yes, that’s why… the Northern Expedition is necessary.”

Oh Junghee said calmly.

“We don’t need to exterminate all the monsters in North Korea. We just need to reclaim key points, defend them, and connect them by rail, gradually expanding our territory. That’s enough for now.”

“Who’s going to do that?”

“The pseudo-humans.”

Oh Junghee said, looking at Mason.

“It’s a trade: residency rights for military service.”

“So…”

“Yes, the Republic of Korea… has accepted the pseudo-humans as the administrators of the railroads to be built in North Korea.”

The moment the pseudo-humans were given a place to settle had arrived.

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The winter defense ended at the end of February.

And during that time, the world had changed a lot.

The most trivial yet biggest change was…

“They say we’re not pseudo-humans anymore.”

At Andrei’s words, Mason asked,

“Then what are we?”

“Sub-races.”

The term”pseudo-human”had been designated as a derogatory term, and the term”sub-race”had begun to be used as the standard term.

“Even though they themselves used the term ‘pseudo-human’ to intentionally distance themselves from humans?”

“When has political correctness ever been truly correct while considering people’s feelings?”

Andrei shrugged.

“The progress of the times is truly relentless.”

People who were once the most progressive often become the old-fashioned people of the past generation as time passes. It wasn’t that they had regressed against the times, but simply that the changing times had overtaken them while they stood still.

“There used to be ashtrays on bus seats. Now it’s common sense to only smoke in designated smoking areas.”

“Is that so…”

This was the extent of the sub-races’ own feelings on the matter, but socially, there was a huge shock.

As a trivial example, there was even a case where someone who called a sub-race a pseudo-human was labeled a racist, got into a fight with the other person, and was taken to the police station.

“…What a mess.”

Change was taking place everywhere in society.

Change is inherently destructive. Both in a positive and negative sense.

The American Civil War had many underlying factors, but at its core was the emancipation of black slaves.

The rise of sub-races was reshaping society with a force akin to war.

However, world opinion, especially in Korea, was flowing towards acceptance.

“Well, they don’t seem like bad people…”

“At least they’re willing to fight.”

If the latter, the necessity of sub-races, was the fruit of Yekaterina’s preparations, then the former, the impression of sub-races, was the fruit of what Mason, the most famous sub-race, had shown.

Purity and kindness.

The world’s strongest superhuman was the most human of all in this era.

He loved humans, and he loved humanity.

He was always at the forefront of battle and traveled far and wide to share the scientific technology he possessed.

Thanks to him, he had the widespread affection and support of combatants like Players and soldiers, and intellectuals like scientists.

The success of Yekaterina’s gamble… was thanks to Mason.

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However, no matter how society changed, there was no reason for the monsters to wait.

After the winter defense ended, the hunting season began again in March.

Instead of the attack teams that were exhausted from participating in the winter defense, camps aimed at training mid-to-low-level Players began to be activated.

One of the largest of these camps was once the National Cemetery Camp. The National Cemetery, where undead monsters respawned endlessly, was the optimal environment for a camp for mid-to-low-level Players.

However, after the subjugation of the Lich and the birth of the Ghost Dragon, the National Cemetery regained its peace, and instead, small and medium-sized camps sprang up in various places.

If the monsters wouldn’t wait, there was no reason for the Players to wait either.

“Speaking of which, how’s the Ghost Dragon doing?”

“It’s sweeping through Southeast Asia.”

Southeast Asia had many large and small islands, and there were no countries that could be called superpowers or developed countries.

The Ghost Dragon was attacking these islands and collecting souls.