Rise of the Rejected Deity from Chaos-Chapter 185 - 184: Im Seun—The So-called Hero
Im Seun's heart lurched, pounding heavily against his chest. To be confronted with such a question before he had fully even settled into the association or begun to enjoy its privileges was something for which he was entirely unprepared.
Nevertheless, he had been preparing for this new life before coming here, and he wasn't about to get busted so easily.
Im Seun gathered his resolve, calming his nerves and gazing straight at the commander with boldness.
"Commander," he called, voice steady with boldness. "I do not recall ever agreeing to expose whatever transpired within the village, or how I got to free them. So why ask this?"
The commander leaned back comfortably on his chair, a little sigh escaping him as a small smile played on his lips.
"True, but I don't see any reason Im Seun should be so on guard regarding this. What you did is no short of a heroic deed, one you should happily explore with anyone curious," the commander said.
"Moreover, since you now work under the association, you should keep in mind that you work under me, and any information regarding your accomplishments shouldn't be kept a secret. At least not from me," he continued. "However, this doesn't mean you will not be respected on any decision you make henceforth—it simply means you should be ready to share."
The commander paused briefly, gaze lingering on Im Seun, observing him.
"As for the matter regarding the village, I'm afraid you cannot keep it to yourself," he said. "We are aiming to rebuild our trust with our people, especially the villagers who might still think we had forsaken them."
"Recounting everything as it happened, and taking down that barrier so we can interact with the villagers will help build back the relationship. And as an HS under the association, it should be one of your duties to see to this—especially when everything revolves around you."
Im Seun kept silent, staring at the commander—his displeasure regarding the matter etched clearly on his face. The commander equally stared back, with an authoritative look—marking where he stood.
After a moment's hesitation, Im Seun finally relented and spoke. "Nothing of particular note happened in the village," he began, his voice steady and measured. "I just killed the demons, and freed the villagers."
The commander's eyes peered straight into Im Seun's eyes, unreadable as he gazed forward in silence.
"And how many demons exactly did you kill?" The commander asked, his voice cold, his expression rigid.
Im Seun's brows drew together in a wrinkle only for a fleeting moment to avoid blowing his cover. He kept silent at the question, pondering things within him before offering any response.
These were all things his assistant had investigated before they decided on living this new life. However, any wrong move or words from him could land them in big trouble.
Im Seun thought back to when his assistant was filling him with all the necessary information. Like the response to this question.
He clearly remembered the talk about the so-called hero only defeating some of the demons, and how some had escaped. Though it wasn't explicitly mentioned how many he killed, or how many escaped.
Im Seun found the commander's question to be a bait, one aiming to draw out whatever secrets he could be hiding.
Not only did he ask a tricky question, his eyes are glued intently on me like he'll miss an important piece of information if he so much as blinks.
"I regret to say, but I wasn't able to eliminate them all," Im Seun replied, his tone laced with feigned sadness and disappointment.
"I tried the best I could, but there's only so much a man can do," he continued, his voice quiet with feigned concern. "The demons turned out to be stronger than I imagined, and with no backup, I could only eliminate a few."
The commander said nothing, his gaze simply fixed straight at Im Seun—the new so-called hero in town.
"I get that is true, and Im Seun shouldn't blame himself over it. However, my question still stands," the commander said, his voice not any warmer. "How many of the demons were you able to eliminate?"
Im Seun swallowed softly, his brain computing once again for the right answer. According to the information he had at his disposal, Im Seun judged it wouldn't be far-fetched to say the demons ought to have been powerful.
And for a single person to have waged war on them, and succeeded, then the person—the so-called hero—wasn't weak at all as well. However, the truth stood like an impenetrable wall. And that is, the person couldn't eliminate all the demons.
As to the escape they talked about, Im Seun couldn't fully grasp whether the demons had been the ones to run away, or they had simply given up on the fight and walked away—showing the so-called hero mercy.
By reason, it shouldn't at all be possible for a single person to eliminate such powerful demons—hence Im Seun found himself in a dilemma—unable to decide what the right response should be.
He had to think of a reasonable number. Too little, and the commander would question why then had the other demons let him free the villagers. And too many, he would still be questioned how it was humanly possible.
But, discarding all reason aside, the news and rumors clearly stated the demons had escaped. And to escape, means to have ran away—an action befitting of cowards according to Im Seun.
A reasonable number! A reasonable number! Im Seun repeated in his mind.
After a moment, Im Seun lifted his gaze back at the commander, putting on his bold face as he responded. "It isn't something to be proud about but…7. That's the total number of the high ranking demons I killed," he said, judging that as the final amount of high ranking demons a single person as strong as the unknown hero could handle.
Yes, 7 should be a reasonable number. Besides, I have an excuse for the other demons as well.
"I see. Even that is a lot," the commander said.
Yes, commend me, tsk!
"But," the commander continued. "What about the rest of them? If you had killed a total of seven, nine more should've remained. How did you handle them? How did they escape?"
"Saying they escaped is a bit of a stretch I'd say."
"Why is that?"
"The demons hadn't simply run away, scared of dying or that I had the upper hand over them, no. They had simply forfeited the fight," Im Seun revealed, surprising the commander.
"They forfeited? The demons?" The commander echoed, clearly in disbelief.
"Yes. After killing seven of them, they saw this as a loss. And seeing how challenging I was, they didn't want to risk losing any more of their members," Im Seun continued. "So they forfeited, and left. Although, I couldn't trust them, because they could return any day for all I know, so I put up the barrier to prevent that."
"I see. A very smart move. Only the strong could get a demon to forfeit. And you've not only made one but multiple demons forfeit. As I thought, you're really amazing," the commander praised earnestly. "The association is more than happy to have someone like you among us."
"I only hope for my deeds to be well recognized," Im Seun smiled warmly.
"Certainly, it will. The association always gives what is due to its rightful owner," the commander smiled back. "Now, regarding the barrier, how did you break it?"
"I mean the barrier the demons had put up. The one entrapping the villagers, and holding their life forces. How were you able to separate the villagers' life forces, and break the barrier?"
Once again, a quiet panic stirred within Im Seun—this was yet another question he hadn't anticipated coming so soon. Of course his assistant had been thinking to come up with a plausible explanation, but the question came earlier than they anticipated.
"This may seem unlikely, but the barrier was the easiest thing out of everything" Im Seun replied. "I had merely broken the barrier like every other barrier out there. And as for the life forces, my separation ability came in handy."
"Separation ability?" The commander echoed, asking for more emphasis.
"Yes. It is an ability that separates things not belonging together."
"I see. That's a very good ability," the commander commended with approving nods. "I'm glad that Im Seun is sharing all this with me, but I still have some more questions."
"Is it possible to know how many casualties were lost, aside from the demons?"
At the question, Im Seun stared blankly at the commander, his thoughts scattering in silent alarm. There were other casualties?
The reports and rumors surrounding the incident had spoken only of demons—no mention of anyone else. There was no way Im Seun could have known.
"Uhm… well, just a few," he replied, voice tinged with unease.
"Were they elderly? Children? Can you give a definite number?" the commander pressed, unwavering.
Feeling pushed back by the questions, Im Seun had to find a way to counter so as not to blow his cover.
"Commander," he called softly, voice drenched with feigned sadness—gaze cast low. "This is something I don't want to be reminded of. Those poor souls. I wish I could've saved them all."
Seeing how sad he looked, the commander decided to hold back on that.
"Alright then, one last question," the commander said.
You still have another?!!
The commander's gaze turned frigid, the air around him darkening with tense oppressive energy. "Did you kill one of our Humanity Saviors?" He asked, eyes glaring coldly at Im Seun.
