The Spoon Villain Is Obsessed with the Hero Again Today

The Beast that Devours the Beast (2)

CEO Park Won-hyuk visited Gangwon Province. In response, Branch Manager Shim Jun-yong arranged a meeting to report on the recent events.

The business meeting was held in the reception room. In fact, it was more like a conference room.

A large table, a big screen. Projectors and audio equipment. It had everything it needed.

Ah. Lastly, drinks and snacks were also prepared. Especially, my favorite Homerun Ball caught my eye.

“Ahem. Then, I will now report on the progress of the new beast investigation.”

There were a total of nine people attending the meeting.

First, Branch Manager Shim Jun-yong, who was presenting in front of the big screen.

Next, the interns sitting at the table (me, Kang Tae-hoon, Rashid, Yoo Ji-woo, Kim Han-bit).

“Wait. Before that.”

At the head of the table was CEO Park Won-hyuk of Geumseonggak, and next to him was his secretary, Park Ha-yul.

And lastly…

“Hey. Ryu Jung-min. How long are you going to stay here? Why don’t you go back?”

At the very corner sat Ryu Jung-min, the CEO of Yeonwol. Earlier, he had been drinking whiskey, but now he was enjoying a warm cup of tea.

“Hmm. This tea has a nice aroma. As expected, British tea is different.”

“That’s Chinese tea, you fool.”

“Oh my.”

Ryu Jung-min quickly put down the teacup. Then he wiped his mouth with a white handkerchief.

Park Won-hyuk pointed at Ryu Jung-min and instructed Shim Jun-yong.

“Branch Manager. Get him out of here quickly. We’re in the middle of a meeting.”

“Touch me and you’ll be dead.”

“Get him out now.”

“Try it if you dare.”

“Quickly.”

A strange tension unfolded between Park Won-hyuk and Ryu Jung-min.

“Th-that… Directors….”

Shim Jun-yong was stuck in the middle, unable to do anything. He could only break out in a cold sweat repeatedly.

In a way, Shim Jun-yong is a pitiful human being. He gets pushed around by us from below and swayed by the two directors from above.

Not just anyone can sit in that seat.

“Hey. Ryu Jung-min. This is an important meeting. It’s about a business related to the new monster.”

Park Won-hyuk warned once more. As you can see, Ryu Jung-min is from another guild. He has no right to attend an internal company meeting.

Moreover, this is a place where information about the new monster is exchanged. It has come to the point where we have to present this crucial information in front of a rival guild.

It’s like entrusting a cat with a fish.

“How disappointing. I went through the trouble of saving the kids from Hyeon-gwang’s hunting dogs.”

“…”

“And yet, instead of thanking me, you treat me like an industrial spy.”

Ryu Jung-min didn’t just sit here stubbornly. He judged that he had the right to be here.

That right has already been proven. Didn’t he help the interns of Geumseonggak? Despite being from a rival guild.

“Fine! Do as you please!”

Park Won-hyuk, knowing this, eventually raised the white flag. They decided to proceed with the business meeting in front of Ryu Jung-min.

“Then… let’s continue.”

It wasn’t a meeting where opinions were exchanged. It was simply a reporting session.

Shim Jun-yong explained the new monster he had investigated up to today, along with a PPT presentation. By the way, all the files were made by Kim Han-bit.

“What? You’ve already figured out its weakness?”

“Oh my.”

When Shim Jun-yong announced the strategy to tackle the new monster, the two directors couldn’t hide their surprise.

Here, Park Won-hyuk spoke.

“All I instructed was to secure samples to send to the researchers. When did you find out that much?”

It’s just the beginning stage. To register the new monster in the database, several research processes are required.

First, observe and record the monster’s shape, size, attack methods, behavior patterns, and peculiarities.

Next, collect samples of the monster and send them to a research institution for genetic testing. This is where they reveal through genetic analysis that it is a new species.

Finally, write a paper based on the information collected so far and get approval from relevant international organizations to officially register it in the database.

Defining a perfect strategy is the next issue. It can only be discovered after numerous battles and as data accumulates.

But they say they found the monster’s weakness right at the beginning of the investigation.

It’s like discovering a pufferfish for the first time and immediately knowing how to detoxify it. Not only that, but they also shared the precise technique to remove the poison.

It was something only a regressor could do. At least, from the perspective of the two representatives.

“Who is it? The cute one who figured this out. I almost want to give them a kiss.”

Park Won-hyuk’s body began to tremble slightly. Additionally, the corners of his mouth twitched. He couldn’t contain his joy.

“It’s that friend.”

Shim Jun-yong’s gaze turned towards me, who was just devouring a home run ball.

In an instant, Park Won-hyuk’s face, which had been filled with joy, crumpled like paper.

“What? That spoon ghost?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Damn… Of all people, it had to be that guy…?”

Park Won-hyuk began to glare at me in disbelief. Then, next to him, Ryu Jung-min started to laugh heartily.

“Hoo-hoo. Do you understand now? Why I picked that kid as my first choice.”

“Ugh… I guess there’s no choice…”

Soon, Park Won-hyuk placed something like a shopping bag on the conference table. Then he pushed it towards me.

“Take it.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a gift to show appreciation for your hard work. After all, you did accomplish something.”

I stopped eating the home run ball and looked inside the shopping bag Park Won-hyuk had given me. It was so meticulously wrapped that I couldn’t see what was inside.

Is it something like spam?

“It’s semi-dried croaker. If you steam it, the taste is amazing.”

“”

“Semi-dried croaker…”

I stared intently at the shopping bag and then pushed it back towards Park Won-hyuk.

“Can you give me something else instead of this?”

“What? Do you know how much this costs? I went all the way to Wando to get it myself. It’s also seasonal, so it’s hard to taste it if not now.”

“Still, I would prefer something else.”

In a normal situation, I would have been slapped by now. Who dares to ask the representative to change the gift they give?

But now, I have the right to do so. Because I accomplished something significant.

“So, what do you want? It can’t be too expensive.”

Park Won-hyuk seemed to understand to some extent.

Without hesitation, I decided to say what I wanted.

“I would like to receive the artifact. The one owned by Geumseonggak.”

“What…?”

Dispatch. Among the many guilds, the reason for choosing Geumseonggak. Not Hyeongwang, the most successful in Korea, nor Yeonwol, who desperately wants me, but Geumseonggak.

It’s all because of the legendary artifact that Park Wonhyeok possesses.

While I’m here at Geumseonggak, I must somehow build up my achievements, catch Park Wonhyeok’s eye, and get my hands on the artifact.

Now is the right time.

“That won’t be possible.”

“Det.”

But I was immediately cut off.

It seems it’s not something that can be easily obtained.

Tears streaming.

“Even if you cry like that, I won’t give it to you.”

“…”

Seeing him say that, it seems he really has no intention of giving it.

Is the data on the new species of monsters not enough?

“Branch manager. Is there any other special report?”

Well, there will be many opportunities in the future. If I achieve results one by one, I might be able to sway his heart.

“Actually, there is one more thing I need to tell you.”

“What else is left?”

“Could you take a look at this?”

Shim Junyong ran the next PPT file. A picture of a new monster appeared on the screen.

“Whoa. That’s pretty fierce. Is that a new species too? It’s a type I’ve never seen before.”

“Yes. It’s my first time seeing it too.”

Park Wonhyeok and Ryu Jeongmin. Even the two veterans were astonished by the hideous monster.

Shim Junyong pointed at me again.

“This monster was photographed by this friend here.”

“You again?”

When I sent out the spoon for reconnaissance earlier, I took a picture. The spoon has a video skill called Symmetric Output.

“It looks like an A-grade at first glance. Did you find out anything?”

“In relation to this, this friend will explain further.”

This time, I stood up from my seat. I took Shin Jun-yong’s place in front of the large screen.

Because I’m the only one who knows the identity of the monster on the screen.

“The monster you’re looking at now is not a new species, but a mutant. There is a record of it appearing once in the past, in Wando.”

“Wando.”

For a moment, Park Won-hyuk’s face turned cold. The man who always had a smile on his face lost his smile for the first time.

Wando. The place where Park Won-hyuk went to buy semi-dried croaker. A place he could have received by delivery, but he insisted on going there himself.

“Yes. A mutant, you say? Have you identified it?”

“Yes. An S-class monster. Code NO. 3. Basago.”

Basago. The name echoed throughout the reception room.

“…!”

The one who reacted was surprisingly not Park Won-hyuk, but Ryu Jung-min. Ryu Jung-min quickly turned his head to look at Park Won-hyuk.

“…”

Meanwhile, Park Won-hyuk remained silent. He just stared at the screen. No particular movement, no particular words.

I continued.

“Basago. It has the trait of absorbing the abilities of other monsters it devours.”

“That’s why it looks so grotesque. I thought it was just because of age. Compared to back then, it has more wrinkles. You rascal…”

Park Won-hyuk spoke as if he were meeting an old acquaintance.

In fact, Park Won-hyuk had encountered Basago before.

About ten years ago, when Park Won-hyuk was attending Hanyul Academy, during his internship at another guild, just like me…

Park Won-hyuk lost a lot in that battle. He lost many comrades and dear friends, and even missed the target, Basago.

“Haha. What a coincidence, or perhaps fate.”

But.

Now, more than ten years later, Basago has appeared again. From Park Won-hyuk’s perspective, various emotions must be crossing his mind.

Moreover.

Today happens to be the memorial day of those who passed away.