ODKO | Chapter 8

Rick Wyatt explained the situation in detail as he lifted a small container, revealing its contents. Inside were torn pieces of paper. The one on top was unmistakably the resignation letter Jack Carlson had painstakingly written with a solemn heart.

The ones beneath it were likely from colleagues who found themselves in similar situations as Jack.

“Seriously, if you think about it, he’s the main character here. But I knew something was off when he shamelessly skipped the inauguration after-party.

It’s been a while since he took office, yet the Commander still hasn’t shown his face—and he’s working the guys to death like this? The name of the Red Knights Repelz is crying, crying.

We’re supposed to be the Capital City’s defense force. Do we really need to put all our effort into exterminating monsters like common soldiers?”

Rick Wyatt, who, by all rights, should have been running around alongside Jack Carlson given his years of service, was instead exempt from all the labor. The reason? He was the only son of a prominent baron family with a townhouse in the Capital City.

And so, he openly gossiped without a care.

Jack Carlson didn’t know whether to be angry or just resigned to his fate.

“I’m not complaining about the monster extermination work itself. After all, it’s our duty to handle any monsters that appear near the Capital City. It’s just…”

Jack Carlson couldn’t finish his sentence and bit his lip hard. The more he thought about it, the heavier the weight of sadness pressed down on him.

Knight Commander Cayenne Madison, who had promised to pave a new path upon his inauguration, was fulfilling that vow all too well.

The Red Knights Repelz, responsible for the defense of the Capital City, had duties that included crisis management in wartime and eliminating any threats near the Capital. However, given the prestige and honor of using the northern part of the Imperial Castle—where the Emperor resided—as their base, the task of handling the rampant monsters in and around the Capital was typically left to lower-ranked knight orders, such as the Blue Knights, or vigilante groups composed of mercenaries.

In a way, it was a long-standing bad habit—but upon his inauguration, the new Knight Commander, Cayenne Madison, vowed to eradicate it. To achieve this, he mobilized all forces for the sake of the Capital’s security. It was his very first order, issued without hesitation—even at the cost of skipping the inauguration party and vanishing from public sight since.

Up to that point, it was fine. As a commoner-born knight, Jack Carlson understood better than anyone the absurdities of a tilted training ground. He could even appreciate the noble’s resolve to break bad habits.

The problem was the intensity of that determination.

“Can’t we just… work while getting some sleep…?”

Do monsters ever care whether it’s day or night?

Normally, the Blue Knights, vigilante groups, and the Red Knights took turns hunting them, ensuring that no one force was overloaded. But thanks to the young and enlightened new Repelz Commander—who had even issued an official document declaring his unwavering resolve that “our Repelz will take charge”—every knight was now forced to endure grueling shifts without proper sleep.

“Sigh, just take it easy. It’s not like anyone’s forcing you to work without sleep, right?”

Of course, no one was technically forcing them. But once an order to exterminate monsters was given, it was only natural to hunt them as soon as they appeared in the assigned area. The precious son of a baron family—lounging comfortably in the waiting room of the Capital Command—would never understand these circumstances.

“Besides, it seems like there are especially many monsters appearing in our area.”

“…That’s—”

Jack Carlson responded calmly, refusing to let Rick Wyatt’s irresponsible words rile him up. Instead, Rick raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to the map spread out on the desk.

The large map depicted the entire empire, with the Capital City—where they were stationed—marked in the northeast of the territory. Near the Capital, numerous small colored markers were densely clustered, each representing a record of a monster sighting.

Rick Wyatt’s gaze narrowed as he focused on a particularly overcrowded section among them.

“…You’re right.”

A groan escaped involuntarily. The markers were so skewed to one side that there was no space left to place them properly—they had to be stacked on top of each other. The area showing an abnormally high monster appearance rate, as if someone had deliberately released them, was none other than the zone managed by Knight Rick Wyatt and Jack Carlson.

“Wow, how did I not notice until it got this bad?”

‘Because you were slacking off, that’s why you didn’t know.’ Jack Carlson suppressed the urge to answer Rick Wyatt’s self-questioning aloud.

“Either you step up, increase the personnel, kill me and handle the disaster yourself, or whatever—I can’t do this anymore.”

“Hey, you punk. If you say you can’t do it, what happens to my reputation?”

Rick Wyatt crossed his arms, a troubled expression on his face. Jack Carlson squinted his weary eyes. If he couldn’t do this, it wasn’t Rick Wyatt’s reputation that would be at stake—it was his own life. No matter how much Rick was the only son of a baron family, if there was no one else to step up, it was obvious who would be forced to take the fall.

“Ugh, but it is strange. Why are there so many monsters in our area?”

“How would I know? Anyway, I really can’t do this anymore—”

Just as Jack continued his string of complaints, a sudden heat flared up on his wrist. His skin prickled at the sensation.

Rick Wyatt, catching sight of the faint glow emanating from Jack’s wrist, pressed his lips into a thin line.

“…”

Jack barely held back from cursing out loud. But of course, Rick, who fully understood the situation, wouldn’t have blamed him if he had.

“Is that a call for you?”

Rick Wyatt pointed it out in an annoyingly obvious manner, even though he knew perfectly well what it meant. Jack, having clearly heard him, pretended not to. He didn’t want to acknowledge it. He was truly fed up.

The bracelet on Jack Carlson’s arm was a communication device linked to the garrison under Rick Wyatt’s command. When it glowed red and burned hot, it signaled yet another monster appearance in their assigned area. The bracelet, enchanted with special magic, flared so frequently—day and night—that it practically seared his wrist.

“…I’m going…”

Jack turned away, his steps heavy as if shackled.

“Oh, okay.”

Rick Wyatt, born with a golden fork in his mouth and blessed with a leisurely life, waved a hand in mock sympathy as he watched Jack go.

“Take care.”

Jack sighed deeply, Rick Wyatt’s voice stabbing into his back like an afterthought.

If only—just once—he could smack that annoying superior’s head with the edge of his sword, he felt he would have no other wishes.

Next time, he should take his resignation letter directly to the Deputy Commander instead of Rick Wyatt.

Jack Carlson, who had long abandoned the grand ambitions of an Alpha male, made a new resolution as he left the waiting room.

“Damn it!”

“Damn it!”

It was chaos. As the soldier, seasoned in monster handling, slashed his sword to the left, he cursed once; as he slashed to the right, he cursed twice. With every upward and downward strike, curses and swearing filled the air, as if every foul word in existence was being shouted.

…Where is life going?

Amidst the chaos, Jack Carlson gazed up at the peaceful sky and thought again. Before the new Knight Commander took office, there had always been problems—big and small—but at least life hadn’t felt this disheartening. Now, as the situation spiraled further, he truly felt disillusioned with life.

A strange sound echoed, as if an earthquake had erupted deep underground. The vibrations shaking the earth gradually intensified, growing stronger with each passing moment. It was a clear sign—a monster, formed deep within the ground, was rising to the surface.

The soldiers stationed near the disturbance took deep breaths, gripped their swords tightly, and braced themselves. Soon, with a powerful gust of wind, the ground surged upward, taking the long, winding shape of a snake.

Even though they had already cut down dozens of monsters that had emerged from the earth, the polluted land’s corrupted energy continued to manifest itself—disgustingly reshaping into yet more grotesque creatures.

“Damn it! I can’t do this anymore, Squad Leader!!”

A soldier, so accustomed to slaying monsters that he could do it with his eyes closed, shouted as he cleaved the snake monster’s head clean off. His combat skills, honed unintentionally to their peak, made him seem worthy of a knighthood—one no one would dare object to.

Jack Carlson let out a hollow laugh. He couldn’t help it.

It wasn’t just the soldiers who had reached their limit.

“Should we all just die?”

Having completely lost the will to fight, Jack planted his sword into the ground and continued chuckling.

A soldier, who had been catching his breath after defeating a monster, noticed him and hesitated, stopping in his tracks.

“Wouldn’t it be easier if we all just died here? At least we’d get proper disaster relief. Right?”