Chapter 268: It goes on (3)

Most families had five or more children, it was even common to have up to ten children. These policies were also in effect for Taesoo and his people from Earth. They had taken residence in the region close to the Ainos village surrounded by giant walls. Taesoo was instated as the lord of a village that was named Seoul and was given every assistance neede d to live in peace.

Hundreds of new couples married as they had found peace, and in just over a year, hundreds of children were born. The couples also began working for the empire in every way they could. They were valuable assets to the empire as they were basically experienced with nearly every type of industry. It was especially so in the medical and science fields.

There were some people who thought of moving into another country fueled by their ambition, trying to mimic Joonbum, but it was only a dream. The empire forbade the people of Earth from moving out of the country. Khalodian wasn’t a one-man kingdom now — Joonbum was the emperor, but the entire empire was managed by various governmental bodies. The executive branch was led by Jackson, and the judicial branch was taken care of by the Ainos and Magnos. The Ainos and Magnos were especially good at this as they were absolutely free from any corruption.

Of course, none of them had power over the emperor. Joonbum was already the equivalent of a divine being within the Empire. He was the leader, father, and the savior of all.

‘An emperor that’s loved by all… no one will dare to oppose him.’

“The scouts are back.”

Taesoo came back to his senses with Lee Chulmin’s report. He looked at Chulmin.

“The number of monsters have gone down greatly.”

People seemed to be in disbelief by the report. Taesoo asked again, “Are you sure of this?”

“Yes. They have certainly decreased.”

“And the reason?”

“It’s believed that the monsters are having a hard time adapting to this world. Also, as I mentioned before, the monsters that are already in this world are hostile towards the monsters from Earth.”

“Hmm.”

The surrounding people gasped. Taesoo and some others were even shaken.

“R-really? How’s that happening?”

“Unbelievable!”

Everyone seemed to be in shock. They knew how terrifying and powerful the monsters from Earth were.

“It’s been reported that the monsters in this world are already adapting to these new monsters. The most notable cases are with the Keroxes. They are moving in packs to attack the female and young monsters that are more vulnerable. Also, the Zyeloks and Krakuns are hunting those monsters from Earth as food.”

“Ah…” someone gasped.

“Also, the land here is too large. There were huge numbers in the region where the Gate was, but as they spread out, they weren’t as clumped together as it made it easier to deal with them. It has also been reported that the environment is playing a huge part.”

“The environment?”

“Yes. The Khalodian Mountain Range is dangerous as it’s higher than Mount Everest on Earth. The monsters are certainly powerful, but it seems that the mountain is just too harsh for them to survive.”

Taesoo nodded. This world was surely very huge. He had found out that there were still many unexplored areas in this world.

“So, what are we going to do now?” Chulmin asked as everyone turned to Taesoo. They all knew what Chulmin had asked.

“And what does everyone think?”

Taesoo looked around at everyone. Some were confused, while others were surprised.

“I think we should go back.”

An older man, who seemed to be around the same age as Taesoo, spoke up.

‘Doctor Chulhee.’

“We should be prepared and go back once the Gate reopens.”

Taesoo saw determination in Chulhee’s eyes.

‘I believe he will want to return for sure.’

Doctor Lee Chulhee had family beyond the gate. His wife and five children were hiding in Incheon when they passed. No one was sure about what had happened as ten years had passed, but it wasn’t hard to understand why Chulhee wanted to go back.

“We should go. We can fight back now.”

“They will be waiting for us.”

“We must go.”

“He’s right! We are prepared! Emperor Joonbum will also…”

“No, I object.”

Someone shouted an objection, and the atmosphere turned cold. Some frowned and became angered, but others seemed to agree with the objection.

“I-I don’t think we should go either.”

“We should not go across the Gate!”

People started shouting.

“W-what are you talking about? This isn’t Earth! This is not our home!”

“No. Earth is the place where we were born and I wish we were back home, but we can’t put our lives at risk just for that. I do not want to return, I do not… want to live in fear. In hunger. With death all around us. I… I do not wish to return.”

The woman, Lee Jungmi, began to cry as she finished. And the heated air quickly died down. Everyone knew what she was talking about. This world was heaven for them after all.

End of Chapter