Chapter 158. Voting Offerings (2)

---

Altair made a confused expression.

A vote for offerings.

She didn’t know what an offering was but she deduced that it wasn’t good.

Since the whole village was in chaos after the vote had begun.

And as if receiving three was the most important thing, arguments were getting louder and there were curses being thrown around.

Some were running somewhere else and others were discussing something.

All with urgent expressions.

At that moment.

A few people who were causing an uproar approached Altair and her group.

“Hey! Newcomers! Let’s have a talk!”

“…”

Altair finched as she looked at these people approaching her with a threatening aura.

Her own group only had around 9 people.

But the other side had at least 20 people.

And their eyes were all shining as if they were in a rush.

This was very dangerous.

Since the ones who didn’t have any leisure to back off to might do some crazy things.

‘Damnit. At least tell us what the vote is.’

At that moment.

Hoooook!

One of the guards, who was watching from above the scouting post, jumped down and landed on the ground.

Tadak

The sound of the landing was very quiet but effect wasn’t.

“Ugh…”

The Farmers who were walking up suddenly flinched while looking at the Guard.

Hellum, a guard who had landed, smiled and then shouted to the ones around him.

“You know already. That violence is forbidden.”

“Damn…”

Altair sighed as she looked at the people walking off and then switched her gaze onto the guard.

The person who had first guided them in the village.

Altair asked Hellum.

“What is the vote and why is it causing such a ruckus?”

Hellum chuckled.

“Well. Putting it simply, it’s like a popularity vote.”

“What?”

Altair spoke with a dumbfounded expression.

A popularity vote was enough to cause everyone to fall in panic like this?

No way.

Hellum added additional details while looking at Altair.

“You see, our village is in a certain situation where we need to pick out offerings. Constantly.”

“…”

Offering.

A word that didn’t have good vibes to it.

Hellum continued to speak while looking at Altair.

“Actually, I don’t even know what happens to those who become offerings. But it’s a fact that it doesn’t really sound good right? That’s why everyone was trying so hard to fill their quota to not go but… This method was very vague. And to base it off strength… That’s weird too right? We can’t really number everyone according to strength and one’s strength might differ depending on how dire of a situation they are in. And for someone to pick people off like a king… Our village is still a bit democratic you see.”

“…Yeah.”

“This is why the voting system has been introduced.”

Vote.

The rules were simple.

One vote per one person.

The Farmers could give this to anybody but themselves that they judge to be needed in the village.

And it was their choice whomever they gave it to.

Since someone might be really needed to them despite not being needed by others.

“The number changes every time but…With the amount of offerings we need this time, you need at least three votes this time. This is the only reason to stay in the village. It’s not that bad really. There was a time when one needed to receive five people’s votes.”

Hellum was about to continue speaking but just held it in.

Since there wasn’t a need to be kind to a rude girl who disregarded seniority.

‘It’s extremely disadvantageous for newcomers like you.’

It wasn’t an issue of necessity but how long they had been in the village.

People in the village will usually appeal themselves to the others.

That they were needed in the village like this.

At first they had created this method just to pick out offerings but it brought quite a positive effect to the whole community.

Most people will do whatever it took to profit usually.

Even if that harmed their comrades.

But once the offering system was introduced, they couldn’t do whatever they wanted.

Since they would then become the offerings in the next voting.

Nobody wanted to have somebody dangerous around them in an environment already filled to the brim with danger.

Even if they were siblings.

And to keep one’s image as well as maintaining one’s chance at the vote, the villagers were quite concerned about this issue during the normal days as well.

There were indeed three days to acquire the votes but having the guaranteed votes before then was safer.

Altair made a dumbfounded expression at the words of Hellum that told her that she needed to gain three votes.

Then a tremendous issue would arise from this.

“What…Do you mean that two thirds of the village will get dragged out as offerings?”

It made no sense.

She didn’t know how long the offering system took place but if they cut off such a large amount of people then there was no way the village would be able to be maintained.

Hellum smiled at those words.

“Well actually…This is a bit different.”

“What?”

“You Farmers only have one vote per person. But there’s no rule saying that others are the same way right?”

It was democratic, yes.

But it was only democratic <as much as possible>.

It was not like the real world.

***

Karhal, a Hunter who had returned to the village, whistled as he looked at Mackill who was looking at him with a despicable expression:

“Oh. Why have you come to see me? After saying such words.”

Mackill clenched her teeth and spoke:

“You knew that the time for the voting had come in the village.”

The moment Mackill and the other 200 people entered the village they had fallen into another dangerous situation.

Since they, the ones who had been dragged away by Keron and Etianon the moment they came into the village, had no connections whatsoever.

Even if they go around and vote for each other only 70 of them would be able to live.

Karhal nodded at those words.

“I knew.”

The words of the leisurely Karhal.

Mackill shouted out in rage from the attitude of Karhal which seemed like it was asking what the problem was.

“Damn! Then why did you bring us into the village right away! You could’ve waited until the vote ended to bring us in!”

The offerings vote didn’t take that long.

If Karhal left them in the darkness until it ended and brought them?

Then they would’ve been able to dodge the vote this time along.

And then they would’ve been able to buy some time.

Until the next vote for the offerings.

Karhal smirked at these words.

A clear sneer.

Mackill stopped at Karhal’s expression.

“…What?”

Karhal laughed as he spoke.

With an attitude saying that she was only this much as well.

“You’re saying that you want to escape this vote by yourselves… What if the 200 of you miss it? Then what about the other 200 who would get dragged along instead?”

“…”

“At least they had worked hard to bring in food to the village and didn’t mind licking the foot of others just to collect some votes. They struggled as much as they could. And if one compares them to you… It’s clear who should get dragged away right?”

There wasn’t a need for Karhal to judge things anyway.

Since the results of the vote would tell them.

“In the end well… It means you guys got this far by stepping on others.”

Mackill couldn’t hold in her anger and shouted.

“You fucking bastard! That’s because we were trapped because of you!”

Karhal nodded as he heard the enraged shout of Mackill.

While erasing the smile on his face.

“Yeah. So that’s why you guys came to find us right? You want us to take responsibility?”

“Haa…Haaa.”

Mackill suppressed her anger at those words and then started to breathe in and out.

The other side clearly knew what she wanted.

It was now time to get to the main point.

“Yeah. If you guys are still human…At least give us the votes this time around. You guys have…Ten votes each.”

The Hunters had two privileges.

One, they were completely exempt from the vote.

Second, they all had 10 votes each.

It wasn’t wrong to say it was based on strength.

Since a Hunter was an important figure that couldn’t be traded even for 10 Farmers.

This was the true privilege of Hunters who lived atop of the Farmers.

To them, this whole voting this was just watching fire that was across the river.

This was the reason why Mackill came to find Karhal.

Karhal’s team, the 30 people, had a total of 300 votes.

And even more if they could ask for some people for help.

Karhal chuckled at Mackill’s words.

“You’re asking too much. You’re asking us to give you the authority to save 200 people.”

Mackill clenched her teeth and then spoke:

“Nothing can be done. And you guys won’t be able to ignore it as well. How would I stop the mouths of those who would get dragged away as offerings?”

Nobody knew what happened to those who got dragged out as offerings.

But it was clear that they didn’t need to deal with the hunters anymore at least.

If they gather up and expose the Hunters then a calamity will befall the Hunters.

Karhal pondered for a moment while looking at Mackill threatening him and then chuckled as he nodded.

“Sure. Since it wasn’t only Keron and Etianon who wronged. We need to take responsibility a bit as well.”

As moment Mackill’s expression brightened up from Karhal’s answer, Karhal spoke again:

“But, We cannot give you all 600 votes. We can hmm…Yeah, 300. We will only give you 300.”

“What?”

Karhal made an expression saying ‘Wasn’t it obvious?’.

“Of course. Why would the Farmers come all the way to us to lick our feet?”

The Hunters couldn’t play with the Farmers if they weren’t issued a Free Pass even if they were Hunters.

But even without that, many Farmers would dodge the eyes of the guards and approach the Hunters outside the village.

They would sell themselves so the Hunters could vote for them.

And there was no reason the Hunters needed to deny it.

Karhal continued to speak.

“There are a few votes we promised to give you see. You want us to scrape everything off them and give it to you as well? This is too much. This is as much as we can give you if we use every bit of influence we have.”

“…”

The words ‘Can you not’ almost came up from her throat but she gulped it back down.

She couldn’t.

Because then, even if they were able to dodge the vote this time around, they would get killed by their fellow Farmers.

‘…Where to get the remaining votes?’

Mackill’s expression turned into that of panic slowly.

Karhal chuckled as he looked at Mackill and then spoke:

“Try going to that Hansoo guy. Though I’m not sure if you’re the only one who’s quite urgent.”

“What?”

***

Altair took her group and quickly started to go through the village.

‘I need to hurry and find him.’

Hansoo was their sole remaining hope.

They had 9 people.

The votes they needed was 27 in total but there was no one who would give them any votes.

No one.

They needed to get those 10 votes from Hansoo at least and work from there.

But Altair realized that she was a step too late after having arrived.

“Please give me a vote! Just one! I’ve already collected two!”

“Please! I’ll do whatever you ask of if you give me two! I’ve collected quite a lot of runes as well! Please I beg you!”

Hansoo’s surroundings had already turned into chaos.

It wasn’t just one or two.

Hundreds of people had gathered around him.

‘My god…’

Altair swirled her tongue around her mouth.

But she knew the reason for this.

There was a limited amount of Hunters in the village.

And the votes of those Hunters had long been set before the vote already.

The newly risen Hunter, Hansoo, was like their lifeline.

Altair stopped while looking at the attitudes of the giant group of people.

Though violence was forbidden, it didn’t seem from their expressions that things would end calmy.

Well everyone here could only be like that.

Since they had all seen what the Harvester, the one called Dakidus, was chewing on as a snack.

They didn’t know what happened to the ones sent away as offerings.

But if they get pushed out from here?

They would get dragged away by the thing that treated humans as snacks.

While everyone was shouting out loudly of the things they can offer with a panic stricken expression, one of the people who had come here looked at Altair’s group and spoke.

Since it had been quite long since the faces of the newcomers, the first in a while, had spread around in the village.

They couldn’t do anything because of the Guards but the man still whispered quietly to Altair.

“Hey. Isn’t it better for you to just stay out of this?”

“What?”

The man looked around his surroundings as he spoke.

“Everyone here has at least gathered two votes you see. They worked hard during the normal days for it.”

The man frowned as he spoke.

Since he wasn’t an exemption to that.

‘Damn…I thought two votes would be enough.’

But in a situation like this, every vote had the worth of a life.

“Which means that ten people wouldn’t go with that guy’s votes. But you guys need 3 votes each to get exempted. Logically speaking, isn’t ten better than three? It’s not like you die, who knows if they’ll treat you well when you get there?”

‘This monkey…Saying such things…’

Altair made a dumbfounded expression.

She didn’t know what would happen to the offerings but she could tell somewhat from the people’s attitudes.

She could not get dragged away no matter what.

‘We’re acquaintances… He wouldn’t treat me like a stranger.’

Altair froze her expression and then walked towards Hansoo.