Chapter 145 – When kindness continues

“Ummm….”

Minju stood before the mirror for a moment, swaying her body from side to side as she examined herself carefully. Her expression was grim.

It was because her favorite pair of jeans no longer fit.

“Did I… gain weight recently?”

Perhaps it was because she had spent so much time visiting famous restaurants and exploring markets all over the world. She stood before the mirror for a long while—.

“Uuuuuuum….”

She agonized over it.

* * *

Not far from there.

In this era, Incheon was practically the capital of humanity. Its population alone accounted for half of the world’s, and the wealth accumulated there was beyond comparison.

For instance, this was where the only factory in the world capable of mass-producing Artifacts was located. Furthermore, workshops capable of custom orders were all stationed within the city.

Even setting aside the machines of the Magitech Legion, the Volunteer Knights—the most powerful military in the world—were based here, and the concentration of Dungeons was unparalleled, making hunting efficiency exceptionally high.

The citizens of Incheon, living such affluent lives… were tilting their heads in curiosity as giant rectangular battleships began to gather in the sky.

Two men in their twenties, looking up at the sky, were conversing loudly with voices full of bravado.

“Hey, what the hell is that?”

“They say it’s an Ark. They say we all have to move into those soon. Everyone.”

“What, everyone? You, me, all of us?”

“I’m telling you, it’s true.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Sigh, didn’t you see the post on Apoin? Your info is so outdated.”

“Ah, don’t be such a jerk about it. What is it?”

“Here, look.”

He showed him the Apoin bulletin board. The man, who had been completely in the dark, scanned the contents rapidly.

“Oh, the Prophet posted again… Ark… Predation… What? 99 days?”

“99 days was back then. It’s currently day 93.”

The post, uploaded under the guise of the Prophet after a long time, contained significant high-level information that had never been revealed before, such as Pollution and the Final Predation Day.

“Since this can’t be a lie… I guess I should start preparing.”

“You have to apply for residency quickly. I already did mine last night.”

“Hey, you should’ve let me know while you were at it!”

The man likewise began his application for residency.

* * *

[Time remaining until Final Predation Day: D-93]

The production of the Arks was proceeding smoothly. Furthermore, the move into those Arks was happening quite rapidly.

The expected capacity for a single Ark was 10,000 people, and four Arks were already filled to capacity in Incheon alone.

Though slightly slower than Incheon’s production speed, the same was true for the Western Alliance and Vietnam.

However, that didn’t mean everyone was rational. For example, there were a considerable number of people who didn’t trust my words and insisted on staying on Earth.

I felt frustrated.

“Sigh, what on earth do they want?”

Actually, figuring out what they wanted was easy.

It was very clearly revealed in their arguments.

[…Since this constitutes a forced relocation measure, we demand fair compensation for the assets left behind on the surface.]

In the end, they were just asking for more money.

“I’m literally trying to save their lives, and this is what they say….”

It was ridiculous.

I am not a philanthropist.

I immediately began posting a notice through Apoin.

[Title: Those who do not wish to board the Ark may choose not to.]

[If you wish to handle things your own way, I will not stop you.]

[In fact, I’ll cheer you on.]

[(P.S.) Just don’t bother me about it later.]

I’ll say it again….

“Well, let’s see how they react now.”

I was not a philanthropist.

* * *

At the same time.

[Fight to the Death]

Men wearing red bands around their heads were in a state of agitation.

“Bro-brother! Did you see the new post on Apoin?”

“I ran all the way here because of that!”

Every single one of them was a so-called nouveau riche—people who had accumulated vast wealth before the Apocalypse struck.

Generally, in such cases, people use that wealth, which remains sufficient even after the Apocalypse, as a foundation to start businesses by utilizing new abilities.

But the people gathered here were different. They were those with a strong tendency to settle for and cling only to what they already possessed.

In particular, many of them were wealthy in terms of land and real estate, which could not be loaded onto the Arks.

Of course, even so, if they just took the wealth they had gathered so far, they would be far ahead of others. But they could not be satisfied with that.

Specifically, a middle-aged man named Lee Bong-seok, who had profited from organized anti-redevelopment protests before the Apocalypse, found a similarity between the past and the Magitech Civilization’s policy of moving people into Arks.

“They should provide compensation for the real estate!”

“Exactly! Do you know how much effort I put into buying that!”

These were greedy people who already possessed more wealth than others, yet sought to extort even more.

However… they were under a massive delusion.

Because society had stabilized and they could live lives more affluent than before, they thought it was just like the old days.

Consequently, the notice on Apoin—.

[….]

[(P.S.) Just don’t bother me about it later.]

Came as a huge shock to them.

In particular, the people around Lee Bong-seok began to panic.

“Wha-wha-what?”

“If we don’t want to board… we don’t have to?”

“No, is this allowed?”

“The government! They have no intention of protecting the citizens’ assets!”

“Hyung-nim! What are we supposed to do now…?”

Lee Bong-seok scanned his surroundings.

This was a familiar situation to him.

The expression he wore was not simply that of someone losing their home. Rather, it was closer to the expression of a snake, trying to throw a tantrum to get even a little more money.

“Who does he think he is. Let’s try talking to them directly.”

He began to arrange a ‘negotiation’ with the high-ranking officials of the Magitech Civilization.

* * *

Contrary to Lee Bong-seok’s hopes, the person who appeared at the ‘negotiation’ was not Lord Seong Siwoo. Nor was it Kim Mincheol, who handled the overall administration. Nor was it even Kim Gyeongcheol, (Kim Mincheol’s younger brother) who was in charge of the Economy.

“I heard you have something to say.”

The one who spoke calmly was a young boy. Lee Bong-seok’s lips kept twitching, unable to hide his discomfort.

“Ummm… that’s true, but who the hell are you?”

“I am Chae Minho. I am in charge of administration within the Magitech Civilization.”

“Hmm… I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Anyway, fine.”

Minju’s younger brother, Minho, twitched an eyebrow at the blatant expression of emotion. It was a world of difference from the time he had failed to properly read people, which eventually led to the survivor group being torn apart.

Indeed, it seemed he hadn’t just been following Mincheol and Gyeongcheol for nothing. Without even looking Bong-seok straight in the eye—.

“So, I heard you have something you want to say?”

He lowered his voice coldly.

“Uh, well. About that….”

Bong-seok was now the one flustered by the sudden change in temperature.

‘What? Why is he like this? This isn’t how it’s supposed to go….’

The civil servants he remembered used to be flustered whenever he caused a scene.

Even if they weren’t, if he just filed a complaint, those stiff officials would force a smile the next time they met him, even if they hated it.

But he was a veteran among veterans. He instantly put on a poker face and began to voice his opinion.

“I’ve come because I have something to say regarding real estate. I hear that because of a dangerous situation, everyone must migrate to the Arks?”

Despite his age, he used informal language from the start.

Minho felt that this was a sign of looking down on him, and by extension, the Magitech Civilization he represented in this meeting.

And he was not the Minho of the past. He began to examine Bong-seok’s expression meticulously, as if trying to dig into his intentions.

“That is correct.”

Despite this, he answered politely.

There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble. Bong-seok, looking satisfied, continued his explanation.

“Then what happens to my buildings? Huh? I had two buildings in Gangnam alone. Even those were smashed to pieces, and I only have one left in Incheon, and you’re telling me to give that up too?”

“….? What is it that you want.”

“What else could it be, compensation! If you’re stepping up to protect people, you should do the job properly. Anyway, isn’t it because of your mistakes that things ended up like this?”

“Pardon? What do you mean by—”

“I need at least 200 million Worker Bug Coins. If you can’t give it to me, then to hell with the Ark, I just won’t board!”

Bong-seok shouted loudly.

Minho let out a small smirk at his words.

“Then don’t board.”

“Huh? Informal? Did you just speak informally to me?”

“Mister. Let’s be clear. Whether you board the Ark or not isn’t for you to decide. We decide.”

“Wha-wha-wha-what?”

“If I say one word on Apoin right now, you’ll never be able to board the Ark. Got it? While I’m at it, should I strip you of your right to enter Incheon too?”

“Wh-why are you talking like—”

“Fine, how about this? For the Incheon building, I’ll give you 200 million. And for the Gangnam buildings, I’ll give you 1 billion coins, calculating 400 million each. How does that sound?”

“Re-really, would you do tha—”

It was just as Bong-seok’s face lit up.

“In exchange, give me 2 billion for the Ark boarding pass.”

Minho dropped the bomb.

“What?”

Bong-seok unconsciously used formal language. As he snapped back to his senses, Minho began using formal language again.

“Mister. We aren’t running a charity here.”

At the same time, he pointed to the 17 Arks floating in the sky.

“Do you know how much one of those Arks costs?”

“….”

The Ark at the tip of his finger was none other than a Leviathan-Class vessel. Those giant machines, casting dark shadows across the sky, were so large they could change the climate of Incheon city.

Even if you combined all three buildings Bong-seok owned, they wouldn’t even equal one-hundredth of an Ark.

“The construction cost for one of those is 6 trillion coins.”

“6, 6 trillion?!”

“If you don’t like how we do things… you can just build one yourself and ride in it. Didn’t you hear what the Lord said? Handle it yourselves.”

“There’s no way I could build that….”

“If you know that… then when we offer to let you ride for free, you should just quietly board. Or just die.”

With those words, Minho closed the payment documents he was looking at.

Slam-!

He stood up from his seat.

“If you’ve said everything you wanted to, I’m leaving. We have no further business, right? Or do you want to pay for the Ark boarding pass?”

At those words, Lee Bong-seok averted his eyes.

“N-no, I don’t….”

The momentum he had at the beginning had vanished long ago.

* * *

A moment later.

Minho clenched his fists tightly to calm his trembling fingers.

“Phew… this isn’t easy.”

At most, he was just acting as a proxy for Kim Mincheol, who was busy building the Arks. And even Kim Mincheol was merely a proxy for Siwoo.

Moreover, he wasn’t engaging in critical battles or negotiations for the survival of humanity like Siwoo; he had simply dealt with one nuisance.

But perhaps because it was so different from his originally gentle personality, he felt like his stomach was turning.

“Seriously… how does Siwoo-hyung do all of this….”

He could only feel admiration.