Chapter 40 – New World Order

Chapter 40 – New World Order

When playing a real-time strategy game, we divide each match into early, mid, and late stages.

Also, the units summoned during each of these divided periods differ. Macro management also varies, showing significant differences in gameplay.

For example, some operate passively in the early game, then make aggressive pushes in the mid-game, followed by solidifying their position and fighting for territory in the late game.

Others operate aggressively in the early game, then conserve strength in the mid-game, and then go for a decisive battle in the late game.

Something like that.

But… where exactly is the line between the early and mid-stages?

Everyone might have different opinions, but as a former pro, I think…

It was right now.

[Psychic’s Tale 4 – Full-Scale Invasion]

[My Oracle Friend told me something surprising today. A few new Monsters are going to appear, and apparently, everything so far has just been child’s play.]

[There are creatures called ‘Stone Giraffes,’ which are like giraffes covered in rocks that charge like tanks.]

[They also say that ‘Acid Spiders’ will appear, which are higher-level Thorn Spiders that can launch Artillery Barrages from a distance.]

[But the most terrifying ones are a multitude of flying Monsters that dominate the skies. They’re called ‘Harpies,’ about the size of a wild boar, and they dive down from the sky to snatch people.]

[The situation will naturally worsen, so everyone please be careful.]

This information was enough to potentially cause a massive panic situation among survivors. Just look at the comments right now; it was exactly like that.

[Is this true?]

[Isn’t this a fake trying to instigate?]

[No, this is Apoin. It seems like the real sswoo]

[Is Humanity doomed to extinction?]

[Phew, I’m glad I only have to prepare for the civil service exam.]

But even so, I couldn’t hide the truth.

‘Then more people would have died.’

This was the best I could do.

I had to give them the truth as it was, allow those who could prepare to do so, and save those who could be saved.

Because my abilities hadn’t fully developed yet to save everyone directly.

On the other hand, I also needed to start preparing for the mid-stage.

I’m not the only one getting stronger.

Surprisingly, timing in strategy simulation games was similar to that in turn-based games. When my strong period ended, the opponent would naturally gain an advantage while I was reorganizing.

And this point wasn’t much different in reality. Especially when, like now, we were both getting stronger asynchronously.

But in other words… once I defended without significant loss, it meant that it was my turn again.

Moreover, I had already fully prepared to defend against The Man.

‘There’s nothing to worry about at all.’

There was no game where I could thoroughly dominate the opponent as much as one where I knew their build order.

‘Just like now.’

I hid my smile.

* * *

The Rough Terrain Pioneer, which had been used to destroy the nest, was sent back to the Dungeon to replenish the depleted Adamantite Ore stock.

After The Man, I was having them focus all their efforts on construction at the Main Base, and the results with The Man were truly astonishing.

Even though it was just one unit, it was capable of fire manipulation, leveling the ground, mining, construction, and demolition, all at a speed equivalent to hundreds of worker bugs.

Deokchan, who had a lot of field experience, was mainly in charge of handling it.

“Oh, oh! What incredible power!”

He was so amazed by The Man that he exclaimed every time the machine moved.

However, it didn’t mean that the worker bugs were losing their jobs or anything like that. Small chores were still exclusively for the worker bugs.

‘Because you can’t beat the ubiquity of the worker bugs.’

It was just that their specialized tasks had changed. Furthermore, it didn’t mean that worker bugs were no longer needed for construction.

That was also because they were about to receive the Lava upgrade.

“Siwoo, the last contract mana stones have all arrived!”

As it happened, there were enough mana stones for the upgrade.

* * *

And so, the mana stone infusion began.

The amount of Lava Essence required for this upgrade was so vast that, despite a considerable amount being contained within the mana stones, a significant portion still had to be produced directly by my research facility through fire manipulation.

But the results were satisfying.

[Worker Bug: Lava Gland Research – Complete.]

An upgrade that allowed worker bugs to produce lava.

Since it was a Worker Bug and not some other machine, it couldn’t be used aggressively. However, its usefulness was undeniable.

The lava it spewed out little by little during construction quickly cooled and turned into rock. This was practically concrete.

It was a truly revolutionary function.

With the world in this state, humanity was suffering from a chronic cement shortage. Perhaps it was natural.

Every time the castle’s population grew and buildings needed repair. Or every time defensive structures were built. Even when just trying to fix a small road.

They literally had to pour cement.

And the ‘Liquid Stone’ that the Worker Bug spewed out easily solved this problem!

In particular, buildings and roads that had been gouged out by Acidic Slugs were now accumulating all over the world.

Even if that weren’t the case, once Mountain Fortress Spiders started appearing, it became harder to find intact buildings.

The Worker Bug was the easiest way to solve all these problems. Their [commercial value] skyrocketed.

“Ding!?”

“Hee hee hee hee…”

I smiled slyly as I looked at the Worker Bugs.

* * *

Kim Mincheol, the leader who democratically governed Kierd Soft, Bucheon’s largest Survivor Alliance. But Kierd Soft was not his sole creation.

It was only possible because of his younger brother, Kim Gyeongcheol, an Economics Ph.D. and Professor, who worked in his shadow.

Kim Gyeongcheol sensed that humanity would regress to a barter economy in the changing world, and repeatedly gave Kim Mincheol various advice, doing his best for the prosperity of their affiliated survivors.

However, Gyeongcheol had recently been feeling uneasy about Mincheol’s increasingly deep and fanatical reliance on Seong Siwoo.

‘Brother… why are you acting like this these days?’

At first, Gyeongcheol also cheered.

While combat personnel were always in short supply, they overwhelmingly crushed monsters with their strength and numbers. And in return, they asked for Mana Stones, which they themselves didn’t even use. He couldn’t help but cheer.

But when they started using Mana Stones as a down payment and collecting them from survivors, a peculiar phenomenon occurred.

A value that Mana Stones originally didn’t have was assigned to them.

“My family doesn’t have the Mana Stones to pay taxes this time, so how about 20 for a can of tuna?”

“20, not 10? My friend, who are you trying to rip off?”

“Hmm… How about fifteen?”

Witnessing such a scene was easy.

Perhaps the market price hadn’t fully settled yet, as everyone seemed to be haggling this way and that.

Gyeongcheol could feel that it would stabilize soon.

‘Well, it probably doesn’t matter much.’

Perhaps it was an inevitable phenomenon that modern people, who understood “capitalism,” would create something similar to money.

Moreover, Gyeongcheol thought the Mana Stone-based economy was sound. In particular, he liked that money was linked to real value, much like the gold standard.

Mana Stones could be produced by anyone through monster hunting, and if the rumors circulating in Apoin were true, the stones themselves also had intrinsic use value.

It was similar to the past, with rice that could also be used as food, or when bullets were used as currency during the pioneering era of the Western United States.

Furthermore, since Mana Stones were something anyone could produce, Seong Siwoo or anyone else had no means to put economic pressure on them.

And a hope arose that perhaps large-scale Bucheon survivors might, in turn, be able to economically bind the stones themselves.

Especially with rumors of a vibrant Mana Stone economy even within Siwoo’s Castle town, and the emergence of peddlers traveling between the towns, it might just be a matter of time.

‘It should have been like this… ‘

It definitely should have been like this. But everything changed with just one delivery truck Seong Siwoo sent today.

Gyeongcheol, along with Mincheol, encountered a vehicle that appeared to have once been a work truck, its driver, and the driver’s daughter. Behind the truck, there were about twenty round, iron-ball-like objects loaded.

‘Their names were Deokchan and Sua, weren’t they…?’

While Gyeongcheol briefly searched his memory.

Mincheol looked at the iron balls and asked.

“What are these?”

In response, Sua smiled brightly and replied.

“It’s quicker if you see for yourselves. Kids, we’ve arrived.”

Click-clatter, clatter!

“Ding!?”

The clear sound of an alarm clock.

To the bewildered Mincheol and Gyeongcheol, the young woman explained the many tasks a Worker Bug could perform.

In particular, those who had serious problems procuring cement between the men were wide-eyed when they heard that the Worker Bugs could spit lava to repair roads and even build new ones.

“Wow… Is it really possible to do all that?”

“I told you! Once you use them, you can never stop them!”

At Mincheol’s words, Deokchan laughed heartily. Gyeongcheol grasped the value of it and quickly started calculating in his head.

“So… How much will you sell this for? Collecting Mana Stones will take a little longer-“

But it was Sua who answered.

“No, I’ll just lend it to you. We’re trying something new this time.”

“Oh… You’re just lending it? And what’s this new attempt?”

“Do you see this here?”

She took out a small coin purse and showed them a metal piece.

It was a stylish coin with the shape of a Worker Bug engraved on it.

“If you bring 100 of these to our Castle, we’ll give you the right to use a Worker Bug for one month.”

“…!”

Gyeongcheol’s face hardened.

“Oh, that’s a good idea!”

But Mincheol, perhaps not noticing his expression, reacted quickly and fussed. The two women handed them a few pouches of coins to try out, then said goodbye and left.

Vrooom-

The delivery truck quickly sped away. As soon as the delivery truck was out of sight, Gyeongcheol urgently grabbed Mincheol’s wrist and examined the coins.

Mincheol didn’t seem to notice, but Gyeongcheol immediately understood the impact of this situation. He looked at the coin pouch and cautiously said to his loyal elder brother,

“Brother… These coins… We must never use them.”

“What are you talking about! How else are we going to fix our house!”

Gyeongcheol rubbed his throbbing forehead.

The apartment Mincheol lived in had suffered considerable damage, with holes in the walls barely blocked with wood and plastic.

It was a remnant from a time when the surrounding area had not yet been fully organized.

And this was not just Mincheol’s problem.

Gyeongcheol, I know you’ve helped me a lot in ways I don’t even realize. But you know how many other people’s homes have been destroyed besides mine! I absolutely cannot compromise on this.

Mincheol used his loyalty ability to personally screen each survivor, meeting every one of them.

To the man, the other survivors were not just numbers, but colleagues he had actually met, greeted, and promised to cooperate with.

Noticing this, Gyeongcheol closed his eyes and left.

Damn it, I’ll never be able to convince him.

Gyeongcheol, his own brother, knew.

That once Mincheol acted like that, he could never be persuaded.

Nevertheless, Gyeongcheol kept looking back, continuously wondering if there was any way to convince Mincheol.

No matter what, that’s too dangerous.

It was Gyeongcheol, an economics professor, not just anyone.

He immediately realized that this currency was not just ‘currency.’ The value of a Worker Bug Coin was the value assigned to a Worker Bug’s ability. And the Worker Bug was Seong Siwoo’s ability.

In other words, this was fundamentally different from a mana stone-based economy, which was equal for everyone. It was a currency that Seong Siwoo directly issued, over which he had complete control!

In other words, if this currency spread widely, Seong Siwoo could print as much money as he wanted, whenever he needed to.

It would become a reserve currency!

Just as the United States had done with the dollar.

Our entire economy might be swallowed up!

Gyeongcheol trembled in fear.

Yet, at the same time, he felt powerless.

Damn it, but it’s really too useful!

The problem was the Worker Bug.

Gyeongcheol knew. In this world, no one could refuse a Worker Bug. When their very lives were on the line, who would be listening to his economics lectures?

Ultimately, Gyeongcheol, sensing that everything would unfold according to Seong Siwoo’s plan, decided to compromise with reality.

At least it’s a good thing we started using it first. Since we’re going to use it anyway, it’s right for us to maximize our gains.

Adapting to a changing world. Not just Gyeongcheol, but everyone who would use the Worker Bug Coin in the future had no choice.

Not using the Worker Bug is a loss.

Therefore, the path to the greatest prosperity for the Men was under the new world order created by Seong Siwoo, that is, the [New World Order].

* * *

Meanwhile… At the same time.

Seong Siwoo was putting all his effort into construction.

‘I also reinforced the City Wall.’

Before, it was simply made by stacking stones like a Mountain Fortress, but now, the gaps between the Men were filled with Lava and solidified, making it completely smooth.

This should be able to withstand a decent Artillery Barrage.

The same was true for the exterior wall of the Shopping Mall. Lava was added underneath the previous Steel plates, making the building even thicker and stronger.

On the other hand, the messed-up roads were being repaired again.

The Moat was also made smoother.

While he was at it, he added more defensive facilities on top of the City Wall. It was clear that not only machines, but also Ability Users living in the Fortified City would now participate in the defense.

But one last problem remained.

‘Hmm… So the last thing is preparation for the air.’

The Aerial Monster Harpy, coming in large numbers, was the problem.

‘Surely, air-to-air is the way to go?’

Air Superiority was best when dominated.