Chapter 43 – Hope

Chapter 43 – Hope

“Is the generator not ready yet?”

“Yes… it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack to find oil these days.”

“Sigh…”

Sighs could be heard from everywhere.

Even though they were one of the most prominent factions in Seoul, the lack of oil was unavoidable.

The reasons were as follows:

First, the expiration date for gasoline, which most cars use, is surprisingly short, around 3-6 months.

Although it could be extended by special treatment such as adding additives, they were not prepared for such a thing.

Second, in the meantime, the uses for oil increased tremendously.

From cars, of course, to the small generators everyone started using when electricity supply wasn’t smooth. It was being used for combat, now for heating, cooking, and everything else.

Third, however, there was not enough supply to meet such demand.

Thanks to the underwater monsters, oil tankers had stopped long ago. All of the government’s reserved oil was used for the soldiers.

Furthermore, in the early stages of the situation, the government requisitioned a significant amount of oil in preparation for emergencies, so gas stations quickly ran out of stock.

With such complex reasons, it was perhaps natural that the oil released to civilians rapidly decreased.

Meanwhile, at the news that the generator wouldn’t be running for a while, some survivors briefly rummaged through their bags and pulled out portable chargers.

These were batteries charged using small solar facilities or DIY chargers made from AA batteries that occasionally appeared.

There was only one reason why they were so obsessed with portable chargers.

Apoin.

They were all modern people with common sense and understood the importance of ‘information’. As such, the value of Apoin, now almost the only source of information, was unimaginably great.

Especially… it became even more so as strange rumors began to circulate.

The most famous of these rumors was on the level of an urban legend…

It was the rumor that Apoin would work even in places where there was no cellphone signal, as long as there was battery power.

This was because Apoin was someone’s ability, but not many people had noticed this yet.

However… these rumors were not the kind that would make someone obsessed with Apoin. To make someone obsessed, something else, something more addictive, was needed.

For example… “Hope” or something like that.

[I tried the squid at The Man Castle. It was really delicious, lol.]

[I picked up 20 Mana Stones from the Monster corpses that were abundant in my neighborhood and was able to eat, lol. Isn’t that practically free? So good.]

[The Man, the heating is actually on. Electricity and water are all working well. The portable battery charging service is 10 Mana Stones, lol.]

[Oh, and I heard the City Wall was recently redone, lol. I couldn’t go inside due to security issues, so I only saw the shopping district. I don’t know why they say it looks like a Mountain Fortress. It looked like a black concrete wall, with no gaps at all. I was really envious.]

[When I came back, I bought dried squid, and I kept reaching for it, lol. Since it’s a dried food, it should have a long shelf life and be good.]

Reviews of Siwoo’s Castle, popping up here and there.

To the people, Siwoo’s Castle was nothing short of a “magic castle.”

Not only was it a well-defended castle, but it also had electricity and water. And there were abundant resources that felt natural without being ostentatious.

Furthermore, with a shopping district selling excellent protein sources like squid in exchange for Mana Stones, which ordinary people don’t even fully understand the value of, it was truly a world beyond dreams.

Meanwhile, the comments from the people were also noteworthy.

[Didn’t you get any Worker Bug Coins?]

A meaningful comment.

The original poster seemed to know nothing about the matter.

[What’s that? Is it a new cryptocurrency? Lol.]

It was a moment when the comment section heated up.

[You went to the castle and didn’t get any Worker Bug Coins?]

[Oh, you castle-ignorant person… haha]

[Ugh, hopeless. I told you to research more before going.]

[Why? What is it?]

And then, more information was revealed.

In particular, Kierd Soft Survivor Group in Bucheon, under Siwoo, actively adopted Worker Bug Coins…

These days, there might be someone who has never been to Siwoo’s Castle, but there was almost no one who didn’t know about Worker Bug Coins. Subtly, people’s minds began to subtly shift.

As demand increased significantly, Siwoo even extended the minting process, which he used to macro-manage for about 8 hours a day, to 16 hours by dividing personnel into morning and afternoon shifts.

Naturally, Mana Stones began to accumulate at an insane rate.

***

Meanwhile, I was busy preparing to process the Mithril I had collected. First, I used the Rough Terrain Pioneer to dig up silver sand and put it into the furnace I used for processing Adamantite.

I also added small amounts of Adamantite and Steel, adjusting the ratios.

However, the crucial Seongjae, who was needed to heat the furnace, had not yet returned. After talking to him a bit on his Cellphone, it seemed he was delayed because he was bringing back some people he wanted to recruit.

‘Well, it’s Seongjae, so he’ll handle it well.’

Although Seongjae sometimes showed a clumsy side, especially when talking to women, he was surprisingly decisive in these matters, so I had entrusted his judgment to him.

He was also someone who, as a Water, always exceeded my expectations.

When Seongjae returned from Seoul National University, he not only brought a Delivery Truck filled with related Books.

But also had a man with him.

Seongjae, having secured some level of security through Seongmin’s Contract Ability, entered the Castle with the man.

Later, I heard that he was a Doctor of Chemical Engineering who had been a Professor at Seoul National University.

“How did you bring someone like that over?”

“Our passion for crude oil aligned.”

Seongjae grinned.

And Seongjae didn’t just bring him.

“Oh, I also have some interesting information.”

“Tell me.”

“It turns out there’s a survivor faction gathered at Seoul National University.”

“At Seoul National University?”

“Yes.”

Seongjae continued to explain.

Not only students, but also top-tier Professors and researchers from Korea had gathered, barely holding on within the university.

Due to Seoul National University’s geographical advantage, being surrounded by mountains and having few access roads, a surprisingly large number of survivors were able to survive despite the small number of Waters.

However, it seemed they couldn’t overcome the limitations of a Water shortage, and their situation was as difficult as anyone else’s. When Seongjae arrived, they were in the midst of a desperate struggle for survival, fighting a bloody battle.

That’s why he helped them and received books and key personnel in return.

‘Hmm… did Seoul National University have a faction?’

I thought back for a moment.

In the previous round, I went to Seoul National University after winter. As they were men lacking water, they had already burned all the books in the library for heating, and there were only a few survivors left, making them a minor faction.

‘They survived thanks to Seongjae’s intervention.’

It seemed this winter was a critical point for the men.

‘I should send an observation probe to the men’s side as well.’

I decided that.

If I could recruit them like the survivors of Bucheon, it might be a great help in redeveloping humanity’s technology.

“Seongjae. Contact the men and tell them we’ll deploy troops.”

When I said that,

“Oh, really!”

The professor standing next to him repeatedly bowed his head to me.

“Thank you, sir! Thank you very much!”

“Ah, uh… No problem. Just put in as much effort as you’re grateful, okay?”

I grinned at his words and joked.

“I will definitely do that!”

It seemed he didn’t take it as a joke.

‘Well… good is good, I guess.’

I decided not to correct him.

***

Meanwhile, the professor, a Doctor of Chemical Engineering, was observing our Mithril processing. He repeatedly exclaimed in admiration.

“Th-this strength… I, I don’t quite understand. Wh-what did you say its name was? Adamantata?”

“It’s Adamantite, Professor.”

A short answer came out naturally.

I was slowly getting tired of his enthusiastic praise.

“This is a scientific revolution! What kind of molecular structure makes this possible…? The Man, again. This is… Was it called Mithril, correct?”

“Yes.”

“This weight, this density… I don’t know if this is really a metal. Ah! Is this a new isotope of something like lithium or magnesium? No, then the reactivity wouldn’t be this low-“

“Oh, is that so?”

“Excuse me, but do you have a Mass Spectrometer or even an Electron Microscope here?”

“We don’t have those…”

“Ahhh! I really want to research this, would you mind giving me a small sample? With just this, the Republic of Korea’s first Nobel Prize in Chemistry would be-“

“Ugh…”

As I frowned, even Seongjae stepped forward and said something.

“Professor, I’m busy with fire manipulation right now. Let’s do it a bit later. I’ll explain everything I find out then.”

“Ah! Thank you, Seongjae! Thank you very much!”

He had a moved expression.

Even after that, with the professor next to me, whose mouth was shut but eyes were still sparkling, it was only after a long process of Mithril refinement that-

‘It’s finally here.’

I was able to obtain the first Mithril Alloy.

Now, it was time to summon an aerial machine.

***

“Hmm…”

I began to ponder for a moment.

‘What would be good?’

The first aerial machine that came to mind was, without a doubt, the One-Horned Dragon. Although it was for a short time of less than 10 seconds, I had summoned it once in this round as well.

The creature that engaged in close combat, whether in the air or on the ground, with overwhelming speed, was practically the strongest among Large-Class creatures, regardless of whether they were ground or aerial.

‘A One-Horned Dragon might still be too much…?’

However, unfortunately, its tier was too high.

That powerful strength naturally came from mana, and just keeping that weight airborne caused the mana consumption to be overwhelmingly high.

I was already operating the Rough Terrain Pioneer, another large-class machine, so it was too much to try and operate another large-class machine.

‘I need to lower my expectations a bit… Let’s look at the medium-class.’

It wasn’t that there weren’t any aerial machines in the medium-class; I just hadn’t made any because I hadn’t found the right materials.

There were aerial machines in the medium-class.

“Hmm… This is definitely the best in the medium-class.”

After a short period of contemplation, I quickly made a decision and began manipulating the Mithril in the Production Facility.

Creeaak- Squeal-

The Mithril began to fold, making an unpleasant sound.

And the completed form of the Mithril was-

Thin membranes between four legs. A small body between them. A thick tail… It was unmistakably a Flying Squirrel.

‘[Interceptor] Summoning.’

Soo-ah, who was passing by, screamed when she saw the machine.

“Oh my, oh my! Oh my!”

“Why are you like this?”

“What is this? Why is it so cute?”

At her words, I involuntarily straightened my face.

“Cute…?”

This was a fearsome machine.

Thanks to its simple structure, it had astonishing maintainability, capable of returning even if holes were made anywhere in its wings or body.

Adding the defense secured by using Mithril, this was almost an aircraft that was impossible to crash.

With such incredible survivability, the central body also possessed insane firepower, firing 4,200 light projectiles per minute.

Although the light projectiles were much smaller than those of an Assault Cannon, and it had to fire in bursts of 1-2 seconds at most, continuous firepower projection like an Assault Cannon was impossible.

However, due to its rapid-fire capability, it was the strongest weapon specifically for aerial combat, where many opponents did not have very good defense.

According to a former colleague who was a soldier, it was similar to the autocannon typically mounted on a fighter jet.

But that wasn’t all.

There was also the Man’s wing structure, flapping like a flying squirrel.

It instantly changed the shape of its wings, turning in the air at an absurd angle to make its opponent dumbfounded…

Its maneuverability, almost artistic, made its terrible survival ability even more vicious.

When not flying, it folded up, making the aircraft much smaller, allowing more to be loaded onto the dedicated giant aerial machine that carried it around later.

In other words, from now until the very end, it will be used throughout.

It is the strongest air-to-air machine.

“This is definitely not a cute water gun…”

The man, I emphasized to Sua once again.

“Ding!?”

It was the moment she tilted her head with the worker bug for some reason.

“Th-th-th-there, outside!”

Seongmin, with a pale face, pointed out the 6th-floor glass window.

Far away, beyond the clouds… something black, like smoke, in large numbers, was approaching at high speed.

It was the first encounter with the Harpy Swarm.

“Good timing, then.”

I smiled.

It was just the right time for the Interceptor to show its true colors.