Chapter 45 – The safest place

Chapter 45 – The safest place

It would be great to build a Mana Facility in the Castle of the Main Base, which already has complete defenses. Unfortunately, that was inefficient.

The reason was this.

A Mana Facility was a facility that extracted and refined mana from the atmosphere. Naturally, it lowered the mana concentration in the vicinity.

In other words, if they were built close together, not only would the mana production efficiency decrease, but it could also lower the mana concentration near the Castle too much.

There were already more Ability Users living in the Fortified City, and it was not enough to grow their power by promoting them; it would only be a hindrance.

On the other hand, it might be okay to build a Mana Facility in a nearby and easily accessible Dungeon, but that was also inefficient.

The mana production of a Mana Facility was influenced by the Mana Quantity in the atmosphere, but the mana in the Dungeon did not change much.

In the end, compared to Earth, where the mana concentration continued to rise, the Mana Quantity in the first Dungeon was now lower than Earth’s. The Mana Quantity in the Desert was slightly higher than Earth’s, but it was expected to be caught up soon.

In other words, it lagged behind in growth potential.

However, as it was the Monsters’ home dimension, if more intelligent Monsters started appearing later, the Mana Quantity would be low, but the defense difficulty would increase as much as Earth’s.

There might be dimensions with even better living environments than Earth, but the reason why permanent settlements were not built in Dungeons was because of this.

At most, it was about mining ores, hunting Mana Stones, and reclaiming farmland for temporary cultivation during winter.

So, while it might be different when resources were abundant later, for now, considering efficiency, it had to be built on Earth. In that case, there were several things to consider.

First, since it should not be built next to the Main Base, Defensive Facilities had to be built in new areas, and troops had to be stationed there consistently.

And thanks to the Defense Battle, the Monsters near the facility were cleared out, which made activities in the nearby area easier.

In conclusion, it naturally meant adding another Outpost on Earth, just like playing a game of territory.

‘In that case, as expected… The place to expand is already decided.’

I picked up my Smartphone and started dialing a number.

* * *

During the call.

Suddenly, the signal was lost, and we had to communicate via Apoin. The Base Station had finally started to collapse.

‘So it’s come to this.’

I had expected it, but I still felt unsettled.

While there were many differences in the strategies chosen by each nation, the method chosen by the Republic of Korea Government among The Man was unique.

Prioritizing the rights of civilians, they began to protect communication facilities among infrastructure. This aligned well with Korea’s close ties to technology and proved to be quite helpful.

However… the collapse of The Man’s Base Station meant that the government’s last line of defense, which they had been protecting by sacrificing everything else, was beginning to crumble.

In a way, it was to be expected.

At this point, the Monsters weren’t coming in trickles as before, but in waves, like a tide.

However, most of the Humanity Regular Army, including the National Army, had already accumulated combat fatigue to near their limits.

The National Army, if anything…

was one of the Regular Armies that had endured the longest in the world.

At this current point, there were only a handful of places in the world that still had a substantial Regular Army.

For example, the European Union had urgently established the European Union Army, which had brought about numerous controversies, but… only France and Germany, which could be considered the core of The Man, were barely struggling.

Russia was unable to defend its vast Siberian territory and could only watch as a large number of Nests appeared. Consequently, they were making their last stand in their Capital City, Moscow.

Similarly, due to the Water amount coming down from the Siberian Front, China lost the northern and Western United States theaters of its Five War Zones, and was trying to survive mainly around Shanghai and Beijing… but The Man two were not the largest Cities on Earth, so they were suffering from a terrible Water crisis.

North Korea, which had no Water reserves to begin with and could not cope with the Monsters pouring in from Siberia, had collapsed long ago.

Ironically, this was also why most of the National Army was doing its best to defend the DMZ Frontline.

Not against the North Korean Army, but against the Siberian Monsters that had begun to push further south.

Meanwhile, even amidst The Man… there was one nation that was uniquely and exceptionally performing well in the world. That nation was, of Water, the United States.

The United States, perhaps, seemed like a nation born solely for the Apocalypse.

In terms of defense spending.

China, Saudi Arabia, India, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Russia, Korea, France, etc. A country that spent a whopping 15% more than the combined total expenditures of all countries from the 2nd to 10th highest in defense spending.

That was the United States. And yet, in terms of the command’s combat capabilities, the actual combatants’ combat experience, and everything else, it lacked nothing…

The Man’s strongest military power on Earth.

For the United States, it was merely a ‘bonus’.

Based on the Second Amendment of the US Constitution.

In the United States, the right to bear arms for civilians was guaranteed. The United States had 120 civilian firearms per 100 citizens, an overwhelming number compared to anywhere else in the world.

However, the main point of the US Second Amendment was, in fact, to legalize civilian militia organizations, even before the right to bear arms. There were already over 160 militias even before the Apocalypse.

Therefore, it was perhaps inevitable that after the Apocalypse, militias began to form like mushrooms, with civilian patrols roaming the areas and capturing monsters.

Not only was civilian security stabilized in that way…

With sea and air routes blocked, production facilities abroad were moved to the United States, and various arms factories were hastily put into operation.

Having to solve everything domestically, it was even said that the economy was booming, which says it all.

But unfortunately, even they couldn’t project their influence beyond the North American Continent.

For example, the United States was originally providing material support to allies, including Korea. However, even that was indefinitely postponed as air routes were blocked by aerial monsters this time.

This dealt a direct blow to the faltering National Army and was the catalyst for the collapse of the front lines. In other words, it was the officialization of societal collapse.

‘Is it somewhat delayed compared to my previous life…?’

After I intervened in the world, the situation had changed somewhat positively. The situation was much more terrible around this time in my previous life.

However, I still couldn’t save everyone.

‘First, I’ll save the places I can save.’

It started with the group of survivors in Bucheon, who were already under my command.

It was ‘Kierd Soft’.

* * *

Kierd Soft’s main base was a large apartment complex near Bucheon City Hall. It started from an office nearby and moved to the apartment complexes where most residents lived.

Since they primarily operated from their self-sufficient residential areas, they were relatively more abundant in resources than other factions.

Recently, under my protection, they were also able to expand their sphere of influence by taking control of nearby City Hall, schools, and department stores.

I was touring their main base with the guidance of Kim Mincheol, who served as Kierd Soft’s leader, and we were agreeing on how to increase their defensive facilities.

“You have a lot of people.”

Thanks to Kim Mincheol’s abilities, it was clear that they were a ‘social’ type of group, able to rapidly increase their numbers. While this was the best way to preserve human civilization, it was also difficult to control and incurred significant losses in terms of military strength and resources.

For example, they were often exploited by survivor groups focused on military strength or by looters. They were also exploited for resources by those who gathered around factories, resource centers, or shopping districts, essentially becoming a punching bag.

“Hahahaha, isn’t that right? It’s our strong point.”

Meanwhile, Kim Mincheol laughed heartily at my words about the large number of people.

‘It’s not necessarily an advantage for the men alone… Well, it probably doesn’t matter.’

I thought to myself.

While it’s not an advantage for the men alone, the situation changes when they ally with me. At the very least, we wouldn’t be outmatched in terms of military strength, and we wouldn’t lose in terms of economy either, to a certain extent.

Of course, I could also quickly expand my sphere of influence to make up for the lack of personnel and secure more economic power than the men.

Meanwhile, there was also the goal of fully incorporating Bucheon, which could be called the gateway between Incheon and Seoul where Choi Seunghwan is, into my faction. This would block Incheon.

However, I thought that with such a large number of people, the construction might take longer than I expected.

Of course… that was my expectation, but it was different by the men’s standards. For example, Kim Gyeongcheol, an Economics Ph.D. who was Kim Mincheol’s younger brother, was astonished.

“You had this many Worker Bugs?”

Deokchan grinned and replied to the man’s words.

“Twice this many will come in the future.”

Rough Terrain Pioneers were scheduled to be deployed for this construction, and Deokchan seemed unusually energetic, perhaps happy about it.

“Elder, how long will it take?”

“You mean from that highway to that intersection? Well, even a turtle would arrive, three days should be enough.”

Turtle was the man’s nickname for the Rough Terrain Pioneer.

Gyeongcheol countered the man’s words.

“You’re building a castle from here to there in three days?”

“No, no. We’re building it all around from here to there.”

To Gyeongcheol’s common sense, it seemed like an incomprehensible speed. Deokchan found this amusing and continued speaking.

“Well, if you want, should I dig a moat too?”

“No, a moat is fine.”

I shook my head at the man’s words. Su-a wasn’t here, so there was no need to dig a moat.

“Just like that. We’ll finish it within three days.”

Seeing Deokchan immediately start working, I headed to City Hall with an excited Mincheol and opened the Mana Facility Rift.

“You can give the next Mana Stone to this guy here.”

I pointed to the Worker Bug who would manage the Man Rift.

“Uh… to this friend?”

“Yes.”

“Ding!!”

This was the one who would also collect the Mana Stones this time.

***

‘In three days, the Mana Facility will be ready… and the Defensive Facility will also be mostly done.’

Having successfully completed the construction plan for the Bucheon Outpost, I headed home. It was around that time that the Observation Probe’s alert rang.

[Observation Probe (Unit 11): Confirmation requested.]

‘Unit 11… isn’t that where the Seoul Cafe is?’

It was a cafe I had tidied up for Minju.

Minju rarely touched the water I had prepared there, only contacting me occasionally for advice.

But for some reason, today was different.

The woman visible on the Observation Probe was sitting in a corner of the cafe.

Her head was bowed over a messy cafe table.

‘What is it…?’

It was when I tilted my head.

“Hoo… hoo-hoo-hoo.”

Minju’s shoulders were shaking slightly.

She was crying.

***

When I tried to contact her to ask what was wrong, her phone was off. I had even prepared a power bank at the cafe, so it couldn’t have been due to a lack of electricity.

‘What should I do?’

I pondered for a moment.

The reason she intentionally turned off her phone might have been because she didn’t want to show her weak side.

But on the other hand, there was a high possibility that the woman intentionally sought out this cafe because she was in danger.

Logically, someone who doesn’t want to show their weakness would choose a familiar and safe place, like their own room, rather than going all the way to a distant location.

In other words, the woman might have felt that the cafe was the safest place right now, not her own residence.

And… a situation where an outside place is safer than home couldn’t be good.

After a moment of thought, I made up my mind.

‘I have to help her.’

Of course, I had a desire to recruit her, but more than that, I couldn’t ignore the woman who had been a great help to me when I was struggling.

Having made up my mind, I headed to the cafe as quickly as possible.

‘I don’t know what’s going on… but I hope I’m not too late.’

And a moment later. When I opened the cafe door-

Thump-

“Mr. SSWOO?”

Minju stared at me with wide eyes.

Her eyes were still moist, as if she hadn’t managed to hide her crying.