Chapter 52 – Prince of the Sky

Seongjae, standing before Choi Yongjin, was hesitating.

“H-how was the motorcycle?”

“It was the best. Thanks, Seongjae!”

Choi Yongjin laughed boisterously.

Seongjae continued to hesitate. Listening to their conversation, I smiled as a memory from the past suddenly came to mind.

‘I wondered if he’d still be like that, and he is.’

Even before, for some reason, Seongjae always seemed to shrink in the presence of Choi Yongjin. It was so strange that everyone had asked him about it once.

The reason was quite a sight.

‘Sigh, seriously. I don’t want to be like this, but I can’t help it because I keep thinking of my old Company Commander.’

From what I heard, he had been a notorious troublemaker in his unit. He had even tried to take apart tanks or illegally modify firearms.

Naturally, he had spent plenty of time in the stockade… it was almost a miracle he hadn’t ended up in prison. Behind him was a Company Commander who had constantly covered for his mistakes.

Apparently, every time he saw Choi Yongjin, it reminded him of that. I also happened to overhear a conversation the two of them had later.

‘Ah, that Senior Officer? He was a truly great person. He was one of my role models. He served near our unit, but he passed away after being isolated during a Monster raid.’

Judging by the darkened expression on his face.

It seemed he had been quite close with Choi Yongjin as well.

Of course, I didn’t tactlessly pry further… but I later learned that his death was the catalyst that drove Choi Yongjin to attempt a reckless escape.

Of course, Seongjae’s Company Commander and Choi Yongjin walked different paths.

For example… since Choi Yongjin was in a much freer environment, he actively encouraged Seongjae’s extreme modifications.

The motorcycle was a case in point.

As Adamantite had begun to be mined in the second Dungeon, there was a small amount of surplus stock. I had given Seongjae permission to use it as he saw fit.

Since he was the one creating the alloys in the furnace anyway, I was confident he would handle it well.

When Choi Yongjin arrived this time, Seongjae wrapped the lead riders’ motorcycles in Adamantite like armor, while using Mithril Alloy on the inside to reduce the increased weight.

He had turned them into formidable combat weapons.

But his modifications didn’t stop there.

Having heard that the riders fighting on the front lines would be equipped with Magitech Armor, he replaced the bolt carrier group of the existing K2 rifles with custom-made parts, allowing them to fire by utilizing the armor’s Explosion Ability.

They were superior versions of the previous gear—far more accurate, with a faster rate of fire and higher muzzle velocity.

Perhaps inspired by this, he even mentioned that he wanted to try building a gun from scratch next time… I truly looked forward to the future.

On the other hand, there was a suggestion to replace the internal combustion of the motorcycle engines with the power of the ability, but that was put on hold for now.

The general consensus was that it would be difficult for the time being, as the entire engine body would need to be redesigned from the ground up to create an efficient engine, specifically regarding the timing of the cylinder explosions.

‘I should talk to the people from Seoul National University about this.’

That was Seongjae’s conclusion.

Although they were technically under my influence, the distance meant they had inevitably been neglected.

However, since Minju arrived, the exchange of materials became much easier, and it felt as though the practical distance had closed.

Thanks to that, the bond with their faction was strengthening, and active discussions were underway to build Mana Facilities and City Walls at Seoul National University, just as I had done in Bucheon.

In other words, it was only a matter of time.

Therefore, until research progress was made with them, the motorcycle unit decided to continue operating using fuel as they had been.

While there were some output issues due to the increased weight, the impact force was outstanding, so there were no problems.

Additionally, while ordering the highway patrols, I handed over the authority for six Assault Cannons to Choi Yongjin to guarantee his operational command.

He had been quite fond of Assault Cannons in his previous life, as they were the best firepower support machines capable of keeping up with fast-moving motorcycles.

Thanks to his mobility, my influence was expanding rapidly even with a similar number of troops.

This was crucial.

For instance, I began properly raiding Siheung Ansan—a place where, due to the distance, I had previously only removed the Nest without fully securing the resources.

Perhaps because it was a place where survivors had been wiped out and only Monsters remained, it was a goldmine. This provided the background that allowed me to absorb a large number of survivors into the group without burden.

‘Anyway, once the crops start coming out in earnest, it’s an advantage to have more people regardless.’

Thanks to the Decay Ability User I had secured previously, there was so much compost that it was literally rotting away. Consequently, crops were growing vigorously inside the first Dungeon, where the weather was mild.

Since I had strengthened the Nest Mana Stones in advance to make resource transport much easier, there shouldn’t be any major issues after the harvest.

‘Then the problem is… this.’

I thought deeply while looking at the Artifact in my hand.

Tenos’s Spear.

It was an item whose use had been temporarily suspended after I dismissed the Mountain Cavalry.

‘Is it about time… to use this as a medium to summon a Special Entity?’

It wasn’t just Monsters that had Special Entities.

As long as I had an Artifact, I could summon them too.

‘I can’t stay tied down to someone like Choi Seunghwan forever.’

Especially since the National Army had begun to collapse.

A massive wave of Monsters was expected to swarm from the Siberian Front soon. Before that, I had to solidify my power as much as possible and secure influence quickly, even if it meant pushing too hard.

‘And the best way to do that… is to take Seoul.’

I needed to clear Incheon quickly and secure the survivors in Seoul.

And… there was a specific unit best suited for a war of speed.

‘One-Horned Dragon. I choose you.’

I grinned.

* * *

Meanwhile, Choi Seunghwan in Incheon was feeling confused as he sensed the Monsters under his command.

“W-why is this happening?”

He couldn’t understand it.

To stop people from gradually leaving, he had ordered the Monster hordes to block the main roads.

However, without even a proper report.

They were, quite literally, deleted.

At first, he suspected there might have been an error in his Monster command ability. But he soon realized.

“No, that’s impossible. Is this that bastard’s doing again?”

His expression twisted hideously.

“Nothing ever works because of that guy!”

He shouted at the top of his lungs alone for a while.

Then, calming down slightly, he analyzed the situation.

‘This won’t do…’

He was in a dilemma.

He had been using the Monsters as a tool to eliminate competitors in Incheon. In this new world, being killed by Monsters was supposed to be a daily occurrence, so there shouldn’t have been a big problem.

But everything changed when a castle appeared in Geumhwa New City.

A point of comparison had emerged.

That alone caused his political standing to shrink, and the promotion posted on Apoin was the final blow.

Since Incheon was close, most people took this opportunity to head toward Geumhwa New City. Those who remained were either preparing to leave or were Marauders who couldn’t leave in the first place.

Since Choi Seunghwan grew stronger the more corpses there were, the fact that the people of Incheon (easily obtainable corpses) were leaving in this manner was the worst-case scenario for him.

‘It can’t be helped…’

Sensing a situation that could never be solved with Monsters… Choi Seunghwan made up his mind. He had to use another method.

‘I didn’t want to use this yet… but this is all I have left.’

Whoosh—

He drew out a sinister mana.

He began to activate another of his assets.

* * *

At the same time.

I hummed a tune as I accelerated the summoning of the One-Horned Dragon.

‘The main body should mostly be Mithril…’

The wings were particularly important.

If they were too rigid, they might snap while swinging during flight. This was especially true since the One-Horned Dragon exerted immense power.

However, they couldn’t be too flexible, so I decided to make the internal skeleton partially out of Adamantite Alloy. This was a natural choice considering the overwhelming impact force the creature would endure.

‘And… the most important part, the horn.’

This was already decided.

I took out Tenos’s Spear and summoned my mana.

Whoosh—

“Urgh.”

The Artifact resisted my will.

The mana repulsion was severe.

But since I knew for certain that this was possible, there was no way I would give up easily.

In particular, my mana had grown tremendously, allowing me to easily control most Artifacts.

Vrrrrm—

As I pushed my mana in strongly once more.

“Bend.”

The spear began to waver and change according to my will.

“Good.”

I grinned.

Using that spear as the base, I began to complete the One-Horned Dragon.

Boom—

And the moment the summoning was complete—

“Mr. Siwoo!”

I heard Minju’s panicked voice.

“Yes?”

“T-that, that! Suddenly, z-zombies appeared!”

For a moment, the genre of the Apocalypse had shifted.

* * *

Grrrr—

Step by step. Zombies began to tighten the front line alongside the Monsters. Choi Yongjin’s mobile strike force was doing their best to stop the creatures coming from the direction of Incheon.

“Company Commander! They won’t die no matter how many rounds we fire!”

“Dammit, what kind of things are these?! Try shooting them in the head!”

“Corporal Park, over there—!”

“Hey, Private Kim, too close! Increase the distance!”

Although the Volunteer Knights unleashed tremendous firepower.

The zombies were unbelievably durable.

“What kind of endurance is this!”

“Company Commander! I guess movies are just movies!”

“Even so, we can’t let them approach the castle. Just keep firing!”

Zombies in movies usually died when hit in the head. But these were zombies brought forth by Choi Seunghwan’s ability.

In other words, since there was a separate main body controlling them, the head had no relevance to their movement. Thus, they only stopped moving after their entire bodies were crushed.

Choi Yongjin controlled the front line by using the Assault Cannons he had been granted authority over at the right moments. He was slowly buying time while ensuring the safety of his subordinates. It was exactly as I had instructed.

‘Choi Yongjin… you really haven’t changed since your previous life.’

I trusted him.

‘I’m counting on you, Choi Yongjin.’

While leaving the front line to him.

I stepped out with Minju.

“Ms. Minju. Have you been to Incheon?”

“Um… I’ve been to Incheon International Airport, but I’ve never been to Incheon city.”

“Then you must have crossed the Yeongjong Bridge?”

“That big bridge? Yes, I’ve been there.”

“Let’s go there with her.”

I pointed to the One-Horned Dragon and grinned.

“Um, I’ll give it a try.”

I checked that there were no people near the starting point. Using the Observation Probe, I checked the destination once more and specified the exact location for her.

Swoosh— Zap!

Just like that, we became a tiny dot.

* * *

A few seconds later, Yeongjong Bridge.

“Huff. Huff.”

Minju breathed heavily, her face pale.

Because the One-Horned Dragon’s mass was so great, it seemed she had consumed a massive amount of mana to move it. However, rather than worrying about her, I had something to do immediately.

‘Let’s see…’

Using the mana lens of the Observation Probe, I examined the front line where Choi Yongjin was fighting. Specifically, the zombies. And I detected thin threads of mana leaking from those zombies.

‘Found them.’

Choi Seunghwan’s ability was like a type of puppetry.

He used threads of mana from a distance to control corpses. In other words… if I followed those threads, I could find the main body.

Following the threads, I pinpointed Choi Seunghwan’s location.

“One-Horned Dragon. Launch.”

I gave the order to the One-Horned Dragon.

KABOOM!

The One-Horned Dragon launched with such immense power that the giant bridge felt as if it were slightly swaying.

I led the creature toward the place indicated by the mana threads.

Whoosh— Whoosh— BANG!

With just two flaps of its wings, the One-Horned Dragon broke the sound barrier and created a sonic boom. Truly, it was nothing less than a speed-type Special Entity.

‘At this rate, I’ll arrive in an instant.’

I grinned, confirming the performance of the new unit.

There were Harpies around, but they had no time to react to the One-Horned Dragon. Not only because of the speed, but because it was an ambush from the rear, which they could not have predicted.

I examined the destination in detail once more.

‘He’s still in an apartment.’

It was around the 10th floor of a typical apartment building.

‘Doesn’t matter. Keep going.’

There was no way something like that could stop the One-Horned Dragon.

‘Attack.’

As I gave the order.

T-KABOOM!

The One-Horned Dragon shifted direction instantly in mid-air—

KRAAASH—!

And punched a massive hole right through the center of the apartment.

“Gwaaaaaah!”

Choi Seunghwan, with the horn driven through his heart, began to scream.