Chapter 53 – Landmark

The One-Horned Dragon’s impact didn’t end with a single hit.

Kwaaaaaang-!

After piercing through the apartment and slamming into Choi Seunghwan—

Ku-huuuuung-!

It didn’t lose its momentum, plowing straight through.

It carved a massive crater into the apartment complex’s parking lot.

“Kueheeeeeeek!”

Choi Seunghwan screamed.

Never had he regretted becoming a Villain more than at that moment.

Despite having scraped together a considerable amount of Mana, the impact was enough to shatter every bone in his body. Some of his limbs, unable to withstand those two impacts, snapped like twigs and were flung far away.

This was a level of pain that no human could ever experience.

Nevertheless, unlike the case with the laser Villain in Daegu, his core seemed to remain intact; he was writhing, attempting to heal himself.

‘Oh. You’re holding up quite well, aren’t you?’

I sneered at him.

‘Well, since your limbs are gone, it’ll be easy to find where the core is.’

A Villain’s tenacious vitality is only effective when facing an opponent of equal standing. Against someone like me, who can pour out overwhelming firepower in an instant, it served only to prolong the agony.

‘Now… where did you hide it…?’

“Kuh-heeeek!”

As the One-Horned Dragon rummaged through his body to find the core, Choi Seunghwan writhed in pain. But he was someone who had abandoned his humanity from the start.

Naturally, there was no mercy.

Those who betrayed their own kind and sided with the Monsters for their own gain were nothing more, and nothing less, than Monsters in human form.

Meanwhile, the people nearby who witnessed the impact had to behold a shocking sight as the dust settled.

“Wha—what is that!”

“A dragon?!”

“Is it a new species of Monster!”

“Is that… is that a machine…?”

First, they were shocked by the appearance of the One-Horned Dragon.

“L-l-look over there!”

“That… that squirming thing!”

“Choi, Choi Seunghwan?! But what happened to his body!”

“N-no way. Choi Seunghwan was a Villain?!”

Then, they were shocked to discover the fact that Choi Seunghwan was a Villain. Meanwhile, I found the core, which he had diligently wrapped in reinforced muscle around his navel.

‘I guess he knows the value of his own life, huh?’

It was simply laughable. It was a moment that made me dislike him even more, but that didn’t mean I had a taste for torture.

I decided to end his suffering quickly.

This wasn’t mercy; it was simply because my time was precious.

‘Finish it.’

As the One-Horned Dragon opened its maw and crushed the core with a crunch, like a nutcracker, Choi Seunghwan’s body went limp.

Seeing this, I ordered the One-Horned Dragon to clean up.

“Retrieve the Mana Stone.”

* * *

As it became public knowledge that Choi Seunghwan, the focal point of the Incheon faction, was a Villain, the self-proclaimed ‘Provisional Government’ began to collapse rapidly.

Along with that, the stabilization of Incheon proceeded smoothly.

While quickly rooting out the Looters who had been destroying the city’s public order, I used contracts to randomly select and investigate survivors residing within Incheon.

In the process, there were Looters who tried to sneak in like rats. However, the citizens who had suffered under them knew their faces best.

In the end, every single one of them was caught.

It might have looked like a simple, ignorant witch hunt, but since I could discern lies through the contract ability, no innocent person suffered.

Furthermore, to win the hearts of the people and stabilize public order, I distributed a certain amount of basic supplies, to the point where we were being described almost as a liberation army.

‘Things worked out well.’

They would undoubtedly be absorbed into my faction before long. This was especially evident in how quickly they were adopting things like Worker Bug Coins.

Kim Mincheol of Bucheon marveled at the sight.

“At this rate, they will blend into the faction very quickly.”

I nodded calmly at his words—

“Indeed.”

And grinned.

* * *

‘Now, the important thing is this Mana Stone…’

I looked at Choi Seunghwan’s Mana Stone.

His ability was Necromancy.

Since I had cut him down before he could grow properly, it wasn’t a very threatening ability this time… but it was different in my previous life.

He was one of the enemies humanity feared most.

Having grown his ability without interference, he began creating undead even from dead Monsters. Later, he was able to wipe out survivor colonies the size of cities through sheer numbers alone.

‘Come to think of it, the situation is reversed this time.’

I smiled.

In my previous life, Choi Seunghwan had been eliminated before I could grow properly. Thus, this was my first time obtaining a Necromancer’s Mana Stone.

‘I wonder what effect this will give…’

Thinking this, I handed Choi Seunghwan’s Mana Stone to the Research Facility with trembling hands.

[Analyzing Essence…]

[Analysis complete.]

[Restoring Forgotten Knowledge of Magitech Civilization. < 1 / 7 >]

“What? This again?”

I was puzzled.

In my previous life, I had captured a Villain with the ability of an Archmage. At that time, I had high expectations for what ability I would receive, but the same message had appeared.

‘It said 1/7 back then, too…’

In other words, it meant that seven pieces of knowledge had to be restored.

‘One would be the Archmage ability… then what are the others?’

I quietly searched my memories, thinking of other candidates who could provide Forgotten Knowledge. Meanwhile, I became curious about something.

‘What happens when I collect all seven?’

Come to think of it, there were still many mysteries regarding my ability. What exactly was the Magitech Civilization, and why on earth was I called the ‘Last Successor’?

‘I wonder if I can get some answers to that…’

I pondered this for a while.

But it wasn’t something I could figure out just by thinking. I came to that conclusion and decided to focus on the task at hand.

* * *

After cleaning up Incheon, I looked at the map and planned.

‘Almost all the cities near the Main Base are sorted out now.’

To the north was Bucheon. To the south were Siheung and Ansan. To the west was Incheon.

All the large cities adjacent to each other had either been incorporated or were in the process of being incorporated. Other than that, to the east, a small mountain range blocked the way, making defense easy, like a breakwater.

Furthermore, Gimpo City to the north of Bucheon seemed to be getting influenced already through trade with Bucheon.

Further up, the massive estuary of the Han River blocked the way, so the entire Incheon area south of the Han River was practically my sphere of influence now.

‘In that case…’

Since the West Sea was naturally to the west of Incheon.

My gaze naturally shifted south and east.

‘First, the south isn’t fully sorted yet.’

Although I had cleared the Monsters and looted the supplies, the incorporation of Siheung and Ansan wasn’t completely finished. It was because the population residing there was too small, as it had been occupied by Monsters in the first place.

‘Then, is it this way after all?’

I looked east this time.

There was a city whose movements I had been monitoring.

‘Gwangmyeong City.’

The entrance and exit to Seoul.

In a sense, it was a kind of gateway.

To incorporate Seoul, where a quarter of the Republic of Korea’s population lived, into my faction, I had to occupy Gwangmyeong City first.

In particular, it would open the road to Seoul National University, which had been difficult to influence because it was far from my sphere of control. I could then accelerate research and development in earnest to drastically improve the quality of life.

The problem was the faction controlling Gwangmyeong City.

‘Is it Lee Doyul…?’

I searched my memory for a moment.

He was the leader of a Marauder faction.

Using the fact that his base was at the entrance to Seoul, he collected massive taxes from peddlers entering and leaving Seoul.

While diverting attention from Seoul, where strong factions were bickering, he occupied the highway and went on expedition raids to distant places using cars…

He was a villain who encompassed the entire surrounding region.

Known as the [Mechanized Marauder Legion].

‘Come to think of it, the Merchant Alliance subtly asked me to deal with them, didn’t they…?’

Apparently, it was causing great disruption to trade with Seoul. Not only were the peddlers being attacked, but they were also demanding substantial tolls.

If I removed them, I could provide even more help to the Merchant Alliance, and it would open a path for more proper cooperation with them.

‘Perhaps economic incorporation might even be possible.’

Since they already used Worker Bugs as currency, they probably didn’t think poorly of it internally. In a world like this, combat power is always helpful.

Once I organized my thoughts, I realized that the benefits of taking Gwangmyeong City would be more than just one or two.

‘Shall I take a look?’

I immediately checked the Observation Probe.

* * *

Gwangmyeong City viewed from the air.

As the Apocalypse progressed, roads were generally blocked by abandoned cars, but the area around Gwangmyeong City was different.

‘Well, they are guys who primarily operate cars.’

The abandoned cars on the road had been neatly cleared to one side. Judging by the scratch marks on the ground, it seemed they had simply pushed them aside with bulldozers or something similar.

Shifting my gaze, I found the outlet complex where they had set up camp. It seemed they were using the outlet’s supplies as a base and the wide parking lot as a hangar.

‘What is their level of armament?’

While I was at it, I decided to scan their hangar.

Tiririri—

As I spied on the indoor parking lot with the Observation Probe—

‘Oho.’

I saw trucks, SUVs, and even luxury sedans that had been heavily modified with welded steel spikes and plating. It seemed they had armed vehicles with high power that could withstand the increasing weight.

‘Certainly, at this level… it would be quite effective against Monsters or ordinary survivors.’

In particular, many cars were decorated with human bones or Monster heads hanging from them. This was clearly a device to intimidate ordinary survivors.

Of course, none of that applied to me.

‘I should deal with them quickly.’

It just gave me one more reason to eliminate them.

* * *

While I was busy planning the operation to deal with Lee Doyul of Gwangmyeong.

There was significant progress in the stability within my faction. The biggest reason for this was that Seongjae’s steam train had begun running on Line 1.

Although the expansion of the faction wasn’t finished, and it only traveled between Incheon, Bucheon, and my castle.

Thanks to that, a certain amount of population was gradually flowing into Incheon, which had regained its public order. Most of them were refugees who had been camping outside my castle.

Funny enough, some of them even went sightseeing—

“Wow, look at that!”

“They’ve made wind holes all through the apartment.”

“Mom! A donut building!”

It was the apartment my One-Horned Dragon had pierced through.

That hole-riddled apartment, as a symbol of my power and authority…

Had become some kind of ‘landmark.’

‘Sightseeing in the Apocalypse.’

Watching this through the Observation Probe, I couldn’t suppress a smirk. But on the other hand, I felt that everything was moving in the right direction.

* * *

Around the same time.

At the outlet in Gwangmyeong City, a man was looking at a map and talking to his adjutant. The adjutant reported in a serious voice to the man who was puffing on a cigarette.

“I hear that even Incheon has fallen into his hands.”

“My… I didn’t think he’d grow his faction so quickly.”

“He is dangerous. This time, we must form an alliance.”

“What did the guys we contacted last time say?”

“They said they would consider it positively.”

“How much fuel is left?”

“Enough for two or three blitzkriegs.”

“Right.”

Lee Doyul nodded as if satisfied. Standing beside him, the scrawny man assisting him asked cautiously after seeing his expression.

“Um, Boss… what exactly are you planning to do…?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Lee Doyul placed a thick finger on the map.

“March to his castle… and seize the fuel.”

His finger was… over Geumhwa New City.

* * *

[Observation Probe (Unit 91): Requesting confirmation.]

An Observation Probe notification echoed in my mind.

‘Unit 91?’

It was the probe monitoring the movements in Gwangmyeong City.

‘What’s happening?’

I tilted my head and switched the screen to check. Numerous cars were leaving the outlet and gathering on a large scale.

‘Are they going to attack somewhere?’

Thinking it was a good opportunity to check their strength, I decided to watch them.

However… the moment they entered the highway through the IC and began moving in a set direction.

I accurately noticed their intention.

‘Oho. So that’s how you want to play it?’

They were attempting a preemptive strike.

And against my faction, no less.

‘Perfect timing.’

I grinned. Since our thoughts aligned, it was clear that things would proceed quickly without the need for complex thinking.

Of course, in the direction I wanted.