Chapter 53 – Landmark

Chapter 53 – Landmark

The One-Horned Dragon’s impact wasn’t a one-time event.

KWA-AAAAAANG!

The One-Horned Dragon, having pierced through the apartment and struck Choi Seunghwan-

KUUUU-HUUUUNG!

It passed straight through the man, without losing its momentum.

It created a large crater in the apartment complex’s parking lot.

“Kkheo-eoreok!”

Choi Seunghwan screamed.

He had never regretted becoming a villain as much as he did at that moment.

Even though he had gathered a considerable amount of mana, the impact was enough to shatter all his bones. Some of his limbs couldn’t withstand the two impacts and snapped like branches, flying off far away.

This was a pain that no human could ever experience.

Despite that, unlike the laser villain in Daegu, his core seemed intact, and he was struggling to heal himself.

‘Oh. You’re quite resilient, even for a villain.’

I scoffed at him.

‘Well, with his limbs blown off, it’ll be easy to find where his core is.’

A villain’s tenacious life force is only effective when facing an opponent of similar power. Against an opponent like me, who can instantly unleash overwhelming firepower, it merely prolonged his suffering.

‘Now… where did he hide it…?’

“Kkheo-eoreok!”

As the One-Horned Dragon searched his body for his core, Choi Seunghwan writhed in pain. But he was someone who had already given up on being human.

There was, of course, no mercy.

Those who abandoned their own kind and sided with monsters for their own benefit were nothing more or less than monsters in human form.

Meanwhile, the people nearby who witnessed the impact had to behold an astonishing sight once the dust settled.

“W-what is that!”

“A dragon?!”

“Is it a new kind of monster?!”

“Is that… a machine, perhaps…?”

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

“Look, look over there!”

“That… that wriggling thing!”

“Ch-Choi Seunghwan?! But what’s wrong with his body!”

“Im… Impossible. Choi Seunghwan was a villain?!”

They were also surprised to learn that Choi Seunghwan was a villain. Meanwhile, I found the core diligently wrapped in reinforced muscle around his navel.

‘Looks like he knows his life is precious, huh?’

It was just ridiculous. It was a moment when I disliked him even more, but I didn’t have a taste for torture.

I decided to end his suffering quickly.

This wasn’t mercy; it was simply because I didn’t want to waste time.

‘Finish it.’

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

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

“Retrieve the Mana Stone.”

* * *

As it became known to the world that Choi Seunghwan, the central figure of the Incheon faction, was a villain, the self-proclaimed ‘Provisional Government’ quickly began to collapse.

With that, the stabilization of Incheon also proceeded rapidly.

While quickly expelling the looters who were destroying the city’s public order, we also randomly selected and investigated survivors residing in Incheon using contracts.

There were also looters trying to sneak in like rats, but the citizens who had been suffering from them knew their faces best.

In the end, all of them were caught without exception.

It might have seemed like a simple, ignorant witch hunt, but since we could discern lies with the Contract Ability, no innocent person was harmed at all.

And to win public favor and stabilize public order, we even distributed basic resources, so we were almost being described as a liberation army.

It worked out well.

The Men would undoubtedly soon join my subordinate forces. This was especially clear from how quickly they accepted the Worker Bug Coin.

Kim Mincheol of Bucheon admired this sight.

“At this rate, they’ll quickly integrate into the faction.”

I nodded calmly at his words and-

“Indeed.”

I grinned.

***

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

I looked at Choi Seunghwan’s Mana Stone.

His ability was Necromancy.

This time, I cut him down before he could properly develop, so his ability wasn’t very threatening… but it was different in the Previous Life.

He was one of the enemies Humanity feared the most.

Having developed his abilities without restraint, he began to create undead from dead monsters. Later, he could even wipe out city-sized groups of survivors with just that amount of mana.

‘Come to think of it, the situation is reversed this time, isn’t it?’

I smiled.

In the Previous Life, Choi Seunghwan had been eliminated before I could properly develop. That’s why this was my first time encountering a Necromancer’s Mana Stone.

‘What kind of effect will this give me…?’

Thinking that, 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 the Previous Life, I once captured a Villain with Archmage abilities. I had high expectations for what ability I would receive then, but the same thing appeared.

‘It also showed 1/7 back then… ‘

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

‘One would be the Archmage’s ability… What about the rest?’

I quietly searched my memories, thinking of other candidates that could provide Forgotten Knowledge. Meanwhile, there was something else I was curious about.

‘What happens if I collect all seven?’

Come to think of it, there were still many mysteries about my abilities. What kind of place was the Magitech Civilization, and why was I called the ‘Last Successor’ of Fire Manipulation?

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

I pondered for a long time like that.

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

* * *

After taking care of Incheon, I looked at the map and made a plan.

‘Most of the cities near the Main Base are almost taken care of now.’

Bucheon to the north. Siheung Ansan to the south. Incheon to the west.

All the large, adjacent cities were either incorporated or in the process of being incorporated. In addition, to the east, a small mountain range blocked the way, making defense easy like a breakwater.

Furthermore, Gimpo City, north of Bucheon, seemed to be already influenced by trading with Bucheon.

Even further north, the massive Han River Estuary blocked the way, so the Incheon area south of the Han River was now virtually entirely under My Faction’s control.

‘If that’s the case…’

To the west of Incheon, of course, was the West Sea.

Naturally, my gaze turned to the south and east.

‘First, the south isn’t finished yet.’

Although the Monsters were cleared and even the Water was drained, the incorporation of Siheung Ansan was not perfectly complete. This was because it was originally occupied by Monsters, so the resident population was too small.

‘Then, it must be this way.’

This time, I looked to the east.

There was a city there whose trends I had been observing for some time.

‘It’s Gwangmyeong City.’

The entrance and exit to Seoul.

It was a kind of gateway, so to speak.

From my faction’s perspective, to incorporate Seoul, where a quarter of the Republic of Korea’s population lives, into my faction, Gwangmyeong City had to be occupied first.

In particular, it opened the way to Seoul National University, which was far from my faction’s influence and difficult to exert control over. This would allow for a full-scale acceleration of research and development, greatly improving the quality of life.

The problem was the force controlling Gwangmyeong City.

‘Is it Lee Doyul…?’

I briefly searched my memory.

The man was the leader of the Marauder faction.

Using the fact that their base was at the entrance of Seoul, they collected exorbitant taxes from merchants entering and exiting Seoul.

They also turned their attention away from Seoul, where powerful factions were squabbling, and occupied the highway to go on expeditions and raids far away by car…

He was a villain who encompassed the entire surrounding area.

In other words, it was the [Mechanized Marauder Legion].

‘If it’s him, didn’t the Merchant Alliance subtly ask me to deal with these guys…?’

It seemed to be causing significant disruption to trade with Seoul. Not only were merchants being attacked, but they were also demanding a considerable amount in tolls even without that.

Eliminating them would not only further strengthen the Merchant Alliance but also open the way for more proper cooperation with them.

‘Perhaps economic integration might even be possible.’

Since they already use Worker Bugs as currency, they probably wouldn’t think it’s a bad idea deep down. In a world like this, combat power is always helpful.

Once I organized my thoughts, I realized that there would be countless benefits to be gained through Gwangmyeong City.

‘Should I take a look?’

I immediately checked the Observation Probe.

* * *

Gwangmyeong City, viewed from above.

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

‘Aren’t these guys primarily operating cars?’

The abandoned cars on the road were neatly pushed to one side. Judging by the scratch marks on the ground, it seemed they had simply bulldozed them away with something like a bulldozer.

I turned my gaze and found the outlet complex where the men were camped. It seemed they were using the large parking lot of the outlet as a hangar, based on the ‘water’ aspect of the outlet.

‘What level are their armaments?’

Since I was already doing it, I decided to take a look at their hangar as well.

Tiriririri-

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

‘Oh, really?’

I saw trucks, SUVs, or luxury sedans that had been heavily modified by welding steel spikes and deck plates. It seemed they had armed mostly powerful cars that could withstand the increased weight.

‘Certainly, this much… it would be effective enough against monsters or ordinary survivors, wouldn’t it?’

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

As for the water, none of it applied to me.

‘I need to deal with this quickly.’

It simply gave me one more reason to eliminate the men.

***

While I was busy devising a plan to deal with Lee Doyul of Gwangmyeong.

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

Although the expansion of territory was not yet complete, it was only going back and forth between Incheon, Bucheon, and my castle.

Thanks to this, a certain number of people were gradually flowing into Incheon, which had regained security. Most of them were refugees who had been camping outside my castle.

Funnily enough, the men even went sightseeing-

“Wow, look at that!”

“They’ve put wind holes all over the apartment.”

“Mom! The donut building!”

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

The apartment with the hole in it had become a symbol of my power and authority…

It had become some kind of ‘landmark.’

‘Sightseeing in the apocalypse, huh?’

Watching the man’s figure through the Observation Probe, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. But on the other hand, I felt like everything was going well.

* * *

Around the same time.

At an 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.

“They say Incheon has also fallen into the Man’s hands.”

“Well… I can’t believe he expanded his power so quickly.”

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

“What did those guys you contacted last time say?”

“They said they would consider it positively.”

“How much oil is left?”

“Enough for two or three lightning wars.”

“I see.”

Lee Doyul nodded with satisfaction. Standing next to him, the scrawny man who was assisting him, cautiously asked, seeing his expression.

“Boss… What are you planning to do…?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Lee Doyul placed his thick finger on the map.

“Advance to his base… and seize the oil.”

His finger was… over Geumhwa New City.

* * *

[Observation Probe (Unit 91): Confirmation required.]

The Observation Probe notification echoed in my mind.

‘Unit 91?’

It was the Observation Probe watching the situation in Gwangmyeong City.

‘What’s going on?’

I tilted my head and turned the screen to check. Numerous cars were coming out of the outlet and gathering in large numbers.

‘Are they going to attack somewhere?’

Thinking it was a good opportunity to check their power, I decided to watch The Men.

But… the moment The Men entered the Highway via the IC and started moving in a set direction.

I accurately realized their intentions.

‘Oh, really. So you’re going to play it like this?’

They were trying to launch a preemptive strike.

And against My Faction, no less.

‘Perfect timing.’

I grinned. Our thoughts aligned. It was clear things would proceed quickly without the need for complicated thinking.

Of course, in the direction I wanted.