Chapter 60 – The Opponent Is Poor

In 2005, while the Yeouido Transfer Center was under construction.

An underground bunker was accidentally discovered beneath it.

This underground bunker, known as the “Yeouido Secret Bunker,” was said to have traces of being maintained until the 1980s.

Currently, it is open to the general public and used for tourism purposes, such as an art gallery.

However… contrary to the widely known facts.

There was more than one underground bunker in Yeouido.

There existed another top-secret nuclear fallout shelter, one that is still actually in use today to provide protection from attacks by North Korea and other threats in case of emergency.

It was perhaps only natural. Yeouido was one of the core areas of the Republic of Korea, housing the National Assembly Building and other key institutions.

And today, with the Apocalypse currently in progress.

Inside that nuclear fallout shelter, members of the National Assembly from both ruling and opposition parties were stationed.

It was a luxurious bunker, to the extent that every single Assemblyman had their own private quarters, but for some reason, the atmosphere was not great.

In particular, many people looked gaunt, as if they hadn’t been eating properly. Consequently, many were on edge.

That wasn’t all.

The inside of the shelter was chilly. Being underground, the temperature didn’t drop as sharply as it did on the surface, but this winter was exceptionally cold.

There was no way it wouldn’t have an adverse effect.

As a result, the Assemblymen were gathered in the conference room in the center of the shelter rather than in their cold private quarters. They were trying to warm each other with the heat of human bodies.

Still, electricity seemed to be running, as a few fluorescent lights on the conference room ceiling were lit at irregular intervals.

In the middle of that conference room, an Assemblyman wrapped in a blanket to ward off the cold asked the Assemblyman next to him.

“Come to think of it, what happened to that fellow in Incheon?”

“Goodness, Assemblyman Park. Why is your information so delayed?”

“Stop being sarcastic and just tell me already.”

“He’s been dead for over two months. There’s a limit to how incompetent one can be; what on earth are your aides doing, Assemblyman Park?”

“Must be nice to have such capable aides.”

Feeling embarrassed, Assemblyman Park grumbled.

Meanwhile, Assemblyman Kim, who had been rebuking him with a mix of informal and formal speech, narrowed his eyes and asked back.

“But why are you asking about him now?”

“Well, Incheon is close to Geumhwa. I thought he might be able to keep that Lord person in check.”

“Oh, Assemblyman Park… you frustrating man. Even if he were alive, that guy was claiming to lead a provisional government of the Republic of Korea. If he had grown any more powerful, he might have been more dangerous to us than the Lord!”

It was just as Assemblyman Kim raised his voice.

“Hey, lower your voice!”

“Ah, honestly, Assemblyman Kim, you might not have food, but your voice is as loud as ever. Do you have some food hidden away somewhere?”

People from the opposing party, located on the other side of the conference room, responded even louder.

It was while they were engaging in their occupational habit of political maneuvering.

Clunk—! Screeeech!

The heavy iron door of the bunker began to open.

“Looks like someone’s back.”

“Who is it?”

“Did something happen?”

At that moment, a sense of urgent tension swept through the conference room.

Unless it was a truly important matter, it was rare for people to enter or leave from the outside.

As if their expectations were correct—

“A-Assemblyman Kim!”

A man of sturdy build was walking quickly toward the conference room, carefully carrying something in both hands.

It was his Chief Aide, the reason why Assemblyman Kim was relatively well-informed about the outside situation. He had a bright expression on his face.

“I—I’ve finally obtained it!”

“Oh! Really!”

Assemblyman Kim’s expression brightened along with him.

With eyes full of anticipation, Assemblyman Kim looked at the cloth bundle the Chief Aide was holding with great interest.

“Assemblyman Kim, what on earth is it?”

“I don’t know what it is, but let’s see it quickly.”

With people crowding around and pestering him, Assemblyman Kim pointed to the bundle with an expression that showed he could no longer contain his curiosity.

“Now, let’s have a look!”

The Chief Aide nodded with a solemn expression.

Slowly and very carefully, he began to unfold the cloth.

“Ding?”

Inside, a Worker Bug was squirming.

* * *

“Hey, Aide. So, what did you say its name was?”

“It’s, uh, called a Worker Bug.”

“Is it a new species of Monster?”

Everyone looked at Assemblyman Park with expressions of frustration.

“I mean, how can Assemblyman Park not even know about Worker Bugs?”

“There’s a limit to how much one can not know… tsk.”

“It’s possible not to know such a thing.”

“This is something you MUST know!”

Under everyone’s reprimand, Assemblyman Park hung his head low.

Meanwhile, the other Assemblymen began to question Assemblyman Kim.

“A genuine Worker Bug… how much did it cost?”

“I spent 1,211 Worker Bug Coins.”

“1,211? Didn’t they say it was originally one for every 100?”

“I—well, how old is that information!”

Assemblyman Kim shook his head.

“It’s been quite a while since they started using a floating exchange rate based on demand. Moreover, since new functions were added recently, supply cannot keep up with demand.”

“But 1,211… so how many ten-thousand won is that?”

A question that seemed far too out of touch with the times. The other Assemblymen looked at Assemblyman Park as if he were suffocating them with his ignorance.

“To think a guy like this was a member of the National Assembly….”

“Truly the end of days….”

“I said, how much is it!”

Feeling embarrassed, Assemblyman Park shouted.

Perhaps out of some lingering loyalty since they were in the same party, Assemblyman Kim began to explain kindly, despite the irritation in his voice.

“Goodness, Assemblyman Park. I’ll tell you once, so listen carefully. With 3 Worker Bug Coins, you can buy at least 2 combat rations.”

“What?!”

“In other words, this one bug is worth far more than eight hundred combat rations. And that’s in a world like today’s. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Upon hearing the price, the look in Assemblyman Park’s eyes changed.

“T-this thing, what on earth is it that makes it so….”

“’This thing’?”

Assemblyman Kim looked at Assemblyman Park with frustration.

“Then how about this? Even if you pay eight hundred combat rations to bring one of these things in, you have to give it back after a month. Once the contract time ends, this fellow stops listening and just goes back on its own!”

“What kind of absurd condition is that… couldn’t you just lock it up?”

“Its biting strength is so monstrous that it rips through almost any door latch. And I heard that if it’s truly stuck, it self-destructs.”

“S-self-destruct?!”

This time, Assemblyman Park looked at the Worker Bug with fear in his eyes.

“Does it have a b-bomb inside?”

“Well… they say it’s safe. Probably.”

This time, Assemblyman Kim also looked uncertain.

“So why on earth is it so expensive?”

Assemblyman Kim shook his head in frustration.

“Assemblyman Park, this isn’t the Assembly; our lives are on the line, so please stop dozing off and listen this time.”

“W-who said I was dozing off!”

“Because news of you nodding off is on TV every day, and those opposition bastards are always mocking—ah, never mind. Just listen carefully.”

Assemblyman Kim began to explain slowly.

“This thing, you see, can spew lava. So, it can be used as a substitute for concrete. Do you get it?”

“A substitute for concrete?”

“Since you’re always cozying up to construction companies, Assemblyman Park, you’ll know exactly how amazing that is, right?”

“Now, Assemblyman Kim!”

Assemblyman Kim ignored Assemblyman Park’s protest and continued his explanation.

“But that’s not all. There’s another function that was added recently.”

“W-what is it?”

“Plants tended by this fellow grow incredibly fast. With just one of these, you can harvest things like potatoes, rice, sweet potatoes, and beans in as little as two weeks.”

“T-two weeks?!”

“Yes. That means even if you pay eight hundred combat rations, you can produce enough food to make it worth it. Plus, it produces concrete, handles chores—there’s really nothing it can’t do.”

“By chores, you mean what, like what?”

“At the very least, it could probably clean your room.”

Just how dirty was Assemblyman Park’s room… At Assemblyman Kim’s explanation, Assemblyman Park began to look at the Worker Bug with an expression of awe.

“C-certainly… if that’s the case, it would be valuable.”

“Well, as long as you realize it now. Even to those opposition bastards—.”

It was just as Assemblyman Kim was about to speak.

“But, Assemblyman Kim. By any chance….”

Assemblyman Park began to ask with a serious expression.

“What.”

“By any chance… do you know how many of these CEO Gwak has?”

Assemblyman Park began to speak in a lowered voice.

“CEO Gwak Sangyong… I’ve heard rumors that he always keeps about 20 of them on hand.”

“Hmm… that Gwak Sangyong.”

Assemblyman Park began to ponder quietly.

Gwak Sangyong was a third-generation chaebol who had a firm grip on the Jamsil area.

Not just capital, but a massive amount of physical assets.

And an executive team consisting of the best talents in the country.

Since he had already possessed much, Gwak Sangyong had now succeeded in accumulating national power on the level of a city-state.

Hearing that even such a man only secured 20 Worker Bugs, Assemblyman Park looked at the Worker Bug with greedy eyes.

“Is there any way to get more of these?”

* * *

Meanwhile, I was adjusting the values while looking at the Small Production Facility.

[Repeat Production Order: Worker Bug]

[Materials Used: Adamantite, Mithril Alloy, Steel, Aluminum, Rubber, and 4 others]

[Target Population: 1,100]

Looking at the figure of 1,100 Worker Bugs, I thought.

“Worker Bugs are a bit scarce lately….”

Even though the price had surged as Worker Bug Coins became active nationwide, Worker Bugs were always consistently in short supply.

Demand could not keep up with supply.

This was especially true after completing the [Worker Bug: Rapid Plant Growth Research]. Even though I had drastically increased the number of Worker Bugs to 1,100 to try and keep up.

“Let’s increase them more for now.”

[Target Population: 1,100 → 1,300]

Fortunately, since the Worker Bug is small, it didn’t put a great burden on my Mana. However, the production facility responsible for producing and maintaining such a massive quantity was under some strain.

“Should I start building a Worker Bug Specialized Production Facility soon…?”

I had originally intended to postpone it a bit longer, but given how things were unfolding, it was a genuine concern.

After all, Ability Users with plant growth abilities are few and far between worldwide. Even then, they generally have foul personalities and many limitations to their abilities.

It wasn’t for nothing that I had struggled with food in my previous life. Moreover, as far as I knew, it was an ability completely absent in Korea.

However, by securing Plant Essence and allowing Worker Bugs to do the job—and do it much better—the value of the Worker Bug and the value of Worker Bug Coins had skyrocketed.

Therefore, a production facility specialized for Worker Bugs would undoubtedly be a worthwhile investment.

However, even if I expanded, it wouldn’t be right now.

Currently, I am already in a state of Mana Deficit.

The lacking Mana was being covered by the massive amount of Mana Stones flowing into the castle from all over the country.

This was possible thanks to the financial power of Worker Bug Coins, whose value was increasing day by day.

‘I’m already overwhelmed with just this.’

I grinned as I looked at the four Super-Large Production Facilities, which were frantically assembling parts for the [Aerial Mothership]—the very cause of my Mana shortage.

Naturally, the [Anti-Gravity Field Staff] was positioned at the center of it all.