Chapter 70 – Underground City

Chapter 70 – Underground City

I thoroughly read the dungeon information in a private appointment.

“An atmosphere like an underground city…”

It seemed this dungeon had an atmosphere like the ruins of an apocalyptic civilization deep underground.

‘This time, the air will be difficult.’

Since there was a ceiling, it wasn’t an environment where one could freely fly in the sky. Moreover, as it was within a ruined city, there seemed to be many indoor battles within buildings.

Perhaps, like in novels and other media, I thought it might be traces of humans who existed in a different dimension. However, it seemed that was not the case.

The doors were usually over 4 meters, and furniture and other structures were as large as a man… Everyone speculated that it might have been the civilization of a race similar to giants.

I was somewhat intrigued, wondering if it could be a clue to my Magitech Civilization ability, but for now, I decided to focus on combat.

‘Because then I’ll be able to do something… ‘

This time, it was necessary to form forces mainly with ground troops. Since it was also urban warfare, the composition would be a little different from usual.

First, the number of Assault Cannons wasn’t needed that much.

It was obvious that there would be no angle to shoot with indirect fire cannons because of the ceiling, and there wouldn’t be enough distance to utilize the range of direct fire cannons either.

‘If so, using mainly Magitech Armor… ‘

That was also a problem.

Magitech Armor, even the small-class ones, were defensive machines, so they didn’t produce much output. Even the medium-class Assault Cannons already had a huge difference in firepower.

This was not a problem that could be solved even by recruiting the Mountain Breaker Soldiers, who had long been retired.

In other words, ground forces equivalent to or superior to Assault Cannons were needed.

That didn’t mean it was a loss, either.

The number of Aerial Motherships was planned to gradually increase. However, the troops that occupied and maintained the ground were, after all, ground forces.

So, I couldn’t neglect it at all.

Especially when I looked at the Demilitarized Zone, which currently lacked ground troops and could only be cleared, not occupied, it was even more so.

‘What would be good…?’

I started to consider each machine one by one.

The first thing that came to mind was the Colossus.

The Colossus was a Super-Large Class machine with immense defense and attack power.

It was one of the core elements of my combat strength.

But I shook my head right away.

‘Even so, not yet…’

For Super-Large Class, just increasing the Aerial Mothership wasn’t enough.

I couldn’t overdo it just yet.

‘But going with Medium-Class isn’t quite right either…’

For Medium-Class ground forces, the Assault Cannon, the strongest in performance for its price, was sufficient. So, I had only one choice left.

‘I guess I’ll have to go with a Large-Class machine.’

Among Large-Class machines, there were two main useful types.

One was the Gladiator.

It was an upgraded version of the Mountain Breaker Soldier, about 3 meters tall, a machine with a weak body and high speed.

The Gladiator’s biggest feature was that it used a sword and shield; the sword’s attack power was considerable, and the shield was particularly appealing.

It could easily deflect attacks by quickly moving its shield based on its high speed.

This greatly contributed to its overwhelming survivability, combined with its evasion ability, despite the Gladiator’s own durability not being very good.

To use a game analogy, they were like characters that survive with low health but high shield block and evasion rates.

Moreover, if it could just get close, its attack power was also considerable, making it a very attractive machine.

However… it also had many drawbacks.

First, because its resilience was weak, it often had difficulty approaching itself while focusing on defense and evasion. Also, if it was surrounded and couldn’t evade and defend, it would be helpless.

As a result, it often couldn’t properly exert its power when faced with a large number of Monsters.

In other words, there is a limit.

Water, The Man, was trying to overcome the limitations.

[Gladiator: Invisibility research in progress… 16%]

‘I’ll have to leave it alone until the Transparency Upgrade is complete.’

My mind turned to another machine.

If Gladiator showed sophisticated combat……

This other machine was brutality itself, The Man.

Also known as [Breaker].

It was a Large-Class, so it was quite large. It looked like a rhinoceros wearing that armor.

Considering it had three large horns on its face and a large shield covering its body, it looked more like a dinosaur, a Triceratops, than a rhinoceros.

Just like its simple appearance, The Man……

This guy, The Man, had no weaknesses anywhere you looked.

It was just a heavy lump of iron, The Man.

Its intelligence was also low, The Man, so it often couldn’t find its way properly without future upgrades, but……

Its built-in Herd Intelligence compensated for this disadvantage.

The result, The Man, was a so-called ‘Water buffalo herd’. They were iron lumps with legs and horns that overwhelmed enemies with their sheer Water volume.

‘This will be the most suitable this time.’

I grinned.

* * *

Before selecting the Breaker, I decided to add a new Production Facility.

‘Summoning a Large Production Facility.’

Fortunately, after obtaining Aetherium, mana was no longer a major obstacle. This was because I had built a Mana Stone Refinery that consumed vast amounts of Mana Stones.

Water, The Man, was indeed eating away at my finances, but thanks to the Worker Bug Coins, it wasn’t a huge burden. Moreover, I was upgrading mana facilities and other components with Aetherium, so the mana situation was expected to improve further in the future.

In addition, The Man, I was also planning further expansion.

The target, The Man, was not only Seoul National University, but also the entire Southwest Seoul, including Guro, Dongjak, Sadang, and Bangbae.

As a result, Seoul was going to be divided into three parts.

The three were the Marauder Alliance, which controlled the entire Han River Northern Region, Gwak Sangyong, who controlled Gangnam, Jamsil, and Hanam in the eastern part of the Han River South, and I, who controlled the western part of the South.

It was nothing to worry about too much.

‘Mr. Sangyong will join me soon anyway.’

Gwak Sangyong in the east was my former colleague. I knew his exact intentions and what he wanted.

Once we combined forces and dealt with the Looters, we would surely be able to take over Seoul as he intended. Moreover, I probably wouldn’t even need to deal with the Looters myself.

‘It’s almost time for the Civilization Bulldozers to arrive.’

An Invasion was coming that would completely destroy infrastructure with attacks focused on Mountain Fortresses and forever change the face of the earth.

I had to lay the groundwork and build up my power before that.

“With these guys.”

I grinned and operated the Large Production Facility.

[Repeat Production Order: Breaker]

[Materials Used: Adamantite Alloy, Steel, Rubber]

Steel and Adamantite Alloy were enough for the materials. Rubber was only used to reduce wear and noise on the sole’s packing or steel plates.

“Should I produce about 30 units for now, as he did…?”

[Target Quantity: 0 → 30]

This was more than enough.

***

Inside the Underground City.

“Kheeeek. Khehehehek.”

Stroking a Rake Wolf rubbing its belly against a nearby rock…

A colossal being sat on a stone chair.

“This is the end of the world.”

He seemed bored.

It was understandable.

After all, there are only a few beings left who are similar to The Man. No, in a way, only beings similar to The Man survived.

The Man is also like The Man, he is a ‘Villain’.

Because he was a being who abandoned his own kind and underwent Mutantification.

In the distant past.

The Man’s race, who built the brilliant Magitech Civilization.

Soon after, they were attacked by Monsters.

It was around that time that The Man [Approached].

The Man didn’t demand anything.

No coercion, no threats. No persuasion either.

However, The Man knew from the very beginning that he would abandon his own kind and side with the Monsters for what he wanted.

All that was needed was a final confirmation.

The Man naturally agreed, and so he became a Mutant.

Of course, outwardly, no difference could be seen.

But the result was truly remarkable. With his immense power, he was able to achieve the highest position within his own race’s society, which was spiraling into chaos.

And so, The Man enjoyed the highest pleasures.

But… as time went on, the situation worsened.

Behind this, the influence of The Man and other Villains who were high in society but passive in the war against Monsters was significant.

Eventually, The Man’s race was defeated and burrowed underground.

They had lost the sun.

However, unlike their large bodies, these gentle creators once again built a brilliant civilization underground.

The Underground City was built.

But… that brilliance was short-lived.

Because in The Man’s Underground City, which did not perceive the awakening of the Villain’s heart… Villains, including him, were together.

Eventually, The Man, who opened the way for Monsters, handed over everyone else who was not a Villain to the Monsters.

And the Underground City was not an easy place to escape. So, before long, the Monsters won. The Man’s race faced the Apocalypse.

“I didn’t mean for it to turn out like this…”

The Man, therefore, was bored.

It was ironic.

Doesn’t even the strongest ruler need subjects to rule over? Although the Monsters were obedient, a Monster was still a Monster, no matter how you looked at it. It wasn’t fun.

On the other hand, if he were to interact with other Villains, they were also the only ones who could kill each other. And from the beginning, their Castle nature meant they fought to dominate one another.

Eventually, he realized that all of this was meaningless.

In the end, they became alone like that.

“How did it end up like this…?”

It was a shortsighted thought that it wouldn’t matter if he sided with the Monster, as long as he could enjoy immense power.

The Man, who had even considered suicide due to the terrible boredom and loneliness, couldn’t die even after his Mutantification.

This… was nothing short of his own personal hell.

At some point.

Perhaps that was why he felt no great emotion when he learned that the dimension had fragmented and he was trapped in the Underworld.

After all, he had been as good as dead a long time ago.

During that time.

Something unusual happened.

Whooosh- Pop!

Thump!

Thump- Rumble-

Something began to walk through his City.

“What is that sound…?”

For the first time in a long time, The Man’s eyes sparkled with life. As he rose from his stone chair, a thick layer of dust fell away.

Click-

And as he opened the door and stepped out onto the street-

Thump- Rumble- Rumble!

An enormous cloud of dust approached The Man-

CRACKLE!

It pulverized The Man.

“Ughaaahohahaak-aaahahheug-aaak!”

The Man’s scream echoed through the street.

* * *

Meanwhile, I, having formed a Dungeon Expedition Team and entered the Dungeon, discovered something peculiar while examining the Observation Probe.

“Oh, a Mutant?”

It had been a long time.

I immediately started sending a group of Breakers towards The Man.

Thud- Thud-thud-thud-

Heavy chunks of metal were hitting the ground, raising an immense amount of dust. It was even difficult to accurately discern the Breaker’s appearance thanks to The Man’s dust.

And the moment The Man Breaker struck the Mutant-.

CRACKLE!

The Mutant was helplessly defeated.

“What? It’s just big, but pretty weak, isn’t it?”

“Ughaaahohahaak-aaahahheug-aaak!”

It was the moment I scoffed, hearing The Man’s scream echo through the street.

“What in the world are these chunks of metal?”

Apoin’s Translation Function activated.