Chapter 94 – From a Distant Place

Chapter 94 – From a Distant Place

Sua felt conflicted. Unlike last time, Siwoo had said he would go to the Dungeon alone.

‘Why is he going alone this time? Was I a nuisance last time?’

Even without The Man, with the front and back lines being pushed simultaneously at such a breathtaking pace recently, there was no situation where they could enjoy leisure together, so she had secretly hoped she would go with him when he said he was going to the Dungeon.

During the first Dungeon, she received combat training. During the second Dungeon, although they didn’t stay together for long, it was a desert region, so she provided significant help in developing the oasis.

After that, in the third Dungeon, she even stayed with him in an enclosed space and was responsible for water supply… Sua felt as if she had a firm grip on the Dungeons herself.

But now, he felt like doing a Fire Manipulation Kick.

“What do you mean, hold on tight….”

Siwoo went off by himself, far away.

“Whew….”

Sua let out a deep sigh.

It was already quite a lively atmosphere because of the Wedding Flowers.

The reason was this: there was a rumor that the next wedding would be Siwoo’s, and the bride who catches the flowers gets married next.

Connecting these two, it becomes the strange logic of, ‘The person who catches the flowers marries Siwoo?!’

Honestly, when thought about logically, it was a ridiculous rumor, but ignoring it completely felt a little unsettling.

But it was hard to make her feelings clear.

‘Well, even so… I don’t, I don’t like Siwoo-oppa. Right? It’s probably not that.’

It was even more so because she didn’t know exactly what kind of feelings she was experiencing. When she thought about it, Siwoo was the first person she had ever lived so closely with, talked to, and done things together with in this Castle.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t excited, but she couldn’t tell if that excitement was truly because she liked Siwoo, or if it was just ‘normal’ excitement from doing something with someone in this Castle for the first time.

She couldn’t distinguish it.

‘Yes, yes. It won’t be. And, going to the Dungeon isn’t a da-date or anything. Right? It’s work. It’s good not to go to work. Yes, it’s good.’

Sua pondered for a long time, but….

In reality, it wasn’t that complicated.

The only difference was that Siwoo’s abilities had grown tremendously compared to when he last visited the Dungeon.

That was all.

This was because the number of mana facilities had increased, and the available Mana Quantity was rapidly rising.

For example, in the past, he would collapse from Mana Exhaustion after transferring one Aerial Mothership. Now, if he pushed himself a little, he could transfer two at the same time.

So, there was no need to closely monitor the Mana Quantity used as before. He could bring whatever was needed without worrying about Water.

In addition, unlike in the past when he had to wander in the void for a long time, this time he knew the exact location of the Aetherium Production Area, so the time taken was overwhelmingly shorter.

Therefore, he calculated that there was no need to be with Sua.

‘Hmm… he didn’t seem Fire Manipulationuncomfortable last time….’

However, Sua, who didn’t know any of this… was just worrying about what to wear to the wedding and how to manipulate fire, needlessly fretting.

***

Meanwhile, the aerial motherships were accelerating at full speed.

The overwhelming power of the engine split the pink atmosphere of the dungeon. White clouds were widely dispersed.

Whoosh-bang!

At the center of that aerial carrier fleet, a giant whale was struggling to swim, seemingly a bit slower than the aerial mothership in maximum speed.

‘I’m looking forward to it, big brother collector.’

I smiled as I looked out at the whale from the armored transport plane, also located in the center of the fleet.

Besides that, an observation ship and an emitter were also with them.

‘The fleet is slowly becoming complete.’

I thought as I looked at its magnificent appearance.

An aerial carrier fleet with not only formidable air-to-air capabilities but also limited air-to-ground capabilities.

An observation ship that can reliably scout the surroundings, ensuring an overwhelming informational advantage.

Furthermore, an armored transport plane to deploy ground forces and occupy the cleared ground.

It seemed like it wouldn’t be bad to form and operate a fleet with such a structured organization.

Of course… after the fleet is fully completed.

‘I still need more…’

I also wanted to add a battleship with only air-to-ground capabilities, capable of devastating an area dozens of football fields in size in a few seconds.

Most of all, I wanted a flagship.

Currently, an aerial mothership with anti-gravity field capabilities was acting as such, but a flagship, by definition, should be something I can ride, shouldn’t it?

Not inside such a cramped armored transport plane…

I wanted a flagship that was spacious enough to transport many people, and also had enough amenities that living with several people wouldn’t be a problem.

‘Then… I’ll be able to expand my influence in earnest.’

I was currently, in effect, tied to the Korean Peninsula.

It was natural, as my base was on the Korean Peninsula.

‘Is there nothing…?’

With anticipation, I examined the Behemoth-Class machines.

These machines, overwhelmingly larger than even the Super-Large Class Aerial Mothership, were something I couldn’t even afford to produce in my previous life.

But… it was different now.

There was even Mithril and Adamantite circulating in the market, and it was clear that I would be able to obtain a lot of Aetherium after this operation.

‘What kind of machines are the Behemoth-Class machines…?’

As I pondered for a long time…

‘Ah, come to think of it, I have an Assistant AI.’

Suddenly, I remembered that there was no need to worry.

‘What class is the Behemoth-Class?’

[The Behemoth-Class is a class between the Super-Large Class and the Leviathan-Class. Generally, a machine with a maximum width of 60m or more, or a machine weighing 600 tons or more based on iron as the main material, is defined as Behemoth-Class.]

‘W-wait, Leviathan-Class?!’

My eyes widened, and I stood up from my seat.

‘There’s a Leviathan-Class above the Behemoth-Class too?!’

[Confirmed. The class above Behemoth-Class is Leviathan-Class.]

‘Then what’s above the Leviathan-Class?’

[There is insufficient Essence to restore that information.]

‘Show me the Leviathan-Class machines.’

[There is insufficient Essence to restore that information.]

‘What is the definition of Leviathan-Class?’

[There is insufficient Essence to restore that information.]

“Ugh, damn it, it’s doing this again.”

I suppressed my anger, enduring it.

However, in the end, there was only one thing needed.

‘I guess I have no choice but to recover Essence…’

When I recovered the second Essence, several machines were unlocked. It was possible to predict that if I collected more Essence, the Leviathan-Class would eventually be unlocked, just like the one I had.

‘This… now is not the time for this, is it?’

I felt a strong need to quickly advance north.

***

A little later.

I watched the Grand Collector’s work with my mouth agape.

It… was definitely beyond my expectations.

Goooooo-

The massive space whale, opening its mouth wide and sweeping up the green gas in an instant, then refined and loaded the Aetherium itself.

It didn’t even require manual refining!

Its tremendous mining speed was so immense that it swept up all the Aetherium in the vicinity.

“Oh… wow……”

Thanks to this, I had to find another Aetherium Production Area, but this time it wasn’t a big concern.

Because the amount mined was considerable, I wouldn’t have to worry about Aetherium for a while. And it seemed I wouldn’t have to go myself anymore.

Unlike the Small Collector, this one was sturdy, so it didn’t need meticulous attention, which was even better.

‘At this rate, I could even form a specialized collection fleet.’

Now, Aetherium would clearly be continuously obtainable.

And… a few days later.

Returning to the Main Base, I gathered the former military officers and volunteers who had been acting as Volunteer Knights and…

established the [Aetherium Expedition Fleet]. Watching them head into the Dungeon, I had a premonition.

‘Go and gain a lot of combat experience there. For now, it’s just an Expedition Fleet… but it could be different later.’

It was the birth of a new organization, different from the Volunteer Knights.

***

Meanwhile… Shanghai, China.

Overall, the atmosphere was similar to the past, but delving into the specifics revealed significant things.

First of all, the flag of The Man was different.

It wasn’t the Red Chinese Communist Party Flag or the Five-star Red Flag, which are decorated with a Hammer and Sickle, but rather a unique flag featuring a Golden Dragon.

This flag symbolized the [Divine Merit Party], which had broken away from the former Chinese Communist Party and was, in name and reality, the largest faction in China.

The Men had a militaristic appearance, formed from the deepest forces of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern US Theater, Central Theater, and Northern Theater.

However, the high command of The Man looked very different from usual today. The Men were carefully examining something wrapped up in their Secret Bunker.

In the middle of The Man sat the man who occupied the innermost part of the Divine Merit Party.

[Wang Wei] was seated in formal attire.

“Is this the Worker Bug from Korea?”

The Man nodded and asked.

“Well, it looks like nothing special, what’s all the fuss about-“

It was when a man next to The Man scoffed and said.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d be a little quieter.”

Wang Wei politely cautioned him.

The one being reprimanded was the former Commander who originally oversaw the Northern Theater, and he had joined the Divine Merit Party leading his defeated troops. Since his forces were the smallest, his influence was naturally the least.

“S-sorry…”

The man spoke in a hushed voice.

Wang Wei ignored him and continued.

“The world is focused on this small machine right now. There must be a reason for that.”

“……”

“Furthermore, in Korea, the homeland of this machine, they are recovering not only their own territory but also North Korean land. They’re even pushing back the Siberian Front.”

“……!”

The man standing next to him flinched. The Siberian Front was where he himself had been defeated. The fact that they were pushing back such a place made the situation feel different.

Wang Wei looked at the silent Worker Bug in front of him and said.

“It helps the food production plant produce food, and it’s said to spit out lava to maintain roads and buildings. Furthermore, they say it will soon even produce electricity… Isn’t this a truly miraculous item?”

“That’s right, General.”

“Of course, water.”

The upper echelons of the Divine Merit Party agreed.

In front of the men were people different from usual. The men were all scholars, including doctors and engineering doctors, all of whom were highly intelligent.

It was even common for people to have multiple doctoral degrees.

Wang Wei nodded at those men.

He declared.

“That’s why today, I intend to dissect this machine.”

“……?!”

“Beep, beep-beep-beep?!”

The most surprised was the Worker Bug.

But it was too late.

The Worker Bug, tightly bound on the dissection table-.

Screech- screech- screech-

It slowly began to disassemble.

Wang Wei was looking at that Worker Bug with a satisfied expression.

‘If only I could mass-produce that Worker Bug……’

Wang Wei imagined a wonderful future. Worker Bugs produced in units of hundreds of millions, utilizing the still overwhelming production capacity of China’s industry.

If that were possible, it would surely not be a dream to eliminate the reactionaries currently occupying Hong Kong, or the old rival, Taiwan, across the sea, and achieve ‘One China’.

“Ding!! Beep-beep!”

The Worker Bug moved roughly even amidst all this. But despite that, the screwdriver gradually turned, revealing the Worker Bug’s shell.

The scholars each made a comment.

“This screw appears to be an M1.2 screw.”

“It’s said to be made with powers, yet it has screws……”

“It’s very suspicious that its specifications are identical to human specifications.”

“Also, this screw, judging by its weight, does not seem to be made of iron.”

“This Silver Material… and this weight. What in the world is it?”

“And inside-“

The Worker Bug was slowly torn apart by several people, as if an anatomical study was underway. It was then that the scholars began their full-fledged research.

“Ding!……”

A small, sad sound emanated from the Worker Bug, and then-.

KWAANG!

With a loud explosion, it burst.

***

Meanwhile, at the same time in the [+1] timezone.

I was surprised to see the notification that appeared in my mind.

[Worker Bug: Self-Destruct function activated due to contract breach]

“Huh?”

It was a notification I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Lately, no one had been messing with the Worker Bug. This was because, of course, my influence and understanding of the Worker Bug had grown considerably.

“What happened…?”

I tilted my head.

I checked the location where the Self-Destruct function was activated.

“Oh, I see……”

It was Shanghai, China.