Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

044 – Three-way Meeting

Located in Paengseong-eup, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, USAG Humphreys, informally known as the ‘Pyeongtaek U.S. Military Base’, was an area that felt like a small America within South Korea, even using American-style addresses.

Of course, technically, the land is ‘leased’ to the U.S. government by South Korea for administrative convenience, and the U.S. doesn’t own the land.

However, practically speaking, U.S. law rather than Korean law is enforced inside the base, and only U.S. dollars can be used there, making it a separate area where South Korean authority doesn’t apply.

Holmes, who was visibly tense and on alert throughout the drive to the Pyeongtaek base with Myung-jun and his group under armed escort, finally let out a sigh of relief after passing through the base’s main gate.

Turning to Myung-jun in the backseat, he said,

“Welcome to USAG Humphreys, the main base of the U.S. forces in Korea, and the largest single overseas base in the world.”

As they drove through the base, Holmes briefed them on the upcoming schedule.

“First, as negotiated, you will have a meeting with the South Korean government. The exact schedule will be communicated later, but we can’t wait indefinitely.”

“We can wait a maximum of three days. That should be more than enough.”

“Then we’ll have to stay here for about three days.”

“A maximum of three days, yes, but they may contact us today for a meeting. However, if no proposal comes within three days, it will be considered that the Korean government has given up rights to Myung-jun, and you’ll be safely moved to the U.S. mainland.”

“What if I accept the Korean government’s proposal?”

Holmes paused before answering.

“It would depend on the specific circumstances, but you’d still need to abide by the agreement made with the U.S. government. Whether or not you become a U.S. citizen, we will provide you with all the support we’ve promised.”

Myung-jun nodded.

“I will keep my promise. From equipment for efficient hunting of monsters to the promised Rank 4 materials, I plan to pay in full.”

“When should we expect the delivery?”

“If you take me to a secure and spacious location, I can hand it over immediately.”

So, Holmes directed the driver to take them to the command building, then led Myung-jun to an empty, large space.

“Is this space sufficient?”

“It’s more than enough.”

Myung-jun reached out his hand and countless boxes appeared in the large room.

“It’s like real magic.”

“The boxes on the left contain parts for the wire-coating machines, and the ones on the right contain the Awakener specialized equipment we agreed upon. Senior?”

Myung-jun looked at Soo-jeong, who smiled and stepped forward.

“We’ve divided them by symbols. Boxes with gun shapes contain parts for the wire-coating machines, shields for the Awakener specialized equipment, and swords for the weapons. For the armor, we’ve made it modular to adjust for different body sizes.”

“It doesn’t look like a complete set of armor but rather like components. How do we assemble them?”

“Each box also contains a small box with special fiber suits in various sizes for men and women.”

She handed one over to Holmes.

“This size seems right for you, Holmes. Can you try it on?”

Holmes took the suit to the restroom to change.

“The suit feels great. It looks like a full-body swimsuit, but it doesn’t restrict movement at all. The material is so soft that I’m concerned about its defensive capability though.”

“Of course, it’s not only bulletproof but also knife-proof, and even without a plate, it can easily block the teeth or nails of a Rank 1 monster. Could you come over here for a moment?”

As Holmes approached, the LED lines embedded in his entire suit began to brightly shine in various colors as they got closer to the box.

At the same time, the defensive plates displayed on the stand inside the opened box also began to shine in various colors.

“As you can see, each plate lights up in response to the corresponding LED color on the suit you’re wearing. For example, a green-lighted plate will automatically attach itself to the part of the suit with the green LED when brought close,” she said, holding up a plate close to Holmes’s suit.

“Be careful, it’s quite heavy.”

As she attached the part corresponding to the shoulder pad to the suit, Holmes’s shoulders wobbled. Despite its lightweight appearance, the part was incredibly heavy.

Holmes urgently spoke to her before she could touch another part.

“Wait a moment, won’t it be hard to even stand if we attach all of these?”

“Perhaps.”

“Then isn’t this equipment unusable?!”

“For civilians, yes. But as I told you, this equipment is specifically designed for Awakeners whose physical specs are significantly higher than those of average people. To block an attack from a Rank 4 monster, you’d need armor of this weight and thickness. Rank 4 monsters generally possess the firepower of a missile, you see.”

She spoke while caressing the plate as if it were a toy she loved.

“The equipment you see here is, to draw an analogy, like compressing and miniaturizing the main armor used on a battleship to fit the entire body. Considering the protection it offers, this weight is quite light.”

Holmes could only nod at her words about ‘battleship-level main armor’. Certainly, if it offers that level of protection, the current weight of the armor is negligible. However, Holmes, who has long dealt with military equipment, knew there were other factors to consider besides defense.

“Certainly, the weight may be light compared to its defensive capabilities, but even Awakeners have their limits, right? If the equipment is this heavy, it could hinder operational performance.”

Holmes posed a sharp question, but her expression was relaxed. After all, she had designed each of the armors currently provided to the U.S. military.

She approached Holmes and pressed a small button next to the plate on his shoulder. The thick outer shell of the plate fell off, revealing a thinner inner glove.

“Each part is made up of a detachable three-layer component. If you want, you can just use the lightest inner plate to ensure mobility. Of course, the defensive capabilities will be lower than the full set, but it can provide adequate protection at the weight of a slightly heavy bulletproof vest.”

“What does ‘adequate’ mean?”

“It means it can protect you from fatal wounds from Rank 1 or 2 monsters.”

“Will you sell this for money?”

Then Myung-jun answered Holmes’s question.

“After negotiations with the U.S. or Korean governments are finalized and clan activities are officially permitted, we plan to sell equipment made from monster materials. We are thinking of selling a variety of equipment, from those intended for civilians to high-grade gear for Awakeners.”

Holmes excused himself from the room to report to his superiors after hearing Myung-jun’s plans, which sounded very much like they could be related to some sort of ability to produce and summon equipment in a virtual space.

Myung-jun and Soo-jeong met up with Ho Chang who had been waiting at the entrance of the building and moved to a prepared resting area, guided by a soldier. As soon as they were alone, Soo-jeong scanned the room with a summoned tablet.

“Good. There doesn’t seem to be any surveillance cameras or eavesdropping devices. I’ll install some anti-eavesdropping equipment just in case.”

She installed eight small devices in the corners of the room and said,

“OK, it’s working well. No one will be able to hear our conversation from outside.”

“What’s the principle behind that?”

“It’s a device that cancels out vibrations directed outside a specific space, creating a sort of wave barrier to neutralize sound.”

“Did you develop that as well?”

“Originally, there was something similar among the ‘toys’ I had designed in the past. But I didn’t have the material that could limit the direction and range of the barrier to a wall, so it remained incomplete. So, this time I had the chance to…”

“So, you mean you’ve completed the design using materials with the desired properties by using my ability?”

Myung-jun checked his remaining points by invoking the status window. He then sighed deeply, looking at the small amount left.

“I deliberately took the risk of overrunning the gate to clear it, but the point consumption is massive. My ability to summon turrets isn’t cheap either, but the rate at which you’re spending points is astronomical. If we add up the points spent while test designing, we could have made more than twice the equipment we handed over to the U.S. military today, right?”

“I’m sorry… I’ll try to save points in the future.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. The points you’re using aren’t going to waste. If it weren’t for the hallucination turrets you designed today, it would have been impossible to drive off Director Moon Hee-cheol. I just meant we should try to clear another gate soon to replenish the points. You should feel free to continue developing without feeling burdened.”

Myung-jun’s words made Soo-jeong, who was listening, feel elated, which startled Ho Chang.

However, Myung-jun activated his communication device without paying attention to Ho Chang. He then radioed Byung tae, who was waiting outside the base.

“Mr. Byung tae, are you there?”

[Ah… Ah!? Captain? Uh, yes, I’m here. Do you need something? Should we move in now?]

“I just called to check in. Even though we’re under U.S. protection, it’s hard to fully trust the U.S. government. Just in case something happens…”

[I understand that it’s safer to have at least one person on standby outside.]

“Would you like to listen to the negotiation details through the radio?”

[Please just summarize them later. I trust your judgment anyway.]

“Where are you now?”

[My location should be displayed on Miss Soo-jeong’s tablet.]

Soo-jeong, who had been listening to Myung-jun’s communications, handed the tablet to Myung-jun. The tablet showed Byung tae’s location near the base entrance, along with the positions of surveillance drones he had deployed. Byung tae was monitoring all approaching vehicles with over 30 drones.

[Don’t worry, Captain. The moment something seems suspicious, I’ll make sure to report it.]

Myung-jun terminated the communication with Byung tae’s confident promise as the last word. Then he and his comrades waited for the South Korean government’s contact while eating the food brought by U.S. soldiers. They were hopeful for the best possible negotiation terms.

The next day, the South Korean government’s negotiation representative visited Humphreys Base in Pyeongtaek, which could determine the future scope of Myung-jun’s activities.

It was a very important negotiation, as the future of Awakeners in South Korea was at stake.

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