Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

048 – Earning Points

“Kwuwueeeeeek!!!”

“Speak in Korean, you Xxxers!”

Ho Chang, wearing the Armored Suit, grabbed the jaws of the insectoid monster biting his arm. Then, with incredible force, he tore the insect’s head apart.

“Take this!”

Ho Chang’s next move was to grab the head of the winged insectoid, which was trying to insert its sharp stinger through the gaps in his armor like a wasp and shove it into the mouth of the ant-like insectoid charging at him like crazy.

“You little bugs!”

Then, he delivered an uppercut, sending both heads flying into the air. It was a continuous attack that took no more than 1 to 2 seconds on average to defeat one enemy, but Ho Chang’s expression under his Armored Suit wasn’t particularly pleasant.

The number of monsters was increasing at a faster rate than he could defeat them, and unlike in the early stages of the battle, these different monsters, which couldn’t even make a scratch on Ho Chang’s Armored Suit, were now gradually causing minor damage to his super-tough suit.

At first, it was enjoyable. While the enemy splattered everywhere with sticky green bodily fluids when defeated, it was quite cathartic to fight these bug-like enemies while wearing a gigantic Armored Suit reminiscent of the Hulk Buster.

What was most enjoyable was that, unlike the monsters that looked like they could tear tanks to pieces with ease, Ho Chang himself didn’t take any damage.

Soo-jeong’s Lifting Suit, which had completely sacrificed mobility and focused solely on durability and power, was showing the dignity of being able to ignore even the attacks of insectoid monsters that could cut through 12-inch steel plates like tofu.

It felt like playing a game with an invincibility cheat code.

However, the situation of one enemy dying and two more appearing, and then killing two and having ten more rush in, was enough to make even Ho Chang, who was invincible, feel frustrated.

Moreover, the ‘evolution’ of these monsters, which grew stronger over time as they adapted to the combat situation and was becoming more formidable, was one of the factors that added to Ho Chang’s growing impatience.

“Ka-aaang!”

After numerous attacks, Ho Chang finally grabbed the head of an monster that had left a long scratch on his armor and examined its teeth closely.

The upper and lower jaws of this monster, divided vertically like giant scissors, had sharp metal teeth that couldn’t possibly be considered biological.

“Metal?”

In response to Soo-jeong’s question, who was sharing Ho Chang’s point of view through the camera attached to the Armored Suit, Myung-jun answered.

“One of the characteristics of the Insect-type Gates is their rapid adaptability. It’s a bit different from the Water-type Gates where Night Stalkers appear.”

“What’s the difference?”

“In the case of beast-type monster like Stalkers, if their attacks don’t work on their opponents, they undergo a complete evolution of their bodies. It’s like changing their form. They might change from close combat to long-range combat, or suddenly develop wings. On the other hand, the monsters from Gates mainly inhabited by insect-type entities, like the insect-type Gates, tend not to change their overall form but modify their physical traits. For instance, their teeth might become tougher, or the durability of their exoskeleton increases.”

“Oh? So, does that mean weapons modified with reinforced coatings become useless?”

“Senior, you seem to have forgotten something. This is a Rank 3 Gate. Reinforced coatings are designed to counter Rank 1 monsters. Perhaps, IF the Gate we’ve entered is not a Rank 3 Gate, but a Rank 1 Gate, Ho Chang or Byung-tae could have cleared it without struggling.”

“Ah, right. So, can civilians armed with wire coated weapons handle up to Rank 2 Gates at most?”

“I think Rank 1 would be their limit.”

“Why is that?”

Myung-jun explained. Hunting rifles had enough “firepower” to kill even bears when aimed properly, but it was foolish for an average person to confront a bear with just a hunting rifle. Unlike Earth’s creatures, which might retreat when faced with gunfire or pain, these monsters had the characteristic of attacking even faster when hit. Myung-jun’s comrades armed with K2 rifles were mercilessly slaughtered by Rank 1 monsters, even though they had 5.56mm bullets that could inflict enough damage.

Enhancing the power of the guns didn’t mean everyone could become hunters. What was essential was knowing the suitable “hunting methods” against each opponent.

“It would have been much better if it had been a system like in games, starting with weak monsters like slimes or kobolds and gradually leveling up easily. Unfortunately, the monsters appearing in gates, even the weakest Rank 1 ones, can easily tear apart a rifle-armed soldier.”

It might seem like a world filled with romance at first glance, but the reality was different. In a world without save and load or resurrection systems, challenging a gate conquest with one’s life on the line, not knowing what awaits inside, was akin to suicide.

Furthermore, gates were not easily cleared just because they had a name. Unluckily, the space inside the gate was often a place where even a Rank 3 Awakener could die instantly in a Rank 1 gate. This was because the unique abilities or compositions of the monsters inside each gate could have a significant impact.

“The gate I cleared last time mainly had gates with beast-type monsters. This time, the main feature is insect-type monsters. As you can see, the characteristics and traits of the individuals comprising the groups in each gate vary greatly. And challenging a gate conquest without knowing this is almost akin to suicide.”

“But Myung-jun, when you arrive, you throw a bloodstained crystal, and entered right away?”

“Well, I have the versatility to handle any situation alone, regardless of the circumstances.”

Myung-jun’s most highly-rated ability among his own was his versatility. While it came with the premise of preparing in advance, it allowed him to summon and wear necessary equipment immediately within the gate, which was one of the characteristics of his ability.

“For other Awakeners, they need to make extensive preparations if they want to enter a gate conquest without prior information. For instance, some gates are filled with poisonous gases inside. Although it’s not the kind of gas exhaled directly by the enemies, it’s a gas that, when inhaled, impairs the abilities of the person and can be fatal if inhaled for an extended period. The gas itself is a type of ability, so conventional gas masks don’t work.”

“So, how should one respond then?”

“You should wear special gas masks made from Monsters materials, bring healers with area purification abilities, or carry detox potions for specific toxins,” Myung-jun said.

He felt frustrated. Although he had knowledge of events that would unfold in the future, acquired through more than 30 years of regression, that information was limited to very specific details. The same was true for the insect-like monsters he was currently dealing with, which seemed hell-bent on tearing apart his clan members.

Having been trapped underground in the Ministry of National Defense for over 30 years, Myung-jun had rarely seen most of these monsters alive. While he had encountered a wide variety of monsters that most people would find difficult to encounter in a lifetime, the majority had been delivered to him in the form of materials or as corpses.

Nevertheless, Myung-jun could gather indirect information about the current situation based on the information he had obtained. This information came from the “specification documents” that accompanied the Awakener-specific equipment he had received before his regression.

In addition to descriptions of each hunter’s name and their individual equipment needs, the specification documents contained detailed information about the environmental conditions on the battlefield where they fought.

Myung-jun was currently using this indirect information to piece together the overall picture of the world and the flow of events. Right now, as Awakeners from various countries were starting to challenge the Gates in earnest, the timing was right for an enormous casualty count to begin. Myung-jun hoped to change the course of events he originally knew of through his actions.

With the passage of the “Awakener Act,” which was expected to significantly increase the number of Awakeners, Myung-jun’s second goal was to keep as many of the countless Awakeners who were fated to die as strong as possible before the day of destruction arrived.

His decision to hand over hundreds of sets of Awakener equipment to the U.S. military without asking for any significant compensation was for this very reason.

“Senior, once the point-earning phase is over and the clan headquarters is established, we’ll need to start our activities in earnest. Currently, our clan is the only one that provides Awakener forces to private companies, not the government.”

The value of private clans that provide Awakener forces at this point in time was tremendous. Many countries around the world didn’t even have proper government military forces, let alone Awakener forces.

Myung-jun had announced the establishment of the Liberal Clan on the internet, and as soon as the clan’s abilities and activities became known, requests for assistance from governments worldwide wouldn’t stop pouring in.

In that case, the clan, which currently consisted of only four members, would be severely understaffed, but all of this could only proceed after the clan headquarters was established. At the very least, they needed a headquarters building where they could verify the abilities of potential new members and conduct interviews.

While leaving the response to the approaching insect-like monsters to the automated defenses of the turret, Myung-jun discussed matters related to the clan headquarters with Soo-jeong.

“Senior, you mentioned that there aren’t any buildings on the list that you find perfectly suitable?”

“Uh? Yeah.”

“Is it because of the structure?”

“That’s part of it, but, well. Myung-jun, as you know, only comrades approved by you can enter the test chamber in the Sub-Space. You know that, right?”

Myung-jun nodded, and Soo-jeong continued her explanation.

“But, Myung-jun, you can only have a maximum of five comrades. That’s the number of people you can exclude from the count. So, you’ll only have room for two more people. That means we need to be more careful when recruiting new members. It’s not a matter of loyalty or affection but for the sake of awakening.” This was an issue that Myung-jun could relate to.

Considering that the ability to produce Armored Suit for defense was unlocked when Ho Chang, an expert in martial arts, joined and the ability to produce armored vehicles was unlocked when Byung-tae, a skilled driver, joined, it could be seen that the functions to be unlocked next would depend on the talents or abilities of the new recruits.

“So, when it comes to new clan members, even if we take our time to decide, if your plan goes as expected, the number of requests for joining the clan will be enormous. Not only from the Korean government but from governments worldwide who would want to use powerful Awakener forces they can pay for. That’s why I think we should categorize the incoming clan members into three ranks.”

“How would that work?”

“Officers, Field, and Support,” Soo-jeong explained. Officers would be core members who shared Myung-jun’s name, and their selection would go through extensive verification among all clan members. The Field members would be chosen from Awakeners worldwide who could be scouted.

By offering substantial rewards and benefits such as the provision of powerful equipment and support for the growth of existing clan members, they could entice many Awakeners who wanted to steadily improve their abilities.

Lastly, they would recruit ordinary people with skills that could assist clan activities, such as administrative tasks, marketing, sales, and information gathering, as Support members. Among these, if anyone wanted, they could provide an opportunity for those individuals to become Awakener by giving them a chance to participate in gate conquests under the protection of existing Awakener members.

This was the detailed plan of Soo-jeong, and to successfully establish this structure, a new clan headquarters building that satisfied all of Myung-jun’s requirements was necessary.

“The new clan headquarters will serve as a training ground for Field members and will also conduct ability tests for Awakeners supporting clan entry. However, with the current durability of the buildings on the list, we won’t be able to withstand attacks launched by Awakeners at full power. Furthermore, the weight of many research equipment that I want to place in the headquarters will be too much for these buildings to handle. Therefore, the new building needs to be designed to support much greater loads than the limits set by construction regulations.”

“But such a building isn’t on the list, right?”

“Correct. That’s why I wanted to prioritize this with the points we have. What do you think, Myung-jun?”

Soo-jeong turned on her tablet and showed it to Myung-jun, who was now sitting up and examining the tablet.

The shape of the robot displayed on the tablet was “very” familiar to him.

“Isn’t this… an SCV (Space Construction Vehicle)?”

“You might think that, but unfortunately, it’s not. Unlike the ‘one’ in StarCraft, this one isn’t even operated by humans, and it’s not even designed for space.”

She scrolled up to reveal the equipment’s name. It had only one word changed from SCV, almost like a pun.

“This equipment is called PCV, or you could say, Planet Construction Vehicle. It’s similar to the SCV from StarCraft but not the same. With this, you can input blueprints, and it can instantly build the desired building like a 3D printer.”

“So, you’re saying… we should create robots like this SCV, or rather, PCV, and use them to build the clan headquarters? In the middle of Sejong City?”

At that moment, a commotion would break out among the crowds gathering to witness the spectacle.

Massive robots that appeared to come from a future world rapidly constructing buildings as if by magic.

“Are you suggesting that, in a world where the existence of Awakeners has been known for less than two months, we should perform a performance that publicly reveals my abilities to the entire world? And not only that, we should undertake a crazy feat like building the clan headquarters with over a dozen SCVs? A spectacle where I proudly proclaim, ‘I am the Awakener of South Korea!'”?

However, instead of imagining how chaotic it would be with thousands of citizens trying to capture the moment with their phones, Myung-jun seemed to be pleased with that seemingly foolish idea.

“I like it. Let’s do it right away.”

And so, the moment was confirmed to be the top priority ability to be unlocked in this Gate Conquest: the development of robots like the SCV, which symbolized the Terran race of humans from the PC game StarCraft, was determined.

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