Chapter 36: Preparing for the expidition
After the banquet ended, Yoo Soha immediately contacted Shin Sungmin and Lumern the next day.
“Shin Sungmin, do you have time today? I need to discuss something about the North Korea expedition.”
- Yes, I’m free. By the way, is Eclipse there? I have some questions for him today. If it’s not too much trouble, could you check if he’s okay with it?
“Eclipse.”
“Hm?”
“Can you give Shin Sungmin some one-on-one training today?”
“No issue with that. I don’t have anything else to do anyway.”
“Oh, hello? Shin Sungmin?”
- Yes, what did he say?
“He says it’s fine. He’s got nothing else going on.”
- Got it. I’ll head over right away.
“Great. Let’s meet at the training center after lunch.”
- Sounds good.
“Why do you need Shin Sungmin?” Eclipse tilted his head and asked Yoo Soha.
“I want to get some info about North Korea. I could ask him when we’re there, but I’d like to plan out which areas to move through in advance.”
“…Is North Korea that dangerous?”
“Yeah. The radiation contamination is bad enough, but when the North Korean government collapsed, all sorts of high-grade gates appeared. They tried to destroy the gates with nuclear weapons, but… it didn’t work out.”
“Even nuclear weapons didn’t work?”
“Yup. Either they got unlucky, or there were plenty of beasts immune to nukes. It ended up making things worse for the North Korean awakeners trying to enter the gates, as the radiation made combat harder… and they couldn’t defeat the beasts. The result was the collapse of the North Korean government.”
“So that means…”
“Exactly. Gate erosion happened, so North Korea is probably a patchwork of ecosystems from different gates. And since gate erosion usually brings the gate’s internal environment to Earth… the radiation likely came with it.”
“I see. So it’s an environment where just walking around is deadly for ordinary people.”
“Right. Plus, over time, the beasts have probably gotten stronger. That’s why soldiers are always stationed along the 38th parallel. You never know when the beasts might try to expand their territory. There’s a reason it’s called the Demon Realm.”
“So that’s why you need Shin Sungmin?”
“Yup. He single-handedly purified the entire unrecovered Gangwon region. That’s how he got promoted to S-rank.”
“No wonder he’s so strong.”
“Anyway… I’ve got a rough plan. I’ll need to hear the details from him to make a final call.”
Shin Sungmin arrived at the training center faster than expected.
Wondering what he could learn from Eclipse today, he entered with high expectations and found Yoo Soha pondering over a spread-out map.
“You’re here early.”
“Yeah, well… So, what do you need help with?”
“Here, take a look at this.”
Yoo Soha immediately showed Shin Sungmin a map of North Korea.
“You purified the unrecovered Gangwon region before, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“We’re planning the North Korea expedition and trying to decide which area to purify.”
Shin Sungmin thought for a moment before pointing to North Hwanghae Province.
“I’d recommend North Hwanghae.”
“North Hwanghae?”
“Yes. Among North Korea’s regions, only Kaesong City and the Gangwon region I purified are relatively stable. But above Gangwon, you can’t expect military support in a dangerous situation.”
“Is military support necessary?”
“It is. If something unexpected happens or you get isolated, having a military base nearby means you can call for help. Sure, you’re going for achievements, but the government also wants North Korea purified.”
“True.”
“It’s an unpredictable place, so it’s best to have at least some safety measures.”
“Hm… Got it. Where should we set up the base camp, then?”
“If you’re purifying North Hwanghae, I’d say set up the base camp in Cheorwon.”
“Cheorwon?”
“Yes. The purified Gangwon region isn’t too dangerous, and there’s a military base right below Cheorwon.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Oh, and speaking of North Hwanghae…”
Shin Sungmin spoke as if something had occurred to him.
“Yes?”
“You’ll need to be thoroughly prepared.”
“Why’s that?”
“When I purified Gangwon… the beasts were stronger than expected. The radiation was an issue too.”
“…No need to worry about the radiation.”
“Fighting in protective suits can be quite inconvenient.”
“It’s fine. These suits won’t hinder movement.”
“…How much money did you spend?”
“I’m broke now. Completely penniless.”
“…”
“You think I went overboard without a plan, don’t you?”
“Honestly, yes. Anyway, North Hwanghae won’t be much different from Gangwon. It might even be more dangerous. Gate-eroded areas get stronger beasts over time.”
“…Oh.”
“But I’m not too worried. You’ve got Eclipse.”
“True. I planned this expedition with Eclipse in mind.”
“That makes sense.”
“So, we’ll aim for North Hwanghae first, and if it goes smoothly, maybe even Pyongyang.”
“Not a bad idea. The byproducts from purified areas belong to the guild that purified them. You’ll pay hefty taxes, but it’s not a bad deal for the government either.”
“Right. So we can also consider government support.”
“With the location mostly decided… what about preliminary scouting?”
“We’ll figure that out when we get there. First, we need to adapt to the environment. This expedition will take a while.”
“So you’re planning a thorough conquest.”
“Yup. We need to analyze the beasts’ traits too… That’s why I requested the beast data earlier.”
“Have you studied a lot?”
“Of course. The mages and strategists have already gone over how to respond. Still, new beasts could show up, so we need to stay sharp. I’m aiming for perfection.”
“Good thinking.”
“And I want to do this without relying on Eclipse as much as possible. He’ll only step in if it’s really dangerous.”
“For Team 2’s growth?”
“That, and my own growth. Compared to Eclipse, I’m still weak. I don’t want people saying I’m just relying on my guardian, like Seo Euna.”
“Ah, fair enough… Well, I’m coming along too, so I’ll join in if things get dangerous.”
“Got it.”
They continued discussing various scenarios and eventually finalized their preparations.
North Korea, Pyongyang.
Decades ago, this place was bustling with people, but now it was a hellscape where no human could be found, no matter how hard you looked.
Instead, new beings had claimed the territory.
Beasts, or rather, humanoid creatures that frequently emerged from gates.
Orcs.
Orcs had become the new masters of Pyongyang.
But the orcs that settled in Pyongyang were different.
Unlike typical orcs with green skin, these had ash-gray skin, as if dusted with soot, and they seemed stronger than the orcs that usually appeared in gates.
They also wore grotesque ornaments made from human bones.
In the heart of Pyongyang, where countless orcs had settled.
Atop a massive structure built from human bones.
An orc, several times larger than the others, opened its eyes.
“Shahan.”
Unlike the green-skinned orcs that crossed through gates, this massive ash-gray orc spoke fluent human language—Korean.
“Yes, my king.”
A creature resembling an orc shaman responded in Korean, bowing to the king.
“Is our adaptation to this new land complete?”
“Yes, it is.”
“You, me, all of us. Our skin has turned gray. Where is the proud green skin we once had?”
“…It’s likely due to the vile weapons the humans used.”
“Horrible, painful weapons. But we overcame them. It was a long ordeal.”
The orc called the king gleamed with intensity.
“Indeed.”
“But… we haven’t only lost. After decades of settling here, we’ve grown strong enough.”
“…Yes.”
Both orcs’ eyes gleamed.
Amid their fierce gazes, powerful mana began to swirl around them.
Ordinary orcs crossing gates couldn’t wield mana. It was almost a law.
But these could.
They didn’t know why. They simply wielded it because they could.
“With this power… we can eradicate the humans here. Just as we slaughtered the weak humans of this world in our weakened state, before we awakened this power.”
“It will surely be so.”
The orc called the king stood and looked down.
A sprawling village, crudely built from the rubble of a ruined city, came into his view.
He raised his head, gazing into the distance. Though nothing was visible, he knew.
Far away, the beings he hated must be there.
He was the king of all orcs, their savior.
The one who, in his previous world, had annihilated humanity to liberate the orcs.
The great king Terta.
Looking into the distance, he spoke.
“The time has come. The time to erase those hateful humans.”
His singular purpose:
The extinction of humanity.
As it was in his previous world, so it would be in this one.