Chapter 45
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Armored Train Assault (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
All the enemies had been slain, and the murderous aura enveloping Ares vanished as if it had been a lie.
The silence that followed was broken by the cheers of the resistance fighters coming from outside.
"Woooaaahhh!"
"We won!"
They finally realized they had achieved what had seemed impossible, embracing each other and reveling in their victory.
The squad members who had entered the train with Kellogg watched in awe as Ghost emerged from the command car.
His black cloak was dusted with traces of battle, but there was no hint of fatigue.
He carried the calm air of someone who had just taken a casual stroll around the neighborhood.
"Ghost!"
Kellogg called out to him in a voice thick with emotion.
"We did it, thanks to you! We... we stopped Ares!"
But Jinwoo showed no reaction to his excitement.
He brushed past Kellogg and headed toward the train's largest cargo car.
Kellogg and the squad members followed behind him with puzzled expressions.
"No time. Follow me. We need to loot it fast."
"Got it!"
Kellogg signaled to his men at the rear. Now was the time to ransack the cargo cars.
Thanks to unlocking the mechanisms all at once just moments ago, the cargo doors opened easily.
Kreeeeak!
Jinwoo pulled open the massive steel door of the cargo car.
A brilliant blue glow poured out from within, making everyone swallow hard.
One resistance fighter let out an involuntary sigh.
"My god..."
"How much is all this worth?"
The cargo car was filled with an unimaginable quantity of high-purity magic stone crystals—more than they'd ever laid eyes on in their lives.
Large and small crystal chunks piled up like mountains, emitting a mystical light like gems in a cave vein.
This was the blood and sweat of Eldorado that the Trade Federation had mobilized Ares to transport at all costs.
"This... this can't be real..."
"With just this, the resistance could fight for years!"
Of course, it wasn't just crystals.
Opening another crate spilled out gold coins.
The long boxes along the walls were packed with all sorts of firearms and ammunition.
And in one cargo car, they found something truly shocking.
"A Gatling gun!"
"Cannons too!"
Weapons capable of demolishing a small fortress.
The squad members gazed at the cargo with eyes gleaming with greed and excitement.
These were the funds to expand their forces and the power to stand against the Federation.
Above all, hope for the future swelled within them.
Kellogg felt his chest tighten with emotion.
'All of this is thanks to Ghost!'
He opened his mouth to ask Ghost how they should divide this massive haul.
"Ghost, these things..."
But Jinwoo moved first.
While the resistance fighters were lost in awe at the mountain of magic stone crystals,
Jinwoo paid no mind to their cheers.
His gaze was fixed on the deepest part of the cargo car.
"What's that? Something there?"
"You'll see."
Unlike the other cargo, it was a small steel box firmly secured to the floor with thick iron chains.
"Ghost?"
Kellogg called out in confusion at the odd behavior, but Jinwoo didn't respond.
The box was clearly no ordinary item at a glance.
Its surface was covered in intricate mechanical dials and interlocking gears.
In the center was the Trade Federation's red seal, stamped boldly with "Top Secret Level 1."
"What is that, boss?"
"Who knows. But force it open, and it might explode."
As the resistance fighters murmured uneasily, Jinwoo crouched down in front of the box.
"Let's see..."
He examined the surface for a moment.
Then, casually, he began turning the dial and pressing specific gears in a precise sequence.
Jinwoo's movements were fluid and unhesitating, like handling his own safe that he'd opened countless times.
'Left three times, right once and a half, press the bottom gear while pulling the top lever. Like this...'
It was exactly as the '' etched in his mind dictated.
Click!
The complex lock released with a satisfying sound.
When Jinwoo opened the lid, an intense, pure light burst forth, illuminating the entire cargo car like broad daylight.
The resistance fighters squinted in shock at the sight.
Inside the box was a single item.
About the size of a child's fist. A perfectly spherical magic stone crystal.
It was unlike any magic stone they'd seen before.
Within the transparent crystal orb, millions of tiny light particles swirled like a living galaxy.
'This is the relic.'
A crystal condensing the essence of ancient Atlas technology.
The relic the Trade Federation had desperately wanted from this run.
Atlas's Heart.
Jinwoo carefully lifted it out and tucked it deep into an inner pocket of his cloak.
"I'll take this. The rest of the spoils are yours to handle."
Only then did Kellogg snap out of it and ask cautiously.
"Ghost? What about all these magic stones and gold coins? You're not taking any?"
Jinwoo turned to him and spoke in a low, gruff voice.
"This was my goal. This one thing is payment enough for my help."
He nodded toward the cargo full of various spoils.
"The rest is yours. Use it to grow stronger."
No one in the resistance dared object to his words.
Taking only one enigmatic item of unknown value amid a mountain of treasure.
'He's playing a much bigger game!'
To them, Ghost became an even more incomprehensible—and thus more awe-inspiring—existence.
A being operating on a completely different plane, pursuing different goals.
"Understood. Thank you for your help."
"Good. Oh, and the guards surrounding this mountain range—you'll have to break through them yourselves. You can manage, right?"
"We can! Their numbers are low, so we'll punch through with our own strength!"
Jinwoo left curtly.
Kellogg, who had been standing dazed, pulled himself together and shouted to his men in the rear.
"Alright! Operation's over! Time to secure the cargo fast! Bring the hidden wagons and horses! No time to waste!"
The squad members hurriedly began unloading the cargo.
While the resistance secured the spoils, Ghost vanished alone atop the train's wreckage.
Kellogg sensed his departure but didn't dare search for him.
Ghosts appear and disappear without a sound.
Above all, he moved by his own will.
All Kellogg and the resistance could do was complete the mission entrusted to them—the only way to follow his purpose.
"With these weapons, we'll give the Federation hell and liberate more of the people. Ghost! Watch over us!"
Meanwhile, atop a ridge far from Ares's wreckage in the mountains.
"Haa... finally got it."
Jinwoo removed his hood and mask, catching his breath in the cold night wind.
In his hand was still Atlas's Heart, emitting a mystical galactic glow.
Main Quest: 'Pierce the Heart of the Steel Serpent' Complete!
Hidden Linked Quest: 'Support the Resistance' Complete!
Core Item 'Ares's Heart' Acquired!
New Main Quest Activated: Aim for the Heart of the Black Fortress
Jinwoo glanced lightly at the floating quest window before looking down at the orb in his hand.
A satisfied smile crept onto his lips.
'Up to here, it's flowing just like the game.'
The resistance guys probably think he stirred up all this just for that one pebble.
But they didn't know.
That this small orb held value far surpassing the entirety of the magic stones in that cargo car.
Atlas's Heart was a powerful energy source containing the essence of the Atlas civilization.
It was an essential item for battling the Trade Federation's army.
'The Federation's legions I'll face someday are formidable.'
To crush the resistance, the Federation deploys their secret weapon in hiding.
A steam golem legion of brass and iron—Phalanx!
'To counter them, the resistance and I alone won't be enough. I'll need to recruit multiple allies. And above all...'
The overwhelming scene from the game flashed through Jinwoo's mind.
Hundreds, thousands of combat golems filling the horizon as they advanced.
To stop that, he needed a secret weapon rivaling—or surpassing—Phalanx.
'And to awaken that secret weapon, this is absolutely necessary.'
Only Atlas's Heart could power it.
Jinwoo tucked Atlas's Heart securely into the deepest pocket against his chest.
The true reward of this quest was the strongest insurance for the future.
He recalled the details of the next quest that had appeared: the assault on the Black Fortress.
'Its real name is Blackstone Base.'
That place was no pushover either.
"Time to head to the next quest."
Jinwoo pulled his hood back on and approached Falcon waiting below the cliff.
The armored train Ares was the Trade Federation's pride and lifeline.
With it destroyed, the Federation would move even more ruthlessly from now on.
They'd intensify their exploitation just to recoup the financial loss.
Fortunately, their weakened power would create gaps in that exploitation.
No time to rest.
To turn the wheel of the liberation war one more notch, Jinwoo vanished into the wasteland.