Beneath the Monolith
I invited the minor warlords from Gyeonggi Province, with whom I'd traded Monolith information and built some rapport, to my territory.
Just like the Gangnam officers, I fed them and put them up at the spa.
One warlord leader, staring in disbelief at the palace before him, asked if it was some Special Awakener's ability to create illusions.
Even after I assured him it was a real building, he couldn't quite believe it, so I led them all inside for a tour.
Over drinks with them, I gathered a ton of detailed intel on Gyeonggi Province.
Wars between warlords break out frequently there.
But there's no massive unified force; it's all about survival of the fittest, so large-scale conflicts are rare.
Their impression of Seoul isn't great, either.
The old government collapsed before it could purify Gyeonggi, leaving the warlords to reclaim parts of the province on their own without any help.
It's about seventeen times larger than Seoul, but with a sparser population, leaving vast uninhabited areas—and naturally, far more wild animals and monsters than in the capital.
Most folks there are into farming, foraging, hunting, and scavenging. Luxuries like booze mostly come from Gangnam's merchant associations.
When they left, I sent them off with gifts of liquor, food, and the fuel created by Han Su-ah.
The Union executives' reaction to the fertilizer I distributed was explosive.
With spring approaching, calls flooded in to clear farmland now, plant seeds as soon as the season hits, and get farming underway immediately.
I agreed it made sense, so I shipped every bit of fertilizer produced in the territory to the Union.
After much debate on where to site the fields, we settled on Namsan.
The base of Namsan had been Tetora's haunt, turning it into a ghost town long ago. Even after we took down Tetora, no one had reason to abandon their homes elsewhere for it, so the only residents were the Union soldiers stationed at Namsan (South Mountain Domain) and Union members passing through.
With Namsan's infinite water supply, we decided to establish a state-run farm at its base.
The meeting concluded with a vote to prioritize the state farm over military colonies.
Conveniently, there's a mountain right next door—we'd dig up soil from there to level the land for fields.
I planned to make it as large as feasible without overextending.
First crop: potatoes.
Now we needed to recruit farmers for the "Union Government State Farm."
"This is driving me crazy..."
An urgent dispatch from Gangnam yanked me out of bed at dawn to the command center.
When I got there, the report was that the Monolith was emitting an incredibly bright light.
The 1st Special Awakener Division and other units were already on standby, awaiting my orders.
I told them not to attack—just observe the Monolith's movements.
I summoned all executives to Gangnam immediately.
Drones would be controlled from the command center by me and Na Hye-won.
"It really does look off."
The "Monolith" is a black cubic structure monster.
Its surface is etched with indecipherable script. It stays dormant until it activates, at which point the inscriptions glow red.
Reports of intermittent glowing had come in months ago—we'd even used it to pressure the Gangnam government.
But the glow never lasted more than ten minutes, so we didn't see it as a major threat.
Now, it had started glowing two hours ago, and instead of fading, the light was intensifying.
The executives arrived at the unit positioned before the Monolith.
The military officers stared at it with faces full of worry.
The Monolith had activated only once before going fully dormant.
Its ability: "Mutation."
It horrifically mutates any lifeforms entering its range.
The mutated creatures twist grotesquely, gradually losing intelligence before latching onto the nearest lifeform and exploding.
The problem is, once activated, the mutation radius expands steadily.
Its current static range was fixed from its last deactivation.
Multiple subjugation attempts followed, but none succeeded. When the government collapsed, efforts halted.
Ranged weapons don't work; close combat is required. But its insane defense and regeneration aside, surviving inside the radius is no joke.
Even top Awakeners can last about thirty minutes—but dealing meaningful damage in that time is impossible.
The Union's army was prepping to head to Gangnam as soon as ready.
This couldn't go on.
If the radius expanded, we might have to abandon Gangnam District.
"Ranged weapons don't work... and we can't just throw our executives in recklessly..."
Na Hye-won said.
"I heard from my dad that when he was with the Gangnam government, they'd basically given up on subjugating it."
Screech.
"Huh?"
"O-Oppa... Unnie..."
The command center door opened. There stood Seo I-rang in pajamas, clutching her doll.
"I-rang?"
"I-I woke up and n-no one was th-there..."
"You walked here from the palace all by yourself?"
"Th-the guards br-brought me..."
"I'll take you back to your room, sweetie."
Na Hye-won stood and approached her.
Seo I-rang stared at the monitor, then pointed with a finger.
"M-Monolith. Th-that'll be d-dangerous soon."
"What?"
"I-rang?"
A few seconds of silence passed.
I approached her.
"I-rang."
"Y-yes."
"You know about the Monolith?"
Her face twisted slightly, as if recalling bad memories.
"Y-yes... L-long ago, the Mu Wol cult leader tr-tried to t-tame a Monolith with my power."
I scooped her up and sat her on my lap.
"Can you tell me more? It's okay if it's too hard."
She put on a determined face.
"I c-can do it!"
"Good. Take your time?"
"Is that... really true?"
"Yes! R-really!"
Seo I-rang dropped a bombshell.
The Mu Wol cult leader had once tried taming a Monolith using her ability.
She'd lured and tamed a monster she created, then thrown the bead at the Monolith. Shockingly, it glowed red, melting the bead away.
The backlash knocked her out cold; she woke three days later.
The cult leader figured her youth and weak power made it impossible—but that wasn't quite right.
During those three days unconscious, she'd shared consciousness with the Monolith.
Not fully, but in some subconscious realm, piecing together bits about it.
"Must've been scary."
"Uh..."
I stroked her hair; she hugged me tight.
She'd lied to the cult leader, claiming no memories to avoid another attempt.
Waking up, it felt like a dream—days gone, memories fuzzy.
But among her scant recollections, the info was staggering.
"So that's not the real body?"
"Yes! Th-there's a r-round thing u-underground!"
"How deep?"
"Th-this much..."
"..."
Info only she knew in Korea.
The glowing red stone protruding from the ground wasn't the true body—the black sphere buried beneath was the real Monolith.
She didn't know exact depth, but it didn't seem too deep.
Beyond that, only vague, intensely unpleasant, terrifying sensations lingered.
Asking what she meant by "dangerous soon," she said it felt like the Monolith would awaken any moment.
"C-can I sleep here t-today?"
"I'll head down soon. Thanks for telling me."
"Yes! Hee."
She hugged me again.
Na Hye-won took her downstairs.
I immediately convened the executives and officers, relaying what I'd heard.
They were stunned but hesitant.
I got it. Monumental info aside, trusting a child's dreamlike tale as intel was another matter.
I'll go.
Im Jui showed her notepad.
No. We have time to think—wait a bit...
"Coming in!"
The conference room door on the monitor burst open. A young officer rushed in, pale as a ghost, lips trembling.
"The radius is expanding!"
Seo I-rang's intuition hit the mark.
No choices left.
Clang!
Yes! Keep pushing!
"Got it!"
The executives surrounded the Monolith, unleashing merciless sword strikes.
Bombardment drones had done zero damage.
We'd planned immediately and deployed them.
They stabbed relentlessly, but it regenerated instantly, like slicing an illusion.
Even Han Eun-ji's corrosion barely worked.
Proving Seo I-rang right—the surface obelisk wasn't the true body.
The executives were bait.
While they drew eyes, Im Jui had stealth-dug underground toward the real core.
I'd ordered immediate retreat if anything felt off.
One monitor showed the camera feed from her tunnel.
Im Jui dug by the drone's headlight.
The 1st Special Awakener Division stood ready to rescue if needed.
If mutation hit amid the executives, it'd be hell.
Best tactic: small elite strike.
Almost there, Jui. Just a bit more!
Im Jui nodded.
Combat time: over forty minutes.
Executives' gear was fraying, corrosion eating away.
It absorbed the mutation damage.
Slash.
Sizzle-crackle!
The Monolith now spewed red lightning beyond its glow.
Scatter! Don't clump up!
"Yes, sir!"
They risked lives for the ultimate distraction.
To keep it from sensing Im Jui below...
Crackle-patter.
Whoa, I-I'm out!
Im Jui shoved soil aside; it crumbled, revealing a door.
Shing.
She drew her sword and opened it.
...
A room emerged.
Dirt walls enclosed a black stone table, a black sphere atop it.
Seo I-rang was spot on.
Im Jui approached slowly, sword raised.
As she gripped the hilt two-handed and swung—eyes and a mouth appeared on the sphere.
Huh...?
Clang!
Kiiiiing!
Her strike sparked massively; the blade bit in gradually.
Then the mouth moved.
"You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You!"
The monster spoke human words.
Im Jui flinched momentarily.
Jui! Don't panic! Cleave it in half!
Its creepy red eyes shifted black, pupil locking onto the drone.
No way...
Kiiiiii!
Blade halfway in, its eyes fixed dead on the drone.
It shrieked.
"You! You! It's you! You! Keeeek! I! Know! You! Know! You! Keeek!"
Slash.
Cleaved in two, the true Monolith fell silent with a final death cry.
On the surface monitors, the black obelisk crumbled to dust.
The executives cheered.
Im Jui pocketed the halves wordlessly, removed her mask, beamed innocently, and showed her notepad.
We won.
Huh? Oh...! Yeah, great job, Jui!
A miraculous victory—no casualties.
"..."
But something felt off.
The Monolith had definitely looked right at the drone—spoke to me.
The moment our eyes met through it, my heart sank.
Not mere unease.
Some indescribable sensation.
Screech.
"My lord, I-rang's asleep. We won!"
Na Hye-won burst in, cheering at the monitor.
"Yeah, we did. We won, but..."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"The Monolith was looking at me..."
"What?"
"Nah, nothing."
I shook my head, trying to forget it.
Victory, but cleanup remained.