Aftermath Processing
[Alright, everyone get some good rest and come back once things are wrapped up.]
"Yes, Your Excellency! Have a peaceful night!"
-Your Excellency, good night.-
"Whew... Huh?"
I shut down the drone and opened my eyes, only to see a message floating right in front of me.
Victory
It had probably been there since the moment the war ended, but I'd missed it with my eyes closed.
"Do-hyun?"
"Master?"
Just then, the house began to glow brighter and brighter.
"What? Why is the house lighting up...?"
A flash blinded me, and when I came to, Han Seol and Han Byeol had me sandwiched front and back in a hug. My face and the back of my head were buried in pure bliss.
"Do-hyun! Are you okay?"
I deliberately didn't answer, keeping my eyes shut for a good ten seconds to savor paradise.
"Your Excellency! Your Excellency! Are you alright?!"
"Your Excellency!"
But the residents' shouts from outside the mansion cut my heaven short.
"Mm... Yeah, I'm fine. Go tell the residents outside there's nothing to worry about for now."
"Yes."
"Master, did something unlock?"
"Yeah, but I think we need to check it out ourselves."
Han Seol went out, sent the residents home, and returned with a bewildered look as she started explaining.
"Do-hyun, um..."
"Yeah?"
Following her to the living room, I saw a door where there'd only been a wall before.
"Something appeared outside too."
"Let's go see."
Stepping out, I checked behind the mansion. A whole new room had appeared where the flat wall used to be. It had a large door on the outside and another inside the house, meaning free access from either side. The room extended from the first floor all the way to the rooftop.
"An elevator's been added."
Creak. Opening the door, the room was empty. And there on the wall was the elevator.
Not some puny passenger lift—this was a massive freight elevator.
"Master?"
"Yeah, I have a feeling, but we'll know more once we ride it."
Information flooded my mind.
A new floor had been added.
The elevator had only one button. Ding. After pressing it and waiting a few seconds, the familiar arrival chime sounded, and the doors slid open.
"Do-hyun, it's huge."
"Yeah, really spacious. Maybe four or five pyeong?"
This size could handle even the bulkiest cargo without issue.
The floor buttons read R, 3, 2, 1, B1, B2. R for rooftop, 1-3 for the floors above, B1 and B2 for basement levels.
"Basement 2 just got added?"
I hit the button, the doors closed, and we descended.
Ding.
"Whoa... Master!"
"Do-hyun..."
"Yeah, it's way too big."
Basement 2 had a concrete floor, with over a dozen massive ventilation fans and lights on the ceiling. And nothing else. By rough estimate, it was over 300 pyeong.
"Do-hyun, do you think something'll appear here later?"
"No clue. Kinda feels like it might, kinda not. Hard to say."
"Awesome! We were dying for storage anyway—canned goods could all go here. Master, stuff stored here gets preserved forever too?"
"Nah, right now it's just a regular warehouse."
Han Byeol was thrilled at the massive new space. The vents were humming, the temperature cool, humidity just right—perfect for storage.
With the insane amount of spoils incoming, I'd been stressing over where to put it all. Small stuff was one thing, but a dozen-plus mortars, rocket launchers, machine guns, and ammo crates? I'd been thinking of building a wooden shed in the empty lot. But shelves here would sort it perfectly.
"Still, this worked out great. Was worried about where to stash all the canned goods from the basement. We'll move everything here. Call the residents at dawn and start shifting."
"Yes, Do-hyun."
"Yes, Master."
"And it's not over yet. Still feels like something else unlocked."
Basement 2 had stairs and the elevator. Back on B1, I tried all the doors—the six locked ones stayed shut.
"Guess that leaves the second floor."
The moment we reached it, I knew what the odd feeling was.
Creak.
"Whoa... There it is."
I'd waited so long for this.
The display case for the third drone type—the yellow one—had two pedestals open.
"Master! A new drone!"
"Yeah."
"Do-hyun, any idea what it does?"
"Coating drone."
"Coating?"
"Yeah..."
The yellow drone's ability was Coating. The incoming info told me it could coat objects or people, but I had no clue what "coating" actually meant. It recharged once every 24 hours, two uses per drone. Coating lasted 12 hours until it wore off. With two drones, that was four uses at once.
No idea what or how it coated, though. Time to test.
Lantern in hand, we headed out into the night. Random thought: once things stabilize, streetlights in the territory would be nice. If not, long poles with rechargeable lanterns, turned on at night.
"Han Byeol, grab any intact brick around."
"Yes!"
We'd test on the brick first. No telling what it'd do to a person.
Powering up the yellow drone, I started coating the brick.
"Coating."
Whirr. A yellow light flashed from the drone's head onto the brick for 10 seconds, then cut off.
"Han Seol, bring the lantern closer."
"Yes."
"Whoa..."
"Master, the brick..."
The surface gleamed like it'd been oiled. Or like a soap bubble encased it.
"Go tell the residents we're doing some experiments, so ignore any loud noises."
"Yes, Do-hyun."
"Alright, let's try it."
I set the brick upright and had Han Byeol punch it.
"Yes, here I go."
Han Byeol took stance, clenched her fist, and swung at the brick.
Clang!
"Huh? Master?"
"So that's the feeling."
The brick didn't topple; it stood firm. Coating intact, no scratches.
"Less 'coating,' more like a barrier. Like a thin shield coated onto objects or living things?"
I'd been bummed it wasn't offensive at first, but this was huge. Useless for a weakling like me maybe, but in Awakener fights, it could reverse skill gaps.
Clang! Clang!
Han Seol kept punching, but the coating held.
"Master, me too..."
"Yeah, give me the lantern and go."
"Yes."
Han Byeol rolled up her sleeves and hammered away.
Clang! Crackle.
"Huh? Hold up, careful!"
A few minutes in, something shattered.
Whoosh. The coating cracked like glass, blasting wind that shoved Han Seol and Han Byeol back. I was squatting nearby and tumbled over.
"How many hits?"
"Thirty-eight."
"Thirty-three, Master!"
They were a cut above average Awakeners, and together they'd landed 71 full-power punches. The brick was unscratched even after.
"Punch the brick again."
"Yes."
Crack! Han Seol's fist shattered it into three pieces.
"Let's try something else."
We grabbed a person-sized wooden plank, stood it up, coated it, and tested again. It lasted 32 punches before breaking—less than the brick.
Proven facts:
First, damage to the coated target is absorbed by the coating.
Second, when the coating breaks, it generates wind pressure, repelling nearby objects or people.
Third, coating precision and strength vary by volume. The smaller brick outlasted the larger plank.
Fourth, stacking is possible. After the first coating broke on the plank, I used the remaining two charges— it held until destroyed again.
Probably stackable up to four times per target. True to form, the ability didn't quantify strength numerically, so no exact absorption stats. Annoying.
Last guess: it always tanks the finishing blow regardless of damage. Say coating strength is 200, Han Seol's punch 60—after three (180 damage), 20 left. Fourth punch shouldn't pierce for -40; instead, coating shatters harmlessly, nullifying the hit.
If true, even near-instant-kill attacks get blocked once. Test with Im Jui later.
A week after the alliance's victory, Im Jui's group finally returned from their long trip.
"Good work. Head in, eat something tasty, and rest up."
-Thank you, Your Excellency.-
"Your Excellency! Have you been well?"
"Your Excellency!"
"Thank you for the chance to spread Your Excellency's glory!"
"Your Excellency! We're grateful, but there's so much spoils to move—we'll lend our strength!"
Over twenty military trucks rolled in behind them, loaded to the brim.
Kim Dae-geon hopped out of the first—he'd been handling war business and hadn't come sooner.
"Your Exceelleeeency!"
He dropped to his knees the second he saw me and crawled over.
"No need to overdo it—just walk. People are watching."
He seemed worried I'd be mad, but no apologies needed. They hadn't come to threaten; they'd proposed alliance, and everything worked out.
"It's fine. Water under the bridge—no hard feelings. Don't worry."
"Your Excellency..."
Tears streamed down Kim Dae-geon's cheeks.
"I'll engrave Your ocean of grace into my bones."
The alliance soldiers who'd dismounted saluted in unison toward me.
"Salute to Your Excellency!"
"Loyalty!"
"Yeah, uh... good work, everyone."
The cargo was staggering. The day before Im Jui left, we'd started war crimes trials. All captured Reconstruction Government field officers and above—except those who surrendered without resistance—were unanimously sentenced to death by the council.
This wasn't the old world. Feeding them was a waste.
Executed that day, stripped naked, bodies dumped roadside. Generals' corpses hung on crosses along the road—a warning to passersby of the fate for waging war on the council.
Surrendering officers were imprisoned; willing defectors parceled to factions.
Kim Dae-geon reported this morning: alliance entered the Reconstruction capital bloodlessly, full control secured. Daily intel updates promised.
They'd stripped everything for war—no more loot left there anyway.
All residents turned out, efficiently hauling to Basement 2.
"This is too much? We've already made back our investment."
"Your Excellency..."
"Hm?"
"This is just the start. Trucks like these for the next three days."
"..."
War's true bloom: plunder and spoils. Even with more residents, food worries were history.