Marshal

"I never thought there'd still be something surprising left in this house..."

"Master, this is..."

A room that could make awakeners even stronger. Panels straight out of some sci-fi spaceship crammed the space, and inside glass tubes floated two melons submerged in blue liquid.

"Do-hyun? What's this room for?"

Han Seol asked as I stared blankly at the sight for a good while.

"Hm... It's a Reinforcement Room. A place that makes awakeners stronger."

"Really? How could something like that even..."

Han Seol started to say it was impossible but trailed off, nodding instead. She must have realized that everything in this house defied common sense anyway.

"Eating those melons in the liquid seems to make you stronger... but it gave me some info I don't like."

"Master, what info?"

"The actual owner of this house—me—doesn't get any physical enhancement from eating them..."

I'd briefly hoped I could get as strong as the Han sisters, if not Im Jui, but this overly kind ability informed me that the house's owner wouldn't grow stronger from the liquid-soaked melons.

"Let's try with Han Seol first... Seol, put your hand on that blue panel over there."

"Yes!"

Bzzz.

When Han Seol placed her palm on the panel, it scanned her hand once before displaying '0%'.

"Do-hyun, can I ask what this does?"

"It's a machine that measures latent potential opening degree. I don't know the details either. Just keep your hand there until it hits 100%."

"Yes!"

The measurement took longer than expected. The number crept up 1% at a time, and only after about an hour with her hand pressed to the panel did it reach 100%.

"Do-hyun, measurement complete!"

"Got it."

I pieced it together from the info in my head. Awakeners probably had some kind of latent potential, and hers was only 13% unlocked.

"Next up, Han Byeol."

"Who'd win if you two fought?"

They'd never sparred before, so they pondered my question before Han Byeol spoke first.

"We've never fought, but in a short fight I'd have the edge, and in a long one Seol would win."

"Yes, I think the same."

I didn't know what the difference was, but their power levels seemed about equal anyway.

"I'd love to measure Jui too, but she's probably asleep."

"Master! I'll go get her!"

"Nah, we couldn't have taken down that dragon without the governor. Let her rest, we'll measure her in the morning."

Eating the melons in the blue-liquid vat supposedly made you stronger, though I had no idea how. For now, we'd bring Im Jui in the morning for measurement.

"Oh..."

"My."

A number like that made her a near-perfect awakener.

"Good work."

-Yes, Excellency.-

"Why do you carry your sword on your back? More comfortable?"

Im Jui bowed her head deeply at my question. Then Han Seol whispered in my ear.

"It's... because Jui's so short, it drags on the ground if she wears it at her waist."

"..."

I'd been wondering what to do with the dragon's corpse, but Jeong Su-hwan's report led me there to find all the internal flesh evaporated, leaving only bones and scales. I tested them with a sword from the armory—they cut cleanly. After some thought, I stored them in the wooden warehouse the carpenters built.

"Excellency! Your great feat echoes across all of Seoul!"

"Figured as much."

After morning thanks and praise from Kim Dae-geon, who visited, I got a note from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ham Seong-hoon asking to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pass it on. It was thanks for subjugating the dancer, promising to wrap things up quickly and visit Paradise next week with the full council to express gratitude in person.

After sending ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kim Dae-geon off, Han Seol, Han Byeol, and I returned to the Reinforcement Room.

"Someone has to eat one of those melons to test it. Jui's already near-perfect, so it'd be inefficient for her... One of you two should try. What do you think?"

"Me! Master! I'll do it!"

"Do-hyun! I'll eat it!"

"Huh?"

I'd held off mentioning it in the morning, expecting refusal since it felt like a lab experiment, but they were both eager.

"Not nervous? It doesn't seem like it'd cause body issues or anything, but it sure looks experimental."

"I want to get stronger! Master! Let me go first!"

"Do-hyun, I really want to try too!"

"Well... we'll have the other eat it too if nothing goes wrong... Whoever wants to go first, rock-paper-scissors for it."

Han Seol won.

"Alright, let's do it."

Psssh.

Pressing the red button released air with a hiss and smoke as the glass tube opened. Inside was a vat filled with blue liquid. Hitting the blue button drained the solution from the vat downward.

"Hm... Shall I take it out?"

"Do-hyun, just in case, let me."

Han Seol reached in and pulled out the melon.

"Looks like a normal melon... What do you think?"

"Looks normal."

Han Byeol fetched a knife and plate, slicing it carefully to preserve as much flesh as possible.

"Excellency, I gratefully partake."

"Go ahead."

"I wanted to go first..."

With a resolute expression, Han Seol speared a piece with her fork, shoved it in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

"How is it? Feel anything? Like power surging?"

"No... I'll keep eating."

Han Seol said it tasted like any melon with no changes as she ate on. But when she swallowed the last piece, she jolted like she'd been shocked, eyes wide, mouth agape, staring blankly into space.

"You okay?"

"Seol? Everything alright?"

"Ah... It's just..."

She raised her hand, stared at her palm, and said,

"I feel... incredibly stronger..."

We immediately rechecked her opening degree.

"Up 39%? Hm... I want to test this as safely as possible. Arm wrestling—who wins?"

Han Byeol raised her hand.

"I'd win arm wrestling!"

No need to deliberate—we set a wooden table in the yard and had them face off. Residents gathered, curious about the spectacle.

"Hands together. Ready?"

"Yes, Excellency."

"Yes, Master!"

"On your marks... Go!"

Crack!

"Huh?"

"Ah..."

At the start, Han Seol slammed Han Byeol's arm straight through the table. It splintered, and Han Byeol tumbled to the ground.

"Byeol! Byeol! You okay?"

"Seol... why are you so strong?"

Han Byeol was unhurt. She got up, clasped her hands, and approached me.

"Master! Please let me eat one too. Please? I'll do anything you say!"

"I was gonna let you both anyway if nothing was wrong."

"Thank you!"

"Ack."

Han Byeol hugged me suddenly, drawing an embarrassing noise from my lips.

"B-Byeol! The residents are watching!"

Han Seol wedged between us, and we headed back to the Reinforcement Room. Han Byeol ate the remaining melon right away, reacting just like Han Seol.

"Huh? You had a higher degree than Seol before eating, but now it's lower? The increase isn't fixed, then."

"Master! Power's overflowing in me! Thank you!"

"Yeah, go grab two more melons from the hydroponics room. Putting them back should make more."

This was the exciting part. In theory, with enough time, we could infinitely produce super-soldier melons.

"Master! Got them!"

"Thanks."

Placing the melons in the vat and hitting the blue button refilled it with blue solution. Red button closed the tube.

"180 days? Sigh..."

Longest production time of any building in the barrier. I'd expected a long regen period, but two months max—not half a year for two enhancement melons.

"Well... no getting greedy."

"Haat!"

"Hah!"

The day after getting swords and unlocking the Reinforcement Room, Im Jui, Han Byeol, and Han Seol started sword training in their spare time. To avoid serious injuries, they used wooden practice swords for spars.

I rose early today, bathed, and dressed properly. The council was coming.

Military trucks appeared in the distance, several of them. Loaded with goods behind—probably Ham Seong-hoon's gifts for me. Carpenters had set up a simple tent in the 'Second North Sector' they'd enter, two days prior. With their skills, it looked proper.

"Excellency! Thanks to you, our association..."

"Come in first and talk."

"Excellency! Long time no see!"

"Excellency! I hope you've been well!"

The council members were unusually deferential. They'd always been polite, but today was extreme. I'd considered expensive liquor, but they wanted to try milk, so I served that. They sipped, faces lighting up in awe. I gave crates of milk bottles to the accompanying soldiers to sample.

An hour in, the council launched into praise.

"Truth be told, 'council' is a misnomer. We're reliant on Your Excellency's might and wealth."

"Well said."

"Your Excellency eliminated the dancer without a single casualty."

"At this rate, reclaiming all of Seoul might not be impossible."

Things were veering oddly.

"Hold on a sec."

As I raised my hand to stop the flattery, Ham Seong-hoon pulled papers from his pocket.

"What's this?"

"Our pledge to you from the four of us."

"..."

With trembling hands, I turned to the first page.

"What the..."

I stared at them dumbfounded, and they rose from their chairs to kneel on one knee before me.

"That is our will, Excellency."

"Henceforth, lead us not as a member of the 'council,' but as the Marshal of the 'Alliance.'"

I closed my eyes. Darkness. Opened them—they still knelt. I wished it was a dream. It wasn't.

Marshal? I hadn't hoped for this level of fame.

As I hesitated, Ham Seong-hoon caught on and shouted,

"Excellency! Long live! Marshal! Long live!"

"Long live!"

Yeah, we're totally fucked now.