Hunt (2)
"This is it..."
In the center of a construction site filled with half-finished buildings, quadrupedal monsters had gathered. They looked like wolves, but with exposed bones and flesh, tentacles wriggling from their eyes and mouths—twisted wolves. There were at least forty of them, just from what the drones could see. Who knew how many more lurked inside these abandoned structures.
In the middle sat a massive one with a white mane, looking like the leader, perched regally.
-What do you think? Can you take them down, Jui?-
Im Jui pulled out her notepad.
Yes, I can handle them sufficiently.
There's a saying that once you reach a certain level, you can gauge an opponent's strength without even fighting. It seemed true. Im Jui could infer their power just from looking at them.
The warlords of Gyeonggi-do had cleared the path, but their eyes were filled with suspicion. It was understandable. They didn't want to yield the road, but they had no choice if they wanted to avoid conflict.
I needed to earn their trust first.
While most Gyeonggi warlords eyed us suspiciously, the leader of one small group had personally guided us to this monster nest and handed over all their photos and intel.
This construction site was land they'd eyed for themselves, but a monster pack had settled in. They figured poking the hornet's nest would cost more than it was worth, so they'd backed off.
I paid him 300 bottles of Nakyuan liquor as an information fee. He was stunned.
Last fall, they'd clashed with another group in a skirmish—casualties, poor harvest. They were wondering if they'd survive till next autumn when word of the Union Government's Marshal reached them. While everyone else shrugged it off, he figured what the hell, might as well try selling me the info—and actually got paid.
Selling those 300 bottles of premium liquor for food would get them through winter, he said, beaming. Then he asked if he could sell more intel once we cleared this place.
Of course, I welcomed it with open arms.
-I'll hit them with bombardment drones first, then you clean up any survivors.-
"Yes, sir!"
Two bombardment drones widened their range, targeting different spots.
Wooong. Once the countdown ended, hundreds of red spheres rained from the sky.
BOOM!
"Grrrraaak!"
"Kieeeek!"
Flames roared, monster screams echoing. As the fire and smoke cleared, the wasteland was devastated. Buildings collapsed, bricks melted. Dozens of monster corpses littered the ground.
"Grrruk!"
-Whoa... it survived that.-
The leader was charred, oozing pus, but alive—and pissed. A few lucky ones that had hidden under buildings staggered up, licking its wounds.
-Finish them.-
"Yes, sir."
-Don't hold back on your abilities if you need them.-
But figuring wounded monsters didn't warrant powers, the executives drew swords and strode into the site.
"Kruk!"
Slash.
"Kieek!"
It was less a battle, more a slaughter. Wounded monsters charged to protect their leader but fell powerless to the executives' blades.
"Kruk..."
The leader's wounds from the bombardment were deep; even as Im Jui approached, it just lay there growling threats. Its eyes were blind, no light in them.
Im Jui silently pressed her blade to its throat, gripped the hilt, and thrust.
Stab.
"Ki...!"
With the leader down, I checked points.
Possessed Points increased by 31P.
"Haa..."
I sighed immediately—not because 31 points was too few.
"Should've done this sooner."
Before leaving, the executives loaded their vehicles with all sorts of food. Life on the road meant no comfy beds or Nakyuan luxuries, so they'd asked the chefs for plenty of tasty preserved meals. One was jerky.
In this world, jerky was a precious protein source. Normally, you'd thinly slice wild game, salt it heavily to draw out moisture, and air-dry it in the cold. I'd tried it. It wasn't human food. Hard as wood chips, rivaling katsuobushi. You dissolve it forever in your mouth or grind it into soup. If you manage a bite, the salt hits so hard it's laughable. I gagged and spat it out. Pure survival calories, no taste—just a protein brick. Like the dried horse meat Mongol riders carried.
Hearing even that was reserved for well-off warlord soldiers as emergency rations? Shocking.
But Nakyuan's "jerky" was different. Pre-apocalypse luxury bar snack. Soy sauce, honey, sugar, pepper—top-shelf seasonings. Chefs turned thick prime beef into something more gourmet than preserved food. Subtle soy saltiness, sweet honey, peppery kick, sesame seed finish. Perfection.
We sometimes gifted it with liquor to Union executives; reports flooded in asking if they could buy it. Naturally, all Nakyuan execs loved it. So for this expedition, we packed heaps.
The warlord who got liquor after our first purge invited the executives to his base for dinner since they had no lodging. I watched via drone feed on the command table.
He'd gone all-out to impress the Union: meat and canned mountain veg in a hearty stew. Plenty of chunks. Even white rice. Luxe by outside standards.
But the executives panicked. Nakyuan meals had spoiled them; this looked worse than their rations.
"Please, dig in. Ah, let me serve you."
Lee Ho-seok, head of that small Gyeonggi warlord group who'd sold us intel first, dismissed his men and personally ladled stew with utmost courtesy.
They couldn't refuse the hospitality, so they started eating. With each spoonful, their faces darkened.
Too good not to share—I called Seo I-rang and Na Hye-won to the command room. The three of us watched their grimaces on screen, cracking up.
It was like that legendary photo of a chaebol politico visiting a goshiwon. Spot-on expressions.
After dinner, back at Lee Ho-seok's quarters, we chatted via notepad.
-How was dinner?-
"Hard to believe we ate stuff like that before Nakyuan..."
"It was like chewing dirt..."
"Have we gotten too spoiled?"
-Each bite was torture.-
"It was tolerable for me."
Jeong Su-hwan was the only one who'd eaten without issue, though even he looked shocked. Their packed jerky, smoked fish, ham, bacon, dressings, sauces—rations in Nakyuan, luxuries outside.
-Tomorrow, gift Lee Ho-seok some of those rations as my present. Tell him sell or eat, whatever.-
"Got it."
"Marshal, reports of intel from Gyeonggi warlords are pouring in."
"Send them all to my office."
Once trust was shown, Gyeonggi's small warlords sent neatly compiled monster nest data. Many asked for food over liquor. Especially the jerky I'd casually given Lee Ho-seok—it exploded.
He'd figured out why the executives grimaced at his meal after getting Nakyuan rations. Sold fifteen of twenty jerky packs to neighbors, plus bacon, smoked fish, ham—swapped for cheap eats.
Gyeonggi warlords, thinking it premium, bought in. Then Lee Ho-seok dropped: "Not luxury—'combat rations' from Union Government Marshal's troops."
Shock: 'They use this as military grub?'
A bit misleading, but not wrong—no need to clarify.
Now Gyeonggi warlords raced to share intel. Our "rations" shattered their lingering resistance and wariness.
The executives returned after 24 days of monumental purging.
Possessed Points: 1172P
"Whoa."
Colony bonuses added 200P—nice haul. On day 18, we hit a building with a monster cluster; the boss was tough compared to trash mobs, but no named-tier. A normal warlord would've needed an army; we mopped the trash, Im Jui stealthed and one-shot the boss's neck.
Current reconstruction zones finishing in two days. Housing anyway—no rush.
Time to spend points on Nakyuan. I'd thought paying 50P to reconstruct with construction drones here was inefficient.
Not anymore. With enough points, fill these vast wastes with buildings.
Planned three more cattle ranches in the food sector. Stockpile premium beef preserves. Supplying troops with top-grade dried salted beef and ham in wartime? Morale booster.
Can't feed everyone, but more ranches mean special forces get it.
"Reconstruct."
Whoooong.
The ruins transformed into buildings for 50P.
"Huh?! When did that open...?"
Housing / Hospital / Farm / Ranch / Bathhouse / Aquaculture / Brewery / Fertilizer Factory
The last one opened.
"Fertilizer factory...?"
My heart raced—not just from that. Something else caught my eye.
Palace / ??? / ??? / ???
"Palace unlocked."
A new Premium Buildings category had appeared.