Pohang Reconstruction
After negotiations concluded between the Balhut Cult and Pohang's three major camps, reconstruction in Pohang kicked off at a rapid pace. This was thanks to the cult's aggressive investments aimed at restarting the Pohang Steelworks and other industrial facilities, coupled with enthusiastic cooperation from the three camps. Of course, if you looked beneath the surface...
"From now on, you can manufacture goods for Pohang and Gyeongju citizens right here in Pohang."
"A concession, then?"
"Yes, we're conceding it to you. From this point forward, Pohang will produce industrial goods for both Pohang and Gyeongju."
They had handed over all production of everyday industrial goods—previously made in Gyeongju—to Pohang. Naturally, this included not just daily necessities but also construction materials needed for Pohang's rebuilding, all now produced on-site. This fueled accelerated reconstruction and generated substantial revenue. But it wasn't a one-sided giveaway from the Balhut Cult.
"From now on, Choi's Ironworks will remodel into a weapons R&D lab exclusively for Awakeners and industrial facilities tailored to them."
"Thank you for your consideration, Lord Bahamut."
In exchange for ceding everyday goods production, Gyeongju would focus on Awakener-exclusive weapons manufacturing. Choi's Ironworks shifted entirely away from consumer goods, handing those off to Pohang, and retooled to pour all its efforts into developing new Awakener weapons—including Bahamut Bullets, previously used mainly by the military. It was a classic focus strategy. By offloading everyday production, the Balhut Cult aimed to monopolize military power.
"Still, it's our foundation. We've got to look out for them ourselves."
"Of course!"
This policy itself stemmed from consultations between Bahamut and Yu-na. Ultimately, the cult's entire base originated in Gyeongju, and its strongest supporters were Gyeongju citizens. While converts were growing in Pohang too, the cult naturally trusted the overwhelmingly loyal Gyeongju populace more than recent Pohang joiners. So both Bahamut and the cult leadership recognized the need for policies benefiting Gyeongju citizens—their bedrock. They settled on nurturing Awakener industries for that purpose. With Awakeners only increasing, so would demand for related industries; in a way, Gyeongju was positioning itself to dominate future markets.
"Why not plan Gyeongju outright as the central hub for Awakeners from the start?"
"Excellent idea."
In the end, Bahamut envisioned transforming the tourist city of Gyeongju into a hub for birthing and training Awakeners. The first step: concentrating weapons production for Balhut Cult Awakeners at Choi's Ironworks. Soon, countless weapons and tools designed there would be forged anew from coins minted by Bahamut himself.
"Pohang's just starting reconstruction—hard to find workers, huh?"
"Yeah, Gyeongju's diving into rebuilds too. Most folks are snapping up construction gigs or factory jobs for consumer goods."
One reason for shifting industry to Pohang was job creation for locals. Freshly liberated Pohang residents had virtually no employment options, and without specialized skills, they'd end up jobless on the streets. Unprotected street dwellers breed extreme ideas, eroding public safety. Having liberated Pohang, the Balhut Cult needed to provide livelihoods, which meant significant concessions. In turn, Pohang began circulating Gyeongju's currency, kickstarting markets—and the biggest winners were logistics operators hauling food.
"Speaking of, he went and started Kim Tae-hyeon Company with his own name on it."
"President with just five trucks, though."
"In this era, running five trucks solo is impressive enough, right?"
Unlike Gyeongju's direct food rations, Pohang distributed daily wages in currency to circulate money. For commercially savvy Gyeongju merchants, it opened new markets; in the apocalypse, top commodities were weapons for protection and food. Weapons were cult-monopolized, but food was fair game. Kim Tae-hyeon, now with his own company, direct-shipped grain-belt produce to Pohang for huge margins, while buying cheap fresh fish from Pohang and supplying Gyeongju—turning trade into his core business.
"Win-win, though? Pohang gets fresh rice and veggies. Gyeongju tastes fish straight from the source after five months without."
"True. Seeing fresh fish again brings tears to my eyes."
Pohang quickly accessed steaming rice and crisp vegetables they'd craved; Gyeongju savored long-lost fresh seafood. Especially in Gyeongju, where logistics collapse meant no fresh fish for ages, just-landed catches exploded in popularity. In an end-times diet of canned tuna and pickled veggies per meal, affordable fresh meat was a godsend. No wonder it flew off shelves.
"Plus, no competition yet."
"Hey, can I run a hoarding article in tomorrow's paper?"
"Nah, unavoidable. North Gyeongju granary zones and beyond still crawl with wild zombies and monsters. Subjugation forces are tied up elsewhere."
Reporter Kang Jae-wan bristled at Kim Tae-hyeon's no-competition claim, suspecting gouging, but logistics was a tough-entry field. The Gyeongju-Pohang route took 20-30 minutes by vehicle, but wild zombies or monsters lurked en route—survival demanded real skill. Factor in variant zombies or elite monsters, and it was high-stakes gambling with your life. The cult knew this, stationing checkpoints for safety, but until full pacification, every run carried risk.
"Considering the risk to life, this pricing's downright conscientious."
"Fair point."
That peril justified the fat profits. Monster- and zombie-infested wilds drove up transport fees—and margins. New livelihoods and cultures sprouted city by city; slowly, Pohang and Gyeongju's roads linked as one.
And then...
"Th-this is the newly elected mayor... no, Dragon Priestess?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Uh..."
With reconstruction on track, the Balhut Cult requested Pohang's elected Dragon Priestess. Seo Un-jae presented her to Son Sang-hee. It was the pivotal matter between cult and camps, proof of Bahamut's promise, and Pohang's new face. Expecting a solid pick from the camps, Sang-hee—now officially Balhut—was speechless at Pohang's choice.
"Any issue? We made sure it's a woman, as required."
"Ah, yes."
Gender was expected for a priestess. But the problem was...
"Her age, perhaps?"
"Fourteen. She'll be fifteen in about two months. No problem, right? Yu-na's seventeen."
Too young. Just fourteen now, fifteen soon—a middle school third-year girl, elected mayor and priestess of Pohang. Sang-hee suspected the camps planned a blatant puppet.
In this era, age didn't matter much for Awakeners, and the criteria specified one, so the girl before her surely was. But Sang-hee was stunned because...
"Wh-why's she wrapped in medical bandages over her eyes?"
"Before the Balhut Cult arrived, she botched a fight with a variant spider zombie—took venom to the face. It's gruesome."
The girl's condition was dire. Bandaged with now-abundant medical gauze, but Sang-hee imagined horror beneath. Peeking under the eye cloth confirmed it: face and eyes melted away from potent venom. She'd been sidelined from the frontlines.
"And the wheelchair?"
"Spinal damage—paraplegic lower body."
"Haha, and I'll bet her vocal cords are scorched too."
"How'd you know?"
Her disabilities didn't end there. Beyond lost eyes and face, paralysis and ruined voice. In the apocalypse, such injuries meant death, but her Awakener status and camp support kept her alive.
"...Is this what I think it is?"
Sang-hee outright suspected the camps' puppet ploy. Bahamut had only specified selecting an Awakener for priestess—no details. Pohang exploited that gap; arguing technical compliance would be tough. They'd claim full criteria met, leaving little room for rebuttal—though suspicions of bad faith lingered.
"Do you really plan to install her as mayor?"
Sang-hee, now cult-affiliated, bluntly challenged Seo Un-jae. Her words carried weight as an insider-turned-cultist, laced with accusation: sacrificing a Pohang child to camp greed?
"If I said this is the utmost compromise, would you believe me?"
"No."
Amusingly, Seo Un-jae claimed it was maximal compromise, cradling his aged, pained face, insisting he hated it too. Even heartless politicians had lines; exploiting a child invited moral and ethical backlash—and future attacks from rivals. Political suicide for him.
"We're a coalition of three forces—think three heads, three agendas."
"No way."
"Yes. Hyongsan River Camp, Pohang University Campus, and the Marines—each pushed their own for priestess. It could've shattered our power balance perfectly."
But considering Pohang's internals flipped the script. Like Gyeongju's north-south divide, Pohang split into three factions. United temporarily for liberation under Gyeongju, it was still a coalition. Post-negotiation, self-interest reigned; the priestess slot was a golden chance to upend balance. The winner becomes mayor, seizes power center, legally purges rivals.
"Some weren't satisfied with negotiation gains. Even with the cult's mercy, some question why Pohang bows to Gyeongju. Especially Division Commander Kim Tae-sik, stripped of military power."
"Ah."
Dissatisfaction festered. Seo Un-jae had curbed his own greed; others surely felt shortchanged. No doubts on Dragon God Bahamut, but resentment toward Gyeongju simmered. Some even took losses, fixating on priestess to recoup.
"In the end, we negotiated a neutral child unrelated to any camp—universally acceptable. Understand? This was our best option."
"So... near-civil war?"
"Yes, plenty possible. Human greed knows no bounds."
Sang-hee gasped at the dire stakes; Seo confirmed civil war loomed. Greed's endless—people act on it, even repeating futility.
"Instead of an unrelated neutral, we split real power and rights three ways, enjoying Pohang's autonomy. That's the camps' secret pact."
"You can tell me this?"
"We're blatantly picking a puppet priestess anyway. Better to reveal intentions and internals to the cult via you—safer. Oh, that was musing aloud. If Sang-hee overheard, oh well—my mistake."
Muttering self-servingly, Seo exposed the pact. Sang-hee called out the recklessness; he deemed it wisest. So obvious a puppet, better preempt cult suspicions via her. A rigged game of go-stop.
"Plus, the child's disabled. Even divine healing might not fully restore her. Opening a path to livelihood this way isn't bad for her personally, right?"
"Uh."
"Few good souls care for a handicapped orphan in the apocalypse. No one's got spare capacity. Pre-end morals are in the gutter."
At least as priestess, she'd have security. Sang-hee couldn't refute. Puppet or not, camps would dutifully care for her. Per Seo, an orphan sans guardians. No proper orphanage yet; without this, starvation loomed.
"...Understood."
Sang-hee pondered if truly best, but relented. Her mission: escort the selected Awakener, not condemn camps. Seo averted eyes from her sharp glare, shame evident. Truly Pohang's "best."
"What's the child's name?"
"Baek Seol-hwa."
"...Huh? Did you say Seol-hwa?"
Asking the name floored Sang-hee. Staring incredulously, she sought confirmation; Seo's grim expression spoke volumes.
"Now you see why other camps accept her? She carries name value in Pohang."
"...For real?"
"Yes, the real Baek Seol-hwa."
How could Sang-hee not know? The girl from Pohang Airport who'd birthed a rival camp to the three majors, Pohang's strongest Awakener and survivor leader. Having met her there, Sang-hee bombarded Seo with disbelief; his firm yes left her soul-shocked. Wordlessly, she wheeled the chair, slowly exiting Pohang.
"Damn it all."
Seo, seeing them off, sighed skyward, head throbbing.