Mega-Corp Queen Chaoryeong
Private mercenaries in reinforced power suits numbered sixteen hundred. Two heavy-armored vehicles armed with plasma cannons, ultra-high-temperature flamethrowers, and guided missiles. And then there was herself, equipped with cutting-edge implants, plus five combat secretaries. In other words, this was a combination that absolutely could not lose. A force capable of handling even a small imperial death squad.
"This is half our company's power! Mega-Corp number one, Sentinental—half its forces!!!"
Chaoryeong watched in disbelief as her private mercenaries died off one by one without mercy. The enhanced humans, fitted with top-tier implants no less, were bursting like ketchup packets.
"Fuck, no matter how much of an imperial inspector he is, he's just one person!"
No matter what, how could a single infantryman take on combat-grade heavy equipment? Chaoryeong pressed her forehead, staring at the tank reduced to rags. Something was terribly wrong.
"What kind of gear is that? It defies the laws of physics!"
The mercenaries trapped in massive cylindrical confines were crumpling like thin aluminum cans.
"Even if it's powered by ether, this is beyond ridiculous…."
Chaoryeong bit her nails in frustration. Deploying her combat secretaries here would mean catastrophic losses. Sure enough, her chief secretary offered advice.
"If we lose any more company assets, headquarters might become prey for corporate hunters."
Chaoryeong snorted at the chief's words.
"Hmph. Sentinental's authority doesn't come from military might—it's from food supplies."
"But we need deterrent force to protect the farmlands. Losing more troops will give the opposition coalition an opening."
"……."
The chief was right, so Chaoryeong clicked her tongue.
"Tch, no choice then. Pull back the mercenaries and tanks."
Chaoryeong tossed off her coat, and the glossy black suit beneath gleamed in the light. The skin-tight black suit revealed bundles of cable muscles. She drew a slender sword hidden within her staff. Now it was time for her to step in personally. There was no room for retreat anyway. Once the inspector searched her headquarters, Sentinental was done for. No, it wouldn't end there. The entire colony might be deemed contaminated and purged. The empire's busy ministers would just stamp approval for disposal. The billions of residents here meant nothing.
"You're not the only one who can wield ether, imperial hound."
Chaoryeong, aiming her slender sword at the girl, vanished like a mirage.
*
Kagak— Janggil clashed with the slender sword, sparks flying. Despite its thinness, it seemed made of a special alloy—no scratch even from hard impacts with Janggil.
1-level Projection
Double Shot
[Uwaaaak! I got cut, I'm bleeding! Blood's coming out!]
"You wish!"
I swung Janggil to shove away the woman called Chaoryeong. Her hair rippled as she retreated swiftly, then settled back into place.
"Your movements are duller than expected, Inspector sir."
'Annoying type. Even with a 3-level ether cast hold….'
Like a top-tier battle mage—fast, agile movements and an impossibly sturdy slender sword. A moment's lapse could mean serious injury.
"But you've picked the wrong opponent."
"What?"
3-level Enhancement
Stella Maris
A cluster of stars gathered around me, twinkling.
"That puts you around 2- to 3-level, roughly."
"3-level…?"
I smiled faintly and clenched my fist.
"Meaning you're pathetic."
My fist shot forward like a bullet, slamming into Chaoryeong's abdomen. Cables snapped with the sound of a drum being struck.
Thud—
"Hm…."
I furrowed my brow at the sensation on my fingertips. Her internals must be heavily damaged.
"Now, shall we decide whether to end your breath here?"
As I approached the tank, someone burst unexpectedly from the wreckage, grabbing Chaoryeong and vanishing.
"……."
A chill ran down my spine.
'No presence at all.'
[That guy just now.]
"Yeah, something's off. Didn't feel human."
[Hmmm….]
"Any idea?"
Janggil vibrated faintly as if pondering, offering no answer.
*
Rumors spread of a miracle in the slums: two naturally awakened mages fighting for the poor. Info broker Chao gathered other brokers to spread the tales.
"For real? They say he has top-grade implants not even Mega-Corps have."
"Must be a neuron amplifier. Amplify brainwaves and you get telekinesis."
"Idiot, you think that's possible? Stop reading fantasy novels."
Chao sighed at the bickering brokers.
"Not implants—mages."
"Dude, where are mages in this world? You eat bad breakfast?"
"Fuck off. Special intel my ass, talking mage bullshit."
Chao shrugged at their words.
"Mages, I said. Tch."
Fiddling with his new prosthetic leg, Chao continued.
"You know imperial inspectors, right?"
"Inspectors? The ones in the capital?"
"Why would some big shot come to a tiny colony like this?"
Chao beckoned the two brokers and whispered.
"The colony's sigma graph in imperial storage went haywire."
"Sigma graph?"
"Yeah, that ancient program that predicts doomsday?"
"It suddenly spiked, pointing to doom. That's why the inspector rushed here."
The broker on the right tilted his head.
"An inspector for a colony with just 1-2 billion pop? No way."
As Chao flustered, the left broker clicked his prosthetic arm.
"Inspectors collect data on dying colonies, right? Probably here to log how we croak."
"You actually believe in inspectors?"
"Yeah. How else beat Sentinental?"
"……."
One silent broker swept back his bangs.
"…Fuck, then the colony's really screwed."
The two brokers left with grave faces. Rumors would soon hit this sector too. Chao grinned and headed home.
*
Sector A was remarkably clean after one Wave of Stars. I nodded, surveying the spotless slums.
"Yes, this is how people should live."
"Smells like seaside though."
I shrugged at Shasha's grumbling.
"What can you do? My summons are seawater."
"That filth you washed off isn't heading to the foundation, right?"
I cleared my throat at Shasha's anxious words and entered Chao's house. Chao should've returned after spreading rumors.
Inside, Chao greeted me with sparkling eyes.
"Ah, Inspector sir? As you said, I spread the inspector rumors in Sector D too."
"Good work. Mega-Corp will react soon."
As I popped a candy, Polrosa's heir—seated—reported.
"Five of the ten Mega-Corp groups have turned. Last battle had a big impact."
"They must've heard how Chaoryeong's army got smashed."
"Chaoryeong's half-dead too~ This one's punches one-shot even decent spirits."
Chaoryeong had mobilized nearly two thousand mercenaries and two tanks, only to get wrecked and flee—naturally alarming everyone.
"But how do you generate that energy from such a tiny body?"
I shrugged at Mus's question, spouting whatever came to mind.
"High-efficiency ether nuclear fusion reactor."
Advanced magic is indistinguishable from cutting-edge science. They didn't get it but nodded as if they did. Same scene playing out in every Mega-Corp head office.
'Impossible to comprehend, so they'll assume it's imperial high-tech.'
"So now we just wait?"
Once all Mega-Corps leaned our way, I'd scour the colony as inspector. Sentinental HQ first, of course.
"But you'll really leave after that?"
I shrugged at Mus.
"Not here to rule—just avert doom. I'm basically a civil servant; stop one apocalypse, move to the next."
Judging by floor 11, no rushing floor 12. I lifted Janggil.
"Before that~"
I grinned wide.
"Heard there's a dessert shop in the commercial district. Let's go."
"Why desserts?"
"Why do you think."
Shasha narrowed her eyes at Mus.
"Personal maintenance time, right?"
"Ding dong dang~"
I headed to the commercial district with Shasha and Mus. Plenty of novel desserts, though tastes weren't much different from what I knew.
"Hm, 'nebula flavor' my ass—just lemon soda."
"Guess there's a lemon-soda nebula."
"Hmmm…."
Popping a small cookie, I muttered.
"And chocolate cookies survive to this era too."
"Strictly speaking, not real chocolate—synthetic flavoring, sugar, and oil fake."
I furrowed my brow at Mus's addendum.
"……."
That's basically Korea's quasi-chocolate.
"Never mind, lost interest."
I pushed the cookie aside and eyed the dim ceiling.
"Calls itself a colony but might as well be a warship. Without artificial gravity, unlivable."
Mus scratched his bulbous chin or jaw—whatever—and chuckled.
"It was a warship originally. Planet contaminated, crammed everyone into every ship available."
"Huh…."
"No idea what happened to the planet, but it's uninhabitable for life now."
Shasha scratched her head.
"So everyone's crammed in this tight hell?"
"Yes, Inspector sir. All scrambling to survive."
"……?"
I gripped Janggil and backed away. Beside us stood the man from the battlefield days ago.
"Greetings. Sentinental's chief secretary, Wonrang."