Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Frontline City Management
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One week later, Frontline City.
There was so much to do here that Yoo Seongwon had notified the Japanese government he'd be delayed, but they reacted as if they'd been waiting for the news, urging him to come only after they'd made full preparations.
And so, Yoo Seongwon kept tackling the mounting pile of tasks.
"As expected, with people from completely different language backgrounds gathered in one place, some clashes were inevitable... but this is seriously bad."
"We're separating their living quarters for now, but there are still those who think poorly of it—probably because they're Japanese. At least the 'castle' you summoned has helped smooth things over. That skill is impressive. It provides drinking water and even toilets without needing a river nearby."
"Well, good is good. Sigh... but the problems are piling up seriously."
"Isn't that just what happens when you drag them all here out of the blue?"
Self-inflicted. That phrase fit the current situation perfectly.
Having hauled these people in without much thought, cleaning up the aftermath had turned into a mountain of work.
It wasn't just basic needs like food and sleep—they needed to be integrated long-term into Frontline City as residents or a cohesive organization. Even a nation would struggle with that.
"The biggest issue is... these nobodies trying to establish hierarchies among themselves. The kids trained by the knights don't pull that crap at all, but the ones the old man hired and the ones he brought in..."
"I know all about it. That's why we're cracking down hard. If they get caught by you, they're dead."
"We saw signs of it in the Japanese folks' residential area too. Coming from different groups, they're throwing their weight around or desperately trying to assert dominance. So I just mixed up all the housing, sent Awakeners to Iron Fortress, and announced that anyone starting fights or refusing to learn Korean gets tossed to the Slaughter King constellation's forces up there."
"The infamous cannibal Slaughter King makes for the perfect threat. Heh heh."
This was the moment when the dangerous location of Frontline City, chosen with risks in mind, began to shine once more.
Since they weren't building a true utopia—just a city that looked convincing from the outside—Yoo Seongwon had no reason to shy away from brutal methods.
Like picking rotten apples from a crate and tossing them out, he could simply eliminate the problems.
"By the way, the Korean government wants you to attend a hearing... what do you say?"
"Not going."
"I'll pass that along. Anyway, the work is tough, but it's progressing smoothly, so that's a relief."
"Good to hear. It seems to be having an effect..."
The workload for growing Frontline City and Iron Fortress was immense and grueling, but the results were steadily accumulating.
What had been an empty wasteland now featured not just the castle Yoo Seongwon summoned, but countless homes and buildings springing up. Though he'd brought many people himself, the influx from outside had turned it bustling and lively—a true foundation for life.
"Bringing in outside contractors to supply food and essentials was a big help. Take a look at this."
[Title: I'm a part-timer working at a convenience store in Frontline City. Unemployment dragged on too long, and with no money, I applied for a job at the new convenience store popping up there. Scary since it's under Slaughter King's cannibal forces, but getting hired was pure profit. Not sure if it's because Hunter Yoo Seongwon has stupid amounts of cash, but no train line yet, so they told me to stay in the safe house. And what safe house—it's hotel-level.]
"Oh, I saw that one. It was intentional."
[Plus, high Scavenger threat means top-notch security—those soldiers in light blue-white armor patrol constantly, and no one's dumb enough to try anything. Oh! Once, a Japanese guy caused a scene, and they beat him down without mercy.]
A screenshot followed: Heavenly Sword Army elite soldiers ruthlessly subduing a criminal.
Of course, as a military outpost, strict security was unavoidable.
[In Seoul, cops would've begged, 'Please, sir foreigner, let us arrest you. Boo hoo.' And the pay—bonuses galore, better than a regular big corp salary. Sure, it's part-time so not forever, and premiums drop once it's fully built, but it's sweet right now. Jobs look good too—thinking of just staying here.]
-I'm so jealous. Ah! Should've gone to Frontline City too!
-Fuck, only issue is the location. Safer than expected? Total goldmine?
-Ah! Shit, our manager asked if I'd go? Said it was risky and passed... should've!
It wasn't just this post making waves.
Outside franchise companies had moved in to supply goods, offering massive hazard pay while showcasing ironclad security, skyrocketing the appeal.
[For real, Hunter Yoo Seongwon is dumping insane cash into this city project. Funny part? Even after splashing like this, he made 540 billion yen from Japan last time—no budget issues.]
[You see the new 'Hunter-only hospital' going up? With Frontline City drawing Hunters and more casualties, they're recruiting healers and medics cheap with crazy pay. Hurry up and apply.]
[But recruitment conditions are weird. Companies too... super strict. In this world, which company isn't tied to Scavengers? And what's with preferring social contributors?]
'What else? It's to screw over the corrupt old-guard companies.'
Booming real estate like this naturally drew big players sniffing for profit.
But Yoo Seongwon, fully aware, wasn't letting that slide.
Using its paramilitary outpost status, he'd blocked moves by Shin-Gangnam tycoons cozy with Scavengers and ruthlessly purged those trying shady independent law deals, sealing it off at the source.
"The social contributor preference was a masterstroke."
"...You know how much headache I got implementing that?"
"If it failed, we could've just traded with Japan or the Dragon-Phoenix King constellation..."
Social contributor preference clause.
At face value, it prioritized those who'd contributed to society—but truly, it favored whistleblowers who'd risked jobs and safety to report corruption.
The effect was huge: Placing them in oversight roles scared off Shin-Gangnam bigwigs without a fight.
"You know the uproar from the government? Sure, egged on by corporations..."
No wonder—big corps were furious at being locked out of this cash waterfall.
Even pre-Awakener society, they'd piled up dirt; now with Scavenger cheats, they wielded every dirty trick, dominating courts and guilds for massive gains.
Yoo Seongwon had slammed the brakes on that.
"So I just blamed it on chivalry. And it worked."
For this, Yoo Seongwon trotted out his usual 'Path of the Great Knight' spiel as an excuse.
'Honor is everything, chivalry above all! Yearning for endless justice and noble spirits worth protecting come first. Everything else later!'
Normally absurd, but with real divine Constellations, such excuses stuck.
Foreign guilds even refused night shifts, claiming their Constellation said no.
"Anyway, things are flowing well. People keep coming."
"Everyone wants to live somewhere good. Guild chaos finally ended, but the fallout hurt so many citizens—buildings wrecked, lives uprooted everywhere. No wonder the government's leaning on you hard..."
"Got the money and power too. Going down stairs is easy; climbing back up is ten times harder."
Smashing a fine statue is simple.
Just swing a hammer thoughtlessly or drop it from a height.
But gathering shards and restoring it? Far tougher.
Matching pieces, gluing—needs thousands of times the focus and time.
"Best is scrapping it all for a new one, but that just kills the maker. Ugh~ Done with this stack, so I'll take a walk to clear my head."
"Sure."
Yoo Seongwon set down his load and headed out for fresh air.
Always bustling, everywhere people scurrying about their tasks. Far too peaceful for a frontline city.
[???]
[1/???]
'Why does this keep popping up?'
Grabbing coffee from a vending machine for a breather, another cryptic status window cluttered his vision.
It started when he toppled Blue Dragon Guild.
Popped during the S-rank Dark Army Commander too, and flickered randomly since.
He could guess the meaning, but it pointed to a thorny path laced with landmines—so Yoo Seongwon dismissed it, finished his coffee, and resumed his stroll.
***
About half a year later, Japan.
Shikoku Special Forces military base.
Japan had gained confidence from S-rank monster hunts but craved certain victory, so they'd built a frontline base on reclaimed Shikoku.
It took ages, but with artillery positions to strike Nagoya's west anytime, deployable naval and air bases, guild training camps—they were fully geared to subjugate the S-rank Monster General series.
"Men, we've waited so long. I'm Fujiwara, leader of Yasuda Guild, commanding this subjugation force. Constellation 66 Thousand Demons' army turned our Japan into a battlefield for decades. How many youths gave their lives defending her! But now, we begin reclaiming the mainland, and our united guild alliance shall..."
"What a load of hot air. They could've done it ages ago but ignored it for profits and politics—lost to a Korean, ego bruised, so now they're pushing hard..."
"Calm down. Isn't it a good day anyway?"
"Ah, Captain Moribayashi!"
"Finally taking back our land ourselves—don't make that face. Know how hard building this base in half a year was? Thought I'd die."
Captain Moribayashi, who'd greeted Yoo Seongwon before, looked half-dead now, dark circles heavy under his eyes.
Desperate for guild unity's end, the government had thrown every national resource, including Special Forces, at rushing this base.
"Should've taken three years for a proper one... but they dragged in foreign construction Constellations and artisan blessings. That... Hepha... Hepha-something?"
"Constellation Hephaestus, sir. Yeah, we busted ass for half a year straight. Day and night nonstop—workers dropping dead, even frontline Special Forces who should've been resting thrown into labor. Whew~"
The gleaming Shikoku base hid this grim truth.
If prized Special Forces got this treatment, what hell awaited regular laborers?
Dozens, hundreds died daily from overwork, buried under government and guild zeal for mainland recovery.
"Great Japan forever! Great Japan forever! Great Japan foreeeever!"
Clap... clap... clap... clap!
Even the triumphant launch ceremony brought joy only to the prime minister, Special Forces, and guild insiders. Regular workers and corp folks—exhausted, wanting rest—showed no elation.
And amid those grim faces, a few eyed the crowd like predators, gazes sharp.