Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: 2-3. Stabilizing the Sanctuary
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The miracle wrought by the three Archangels was truly magnificent.
The land of Noryangjin had been completely reshaped into an island.
It was as if another Noryangjin island had sprouted right below Yeouido.
Thanks to this, the Anyang Stream flowing under Yeouido had widened considerably.
The waterway ran east from Sayukshin Park along Yeongbon Elementary School, south past Jangseungbaegi Station, and west from Yeongdeungpo High School up to the Anyang Stream water purification center.
The river, now fed by the Han River, spanned a width of 100 meters and a depth of 20 meters.
All land routes to Noryangjin had been severed.
But the miracle didn't stop there.
The buildings around Noryangjin had been compressed and pushed outward, stacked neatly like bricks along the island's perimeter. To the north, where the Olympic Expressway once ran, a grand wall rose 45 meters high and 25 meters thick.
The east, south, and west sides weren't quite as formidable, but they were sturdy enough to repel monster invasions.
With Yeouido right in front of them, extra care had gone into the northern defenses. Yeouido was an extremely dangerous place—rumor had it no hunter who entered had ever returned alive.
People whispered of dungeons overflowing with gold and jewels, or a third force unrelated to angels or monsters, but it was all just wild speculation.
Considering the Lord-grade monsters swarming north of the Han River, bolstering the northern defenses made perfect sense.
By physically blocking monster access and establishing the sanctuary like this, even Noryangjin—with its mere few hundred residents—had become a livable spot.
Of course, the barren landscape was still a bit intimidating.
"Our next target is Yeouido! Yujea!"
Metatron pointed at a spot on the map with an eager expression.
Yeouido... it was a natural choice, really.
Uriel had headed west, Michaela east.
That left south and north, but given Metatron's personality, south was out of the question. Heading north from Noryangjin led only to the Han River or Yeouido.
For reference, the Han River Bridge and Hangang Bridge had long since been destroyed. River access was limited, so Yeouido was the only option. Of all places, our next target had to be that hotbed of rumors.
"Got it, but we've got a ton to do here first."
From my position handling all the logistics, offensive operations were pure stress. It suddenly made me understand the mental anguish of a chief minister serving a warlike king.
I felt a strange kinship with Oxenstierna, the prime minister who suffered under Sweden's King Gustavus Adolphus.
"Urgh, is that how it is?"
Metatron reluctantly pulled her gaze from the map, looking a bit displeased. She knew full well how swamped Noryangjin was right now, so she'd stay quiet for the time being.
Besides, she needed to maintain the sanctuary and recover her lost power. Attacking Yeouido? No chance. Her days of roaming freely were over.
If there was an attack, I'd be the one leading it.
"Sanctuaries really are shackles. Lucky you, Yujea. You get to keep a cute girl like me all to yourself in this little hole. Ha! It's perfect husbandry, isn't it?"
"Don't say things that could be misunderstood if someone overheard."
Almost all of Noryangjin's buildings were gone, but we'd spared a few for urgent use.
We needed a spot for the sanctuary's core shrine, after all.
The problem was that it was just a tiny 7-pyeong studio apartment, which was regrettable.
Built for exam prep students, the place was new and clean.
No signs of prior habitation, making it suitable as a temporary residence for Metatron.
It was just too cramped for an Archangel's shrine.
Because of that, Metatron had spread the map out on the bed—which took up most of the 7-pyeong room—and was glaring up at me with a dissatisfied look.
"Too cramped? Then go hang outside for a bit, you shut-in."
"But there are hunters wandering around out there. Crowds aren't really my thing."
Did this girl have some kind of social anxiety?
Actually, yeah, she probably did. She'd only ever had a family of about a dozen back in the day.
Angels with sanctuaries could roam freely within them, but she had no intention of leaving this tiny studio. That's why she kept going on about being "husbanded."
It was unfair—I hadn't locked her up.
"Spending so much time alone probably does that to you. I get it, Metatron."
"What is it? What do you want?"
As I spoke softly to soothe her, she looked suddenly wary.
"We need to set up a gate. Come help me out."
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"Quiet. I need to get home too. My sister's worried."
"Oh? You have a sister?"
"I'll tell you if you come outside with me."
"Hmph, you're sly, Yujea."
She grumbled but got up anyway. Gates were crucial, so it was best to hurry.
Not everyone could use teleportation magic, so opening a gate quickly was key to letting civilians into Noryangjin. We needed them for construction and commerce, obviously.
We decided on a spot about 100 meters south of Dongjak District Office, right along the old Jangseungbaegi Boulevard that used to cut through central Noryangjin. That's where shops, inns, residential areas, and more would go up.
The gate's location had been chosen with all that in mind.
"We should buy the gate from the shop first, right?"
"Yeah, open the store."
Metatron stepped onto the cute little magic circle drawn on the studio floor, and a shop window popped up in front of me.
"Search 'gate' in the top right."
"Got it."
Searching "gate" brought up a bunch of varieties.
Prices varied by size and purpose.
I wanted a bidirectional mid-tier gate, which ran about 200 billion. Insanely expensive, but we had the funds.
I'd sold off the corpse of Lord-grade monster Urukel entirely, leaving 2.8 trillion in the top right of my status window.
Distributions from the last operation had been fair.
Grand Lord-grade Tarha's corpse went to Michaela. Its vital magic stone had gone toward the Noryangjin sanctuary, so she'd gladly taken the body.
It was only right, given her contributions.
By the same logic, Lord-grade Hadam's corpse went to Uriel, Lord-grade Karnum's to Metatron, and Lord-grade Urukel's to me.
Rights went to those who'd felled or captured them.
I'd immediately sold off Urukel's body.
Developing Noryangjin required massive funds—it was a no-brainer. Plus, it was a nod to the 15 high-rank hunters who'd fought that day.
They'd worked hard but botched the job, so no extra rewards. Instead, I offered them first dibs on buying Urukel's corpse. Wealthy high-rankers snapped up the once-in-a-lifetime loot, naturally.
Urukel was probably in pieces by now, put to good use by those hunters.
And while money was a factor in selling off a Lord-grade corpse so readily, I had another one basically in my pocket. Metatron's Karnum corpse was as good as mine—she'd said I could do whatever with it.
-Purchase confirmed?
The system voice was as pleasant as ever.
I hit yes and blew 200 billion on one item. A single button, and poof—200 billion gone.
-The attending angel is initiating transfer.
"It's been ages since I did this. Kinda nervous."
Don't jinx it.
Screw up, and that's 200 billion down the drain.
I watched anxiously, but Metatron's veteran skills shone through—she handled the transfer flawlessly.
Expensive items, ones requiring lots of mana, were tricky to transmit. That's why high-value goods could only be bought from Archangel shops, not regular ones.
Different angel shops stocked different items too, with some exclusives per angel.
Wooooong.
A hum of mana vibration, then a burst of light. A sturdy iron box appeared before me.
"This it? It's small."
"You idiot. It expands once properly installed. If magic couldn't overcome size issues, wouldn't that defeat the purpose?"
Fair point, when she put it like that.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
Gate installation wasn't for magic noobs like me. A regular angel could do it at minimum, but Metatron had none under her, so she'd handle it herself.
What had this girl been doing without gathering subordinates?
Trying to run solo without a single ally—it hit me kinda hard all of a sudden.
Whatever.
If my master's this hopeless at politics, guess I'll have to recruit for her.
I'll plug your name everywhere from now on, Metatron.
I've got a knack for leading crews wherever I go.
I was mulling over plans to build the "Metatron Family" (starring Yujea Family) when we reached the spot.
There'd even been a bit of friction over the gate from nearby families.
They'd offered to cover costs in exchange for shares, plus fee waivers or discounts proportional to their stake.
I refused flat-out.
Gates were obvious money-makers—why let outsiders in?
Even if we owed other families a bit right now, Noryangjin was my land... no, Metatron's land.
Who were they to butt in on our turf?
I banned them from building their own too and rushed ahead. Without the cash, we couldn't have—good thing we had it.
Left us with about 2.6 trillion, including sales from those two cyclopes and the Giant Worm's magic stones.
"Here?"
"Yeah."
"Alright. First, dig a hole."
Huh? What?
I stared at her dumbfounded, and Metatron replied with a bored look.
"Gate items need to be buried to install. That's what I mean—dig."
"Just use magic."
"Mana's precious. Gotta conserve it, right? Same principle as humans saving electricity."
She summoned a shovel from thin air and dropped it at my feet. Hold up—that was summoning magic? Didn't you just say conserve mana?
"Hey, seriously? You gonna pull this?"
"Heh, Yujea, you gonna make a frail girl use magic? I've lost my true power from injuries and suffer daily pain. Don't I need to recover quick? Forcing a delicate girl like me to strain with magic when you're a healthy young man—how heartless."
"I-is that so?"
What? Feels like I just got played by her nonsense.
But since I'd dragged her out today, I had no choice but to grab the shovel.
"Come on, work hard. Why not take off your shirt while you're at it? Not that I particularly want to see those decent arm muscles of yours or anything."
This girl must've liked my arm muscles when she hugged me.
"It's winter now."
At least the ground wasn't frozen—small mercy.
I started digging vigorously.
Digging was a hyena's specialty. Sure, I'd graduated from hyena and class-changed, but old skills didn't vanish.
As I sweated it out, Metatron watched with what seemed like delight. Her face was blank, not smiling, but she looked more alive somehow. Her pale gray hair even shimmered prettily in the sunlight.
Enjoying the sunbathing?
It was a warm winter day with good sun.
Lost in that thought, I slammed the shovel down—clang!
What? Thought it hit a rock at first, but the sound was different from usual.
"Huh? What's this?"
"What is it?"
Curious, Metatron approached and gawked at what I'd unearthed.
"This? Isn't it an egg?"
It was an egg the size of a rugby ball, from some unknown beast.
What was it—edible?