The God of Controls' One-Coin Clear
The shrill, monotonous mechanical beeps echoed through the control room.
But no one had the luxury to pay them any mind.
“Energy signature detected 200 kilometers ahead. Based on the waveform pattern, estimated to be wyrm-type. A swarm of over twenty individuals moving in formation.”
“Wyvern cries captured 50 kilometers ahead. A-alpha type. Likely the alpha male’s call.”
“Drake pack that had been approaching within 70 kilometers of the train has altered course in the opposite direction.”
Dozens of monitors were plastered across one wall of the control room.
What they displayed varied wildly—interior and exterior views of the train, circular and bar graphs, even audio waveforms.
Countless operators moved busily, eyes glued to the screens. They were compiling the fragmented data, reorganizing it, and transforming it into usable intelligence.
BANG.
A man kicked the control room door open.
A sharp-featured, irritable-looking man with a cigarette clenched between his teeth and his purple uniform half-unbuttoned.
It was Salomon Acraptor, the train’s Chief Information Officer and the son of its chief engineer, Benjamin Acraptor.
Even though a man with near-absolute authority within the train had appeared, the operators barely reacted. Salomon didn’t seem to care either.
He strode straight up to the control room chief and asked,
“What’s the situation?”
“Not good, sir. Based on current observations, biological activity has increased more than tenfold compared to August of the year before last at the ‘Dragon’s Nest.’ Seventy percent of that activity is concentrated around the railway.”
Salomon wrinkled the bridge of his nose.
A hazy cloud of smoke escaped with his exhale, but neither he nor the chief paid it any attention.
“Did you inform the tin cans?”
“Yes. After the 1st Battalion Commander returned, the Arcturus Regiment Commander and the three battalion commanders received written reports in person.”
“And the supply run this time? Did they recover everything properly? The replacement wheels and bumpers for the aging front cars, the combat rations for the tin cans—everything was supposed to be in that shipment.”
“It was recovered successfully. However…”
For the first time, a shadow of worry crossed the control room chief’s face.
“What is it?”
“Both the quantity and quality of the supplies fell short of target values.”
“Tsk… haa.”
Salomon exhaled another plume of smoke.
“So even the resources in this region are starting to dry up.”
“It’s still manageable. There are still many untouched cities left.”
“It’s not manageable. Those cities are too far. High cost, low return.”
The world of the Endless Express had abruptly plunged into an ice age.
No one knew why.
Countries, cities, towns—everything had frozen solid in an instant.
It would be fair to call it an apocalypse.
All that remained were one massive train, the handful of people aboard it, and the monsters that had somehow survived the bitter cold.
The resources the Guardians brought back came from those frozen cities.
Daily necessities, luxury goods, and various construction materials.
Especially the materials needed to reinforce the train—those could not be manufactured with the facilities currently inside the train.
Until now, there had been no problem.
The train’s route had been designed to pass through the world’s wealthiest cities, and thanks to the ice age, most of the materials had been perfectly “preserved.”
But a storehouse that is never replenished will eventually run empty.
And that “eventually” is right now.
Shaking off his thoughts, Salomon asked the control room chief,
“What about Untara?”
“No movement yet.”
“What are the tin cans saying? Do they have any countermeasures? We’re already short on resources—can we really take down all those damn lizards?”
“It’s the same as always. They say if it comes to it, ‘that person’ will step forward.”
“Ah. ‘That person.’”
Salomon let out a dry chuckle.
The Legion Commander. Guhyul, wielder of the Dragon Slaying Sword.
Excluding the Engineer faction’s pinnacle—the Train Designer—and the ‘Engineer’ who drove the train, he was the Guardians’ greatest asymmetric power. No one could match him.
“Tsk. Must be nice for them. That old man with one foot in the grave keeps shaking his ass every chance he gets.”
“If they heard you say that, they’d have a fit.”
“That’s why I only say it here.”
The control room chief nodded expressionlessly.
Salomon’s words and behavior were crude, but he wasn’t a bad person.
In fact, he worked harder for the train—and for humanity—than anyone else.
Hoooooo.
Salomon Acraptor’s eyes flashed.
“Relay this to the tin cans.”
“I’m listening.”
“Since the old man is already shaking his ass, let’s carve up those lizard bastards and use them as resources. If they refuse, push it using the poor quality of this supply run as an excuse.”
An opinion that the Guardian personnel would immediately shoot down as nonsense, claiming he didn’t understand the field.
Instead of answering, the control room chief simply bowed his head.
Salomon quickly left the control room.
“Ah, right.”
Just as he was about to step through the door, he paused and turned back.
“Do you have further instructions?”
“Those ‘things’ that came in this time. What’s their status?”
“You mean ‘those things,’ sir?”
The control room chief gestured to one of the operators and accepted a report.
“Their average combat strength is no different from usual. However, a few of them possess noticeably superior martial prowess. Since they were discovered relatively recently, we have limited data.”
“Martial prowess. Roughly how strong?”
“There are three individuals worth noting. Compared to previously observed samples, two are estimated at the highest grade, and one at the high grade.”
Salomon chewed on the filter of his spent cigarette and grinned.
“We can make use of them too.”
After completing a simple training course, Taeyang and Ran were assigned to the ‘Frontline Defense Battalion.’
-Your results were better than expected.
“Worth using my full power out in the open.”
The Frontline Defense Battalion.
They shared barracks with the 3rd Battalion, but administratively they were a regiment-direct battalion.
Though their numbers were only half that of the other battalions, their combat ability was rated 1.5 times higher—an elite unit.
The Frontline Defense Battalion’s role was to intercept monsters charging toward the train’s foremost car, the engine room.
Taeyang’s eyes sparkled.
Given the nature of the mission, we’re incredibly close to the engine room. Close enough to see it with the naked eye.
If things went wrong, this was a position from which he could force his way into the engine room by any means necessary.
Of course, that was an option he should avoid if at all possible.
The engine room was the most critical location on this massive train.
It was protected with the utmost severity.
The native inhabitants of the Endless Express included a staggering number of powerhouses that would be difficult for players to handle.
The Legion Commander and the Train Designer were practically superhuman, and the regiment commander and CIO were also incredibly strong.
Even the relatively common battalion commander-level personnel possessed at least the skill of a well-developed ranker.
-You know that, right? Battalion commanders are manageable. Even regiment commander-level opponents, you could probably handle in your current state. But those two asymmetric powers? Absolutely do not touch them.
From the beginning, the Endless Express stage wasn’t designed for players to oppose the natives, but to earn their trust and reach the ‘engine room’ at least once.
If I do everything they ask, they’ll at least let me take a look.
“Rookie.”
“Yes.”
Taeyang quickly approached at the senior Guardian’s gesture.
“It might be hard to adapt right away, but we’re moving out immediately. I’ve already prepared the equipment you need to carry. This is the only time we’ll do this for you. From now on, you’ll have to handle it yourself.”
“Are we deploying?”
“Yeah. And you’ll be doing it a lot from now on. Our unit is one of the busiest on the train.”
“Thank you for looking out for me.”
Taeyang received the equipment and gear from the senior Guardian.
It was nothing more than the uniform and some additional gear to wear over it.
“Man, poor kid. Of all places to get transferred to.”
“Think he’ll last? We don’t even have time to train him properly these days… Most newbies just die right away.”
“The 1st Battalion Commander personally vouched for him.”
The Frontline Defense Battalion was organized into two companies.
The 1st Company, made up of male Guardians.
And the 2nd Company, made up of female Guardians.
Normally they would rotate, but recently the attacks had become so frequent that a single company couldn’t cover them all.
That made sense—the tail cars were only just starting to see frequent wyrm-type monsters, but the front was already on the verge of entering the ‘Dragon’s Nest.’
The senior Guardian glanced at Ran, who was with the 2nd Company on the opposite side, and asked,
“What’s your relationship with her?”
“We’re nothing.”
“Nothing?”
Taeyang answered dryly.
The other seniors jeered.
“Sure doesn’t look like nothing~”
“He says they’re nothing? The rumor’s already spread, man.”
“What rumor are you talking about?”
The Guardians simply laughed without answering.
At that moment, the Frontline Defense Battalion Commander appeared, accompanied by the two company commanders. He was wearing a black uniform.
“Is the deployment ready?”
“Ready!”
As if they hadn’t been laughing and chatting just moments ago, every Guardian in both the 1st and 2nd Companies swiftly formed ranks.
They then pulled air-ejection devices from their packs and strapped them on.
“Tighten it properly. In an emergency, you’ll need this to return. It’s your spare life.”
“Yes.”
It seemed Ran was receiving the same explanation from her senior on the opposite side.
She was shaking her head, insisting she didn’t need the device.
Well, she was someone who could ride the wind and fly, after all.
With a hardened expression, the Frontline Defense Battalion Commander began the briefing.
“Untara has not moved, but seven of his blood kin—White Wyverns—have been spotted.”
“White Wyverns!”
“That means roughly thirty to forty of them.”
“If those things are moving, doesn’t that mean Untara has essentially begun taking action?”
The Guardians stirred uneasily.
White Wyverns.
They were the alpha wyvern specimens that had been influenced by the mana of the White Dragon Untara while still in their eggs, born larger and far more powerful.
“Those damn lizards can fly, so it’s hard for us to chase them down and kill them. Therefore, we will defend from atop the front cars.”
The Guardians began crunching down cold-resistance pills.
Taeyang followed suit.
“There are three objectives. Primary objective: protect the train from damage. Secondary objective: eliminate the White Wyverns. Tertiary objective: recover the corpses if wyverns are killed. From now on, all personnel will move under the command of their respective company commanders. Begin operation!”
“Wait, did I hear that right?”
“Recover the corpses?”
“We’re actually doing that?”
The soldiers groaned.
The two company commanders ignored their complaints and swung their arms.
Whoosh.
A circular magic circle appeared beneath both the 1st and 2nd Companies.
“This is…?”
“A spatial teleportation magic circle. It will transport us to the roof of the front car. Stay sharp. If you’re not careful, you’ll fall under the train… now!”
The moment the senior Guardian finished speaking, a fierce snowstorm slammed into Taeyang.
Kyeeeeeeeeeeek!
They had warped.
The senior Guardian shouted at Taeyang,
“Don’t move on your own! Just guard this magic circle! If it gets damaged, the entire 1st Company will be in trouble! We need at least one person to protect it!”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Shut up and do as you’re told! Refusing orders is grounds for immediate court-martial!”
Having said his piece, the senior Guardian dashed off.
It was consideration for the newcomer, Taeyang.
Regardless, they were on top of the train. Even if the magic circle was damaged, there was no way they wouldn’t be able to get back inside.
When he glanced over, it seemed Ran had been assigned the same role.
“Hmm. I don’t like this.”
Taeyang frowned.
He could just sit back and coast through this battle, but what he needed was to earn noticeable achievements.
He had to build trust quickly to clear the stage.
This stage had an extremely low clear rate, so there wasn’t much information available.
Since he had already performed well enough up to this point, he had decided to take it easy for one stage.
Even if that wasn’t the case, I need to go wild if I want rewards or achievements to drop.
While Taeyang debated whether to ignore orders and charge in, the Frontline Defense Battalion was skillfully carrying out their defense.
In a short time, three or four wyverns had already been taken down.
Their skill was clearly superior to that of the 1st Battalion’s Guardians.
Those guys were just hiding behind meat shields and poking with spears.
Especially effective was the fact that high-ranking officers like the battalion commander and company commanders were personally participating in combat.
Enormous sword energy and perfectly timed magic were effectively suppressing the battle situation.
-Is it going to end like this?
“Even if I jumped in now, I don’t think it would change much, does it?”
-Yeah. It’d be lucky if they didn’t treat you like dead weight.
It was then.
Whoosh.
The surrounding air suddenly froze over with bone-chilling cold.
“What the…?”
Ran, who had been sitting lazily by the 2nd Company’s magic circle, shot to her feet.
“The wind has stopped.”
She ran straight over to Taeyang.
“Taeyang! The wind stopped! No—the wind has frozen! This is impossible…”
“…That’s not what’s important right now.”
The wind had stopped.
But that wasn’t all.
Taeyang pointed forward.
Ran’s eyes followed his finger.
And then she sucked in a sharp breath.
The Guardians of the Frontline Defense Battalion began shouting.
“Guhyul! Call for Lord Guhyul!”
“Mana has been frozen! Communication devices aren’t working!”
“Damn it! We have emergency scrolls! Bring them!”
“The scrolls aren’t working either!”
Flap.
Enormous wings elegantly stirred the empty air.
The pure white scales covering those wings were flawlessly pristine.
“…The White Dragon, Untara.”
KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
The predator at the very top of the food chain that ruled an entire world let out a roar.