Chapter 38
Chapter 38
When I was working as a porter in the shelter, I didn’t even know something like an Artifact existed.
Even though he was such a big shot, that coward Pig had hidden himself carefully behind the scenes.
There was no way someone like him would personally venture into places like the Island of Time or the depths of a Dead Zone, where even S-grade Awakened were said to disappear.
So where did that pheromone spray come from?
Judging by the circumstances, he must have bought it.
And for a very high price.
Just in case, I turned on [U-Link] and searched for “Artifact” in the Union Market.
[No search results found.]
Either my rank was too low to access it, or it was traded only in a hidden section like the Secret Exchange.
Fortunately, in a corner of the information board, I was able to purchase some basic information about the classification.
[Information: What is Beta (β) Grade?]
– An OOPArt that cannot be explained by the existing F–S ranking system.
– Often possesses attributes related to ancient technology or unknown civilizations.
(Examples: gravity control device, invisibility cloak, psychic domination wave.)
– Artifacts of ancient technology that cannot be replicated by modern science or production-type abilities.
Picker read the information and jumped in excitedly.
[Wow, Boss. Isn’t this basically a cheat code? What’s the difference between this and just calling it magic?]
“Yeah, I suppose so. But what can we do? If we’re jealous, we might as well start using magic ourselves.”
[Come on, Boss. You already have a much cooler magic called science. And those things look expensive. I can already see the price tag.]
A gravity control device? An invisibility cloak?
Artifacts really were something that surpassed modern technology by an absurd margin.
The water flask I picked up last time had been Alpha (α) grade, so this must be another branch of that classification.
“But still… using something that rare like that…”
I clicked my tongue while watching the monitor.
Pig’s soldiers were spraying that precious artifact like mosquito repellent.
“That kind of money-burning should have limits.”
[Seriously! How much does that cost? Every spray looks like throwing ten rifles into the air! With that money I could plate my battery in gold!]
Picker blinked his lens mournfully at the white mist on the screen.
It was impossible to imagine how much money had gone into securing that supply.
Even in a ruined world, wealth was still power.
Overwhelming capital could crush even natural counters.
Of course, nothing was perfectly invincible.
After analyzing the footage, it seemed the spray’s effect lasted at most ten minutes.
But ten minutes was more than enough to turn a battle around.
At the same time, something thumped in my chest.
It wasn’t jealousy.
It was certainty.
If Pig can do it with money, there’s no way I can’t do it with production.
If I used my abilities seriously, I could accumulate more UP than I could spend.
With that capital, I could buy materials and develop technologies.
And then?
I’d obtain a far more powerful and permanent force than someone like Pig who relied on disposable items.
But—
there was an unavoidable obstacle.
Exposure.
If I started selling large quantities of items, someone would eventually trace the source.
Even if I rotated dozens of U-Link devices like burner phones, there would still be limits.
If organizations like Union Tech or ARGUS seriously began tracking me, the identity of the Workshop Owner would eventually be revealed.
In the end, it was a choice.
Take the risk and gain massive returns.
Or remain hidden and give up explosive growth.
[Boss, what’s with that expression? You look like a puppy that needs to poop.]
“…Your metaphors are extremely low-grade.”
[What’s there to worry about? Just make the money and run! Life is one big gamble! Farming is one big gamble!]
“Easy to say. If I get caught while running, will you take responsibility?”
Picker’s nonsense helped clear my head a little.
Right. This wasn’t a decision I had to make right now.
I shook my head and refocused.
First I needed to understand the situation in front of me.
The pheromone’s identity was confirmed, but my question remained.
“Where did all those mutants come from?”
The hotel lobby floor had split open to reveal a basement.
The pitch-black darkness beneath it kept scratching at my nerves.
It wasn’t just a few monsters locked in an underground parking lot.
What kept crawling up from below was an entire army.
“We should check.”
I issued an order to one of the waiting Honeybee drones.
“Go in.”
[Honeybee Unit 7 launching! Boarding the express train to hell!]
“Don’t say ‘train to hell.’ That makes it sound ominous.”
Whirr—
One Honeybee dove down through the battlefield noise while Picker commentated loudly.
Flying opposite the flow of monsters, the drone slipped between mutant legs and disappeared into the darkness.
Basement level one.
Basement level two.
As it descended deeper, the familiar hotel structure disappeared and an unfamiliar environment emerged.
Then, at the depth of basement level three—
the camera light illuminated a sign beyond a collapsed concrete wall.
[Line 5 Gongdeok Station →]
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
A curse slipped out of my mouth.
The hotel basement was connected to a subway station.
More precisely, Pig had intentionally excavated the underground.
Following the sign deeper inside, a massive subway station appeared.
“Ugh…”
Even watching through the screen made me feel nauseous.
Sticky red slime of unknown origin hung from the ceiling like stalactites.
The floor was piled with mutant excrement and animal bones.
A literal demon’s nest.
[Ahh! My eyes! My high-performance sensors are rotting! What is that? It looks like someone mixed strawberry jam and poop!]
“Quiet. I can’t concentrate.”
[I can’t even transmit smell data but it feels like I can smell it! Boss, if I stay down here ten minutes I’m going to mutate too.]
The scene was disgusting, but thankfully the place was empty for now.
The entire horde that lived here had probably gone upstairs to feast.
“This isn’t the end.”
My instincts were warning me.
This wasn’t just a habitat.
Mutants didn’t form peaceful families when they gathered.
Even among them, the law of the jungle applied.
Which meant there was a high probability that something powerful deep underground controlled them.
There were Named mutants earlier.
Were they also under something’s command?
Once again I realized how little I actually knew about mutants.
Maybe once I had enough UP, I should start buying information.
I pushed the drone deeper.
Past the ticket gates.
Toward the platform.
Wooooom…
There, a faint but steady vibration could be felt.
A low pulse that resonated through the entire space like a massive heartbeat.
Just as Honeybee descended the stairs to the platform—
Zzzzt… zzzzt!
The previously clear monitor suddenly filled with static.
That was strange.
The connection between Honeybee and Picker wasn’t ordinary radio.
It was a data link enhanced by Picker’s trait Telepathic Transmission.
That was why I could control drones even underground or across long distances without interruption.
But this had never happened before.
[Uh… uh?! Boss! Something’s wrong!]
Picker suddenly screamed.
[My head—AAAGH! My head feels like it’s splitting open! A virus?! No… this is…!]
“Picker! What’s wrong?!”
This wasn’t his usual whining.
The static worsened.
In the darkness of the platform beyond the screen, something seemed to be writhing.
Zzzzt—pop!
The screen went black.
The connection with the underground Honeybee was completely severed.
I quickly called for Picker.
Another Honeybee camera showed him trembling on a nearby rooftop.
[Bo… Boss…]
“You okay?”
[There’s… something extremely strong down there. My CPU almost got fried like popcorn.]
Picker muttered weakly.
[It’s not simple signal interference. It’s… Mental Contamination. Just looking toward that thing felt like my data was being corrupted, so I forcibly cut the connection. Please forgive me.]
Mental contamination?
That meant whatever was down there wasn’t just a powerful monster.
A chill ran down my spine.
Pig hadn’t only hidden a mutant army.
Deep underground, something existed that we couldn’t handle.
“You did the right thing. If it’s dangerous, we avoid it.”
I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and reassured Picker.
[More importantly, Boss, you should look at the outside situation. It’s chaos. Absolute chaos.]
“Lock the doors! If you don’t want to die, barricade them now!”
Karambit burst into the police station lobby, screaming.
Of the 300-man alliance, barely 50 survivors remained.
Even those survivors had made it only because Karambit had thrown their comrades’ bodies behind them as bait during the escape.
The thick steel shutters of the police station slammed down, temporarily blocking the pursuing mutants.
Police buses with barred windows were parked in front as additional barricades.
Raiders guarding the station rushed inside carrying machine guns.
“Bring the ammo!”
Women responsible for meals and chores began carrying ammunition crates through the interior windows.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
With defenders in place, the survivors finally had a moment to breathe.
Karambit barked orders.
“What are you doing?! Open the armory! Set mines and mount the machine guns!”
This place was a fortress on a hill.
If they used the terrain properly, they could hold.
But the number of enemies was overwhelming.
They needed to divert the monsters’ attention.
With a very obvious, very stimulating bait.
Karambit’s gaze shifted toward the detention cells on the first floor.
A devilish smile appeared on his face.
“Hey. Bring the ‘meat’ from the holding cells to the roof.”
“…You mean the bait prisoners?”
“Yeah. Time for them to pay for the food they’ve eaten.”
Soon after—
On the rooftop railing of Mapo Police Station,
dozens of people were dragged out with ropes binding their hands.
Most were exiles kidnapped from the Mapo Shelter or unlucky survivors captured on the streets.
“Please spare me! I’ll do anything!”
“Please!”
Begging and screams filled the air.
Karambit picked his ear in annoyance.
“Shut up. Your job is simple.”
He signaled to his subordinates.
The raiders stuffed people into heavy cargo nets.
Two or three per net.
Like sacks of luggage.
“Hang them.”
Click.
With the sound of pulleys turning, the nets were pushed over the rooftop edge.
Below them was a sheer drop.
And beneath that—
a starving mutant army pressing against the barricades.
“AAAAAAAH!”
Screams of terror erupted.
But Karambit wasn’t satisfied.
There wasn’t enough scent.
He leaned over the railing and stabbed one of the hanging men in the thigh.
“AAARGH!”
Fresh blood dripped through the air.
The smell spread on the wind.
Karambit stabbed the other nets as well.
Not fatal wounds—but deep enough to keep the blood flowing.
Then finally—
he switched on the massive loudspeaker installed on the roof.
Turning the microphone toward the nets, the amplified screams tore through the night sky of Mapo District.
“AAAAH! Help me! It hurts!”
The horrifying bait trap was complete.
The effect was immediate.
The mutants attacking the barricades all raised their heads.
Amplified screams from above.
The scent of fresh blood.
And dangling chunks of meat in the air.
Kiiieeek!
Grrr!
Creatures without reason reacted more strongly to the airborne prey than to the steel gate.
They stopped attacking the front entrance and began climbing the walls.
The Ghouls abandoned the buses and scrambled up the police station walls.
The Contaminated Wild Dogs jumped uselessly toward the hanging nets.
“Hahaha! Look at those idiots!”
Karambit burst into manic laughter.
The pressure on the defensive line dropped instantly.
While the mutants clung to the walls struggling for the bait, the raiders on the roof and windows shot them like target practice.
The scene on the monitor was pure hell.
Screams tearing through the loudspeakers.
People hanging in the air, bleeding and struggling to escape the monsters below.
And above them, Karambit and the raiders laughing while firing their guns.
“…Can humans really do something like that?”
My stomach churned.
I already knew raiders were trash.
But this crossed every line imaginable.
Using living humans as bait—
like scenery.
Even Picker seemed shaken.
The footage on the screen trembled slightly.
[Boss… I think those guys belong in the demon category. That’s… disgusting.]
I clenched my fists.
Raiders should never be allowed to live.
That thought became even more certain in that moment.