Chapter 59
Chapter 59
“As I said, I hold a grudge against the trash of Ahyeon Shelter.”
The mechanically distorted metallic voice echoed through the forest of Hyochang Park.
I deliberately crossed my arms inside the massive [Mechanical Reinforced Exoskeleton].
It looked arrogant, but honestly it was simply the most comfortable posture.
If I let my arms hang down, they were too heavy.
However, Bomb Maker’s posture appeared as a display of confidence to Yoon Sungjun.
From his perspective, the rulers of shelters were powerful figures no one dared oppose.
Seeing Bomb Maker stand there with arms crossed, looking down and calling the shelter rulers trash—
Sungjun could not help but feel a sense of vicarious satisfaction.
“But that is merely a personal grudge. The military, the Shelter Alliance, and corporate shelters such as Union Tech…”
I clicked my tongue.
“They are parasites of this ruined world. They never intended to rebuild civilization in the first place. They only use fear to confine people and exploit them to fatten themselves.”
I slowly lowered my head and looked directly at Yoon Sungjun.
Our gazes met through the lens.
“Look at yourselves right now. Is this the life of a human being? You are no different from slaves.”
At my rebuke, Sungjun’s shoulders jerked.
His fists trembled violently.
Did I go too far?
Unlike Kang Sinhyeok, who worried slightly, Sungjun was not frightened.
He was angry.
Angry at the world that had made him this way.
Yoon Sungjun felt wronged.
Though he was not an Awakened, he had lived more fiercely than anyone.
He trained constantly for the sake of his family and the safety of the shelter.
Whenever mutants attacked, he was always the first to step forward.
But what did he receive in return?
Lee Taesung and the executives’ ridicule.
Monopolized experience gains.
And those filthy eyes coveting his woman.
Yes… I was a slave.
Bound by the leash of survival, he had forgotten his dignity as a human being.
Sungjun’s eyes reddened.
Watching the emotional fluctuations through the [Mana Resonance Lens], Picker whispered in my ear.
[Boss! That guy is totally moved! Heart rate skyrocketing! Adrenaline surge! This is exactly the gaze of a cult follower meeting their prophet!]
“…Be quiet.”
Something seemed to be going oddly…
But it meant things were going well, right?
Ignoring Picker’s theatrics, I delivered the final blow I had prepared.
“My goal is to overthrow the rotten rulers and restore the civilization that existed before the collapse.”
A lie.
My real goal was simply to live comfortably and safely.
But to enjoy comfort you need worker bees, and to control worker bees you need a queen’s cause.
“Of course, it’s impossible alone.”
I shook my head as if bitter.
“That is why I have long been preparing to defy heaven in the darkness—recruiting talented people who share my ideals and developing technology.”
[Hahaha! Talented people? Boss, do you mean me and that rock standing over there? Your acting is insane! Academy Best Actor material!]
Picker rolled laughing emoticons across my vision.
Where did he even learn emoticons?
I kept my shameless expression.
Though the mask hid it anyway.
But to Yoon Sungjun, every word sounded like absolute truth.
Through the survivor network he already confirmed that Bomb Maker had defeated the giant slime.
And there was the miraculous drug that awakened him instantly.
Such things could not be done by an individual.
Behind Bomb Maker must stand a vast, organized force.
A power great enough that the goal of rebuilding civilization no longer sounded absurd.
If it’s this person…
The dying flame inside Sungjun’s chest reignited.
Unlike the younger generation born after the collapse, who only knew dirt and ruins, Sungjun remembered civilization.
Hot water.
Safe homes.
Law and order.
If those could be restored, was his life too precious to risk?
Sungjun raised his head.
Tears streamed down his face.
“So…”
His voice trembled.
“So you awakened me… because you need me for that great cause of yours?”
His gaze resembled that of a fanatic looking upon a savior.
He was overwhelmed with emotion at being chosen—not as a disposable laborer but as a comrade in revolution.
I froze.
“…Huh?”
No, I just needed a subcontractor.
Someone to handle chores and annoying tasks.
Why was he reacting like this?
[Boss! Look at his eyes! I’m going to throw up from the pressure! That’s not loyalty—that’s love!]
Picker screamed.
I was flustered too.
Sungjun’s gaze was too intense.
Was this level of devotion normal?
Could he have ulterior motives?
Perhaps he intended to gain my trust and steal my power.
The fact that he possessed dual cores in both brain and heart bothered me.
Maybe that was evidence of a high-tier Awakened.
Handled well, he could become a legendary blade.
Handled poorly, he might become a cursed sword that bites its master.
His sudden blind devotion felt suspicious.
Keeping him too close could be dangerous.
I needed distance.
Clearing my throat, I answered in a solemn voice.
“Who knows. The power has been given. How you use it is up to you. Perhaps this will be the second test I give you.”
If he performed well, I would accept him.
If not, I would discard him.
But Sungjun’s interpretation circuits were already running at maximum happiness.
He gave me power without demanding anything… and even respects my autonomy…
From Bomb Maker’s cold attitude, Sungjun saw the bearing of a great hero.
He slammed his head into the ground.
“My life—and even my soul! I will offer everything! Please lead me!”
That felt like a bit much.
[Boss… that doesn’t look like acting.]
Hmm.
Picker was monitoring his vitals.
It seemed genuine.
But it still needed verification.
As I had seen with shelter executives, power changes people.
“Stand up.”
I gestured and made him rise.
Then I moved to the main topic.
I wanted to leave this awkward place quickly.
“The tracking function of [U-Link] is nothing to worry about. They operate their servers using artifacts. They have no ability to track locations.”
Sungjun looked shocked again.
He has already analyzed Union Tech and Argos…?
The organization behind Bomb Maker must truly be beyond imagination.
“And one more thing.”
I paused.
The most important part—hiding my identity.
“From now on, contact will be through Thunder.”
“Thunder…?”
“One of my agents operating openly.”
[Hahaha! Agent! Boss, you’re degrading yourself! What method acting!]
Picker laughed in my ear.
Annoying.
But Bomb Maker and Thunder had to remain completely separate.
“That’s all. Understand your power.”
With that, I handed Sungjun a note.
“What is this…?”
Bomb Maker gave no answer.
He bent his knees.
Then launched himself upward.
With a single leap, the massive exoskeleton cleared the park.
Sungjun stared in awe.
Then he unfolded the note.
It was a detailed map.
About 500 meters from Hyochang Park stood a skeletal five-story commercial building.
I arrived there immediately after handing Sungjun the map.
“Good. Not too late.”
His group needed time to recover and move supplies.
They would likely return to their base first.
That gave me time to prepare.
My newly recruited subcontractor employees couldn’t starve or die from lack of ammunition.
“Picker, Porter. Start working.”
—Roger! What’s the task, Boss?
“Stack [Drinking Water], [Smoked Jerky], and [5.56mm ammunition crates] here.”
I pointed to a cleared area among the debris.
Picker panicked.
—No way! To get those we have to go inside Bear’s stomach!
At that moment Porter’s back armor opened.
A pitch-black dimensional storage cavity appeared.
—Enter. If your light body adds even one gram to my internal mass… it will have value.
Picker’s camera lens trembled.
—This pervert! Listen to the way it talks!
“….”
Even I got chills.
Was Porter’s AI persona configured wrong?
Picker flew toward me.
—Boss! Why make your elite intelligence officer do manual labor? Let the Honeybees handle it!
“No. Honeybees are too light to lift ammunition crates.”
I added calmly.
“This job requires delicate control and proper output. In this workshop, the only one capable of doing it perfectly… is you, Picker.”
—…Me?
His lens blinked.
Simple machine.
I knew exactly how easily he responded to praise.
“Yes. Porter and the Honeybees can’t do it. Only someone as versatile as you.”
—Kuhhh! Boss, you really understand machines! This is clearly a high-level mission only I can accomplish!
Picker flipped proudly in midair.
—Move aside, Bear! Big brother’s going in!
—…Enter gently.
—Seriously, we should weld that mouth shut!
Picker disappeared into Porter’s storage.
Moments later—
Whir—
He emerged carrying ammunition crates and bottled water.
—Delivery complete! Bullet drone express!
Thunk.
The supplies landed on the floor.
After several trips, the space filled with materials.
“Good. This should sustain Sungjun’s group until he gets used to his abilities.”
Give too much, and they lose independence.
Give just enough to survive and fight.
That was the key to subcontractor management.
—Boss! Perfect, right?
“Yes, yes. Good job. Let’s go.”
An hour later.
Yoon Sungjun and his companions arrived.
“This… is the place, right?”
“The map says so.”
Sungjun cautiously scanned the building using Tactical Eye.
No hostile presence.
Then he entered.
And they saw it.
The supplies piled in the center.
“Th-this…!”
“Water! Clean purified water!”
Clear bottled water.
No radiation.
No contamination.
“Meat… sniff… smoked Blade-Beak Chicken!”
“There’s ammunition!”
People cheered.
Some cried while eating jerky.
Some hugged bottles of water.
But Sungjun could not touch anything.
Emotion surged in his chest.
Bomb Maker…
No.
His lord.
He had said it was a transaction.
But seeing these supplies—
Sungjun understood.
If he truly saw us as tools, he would not have done this.
A powerless group.
He could have abandoned them.
Instead he awakened Sungjun and quietly left supplies.
Even arranged it so they wouldn’t feel indebted.
He acts cold, but he is warm-hearted.
Bomb Maker’s image grew more and more glorified in Sungjun’s mind.
A humanitarian hidden behind a steel mask.
For ten years Sungjun had been someone others relied on.
But he himself had no one.
—Understand your power.
He clenched his fist.
The lord must have countless powerful followers.
Someone like me probably doesn’t even deserve to stand beside him yet.
That was why he had not been taken in immediately.
This awakening and these supplies were a test.
“Drink some water, Sungjun.”
Sungjun took the bottle.
His eyes sharpened.
“Everyone listen.”
The cheering stopped.
The charisma of a Commander-type Awakened now surrounded him.
“We owe our lives to that man. We have been reborn.”
He spoke like a vow.
“Today we rest. Tomorrow training begins.”
“What?”
“When he calls for us… we must not bring him shame.”
Their expressions changed.
They now understood.
Bomb Maker was their lifeline.
Meanwhile, at that very moment—
Kang Sinhyeok yawned tiredly.
“Man… I just want to go home, shower, and sleep.”