Chapter 95
Team Leader Han Daeman gripped the U-Link displaying the message with trembling hands.
The urgent SOS message from his nephew Han Cheolsu left him deeply shaken.
“This… this is going to turn into a massacre.”
The 500 survivors had overlooked it, but those who had worked alongside Choi Manseok at Guro Foundry for years knew better.
They knew the madness and cruelty he possessed.
“What should we do, Director? Shouldn’t we go rescue them right now?”
Team Leader Kim Jihoon asked anxiously.
But Han Daeman could not answer easily.
The Bomber—no, the Representative—was practically their savior.
Without him, they were nothing more than ordinary technicians.
Choi Manseok was a monster.
If they, mere production-type Awakened, tried to confront him, they would obviously be torn apart.
“We can’t… we can’t do it ourselves.”
Han Daeman’s voice trembled faintly.
“If the Representative doesn’t approve, we’ll only run to our deaths. Without his help… we are nothing.”
They had become members of Atlas and had felt emboldened for a short while.
But reality was reality.
In this ruined world, power mattered more than anything.
Han Daeman lowered his head heavily.
At that moment, a cold voice broke the silence.
“Your family is about to die, and you’re going to sit here calling yourselves nothing and do nothing?”
It was Yun Seongjun.
“I’m a little disappointed in you, Team Leader Han.”
“I-It’s not that… but confronting the factory director with my own strength is impossible. We’re not combat personnel.”
Looking at Han Daeman, who was drowning in defeat, Yun Seongjun spoke firmly.
“We’re people in the same boat now. Thanks to the shelter you built, my wife and daughter can sleep peacefully. With the weapons you made, we fight.”
He gripped Han Daeman’s shoulder tightly.
“Your personal combat power may be weak, Team Leader—but the weapons you made are not weak. Am I wrong? And… this is not someone else’s problem.”
At his sincere words, the combat engineers’ eyes reddened.
“I understand how you feel, Team Leader Han. Wanting to run there immediately, but feeling too small and powerless to move your feet… I’ve felt that pain myself.”
Yun Seongjun had survived ten years fighting mutants as a non-Awakened.
“Let’s not rely on the Representative’s help. Instead, I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”
Yun Seongjun’s eyes burned fiercely.
After awakening as an A-Class Awakened, he had been searching for an opportunity to prove his power.
“Our Atlas equipment is the strongest. We’ve trained enough. Choi Manseok? That bastard—we’ll crush him ourselves. Isn’t this actually a chance to earn merit? In the end, he’s an obstacle to the Representative anyway.”
Strength filled Yun Seongjun’s voice.
It was not empty encouragement.
He was genuinely confident.
“That’s right. How long are we going to hide like cowards?”
“Let’s go! Let’s rescue them ourselves!”
Their fear had already transformed into a deep sense of loyalty.
At that moment, Atlas ceased to be a mere interest group.
It was becoming a community bound by fate that protected one another.
Watching this, Yun Imsu adjusted his glasses and stepped forward.
After calculating their overall strength, he concluded there was indeed a chance.
“I’ll join as well. If we combine our strength, we can defeat Choi Manseok. But we must still maintain proper procedure.”
He organized the situation calmly.
“Reporting to the Representative is essential. Acting on our own authority would be overstepping.”
“Understood, Director!”
Seeing the employees burning with determination, Yun Imsu smiled quietly.
With unity like this, it might even be possible to swallow Guro Foundry without the Bomber’s help.
450 F-Grade cores.
After completing the second military delivery and receiving payment, my mind finally felt at ease.
“Before, I wondered when I’d ever spend this many. But after getting burned once… even this looks insufficient.”
The resources required to upgrade the workshop showed no mercy.
When I poured in the remaining 390 cores, the status window changed.
[Energy infusion has begun.]
[Remaining time: 89 hours 21 minutes]
Three days had flown by fulfilling the military supply contract.
That meant about three and a half days remained.
Even though I had been kicked out of the workshop temporarily, I felt confident.
Just look at how many cores went in.
My abilities should upgrade massively.
—Boss! Shadow sent a video letter, sir!
“…It’s not a video letter. It’s a report.”
—I was worried sending that rigid guy out alone, but he’s doing great! The image quality is crystal clear, and the data loss rate is zero! Well, I did teach him beforehand.
“He’s serious about missions. Unlike someone who slacks off.”
I scolded Picker and checked the video.
“…Huh?”
Instead of footage from the fierce Northern Front—
The recording showed nothing but one man.
—That black guy… was it a woman?
“Drones don’t have genders. And don’t use words like that. Someone might think you’re a racist.”
—Our dog’s name used to be Blackie too.
“Since when do drones keep dogs?”
—I definitely raised one though…
Ignoring Picker’s nonsense as he confused himself, I examined the video more closely.
I understood why Shadow had recorded so much footage of this man.
“Captain Kim Hyeongjun.”
Among countless officers, he was the only one who chose Atlas weapons instead of the Guro ones.
“That’s not ordinary intuition. Picker, can you scout him from the video?”
—Yes, sir. It includes mana analysis data.
“Analyze it.”
[Machine / Intelligence]
Atlas scouting analysis is categorized as [Armament Status / Trait Type].
If an ability manifestation can be analyzed, even the trait name can be estimated.
Common traits like magic or physical enhancement have 99% accuracy.
But intelligence-type traits or higher-tier traits without sufficient data were difficult to analyze.
Still, accuracy would improve as more data accumulated.
“Intelligence type, huh…”
Yun Seongjun was also an intelligence type.
From the video, Kim Hyeongjun seemed to possess excellent intuition—probably something similar.
“I want him.”
The military was ultimately a rotten establishment.
One day we would either clash with it—or absorb it.
When that time comes, recruit Kang Cheolmin… and bring Kim Hyeongjun too.
He’d be perfect as a commander leading large forces.
I smiled, already planning future personnel placements.
At that moment, the U-Link in my pocket vibrated.
It was Yun Imsu.
I quickly put on my mask to activate the voice modifier.
“What is it?”
[Representative, I have something to report. The situation at Guro Foundry is becoming unstable.]
Yun Imsu calmly but firmly explained Han Cheolsu’s SOS and the engineers’ plan to launch a rescue operation.
[…Therefore, we intend to carry out the rescue ourselves. The ammunition for the third military delivery has already been produced. Please grant permission.]
“Wait a moment.”
I cut the call and turned to Picker.
“Picker, run a simulation. Do they have a chance?”
—Hmm. Director Yun Seongjun’s specs are ridiculous. Combine that with Director Yun Imsu’s brains… I’d estimate over 78% victory probability. Choi Manseok may be B-Class, but even he can’t handle a group beating.
—The weight is tilted. Our side is much heavier.
Even Porter gave his heavy confirmation.
—[Metal Melting] is a close-range ability. If we shoot from a distance, there’s not much he can do.
They had trained enough.
And they needed combat experience eventually.
I couldn’t keep sheltering them forever.
“Go. If you die, it’s your fate. If you live, it’s experience points.”
I spoke coldly.
But after hanging up, the unease wouldn’t leave.
“Choi Manseok… that bastard must have a hidden trick.”
—Director Yun Imsu used to be his right-hand man. Wouldn’t he know?
“No… you don’t understand humans. There’s definitely something Yun Imsu doesn’t know.”
The problem was that [Metal Melting] was basically a direct counter to my exoskeleton.
“That won’t do. I need insurance.”
I jumped to my feet.
The workshop was closed, so the automated line couldn’t be used.
For the first time in a while, I would have to craft something with my own hands—something extremely demanding.
Using the leftover material from when I created the [Bio Infinite Tracks], I packed the inside of the exoskeleton with [Armus’s Flesh], stripped of its growth function but retaining elasticity.
Like goose-down padding.
This would absorb over 90% of external physical shock and block the intense heat Choi Manseok might release.
“Next, the outer shell.”
This was the critical part.
I began engraving Lee Sea’s mana pattern onto the exoskeleton surface like a tattoo—data I had obtained while creating the Mana Circuit Eraser.
“Damn it!”
The laser slipped and another core shattered.
—Boss, stop already! The loss outweighs the gain!
“Shut up! With this, it’s like gaining another life!”
I stubbornly continued.
This wasn’t just equipment.
It would become the pinnacle of my technology.
But eventually I gave up.
Engraving mana patterns was impossible without the workshop system.
Was there another way?
Then I noticed Picker and Porter watching idly.
These bastards were just standing there while I worked.
Standing idle?
Right.
“Picker. Time to work.”
—Huh?
“Your hands don’t shake, right?”
Technically they were clamp legs.
But the idea worked.
—Ugh… well, this isn’t a simple task at least.
Picker and Porter proved far more skilled than I was at engraving mana patterns.
Precision tasks were best handled through the workshop system.
Simple assembly and finishing were faster by hand.
Remote Manufacture fell somewhere in between.
Precision ranking: Workshop > Remote Manufacture > Manual Manufacture.
Speed ranking: the opposite.
I’d just choose the method depending on the situation.
After 50 F-Grade cores turned to dust—
I finally completed the new exoskeleton.
[Bio-Titanium Mana-Blocking Exoskeleton]
[Grade: B]
[Nullifies 99% of mana interference below B-Class and provides perfect resistance to extreme cold and high heat.]
“B-Grade…?”
I doubted my own eyes.
It was the highest grade I had ever created—higher than Shadow’s C+ grade.
Then another system message appeared.
[Trait Efficiency has been unlocked.]
[Material consumption during manufacturing reduced by 10%.]
When the work protocol reached Level 4, I had gained a trait too.
Apparently the system rewarded effort like this.
“…But reduced material consumption?”
It sounded unimpressive.
Saving a little material didn’t seem that important.
But then—
“Hey, Picker. Is this good? I don’t really get it.”
—Boss, you really don’t see it? Cores count as materials too!
It felt like someone hit me in the head.
“Oh!”
That was right.
Cores were technically materials.
This workshop upgrade alone used over 2,000 cores.
Ten percent of that was 200 cores.
As the workshop advanced, resource costs would grow exponentially.
Saving 10% of that?
“This is huge!”
I grinned widely and put on the completed exoskeleton.
It fit perfectly.
With Armus’s Flesh as inner lining, it felt almost like my own skin.
Before, when moving quickly at dawn, the metal touching my body felt cold.
That sensation was gone now.
“Good. Preparations are complete.”
Central plaza of Guro Foundry’s First Factory.
Normally filled with machine noise—
Now it boiled with rage, curses, and killing intent.
“You think you can do this and get away with it?”
The survivors who had been lured here with promises of shelter residency permits surrounded Choi Manseok, each holding a wooden club.
“You can melt metal, but you can’t burn wood.”
“Your life ends here.”
At the center of the encirclement—
Choi Manseok twisted his lips into a vicious grin.
“Ha… hahaha… you idiots dare bare your teeth at me?”
At his chest—
Between the buttons of his shirt, a metallic device began glowing and humming.
“Good. I’m already furious anyway. Let’s really do this.”
WOOOOOONG—
Steel plates covering the factory floor.
Pipes stacked nearby for process changes.
Even the metal frames of the survivors’ glasses turned red-hot and began biting into their flesh.