Chapter 96
Molten metal glowing red rose into the air in liquid form.
“Heh heh heh…”
At the center stood Factory Manager Choi Manseok, letting out a sinister laugh.
With a mere flick of his hand, the boiling molten iron twisted through the air like a coiling snake.
“You dare bite your master?”
The faces of the survivors who had started the revolt turned pale.
They had seen countless times how Choi Manseok melted machines using the Metal Melting ability. But none of them had ever imagined he could manipulate the melted metal so freely, like extensions of his own limbs.
“W-what… what is that…”
Terror swallowed the crowd.
A man standing in the front row, holding a metal pipe, instinctively stepped backward.
Choi Manseok’s gaze turned toward him.
“Too late.”
Whoosh—!
One stream of molten metal floating in the air lashed forward like a whip.
It was not merely liquid.
It was a weapon of heat and mass.
Even a graze from it would cook flesh and burn bone.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At that moment, sharp gunshots tore through the factory noise.
Just before the molten whip struck its target, sparks burst from the floor near Choi Manseok’s shoulder and thigh.
“Ugh?!”
Choi Manseok flinched reflexively.
Even though he was a production-type Awakened, the physical capabilities of a B-Grade Awakened far surpassed those of an ordinary human. The instant he heard the gunshots, he instinctively drew up mana.
“Not a chance!”
Shraaaak!
The molten metal that had stretched outward instantly retracted, forming a barrier in front of him.
A fluid shield made of liquid metal.
Thud. Thud.
The 5.56 mm bullets flying out of the darkness were helplessly swallowed by the molten shield.
The bullets exploded upon impact, and the shock scattered droplets of molten metal across the floor.
Ssssss—
As foul-smelling smoke rose, Choi Manseok roared furiously.
“Which bastard was that?!”
No reply came.
Instead, even fiercer gunfire rained down.
“Ahhhh!”
“Get down! Everyone get down!”
The survivors screamed and threw themselves flat on the floor.
The inside of the factory instantly descended into chaos.
About ten minutes earlier.
Shadows were infiltrating the Guro Foundry.
At the front was Yoon Sungjun, with armed members following behind him.
Awakened engineers: Yoon Imsu, Han Daeman, and Kim Jihoon.
And five non-Awakened combatants who had fought alongside Yoon Sungjun since the days of the Ahyeon Shelter hunting team from the supermarket survivor group.
In terms of physical ability, the Awakened should have been ahead.
But in reality, the non-Awakened fighters with real combat experience moved far more swiftly.
At a single hand signal from Yoon Sungjun, they dispersed and concealed themselves like machines.
Zzzing—
A blue grid spread across the HUD of Yoon Sungjun’s status window.
[Terrain scan within a 500 m radius complete]
[Identifying hostile biological signatures…]
The complicated factory structures appeared in Yoon Sungjun’s eyes as a semi-transparent 3-D map.
Enemies hiding behind walls.
Managers fleeing along the second-floor railing.
Even the survivors cowering in corners were clearly marked as red and green dots.
“30 meters ahead. Right corridor. Two hostiles. Confirmed armed. Moving in.”
Yoon Sungjun’s low voice transmitted through the team’s earpieces.
It was like having a map hack turned on.
Without hesitation, the members turned the corner and instantly subdued the Guro Foundry guards who had panicked and tried to raise their guns.
“Clear.”
It was an unstoppable advance.
Then a group suddenly came running out of the inner corridor.
Men carrying heavy bags in both hands.
They were mid-level managers of Guro Foundry.
Even as the factory collapsed around them, they had raided the vault and were fleeing with cores and valuables. Behind them, workers were dying, yet they cared only about securing their own share.
“What… what is this?”
Bang!
A single gunshot rang out without hesitation.
The materials department chief running at the front collapsed with a hole in his head.
“Eek?!”
The managers behind him screamed and froze.
The one who had fired the shot was not Yoon Sungjun.
It was Yoon Imsu, standing beside him.
Thin smoke drifted from Yoon Imsu’s gun barrel, and his eyes had sunk into a cold calm.
“Uh… Imsu?”
Yoon Sungjun looked at him with surprise.
To shoot an unarmed civilian—someone who had once been a colleague—without hesitation.
Reading the look in Sungjun’s eyes, Yoon Imsu gave a bitter smile and ejected the spent casing.
“No need to be surprised. I know that bastard well. Last month he pushed an injured worker into the incinerator alive because he didn’t want to pay medical expenses. He deserves to die.”
Ten years of time weighed heavily in Yoon Imsu’s voice.
“How long do you think I lived here? I know exactly who deserves to die.”
He raised his gun again and aimed at the remaining managers.
“The Boss said it himself. ‘Waste can be recycled, but human trash needs to be cleaned up.’”
Bang! Bang!
Decisive gunfire.
Just after disposing of the filth—
“M-Manager! It’s me!”
From the opposite side of the corridor, a work-team leader ran toward them waving both hands.
“Team Leader Kim…”
Recognizing the face, Yoon Imsu lowered his gun.
The man called Team Leader Kim had been the only loyal employee who trusted and followed him during his time managing the factory.
“Manager! The factory chief has gone insane! Everyone’s going to die!”
Yoon Imsu grabbed his shoulders firmly.
“Listen carefully. From now on, the members behind me will take control of the factory. Gather the people and hide near Warehouse No. 2 for materials. The walls there are thick enough to block shrapnel if grenades explode.”
“O-okay! Thank you, Manager!”
“I can’t control stray bullets. Stay hidden as much as possible.”
Team Leader Kim bowed repeatedly and hurried away.
Yoon Imsu’s criteria were clear.
Those who could benefit Atlas—recruit them.
Those who would harm it—eliminate them.
That was the mindset a person needed to survive in a ruined world.
“Let’s move. The central plaza isn’t far now.”
As the formation reorganized and advanced again, this time Han Daeman suddenly froze.
“Cheolsu!”
From behind a pile of scrap materials in a corner, a young man lifted his head.
It was Han Cheolsu, Han Daeman’s nephew.
His face was smeared with tears and snot.
“U-uncle…?”
“You brat! You’re safe!”
Han Daeman ran forward and pulled his nephew into a tight embrace.
But the emotional reunion was brief.
Han Daeman patted his shoulders and spoke sternly.
“You’ll die if you stay here. Go to Warehouse No. 2. Wait there.”
“What about you, Uncle? What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me. Go, now!”
Han Daeman pushed him forward.
When Cheolsu ran off sobbing, Han Daeman readjusted his rifle.
As they entered the approach to the central plaza, an eerie heat washed over them.
Yoon Sungjun hid behind cover and stared ahead.
The situation was the worst possible.
In front of five hundred survivors who had lost their will to fight, Choi Manseok stood with molten metal coiled around his arm.
“He had an ability like that?”
Even the scout system could not display it.
“No… first time I’ve seen it.”
Even Yoon Imsu, his former right-hand man, had never seen anything like it.
Molten metal dancing in the air.
He wasn’t even a magic-type Awakened—so how?
While the group hesitated—
“You dare bite your master?”
A stream of molten metal floating in the air whipped toward the survivors.
Despite the shock, Yoon Sungjun reacted instantly.
“Open fire!”
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
A barrage of bullets surged toward Choi Manseok.
With a flick of his finger, the molten metal rose like a wall and blocked every round.
The viscosity of the liquid devoured the bullets’ kinetic energy instantly.
“My god…”
One member aimed a K-201 grenade launcher, but Yoon Sungjun quickly raised his hand to stop him.
“No! No grenades!”
“Sir? But we can’t break that defense without them—”
“This is a factory. Gas pipelines, high-voltage lines, chemical tanks everywhere. If an explosion starts a chain reaction, the entire factory will blow. We can’t present the Boss with ashes.”
Unless absolutely necessary, it was far more beneficial to seize Guro Foundry’s production facilities intact.
“Precision fire. Pressure him. Create an opening!”
Yoon Sungjun’s eyes darted between his status window and reality.
At that moment Choi Manseok spotted Yoon Imsu and flew into a rage.
“Yoon Imsu! You traitorous bastard!”
“You betrayed first, Choi Manseok. That’s the price for selling a craftsman’s soul.”
“Shut up! I’ll melt your bones with molten iron!”
Choi Manseok leaned out of cover and hurled a mass of molten metal toward Yoon Imsu.
But Yoon Sungjun’s Tactical Eye analyzed Choi Manseok’s muscle contraction, mana flow, and line of sight in real time.
I can see it. The trajectory of his attack.
Activating his trait Command and Control, Yoon Sungjun shared the information with the team.
Red prediction lines appeared on the HUDs of their tactical helmets like tangled threads.
Yoon Imsu reacted immediately and dove aside.
He might be a production-type Awakened, but he was still an A-Grade Awakened.
Molten metal manipulation was powerful, but it could never travel faster than bullets.
The spot where Yoon Imsu had been standing melted as the molten metal struck.
“How…?”
Choi Manseok was stunned.
It had been a guaranteed hit, yet they avoided it as if they had known in advance.
The battlefield was in the palm of Yoon Sungjun’s hand.
Whenever Choi Manseok raised his arm to launch molten metal, the members had already moved outside the trajectory.
And bullets aimed at the opening grazed his feet and ears.
“Y-you cockroach bastards!”
Choi Manseok was losing his mind.
He was a B-Grade Awakened, yet he was being toyed with by men holding nothing but guns.
He never imagined that Yoon Imsu, who used to run errands under him, had become an A-Grade Awakened.
He held power that could destroy everything.
Yet every time he leaned out, bullets targeted his head.
A body shot he could endure—but even a B-Grade Awakened would suffer a fatal wound if struck in the head.
“Damn it… damn it!”
Choi Manseok hid behind a thick pillar and panted heavily.
The encirclement was tightening.
At this rate he would be worn down.
Non-Awakened insects… daring to…
With trembling hands he searched inside his coat.
A crystal emitting a brilliant orange glow.
A C-Grade Core.
“You’ve forced me to use this… I’ll kill you all.”
With madness in his eyes, Choi Manseok shoved the core into the artifact embedded in his chest.
[Hephaestus’s Crucible]
[Grade: β-C]
[Projects a special mana wave into nearby liquefied metal, allowing free manipulation of its flow and form.]
The reason he could wield molten metal like a magician was entirely because of this artifact.
The artifact began pumping violently, forcibly expanding Choi Manseok’s Mana Circuits.
“Grrraaaah!”
With a pained groan, every piece of metal nearby screamed.
Steel frames.
Steel plates in the floor.
Discarded tools.
Even massive metal tanks.
Everything melted into a gigantic river and began swirling around Choi Manseok.
“Everyone fall back!”
Energy readings far beyond the danger threshold.
Sensing something terribly wrong, Yoon Sungjun shouted urgently.
But everyone was already retreating.
The Atlas Scout system was sending nonstop warning messages.
The liquefied metal rose and wrapped around Choi Manseok’s body.
Three meters.
Four meters.
Five meters…
The boiling molten iron gradually took the shape of a human figure.
Moments later—
A massive monster emerged, spewing steam.
A walking blast furnace five meters tall.
Its head struck the ceiling crane, scattering sparks.
It was nothing less than a molten-metal giant.
From the center of its chest, where Choi Manseok was buried, his voice snarled viciously.
“You scrap-metal trash… you should know your place.”
The giant’s arm transformed into a drooping whip and aimed at Yoon Sungjun’s group.
Each droplet of molten metal falling from its tip burned holes into the floor.
“I’ll melt you all down and pour you into casting molds!”
KRAAASH—!
When the giant’s arm slammed down, a massive wave of molten metal surged like a tsunami.
A disaster of heat that would vaporize bone upon contact.
Cold sweat ran down Yoon Sungjun’s back as he desperately activated Tactical Eye.
But there was no way to evade the molten tsunami.
Just as a catastrophe beyond the limits of human tactics was about to swallow them—
FWHOOOOSH!
With a deafening explosion that seemed ready to tear the factory roof apart, a storm of freezing cold burst through the air.