The Automated Forge

I sent Yeonhee nuna home first.

"Where are those bastards?"

"Should I bring them?"

"Yeah."

I was pissed off like never before. Pissed to the point of seriously contemplating how to make them suffer the most. But I'd been so focused on my date with nuna that I'd completely forgotten they even existed. It was only when I saw the armed raid team members that the memory finally resurfaced. Spending even a second on those pieces of trash felt like a waste. Better to spend that time with nuna. So I decided to leave it to the raid team.

"We've brought them."

The six of them stood in silence, eyes filled with unease. Only after they saw my face did they seem to realize why they'd been dragged here.

While thinking about how to handle these bastards, a good idea came to me. Even trash should be recycled.

"Do you want to live?" I asked the six.

"Yes! Please just spare us!"

"We were wrong!"

"It was really a mistake! We were just hiding the whole time!"

"We lost our minds for a moment. We're sorry!"

They were spitting out anything that might save their skins.

"Give these guys rubber bats."

It was the kind of rubber-coated baseball bat kids played with. It would hurt like hell if it hit, but it wouldn't cause any real injury.

"Fine. I'll spare you. But only if you win against these guys." I pointed at the raid team members. "Fight them one-on-one. Win and you live. Simple, right?"

"Huh? W-well, we'll fight for now!"

"Thank you for giving us a chance!"

"We'll do it!"

I didn't care what they were babbling about. Ignoring them, I turned my attention to the raid team.

"Real combat experience against people is important. Anyone want to try? You can use the weapons you normally wield."

"I'll do it."

"Me too."

The team leaders stepped forward. They were carrying a crowbar and a steel pipe with the grip taped up.

"Then do it right. Accept any more volunteers if they want in."

"Yes, understood."

After giving the leaders their orders, I turned away.

Don't kill them. Just injure them, load them into the car, dump them in a zombie-infested area, and come back. Don't forget to blare the horn.

In the apocalypse, sometimes living itself was the real punishment.

"Mmm...."

I forced my stiff body upright. Lee Yeonhee nuna was still lost in sleep.

"You pervert."

I poked her sleeping cheek. Even after passing out multiple times, she'd kept shaking her hips and begging me to keep going. I couldn't hold back. If not for the eel, I would've been the one to lose consciousness first. That eel definitely had a powerful effect on stamina. It was all thanks to nuna's additional passive effect.

I kneaded her breasts, then sucked on her nipples. Even after the wild night we'd spent, my second self was already rising with the morning sun. Still, just being with her like this felt good. Right then, nuna's eyes fluttered open.

"Uung...? Is our baby still hungry? Want some milk?"

She teased me while watching me suck on her breast. We dove straight into round one. I definitely needed more of that eel.

"Is everyone gathered?"

"Yes!"

Even the team leaders who'd sparred yesterday looked completely fine. That made sense. The stat gap between us had been massive from the start, and they'd already hit level 7.

"Today we're launching the extermination of the rats who've been draining our food supplies. Go to the locations I've marked and persuade the people there to join the raid team."

"Understood!"

"Yes!"

I couldn't tolerate them lounging around sucking up resources in the safe zone I'd built anymore.

"What if they refuse?"

"Accept them as second-class residents and put them to work on chores. If they refuse to the end, kick them out of the safe zone. But deal with anyone who's truly useless."

Honestly, there was no reason to refuse. Being protected in a safe base only to turn it down meant they had something to hide. Like kidnapping women. On the flip side, there were people we absolutely shouldn't accept. Unstable elements and criminals. Especially the unstable ones—words didn't work with them. They'd pretend to comply in front but scheme behind your back.

Using Territory Control, I sent each team to spots marked with red dots. Since my control cut off at those red points, I needed to clear them quickly. Expanding my territory to the maximum ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would make the next phase much smoother.

Electricity and water could get cut off at any moment.

I'd already begun preparations. The water technician I'd brought last time was inspecting the rooftop water tank. Once we secured generators and solar panels, the power problem would be mostly solved. Drinking water wouldn't be an issue either, since there was a mineral spring on the back mountain. Public officials had already completed water quality tests before the apocalypse hit.

Originally I'd planned to assign escorts so second-class residents could fetch it, but Territory Control let me reduce the escort numbers to a minimum. Any zombies or hostile humans that appeared would trigger an automatic tower summon to suppress them.

Just then, Team 13 reached their red dot. I observed the situation through Territory Control.

Thud. Thud.

"Is anyone home?"

No signs of life.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

"Is anyone there? We're from Suyeon Apartments."

It was so quiet I wondered if we'd gotten the wrong place.

"We know you're in there. If you don't come out immediately, we'll consider you hostile and subdue you by force."

Rustle.

Only then did I sense movement.

"W-what do you want?"

"We're here to recommend relocation. Please come out."

"Um... if it's just listening, I don't have to open the door, right?"

A woman's terrified voice came from behind the door.

"That's fine."

The Team 13 leader explained the relocation details.

"You really won't hurt us?"

"Of course not."

"Then... I'll relocate."

With a metallic clank, the old front door opened.

"A message will appear. Please agree to it."

The message would ask whether they consented to incorporating this area into my territory.

"I agreed."

With that, another red dot disappeared.

I sent some of the raid members along with second-class residents to the construction site beside the apartment. We needed materials to feed the Automated Forge.

Construction materials should be more than enough—practically overflowing.

When I attempted to summon the forge, a blueprint outlined in green light lines appeared. I summoned it exactly where I'd kept the empty lot clear.

The ground rumbled and surged upward, shaping itself like clay before unnecessary dirt poured away. Finally the form of a medieval forge revealed itself.

A vehicle loaded with materials arrived right on time.

Click.

"When did this thing appear?"

"The raid leader ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠must have summoned it, right?"

The raid members and second-class residents who climbed out of the vehicle looked up at the forge in awe.

"Load the materials into the forge."

"Oh, understood! Everyone, come over here and help move them!"

When the materials were placed nearby, they vanished instantly like they were being sucked into an inventory. Wood converted into charcoal and flames ignited in the furnace. Rebar and other materials transformed into ingot form.

So as long as you supply the raw materials, it converts everything automatically?

It was incredibly convenient. Just feed it materials and you didn't have to worry about anything else.

What should I make first?

I checked the tower list where upgrades had been locked.

Starting with the Wooden Maul Tower.

One stack was consumed as I upgraded it, and heat began pouring from the forge's furnace.

Current stacks: 7

Even though it was automatic production, it wasn't some factory that spat things out instantly.

Well, expecting instant results would be shameless.

The ability to automatically produce weapons from the first wave was already overpowered. Curious about the process, I watched closely.

The interior resembled a medieval forge but with clear differences. The most striking feature was the cylindrical hammer attached to the ceiling. Geometric patterns were engraved on it, and when the process began, those patterns glowed yellow as if heated.

The heated ingot from the furnace was summoned onto the anvil just like when releasing or resummoning a tower. Then the cylindrical hammer dropped straight down toward it.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

When I focused harder, the interior looked like a blueprint made of green lines. The hammer moved within a sophisticated mechanical device, though I couldn't identify its power source.

Is it using mana?

But my own mana wasn't being consumed. The hammer moved with precision, gradually shaping the form.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Once the shape was complete, it vanished and reappeared in oil, producing a boiling sound.

Hisssssssss!

The circular hammer head that rose through the boiling oil was summoned back onto the anvil. The forging process continued without pause.

This is enough watching.

I'd been staring in a trance and more time had passed than I'd realized. I checked the Wooden Longspear Tower next.

I'll go with the War Spear.

The trident might look good at first glance, but it had little practical use. The force dispersed when stabbing. Against zombies it had practically zero lethality. It was better suited for blocking approaches than killing. It might be different in the second wave, though.

When I upgraded it to War Spear, the production time changed.

Does the time vary based on manufacturing difficulty?

That made sense. A spiked weapon wouldn't be easy to forge.

At this rate I can produce additional weapons too.

We needed weapons for the raid members as well. I selected several options with decent quality relative to their production time and added spears, swords, and maces to the queue.

Leather was needed too. I instructed the second-class residents to bring clothes, bags, furniture—anything usable.

I upgraded all the remaining towers. I converted one of the Sling Towers into a Bola Tower. It would come in handy for capturing something someday.

"Wow, what is this?"

Lee Hana came over after hearing the noise from the forge, curiosity getting the better of her.

"As you can see, it's a forge. If you need any weapons, just tell me. I'll make them for you."

"Really? Suhyuk's making it himself?"

"Not exactly."

It'd be faster to show her. I opened the forge door.

"It's not made by hand. This is an automated forge."

"It's amazing...."

Lee Hana stared in awe just like I had.

"You summoned this too?"

"That's right."

"You cheater!"

Lee Hana made a mischievous face and put me in another back choke, then quickly released it and stepped back awkwardly. The soft sensation against my back was a little disappointing.

"Don't worry too much about it. A dagger is fine."

She smiled lightly.

Why is she acting like that?

She seemed unusually cautious, unlike her usual carefree attitude toward me.

"Once the weapon production quality improves, I'll make you a rapier too."

"That sounds good...."

"No need to hold back. It's not that difficult, and if you want, just think of it as a birthday present."

"Do you know when my birthday is?"

I hadn't expected this response.

"I haven't heard it yet. Tell me."

"August 12th."

That was plenty of time since it was still June.

"I promise. Before your birthday comes, I'll make you a rapier as beautiful as Isabelle's."

Lee Hana smiled faintly.

Everyone gather.

I sent the remote command to the raid members. Clearing the red dots was important, but some things still needed to be done.

A massive tower now stood on the apartment rooftop.

I need to use the Titans Warbow Tower too.

A short while later, all the raid members had returned. Sixty-one residents had relocated this time. Only fourteen of them joined the raid team.

If joining the raid had been easy, they wouldn't have stayed holed up in their homes.

We took a lunch break to apply buffs.

"Eat while you listen. Today we're engaging two zombie clusters that include mutants. We won't be blocking the entrance, of course."

The shocking news made the sound of chopsticks stop completely.

"Eat quickly. We need to finish them all before sunset. After dark we'll have to fight in the shadows."

The chopsticks immediately began clattering again at a frantic pace.