The Undead Mercenary Corps
Han Suchang had barely finished his meeting with Jinho before he was already drafting a new set of documents.
“How much work is already piled up? I must be out of my mind.”
His mouth never stopped cursing Jinho, but his fingers flew across the keyboard like they were possessed.
The founding of the Undead Mercenary Corps.
The word “mercenary” couldn’t be found anywhere between the lines, yet Han Suchang had understood the vague concept Jinho had been circling during their conversation.
In fact, as an administrative expert, he possessed the ability to turn Jinho’s idea into reality.
The moment he finished the report, he headed straight for the Association President’s office.
Undead Mercenary Corps — Proposal Draft Complete
“You. Work is important, but you should take it easy.”
Kim Woosung, the Association President, sighed as he looked at Han Suchang’s disheveled hair.
He had originally been fated to die while trying to stop the Eldritch Dragon.
However, thanks to Jinho’s intervention, the schemes of the Klyphoth had been thwarted, and he had survived.
“It’s because someone irresponsibly dumps work on me and then disappears.”
“So the Special Task Force member came by again, huh.”
Kim Woosung let out a hearty chuckle.
How could he not know? The number one cause of Han Suchang’s overtime was obvious.
“Still, he’s been a great help in operating the Special Task Force.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Even the way he defended Jinho in case anyone criticized him was touching. Kim Woosung smiled warmly.
“We owe that Special Task Force member a great debt.”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“I intend to accept any proposal he makes in a positive light, so don’t hesitate to show me.”
“It’s quite radical. You might be shocked.”
Han Suchang projected the data on the screen and began his briefing.
Ten minutes.
Thirty minutes.
And when an hour had passed, Kim Woosung’s relaxed expression had completely vanished as he scanned the documents.
“Heh, hehehe. An undead mercenary corps, you say.”
“What do you think, sir?”
“I’m curious what kind of structure that Special Task Force member’s brain has.”
“W-well, dissecting him to find out might be a bit difficult.”
“Hahaha. That was an interesting joke, Suchang.”
It wasn’t a joke, Han Suchang swallowed the words and pursed his lips.
Kim Woosung spoke slowly, as if organizing his thoughts.
“An immortal army that needs neither sleep nor food.”
“It’s a radical proposal, but there are moral issues to consider.”
“What’s the problem with reviving a few monster corpses? It’s to save living people.”
“Mr. President.”
“I’m joking. We’ll add a clause to the dispatch guidelines that clearly distinguishes between monster and human remains.”
There were still many mountains to climb.
Setting aside the moral issues, it was uncertain whether neighboring countries would accept the deployment of undead forces, let alone the political landscape within Korea.
Countries with vast territories were struggling with national defense.
They would likely accept the proposal in the end, but even Kim Woosung couldn’t predict their immediate reaction.
“I suppose I’ll have to meet with the higher-ups in person.”
“Will that be all right?”
“If we handle the first step well, we can pull the players stationed at the DMZ back into the country.”
The hordes of monsters descending from the DMZ.
The Association had been rotating a significant number of players, including the Special Task Force, to the ceasefire line.
Many of them were reluctant to head to the DMZ defense line, complaining that it felt like being conscripted again.
It was a double burden—suppressing internal discontent while blocking external threats.
“If the practicality of the undead army is proven, we can reduce the number of guards on the border.”
“It will also make managing domestic gates much easier.”
“I’ll be better at appealing to the higher-ups than you.”
Kim Woosung stood up.
At first glance, he looked like a man in his fifties. His well-toned muscles strained against his suit, making the fabric look like it might burst at any moment.
One of the few Diamond-rank players in Korea.
Even though the Association President’s office was quite spacious, his heavy presence made it feel cramped.
“I’ll make use of this report.”
“Don’t you need to schedule an appointment with the President in advance?”
“The Association President gets one free pass per year. Remember that.”
Kim Woosung cracked a short joke.
The small spark Jinho had ignited had already crossed the Korean government and was now heading toward the great powers of East Asia.
The Korean government’s proposal, delivered through secret channels.
“We will manage the eroded lands with undead forces.”
Anatoly Cherdenko, President of Russia, swirled the glass containing the soul of Russia—vodka—and muttered.
“Does it seem feasible?”
“If anyone else had said that, I would have dismissed it as nonsense.”
The man with the mohawk, Sergei Smirnov, answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“The fact that you say that means it’s believable.”
“If it’s Jinho, then yes, I can believe it, Your Excellency.”
“There is no debate that he is the world’s strongest. However, his class isn’t Necromancer, is it?”
“During the Great Collapse of France, I witnessed him turning a Lesser Drake into an undead.”
President Cherdenko took a sip of his vodka.
“Then let’s proceed.”
The Minister of Defense leaned forward urgently.
“This is a heavy matter. You should listen to advice from various experts.”
“Don’t we have the country’s top monster expert right here?”
“Sergei is indeed an expert, but this involves stationing foreign troops within our borders.”
In principle, he was correct.
However, everyone present knew exactly what the Minister of Defense was really after.
He just doesn’t want to give more territory to the players.
But bullets and shells don’t work on monsters anyway.
They’ll have to pay the price for their conservative attitude when the Tower first appeared.
When the Tower of Babel appeared, the hardliners in the military had insisted on limiting player ascents to only what the military could control.
Now they were practically isolated.
Still, the justification the Minister of Defense had thrown out wasn’t wrong.
President Cherdenko answered leisurely.
“Minister of Defense. Does a deceased person who has already completed their death certificate have voting rights?”
“No, they do not.”
“Do monsters have rights?”
“No, they do not.”
“Perfect. Then there are no legal issues.”
“Mr. President! Entrusting domestic security to outsiders! Our military’s dignity will be dragged through the mud!”
The Minister of Defense was also a player.
He had established and trained a player corps under his command and burned with a sense of rivalry toward Sergei, so he could not accept the proposal.
“Before worrying about dignity, shouldn’t we first secure the safety of the route to Vladivostok?”
After the first Great Erosion, the railway crossing Siberia had been half-blocked.
The tracks themselves weren’t damaged, but given the vastness of the region, monsters released after Gate Breaks frequently targeted the trains.
Even if soldiers escorted them, they simply became monster food.
They had to keep pulling players for escort duty, which consumed enormous capital.
“Look at those arrogant Western countries.”
After Rene Davis fell, hadn’t they praised him as the savior of Paris?
What if a high-difficulty gate appeared in the middle of the capital?
They would need the help of powerful players.
“Don’t we have Sergei, the pride of Russia?”
“Even he alone cannot cover the vast territory of our motherland.”
Cherdenko’s voice was calm.
The Minister of Defense clenched his eyes shut.
“We will discuss the details with the Korean government.”
A nation possessing the world’s largest territory.
However, its population was insufficient for its land area, and the number of gates and erosion zones it had to cover was overwhelming.
They were in a position where they would gladly borrow even an ant’s hand.
The current administration had no luxury to refuse Jinho’s proposal.
On the other hand, China’s stance was slightly different.
As a country with the world’s largest population, it did not lack player power.
Nevertheless, the reason they had lost Manchuria was due to the government’s inadequate initial response.
With such high population density, gates appeared frequently, and they had failed to respond in time to the Gate Breaks that erupted like mushrooms after rain, ultimately ceding part of Manchuria to the monsters.
They were also skeptical about reclaiming the territory.
“What’s the point of subjugating monsters if we can’t stop them from spawning?”
“We should use that time to climb the Tower and train in martial arts instead.”
The government’s mistakes during the first Great Erosion.
The Communist Party, which had once wielded absolute power through one-party dictatorship, had lost much of its influence after part of Manchuria was eroded.
The ones beginning to fill that void were the players.
In China, the term “new nobility” was already being used quite frequently.
“Entrusting the safety of the continent to the Bangzi doesn’t sit right either.”
“He’s the one who destroyed the Guryong-bang. Taking his offer at face value is dangerous.”
“At this rate, we might end up ceding territory to Korea.”
Player supremacy ideology and wariness toward Jinho.
When combined with various other factors, they could not accept the undead dispatch.
However, the word “free labor” was deeply engraved in the hearts of the rulers.
If China ever found itself in danger, they would surely remember it at least once.
The idea Jinho had come up with while digging into the power of the void had begun to change the entire landscape of East Asia.
The week after returning home was so hectic he barely had time to breathe.
He had even forgotten that he had told Han Suchang about the undead overseas dispatch.
Why were there so many documents to process?
Even though it was a tiny guild with only a handful of members, there were more than a few tasks that required the Master’s approval.
“Senior, aren’t you working too hard?”
“It would be disappointing if you said that to someone who has raised the guild’s honor.”
Yeokcheon wasn’t just six people.
There was Team Mugeuk and Yellow Storm as well.
Even while he was away, they had continued climbing the Tower and clearing gates without rest.
Processing byproducts obtained during gate expeditions.
Organizing Tower climb reports and data.
After Analyst Thomas left, the mountain of accumulated work had exploded right in front of him.
For a while, he was stuck at his desk with no escape.
“I should hire a professional manager.”
—Seeing how smoothly you handle it, doesn’t that prove management suits your aptitude?
“That’s putting the cart before the horse.”
If he did that, there would be no point in running the guild as a small elite group.
He must not forget his priorities.
The first priority was becoming stronger himself.
Growing the guild was only a secondary goal.
After dismantling the towering mountain of documents one by one and finally catching his breath—
“We have completed negotiations with the Russian government.”
Director Han Suchang suddenly dropped the bombshell.
“Excuse me?”
“They have conditionally ceded part of the eroded region in Siberia. They want us to subjugate the monsters there.”
Are you kidding me?
Wasn’t it only a week ago that we had that conversation?
Even roasting beans with lightning would be slower than this.
“The Russian government approved it?”
“Yes. The cession is framed as a corporate investment.”
“But we don’t have any money to invest.”
“It’s only in name. The actual investment isn’t required. I’ll send the details by email.”
It was the same method countries used when attracting investment—claiming a Korean company would build a factory and lease the land long-term.
They weren’t an actual corporation and had no intention of building a factory, but there was no problem with the format itself.
“Good grief. That’s way too fast.”
—Isn’t speed a good thing?
“I need time to catch my breath.”
He had gone on a business trip to America, toured all over Europe holding fan signing events, and after returning home, he hadn’t been able to leave his desk for a while, so he hadn’t even had time to climb the Tower.
Now that he was finally trying to rest, they wanted him to go to Russia?
—You are being crushed by the disaster you called upon yourself.
Damn it.
If he had known it would progress this quickly, he never would have gone to Han Suchang bragging about what a brilliant idea it was.
Sigh.
Well, the board was already set. What could he do?
Time to go wild once again.