Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Changes and Adaptation
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"Ilryeong, how is it?"
Geon-woo left the control room and headed to the lab where Ilryeong was.
Ilryeong, in its mirror form, was scanning the lab using psychokinesis powered by mental energy.
= The quality of the materials is excellent.
Ilryeong looked at Geon-woo with a bright expression.
"Is that so?"
= Yes. And the combinations of necessary materials are also smooth.
"Let me see. If I can do it too."
At Ilryeong's response, Geon-woo approached the table half-doubting.
He began making a basic potion that was simple but impossible to combine without the energy of a cultivation method.
Even though it was the most basic thing, it was something he had never succeeded at before.
And yet.
"Why is this working?"
Geon-woo wore a hollow expression at how effortlessly the potion was being made.
= Isn't it because of the profound art?
"Yeah, that must be it. Since assimilating with the avatar allows me to use the full power of Cheonnoe Bunsim Jaeryeong Gong's 10th stage even on Earth, it can't be the same as before."
For the frustratingly blocked Cheonnoe Bunsim Jaeryeong Gong to come so easily into his grasp like this.
It was no wonder Geon-woo felt hollow.
The time spent on Onbiroad as part of the 1st Expedition Team was only 3 years, and after 7 years, reconnecting and training in the profound art for about seven months.
In total, less than 4 years to master Cheonnoe Bunsim Jaeryeong Gong up to the 10th stage.
Considering the 7 years of grueling effort, it would be strange not to feel hollow.
= But, my lord.
"What?"
Geon-woo snapped out of his thoughts at Ilryeong's call.
= Among the materials needed to create jiangshi, the most important one is missing.
"Uh, yeah."
Geon-woo shut his mouth at Ilryeong's words.
He knew the most important material Ilryeong referred to meant a corpse.
Moreover, special corpses were needed for upper-grade jiangshi.
But on Earth, only ordinary human corpses could be obtained.
Even those were strictly managed in places where national authority was maintained.
Of course, it wouldn't be hard for Geon-woo to obtain a dead person's body.
He hadn't done so until now because there was no need when he couldn't even make basic potions.
"We need to get a corpse, huh?"
= Yes. And among them, a special corpse.
"A special corpse?"
= You said that in your homeland, there were no such things as superhumans. They were just a bit healthier or had superior physical abilities at best.
"That's right."
= With such corpses, it's hard to make anything beyond low-grade jiangshi.
"Yeah. I know that."
= But now it's different, isn't it? Superhumans have appeared here too.
"Ah! That's true."
Users who had accepted the avatar's power.
They were certainly beyond ordinary humans.
So, if their corpses could be obtained, perhaps excellent jiangshi could be made.
But would the user's power remain in the corpse?
Geon-woo thought not.
If maintaining 400 million connected users was the system's policy, the dead ones' authorities would naturally be reclaimed over time.
And that chance would go to someone among the capsule users without connection rights.
= It doesn't have to be a corpse, my lord.
Ilryeong spoke to the pondering Geon-woo.
"Huh?"
= If we can use a live user to make a living jiangshi, that might actually be better.
Ilryeong spoke as if turning people into jiangshi brought no guilt whatsoever.
But even Ilryeong had clear standards.
= Our Unga Clan showed no mercy to enemies. Turning the evil demons' martial artists into living jiangshi and using them to control barbarians with barbarians—what's wrong with that?
Worried that Geon-woo might resist making living jiangshi, Ilryeong rambled on at length.
"Don't worry. I'm not that soft. If blood must be spilled, I'm not one to fear it."
Geon-woo spoke to Ilryeong with a resolute expression.
He was one of the top mercenaries on Earth.
To him, pity or mercy for enemies was a luxury.
= I've thought so while observing you all this time, my lord. But since that place was Onbiroad, I couldn't be certain you'd be the same here. My apologies, my lord.
"It's fine. That makes sense. Anyway, to secure users for living jiangshi, we'll inevitably have to go outside."
What bothered Geon-woo more was not the kidnapping itself, but that it required going out into the world.
= That... We're not yet fully prepared to protect you, my lord. If it's a dangerous situation, it's best to hold back.
"You seemed so eager to make living jiangshi just a moment ago."
= Above all, your safety is paramount, my lord. Making jiangshi would aid your safety, but endangering you for it would be putting the cart before the horse.
"Putting the cart before the horse? You sure use fancy words. But it's not that bad. My abilities are now top-tier even among rankers, right?"
= But you have many enemies, my lord. Especially the 1st Expedition Team members—they've gained Onbiroad powers on Earth too, so they'll be brimming with confidence.
"That confidence could lead them to mistakenly think they can take me on Earth?"
= Exactly.
"Hmm, that does seem possible. Then we need to prepare in advance."
Geon-woo agreed that the 1st Expedition Team comrades might target him.
Guys who wouldn't have dared before, but now able to use Onbiroad abilities on Earth?
There was a chance they'd try something against him.
"Guys with misguided pride and a victim complex."
They had been handpicked from special forces, spies, mercenaries, etc., to form the Ark Capsule's 1st Soulstone Expedition Team.
Yet only Geon-woo had produced real results, leaving them with a failed operation on their record—they had every reason to harbor grudges.
Plus, some had bad blood from prior ops, and others had clashed with him during Onbiroad activities, souring relations.
With attacks from such guys foreseeable, preparation was necessary.
"First, let's dig a proper rabbit hole."
Rabbits are famous for digging multiple escape holes.
Geon-woo decided to follow the rabbit's example for contingencies.
* * *
"Man, the upheaval really hits home now."
Geon-woo muttered to himself unconsciously while creating a new hideout.
The scene before him was that shocking.
= Psychokinesis is a power you used often even on Onbiroad. Why...?
Ilryeong seemed unable to understand Geon-woo's admiration.
"True, but being able to do this on Earth feels completely different."
With psychokinesis, Geon-woo could freely shape earth and rock, making underground spaces too easy.
A massive project that would normally require vast manpower and equipment over long periods—he could do it this fast and secretly.
Geon-woo looked proudly at the tunnel stretching several kilometers and the hideout at its end.
"I'll have to connect the nearby islands too, time permitting."
He had tunneled underground from his own island to the nearest one, completing a hideout there.
For emergencies, he moved backup supplies prepared on the main island here.
Generators, various electronics, even parts of the smart farm.
He secretly drilled hidden vents to the surface under rocks around the island.
With islands scattered hundreds to thousands of meters around this new hideout island, more could be built with effort.
= Is there really need to go that far? As long as your location isn't exposed, my lord.
Ilryeong felt Geon-woo had gotten carried away with underground base building.
Digging tunnels and spaces wasn't hard but took considerable time.
Ilryeong thought that time would be better spent hunting on Onbiroad.
"You're the one who told me to get living jiangshi materials. No problem if we're not caught, but if we are, we need a place to hide. And..."
= There's more reason?
"When the creature invasion hits full force, who knows what the world will become. We might need to form a small survivor group."
Apocalypse content came in many forms.
In that light, Geon-woo's shelter building wasn't overkill.
= So you're planning to use these underground spaces as bunkers?
"Hey, our Ilryeong knows the word bunker too?"
= I searched it after hearing you refer to Bunker No.1, No.2 while looking at the underground base blueprints.
Ilryeong could now even do simple searches in the meantime.
Geon-woo smiled warmly at such rapid growth.
"Officially, I'm holed up on my island, routing internet and comms through there. So anyone targeting me will focus there. Meanwhile, I can operate from here."
= So the main goal is to deceive the enemies' attention?
"Yeah. Alright, now let's go get those living jiangshi materials."
= You're finally heading out?
"This island has speedboats coming and going, so I'll take one to the mainland, then drive from there. Costs a bit, but there are special rental car services."
Of course, through dark channels, but such routes were essential for mercenary work.
= But how will you get the living jiangshi materials? We can't just kidnap anyone.
"Naturally, we'll nab criminals. Looking at the situation, there are a few problematic ones in Korea too."
= Then the kidnapping...
"Our poison is something even users can't withstand. Gotta bring strong paralyzing toxin."
= As expected! That's why you had me make the poison!
"To use poison properly, we need to subdue first, but hey, it's not like we're after top rankers."
Geon-woo wore a calm, unburdened expression.
Even before becoming a superhuman, he was one of the world's top mercenaries.
To him, street thugs were no threat.
Even if they could use Onbiroad avatar powers—Geon-woo had gained far more benefits, so no issue at all.
* * *
400 million Ark Capsule users had gained superpowers.
That meant 5% of humanity's 8 billion, one in twenty, had powers.
How chaotic the world must be.
"Still, the living gotta live."
Geon-woo muttered lowly as he walked Incheon's bustling streets, the raw fish alley.
The lives he saw hadn't changed much from before.
Most people were focused on their livelihoods.
But even among them, alien sights weren't absent.
"Kim boss! I'm here."
A truck loaded with live fish happened to stop in front of a sashimi restaurant.
Geon-woo unconsciously halted.
He recognized the driver as a user.
A fairly skilled one at that.
The man emanated a strong user aura.
"Oh, Park! What brings you?"
The sashimi shop owner greeting the live fish truck driver was a regular person, not a user.
"What do you mean? Good fishing today, so I came myself."
"Good fishing?"
"You bet, full of big ones."
"Lemme see! Whoa! What? Did you raid the Dragon Palace? How'd you catch these?"
"Uhhahaha. Whaddya think? How many you want?"
The live fish truck driver showed a smug attitude.
Geon-woo, intrigued, peered into the tank.
It was packed with what anyone could see were trophy fish.
"Where'd you even get these? All wild-caught."
Boss Kim of the sashimi shop kept exclaiming in awe.
"Uhhahaha. There's ways! Ways!"
He didn't reveal the method, but Park's expression grew even smugger.
Then.
Seven or eight men appeared from the alley beside.