Expedition Preparations
After the banquet ended, Yusoha contacted Shin Seongmin and Rumeorn the very next day to begin preparations for the expedition. “Shin Seongmin. Do you have time today? I have something to discuss regarding the North Korea expedition.”
-Yes. I do. By the way, is Eclipse with you as well? There’s something I’d like to ask him today, if it’s not too much trouble.
“Eclipse.”
“Hm?”
“Would you be able to give Shin Seongmin and me some individual training today?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. It’s not like I have anything else to do anyway.”
“Ah, hello? Shin Seongmin?”
-Yes. What is it?
“He says it’s fine. He mentioned he doesn’t have anything else to do.”
-Understood. I’ll head over right away.
“Great. Then let’s meet at the training center after lunch.”
-Yes, let’s do that.
“By the way, why are you calling Shin Seongmin?” Eclipse asked, tilting his head at Yusoha.
“I want to get some information about the North Korean region. We’re going together anyway, so I could ask then, but I think we should decide on our movement route in advance.”
“……Is North Korea really that dangerous?”
“Yeah. There’s the radiation contamination, but more importantly, when the North Korean government collapsed, all sorts of high-grade gates appeared throughout the country. The North tried to destroy the gates by indiscriminately firing nuclear weapons, but…… it didn’t go as planned.”
“Even after using nuclear weapons?”
“Right. Either they were unlucky, or there were quite a few monsters immune to nuclear weapons. Instead, the North Korean Awakened who tried to enter the gates only made things worse with the radiation fallout…… and they couldn’t defeat the monsters. The result was the complete destruction of the North Korean government.”
“That means……”
“Exactly. Gate erosion occurred, so North Korea’s regions now reflect the ecosystems of each gate. And when gate erosion happens, the internal environment of the gate usually erodes Earth…… so the radiation contamination would have carried over as well.”
“I see. So it’s an environment lethal even to ordinary people just walking around.”
“Right. And over time, the monsters that have grown stronger will be swarming the place. That’s why soldiers are always stationed along the 38th parallel. No one knows when the monsters might try to expand their territory. There’s a reason places like that are called the Demon Realm.”
“So that’s why you needed Shin Seongmin?”
“Exactly. He achieved the feat of purifying the entire unrecovered Gangwon-do region. That’s how he was promoted to S-class.”
“There really is a reason the strong are strong.”
“Anyway…… I’ve roughly worked out a plan. I’ll need to hear the details first and then decide.”
Shin Seongmin arrived at the training center faster than expected. Wondering what he might learn from Eclipse today, he entered with high expectations and found Yusoha poring over a map.
“You’re here early.”
“Yes. Well…… By the way, how can I help you?”
“Ah. Take a look at this.” Yusoha immediately showed Shin Seongmin the map of North Korea.
“The area you purified before was the unrecovered Gangwon-do, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“While we’re on this North Korea expedition, I’ve been thinking about which region we should purify first.”
Shin Seongmin studied the map carefully before pointing to Hwanghae-bukdo. “I think Hwanghae-bukdo would be good.”
“Hwanghae-bukdo?”
“Yes. Right now, the only relatively intact areas in North Korea are the Gaeseong Special City and the Gangwon-do I purified. North of Gangwon-do is too dangerous to expect military support.”
“Would we need military support?”
“We would. If something unexpected happens or we get isolated, having a military base nearby means we can request assistance. Well…… So-ha, you’re going on this expedition for the achievement, but the government also wants North Korea purified.”
“That’s true.”
“Since we don’t know when danger might strike, it’s best to have at least minimal safety measures in place.”
“Hmm…… I understand. Then where would be a good place to set up a base camp?”
“Well, if we’re purifying Hwanghae-bukdo, it would be better to establish the base camp near Cheorwon.”
“Cheorwon?”
“Yes. The purified Gangwon-do isn’t particularly dangerous, and there’s a military base just south of Cheorwon.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Ah, and…… speaking of Hwanghae-bukdo, there’s something you should know.” Shin Seongmin spoke as if he had just remembered.
“Yes?”
“You’ll need to prepare thoroughly for that area.”
“Huh? Why?”
“When I was purifying Gangwon-do…… the monsters were far stronger than I imagined. There was also the radiation problem.”
“……You don’t need to worry about the radiation.”
“Fighting in protective suits can be quite inconvenient.”
“Ah, it’s fine. The suits I have don’t hinder movement.”
“……How much money did you spend on this?”
“You can probably guess. I don’t have any money left now.”
“……”
“You’re thinking I went ahead without a plan, aren’t you?”
“Honestly, yes. That’s what I’m thinking. Anyway, Hwanghae-bukdo won’t be much different from Gangwon-do. It might even be more dangerous. Regions affected by gate erosion see monsters grow stronger over time.”
“……Ah.”
“But…… I’m not too worried. Eclipse is with us.”
“True. Honestly, I planned this North Korea expedition with Eclipse’s presence in mind.”
“Then I suppose that makes sense.”
“Well, for now, let’s set Hwanghae-bukdo as our destination. If it goes smoothly, we might even aim for Pyongyang.”
“……That wouldn’t be a bad idea either. After all, any byproducts from the purified regions belong to the guild that purified them. The taxes will be hefty, but it’s not a bad deal for the government either.”
“Right. So we can also consider requesting government support.”
“Then we’ve more or less decided on the location…… What about preliminary scouting?”
“We’ll have to judge that once we get there. First, we need to adapt to the environment. This expedition is going to be quite long.”
“So you’re planning to clear it step by step.”
“Yes. We need to analyze the monsters’ characteristics too…… That’s why I requested the monster data earlier.”
“Have you studied a lot?”
“Of course. The mages and gunners gathered to study how to respond. Still, new monsters could appear, so we need to stay sharp. I’m aiming for perfection.”
“A good mindset.”
“And I’m planning to proceed without relying on Eclipse’s help as much as possible. I only want him to step in when things are truly dangerous.”
“Is this for Hwanryeong Team 2’s growth?”
“That’s part of it, but it’s also for my own growth. Compared to Eclipse, I’m still significantly weaker. At the very least, I don’t want to hear people say I’m just relying on my Guardian Star wherever I go. Like Seo Eun-ah.”
“Ah, right…… Well, I’ll be accompanying you anyway, so if things get dangerous, I’ll join in as well.”
“Okay.”
After that, the two continued discussing how to handle various situations until they finally wrapped things up.
Pyongyang, North Korea. Decades ago, this place had teemed with people. Now it had become a scene of utter chaos where not a single human could be found. Instead, new beings had taken root. Monsters—or rather, the demi-humans that frequently emerged from gates. Orcs. The orcs had become the new rulers of Pyongyang.
Yet the orcs that had settled in Pyongyang were different. While ordinary orcs had green skin, these had gray skin as if dusted with ash, and they appeared far stronger than the orcs that typically appeared in gates. They also adorned themselves with grotesque ornaments made from human bones.
In the heart of Pyongyang, where countless orcs had gathered, an orc several times larger than the others sat atop a massive structure built from human bones and opened his eyes.
“Shahan.”
Unlike the green-skinned orcs that crossed through gates, fluent human language—Korean—flowed from the massive ash-gray orc’s mouth.
“Yes, my king.”
The orc, who appeared to be a shaman, responded in Korean as well and bowed his head to the king.
“Have you all finished adapting to this new land?”
“Yes. We have.”
“Both you and I…… our skin has turned gray. Where has our proud green skin gone?”
“……It must be because of the weapons those detestable humans used.”
“A terrible, agonizing weapon. But we overcame it. It was a long time.”
The orc called king’s eyes gleamed.
“Indeed.”
“However…… it wasn’t only loss. We’ve been settled here for decades. We’ve grown strong enough now.”
“……Yes.”
The two orcs’ eyes shone. Between their fierce gazes, powerful mana began to coil around them. Ordinary orcs that crossed through gates could not wield mana. It was almost a law. But these orcs could. They didn’t know why. They simply could, so they did.
“With this power…… we can annihilate the humans of this place. Just as we slaughtered all the weak humans of that world even in our weakened state, before we awakened this power.”
“It will surely happen.”
The orc called king rose and looked down. A vast settlement built haphazardly from the ruins of the fallen city spread before his eyes. He lifted his head and gazed into the distance. Though nothing was visible, the king knew. Far away, the beings he hated must exist.
The king was the king of all orcs, their savior. The one who had liberated the orcs by exterminating all of humanity in the previous world. The great king, Terta. He looked into the distance and spoke.
“The time has come. The time to erase those hateful humans.”
His purpose was singular. The extinction of humanity. Just as it had been in the previous world, that purpose remained unchanged in this one as well.