Terraforming: Wang Zagen Inherits the Revolution
Wang Zagen's life hadn't been a long one. He was only in his early twenties, after all. But he prided himself on having experienced every filthy thing the back alleys had to offer.
Fight, survive the day. Fight again, survive another. That existence had become routine. He had a talent for combat, so he never went hungry. In fact, he'd subjugated a narrow district under his fists and lived comfortably full.
But he was always tormented by some gaping emptiness in his chest. Filling his belly, amassing wealth, lording over crowds of people... none of it filled the void.
Wang Zagen himself hadn't realized what that emptiness was.
...Not until he met him here.
Wang Zagen's life changed the moment he encountered Gerard.
The drab, colorless world—black and white as it was—suddenly bloomed with color, like eyes opening for the first time. He finally understood what he'd been missing.
I had no meaning in life. No purpose, no conviction, nothing. If I hadn't met him...
Despite his immense strength, he'd never striven for anything. He'd just drifted, content with the moment, without plans or ambition. A man with combat talent rare enough to appear in one out of a hundred might have been forgotten by the world in fifty years, just like the other ninety-nine—dull and unremarkable.
Gerard had awakened him.
Humanity's crisis! The parasites rotting humanity from within! Revolution, and a new homeland!
It was noble. The perfect goal for life.
Gerard had validated the hands of Wang Zagen, stained from every dirty deed on Earth, declaring them necessary.
In Wang Zagen's eyes, Gerard shone brighter than anything.
Gerard had opened the path for him. His life flipped upside down.
That very night, as Gerard spoke alone with Wang Zagen, he vowed to dedicate the rest of his life to Gerard's will.
'Damn it, why the hell hasn't that bastard Park Chanyoung shown up yet?'
Park Chanyoung had said he was off to find Chris Bennett and Brack, who still hadn't arrived at the training grounds. But fifteen minutes passed with no sign of him.
Wang Zagen led all the assembled trainees toward the rendezvous point. Gerard had informed him that everyone except the trainee named Brack had already joined their cause.
A shiver of awe at Gerard's greatness rippled through him once more. Soon, they reached the rendezvous.
And there... he faced Gerard's corpse, run through the back with a blade, cold and lifeless.
"Ge... Gerard?"
"The instructor... he's dead!"
"Who did it? Did Central Command catch on?"
"Wh-what do we do...?"
"..."
Wang Zagen said nothing. The trembling, anxious people were all the trainees behind him.
But before he could calm their panic, a single emotion swelled into a storm inside him.
Wang Zagen was no stranger to death. So seeing his idol's corpse didn't leave him stunned—it ignited rage. Hotter than anything in his life.
"PARK CHANYOUNG!!!!"
The blade still embedded in Gerard's back was a standard-issue trainee sword, identical to Wang Zagen's own. This was a combat trainee camp; trainee swords weren't lying around everywhere. The suspects narrowed to three in an instant.
But Wang Zagen was certain who the culprit was. No one else.
The cunning bastard who could perfectly deceive his idol and strike from behind.
The one bold enough to stab an instructor even a horde of trainees couldn't defeat.
Swish.
Wang Zagen dipped his hand into the blood pooling on the ground. Gerard's crimson stained his callused palm.
And then Wang Zagen realized he wouldn't find Park Chanyoung.
"It's been cold for a while... He's already fled!"
Hundreds of thoughts churned in Wang Zagen's mind. What now? The man who'd opened his future was dead. Give up just like that? His first true goal in life? The purpose that had filled his lifelong void?
...No. No way.
I haven't even started. I won't admit failure. I haven't failed yet.
Gerard hasn't failed yet.
His goal, now embodied in a corpse...
...I'll carry it on.
Pfth!
"Kgh...!"
In that moment, someone slammed down on Wang Zagen's shoulder, pinning him.
Wang Zagen hadn't even sensed the approach. He only realized the attacker when he was fully crushed to the ground.
He twisted his head to see who it was.
"The Leader is dead. Did you do it, trainee?!"
A face he'd never seen. But from the man's expression and raw power, guessing his identity was easy for Wang Zagen.
The less than ten figures pinning him were combat trainees from other districts, summoned by Gerard's orders. Not from District 11, which had just arrived.
"...Let go."
"Answer me!"
The nine combat trainees drew their blades in fury, menacing the trainees.
Wang Zagen's voice turned ice-cold.
"Let. Go. It wasn't me."
"Then tell us who the culprit is, their motive—everything you know!"
"Last warning. Let go."
Twitch!
"..."
Shhh...
Wang Zagen's mana surged out in a lump, activating his skill. The combat trainee pinning him wilted under the intimidation, his body releasing involuntarily.
Wang Zagen stood, brushing dirt from his clothes.
The revolutionary from District 12, who had promised revolution, faltered. He'd felt this pressure before—multiple times. It was eerily similar to the charisma of the Leader he revered.
Wang Zagen glanced down at the stunned combat trainee and spoke.
His certainty that Park Chanyoung had betrayed Gerard was just instinct. But Wang Zagen trusted his gut. Life in the rough had rewarded it many times.
"When I arrived, he was already dead."
"......"
"The culprit is a trainee named Park Chanyoung. He betrayed the Leader and fled. ...Seems he's gotten far."
"Damn it! We need to chase him now—"
"Wait. The Leader personally named me his successor."
"What...?"
"I'll carry on his goal. The revolution doesn't stop. We press on."
"...Ha! Arrogant brat. Know your place—"
"Shut up."
Twitch.
Wang Zagen's skill activated again toward the outspoken combat trainee from the outskirts. Two uses drained his mana completely.
But he didn't flinch. The combat trainee's submission shifted the mood entirely into Wang Zagen's grasp.
No one here would dismiss his words now. That satisfied him.
"My current strength is less than yours. But I'm the successor personally chosen by the Leader."
"...Proof?"
"None. So I'll prove it. Watch and judge at leisure. Whether I'm worth following or not."
"..."
"I swear I won't act for personal gain. I'll realize the Leader's will exactly as he intended."
Of course, Gerard had never named Wang Zagen successor. But if it meant carrying on his will, means didn't matter.
Wang Zagen's reverence was somewhat twisted. He'd spat similar lies inheriting organizations on Earth. It worked. Some dismissed it as falsehood, others bought it as truth.
The dead can't speak. Even those he respected.
"As proof of this oath, the first step: I abandon my name."
The name Wang Zagen wasn't his birth name. He'd taken it inheriting an organization— just like now. To absorb it more completely.
"From this moment, my name is Gerard. I dedicate my entire life to humanity!"
*
Her small fingertips trembled.
Chris Bennett was shaking with anxiety. Not because she was under interrogation, nor due to the trainees' mass desertion three days ago excluding her and Brack, nor the combat trainees' large-scale betrayal.
There was one reason.
Three days after the incident, no word from her lover, Park Chanyoung.
Initially under heavy suspicion, time had somewhat cleared her name. She was no longer confined to her room; she could walk the halls.
But grabbing passersby and asking yielded only shakes of the head. Not a scrap of info on Park Chanyoung.
Knock knock knock!
Creeeak... Thud!
"...So presumably, seeing this... it suggests..."
"Hmm..."
Entering the room, voices of a woman and man in conversation drifted out. This was the Handler's office, where Chris's superior worked.
A visitor had arrived first: Brack, who hadn't fled with her.
Brack and the Handler wore grave expressions, deep in talk.
They spotted Chris entering but didn't soften, continuing their cryptic exchange.
"Hmm... As expected, I should be the one to—since we're close."
"No, I'll handle it. It's my job. Get out."
"...Then I'll leave it to you."
Thud thud.
Brack walked toward the door where Chris stood. Just as he passed her...
"...Miss Bennett, um... ...Hoo. Never mind."
Thud thud.
Creeeak... Thud!
Brack had seemed about to speak, but let out a deep sigh and left. His face twisted in pity.
That reaction stirred unexplained dread in Chris.
"..."
"Chris. Chris Bennett. Sit for a moment."
Chris silently approached and sat before the Handler, waiting obediently.
"...We've compiled news on your lover. That is... Trainee Park Chanyoung."
"...! Really?!"
"Yes. Hoo... ...You really want to hear it?"
"Of course!"
The Handler launched into a long explanation. Chris couldn't believe her ears.
As far as she knew, her lover had just stepped out for a small errand.
But...
"W-wait... Really Chanyoung...?"
"Yes. We suspect he murdered the ringleader, Gerard. They took the body when cleaning up, but the blade that stabbed him was left behind. A trainee sword. Tracing where it was issued... no other explanation fits."
"Then where is Chanyoung now?! Is he... safe? And...! And...!"
"Stop. Listen first. Seems the District 11 combat trainees who betrayed the Shelter are pursuing him."
"P-pur... pursuit?!"
Whoosh!
Chris paled and shot to her feet. A trainee chased by combat trainees? Nothing good came to mind.
No way... No way...
"...Tracking the traces, Trainee Park Chanyoung doesn't seem caught. His strength must be more impressive than we thought."
"Haa...!"
Thud...
At the Handler's words, Chris's legs gave out, collapsing into the chair.
She didn't dwell deeply on how he'd shaken off combat trainees.
"H-he's... not dead, right? That's enough... That's all that matters..."
"...Not dead..."
Chris thanked the heavens that Chanyoung hadn't died to his pursuers. Whatever aftermath lingered, she could endure it—as long as he returned to her side.
......
"Listen well. Your lover, Trainee Park Chanyoung..."
The Handler hesitated, glancing at empty space beside her. Avoiding Chris's eyes.
That reaction cracked the relief in Chris's heart. Unwanted anxiety crept in.
For some reason, she dreaded the Handler's next words. Didn't want to hear them.
But...
Unbelievable words spilled from the Handler's lips.
"...There's a high chance he's already dead."
".........What?"