After dealing with Corps Commander Kim Bong-su, I stepped back outside the portal.
The desolate 1st Corps Headquarters.
The smoke that had been rising from various spots was now shooting straight up into the sky, following the natural course.
Screech!
Cough!
I finished off the few remaining stragglers.
Perhaps because I had taken care of the Corps Commander, no further fees were being applied.
He was the one at the core of their network.
With this, their strange multi-level system would have come to an end.
To prove this, the other-dimensional entity, Tonatiuh, which had been floating amidst the smoke, had also disappeared without a trace.
“That takes care of things here…”
Now it was time to start freeing the people trapped in the detention centers, one by one.
Swish!
Bang!
I broke the locks of the densely packed detention centers and moved along, scattering dozens of potions to the people pouring out.
“Soon, the government forces will come to rescue you. You’re free to leave this headquarters, but if you need help, don’t stray too far.”
Their eyes were filled with a mix of suspicion and anxiety.
These were people who had already experienced the 1st Corps once.
But when I placed hundreds of protein bars and bottles of water in front of them, they finally nodded.
“Thank you…”
“…Thank you.”
Though they expressed their gratitude to me, they couldn’t bring themselves to feel entirely happy.
‘Well, of course…’
That was a human reaction.
Even if someone had survived, it’s hard to smile when others hadn’t.
Whether it’s guilt or a bit of self-righteousness, that reaction in itself was what made them human.
And so, all the people who had been trapped in the detention centers were freed.
On the other hand, I still had tasks left to complete.
Huuk!
Huuuk!
I summoned ten wraiths.
Then,
“See if you can find any useful items nearby. Especially in places like the Corps Commander’s office.”
I issued the command.
The wraiths dispersed quickly, and soon, they would report back on any spoils I could collect.
Of course, the most important loot was already in my hands.
The Corps Commander’s dimensional account.
It contained over thirteen thousand Mana Stones.
Even after upgrading my Subspace to Level 4, I would still have three thousand left over.
Combining the Mana Stones I already had with those I’d collected from killing goblins, the total had surpassed fifteen thousand.
Naturally, my top priority was leveling up.
But before that, I asked PAX one last question.
“PAX, is there anything at Level 3 that I haven’t unlocked yet?”
[You have not yet unlocked the ‘Subspace Life Support System.’]
[The unlocking cost is 250 Mana Stones.]
“Ah, right.”
A feature that delays decay, spoilage, and aging in the Subspace, and provides a slight healing effect.
It was useful, but since it didn’t immediately contribute to combat power, I’d been putting off unlocking it.
But with more than ten thousand Mana Stones now, the price didn’t seem too steep.
“Alright, unlock it.”
[Understood.]
[250 Mana Stones have been deducted.]
[Remaining Mana Stones: 14,823.]
“Also, raise it to Level 4.”
[Are you sure?]
[At Subspace Level 4, the maintenance cost will be adjusted to 30 Mana Stones every 24 hours.]
[The combined cost for utilities (water/gas) will also be the same.]
Though the cost had jumped threefold, it no longer felt burdensome.
“Yes, go ahead. From now on, you handle the withdrawals for three days’ worth at a time… and use the remaining maintenance funds this time as well.”
[Understood.]
[Using remaining maintenance funds to cover part of the Level 4 maintenance cost and additionally paying for three days’ maintenance.]
[10,180 Mana Stones have been deducted for the level-up and three days of maintenance.]
[Remaining Mana Stones: 4,643.]
[Level-up in progress…]
“Come to think of it, this is my first time leveling up outside of Subspace.”
Inside the Subspace, a crimson light would have momentarily engulfed the sky.
In reality, however, all I noticed was PAX returning with no discernible change after the level-up.
[Level-up completed.]
[You may proceed with additional enhancements to the Shipping Skills and Subspace abilities.]
“Alright. Could you display the newly available enhancements for this level-up?”
[Understood.]
Ding!
—-[Unlockable Options]—-
[Cost: 1,000 Mana Stones]
◈ Simultaneous Shipping (3)
– Allows up to eight items to be shipped simultaneously.
◈ Subspace Laboratory (2)
– Provides a preview of the outcomes from enhancement or item combination.
– Allows a simulation of enhancement or item combination.
◈ Category Item Registration (2)
-Can establish new categories to be included in the logistics center. (Maximum 2 times)
(Note: Establishing new categories incurs an additional cost.)
————————-
There were no entirely new abilities.
However, unlike the now familiar effect of , the other two abilities had noteworthy additional effects.
The Laboratory had gained extra functionality, and the Category Registration ability now allowed me to establish entirely new categories from scratch.
This would let me absorb a wider variety of objects and use them in innovative ways.
With each upgrade, the options for utilizing items in the Subspace were becoming more versatile.
Whoosh!
As I continued to review the various abilities, the wraiths finally returned.
There was no unexpected twist.
Following them, I reached the Corps Commander’s office and was able to secure some useful loot from his desk drawer.
Flutter.
Several A4-sized .
And hundreds of registration forms specifically for goblins were found as well.
Finally…
Clatter.
In the back of the drawer, I found an Enhancement Stone rolling around.
It was an ordinary Enhancement Stone, but something about this one was unique.
—-
[Enhancement Stone (D)]
Attribute: None
Option: [Resistance]
—-
“…No Penetration, huh?”
A simple option with just [Resistance].
There was only one conclusion I could draw from this.
“It’s meant to be used on armor.”
Without Penetration, it couldn’t be used effectively on a weapon.
After all, I’d primarily been using these Enhancement Stones for their Penetration effect until now.
But even so, there was no doubt that it was a useful option.
Not only could I enhance armor, but I could potentially use it to fortify vehicles like the Korando and the Black Hawk as well.
And then…
“Maybe I could even use it in that way…”
With a new idea flashing through my mind, I made my way back into the Subspace.
—-
“Kim Jeong-gyeom, you… what the hell did you do…?”
As soon as I entered the Subspace, my two sisters came running up to me.
I wondered what was going on, and then my younger sister, Kim Sol, poked my cheeks and said,
“…The acne scars on my face have completely disappeared…”
“And even the blackheads on my nose are gone…”
My older sister added.
I asked,
“Didn’t you use healing on each other?”
“If we did, do you think we’d be asking you?”
They went on about how their achy knees felt perfectly fine today, or how their stuffy noses were suddenly clear at this hour—trivial things like that.
I was surprised by their relaxed attitude, considering I’d just returned from battle, but it turned out that Lancelot had informed my family of my victory before I arrived.
Apparently, he’d gone on and on, praising me so much that all their worries had just evaporated.
Kim Sol slurred her words, mimicking an exaggerated tone.
“All hail! Our great comrade Kim Jeong-gyeom, who pulled the enemy commander by the hair…”
“……”
Both of my sisters stood side by side, creasing their eyes in a mischievous grin.
‘Well… it’s better if they don’t know.’
It was fortunate I hadn’t taken them along.
The horrors of the 1st Corps would only leave terrible memories.
The fact that there had been casualties.
I could tell them about that bit by bit later.
It was then.
“…My lord!”
Lancelot hurriedly bowed before me.
Lancelot who had always been solemn and loyal.
It was the first time I’d ever heard such urgency and desperation in his voice.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m losing my mind. My whole body is itchy, stinging…”
Lancelot pointed with flailing arms towards Bedivere.
He, too, was in the same state as Lancelot.
He had shoved his one remaining arm inside his armor and was scratching himself relentlessly.
“What’s wrong with you all…?”
I stood there in a daze for a moment, and then I finally remembered the root of all these events.
.
One short phrase written under it.
-Slightly regenerates damage to life.
Damage to life.
Technically speaking, the knights of Camelot were damage incarnate.
They were undead beings made up of skeletons.
In other words…
“It’s too itchy! My lord…!”
…new flesh was sprouting on those bones.
And at a very slow pace, too.
Could it be that these skeletal knights were beginning to regain their appearances from when they were alive?
But rather than pondering that, what mattered was that these guys were in unbearable agony right now.
Like overexcited puppies, they were lying on their backs, rolling around on the floor.
“Damn it, follow me.”
There was only one solution I could think of.
.
.
.
I arrived at the building next to the guard post—a motel… no, Camelot Castle.
I had only ever used this Camelot as a place to summon wraiths and knights.
What remained was the unscrupulous human sacrifice function called [Blood Sacrifice], but there was one notable phrase.
[Blood Sacrifice]
-Within, life force can be ‘matured’ or ‘extracted’ to produce Enhancement Stones (random).
Camelot could use life force as a material to create Enhancement Stones.
And there were two methods for obtaining this life force.
Maturation, or extraction.
The method used by the King of Knights was undoubtedly maturation.
In pursuit of the finest life force, he had devoted his time and effort to present me with this dark kimchi jar.
But extraction was different.
Though less efficient than maturation, it continually siphoned life force bit by bit.
In other words…
“…I feel alive again, my lord!”
“As expected from our lord!”
Lancelot and Bedivere lay sprawled out in Camelot’s first-floor lobby, swearing their loyalty once more.
Their newly-grown flesh slowly rotting away again.
These were the ones who had been tormented by the healing power of the Subspace.
This was an environment as good as it could get.
“Haa!”
They exhaled deep sighs of relief one after another.
They looked like a group of men stepping into a motel room cooled to 18 degrees with an air conditioner blasting, escaping the sweltering, sticky summer heat outside.
Vrrrr…
Camelot, which had been dormant for so long, began to tremble.
And, like a washing machine starting its spin cycle, it began to siphon the life force of the skeletal knights, little by little.
And finally
Clink!
A familiar stone bounced off Lancelot’s helmet.
Lancelot, now regaining his senses, picked up the fallen item and brought it over to me, who was standing outside.
A stone with a bluish hue.
[Enhancement Stone (D)]
Attribute: Electricity
Options: [Penetration], [Electric Shock]
It was an Enhancement Stone.
“……”
I once had a thought.
Unlike the logistics center or the military base, Camelot seemed somewhat lacking in its role as a .
While the ability to summon wraiths and knights was indeed useful, it didn’t quite align with the Subspace abilities in a perfectly harmonious way.
However…
I hadn’t realized it back then.
That the Subspace Life Support System and Camelot’s life force extraction would create a perfect symphony together.
There’s a phrase that suits this moment.
That is…
“Perpetual motion.”
It had now been established in the Subspace.
You cannot copy content of this page