Magic Rental Shop Inside the Cave Part 01

As soon as the battle ended, we received news from Incheon.
At first, there was no significant change.
However, it seemed that upon hearing of their defeat here in Yongsan, the invaders from the dimension of Sabros suddenly switched to a defensive posture.
“…It seems they’re trying to fortify their position completely.”
That’s what the officer from the 17th Division said.
Incheon was literally turning into a den of demons.
The ground and buildings were being covered with a hard, vine-like material, which was growing rapidly.
It enveloped Chinatown and completely transformed the terrain into something new.
“They may have failed to invade Seoul, but they’ll want to at least hold onto Incheon.”
Yoo Seong-cheol added.
The enemy had sent a significant portion of their forces, brought in through the Gate Portal, to Seoul.
With those forces nearly annihilated, it was only natural for them to adopt a defensive strategy.
Though we had secured a victory in Seoul, if we idly stood by, Incheon would end up being completely taken by the enemy.
“We can’t let that happen.”
There was no other choice.
We had to head to Incheon as soon as possible.
Once again, we divided our roles.
Around the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters, the streets were littered with the blood-stained corpses of monsters.
To prepare for similar battles in the future, it was necessary to clean up the area.
Moreover, there was still the original mission of the military, which had been delayed due to the involvement of the 1st Corps.
This included returning evacuated residents to their homes, providing humanitarian aid throughout Seoul, and distributing supplies.
In the process, it was also crucial to recruit and select Awakeners who could assist in combat against the enemy.
Of course, they didn’t spare any support for me as I headed to Incheon.
Whiii…
I stood at the parade ground of the National Communications Command Headquarters.
In front of me were about sixty officers and noncommissioned officers lined up in formation.
I had no idea when they prepared them, but the first twelve were waving flags in loud, flashy colors.
“Ah… I told them not to do that!”
I had barely managed to dissuade Yoo Seong-cheol from giving the embarrassing name ‘Subspace Command’ to the unit under the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Yet, I couldn’t stop them from waving a red flag with ‘Colonel Kim Jeong-gyeom’ embroidered in golden letters.
Even last night, Kim Sol had barged into the men’s lounge and vigorously waved that flag making fluttering sounds, and though I surely threw it away, somehow that miraculously returned flag was now in the hands of the lined-up soldiers.
“Salute to Colonel Kim Jeong-gyeom!”
“Attention!”
It looked as though a unit had been established within the subspace, but in reality, it wasn’t anything like that.
I had simply borrowed their help.
From Black Hawks to Chunma, and various communication equipment belonging to the  National Communications Command.
The subspace was full of items I possessed but didn’t know how to operate.
These sixty soldiers, each with specialized expertise, were the solution.
Just as I had seated a fire control officer to launch a missile during the recent bid competition, these soldiers would operate the military equipment I already had or the new gear that would be allocated to me.
As for accommodations, I could use the dormitories at the National Communications Command.
Food wasn’t an issue either. I could supply them with meal kits from the Fresh Center or processed food from the logistics center.
However, to prevent the families from feeling uneasy about strangers, I instructed the soldiers to stay near the logistics center or at the guard posts, and not to enter the commander’s quarters or officer dormitories.
Watching the dozens of soldiers standing in formation, Yoo Seong-cheol, who was present at the scene, teared up.
“…Finally.”
“…What do you mean ‘finally’?”
As always, I didn’t say a single word about officially joining the military.
I was simply fighting off the alien invaders who recklessly attacked so that everyone around me could live in a safe environment.
For now, I just happened to align my actions with the goals of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which sought to rebuild the nation.
Thus, from the beginning, they were not my soldiers, and even though they entered the subspace, it didn’t mean a new unit had been established.
They were merely collaborators keeping pace with the enemy called destruction.
Whether he understood my perspective or not, Yoo Seong-cheol suddenly grabbed both of my hands.
“Thank you so much, Jeong-gyeom-ssi.”
Allowing the military into the subspace.
In a way, it symbolized mutual trust.
Of course, it was true that I could “kick them out” anytime and held complete authority within the subspace. However, the fact remained that it was still an intimate space where I had brought in my family.
I could understand Yoo Seong-cheol’s feelings—he viewed our cooperation as if it were the arrival of reinforcements from heaven.
But for me, a different thought crossed my mind.
‘…Why is this man so happy about giving everything away?’
Sixty soldiers.
They were practically free mercenaries.


Tudududu!
The helicopter flew toward Incheon.
Although it was only one helicopter, it essentially carried about eighty people.
I left Lee Yong-su and the fire control officer in the cockpit, along with a machine gunner and a few others in the transport compartment, while I entered the subspace.
There was good news when I entered the subspace.
The precious hen I was carefully raising.
The Enhancement Stone-laying goose—Camelot—had finally produced an Enhancement Stone.
Lancelot scratched the back of his neck vigorously and handed me the freshly created Enhancement Stone.
[Enhancement Stone (D)]
Attribute: None
Option: [Etherealization]
“Oho…?”
Once again, it was an Enhancement Stone with a unique option.
Similar to the [Resistance] option from a previous stone, this one also lacked the [Penetration] option. Instead, it only granted the peculiar ability of [Etherealization].
“Alright. Let’s see…”
I immediately began experimenting.
I built a solid wall made of H-beams and bricks from the Emes dimension and launched a bowling ball reinforced with [Etherealization] at it.
Shooo—eeek!
The bowling ball flew at high speed and…
Shwoop!
…passed cleanly through the solid wall.
It was an excellent effect.
In other words…
“…Completely useless, isn’t it?”
Not only did it lack the [Penetration] ability, but it also couldn’t even deliver a proper strike.
If it could revert from ethereal to solid form after flying a certain distance, it might have been useful for attacking enemies behind cover. But as it was, it was no more than a ghostly ball, as ineffective as throwing a paper airplane.
That left only one viable use for it.
“I’ll have to use it for knighting.”
It was about time for that anyway.
The Enhancement Stones were produced by the Subspace Life Support System and Camelot’s life force extraction.
If the number of knights increased, the production speed of these stones would increase exponentially.
Once again, I consulted Lancelot’s insights.
Each wraith knight had distinct characteristics and abilities.
This time, I chose a wraith named Mordred.
During his lifetime, he had been an assassin, and he was granted a faint [Stealth] ability. There was no one better suited to the [Etherealization] option than this guy.
Of course, the wraiths of Camelot had already demonstrated exceptional scouting and espionage abilities.
But they had limitations in terms of their exploration range and lacked physical power.
Mordred, cloaked in both stealth and etherealization, would undoubtedly be a significant asset.
Moreover, the Enhancement Stone I had wasn’t the only one.
I had another stone, obtained while defeating the lizards that had advanced on Yongsan.
[Enhancement Stone (D)]
Attribute: None
Option: [Regeneration]
This stone was earned after taking down 7th Order monster, “Yatu”.
Its abilities weren’t limited to being tough and strong.
It possessed overwhelming regeneration powers.
To defeat this 7th Order creature, I had no choice but to use an Epic-grade Holy Spear. Even so, the regeneration ability was so formidable that new flesh grew around the deeply pierced area of the Holy Spear.
It was only natural, then, to think of using this [Regeneration] ability to create a knight of Camelot.
If the unique regenerative ability was added, new flesh would grow faster over those thin bones, and the production of enhancement stones would also speed up.
It was, without a doubt, a perfect combination.
“This is it, this is the way.”
“You evil man…”
“How could someone like you share the same genes with our family…”
My two sisters brushed off their shoulders as if shivering.
Apparently, the subspace had grown considerably colder without me realizing it.
Regarding the [Regeneration] option of the Enhancement Stone, Lancelot also had a recommendation.
“Oh, if it’s that one, Percival would be suitable. While he’s undead, he was a Spirit Mage during his lifetime.”
These knights had been turned undead by Camelot’s curse.
Though much of their power had weakened, they still retained some of their abilities from when they were alive.
Lancelot explained that Percival, in particular, had a unique appearance as a result of Camelot’s curse combined with the blessings of nature he received as a Spirit Mage.
“Alright then…”
I paid Camelot 500 mana stones and the enhancement stone with the [Regeneration] option, and selected Percival as the wraith to be knighted.
Fwoooosh!
Percival’s wraith was drawn into Camelot.
Before long, I was able to witness his ‘unique appearance’ firsthand.
“Oh…?”
It was certainly a skeleton—but it wasn’t made of bone.
The form was entirely carved out of wood, perfectly shaped like a skeleton, and a few fresh green sprouts dangled delicately from it.
Even my both of sisters, who were watching alongside me, couldn’t help but express their amazement.
“Wow… Jeong-gyeom, can we plant this in the yard?”
“…That won’t work.”
That was out of the question.
This guy was destined to become a vital part of our forces moving forward.
Tap!
I patted the shoulder of Percival, the wooden knight who knelt in front of me, and spoke.
“Good work. Now, go back home.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Percival clattered as he made a wooden sound with each step, walking back into Camelot.
Under the castle’s gloomy shadow, the sprouts on his body repeatedly withered and then burst back into lush greenery.
Vrrrm!
Perhaps due to securing good power, Camelot emitted a stronger operational sound than usual.
As expected, my judgment wasn’t wrong.
There couldn’t be a better planter than Camelot for planting Percival.
“How can a human act like this…”
“The devil incarnate……”
Sigh
I won’t take the criticism.
I merely pursued harmony here in the subspace.
That’s all it was.


Tudududu!
The helicopter’s propellers roared fiercely.
On our way to Incheon, we were gradually nearing Bupyeong, which lay between our destination and our current location.
I was seated in the transport compartment below.
The person sitting across from me was holding a radio receiver.
It was Han Kyung-ho, the communication ability user I had rescued from Gwacheon.
He relayed to me the messages from Yoo Seong-cheol and the 17th Division officer.
“How about joining up with the 507th Brigade first? I hear the participants from the ‘bid competition’ in the Incheon area are gathered there.”
“Participants?”
“Yes, they said most of the area’s representatives died during the bid competition… Only about thirty survived. Out of those, half are currently unaccounted for, and the remaining fifteen have returned to the military.”
It was a horrifying outcome.
Out of a hundred, only thirty had survived.
I could picture their desperate final moments.
Even though they had lost, who could blame them for it?
Han Kyung-ho continued speaking.
“They’re all Awakeners, apparently. And the 17th Division…”
He added in a tense voice,
“Asked us to stop by the 507th Brigade because they have something important to tell us. About the ‘terrain’ those creatures are creating.”
Whoosh.
Our gazes instinctively turned.
Through the window of the transport compartment, Incheon came into view.
Something black was spreading from Chinatown to cover the entire Incheon area.
It wasn’t black smoke or the rubble of collapsed buildings—it was something else entirely.
It seemed that what had come through the Gate Portal wasn’t limited to the enemy’s forces.
“The operations officer of the 507th Brigade called it something like… ‘terraforming.’ He said it might be similar to that.”
Terraforming.
A word that means creating an environment where humans can live on other planets.
Here, the same process was happening in reverse.
The suggestion to stop by the 507th Brigade made sense.
I nodded in agreement.
One way or another, understanding the situation took priority.
.
.
.
Tudududu!
The helicopter landed in the parade ground of the 507th Brigade.
Following the operations officer who had come to greet us, I entered the brigade building’s command and control room.
Inside were the officers of the 507th Brigade, who were closely monitoring the situation in Incheon.
In addition, the fifteen surviving Awakeners from the bid competition were seated in a row, occupying the chairs.
“Thank you for coming all this way, Colonel Kim.”
“Ah, yes…”
Somehow, it turned into a situation where everyone stood up one by one to shake hands.
As I was exchanging greetings with the awakened ones in turn.
“…Kim Jeong-gyeom?”
A familiar voice called my name.
The moment I turned to see who it was, I couldn’t help but be utterly shocked.
“Baek Min-woo?”
Right in front of me stood one of my closest college friends.”

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