Boom!
The wide-open sports field of Jemulpo High School.
From its center, fierce flames surged high into the air.
The wizard and Costas mistook me for a necromancer.
Fearing that their soldiers might be taken out one by one and turned into undead, they gathered their remaining forces in the open space. Thanks to that, I was able to wipe out the remnants of Sabros in one go with ease.
Kaaaahk!
The gate and cave disappeared.
Sabros’s lizards, having lost their escape route, met their death while frantically rolling their yellow eyes.
The methods of their demise were varied.
From ‘Hellfire’ missiles to enhanced bowling balls, similar to Fireball, and finally, and finally the real 2nd Circle magic ‘Fireball’.
Each flame roasted the reptiles’ shells to a crisp.
Of course, the Wyverns were the exception.
Flap!
Flap-flap!
They attempted to escape into the sky by kicking off the ground.
But,
Dudududududu!
Thousands of bullets pierced their wings as if they were mere sheets of paper.
Sixty or so soldiers, who had emerged from the Subspace, aimed for the wide-open sky.
Kaaahk!
Kkiieeek!
Burning Lizardmen and Wyverns riddled with bullet holes.
In that way, the corpses of the monsters piled up layer after layer for dozens of minutes.
Thud!
The last Lizardman collapsed into the flames, letting out a final shriek.
Ssshhh…
With the charred bodies of blackened reptiles scattered around, the heavily scorched sports field.
I poured ‘Aqua’ magic over it repeatedly.
Shhhhaaah!
Billowing steam rose, covering the sky.
“Whew……”
With a long exhale that eased the tension in my shoulders,
Thus, the war in Incheon finally came to an end.
.
.
.
After wrapping up all urgent matters,
I leisurely made my way back to the hill overlooking Chinatown.
Pop!
Plop!
Using <Item Retrieval>, I absorbed the mana stones scattered across the remains of the Wyverns.
Then, I retrieved Mordred’s [Etherealization] Enhancement Stone from the wizard’s corpse lodged in Costas’ mouth.
“Jeong-gyeom!”
From one side of the path, Min-woo came running toward me.
His expression was noticeably more relaxed.
After all, he had already rescued his mother.
While I was dealing with Sabros’ remnants, Min-woo’s mother had been receiving treatment from my eldest sister in the Subspace.
Thanks to a potion made by my sister-in-law, Min-woo’s mother, who was simply in a state of exhaustion, quickly regained her vitality.
After tidying up the situation to some extent, he came to pick me up.
“Now?”
“Yeah, everyone’s just waiting for you, so hurry up.”
It wasn’t far away.
Min-woo pointed to our destination.
“Here.”
By coincidence, it was the same place where I had just been savoring the atmosphere moments ago.
A famous Chinese restaurant representing Chinatown.
We ascended to the third floor via the stairs.
Whoosh!
As soon as the door opened, a large space was revealed.
Every corner of the restaurant was packed, not only with my family and my sister-in-law’s in-laws but also Lee Yong-su’s household, the soldiers from the Subspace, and the awakened members of the 507th Battalion here.
To accommodate this crowd, the kitchen was ablaze with the fiery vigor typical of Chinese restaurants.
‘For a second, I thought I saw a Fireball Scroll… Must’ve been my imagination.’
I had told my family and Min-woo to retrieve the food supplies needed in Incheon from the Subspace. It seemed they had done so in a much more extravagant way than I had anticipated(?).
Min-woo patted my back with a cheerful voice.
“The owner here is a close friend of my mom. She insisted that we couldn’t let you go without a proper meal.”
Min-woo guided me to the table where my family was seated. His mother was also sitting there with them.
As soon as she spotted me, she jumped up from her seat and enthusiastically patted both my shoulders.
“Jeong-gyeom! You’ve worked so hard… You really have!”
I suddenly remembered her words from that day of the first full moon, saying I worked hard coming all the way to Incheon.
As if the apocalypse in between had been erased.
That kind of cheerful illusion wasn’t entirely unwelcome.
“Here! Please eat!”
Greetings could wait until after the meal.
One by one, steaming dishes began to arrive from the kitchen.
The specialties of this place ranged from the signature White Jajangmyeon to Sweet and Sour Pork, premium dishes like Nurungji Soup, and Fried Eggplant.
The steam rising from the dishes stimulated the depths of our appetites.
Finally, a sizzling plate of Crispy Fried Chicken with Sweet Sauce (Yuringi) was brought to the table, hot and freshly prepared.
Ssssssszzzz!
Min-woo’s mother’s close friend, the head chef, poured a sweet sauce over it.
The sauce pooled on the hot iron plate, bubbling and boiling intensely.
Everyone instinctively raised their chopsticks toward the crispy fried dish soaked in the glistening sauce.
But,
“Wait a second!”
My eldest sister, Kim Joo-yeon, suddenly stopped everyone in their tracks.
And then…
“We need to take a picture first!”
What she pulled out was the Polaroid camera she had been using before.
Flash!
The flash went off brightly.
It wasn’t like there was anywhere to show off the picture.
With the internet down and even SNS completely unusable, there was no point.
But coming across such a proper, high-quality meal was becoming an exceedingly rare experience.
Of course, one would want to capture it with a camera.
“Now we’re done!”
With my sister’s permission, everyone eagerly picked up their chopsticks again,
“Hold on!”
This time, I was the one who stopped them.
“I need to register these as items.”
Freshly made authentic Chinese cuisine.
Compared to the ready-made packaged meals and meal kits piled up at the Fresh Center, these would blow them out of the water.
And this wasn’t just any food, it was the cuisine of Chinatown, the birthplace of authentic Chinese cooking!
This couldn’t be overlooked.
“Ugh, seriously!”
Kim Sol, a wild beast starving from hunger, grabbed my hair in frustration, but I firmly summoned PAX and used <Category Item Registration> to store everything – Yuringi, white jjajangmyeon, deluxe seafood noodles, sweet and sour pork, scorched rice soup, fried eggplant, eight treasure vegetables, Chinese liquor, and more without missing anything.
Finally, after overcoming much hardships, the meal began in earnest.
I tasted the dishes laid out on the full table one by one, and
Slurp!
Inhaled the white jjajangmyeon and regular jjajangmyeon in turn.
“Phew!”
Just as I was finishing the meal by gulping down ice-cold carbonated drinks…
“Jeong-gyeom-ssi.”
The Communications Battalion Commander, Han Kyung-ho, approached me quietly.
His voice sounded heavy.
“Yes, what is it?”
“There’s a transmission from the Operations Commander. He says he has something urgent to discuss with you…”
Sensing an unusual tension, I quietly rose from my seat.
Leaving behind the lively post-meal chatter of my family, I moved to the quiet staircase of the building.
Clunk.
I retrieved the radio, and Han Kyung-ho adjusted the frequency for me.
Thanks to his help, I was soon able to communicate directly with the Operations Commander, Yoo Seong-cheol.
-Jeong-gyeom-ssi, I heard you successfully reclaimed Incheon. You’ve done an incredible job.
“It was nothing. The support from the troops was invaluable. But… you said there’s something urgent to discuss?”
-There’s an issue we need to address. As you’re aware, many nations lost in the bidding competition, correct? For example, the countries near us like China, Japan, and North Korea. We’ve been receiving updates through the remaining hotlines about the situation in each of these countries…
I thought it might be about the situation surrounding countries were facing.
But what Yu Seong-cheol brought up was an even more serious matter.
-They’re all undergoing large-scale terraforming. And… the effects are starting to spill over into our borders.-
“…Spilling over?”
The speed of terraforming was quite fast.
Even here in Incheon, the city was covered with cave zones in quite a short time.
But if asked whether it was fast enough to engulf the metropolitan area in a day or two, it definitely wasn’t that fast.
For the terraforming of one region to affect neighboring countries, significant time would typically be required.
But Yoo Seong-cheol’s explanation laid bare the entire truth.
-From the Beijing Gate, air contaminated with toxic fumes is spreading. And from the Fukuoka Gate, seawater laced with poison is being discharged.
Air and water pollution from neighboring countries.
It was a story that felt strangely familiar, yet this time, the scale exceeded imagination.
-The polluted air from Beijing is being carried down by the westerly winds. The toxicity is beyond comprehension. It’s estimated that at least tens of millions have already died across the Beijing and Tianjin regions. Fukuoka, too, is effectively completely destroyed.
“Between the two… which is the more serious threat to us?”
-Of course, it’s China. Polluted air knows no boundaries, whether it’s sea or land. According to our climate experts’ estimates… the contaminated air will reach the Korean Peninsula in at least a week, or ten days at most.
Yoo Seong-cheol added one final note.
-The gate in Beijing must be closed. We’re planning to dispatch troops on our end as well, but… realistically speaking, it’s not a problem we can solve ourselves. At best, it would just be a desperate struggle. That’s why… we’re asking for your help, Jeong-gyeom-ssi.
That was his request.
But could it even be called a request?
If we stood by and did nothing, the entire Korean Peninsula would turn into hell.
“I understand. I’ll contact you again once the situation here is settled. Likely by tonight.”
-Understood. I’ll wait.
Click.
The receiver was set down heavily.
Although Incheon had been reclaimed, this was only the beginning.
The world was being painted in vivid hues of destruction through terraforming.
And worse, its effects were rapidly encroaching upon the Korean Peninsula.
With a heavy heart and even heavier steps, I returned to the restaurant where my family was gathered, accompanied by Han Kyung-ho.
But upon entering, I was greeted by a commotion from my sisters.
“Hey! Where have you been? Oppa says he has a big announcement to make!”
“A big announcement…?”
Everyone, my family, my sister-in-law’s in-laws, Lee Yong-su’s family, Min-woo, and his mother, was seated in a circle.
At the center stood my eldest brother, with my sister-in-law sitting beside him.
It was a perfect setup for a ‘big announcement’.
My sister-in-law placed her hand on her stomach and carefully began to speak…
And sure enough, it was incredible news.
“…I think I’m pregnant. More precisely, I was already pregnant… My belly was getting bigger, so I wondered and took a pregnancy test, and sure enough…”
“Kyaaa!”
My sisters erupted in cheers, and everyone began clapping in excitement.
Lee Yong-su also turned to me with a congratulatory smile.
“Wow… Jeong-gyeom-ssi, you’re going to be an uncle! I bet Yoo-jung will be thrilled too.”
Lee Yoo-jung, who had always favored baby dolls at the logistics center, would surely make a great older sister, or unnie, for my future niece or nephew.
The restaurant was soon filled with a warm and cheerful atmosphere.
Having just returned from hearing Yoo Seong-cheol’s grim forecast about Korea’s impending doom, I could only smile and pretend for now.
How could I throw cold water on this moment?
There was still a week to ten days before the contaminated air reached us.
I decided to keep the approaching apocalypse hidden in my heart, at least for tonight.
But still…
That was that, and this was this.
“A niece or nephew…! A niece or nephew!”
I couldn’t contain my excitement either.
“…My baby!”
“Why would the baby be yours, you idiot!”
My eldest brother shouted in exasperation, but I couldn’t stop the flood of things I wanted to do.
“Don’t care! I’m taking charge of all the school supplies from now on! And the stroller! And diapers and formula, too!”
A whirlwind of emotions swept through me.
I even considered converting a section of the Subspace into a fully-furnished nursery stocked with expensive baby products.
Of course, ensuring the baby was born healthy came first.
But at the same time, I couldn’t ignore the weighty reality bearing down on me.
A healthy baby, and the environment they would grow up in.
For that…
‘…I need to make this Earth livable again.’
I couldn’t let them live in a world where monsters slaughter humans and contaminated air and seawater fly in from everywhere.
So this world had to be reclaimed.
For the sake of the child who will be born, and for the sake of my own future.
After all, that future isn’t something I could simply store away in the Subspace.
***
Everyone had gone to sleep in the calm evening of Incheon.
I stepped out onto the streets of Chinatown with Min-woo.
The crisp night air was refreshing.
It was hard to believe that this clear atmosphere would be polluted in less than ten days.
I planned to leave first thing tomorrow.
When I told Min-woo about Beijing, he asked me in a worried voice,
“…Shouldn’t I come with you?”
“The situation here still isn’t fully settled. Besides… it’ll be like we’re going together anyway.”
With my newly acquired Portal Installation ability, I planned to set up a Subspace Portal right here, where Sabros’ gate had once stood.
—
◈ Portal Installation
-Install a portal in this area that connects to the Subspace. (Cost: 1,000 Mana Stones)
—
“PAX, set up a portal for me.”
[Understood.]
[1,000 Mana Stones received.]
[Installing the Subspace Portal.]
Installed portals had slightly different properties from the Subspace Portals I typically used.
The standard Subspace Portals possessed a form of ‘physical force’.
I could use them as shields, or even have them move to follow an object I had marked as a coordinate.
For example, when I loaded Subspace onto a truck to deal with the Wyverns in the logistics center tunnel, or when I moved through the portals in moving Camelot Castle. Those were all applications of this physical property.
However,
[Installed portals are not affected by external physical forces.]
They simply remain fixed in midair.
Once installed, the portal couldn’t be touched or moved.
In short…
“So, I have to install each one myself.”
[That is correct.]
There was no delegating this to someone else, nor could the portals be transported anywhere.
Ultimately, I’d need to install one portal at each key location I traveled to.
Of course, even this was an incredible ability.
Once I went through the initial effort, I could use the portal to travel any distance in an instant.
“…Well, fine.”
Either way, this was just the beginning. And the starting point would be here in Incheon.
Ziiing.
A blue portal bloomed wide open in the center of Chinatown.
I pre-authorized Min-woo’s access to the portal through PAX.
“If you miss me, just come through here.”
“…I guess you’re not really leaving after all, huh.”
Min-woo chuckled dryly.
We strolled through Incheon’s quiet night streets.
As we walked downhill, the deep navy hues of Incheon Port came into view all at once.
I retrieved a few cans of cold beer and we perched on the dock.
With moonlight reflecting on the sea, it was the perfect backdrop for a drink.
The two of us, grown men, started rambling like idiots. I was the first to speak.
“Min-woo, once everything settles down… let’s definitely go back to college.”
“You’ve been thinking about that? Even with everything destroyed?”
“We just have to restore everything. No big deal.”
“Don’t know if I should call this modest… or bold. By the way, I never knew you’d miss college this much.”
Sluurp.
After taking a sip of beer, I revealed my true motive.
“Because… I want to try being in a CC.”
“A CC…?”
Campus Couple.
Throughout my hellish time in the military, it was the one thing I had genuinely dreamed about.
Though that dream had become distant when the world flipped upside down right before I could re-enroll.
Min-woo, seeming surprised, asked,
“You went to college for two years, why didn’t you do it back then?”
“Didn’t do it? I couldn’t do it. What, was I supposed to date myself?”
Hearing my response, Min-woo looked at me with an expression as though he’d bitten into something foul.
“Are you serious right now? Do you know how many times I gave you opportunities?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know how I sometimes bailed on you and went home early? Every single time, didn’t someone suddenly ask you to grab a meal together?”
“Mi-jung and Ji-yoo? No way, those two were just…”
“… …”
After a brief silence, I asked him,
“…That was all planned?”
“Wow… you clueless idiot… I thought you just weren’t interested in dating…”
“… …”
I paused for a moment before renewing my resolve.
“Min-woo, I have to… I absolutely have to save the world.”
“God, you’re unbelievable. Your ulterior motives are so obvious.”
But one thing was certain, I would save the world.
To walk through a pink campus swirling with cherry blossoms, not a Korea covered in alien yellow dust.
As our conversation was wrapping up, Minwoo asked.
“But how are you planning to get to China? By helicopter?”
“The distance is too far for that. I’ll have to take a plane.”
Conveniently, we were in Incheon.
The city that houses Korea’s largest airport.
“I’m going to Incheon Airport.”
That would serve as my waypoint to Beijing.
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