Hundreds of awakened individuals gathered in Busan.
While counting their numbers, we confirmed that the abilities of awakened individuals could largely be divided into two directions.
Ability type and Enhancement type.
People like me who used subspace portals were classified as Ability type, whereas people like Song Hyun-gu, whose physical abilities had improved dramatically, were classified as Enhancement type.
In the case of someone like Kim Sol, who simultaneously unleashed barriers while exhibiting overwhelming physical abilities…
“What are you staring at?”
No matter how I looked at it, she was an outlier.
In terms of proportion, the number of Enhancement type awakened individuals was overwhelmingly greater. While they were less distinctive compared to the Ability type, they had the advantage of being able to train using martial arts manuals.
Moreover, they could utilize enhanced weapons stored in my subspace exceptionally well, which was another significant advantage.
Since these individuals demonstrated overwhelming physical capabilities, enhanced weapons such as spears or rifles could shine several times brighter.
Of course…
“Something feels like it’s missing…”
It wasn’t without its shortcomings.
At that moment.
Thud, thud.
Just in time, from afar, Yunyang approached, walking toward us.
The same person who had been ranting about “where are the Japs” as soon as we arrived in Busan.
Now, he barely suppressed his anti-Japanese sentiments as he maintained his steps and breathing techniques.
Swoosh, swoosh!
I used footwork so stealthy it could rival a moonwalk, closing the distance between us.
Soon after…
Grab!
“……!”
Yunyang flinched in shock.
I had grabbed the scabbard hanging from his waist.
“Hero Jeong-gyeom?”
Among them, many practiced sword techniques, and the most notable martial art was none other than ‘Jeokgang Swordsmanship’.
So I needed it.
A truly excellent sword that awakened individuals could use.
When I shouted this.
“Ha… just one…!”
“…!”
.
.
.
“You should have said so earlier.”
The treasured sword, passed down for generations in the Jeokgang Sect, was none other than this Cloud Lightning Sword.
Yunyang handed it over without much hesitation, and I stored the sword using the weapon category in the logistics center.
Not as a gift, but as a loan.
Furthermore, this was to help everyone grow stronger together.
Just as we had discussed in Beijing, Yunyang still adhered to his principles.
“Hehe. Thank you very much.”
“Not at all. If you need anything else, just let me know anytime.”
“By the way, you said you were heading to Yunnan to search for an elixir…?”
“No, when I heard that these Jap bastards were bothering Hero Jeong-gyeom! Of course, I had to prepare some sashimi of them properly…!”
They dropped everything and rushed to Busan to help.
I was grateful, and I was relieved.
I was glad that I could return the favor to them as well.
“Ooh…”
Yunyang exclaimed in admiration as he held the enhanced sword.
—-
[Cloud Lightning Sword +1]
– Rank: [Rare]
– Description: [Failed to retrieve information. You can enter your own description]
– Attribute: [Wind]
– Options: [Penetration], [Acceleration]
—-
“…How is this even possible? The sword feels at least twice as light.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Yunyang displayed a satisfied expression.
At this point, it was unclear who was helping whom.
The sword felt much lighter, but inversely, its power must have been enhanced.
The reason it felt lighter was not due to its weight but because of the ‘Acceleration’ option granted by the Enhancement Stone.
The ‘Penetration’ option was also fully applied.
Even without exerting effort to surround the sword with qi or energy, it could easily strip away the scales of merfolk encased in repulsion force.
For Enhancement type awakened individuals who lacked sufficient training time, there couldn’t be a better weapon than this.
Yunyang’s excitement grew.
“If the weapon supports me to this extent, I might even devise a few new techniques. Thank you, hero Jeong-gyeom!”
“Not at all. Please take good care of guiding our Awakened as well.”
“You can rest assured about that. I will spare no effort to ensure every single person becomes a fully-fledged swordsman.”
“Thank you.”
Clap!
We exchanged martial salutes, and he headed towards the wide pier of Busan Port.
Toward the hundreds of Enhancement type awakened individuals gathered there.
It was time for everyone to become stronger.
***
Meanwhile, not everyone chose martial arts.
It was a clear path, but it wasn’t the only one.
Another path had been opened thanks to the items provided by the logistics center.
“A new weapon, you say?”
I brought Operations Commander Yoo Seong-cheol into the subspace and showed him the newly enhanced item.
—-
[K2C1 Standard Rifle +2]
– Rank: [Rare]
– Description: [Failed to retrieve information. You can enter your own description]
– Attribute: [None]
– Option: [Durability +2]
—-
“I’ve enhanced it. Now, even in rapid fire, it should handle up to nine rounds without issue.”
“Colonel Kim…!”
Yoo Seong-cheol’s voice trembled with emotion.
Additional enhancements using the Enhancement Stones.
To reach a +2 grade, it required using two stones with the same [Durability] option, which would have been unthinkable under normal circumstances.
But thanks to the recent surge in production capacity, I had managed to acquire two Enhancement Stones with the [Durability] option.
“With this, it’ll certainly be effective! I was worried about how quickly our ammunition would run out, especially since we’re dealing with those underwater merfolk…”
And then…
“There’s also this.”
—-
[5.56mm NATO Rounds +1]
– Rank: [Rare]
– Description: [Failed to retrieve information. You can enter your own description]
– Attribute: [Light]
– Option: [Penetration], [Illumination]
—-
“What’s this?”
“I thought it could serve as tracer rounds.”
From the test results, the rounds emitted a light so bright they could practically be called flash rounds.
They would be especially helpful for dealing with the merfolk hiding underwater.
By combining these rounds with [Electric Shock] rounds, we could hunt those creatures even more effectively.
Yoo Seong-cheol’s face lit up in delight.
“This will make our strategies so much easier!”
“Oh, and there’s one more thing…”
“Something else?”
It didn’t end there.
Bang! Bang!
The sound of hammering rang out in the distance.
And then…
Sizzle!
The unmistakable blue light of welding flickered out.
The source was the warehouse of dimensional materials of Emes’s dimension.
“What’s… that?”
Yoo Seong-cheol, puzzled, followed me slowly into the warehouse, only to gasp in surprise at the sight before him.
An inverted gentle curve.
A signature blue body, with rubber tires haphazardly strewn around.
Yoo Seong-cheol immediately recognized what it was.
“A… fishing boat?”
It was a small fishing vessel, the kind commonly seen around Busan Port.
And the person cutting and welding that fishing boat was none other than James, the mechanic I’d brought over from Incheon Airport.
“Oh, Jeong-gyeom.”
Chewing on an American sausage, he greeted us casually.
Seeing Yoo Seong-cheol’s bewildered expression, I explained the project currently underway.
“The bigger it is, the longer it takes. Considering the upcoming battle… I didn’t think we necessarily needed a large ship.”
While the size had been reduced, that wasn’t the whole story.
It was about to become something entirely different.
James chimed in.
“We’re just borrowing the frame. It’s practically going to be a completely different object. The engine, the armor, everything will be replaced.”
A ship reinforced with materials from Emes’s dimension.
Its toughness would surpass imagination.
But that alone wouldn’t be enough to fully reveal the true value of this strategic weapon.
A completely new weapon system was about to be installed.
Looking at the unfamiliar items scattered around, Yoo Seong-cheol remarked.
“Wait a minute. Is that a printer? And… a shredder?”
“I’m attaching a motor to the printer’s gears. When the motor feeds the magic scroll, the shredder below will activate.”
“…Are you saying…?”
“Magic will be fired. Automatically. For now, I’m planning to load it with Fireball scrolls.”
“What in the…”
The awakened individuals learning martial arts, soldiers armed with enhanced ammunition, and now even magic.
Yu Seong-cheol could hardly close his mouth at the forces laid out like a feast table about to collapse.
Meanwhile, as I looked at the blueprint James had drawn, I gave him a suggestion.
“No, no! James! Make the head extend out like this!”
“…Oh, Jeong-gyeom. That’s a bit too romanticized of a design.”
“I want it! That design! With the spirit of our nation imbued!”
‘…What is he even saying?’
Even with the help of the Mana Stone’s interpreter, Yoo Seong-cheol couldn’t make sense of the conversation.
He quietly opened the blueprint where I had scribbled corrections with a pen.
And then, with a breath of disbelief, he muttered:
“…A turtle ship?”
A magic launching outlet extending like a head and armor covering the hull like a roof – it was unmistakably shaped like a turtle with a dragon’s head.
After finally convincing James, I returned to Yoo Seong-cheol.
Though he looked utterly dumbfounded, there was something he absolutely had to do.
He asked me again, incredulously.
“A submarine?”
“Yes. Would it be possible?”
“It’s possible, but… it’ll take some time. Still, we should be able to get it ready before the battle starts. But what are you planning to use it for?”
By the time the battle began, I planned to head straight for Japan.
Sure, I could hop on a helicopter and drop a blessed H-beam as a “gift” for Japan, but…
The immediate priority was to eliminate Fukuoka’s representative and bring this fight to a decisive conclusion.
“I need to go in secretly. If the Fukuoka representative goes into hiding, it’ll complicate things.”
And that wasn’t all.
The Japanese branch of the Chamber of Commerce – investigating its true nature was essential.
“Now…”
All that remained was to wait.
To wait for the awakened individuals to train in martial arts, for James to finish building the K-Turtle Ship, and for Yoo Seong-cheol to deliver the submarine.
Time would take care of everything.
***
And so, the day of the final battle arrived.
Bwooo…
The familiar sound of a ship’s horn echoed across the port.
It was a romantic sound, reminiscent of a warm melody, but now, it served as the trumpet call of warriors signaling the start of battle.
As expected, it was a busy time.
Yunyang and the martial artists were relentlessly training the awakened individuals.
Supplies needed by the awakened soldiers were distributed, and James also completed the K-Turtle Ship, which could fire magic, within the given time.
Naturally, I mass-produced the completed ship as much as we could.
And that wasn’t all.
Bang! Bang!
Thud!
Sturdy barricades made from Emes’s dimensional materials were erected.
My father and the Joint Chiefs’ engineering corps worked together, making it possible to securely defend major strongholds in Yeongdo and Haeundae in Busan.
Civilian evacuations were also completed.
And so, on the dawn we faced…
Splash!
With the sound of water, a strange-looking fish creature stepped onto Busan’s land.
It had large fins protruding from its arms and legs, and gills around its mouth that grotesquely revealed the red insides of its throat.
Snap!
The creature raised its head high.
“Hey, you Koreans!”
It started spouting nonsense that begged for a beating.
“Nearly 300 merfolk are crossing into Busan as we speak! All of them are surrounded by repulsion fields. You may not know this, but the bullets you use are useless against us.”
“We do not wish for bloodshed! If you surrender Busan’s representative, we will grant you the opportunity to become subjects of the Great Japanese Empire!”
Slurp!
The creature licked its gills greedily with its tongue.
But…
“We will nurture you with mercy and prosperity, and all you need to do is pave the way for our Great Japan to advance into the continent…”
The creature couldn’t finish its sentence.
Rumble!
People surged forth from all corners of Busan.
The merfolk blinked its stupid eyes in disbelief.
‘…Why are there so many of them?’
And that wasn’t all.
The crowd was impeccably equipped – each person dressed in matching martial arts uniforms and military uniforms, armed with melee weapons and rifles.
‘…Why are they so well-prepared?’
And then…
The ones who stepped forward first were those wielding swords.
Whoosh!
Flutter!
As if moving as one, hundreds of martial arts robes fluttered in the wind.
“300 orders of sushi!”
They shouted as they charged forward.
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