A few more days passed, and Suho’s daily routine remained much the same.
Taking care of Wingki,
Stopping by the Elysium Heights construction site to check on progress,
Visiting TDM to inspect the company and deliver the material items to be sold,
And listing goods at the domestic and global Ontower Auction Houses.
He had also been organizing several concrete methods to earn big money in the future, though some parts were still premature.
And then… word came from the government.
* * *
“……Therefore, the government is actively reviewing this project.”
Among the various officials gathered, Suho fell into thought as he listened to the explanation from the Director of Urban Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
For now, National Assembly approval had come through regarding the construction of a new city in Uiseong County, Gyeongbuk.
An area on the verge of population extinction, with wide plains.
It did have major agricultural crops, but it was a place they had investigated with the determination to abandon that aspect and push forward.
However, the situation had changed slightly.
Because he had learned of Rabi’s potential for physical dimensional intervention.
Moreover, from the briefing, the opposition faction seemed quite formidable. The current administration supporting Suho was determined to break through that and force the project through.
“There were quite a few opposing opinions regarding the development of Uiseong County into a new city, weren’t there?”
“……Yes, that is true. Having to largely abandon garlic, potatoes, apples, and other crops makes the loss of agricultural infrastructure inevitable. There is also the issue of losing unique culture and traditions, and conflicts with local residents who would lose their livelihoods due to forced relocation are expected to be severe. Above all, many are raising doubts about whether the plan can effectively attract residents.”
“That’s right… Yes. It could certainly happen that way.”
It was something Suho could fully understand.
“But since we are proceeding with these factors taken into account, solutions can be found one way or another.”
If Suho wished, the government clearly revealed its will to force the matter through.
“What about water? Is it possible to sufficiently secure water for domestic use and such?”
“Ah, actually that is another issue… There is the Nakdong River running across Uiseong County, but it is such a narrow branch that there are further opinions ruling it unsuitable to support a large-scale city.”
“Hmm… Once construction begins, how long will it take?”
“From initial planning to the start of development, it will take 2–3 years. Even after development begins, building the basic infrastructure will take another 2 years or more, and afterward, housing and commercial facilities will be built in earnest. Looking at the entire process, you must expect at least 10 years at the very minimum.”
“Ten years…”
“Moreover, until large-scale occupancy takes place and the new city fully functions and regains complete self-sufficiency, an additional 5 years or more will be needed even after initial occupancy.”
“Hmm… So it means at least about 15 years until completion?”
“For now, yes. Depending on the situation, we may need to expect 20 years or more. That is, if we look at the total time from the planning stage until the city has full urban functions.”
Fifteen to twenty years. An enormous amount of time.
Even the one year until Elysium Heights’ completion felt this tedious.
To drastically shorten the timeline, Suho needed to participate in this project in a groundbreaking way as well.
But more than that, there was something he needed to correct first, so Suho asked again.
“Instead of Uiseong County, I’d like to change it to a different region… How about that?”
For a moment, confusion flashed across the faces of the ministers and vice ministers present.
“Uiseong County is something we have to push through while overcoming heavy opposition. So I was thinking, how about changing the location to somewhere with less opposition and a more groundbreaking region?”
Some sighed, but many also showed curiosity at the same time.
“If so, to which place…?”
To the Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s question, Suho raised his tablet and showed everyone.
“The areas of Yeongyang County and Bonghwa County in Gyeongbuk, located to the east and north of Andong City.”
These two regions were areas with many mountains even within Gyeongsangbuk-do, and in fact, most of the area was mountains.
Regions with the worst traffic accessibility, sparse populations, and minimal economic activity.
Everyone burst into hollow laughter at Suho’s proposal.
“Haha… Admitty Suho… That place is literally all mountains.”
“To build a city there, you would have to flatten all the mountains in that entire region; this is not only inefficient but impossible.”
Everyone shook their heads at the absurd site selection.
But Suho remained firm.
“Still, since it’s all mountains there, land prices should be much cheaper than Uiseong County, right? There seem to be few specially cultivated crops, and therefore wouldn’t there be less backlash? And I think there would be far fewer instances of speculative land purchases?”
“Hoo… That may be true, but as I said, it is not an area where large-scale development is possible from the start. The traffic is worse than anywhere else, and there are no water sources to secure water on a large scale.”
“It’s fine. Please look into this place once more. I’m sorry for the trouble. Please obtain National Assembly approval one more time as well. I’ll give some thought to these two problems of mountains and water.”
Another absurd meeting ended, and this time, everyone left shaking their heads without exception.
Eyes that seemed to view it as the bravado of a young and promising but green Admitty. Perhaps their reaction, bound by conventional thinking, was only natural.
Yes, this is what makes a challenge fun.
If it were a place like Uiseong County that was already flat and well used as rice paddies and fields, it would be better not to covet it. Because he possessed many means of land development that were beyond imagination.
Thinking that far, Suho smiled proudly.
* * *
“Wingki, I’m here!”
Kirururuk!
Wingki, overjoyed to see Suho and not knowing what to do, crouched low.
A gesture telling him to get on his back.
Smiling, Suho stepped here and there on Wingki to climb up and took a seat at the nape of his neck.
Wingki leapt into the air and flew around his giant cage carrying Suho.
Having flown around for some time, Wingki was fine, but Suho felt nauseated as if he had ridden a roller coaster for a long time and had to get down.
Even after letting Suho down, the excited Wingki hopped around Suho with his huge body.
While watching the cute creature, a thought suddenly flashed through Suho’s mind.
“Ah… That’s right, it’s just you and me here…”
Wingki’s existence was top secret, so except for Danbi, he hadn’t been shown to any Sanarae Clan members either.
The deputy clan leader, I Seojun, had heard about him through stories from Danbi, but had never actually seen Wingki.
This was also for his safety. Because they didn’t know how Wingki would act toward humans other than Taeung and Suho.
In Wingki’s home where only the two of them were, Suho, who had been stroking Wingki’s chin, took something out.
It was an SS-grade Etherium fragment.
An item that had never once appeared in the Towers that had emerged on Earth until now.
Suho had a billion tons of this, but on Earth, it was something he couldn’t take out even a single gram of.
He had never shown SS-grade, SSS-grade, or EX-grade Etherium, which surpassed S-grade, to Taeung, Danbi, Joshua, or Thomas either.
It was not the red color of S-grade; when he manifested about 200 grams of SS-grade Etherium imbued with a mystical silver hue and held it in his hand, Wingki’s eyes went round.
The fellow was undoubtedly seeing this for the first time.
But as a magical beast, he seemed to sense the Ether this high-grade Etherium was emitting.
“Wingki, want to try eating this?”
Wingki rubbed his head against him as if asking to hand it over quickly.
“It’s too highly concentrated… Surely you won’t get an upset stomach…?”
Suho inserted the SS-grade Etherium into Wingki’s mouth, slightly worried.
Wingki’s body began to glow as he digested the immense Ether that had entered. His esophagus and stomach area seemed to glow particularly brightly.
“Wingki, are you okay? It’s not hurting, is it?”
Kururururu… Kuueugh…
The creature, holding his head up with eyes closed as if savoring the taste, leapt into the air and flew to the rock he used for sleeping.
And he assumed the exact same pose as when he slept.
Thinking that he probably needed rest to digest, Suho left Wingki’s nest.
* * *
The meeting gathered for the new city development was longer than expected, and fatigue washed over him after worrying about various other things.
“Admitty I Seojun, you must be very tired? I think everyone must be tired from following me around all day today.”
“Haha, no. Not tired at all. It’s not like we trained or fought a battle, so what would be tiring?”
“Is it because you’re Awakeners… I’m freaking tired.”
“Excuse me?”
“Ah, I mean it’s different because you’re combat-class, that’s what I meant.”
“Ah, well, that could be.”
On the way back to the penthouse after dinner, chatting with I Seojun who was in the car together, the vehicle ahead of Suho’s stopped.
And then came the radio transmission,
\- {I’m sensing Ether up ahead.}
“…I see. I felt it too.”
I Seojun’s eyes turned cold as he replied over the radio.
Three vehicles lined up on a dark alleyway illuminated only by streetlights.
Each one was not an ordinary vehicle but a reinforced bulletproof vehicle, so the clan members always admonished Suho. ‘In case of emergency, you must stay inside the car.’
Huwung—
In an instant, he felt an intangible energy sweep past once. Suho also felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
‘So this is what it means… to sense Ether?’
The moment he briefly questioned,
Kwa-aaaaang────!
A huge ice spear erupted from beneath the vehicle in front of Suho, flipping the front car entirely.
An enormous ice spear that instantly flipped a heavy vehicle weighing at least five tons, protected by thick armor.
Fortunately, two Admitties of the Sanarae Clan opened the doors like lightning and jumped down to land safely.
Two A-grade individuals also jumped out of the rear vehicle and drew up Ether.
Gulp. Swallowing, I Seojun next to Suho cast an Ice Shield around the entire vehicle.
“Ooh, not bad.”
What revealed itself from the darkness was a woman.
A slender woman; her short bobbed hair was white, but her face was young.
Perhaps in her mid-to-late twenties, the woman with snowy white skin like someone of Nordic descent smiled chillingly, and light emanated from her blue pupils.
Then the giant ice spear that had flipped the front car shattered into pieces and transformed into hundreds of sharp arrow shapes, floating in the air.
Chwaaaaaaa────
And without leaving a gap, they shot forth at ferocious speed.
Pachachachacha-chang──
The A-grade Admitties of Sanarae spread barriers to block them, but they were smashed by a single ice arrow attack.
An urgent voice came through the in-ear radio.
\- {This bastard is at least S-grade!}
“I’m going too.”
\- {Don’t come! You stay and protect Suho-nim!}
“Four of us is too few if it’s S-grade!”
After a brief scuffle, I Seojun decided to join the battle, and he grabbed Suho’s hand tightly.
“Suho-nim, if anything happens, you must take cover immediately.”
But the moment I Seojun opened the door,
Everyone of Sanarae felt an additional foreign Ether.
Whether a cold mage or an ice sorceress, another shadow walking slowly from behind the woman standing in front was a man with a stocky build.
“You’re late, Edge.”
“Do we need two people to deal with these things?”
The black figure answered in a deep voice and took something out in his hand; it simply looked like a short rod.
But in an instant,
Hu-uuuung────
A blindingly blue light erupted from the short rod and instantly took the form of a sword blade.
I Seojun, still holding the door, sighed and let out a low groan.
\- {E-E-Ethereal Blade!}
The Sanarae Clan members in front who had already recognized it relayed the information through in-ear communications.
Ethereal Blade.
It was an S-grade, Zenith-grade item, a sword that did not possess a blade made of physical metal.
Literally a sword formed by condensing pure Ether energy.
The hilt of this item was its core.
That hilt was called the ‘Ether Core Hilt’; this core played the key role of stabilizing the Ether energy drawn out by the user and aiding in the summoning and control of the sword.
The Ethereal Blade was known to be capable of cutting through anything, but what made it even more terrifying was the fact that its form could change freely according to the user’s will.
Depending on the combat situation, its length could be extended or shortened, and at times its blade could even be spread wide and used as a shield.
The biggest problem right now was that this [Ethereal Blade] was not something just anyone could wield simply because they possessed the “Aether Core Hilt.”
Whoever it was, the one holding that weapon now was a master of the sword who had reached the realm of a Sword Saint—an ultimate swordsman.
In that instant, goosebumps rose over Lee Seojun’s skin.
Had Suho not warned them about a situation like this just a few days ago? Had his words become reality? He could not tell.
Suho also grasped the atmosphere at once.
Overwhelmingly powerful foes. The two people who had appeared before them now were opponents the five A-ranks here could not handle.
“They’re S-rank... those two.”
“...That’s right. Suho, last time we...”
He had never truly thought a situation like this would actually come.
Fear and shame surged up together, and Lee Seojun stopped speaking midway and bit down on his lip.
Instead of Lee Seojun, Suho spoke to everyone through the in-ear.
“Everyone, you remember what I told you last time, right? Scatter and run separately. Understood?”
- {But...}
- {......}
- {Understood.}
“We don’t have time to argue. This was already decided. I’ll buy you a very brief moment. During that time, scatter in completely different directions and run. I’ll count to three. Three, two, one!”
The moment Suho shouted, he summoned and surrounded the two monsters with around twenty security androids, and the five A-rank Admittees, including Lee Seojun, began to flee fiercely in all directions.
The twenty androids were not only no threat to them, they could not even buy a few seconds.
It merely looked as if the man holding the Ethereal Blade had shifted his shoulder slightly toward the androids charging at him, but all of the androids were shattered into pieces and went rolling across the ground.
‘It worked...!’
Fortunately, it seemed they had been too focused on the androids to notice the real thing.
The core of what Suho had aimed for was none other than a cage to imprison them.
And not just any cage, but one he had carved in advance from Magrite, the hardest metal in the universe.
Kwaaaang───!
Because they were dealing with the androids, they failed to notice the cage that suddenly formed and dropped from the dark sky, and they were trapped inside just like that.
At the same time, Suho activated his subspace storage ability and stored away the handle of the [Ethereal Blade] the swordsman was holding—the “Aether Core Hilt.”
Then, through the empty grooves of the cage they were trapped in—in other words, above their heads—he poured down the pencil-shaped Obelun fragments he had made long ago like rain.
Countless steel raindrops poured down upon the two trapped in the cage.
‘Damn it, I don’t know anymore!’
Suho fled into the subspace warehouse without even looking back.