Episode 25
#25
The next morning.
The strike team and the others were currently witnessing a bizarre spectacle.
Just minutes earlier, the robots had completely demolished the precariously crumbling buildings nearby and cleared away all the debris, and now, a blue holographic structure had risen from the flattened empty ground and was slowly taking shape.
Gang Inhan couldn't help but ask Hancheol, who stood beside him with a surprised expression.
"Boss. Is this another one of your skills?"
"Uh…… yes."
"But if it's your skill, why do you also look surprised, Mr. Hancheol?"
"I suspected it might be possible, but I didn't know it would be built this big."
"It certainly is…… quite large."
Though not yet completed, judging by the hologram alone, it was clearly a building of considerable size—no, one could even call it a skyscraper.
It was enough to make one think that it might very well rival the tallest skyscrapers in Ulsan.
Hancheol spoke to the gathered group.
"For now, the training center that Mr. Gang Inhan will oversee is also under construction at another location, similar in size. If you have any opinions, please share them."
"Yes, really? Ah…… then, could you perhaps build lodgings near the training center?"
"Lodgings?"
"Yes, there are more people who have lost their homes than I expected."
Ah, come to think of it, that made sense.
I nodded at Gang Inhan's words and said,
"I'll also make lodgings where the strike team members can reside separately. Of course, there will also be separate dormitories for trainees entering the training center. However, those people will have to leave once their training period ends. Have you set a training period?"
"Yes, I've set it at about ten days."
"But Mr. Hancheol. Will the survivors really enter the training center?"
At Sin Yua's words, I thought for a moment before speaking.
"I don't plan to force them to come. If they have the ability to survive on their own, there won't be any need for them to enter. Of course, I intend to let those who enter the training center live in a much better environment than they currently do."
Water service had been cut off, but there was drinking water, and as for food, there would likely be people trying to be self-sufficient to some extent by gathering from nearby convenience stores or supermarkets.
Of course, I would provide a much better environment for those who entered the training center and earned points by hunting demonic beasts than for those living like that.
If they wanted to live in a better environment than their current one, they would have to enter the training center of their own accord.
"For now, we'll need to inform the survivors about the training center."
"That's fine. I'm already taking care of it."
I was already using the robots to advertise.
They would be giving detailed explanations about the training center to the survivors.
In this regard, it was better to use robots than people.
There would be fewer people who felt fear at the sight of an unknown entity and tried to resist.
That was also the reason I didn't entrust the shops, restaurants, and bath facilities to people.
"Have the two of you worked out the detailed plans?"
"Yes. For now, I've made plans after meeting with those who will become instructors."
"Me too."
"You've both set it at ten days, right? For ten days, let the survivors entering the training center use the bathhouse and restaurant for free. Of course, after they graduate from the training center, it will cost money."
"Yes? The bathhouse?"
"The bathhouse, you say?"
The two widened their eyes at my words.
The strike team in the back also looked surprised, as if they had heard what I said.
From the people's reactions, I could once again feel how difficult things must have been for them.
In the previous world, it would have been nothing special.
I spoke to them.
"Yes, I'm planning to build a bathhouse in the basement of the building. Since many people will use it, I made it quite large and spacious. I'm sure you'll be satisfied."
When I flashed a grin, they all began to show faces filled with joy.
I looked at them and proposed,
"Would you like to take a look? I'm curious too."
With those words, I entered the building under construction.
Thinking about how the structure took shape gradually from bottom to top, the underground bathhouse was probably already completed.
I used the central staircase to descend to the basement with the strike team.
The moment they saw the completed bathhouse, exclamations of amazement flowed from the mouths of the strike team and the others.
"Ha……"
"No, Mr. Hancheol. Did you build a water park here……"
"Whoa……"
"Wow……"
"Wow…… is this actually real?"
I was surprised too.
To put it simply, it was a massive and spacious bathhouse exactly as I had imagined.
The bathhouse consisted of nine baths, each decorated with various types of interior design. Honestly, as Sin Yua said, rather than a neighborhood bathhouse, one could say it was modeled after a water park.
I had poured my heart and soul into the bathhouse more than any other building.
Then, I Sina, who had been thinking about something beside me, opened their mouth to me.
"But Mr. Hancheol."
"Yes?"
"With a building this tall, is there an elevator?"
Honestly, there was a time when I thought I'd have to give up on the high-rise because of the elevator.
There was no way to connect such a tall building entirely with stairs.
Of course, it was a problem I could solve thanks to Noah.
I nodded and said,
"Yes, I made those too."
Within the range of Noah's scanning function, it was possible to scan all survivors, the locations of demonic beasts, and even see through buildings into their interiors.
Using that, Noah had copied the design structure of the elevators and escalators from a nearby department store exactly and produced them in customization mode.
I said to the people,
"Well, I think I made it unnecessarily big…… but it's better than something small, right?"
"Honestly, it is a bit too big, hahaha……"
"For now, the basement is the bathhouse. The first floor is the lobby. The remaining second and third floors have shops and training facilities. Think about the remaining floors as you see fit."
Sin Yua and Gang Inhan nodded at those words.
I was merely an investor.
I intended to leave the operation and structure of the training center to them.
"And there's more I want to give you."
"To us?"
"Yes, first accept this trade."
[The target before you has requested a point trade.]
[Will you accept? (YES/NO)]
Sin Yua and Gang Inhan accepted the trade request that appeared before their eyes in bewilderment.
I immediately sent 500,000 points to each of them.
"Gasp!"
"Boss, this is……"
Soon, the two were startled by the incoming points.
Ah, well, while it wasn't that large an amount to me now, it must be an unimaginable sum to them. I spoke to the surprised pair.
"It's not a salary, but support funds. I thought you'd need them for running the training center."
"Ah, I see. And here I thought it was a salary."
"Even if it's support funds, I didn't expect you to suddenly give us 500,000 points like this. Boss, you really are rich."
The two briefly gazed at me in admiration and began to worry about how to use the points they had received.
"But how should we use this?"
"Ah! We can use the tournament as an example. We can give points as rewards to survivors who show good results."
"Ah, that certainly makes sense."
I nodded at their conversation and added,
"And as for the restaurant, well, it would be best to operate it in a mess hall style with set menus. If they want to eat something specific, tell them to buy it themselves with points. Wouldn't that motivate them more to earn rewards?"
At my words, Sin Yua and Gang Inhan thought for a moment before nodding.
Soon, the two looked at me with serious expressions and spoke.
"Since you've gone this far for us, we'll really do our best."
"Yes, I won't disappoint you either."
At their answer, I simply smiled in satisfaction.
* * *
"Mr. Hancheol is really kind."
Meanwhile, having exited the building, I was taking a brief stroll down the street with I Sina and Hayun.
I snorted in laughter at I Sina's words and replied,
"It's not really like that. I'm just doing it to earn points."
"Honestly, you could earn plenty of points on your own even without doing all that."
"That's true. But thinking about the future, this method is more efficient."
Although I could use the 7,000 robots to earn points without people's help, that too would eventually reach its limit.
There was a clear limit to the ranks of demonic beasts that the robots could defeat, and as time passed, there would come a point when gates could not be captured through sheer numbers alone.
"Anyway, I concluded that I need people's help to earn points. And…… there's no meaning in me getting strong alone."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Right now, I'm blocking and delaying the gate captures, but it's only a matter of time before even higher-ranked gates appear. At that time, we'll need people with strong power, not just robots."
Unlike robots, the growth of survivors was infinite.
If they cleared various gates, raised their stats and levels, and grew, eventually there would be survivors with power great enough to surpass the robots.
What I wanted was the trust of such people.
Creating positions for Gang Inhan and Sin Yua was also for that reason.
"Um…… Mr. Hancheol, you seem to know something."
"Right? Mister, how do you know that stuff?"
"I bought the information from a Constellation with money."
"Come on~ you're teasing me, right?"
It was a lie and a joke, of course, though such Constellations did exist.
I snorted in laughter and replied to Hayun,
"Not all Constellations are wealthy. They are beings who use the system too."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"Just think about the shop system. They created that system because they want to earn points too."
Constellations are not omnipotent beings.
Though they are called gods, they must have once looked no different from us.
"Then, Mr. Hancheol. Do you also know when the next gate will appear?"
"It's not exact, but one will appear in three months. I need to expand the facilities and earn points in preparation for that."
In three months—that is, exactly when the protagonist's group in Seoul clears half of the gates in Seoul—I know what will happen.
The gates that appear after that will not merely be huge in size, but will be gates that are difficult to clear in and of themselves.
"So you too, Ms. Sina, should build up your strength in preparation for that. When the new gates open, I'll need help from Mr. Inhan, Ms. Yua, Ms. Sina, and Hayun."
"Uh…… do you think I can do it?"
"Yes, considering the skills you possess, it should be more than possible."
Originally, the gates appearing in three months follow a story where the protagonist travels the entire country to clear them, but I have no intention of leaving them to the protagonist.
To be exact, I don't trust the protagonist.
That was the reason this novel was unpopular, and it was also the reason the game was popular.
At the same time, it was also the reason I was building up my strength.
Because I know the ending of this world.