The spirit who had greeted Chen Ming so elegantly returned to her usual self once the work began.
-First, we just have to dismantle these steel plates, right? Then move the equipment, cut the necessary wires, and take everything apart. Not hard at all. Leave that much to me.
After hearing Chen Ming’s explanation, the spirit began flying through the air and casting magic.
Using telekinesis, she peeled away the steel plates and dismantled the parts Chen Ming pointed out.
As expected, the spirit was a proper mage, and the administrator who had built this city for over ten thousand years.
Her mischievous personality was unchanged, but she was thorough when it came to work.
As the nuclear missile began to be dismantled, the inside of the building was filled with the sharp smells of metal, oil, and faint ozone.
Even so, the nuclear technician and the spirit did not stop.
While the nuclear missile was being rapidly taken apart, ice golems began entering from outside the warehouse building.
-You lot, move the items to where I tell you!
The spirit had called over the ice golems that had been herding chickens in the field in order to move the dismantled parts.
“No!”
But the nuclear technician immediately cut off her order.
“Other components are weak to water too, but these missiles use solid fuel. Moisture infiltration destabilizes solid fuel. It’s dangerous even if condensation forms. Ice is prohibited!”
At the nuclear technician’s words, the spirit pouted and kicked the body of the missile.
It looked dangerous, but her foot simply passed through the missile.
At her childish behavior, Chen Ming shook his head.
“As long as it’s not ice or water, it’s fine. Fire, for instance, can be used for soldering, heat treatment, removing residual moisture, and preheating processes.”
He had said it intending to comfort the spirit, but it only made the atmosphere worse.
-I’m an ice spirit. So you’re saying I’m useless.
Chen Ming looked at me with a troubled expression.
The spirit’s words were a sulk she herself would soon forget, but there was no way Chen Ming, who had only just met her, could know that.
As I shook my head at the skit-like sight of the two of them, I suddenly remembered something I had brought from Earth.
‘Would this work too?’
I took a burning ball out of the box.
This was a golem from the underground ruins in Antarctica.
When the spirit saw the golem I had lifted with telekinesis, her eyes sparkled.
-Ah! It’s a golem! A primitive golem!
The spirit flew over quickly and snatched up the golem.
In truth, she was holding it with telekinesis, but from the outside it looked as if she was happily holding a flaming ball in her hands.
[Shall I transfer the authority?]
Soph said as he watched the spirit rejoice.
-No. I can do it.
Holding the fireball golem in both hands, she glared at it.
-The magic circle’s structure is complicated, but the formula itself is simple, so... If I do this—done! Priority transfer.
Chiiiiik!
At her words, the flames quickly died down.
Once the flames subsided, what lay in her hands was a reddened spherical lump of metal.
The golem’s true form was a large iron ball with regular cracks engraved across its surface.
“So it wasn’t a fire golem.”
At my words, the spirit shook her head.
Setting the iron ball down on the ground, she answered.
-There isn’t really such a thing as separate fire magic, you know. It’s divided that way to make it easier to use, but originally, it’s temperature-control magic.
I knew that too. Still, I had never imagined that the fireball would be an iron ball like that.
The lines carved across the surface of that iron ball were not cracks, either, but boundaries formed by many pieces fitted together.
-Maybe because it’s a primitive golem, it wasn’t made out of the element itself like the ice golems. That’s why its temperature can be controlled. Of course, it moves on thermal energy, so it can’t be lowered below a certain temperature.
With an expression that was both regretful and delighted, the spirit watched the iron ball rolling on the floor.
Listening to her explanation as I looked at the iron ball, I could not help but wonder.
“But will an iron ball like that be of any help?”
Its temperature had been lowered, but I couldn’t imagine an iron ball like that being useful for work.
At my words, the two mages burst into anger.
-An iron ball?!
[It is not an iron ball!]
As the sound made my head throb and I frowned, the spirit descended right in front of me and pointed at the iron-ball golem with the tip of her finger.
-Show your true form to the villain who looks down on you! Transform!
After that, the spirit struck a strange pose and shouted loudly.
At the sound, I had no choice but to clutch my forehead.
A transformation pose, here of all places!
Apparently, the spirit had watched cartoons on the television brought from Earth.
After that absurd pose, something even more absurd happened.
Dudududuk. Clank. Clank.
The cracks on the surface of the iron ball opened, and it really began to transform.
Arms and legs popped out of the iron ball, and a head shot up.
The iron ball had turned into an iron dwarf golem.
No, seeing the red magic circles engraved on its arms and legs and the two fireballs that had formed in place of eyes on its small head, it looked closer to a fire dwarf.
-See? It’s not an iron ball, is it?
I could offer no rebuttal.
It seemed I would have to take back my words about it not being useful as well.
It was small, but a golem could exert strength far greater than its size would suggest.
A dwarf golem like that would also be a great help.
However, with only one of them, it did not seem like something to be so happy about.
The mages soon resolved that question too.
-Now it’s done! Since I have ice golems, water-type golems, and a fire-type golem under me, once I obtain the final golem, I’ll be able to advance to the next stage too.
[You have been stagnant for over ten thousand years, so it is only natural that you would want to move on to the next stage.]
The spirit held the dwarf golem and chattered excitedly, while Soph watched her in a voice that sounded understanding.
It seemed elemental spirits like Shamara could undergo an advancement close to evolution after bringing three elemental golems under their command.
Not as an ice spirit, but as an elemental spirit.
She would become stronger and be able to use more magic, but that was not why she was so happy.
[They say that once they advance, they feel less like beings made by magic and more like living creatures. Created beings always dream of becoming complete beings.]
His words were calm, but Soph’s voice sounded terribly hollow.
After that bout of commotion passed, I left the warehouse.
The hydrogen nuclear warheads could be left to the nuclear technician and the spirit.
Now I had to go to the lake base.
Since I had come to the underground city, perhaps it would have been right to see my brother before leaving, but I had heard that he was doing well, so I decided to put off meeting him until next time.
I could not bring the dispatched personnel’s families here and keep leaving them in other people’s care.
And unlike the underground city, the lake base was not completely in my hands.
I had to check the situation first.
After stacking half of the supplies I had brought from Earth in the neighboring warehouse, I immediately spatially transported.
After arriving at the underground ruins, I used magic to ascend to the lake base in a single step.
Fortunately, it was worth hurrying.
I arrived at the lake base just as the dispatched personnel and their families were reuniting.
It was not like the reunions of separated families they once broadcast in Korea, with people wailing and the whole place becoming a sea of tears, but I could tell the personnel were sincerely happy.
After the others also saw the reunited families and heard the stories of the people from Earth, the way they looked at me changed.
It was because they had learned that even the United States had abandoned their families, and that I had found and brought those families here.
Before, the eyes of those who looked at me had held reverence mixed with fear; now, I could feel gratitude and expectation.
As I watched that sight, Catherine approached and said,
“Good work. Judging by the atmosphere, I think we can maintain control well enough without suppressing them by force. Is it thanks to the United States and the other countries doing something stupid?”
“It was stupid, but there were unavoidable aspects too.”
At Catherine’s harsh words, Margreta defended the United States in its place.
Margreta had been quite angry on Earth, but with Catherine here, it seemed she had no choice but to change what she said.
“Even if it was unavoidable, neglecting the expeditionary force is truly stupid. Who do they think is responsible for the expeditionary force? It seems they haven’t even considered that they might not be able to obtain black stones or awakening drugs, or that the entire ruins might be blocked off and make escape impossible.”
It was a frightening idea I had not expected at all.
At words only she could come up with, both Margreta and I looked at Catherine.
But Catherine, as always, seemed unconcerned.
At her demeanor, Margreta let out a sigh, and I stored Catherine’s words deep in my mind as I took out the supplies I had brought from Earth.
They were the supplies left after stacking the rest in the underground city, but even that alone was no small amount.
Seeing me set the supplies down beside the lake, Catherine nodded.
“To promote yourself so naturally like this... It seems you have no need for separate advice. Even now, you are already an excellent man of power and politician.”
I had only done it because it was troublesome, but in her eyes, it seemed to appear as a political action.
I could not tell whether it was a compliment or an insult, so I could not respond at all.
Just as I had taken out all the supplies except the weapons, a commotion arose at the entrance to the underground ruins.
Checking with my senses, I found that it was my exploration team members, whom I had not seen until now.
Hanna, Tom, Sergeant Wu, and the other dispatched personnel.
As I confirmed them with my senses, I had no choice but to frown.
‘They’re injured?’
My team members were fine, but some of the dispatched personnel were injured.
Among them was someone I knew well.
I immediately launched myself forward.
When I shot off, people looked at me in surprise.
Catherine and Margreta followed behind me as well.
“There are several wounded! We need a healer!”
When I arrived at the entrance of the passage, Sergeant Wu was shouting.
Tom was treating people with bandages and the treatment kit brought from Earth, and beside him, Hanna was tearfully apologizing to the wounded.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t notice your crisis too. I’m truly sorry.”
I first asked Sergeant Wu,
“What happened?”
“Ah, Captain! You’re here. Thank goodness! Akzar monsters appeared in the hunting ground beyond the mountain range. They suddenly rushed in, and it was all we could do to get out. People were injured in the process.”
That much explanation was enough.
I decided to hear the more detailed explanation later.
There were three wounded. I placed my hand on the chest of Carlo, who was in the most critical condition.
Perhaps it had been torn open by a monster’s claws; his chest was split wide, and his organs were visible.
If he had not been an energy user, it would have been a fatal wound.
When I placed my hand on him, Carlo’s closed eyes opened.
“Captain Hyun, it’s you. Did you find my family?”
Even with an injury that could have killed him, he thought of his family first.
“Your girlfriend found your family. I brought them all here.”
“That’s a relief. Thank you. Truly. Now I can die... No, I don’t want to die.”
“I’ll heal you, so don’t worry.”
At my words, Carlo grimaced.
“I heard this magic hurts like hell...”
It was as he said, but seeing that he could talk, he seemed capable of enduring it.
I warned Carlo first.
“That’s right. Bear with it for a moment.”
At my words, Carlo nodded, and I struck his head with all my strength.
Thwack!
From the shock of being hit by my fist, Carlo fainted.
The people were startled, but if he wanted to avoid feeling the pain, this was best.
I began treating Carlo.
As the healing magic began, the unconscious Carlo screamed with all his might.
“Guaaaargh!”
Hearing Carlo’s scream, the other wounded began clinging to Tom.
Legacy of the Nuclear