“The central army is advancing toward Gangwondo without many problems, Your Majesty. But ten-meter or larger monsters are common in that area which means it takes more time to wipe them out.”
“Are there any giant ones?” Joonbum asked with a heavy voice.
“They spotted two, but they were quickly killed with the helicopter.”
The messenger was tense while directly reporting to the emperor as he was shaking and drenched with sweat.
“Did it work?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The poison worked effectively. It is more of the landscape that is hindering our speed.”
Korea was filled with many small mountains. Even if hunting down the monsters wasn’t a big problem, the harsh landscape made their advance much harder.
‘The earthquakes created more mountains.’
The more mountains there were, the harder it was to progress. Fortunately, there was an abundant number of soldiers within the army deployed in the region, and that made it easier for them to help each other when needed.
“And we have rescued a total of three hundred and ninety-two people from the Chuncheon region. There are also a number of rescue requests. However, using the helicopter for announcements seems to be irritating many flying monsters so we will stop using that method. Also, the central army is progressing through the swamp. It seems that the giant frog and toad monsters are not a huge problem now. That is all, Your Majesty.”
The messenger then backed away as another soldier walked forward to speak.
“Your Majesty, Sergeant Junian of the Supply Division reporting. Our current supply lines are stable. The Donian Merchant Group and other merchants have come over to the Demon World to set down a new merchant division and help with supplies. Merchants are requesting permission to establish entertainment facilities as soon as possible. The construction team is set to work on them after the defensive fortresses are finished.”
The soldier then bowed and left as another messenger replaced him.
“Sergeant Nenen from the Construction Division, Your Majesty. We are in the process of constructing the fortress for headquarters near the Arachne nest. It is at 30% completion and we are ready to start on a new fortress in the Seoul region three days after that.”
All the soldiers left and Jinpok commented, “Seems like everything’s going well.”
The war was the result of extensive preparations by the Khalodian Empire, and it seemed to be working smoothly. It was especially more so because many countries other than the empire were trying to move in through the Gate. They weren’t that excited when they heard that Khalodian would be going to another world to start their conquest, but now they were eager to get to it faster than the others.
‘Jackson was right.’
Joonbum smiled bitterly and Jinpok asked, “Do you know something?”
“It’s Jackson’s work.”
“Jackson?”
“It’s a gold rush.”
“Gold rush? OH!”
Jinpok nodded.
“Just that in this case, it’s advanced technology instead of gold.”
“Yeah. It’s waiting for us underground.”
“We are already digging up a good chunk of the ones that might be useful.”
“I heard that merchants and mercenaries are poking around to find anything they can.”
“Yes. There has been much that has been sent back through the Gate already. And Jackson seemed to have exaggerated the findings.”
Jinpok slapped his knee with a smile.
“Hahaha! That’s why those bastards became greedy.”
Jinpok laughed out loud and downed his glass of whiskey. Doral also smiled.
‘Hmm. There aren’t that many survivors.”
Joonbum looked out over the horizon as he exited the tent. They were in Pyongyang where nothing was left. The buildings were in ruins and there were only monsters.
They had rescued five thousand people to date. It wasn’t a huge number compared to how many people might have lived on this land. The rescued people were being briefed by Taesoo about the existence of the Gate and the Khalodian Empire.
‘The number of monsters is increasing.’
Joonbum had received reports that more monsters were residing in Pyongyang. This meant that the number of survivors was going to be less.
‘At least it’s better than China.’
It was fortunate that the peninsula had broken off the landmass which prevented more monsters coming over from the mainland. China seemed to be a monster haven according to the Khalodian Army when they sent a helicopter over to check.
‘I’ll clean up this place first.’
It was then that an alarm went off, together with explosions and monster screams.
“Dammit! They are giving me no time to rest!”
Jinpok rushed out of the tent as the soldiers frantically prepared themselves. There were monsters approaching in the distance.
“Five hundred monsters approaching!”
