‘NEW’ Hammer of God (1)
[A tungsten sphere?]
“Yes. I want the largest and heaviest tungsten sphere that can be manufactured. Ideally, it should weigh at least 10,000 tons.”
[Hmm…….]
If the world had still been normal, producing a tungsten sphere weighing more than 10,000 tons would have been extremely expensive.
The cost of materials alone would have required hundreds of billions of won.
However, the situation was a bit different now.
Since the world had been pushed to the brink of collapse, the value of tungsten had naturally changed as well.
In the first place, the world was no longer in a state where it could afford to manufacture things out of tungsten. It had even become difficult to trade tungsten at all, so rather than its value simply dropping, trading itself had practically stopped.
Because of that, it had become almost impossible to determine its surface market value.
[But to make a tungsten sphere of that size… POSCO would have to be revived.]
“Then I’ll revive POSCO, and I’ll even maintain an anti-field there continuously. In return, you’ll allow POSCO to keep producing the things I want.”
That was the real reason Seon Yul had brought up the tungsten sphere.
From the beginning, Seon Yul had expected that once he mentioned the tungsten sphere, Cha Seong Hyeon would bring up POSCO.
So he had subtly thrown out the bait first… and Cha Seong Hyeon had taken it immediately.
[You can really do that?]
“Yes. I’ll create a 10-kilometer safe zone centered around POSCO’s steel mill, and I’ll personally supply the soul stones needed to maintain that area. And on top of that, if I end up with extra soul stones, I’ll also trade them with the Bureau appropriately. But! As I keep saying, POSCO must be something I can use personally.”
[…Could I discuss this with my superiors and get back to you?]
“Discuss it as much as you want. But one thing is clear… you’ll have to solve the manpower and energy needed to run POSCO yourselves. I’m only maintaining the safe zone.”
[Understood. But manpower shouldn’t be a problem for now. Even if you only provide the safe zone… There will be more than enough people willing to work at POSCO. As for energy, there’s a considerable amount of strategic oil reserves stored in Busan, so operating the steel mill at a level sufficient to produce what you want shouldn’t be difficult. The problem will be obtaining tungsten ore… but I’ll check into that as well.]
“Sounds good. Then discuss it right away and let me know the result.”
After ending the call, Seon Yul immediately hung up.
Ultimately, what Seon Yul wanted was to upgrade the Hammer of God once again.
And since he wanted to produce the “shells(?)” needed for the new version of the ‘NEW Hammer of God’ himself, he was trying to privatize POSCO’s steel mill.
If that became possible, not only would he be able to manufacture the tungsten spheres he wanted, but he could also produce a variety of other things.
Of course, because of the difficulty of obtaining materials, it would probably be hard to produce more than one tungsten sphere.
However, many other things could be made at a steel mill besides tungsten spheres.
If the price of a tungsten sphere is reasonable, I could just register it in the All-Purpose Tool Shop and buy it when needed… but the problem is that it probably won’t be priced reasonably.
Because the concept of value itself had collapsed, even Seon Yul had no idea what price a 10,000-ton tungsten sphere would receive if he registered it in the All-Purpose Tool Shop.
By the old standards, the price would have absolutely been at least 1,000 soul stones.
But now, there was no way to predict it.
Let’s just make one first and try registering it. If it’s still over 1,000, I’ll just keep it as a hidden trump card. And if I can privatize POSCO, I can slowly gather tungsten ore and make another one later.
Seon Yul ran through several hopeful scenarios in his mind.
In any case, he decided to think about everything positively.
After throwing the POSCO negotiation to Cha Seong Hyeon, Seon Yul went to visit his aunt, Lee Hyun Ah, for the first time in a while.
Lee Hyun Ah had closed the coffee shop she used to run in Apgujeong and was now staying at home.
Given the circumstances, she, too, was living through anxious days.
***
“Does Jun Hyeok come home often?”
“Ever since he got promoted at the company, he hardly comes home. A few days ago, I got curious and asked him, and he said he might be sent on a long-term assignment within a few months… That’s what it is, right?”
Even in a world where using TVs, let alone mobile phones, had become difficult, rumors still spread from place to place. Because of that, Lee Hyun Ah had already guessed what the “long-term assignment” Jun Hyeok mentioned likely meant.
“Hmm… I’ll meet Jun Hyeok later and ask him about it myself. But Aunt, aren’t things uncomfortable here? I heard water and electricity are both supplied very limitedly… Have you thought about moving to Busan, where the situation is better?”
Because the nuclear power plants were still operating in Busan, the situation there was naturally better than in Seoul.
Seoul had belatedly built small-scale power facilities, but their efficiency was poor, and as a result, electricity and water were supplied very restrictively.
“Busan? I did hear it’s easier to live there… but I’ll just stay here.”
“You can leave this place as it is and just stay in Busan until things improve. I’ll prepare everything so you only need to bring yourself.”
Seon Yul intended to ask Cha Seong Hyeon to provide Lee Hyun Ah with the best possible living conditions.
He was someone in a position where he could easily demand such things, and taking care of one person like Lee Hyun Ah would be no problem.
“No. I’ll just stay here. Why would I leave my home and go somewhere else? And the moment you ask someone to take care of me, I could become your weakness. I hate that.”
“…Ha.”
Perhaps because her words were correct, Seon Yul couldn’t argue back anymore.
Just as she said, even if Cha Seong Hyeon and the Bureau had a friendly relationship with him, the moment Lee Hyun Ah’s existence became known, she could become AbsoluteSafetyFirst’s Achilles’ heel.
“Sigh… then Aunt, just wait a moment.”
In the end, Seon Yul gave up on moving her to Busan and instead opened the entrance to Absolute Space to retrieve the backup items he had prepared.
From inside, he first took out a small emergency generator and several large containers filled with fuel.
These were all items Seon Yul had gathered before the Great Cataclysm occurred.
He had anticipated that such things would happen when the catastrophe came, so he had traveled all across the country… no, across the world, collecting supplies obsessively.
Naturally, he had gathered as much fuel as possible and stored it in one corner of Absolute Space, along with generators ranging from small to large that could produce electricity from that fuel.
Besides that, he had also stocked up on various types of food and plenty of drinking water.
Inside Absolute Space, he could simply purchase anything he needed through the All-Purpose Tool Shop, so everything he had gathered was meant to be taken outside and either sold or used.
“This is a generator. As for how to use it…”
After explaining the generator’s operation to Lee Hyun Ah, Seon Yul installed it in one corner of the house.
But that wasn’t the end.
Seon Yul took out an automatic rifle, a pistol, and plenty of ammunition, then spoke cautiously.
“Aunt. You know what these are, right? They’re dangerous, but if you ever feel like you’re truly in danger… You must use them. Let’s go inside there later and practice using them.”
Seon Yul pointed at the open entrance to Absolute Space.
Next, he brought out large amounts of long-lasting preserved food and purified drinking water.
“Use these as emergency rations. I’ll come visit at least once every three months, but if the government supply ever stops, you can eat these.”
“Why are you giving me so much? I’m fine, so take care of yourself first.”
“Aunt. I’m actually living much more comfortably than this. If I could, I’d want you to live like that too… so I’m actually sorry that I can’t.”
He truly meant it.
If possible, he would have wanted Lee Hyun Ah to live inside Absolute Space, but realistically, there were too many restrictions, and in the end, it would still mean living trapped in a limited space, so he had ruled that option out from the beginning.
“And lastly, this is…”
Clink.
Seon Yul placed a heavy pouch in front of Lee Hyun Ah.
10 kg of mid-grade mana crystals.
Since the Great Cataclysm, the value of mana crystals had skyrocketed, so 10 kilograms of mid-grade crystals was worth an enormous amount.
“Use this as emergency funds. Put it in the safe and never show it to anyone.”
“Yul…”
“Aunt. You deserve to receive at least this much. And I’m more than capable of giving you this. So just pretend you don’t know anything and accept it.”
“…Sigh, alright. I’ll just think of it as the benefit of having a talented nephew and take everything.”
“Thank you.”
“But Yul… do you think Jun Hyeok is okay? I’ve been worried lately…”
“I have an idea of what he’s preparing now that he’s been promoted to team leader… but I’ll look after him too. So please don’t worry too much.”
“Sorry for making you worry.”
“Aunt, what are you apologizing for? These are things I should be doing anyway. Please don’t feel sorry.”
“Alright then… thank you.”
“Yes, that’s better.”
Seon Yul replied with a smile.
After that, he brought Lee Hyun Ah into Absolute Space.
He cooked her a delicious meal and then taught her the basics of shooting a gun.
After giving her sufficient shooting practice, Seon Yul immediately headed toward the Woosung Group headquarters building, where he expected his cousin Jang Jun Hyeok to be working.
***
“You should quit working here.”
After going to the Woosung Group headquarters and calling Jun Hyeok out, Seon Yul spoke bluntly.
“W-what?”
Jang Jun Hyeok was startled.
He was now a proper team leader at Woosung Group.
In particular, after the Great Cataclysm, the User Team, which had become the true core of Woosung Group, had been renamed the Special Business Division, effectively becoming the company itself.
As the leader of one of the 16 user teams in that division, Jang Jun Hyeok was now receiving treatment almost equivalent to that of an executive.
“Woosung Group. Quit it. You’re preparing a team to cross the Main Gate these days, aren’t you?”
“…How did you know that?”
“How I know isn’t important. What matters is what kind of place the world beyond the Main Gate is, right?”
“You’re talking like… you’ve actually been there.”
“Of course.”
“…If this is a joke, stop it now. I’m starting to get annoyed.”
At Seon Yul’s abrupt and groundless words, Jun Hyeok’s expression slowly stiffened.
“I’m not joking. You know AbsoluteSafetyFirst, right?”
“Is there any mana user who doesn’t know him? Of course I know.”
“That’s me.”
Seon Yul stated the truth calmly.
At that moment, Jun Hyeok couldn’t say anything and simply stared blankly at him.
“You once received an email from AbsoluteSafetyFirst in Jeju Island, right? It said it was a gift sent by Lee Hyun Ah. That was from me.”
“That… Ha. Mom said it was just someone she knew well… That was you?”
“Yeah. It was me.”
“Wow… you crazy bastard… You hid that all this time?”
“I originally planned to tell you when you went to Jeju Island, but somehow the chance slipped away. I didn’t deliberately try to hide it.”
“Wow… that’s really unbelievable.”
“Anyway, what’s important now is what kind of world exists beyond the Main Gate, right? For reference, I’ve already gone there twice.”
“Twice? How does that make sense? The first returnees have only just started coming back…”
“It hasn’t been publicly revealed, but I was the first one to return, more than a month ago.”
“Holy… .”
“Weren’t you curious how South Korea managed to create and use the Anti-Field Generator first in the world?”
“That did seem strange.”
“That was only possible because of me.”
“…Wow.”
Jang Jun Hyeok was left speechless again and again.
Seon Yul kept telling him things that made it impossible not to believe him.
“So the conclusion is… you should quit Woosung Group now… and come work with me.”
It was a kind of headhunting offer.
Or more accurately, it was an offer to parachute Jun Hyeok into a much safer job.
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