Hiding A Logistics Center In The Apocalypse - Chapter 80
Chapter 80: Demons and Holy Knights (1)
TL/ED – Miso
Right after learning about the demons’ invasion plan, the place I headed to was the dwarves’ factory.
“What brings you here?”
Thud!
Cooper, who had been hammering away, put down his tool.
The factory was now located in Elvenheim.
A mobile factory that could move on its own.
Thanks to my newly acquired “Portal Transport” ability, I could move it entirely without needing to store it in the subspace.
I answered Cooper.
“I need some weapons made.”
It was not that I lacked weapons to use immediately.
The H-Beam and the Holy Spears of Goddess Emes, enhanced to the maximum with holy power.
Even with just those, I was confident that I could cleanse those wicked demon bastards completely.
However…
‘…I need to secure weapons for long-term use as well.’
The Chamber of Commerce was pushing increasingly stronger enemies onto Earth.
To stand against their invasion, I also needed to prepare equivalent forces.
Fortunately, I had more time than when I had fought the Southern Army.
“It was ten days, right?”
A necessary process for crafting high-grade weapons.
That involved engraving circuits into the item using the factory’s reactor.
Since it was a delicate operation, it required considerable time. However…
“If it’s for you, Representative, we’ll make the impossible possible.”
Cooper grinned.
A comfortable living environment and plenty of work.
With a well-balanced work-life harmony, the dwarves had become quite friendly toward me.
Cooper asked me.
“You still remember the method, right?”
“I remember it roughly. The conditions…”
I had already received an explanation of the crafting process once before, but Cooper went over the concept of the “magic circuit” in detail again.
“A magic circuit is not just a simple drawing. It’s like a ‘word’ that the owner conveys to an object.”
Imbuing conditions into an object.
That was an essential step in crafting high-grade items.
“Tell me the conditions you want to imprint on the item, and I will engrave the magic circuit based on those conditions. Once the conditions are met, the item will be granted a random attribute or effect.”
It was a kind of gamble.
Except, instead of betting against another person, the gamble was with an object—an item.
If I made a bold declaration of an accomplishment I would achieve, the item with the magic circuit would wait to see the result.
Once the condition was confirmed to be fulfilled, an ordinary piece of equipment would transform into a high-grade item, like a frog turning into a prince.
And of course…
“I can’t just attach any random condition, right? Like saying, ‘I will eat lunch in an hour’…”
“Of course not. Such petty conditions cannot house a noble spirit.”
Talking with an object.
It was, in a way, planting a faint consciousness into it.
That was what Cooper referred to as the object’s spirit.
To summon a great spirit, one needed to promise a fittingly extraordinary condition.
“This is perfect. Then, let’s start with this…”
Whirr.
What I took out was a Holy Spear from the Emes Dimension, enhanced up to +4.
“Oh…”
Cooper examined the Holy Spear from various angles.
It might not be on par with dwarven weapons, but it was still a well-crafted weapon.
Thanks to its synergy with Tracking Delivery, I had used it frequently.
Meanwhile, as Cooper held the item for processing, he asked for the final condition.
“…So, what condition should we engrave?”
There was no need for much deliberation.
The enemies I would soon face were none other than the demon race.
And the Holy Spear imbued with holy power was the perfect weapon to eliminate them.
On top of that, I intended…
“Eliminate 1,000 demons using the Holy Spear. Would that be enough?”
I was planning to turn this spear into a weapon of absolute slaughter against demons.
Cooper responded.
The condition that was set would determine the nature of the item when it eventually awakened.
There was no doubt that a Holy Spear that had devoured a thousand demons would not end up as just an ordinary item.
“That’s more than enough… Well now…”
Cooper had a satisfied expression.
Then, with a meaningful voice, he added,
“A truly vicious one will be born…”
***
The next place I headed to was Gangnam Severance Hospital, where Min-woo was hospitalized.
“…You’re here. This way.”
A nurse from Severance guided me to Min-woo’s hospital room.
Fortunately, thanks to treatment from healers, Min-woo was quickly stabilizing.
Click!
The hospital room door opened smoothly.
As soon as the nurse left, leaving the two of us alone, Min-woo lowered his head with a thud.
“…I have no excuse.”
“For what? It’s not the first time stronger opponents have shown up against us.”
A gargoyle of the 7th Order.
With Min-woo’s current abilities, it was an enemy he clearly could not defeat.
It would have been better if he had lured it closer to the portal for the fight, but unfortunately, the battle took place outside its range.
Recalling the fierce battle, Min-woo shuddered.
“It was seriously strong. My blade didn’t go through at all.”
“…‘Petrification,’ right?”
I had already confirmed it through the footage Yoo Seong-cheol had shown me.
Even a Sword, which had been enhanced up to level 4, had failed to pierce the gargoyle’s stone-like hardened skin.
Looking concerned, Min-woo asked me,
“Can we even win…?”
He had also realized it.
That our current forces alone wouldn’t be enough to deal with the demons of Fermegon.
However…
“It’s fine. I haven’t been running around all this time for nothing.”
I had built solid relationships everywhere I went.
Sato Daichi, the Sealer from Japan, and Glen Ford, the Priest from the United States, had both promised their support.
The elves of Elvenheim were to be armed with silver arrows, and the druids of the Great Forest had stepped up to prevent the demons’ corruption.
Although the martial artists who had left to find the elixir were absent, even they had sent word that they would dispatch some of their remaining forces from Beijing.
It was a truly formidable army.
Different abilities, different professions, even different races and species—but against the demon race, this time, we would unite as one.
“…I see.”
Only then did Min-woo seem slightly relieved.
***
“Phew, this is exhausting…”
By the time the dark evening had settled in,
I dragged my weary body into the subspace.
There had been no time to rest.
The moment things in the United States settled, demons had come storming in, keeping me on edge.
“…Still, I should get some rest.”
Though I only had a tight schedule of 14 days, I had managed to take care of the most urgent matters.
At least for tonight, I could afford to take it easy, but…
As I was heading to my room in the logistics center to rest,
“…?”
An unusual sight caught my attention.
Step, step.
Kim Sol, carrying a thick, rectangular object under her arm, was crossing the logistics center.
“That is…?”
Thud!
I hurried over and grabbed her shoulder.
“What the hell is going on…?”
“What?”
“No, I mean, come on, right now…”
I couldn’t help but be worried.
The rectangular object tucked under her arm.
It was none other than… a book.
“Did you get struck by lightning or something? Why are you carrying a book…?”
“…Do you want to die?”
Without a doubt, this was a sight I had never seen in my entire life.
Kim Sol reading a book.
Having lived under the same roof with her for over 20 years, to me, this was even more unfamiliar than the apocalypse itself.
Fortunately, before long…
Ding!
[Revised Agape Holy Bible with New Hymnal, price: 31,500 won.]
[Quran (Koran), Myeongmundang, price: 18,000 won.]
[Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra: Sanskrit, price: 19,000 won.]
PAX revealed the identities of the books she was holding.
Kim Sol glared up at the sky with fierce eyes.
“Shut up, PAX.”
“…Bible? Quran? …Heart Sutra?”
She had achieved the grand unification of the world’s three major religions.
And…
There was a clear reason why Kim Sol had picked up books that she had never had any connection with in her life.
“Don’t tell me you……”
There was no other explanation.
The impending invasion of the demon race.
That news had already reached the family members inside the subspace.
And sure enough…
– I’ve got peace like a river~ ♪ I’ve got peace like a river~ ♪
From a speaker set up nearby, a peculiar hymn started playing.
“…A hymn?”
Ding!
[Grace Hymn Masterpieces Collection, 4CD, Price: 13,500 won.]
Only then did I notice it.
Near the speaker, my father stood awkwardly holding a CD.
And everywhere around, my mother, my older brother, and even James were hanging crosses on strings.
Perhaps noticing my bewildered expression, James stammered as he tried to explain.
“Exorcism. Kill. Demon.”
“…Why aren’t you using a translator all of a sudden?”
And to top it all off…
Rumble!
A group of dozens of Manong Tribe members stormed in.
As soon as they stepped out of the portal leading from Jirisan, they flocked toward me.
A truly unexpected visit.
“…What’s going on all of a sudden?”
“Um… Jeong-gyeom nim, the night seems especially deep today. And the night breeze feels quite cold…”
Solen mumbled all sorts of incoherent words.
And the conclusion was…
“…Can we sleep together tonight?”
“…?”
It was fear, of course.
Now that I looked closely, Solen was trembling violently.
The other Manong Tribe members who had come with him were in the same state.
The furry creatures had their short hands neatly folded in front of them, their moist eyes shimmering as they trembled in fear.
‘…Is this really something to be this afraid of?’
In the end, this entire spectacle was caused by the news of the demon invasion.
These were family members and comrades who had been through countless hardships and battles.
Seeing them suddenly trembling at the mention of demons felt rather strange, but…
‘…Is it because of Min-woo?’
Thinking about it, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
After all, someone who had actually suffered at their hands had returned.
And then…
Step, step.
Someone else entered the subspace.
‘…Another one?’
But this time, it wasn’t someone filled with fear.
It was Cooper, the dwarf from the Factory.
He had been working late into the night and had only just returned to the subspace.
“…What is all this?”
The slow, lingering sound of hymns.
Dozens of trembling Manong Tribe members.
It was complete chaos, but Cooper did not dwell on it for long.
“Representative, I have something to discuss with you.”
He simply delivered his message.
“What is it?”
“I just finished designing the circuit. The engraving process should be done in about nine days… which means there will still be some time left before the 14-day mark.”
“…So you’re saying?”
“I think we can make one more thing.”
What I had initially requested was for them to engrave a magic circuit into the Holy Spear.
But the spear itself was not a weapon the dwarves had forged.
In other words, what he was suggesting was…
“You should have at least one weapon made by dwarves. Do you have anything specific in mind?”
An additional weapon.
It was welcome news.
I had the Holy Spear and the H-Beam, but those were weapons specifically tailored to my own use.
For others, it would be better to provide something more fitting for a Holy Knight.
“I do. If it’s that, then of course…”
There was no need for deep contemplation.
A weapon that symbolized the Holy Knight, the very dream of a Holy Knight itself.
None other than…
“A hammer. A battle war hammer.”
The people trembling in fear at the emergence of the demon race.
They would soon regain their faith.
For they would witness, before their very eyes, the holy sight of demons’ skulls being shattered in real time.
****
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