Chapter 9
“No, it’s not.”
Neia said this to me, her expression unusually serious, abandoning her usual businesslike look.
『It was an AI-style joke, Sunwoo. Your serious expression makes me feel rather embarrassed.』
“Uh… sorry.”
Why do I feel like I did something wrong?
Is this AI-style gaslighting?
Anyway, seeing her make a joke—something so unlike her—must mean she’s happy.
『I will gratefully use it for the city’s development.』
“Use it as much as you want.”
『Order confirmed. I will convert the entire amount into energy, and use it freely to restore the city to its former glory.』
I waited near the Core Center for the energy conversion to finish, then asked:
“Report the power reserves.”
『Conversion is still in progress, but ultimately, it seems we can maintain about 121 days’ worth of power.』
That was a bit more than I had expected.
Probably because we bought lower-grade magic stones this time due to quantity and volume—they seemed to have a minor effect on energy efficiency.
“So, are there any new functions I can use now?”
『Two additional functions have been added.』
- Deactivate power-saving mode
- Operate Core Center internal facilities
“You can deactivate the power-saving mode? Isn’t it impossible to handle the entire city with the current power?”
『If power-saving mode is deactivated, the usual energy consumption will triple. The expected effect is an increase in the efficiency of processes and major facilities. Of course, operating the entire city at once is impossible. Power-saving mode and full city operation are completely different areas.』
I had assumed that the power-saving mode meant only the systems near the Core Center were minimally running, but that wasn’t the case.
Strictly speaking, the sequence was different.
Due to insufficient energy, the city’s functions had to be restricted, eventually entering power-saving mode.
So deactivating it wouldn’t immediately suck all power into the city.
『Shall I deactivate the power-saving mode?』
“Hmm…”
I thought for a moment.
Is now the right time to deactivate it?
Then I made a decision.
“Let’s keep it as is for now.”
I chose to stay in power-saving mode for the time being.
Even if I deactivated it, the improvement would be limited to process efficiency, so it wouldn’t be a huge help immediately.
That question settled, I asked about the Core Center.
“If we operate the Core Center facilities, does that mean we can enter it?”
『Yes. Shall I operate the Core Center?』
“Does it consume a lot of power?”
『Confirming intent. Your concern is correct. Operating the Core Center consumes about twice the current energy consumption.』
I hesitated for a moment.
I wanted to take a look inside.
The Core Center surely isn’t just a power source for the city.
It seemed unnecessarily large for that alone.
“Neia, can we operate the Core Center temporarily, just for three hours?”
『Simple task. Executing order.』
Neia’s eyes glowed red.
Soon, the Core Center began to emit light.
In the gray city, the Core Center shone faintly.
I headed to its entrance.
Standing before the automatic glass doors, the sensors activated.
- Mana pattern recognition confirmed. Welcome, Successor.
Whiiish.
The doors opened, and I stepped inside.
I had expected dust like outside, but it was clean—like a museum.
“Surprisingly clean.”
『Naturally. The advanced purification modules are active.』
Neia’s holographic screen appeared.
It popped up suddenly, making me flinch, but I pretended not to.
“So, I can call you like this inside?”
『Yes, that is correct.』
I thought that was actually convenient.
If I used this place regularly, Neia’s help would be useful.
“I’d like a bit of guidance, though.”
『Order confirmed. Calculating the optimal route for a three-hour schedule. Calculation complete. I will display the path.』
Blue markings appeared on the floor where there had been none before.
『I recommend following this route for the tour.』
I followed the path Neia indicated.
First, I took the elevator to the basement level 2.
“So, this is the power generation area?”
I saw the collection robots that always picked up the magic stones.
From how they moved, it seemed the system automatically converted the stones into energy when placed in cages on the belt.
“Shall we move on?”
Luckily, I seemed to have found a clue for supplying power if Neia stopped.
Basement 1 looked like a security office.
The Core Center and surrounding city were visible on screens.
The first floor had a cafeteria and storage.
The second floor had many rooms.
『The rooms accessible with your current clearance are as follows.』
Neia’s voice spoke, marking three rooms.
The first room was full of records.
I couldn’t read the language, so all I could make out were the photos.
“The uniforms are similar.”
It resembled modern Earth society.
The other rooms weren’t much different.
Rooms with city blueprints, rooms with production methods, etc.
Finally, the third floor.
There was only one room.
Shhhiiing.
The automatic door opened, revealing a spacious interior.
From the living room to the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen—much better than my studio apartment.
“Where is this?”
I opened a door in the corner and smiled.
“The command center.”
A city map lay on the central table, with buttons for commands like advance and retreat.
Sinking into the plush chair, I thought:
“Not bad at all.”
I almost wanted to live here.
While enjoying the comfort, I called Neia.
“Neia.”
『Yes?』
“I want to make some additional drones.”
This was actually the first thing I planned after charging the energy.
It had been postponed due to the Core Center tour.
『Order confirmed. Activating adjacent factory K-09B5. Standing by for production.』
“I want to produce two Hunter drones and one Aegis.”
I had considered making a Seazrunner first.
If I gathered every soul, I could produce it.
But for now, I settled on reinforcing the Hunter drones and producing an Aegis.
Even if production succeeded, operating them would consume enormous power.
I couldn’t handle that yet.
『Order recognized. Production started. Estimated completion: about 64 hours.』
“Got it, I’ll keep that in mind.”
I decided to enjoy the command center’s comfort a bit longer.
The Eclipse Mir Guild assault.
This quickly dominated the media.
Recently, news besides Neia’s had struggled to capture attention.
Yet this drew massive interest.
It was understandable.
Eclipse was a famous international crime organization.
And Korea’s perception as an Eclipse-free zone made the public more sensitive.
A highly provocative topic.
[But why did they attack?]
[Maybe there was some grudge.]
[They were after something, I think.]
Another reason for public interest: not only did the Mir Guild defend Eclipse, but they completely wiped them out.
[But Eclipse is nothing.]
[All the core forces were in the tower, yet they got wiped out…]
[They tried a burglary and got robbed in return?]
[They don’t seem that strong, why not cooperate internationally and wipe them out?]
A worldwide crime group tried burglary and got defeated.
This made it a significant story overseas as well, though not as big as domestically.
[Is Mir Guild the strongest in Korea?]
[Objectively, they’re about fifth in Korea.]
[Holy shit! Fifth? Are there only monsters in Korea?]
[I think Eclipse just let their guard down.]
Domestic communities translated and consumed this as content.
Yet some remained critical.
[But Gu Byung-hoon is only a 50th-floor player.]
└ Damn, 50th-floor players are almost nonexistent in Korea.
└└ How is that being ignored? I’m being objective, stop muddying it.
[Overseas, people say Eclipse only sent weak ones.]
└ Doesn’t seem like it; there was also Odu-sa.
└ Odu-sa? Then it’s an executive.
└ The Yankees aren’t overreacting, it’s all because of Odu-sa…
[There are rumors of an accomplice.]
└ Who’s the accomplice?
└└ How would I know?
“Still no identification?”
Mir Guild’s leader Kang Se-hyun.
He had stayed in the tower due to trials and hurried back upon hearing the news.
By the time he returned, everything was already over.
He learned the entire story from Gu Byung-hoon, shocked.
A mere mysterious drone had turned the tide and saved the guild—hard to believe.
But now he believed it.
He had checked CCTV footage from the time.
Hence, they were investigating the mysterious entity.
“I’m sorry. We’re still checking…”
Gu Byung-hoon hung his head.
Most people on the first floor were casualties, except those near the reception.
Gu Byung-hoon first gathered information on those in the reception.
After analyzing, they tried to find the last man who left, but identification was difficult.
“He must have used cognitive interference.”
While clearing Eclipse, they noticed an executive’s ring was missing.
He likely took it for himself.
“Trying to hide himself? Why?”
Mir Guild was pursuing the accomplice to reward him.
This incident raised the guild’s status domestically and internationally.
Many thought it was luck, but the positive attention was real.
They had considered recruiting him if favorable conditions arose, but things didn’t go as planned.
“Sir, look at this.”
A secretary rushed in, showing an article.
『Breaking) Confession by association member reveals truth: Neia’s nationality likely Korean!』
“Neia is Korean?!”
A shocking article.
The source was unknown, but a major media outlet published it, lending credibility.
Yet at this timing, Kang Se-hyun thought it trivial.
Now, the mysterious figure was even more important than Neia…
“Wait.”
Kang Se-hyun’s eyes locked on the headline.
“Could… this be Neia?”
Many coincidences aligned.
An Awakener climbing the lower tower floors, a non-revealing presence, and now supposedly Korean.
Most domestic strong figures were known to him.
And this person nearly single-handedly destroyed Eclipse.
It couldn’t be unidentifiable.
He felt like he finally had a clue.
“First, let’s verify the source of this article.”
