Guro Fortress — Part 3
“This was the obvious outcome.”
Choi Sunsoo didn’t seem surprised at all.
“If they can spend some money to put Black Tiger Swordmaster in their debt, that’s a bargain. Don’t you think?”
Now that he mentioned it, it made sense.
“Black Tiger Swordmaster is like a stock that keeps hitting its upper limit every day. And it’s not some pump-and-dump scheme either—it’s a premium blue-chip investment. You’re bound to reach Level 7, maybe even Level 8. If it were me, I’d scrape together every bit of capital, even take out loans, to buy in.”
“Honestly, it’d be easier to just divide up shares.”
“That’s how alliances are formed. Don’t overthink it. Help them when they help you, and receive help when you need it.”
The next day.
Each faction sent their representatives.
Some were familiar faces, others were strangers.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Black Tiger Swordmaster. I owe you an apology for my past behavior.”
The man bowing at a perfect 90 degrees was in his early 30s, wearing the uniform of the Eastern Army.
A lieutenant colonel—not in the national military, but in the Eastern Army.
The same one I had met at Baengma Ridge.
Back then, he had been blunt and confrontational.
Now, he was exceedingly polite.
“It’s been a while. And who is this beside you?”
“Hello, Black Tiger Swordmaster! I’m Major Chae Songha from the Western Army!”
A woman saluted energetically.
She looked incredibly young.
Barely in her early 20s—maybe even her late teens.
That probably explained her speech.
It was more casual than what I’d expect from a soldier, almost civilian-like.
Still, she wasn’t someone to be underestimated.
Judging by her mana signature, she was Level 5.
Likely a direct descendant of the Western Army’s Legion Commander.
Yet, there was something about her that stood out.
An unusual presence.
I nodded calmly.
“A pleasure to meet you. I didn’t expect the Western Army to send someone as well.”
“The Legion Commander was very curious about you, Black Tiger Swordmaster! They wanted to come themself, but their aides talked them out of it!”
“Is that so?”
Something felt… off.
Suspicious, even.
I discreetly activated my [Bright Eyes] and [Sixth Sense], observing Major Chae.
Normally, I would be able to see everything—her level, traits, mana circuit structure, mana flow, even her thoughts.
But…
Nothing.
All I could see was a faint, blurry mana signature.
‘What the hell?’
Meanwhile, Major Chae continued smiling brightly.
If anything, she looked amused—like she was watching a grandchild play.
A strange, tingling sensation crawled up my spine.
Was she…?
My thoughts were cut off.
A representative from Geumo Group had arrived.
The chief secretary to Chairman Seong Huiyeong.
Previously, I had only known him as “Secretary Kim.”
He extended his hand for a handshake.
“It’s been a while, Black Tiger Swordmaster. I thought you’d attend the inauguration, but you left so suddenly.”
“I had other matters to attend to.”
“Yes, I heard about that. Which brings me to a message from the Chairman.”
Seong Huiyeong had something to say?
What could it be?
I stared at him, waiting.
Secretary Kim smiled faintly.
“The Chairman said she won’t give up.”
Uh…
On what?
Surely not that?
A chill ran down my spine.
For a brief moment, I considered sending him away.
Maybe I should cancel Geumo Group’s investment altogether.
But Secretary Kim was faster.
He turned to the other representatives and announced boldly.
“Geumo Group has decided to invest 400 billion won into the Guro redevelopment project.”
400 billion!
That was several times more than I had expected.
I had assumed they’d contribute around 100 billion, but 400 billion?
It was too much to refuse.
I instinctively tightened my grip on his handshake.
“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”
“That’s all that matters. And one more thing…”
Secretary Kim lowered his voice slightly, speaking just to me.
“Our Chairman… please don’t resent her too much. She may have grown up in the chaebol world and turned out a bit… warped, but she’s a good person at heart.”
She wasn’t a bad person, that much was true.
She never lied, never broke a contract, never used underhanded tricks.
For a chaebol, that was rare.
If she hadn’t tried to use me, and if I hadn’t been so cynical, maybe I would have seriously considered it.
And now, after throwing 400 billion into this project, she said this?
I gave a firm nod.
“I understand. If I thought she was untrustworthy, I wouldn’t have worked with her in the first place. I never hated her. I just thought we weren’t a good match.”
“Haha. That’s all we needed to hear.”
Secretary Kim stepped back, looking satisfied.
The Eastern Army lieutenant colonel shook his head in disbelief.
“400 billion…?”
Even for one of the Four Great Powers, that was a heavy sum.
“The Eastern Army will invest 100 billion. We’re not as liquid as Geumo Group.”
“That’s more than enough. Thank you. Please extend my gratitude to the Legion Commander and division commanders.”
“Yes. The Legion Commander will be pleased.”
As expected, the chaebols had the most money.
The other factions followed suit, almost as if competing.
“Hyung. My grandfather is investing 200 billion. He wanted to put in more, but too much of our budget is tied up in research.”
“Wow. 200 billion is already incredible. Thank him for me. I’ll visit personally when I get the chance.”
“Thanks.”
“Does he really not want any shares? I’d be happy to give him some.”
“He’d disown me if I accepted.”
“Haha.”
The Sun Mage Tower’s representative was none other than Kim Mabeob.
It seemed like Kim Mabeob intended to stick to me like glue.
That worked in my favor.
I wasn’t bothered by it, and it meant I could put him to work whenever needed.
“The Thor Cult will invest 200 billion won as well.”
“The Gaia Cult will match that amount. We would have contributed more if not for these damned terrorists tying up our funds.”
“No, this is already a huge help. I sincerely appreciate it.”
Honestly, I hadn’t expected much from either church.
Sure, I held the title of Honorary Paladin, but I hadn’t really done anything for them.
If it were the Grand Cathedral in Europe, that’d be a different story, but I had no significant ties with the Korean branches.
But it seemed the churches saw things differently.
The bishop from the Gaia Cult leaned in slightly and whispered,
“The Archbishop holds you in very high regard, Sir Paladin.”
“The Archbishop? But I haven’t done anything special…”
“Well, we weren’t exactly proactive in handling this situation, were we?”
“Well…”
“We were on the verge of receiving severe criticism, but your actions saved us. And… I must apologize, but we are still benefiting from that.”
So they were using my name.
Honestly, I didn’t mind.
That’s probably why they granted me the Honorary Paladin title in the first place—to use it when needed.
I wasn’t about to criticize the Gaia or Thor Cult for doing exactly what I would’ve done in their position.
Still, they must have felt guilty.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be handing me 200 billion won while giving me a heads-up.
I was fine with it.
Even if I weren’t, what could I do?
200 billion was 200 billion.
As long as they didn’t kill my parents or something, I was more than happy to let it slide.
If they had used my name without telling me, I might’ve been annoyed.
But that wasn’t the case.
“If I was able to help, then I’m glad. Feel free to use my name as much as you want. Squeeze every last drop out of it if you have to.”
“Oh, we could never go that far. And please, visit the Gangnam Cathedral sometime. The Archbishop has been eagerly waiting to meet you.”
“Haha. I’ll make time for it.”
“Sir Paladin, our Archbishop will be visiting you soon. You need not go out of your way to see him. After all, how could we summon someone who has witnessed the greatest lightning? Unlike those Greek shrine keepers, we have proper manners. Just let us know when you’re available.”
“Listen to this Nordic bear spouting nonsense.”
“What, you got a problem with that, Greek bookworm?”
They both looked fully Korean, yet here they were, calling each other a “Nordic bear” and a “Greek bookworm.” It was ridiculous.
I fought the urge to laugh.
Sad thoughts. Sad thoughts.
I barely managed to keep a straight face.
Then, Major Chae Songha of the Western Army raised her hand.
“May I ask a question?”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“The biggest issue in redevelopment is relocation. How are you handling the eviction of residents? Will that man over there take care of it?”
She nodded toward Kim Chulkwon, who was sitting in the corner.
He did look like a gang leader, after all.
That was the common practice in this world—hiring gangs as enforcers to drive out residents in redevelopment areas.
It didn’t matter if people lived or died.
Human lives were expendable.
Even tossing them a few scraps of compensation was considered generous.
“I plan to provide fair compensation. Business owners will receive an average of their past three years’ profits to cover their closure period. Residents will get relocation assistance, housing subsidies, and moving expenses. If they don’t want to leave the area, we’ll construct temporary housing for them.”
Relocation assistance, housing subsidies, moving expenses.
The standards were taken from my original world’s South Korea.
Relocation assistance was 30% of the property’s value.
Housing subsidies covered two months’ worth of household expenses for homeowners and four months for renters.
Moving expenses were reimbursed at actual cost.
The representatives’ faces shifted into expressions of confusion.
They didn’t get it.
Kim Mabeob finally broke the silence.
“Wait, hyung. Why go that far?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you running a charity? Relocation assistance? Housing subsidies? I’ve never even heard of those before. Just have Chulkwon kick them all out! The people living in Guro are all parasites—lazy freeloaders, illegal immigrants, criminals! If you let them stay, they’ll just drag you down. There’s no need to be generous!”
The others nodded in agreement.
Only Major Chae Songha looked uncomfortable.
That must have been the prevailing mindset in this world.
Was it any different in my original world?
During the early Industrial Revolution, people thought the same way.
The idea of social welfare only became widespread relatively recently.
“Mabeob.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I’m doing this redevelopment for money?”
“Of course not. Hyung doesn’t care much about money.”
That wasn’t true.
I cared a lot.
It just wasn’t my top priority.
My ultimate focus was on acquiring traits—on getting stronger.
And in this world, that was the correct answer.
The stronger you became, the more money, power, and fame naturally followed.
“You heard about what happened to Manager Choi, right? How he ended up in the ICU after the attack?”
“Yes. I heard you even used an elixir on him…”
“I’m making an example out of them. The Terror Alliance messed with the wrong person. I’m going to make sure they have nowhere left to stand. I’m burning their nest to the ground.”
Once Guro Fortress was wiped out and Daerim-dong was cleaned up, what could they do?
In the game, the Terror Alliance was never completely eradicated.
If there were enough places to hide and the world kept descending into chaos, security would only continue to deteriorate.
But what if I erased all the lawless zones?
What if I redeveloped the area into a gleaming new city?
What if I filled it with police stations, fire departments, and hospitals?
Even the Terror Alliance wouldn’t be able to survive in that kind of environment.
“It’s similar to how the Japanese Empire used cultural rule to suppress the independence movement.”
What kind of comparison was that…?
I turned to see who had spoken—it was Major Chae Songha.
She looked like she was in her late teens, yet she was referencing strategies from a hundred years ago?
I was about to say something but held my tongue.
I was beginning to understand the source of the strange feeling I’d had about her.
And I was starting to grasp her true identity.
“May I ask one more question?”
“Go ahead.”
“What about the stateless residents? Guro Fortress has been outside the reach of the government for so long that most people there have never even been registered at birth. There are barely any legal Korean citizens.”
That was exactly why many would prefer to expel them.
More ruthless people would simply exterminate them.
But that approach didn’t sit well with me.
It didn’t align with my goals either.
“I will protect them under my name.”
“…Excuse me? What did you just say?”
“I will issue identification cards under my name, valid only within Guro-dong, and provide protection for the residents. I won’t investigate their pasts, but all superhumans will be required to register. If anyone is found guilty of serious crimes, they’ll be expelled without compensation. However, as long as I protect them, they must abide by South Korean law. If they refuse, they will be exiled.”
The room stirred with commotion.
Everyone turned to me with wide eyes.
Even Major Chae’s expression sharpened.
“Black Tiger Swordmaster, do you realize what you’re saying?”
“Yes. I do.”
This was, in effect, a declaration of sovereignty.
A nation consists of three things: people, territory, and governance.
What I had just stated aligned with that concept.
If my declaration stood and the residents accepted it, Guro-dong would become my domain.
Just like Paju and Cheorwon.
“Can you handle that?”
Her gaze was piercing.
Eyes that reminded me of Legion Commanders, Mage Tower Masters, Saints, and Pontiffs.
Instead of answering immediately, I looked at Choi Sunsoo first.
He seemed both surprised and deeply trusting.
Kim Chulkwon was the same.
His face was flushed with excitement, and his eyes locked onto me with unwavering determination.
A sense of responsibility radiated from them.
It weighed on my shoulders.
I had never once taken responsibility for another life before.
But I remembered.
The fury I felt when I saw my building destroyed.
The rage that surged when I saw my subordinate in a hospital bed.
I clenched the hilt of Black Tiger Sword.
“I am prepared.”
Major Chae’s expression melted away.
Her demeanor completely changed.
She went from exuding the chilling presence of a hardened warrior to looking like a grandmother doting on her grandchild.
“You already have the heart of a king. I was starting to worry that today’s superhumans lacked backbone, but I don’t need to worry about you.”
Her tone shifted entirely.
The Eastern Army lieutenant colonel beside her jumped in shock and scolded her.
“Major Chae! Watch your tone with Black Tiger Swordmaster! By seniority, he’s basically our grandfather!”
Grandfather?
More like the other way around.
I ignored him and bowed my head.
“Thank you for your praise, Legion Commander. It is an honor simply to receive your presence, and I am humbled by your regard.”
Legion Commander!
The lieutenant colonel’s face turned pale.
So did everyone else’s.
Their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as they turned to stare at Major Chae—no, the Legion Commander of the Western Army.
She gave a playful smile.
“When did you figure it out? You catch on quick.”
“I suspected from the moment we met.”
“As expected, a promising tree shows its strength from the seedling stage. Unlike that brat from the Gu family, who only knows how to ogle my ass.”
“W-W-W-What! That’s not true!”
The lieutenant colonel frantically waved his hands, his face drained of color.
“How could that be his fault? It’s only natural, considering the Legion Commander’s stunning beauty.”
“Gahaha! You’re different from what I heard! I was told you weren’t one for flattery. Should I give you some pocket money?”
“I’d be grateful to receive it.”
The Western Army’s Legion Commander laughed heartily and pulled out a fountain pen.
It was an exquisite work of art, made from the rarest materials and enchanted metals.
She casually scribbled something in the air.
An instant promissory note.
Stamped with the official mana seal of the Western Army and her personal signature.
] [Amount: 1,000,000,000,000 KRW (1 Trillion Won)]
“Here you go!”
She handed over a trillion won like it was pocket change and patted my back.
“Remember this moment. Never forget why you set out on this path or where you started. I’ve seen too many people begin with noble intentions, only to become monsters—drunk on power, fame, and strength. I hope you won’t follow that path. Old Tiger tells me not to worry about you, but I don’t trust that old man’s judgment.”
“Thank you. I will keep that in mind.”
“Good, good. Grow strong. Then I can finally rest easy. See you again.”
And just like that, the Western Army’s Legion Commander vanished like mist.
A perfect fusion of transcendent martial arts and illusion magic.
“Safe travels.”
The others looked toward the door.
But I didn’t.
I rose from my seat and bowed deeply toward the back wall.
A face appeared on the wall, grinning broadly.
Then, it passed through the surface and disappeared.
The Western Army’s Legion Commander had left.
The air was thick with awe and disbelief.
“Now, let’s get back to business.”
The storm had passed, but everyone’s expressions were still flushed with excitement.
I was the only one who remained calm.
I alone kept my composure.
It didn’t matter.
As long as the captain held the helm steady, the ship would keep moving forward.
A few days later.
With the full support and sponsorship of six factions—
The Eastern Army, Geumo Group, Sun Mage Tower, Thor Cult, Gaia Cult, and now the Western Army—
Plans and proposals were approved at lightning speed.
And the redevelopment of Guro Fortress was officially set into motion.
–TL Notes–
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