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nChapter 17. This is My Territory, Part I

nTranslator: Khan

nEditor: RED

n1.

nPeople entered the Bucheon City Council located next to Bucheon City Hall, and the conference room of the committee, which had been established there.

nHowever, the atmosphere was different from normal.

nThe expressions of the six men and women present at the table and the man in front of a whiteboard with a map of Bucheon City were by no means the faces of those discussing budgetary resolutions!

n“According to the Daedongyeojido, green-grade monsters that were located in Gwangmyeong City, to the east of Bucheon City, have moved about two kilometers.”

nSoon after, Jang Sung-hoon, the man in front of the map, drew a line in Gwangmyeong City on the right side of Bucheon City with a green laser pointer.

nThe direction of the line was headed toward Bucheon.

n“We’ve never encountered a green-grade monster before, so we can’t specify its power, but it is clear that we are not able to fight a green-grade monster with our current power.”

nThe faces of Kim Soo-ji, Ahn Sun-mi, Bang Hyun-wook, and Lee Soo-young and Yang Jung-hwan, who were now Clan masters of Mac Guild, hardened.

nIt was a natural reaction.

n“Anyway, the green-grade monster would be the top predator that could simply eat even a yellow-grade monster, like the Black Snake.”

nIt was only a few days ago that they had escaped from the fear of Black Snake.

nBut a green-grade monster, one step higher than the Black Snake, now approached Bucheon.

n“Of course we don’t know if the green-grade monster from Gwangmyeong City, is heading for Bucheon. The problem is that with its move, the existing monsters are pushed towards Bucheon. In fact, the Daedongyeojido has detected the inflow of monsters from Gwangmyeong City towards Bucheon.”

nGreen-grade monsters also meant fear and despair for the weaker monsters. Of course, they had no choice but to run away.

n“One of the monsters approaching Bucheon City is a yellow-grade monster. Of course, if it moves, the monsters below it would move toward Bucheon, as if they were fleeing. Furthermore, the number of monsters in Bucheon has decreased significantly due to constant monster cleaning. From the standpoint of other monsters, it looks like paradise.”

nThat was the end of the explanation of the situation. There were no questions.

n‘I thought it was quiet, but it was quiet before the storm.’

nThere were so many questions they wanted to ask, but no one had the mental and psychological freedom to ask them.

nKim Tae-hoon, the only man with such composure, was sipping coffee.

nKim Tae-hoon was not really free and didn’t enjoy his coffee. For him, coffee was not proof of freedom but a tool to maintain composure in any situation.

nSoon after, Kim Tae-hoon swallowed his coffee and spoke. “What choices do we have?”

n“Running away or fighting. It’s one of the two.”

nIn this situation, Mac Guild had two options. But there was only one option to choose to live.

n“If we want to live together, we have to fight back.” A healthy man who seemed to be in his early thirties also knew that fact, so he chose his option without worrying about it.

nHis name was Yang Jung-hwan. He was the master of the Starfish Clan under the Mac Guild.

nAs soon as Yang Jung-hwan opened the sluice gate, Kim Soo-ji spoke up. “Defense is a war of consumption. With the ammunition we have, it’s hard to fight for long periods of time. Our need for ammunition is urgent, and a new supply of weapons is also necessary.”

nAhn Sun-mi also presented her opinion. “If I give an opinion as a doctor, nine out of ten people would be better left dead if they are seriously injured enough to require surgical operations in combat. There’s no electricity, no blood transfusions, and the survival rate is meaningless. I’m almost out of the flesh of the Mud Troll.”

n“Then, is there a place where we can get a supply?” another Clan Master, Lee Soo-young, asked.

nThe answer came from Jang Sung-hoon’s lips. At the same time, he organized the situation again. “There is the 17th Division located in the south, so if we go down to Siheung or Incheon, we can get weapons we can use in those subordinate camps.”

n“In the end, we have to go through both combat and supply. Of course, there is only one thing the boss can do at a time.”

nThe crowd shut up again.

nKim Tae-hoon kept savoring his coffee.

nThis was the key.

nUntil now, the difficult problems had been left for Kim Tae-hoon, and he solved the difficult problem.

nThat’s why everyone bet their fate on Kim Tae-hoon, whether they liked him or not. But this time was different.

nKim Tae-hoon could only do so much. He might leave Bucheon to get supplies, or he can deal with the monsters that remain in Bucheon. But it was impossible to do both at the same time.

nEventually, they needed someone to replace Kim Tae-hoon in battle or as a backup.

n“There is the 17th Division, but there is also the Third Military Assistance Command in Bupyeong, Incheon.”

nIn this situation, Yang Jung-hwan made the first choice. “Of course, there will be nothing at the Command, but there will be a supply warehouse where the Military Command is located. For your information, we have two members of the Samma Unit in our Clan, and one of them is from the Ammunition Company in Gyeyang District.”

nYang Jung-hwan also took out his hidden card at this moment.

nSamma Unit was a nickname of the Third Military Assistance Command. The Military Assistance Command was a logistical unit that managed military supplies, from daily life items to ammunition and artillery!

nIf they were from Samma Unit, or if they were from the Ammunition Company, they would know the location of the ammunition dump where they worked.

nMoreover, Yang Jung-hwan said that a member of the Samma Unit was from the Ammunition Company in Gyeyang District…

n“If it is Gyeyang District…”

n“The direct distance would be about 6 kilometers from here, but we can’t fly, so about twenty kilometers back and forth.”

nGyeyang District in Incheon was located about six kilometers from Bucheon. There was no reason why they couldn’t go there on foot. That’s why he kept it hidden.

nYang Jung-hwan’s plan was to use their firepower to advance to Gyeyang District where the Ammunition Company was located, after acquiring guns and ammunition from Mac Guild, and to secure ammunition by occupying the Ammunition Company.

nIt was not to antagonize Kim Tae-hoon, but it was necessary to have a purpose to secure the Ammunition Company in a world where ammunition could now replace money.

nSimply put, the Ammunition Company was a treasure island and Yang Jung-hwan was hiding a map that reached the treasure island.

nBut now he had revealed the hidden card concerning the fate of Yang Jung-hwan himself and the Starfish Clan in front of Kim Tae-hoon.

n“The reason I did not mention it before was to hide it, as all of you can imagine, but I am showing you all the cards I have in this situation.”

nIt meant that Yang Jung-hwan took this situation seriously.

n“If I die, the hidden card is not going to make any sense. Anyway, the 17th Division is good, but Gyeyang District is a lot closer. Most of all, the man I said before retired about a year ago from the Ammunition Company, and I’m sure he has an acquaintance there if there are survivors.”

n“So can rob the 17th Division?” Lee Soo-young immediately accepted his role.

nIt was certainly dangerous to take military supplies from the subordinate units of the 17th Division, but she had no qualms about her choice. If she had intended to ignore it like that, she would not have done anything to follow Kim Tae-hoon when he said that she should do so that day.

nThe two Clans chose the supply route.

n“I think the roles are arranged.”

nNow the remaining option belonged to the Mac Guild. The Mac Guild must deal with the monsters that come.

nIt was time to get ready.

n“Then, let’s prepare the items.”

n2.

nWith the advent of monsters, most people lost most of what they had.

nBut not everyone did.

nPark Gap-soo… In 2017, he was seventy years old and had been making leather shoes for 50 years.

nHe was a craftsman who has trained in one field for half a century.

nHowever, Park Gap-soo has never been treated like a craftsman his whole life. He was exploited from the beginning. He had worked unpaid for years under the pretext of learning skills, and even after he was able to do his part, he would not receive his salary on time.

nEven the last owner exploited him, and the owner of the shoe factory where he worked ran away instead of paying him more than two years’ salary.

nAt that age of sixty-five, Park Gap-soo was thrown into the world without a penny of retirement pension and no money saved, and since then, he began to live life like a beggar.

nFree meals given by volunteer groups were the best banquet.

nIt was after the appearance of the monsters that he started to be treated as a proper craftsman.

n“Workshop chief! They are here.” Park Gap-soo looked at a man in his early thirties who called him.

nHe was an amazing lawyer until the monsters appeared. He was a lawyer who was good at his young age and could afford an expensive foreign car.

nIn the past, Park Gap-soo was not able to enter the other’s eyes beyond the age difference. But now the lawyer was one of his apprentices. It was not forced. Rather, it was evidence of cleverness.

nHe knew that in this world, the skill of how to trim monster skin would help him survive much better than the career of a lawyer.

nAnd not a few other people thought so, because Park Gap-soo, who became the chief of the workshop with the support of Mac Guild, should have tested them, as there were too many people gathered when he said he would select people.

nFrom the point of view of Park Gap-soo, he had never had a man who could be called a disciple, and so it was rather unnatural.

n“Prepare the item.”

n“I understand.”

nAt first, he didn’t feel this was all real.

nHowever, as time went on, Park Gap-soo realized this reality and was able to take pride in the fact that he was a craftsman for the first time.

nThat’s why he played his role with full power at the age of seventy, even if he could leave the world at any time by the jaws of a monster.

n“Are you here?”

n“I’m sorry, I come suddenly.”

n“No, I have increased output since then, as you asked, and now I have twenty sets of armor made from the skin of Black Snake.”

n“So fast?”

n“That’s all I’m doing, isn’t it? There’s no reason to be late.”

nJang Sung-hoon laughed at the words of Workshop Chief Park Gap-soo.

nAt that time, Kim Tae-hoon, who was behind Jang Sung-hoon, bowed his head deeply after standing in front of Park Gap-soo.

n“I’m Kim Tae-hoon.”

n“Oh!” At the words, Park Gap-soo looked at Kim Tae-hoon with surprised eyes.

n“I should have visited you before, I’m sorry.”

n“Oh, no.” To the survivors, Kim Tae-hoon was not just a being, but the only lamp in a dark world that they could not see ahead.

nIn addition, to him, Kim Tae-hoon was the one who made the life of Park Gap-soo, who had made leather shoes for fifty years, not a useless life, but a great life.

n“I will be rude because things are urgent; may I see them immediately?”

n“Of, of course!”

nAt the command of Park Gap-soo, the armor made of the skin of the Black Snake appeared.

nThe leather armor which appeared was quite simple. There were not many parts: a vest covering the upper body, and wraps for the arms, legs, elbows, and knees.

nBut they were not crude. Basically, the leather of the Black Snake itself had a lovely dark sheen, condensed by the unceasing tanning of Park Gap-soo.

nOf course, that was not really surprising.

nEveryone who followed Kim Tae-hoon took out a smartphone and snapped a photo of the leather armor of the Black Snake being worn by mannequins.

nKim Tae-hoon changed his eyes, too. His pupils went blackened.

n——

nLeather Armor of the Black Snake

n– Defense: C Rank

n– Mana Resistance: D Rank

n– It increases the recovery rate of Energy.

n– It strengthens your Energy.

n– Injecting Energy increases your Defense.

n——

nThe Leather Armor of the Black Snake appeared. The stats were remarkable.

n‘Excellent.’ Kim Tae-hoon, the first to read them, was surprised.

nYang Jung-hwan and Lee Soo-young, who also had not yet received proper reports on the Armor, were more surprised.

n‘With this… there’s no reason to be overpowered if we try close combat against an orange monster.’

n‘Three sets. If we get only three sets of protective equipment, we can use tactics.’

nFor those who had fought monsters in close combat, not with guns, it seemed like a greater treasure than a gun.

n“We have now completed twenty sets, and we can produce three sets a day, thanks to the recent speed of production. With the amount of the skin from the Black Snake on hand, we will produce about ninety sets.”

nBut surprise did not end there.

n“I powdered it as you asked.”

nWorkshop Chief, Park Gap-soo pulled out a plastic pack, filled with yellow powder in a plastic bag sealed in layers.

n==The Eyes of Black Snake

n– The power of Black Snake, the Eyes of Black Snake can be used when ingested.==

nIt was none other than powder made by grinding up the eyes of the Black Snake. It had the effect of temporarily allowing the Eyes of Black Snake to be used when ingested.

nOf course, it was not as good as the Eyes of Black Snake that Kim Tae-hoon used. It was a kind of downgraded version, but it was enough to be useful.

nIf a gunman took the powder, his hit rate would rise dramatically. That was not the only thing.

nThe doping effect that the Eyes of Black Snake would have in battle was beyond imagination.

n“Finally…”

nThe last item that appeared was four blades. Their length was about the length of an adult man’s arm. But it was a little different. It was more like a sword…

n“These are the Teeth of Black Snake.”

nThey looked like the teeth of a snake.

n==The Teeth of Black Snake

n– Injecting Energy increases cutting power.

nThey were the four fangs of the Black Snake.

n“Now all we have to do is make a sword hilt. However, since the item is a product, I will make a handle with the hide of the Black Snake to suit the grip of the person who is going to use it. They will get used to it sooner.”

nIt would be a powerful item as soon as he finished the hilt.

nAt his words, Kim Tae-hoon turned his head and looked at Yang Jung-hwan and Lee Soo-young.

n“If you perform your duties, you will be paid, as stated in the contract for the establishment of a Clan.”

nAt the words of Kim Tae-hoon, the two men began to drool inside.

n“I usually have to pay the price after work, but I will pay in advance, given the circumstances. I’ll give you one fang and three sets of leather armor.”

nThe two finally managed to swallow.

nBut Kim Tae-hoon’s words were not over.

n“It’s not free. I paid you in advance, and if I am not satisfied with the number of monsters you’ve caught, I’ll tear up the Clan contract.”

nThey nodded silently at his words.

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