Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 16

The moment I received the message about Special Assembly, I opened my status window.

【Skills】
– [Special Assembly II]
– 5% chance to produce a Special Unit.
– 1% chance to produce a Hero-class Unit.

The skill that caught my attention was Special Assembly, which I’d reinforced just this once.
A skill that had never triggered before, and now it had activated….
Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened a Gate at once.
“Gate, open.”
I stepped through the Gate that materialized before my eyes and made straight for the Core Center.
Neia greeted me as I arrived, breathless from running.

『Welcome, Seonwoo.』

“Neia, I just heard a special unit was generated. Do you know anything about it?”
Neia’s eyes shimmered with light as she processed.
Once her calculations finished, she answered in her usual measured tone.
『Approximately thirty minutes ago, an oversized individual of unknown origin manifested at the Nearby Factory. It is currently on standby at the Supply Warehouse. Shall I summon it?』
I’d made the trip here precisely to confirm that unit.
There was no reason to refuse.
“Yes, please do.”

『Hero-class Unit: TYPE-α AI Tactical Unit, Argellayer, now mobilizing. Currently summoning…』

‘A Hero-class Unit?!’
I blinked and checked again.
But the probability table listed in Special Assembly remained unchanged.
Unlikely as it seemed, the 1% chance had come through.
“The 5% never even triggered once….”
Still, it was undeniably fortunate.
I was anticipating my encounter with Argellayer when it happened.
Shrieeeek—
A piercing summon signal erupted around the Core Center, followed by
a subtle tremor as though long-sealed doors were grinding open, shaking the area.
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
I gauged the direction of the vibration.
“Over there?”
It wasn’t far.
Peering intently in that direction….
A small object began to rise dimly above the building.
Argellayer commenced rapid flight.
My eyes filled with growing astonishment as I watched.
‘Much larger than I’d…’
The closer it drew, the more immense its true size became.
By the time Argellayer had streaked in a direct line toward the Core Center and come to a hover above my head, my mind had barely caught up.
A massive shadow fell beneath my feet.
Judging by its dimensions, it easily measured five meters in both width and length.
It was incomparable to standard combat drones.
“Neia, do you have any additional information on that unit?”

『I apologize. As far as the records in our current database extend, there is no information available.』

“So I’ll have to learn by direct observation….”
It was just then that I turned my attention back to the drone hovering in near-silent flight.
Whirrrrrr—
Suddenly, Argellayer began a slow descent.
I glanced at Neia; she looked equally puzzled.

『Shall I force-halt his movements?』

“No, wait. Let’s see what he’s doing.”
Argellayer touched down in front of the Core Center, venting a thin wisp of heat.
Then the odd behavior began anew.
Click. Click.
The drone folded and unfolded, its form shifting with each movement.
The oversized barrel retracted inward while something else jutted out; the outer armor panels merged and separated in constant flux.
Folding, fusing, the drone’s silhouette kept reshaping itself, growing progressively smaller with each transformation.
At last, Argellayer vented a plume of pristine white steam.
Shhhhh—
The thick haze blanketing the area gradually dissolved.
As it cleared, a peculiar form grew sharper.
‘A person?’
The figure that emerged from the dissipating smoke wore a military uniform.
Standing no taller than roughly 140 centimeters—elementary-school height.
The face held the promise of refined beauty.
What struck most were the silver-blue hair and vivid blue eyes—an arresting combination.
My gaze naturally fell to the insignia on the chest.
‘Second Lieutenant?’
The moment our eyes met, he raised his hand in a crisp salute.
“Second Lieutenant Argellayer, sir! It is the greatest honor of my clan to meet the Inheritor!”
I could only stare.
Not that I’d normally say such a thing, but—
rather than stern and impressive, he was endearingly, unmistakably cute.
Neia spoke to me then.

Well, Argellayer’s current form was certainly enough to draw a wry smile.
Even Neia found it amusing.
The fact that he’d pulled off such a remarkable feat so cleanly—he was terrifyingly capable.
His boyish appearance aside, his actions were entirely at odds with it; I suppressed the urge to laugh at this spectacle and returned his salute.
“Right then, Second Lieutenant Argellayer. I’m honored to meet you as well.”

An AI Tactical Unit—
‘So he was a Humanoid all along.’
From our conversation, he proved scarcely different from a human at all.
‘I’m genuinely impressed.’
Someone with that caliber of intellect would be invaluable on an actual battlefield.
Where my existing drones were passive instruments, mere executors of commands, Argellayer’s cognitive faculties suggested I could even organize him into his own tactical squadron and expect strong performance as a commander.
“All right, Second Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir!”
Though there is one drawback.
That face—far too solemn for how he looks.
At first, circumstances changed too rapidly to notice anything amusing, but now that I’m growing accustomed to him, it strikes differently.
His adorable features keep making the corners of my mouth twitch upward.
*Ahem.*
I threw myself into the moment so Argellayer wouldn’t sense any ridicule.
The Inheritor.
I am the Inheritor.

He’s her superior officer….
Seonwoo braced himself inwardly, then spoke with deliberate gravity.
“I’m grateful you answered the summons, but I haven’t yet assessed your capabilities. Would you mind demonstrating them?”
“It’s a simple matter.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes!”
“Neia, could you mark the shortest route to a location where I can cut loose without restrictions?”
She’s still smiling.

『Understood, Seonwoo.』

By the time Seonwoo and Argellayer had traveled along the path Neia indicated for roughly an hour, they spotted it.
An exit leading out of the city came into view.
Once they passed through the large Gate and emerged outside, forest and mountain terrain spread before them.
“This place will do nicely, no problems here.”
Seonwoo spoke, watching Argellayer.
“Show me what you can do, Second Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir!”
Argellayer underwent form conversion again, this time shifting into drone configuration.
As Seonwoo continued watching him rise back into the sky, Neia’s voice reached him.

『Seonwoo.』

“All done laughing?”

『My apologies. It was an unexpected situation, and I made an error. Please forgive me.』

“Never mind the trivialities. So you have something to tell me?”
Neia’s tone turned serious, as it typically did when she had news to share.

『Second Lieutenant Argellayer transmitted information to me through the central communications network just moments ago.』

“Information? What kind?”

『A report detailing the armaments and specifications of Hero-class Unit: Argellayer.』

“Will you show it to me?”
At his request, a screen materialized before him.

【TYPE-α AI Tactical Unit: Argellayer】
Classification: Hero-class Unit
Base Model: Combat Drone (Large / High-Speed Flight Capable)
Rank Designation: Second Lieutenant

〈Armaments〉
– Multiple Cannons
– Ultra-Absolute Photon Cannon
– Special Outer Armor

〈Tactical Functions〉
AI Battle Analysis: Comparative assessment of ally and enemy forces within a 3km radius.
Command Network: Synchronization of all allied drones within 3km radius; enables squadron-based tactical operations.

“So that’s what we’re dealing with. Let’s start by testing his firepower with the Multiple Cannons.”
Seonwoo scanned the full report, then issued orders immediately.
“Second Lieutenant Argellayer—twenty enemy hostiles approaching from the front. Use the Multiple Cannons to eliminate the simulated targets.”
Artillery fire from Argellayer erupted toward the Wild Mountain ahead.
Impacts struck the mid-slope and the peak’s flank simultaneously.
Seeing strikes delivered across such widely dispersed locations at once suggested each cannon operated independently.
It appeared as though five combat drones had been merged into a single unit.
“Second Lieutenant, this is another simulated enemy scenario. Sweep them away with the Ultra-Absolute Photon Cannon.”
The moment my command rang out, five cannon batteries merged into a single massive barrel.
Energy particles gathered visibly at the muzzle of the oversized bore.
Then, as the blue glow intensified—
Whoooosh.
A colossal beam lanced forward, melting the mountain in its path.
It looked less like firing a cannon and more like swinging an enormous sword.
The blast radius was broad enough that against concentrated enemy formations, it would demonstrate considerable destructive power.
“Excellent, Second Lieutenant. Now demonstrate your tactical capability. Neia.”
At my word, Neia hastily summoned drones and integrated them into the squad.
“Enemy contact ahead. Confirmed: no anti-air capability.”
Argellayer, briefed on the situation, maintained an optimal altitude for both combat drones and hunter drones to guarantee hits, then unleashed a barrage with feverish intensity.
As I watched the simulated engagement unfold, I casually introduced a complication.
“Emergency scenario, Second Lieutenant. While slaughtering ground-based enemies lacking anti-air capability, you receive a surprise attack from the rear. Friendly forces: two units lost in the preceding ambush. Enemy confirmed equipped with anti-air armaments at approximately five-hundred-meter range.”
The moment Argellayer processed the new situation, he ascended sharply with his drones, established a defensive crossfire, prioritized eliminating the long-range threats, and then mopped up the defenseless ground forces.
Argellayer’s tactical judgment was nearly identical to my own.
He genuinely thinks and acts at a level comparable to any competent human combatant.
At this level, I felt entirely justified in granting him genuine autonomy in actual combat.
“A Hero-class Unit, then…”
Better than expected.

* * *

This unexpected Special Assembly had occurred.
After completing a hasty baseline assessment, I returned to my Rooming House.
Argellayer escorted me partway up the Wild Mountain, offering his farewell salute.
“I will await your call to the battlefield!!”
“Then, Second Lieutenant—I look forward to our next meeting.”
After acknowledging Argellayer’s salute, I turned back toward my room, closed the Gate behind me, and exhaled a heavy sigh.
“Sudden reality check, huh.”
Overcommitting myself to his character concept now delivered delayed psychological damage.
Is this what they mean by drained?
I pressed my palms to my face, splashed cold water on myself, then focused on the voice still filling the empty room.
I’d left Baek Jinsung’s broadcast running before heading out.
“Might as well finish what I started.”
Baek Jinsung’s stream had continued throughout my absence.
Though he’d already concluded today’s sales, he appeared to be maintaining engagement with his viewers.
That guy’s got a real knack for the sales grind.

– What the hell?
– This is insane.
– …shivers…

I sat at my desk and checked the broadcast—the atmosphere was distinctly different.
“What on earth…?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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