Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 36

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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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Chapter 36

Argelayer was in exceptionally high spirits.
Her service record had been recognized in front of everyone, and she’d even been promoted ahead of schedule.
She was having the best day of her life.
“But seriously, this tastes amazing. No question… you’re the best… Leader.”
Argelayer lay in bed, savoring the Choco Ball she’d received as a reward, lavishing praise on her commanding officer.
The only thing that dampened her joy was the lack of anyone to share it with.
She’d wanted to brag to Krayle, but he’d refused to engage, claiming he was in pain.
“I mean… do you know how much… I wor… ried about you?”
Choco Ball after Choco Ball disappeared into her mouth.
Argelayer sat up, her breath sweet with chocolate.
Then she grabbed her crutches.
“This won’t do at all.”
She called over the Drones that were idling on patrol.
“Hey, you there. Come here. And you too—come here and have some Lubricant.”
She also called over the robots that maintained the City’s aesthetics.
A hastily assembled audience.
Argelayer began recounting her exploits from the battlefield.
“That’s when I, Argelayer the Lone Final Gambler, erased that thing with the Super-Absolute Photon Cannon.”
Popping another Choco Ball into her mouth, Argelayer surveyed her assembled listeners, and they chimed in enthusiastically.
“Beep-boop— Truly magnificent, ma’am.”
“Magnificent! Magnificent! Beep-boop—”
“Right? Magnificent, isn’t it? The Leader trusts me so much for a reason, you know.”
“Indeed, Captain—”
Argelayer’s face, which had been split with glee, stiffened instantly.
The robots gave a pointed look to whichever one had slipped up.
That one hastily corrected itself.
“I mean, Lieutenant—”
Argelayer’s expression melted back into a smile as if nothing had happened.
“That’s right, Lieutenant. Lieu-tenant! Ahahaha! Super-speed promotion!”
Argelayer fired up the recording again.
The robots continued playing along until she was satisfied—when her expression suddenly went rigid.
Ar’s face locked tight.
“You didn’t hear that sound?”
“Beep-boop— We made no mistakes this time, ma’am.”
“Unfair…! That’s so unfair—”
Argelayer clarified for the robots who had misread her reaction.
“Not that. I asked if you heard it. Just now.”
“What… sound are you referring to, ma’am?”
Ar had definitely heard it.
“A newcomer arriving!”
It had been like this with Krayle too.
Perhaps only special beings like herself could sense such things.
Ar gripped her crutches and spoke.
“Come on! Let’s go see the new recruit!”
“Wheeeee—”
Ar dashed off toward the Supply Depot with the robots in tow, full of excitement.
The depot door swung open at precisely that moment.
With Krayle, things had gotten messy and she’d caught hell for it—but this time, she’d establish proper military discipline.
The moment Argelayer glimpsed the figure emerging through the door and opened her mouth to speak, she froze solid where she stood.
“How… why…”
Ar’s eyes met the newcomer’s, and she turned to stone—rigid, immobile.
The same cyan-blue hair as Ar’s own.
An appearance of a middle schooler, perhaps three years older than Ar.
An officer in dress uniform of the same design.
The woman looked at Ar and slowly curved her lips upward into a smile.
“Sermin… n… nuna?”
“You must be the captain, Lieutenant Argelayer.”
Sermin spoke while glancing at her insignia.
“More importantly, Lieutenant—you’ve just seen a superior officer. Shouldn’t you salute?”
Arge’s body responded not from learning, but from pure instinct.
The crutches clattered to the ground, and standing on one leg, she saluted toward Sermin.
Sermin didn’t return the salute, merely folding her arms as she glanced past Arge at the robots and drones trailing behind.
“Your military discipline has gone slack.”
“That’s not—”
“Arge, did I teach you to make ‘excuses’?”
Sermin was nothing if not consistent.
The mood now.
This was hazing, wasn’t it.
That absurd sort of military discipline.
It was precisely what Sermin enjoyed most.
The only problem was that she herself had become the target.
And by Arge of all people.
“All of you except Arge—conduct perimeter patrol of the Urban Outskirts from this moment forward. If I see minds wandering like that again in the future, prepare yourselves accordingly.”
At Sermin’s cold smile, the drones and robots scrambled to move out.
Left alone with her younger sister, Sermin spoke softly.
“Is it difficult?”
“N-no, it isn’t!”
“You look like you’re struggling.”
Sermin examined Arge’s leg, which was trembling visibly.
Standing on a single leg appeared to be quite the ordeal for her.
“I’ll let it pass this time.”
She must have been promoted to lieutenant for a reason, after all.
Besides, today would not be the only day.
And Sermin had no cruel inclinations toward a patient in such a state.
Once Sermin accepted the salute, Arge collapsed with a dull thud.
“Huff… huff…”
Truly pathetic.
It was a sight Sermin most despised.
But Arge was a cherished younger sister, and had to be thoroughly trained into a perfect soldier.
Only then would the honor of the Lyer Family remain untarnished.
As Sermin withdrew, Arge watched her go and muttered under her breath.
“Damn it. Military rank really is the worst.”

* * *

I knew who she was the moment I saw her.
A girl offering a salute even more disciplined than Argelayer’s had been at our first meeting.
“So you’re Sermin.”
“That is correct.”
Before coming here, I had naturally stopped by the Core Center.
It was to gather information about her from Neia.
Sermin, whom I encountered near the Supply Depot, was someone who—
whose first impression brought to mind someone I knew.
“What’s your relationship to Lieutenant Argelayer?”
“She is my older sister.”
It was too seamless to be mere window dressing.
Their hair color matched, and there were subtle resemblances.
This was not a hastily fabricated backstory.
“I see. How fortunate, serving in the same unit as your sister.”
“Indeed.”
I glanced past Sermin toward Arge.
Perhaps it was just my imagination that I saw tears at the corners of her eyes as she lay sprawled on the ground, muttering something incoherently.
“In any case, Captain Sermin. I hear you’re a medical officer?”
“That is correct.”
The model underlying her existence was Aegis.
It was true for Arge, and it was true for Krayle as well.
The capabilities of these Units varied depending on the base model they were derived from.
Argelayer’s specialty lay in firepower.
Krayle’s focus on support made that obvious enough.
And she—this new one—was a defense-specialized Unit.
That’s why her arrival gladdened me.
Drones were notoriously fragile as it was.
She was exactly what we needed to shore up their weaknesses.
We wouldn’t face formidable opponents like Belpherus every day.
But her presence alone would prove invaluable in a crisis—the difference between survival and annihilation.
“Welcome to our ranks. I expect great things of you, so show us what you’re capable of.”
“I shall live up to your expectations, Heir.”
“Yes, with Argelayer and Sermin both on board, I feel as though I’ve gained an army of ten thousand.”
“Thank you for taking such kindness toward my inadequate sister.”
Polite. Graceful.
“Ah, speaking of you two—perhaps we should have a private word? Just the siblings and me?”
Argelayer’s eyelids twitched.
She’d been trying to signal something, but the moment Sermin’s gaze touched her, she seemed to resign herself, dropping her head.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
Sermin spoke, a subtle smile gracing her lips.
“I wouldn’t dream of declining such courtesy. I’ve been curious about how she achieved a Lieutenant’s rank so quickly, in fact.”
“All right then, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
As Argelayer vanished, leaning on Sermin’s arm, something about the sight struck me as melancholy.
Why?

* * *
Once the two of them had disappeared, Neia spoke up.

‘Hero Unit: TYPE-Δ AI Tactical Unit, Sermin Lyer. Would you not like to verify her performance specifications?’

“She specializes in defense anyway, and that’s not something we can test easily.”
A Hero Unit, no less.
When Neia first told me about it, I’d been overjoyed.
A Hero Unit wouldn’t fail to block even a standard Drone’s attack.
But I couldn’t very well order Argelayer to fire the Super-Absolute Photon Cannon at her either.
Even if she managed to block it, the thought of her being wounded—or worse, destroyed—made my skin crawl.
And I wasn’t even sure Argelayer could muster her full strength against her own older sister.
“For now, let’s just give them time alone together.”

‘Understood.’

With the matter of Sermin settled, I brought up the other reason I’d come to the Core Center.
“And Neia, if you don’t mind—can you take a look at this?”
I showed her the Ancient Stone Tablet.
“Is there any chance you could decipher it?”
Neia scanned the tablet, then spoke after a brief pause.

‘Impossible. The language does not exist in my database. However, if multiple similar tablets were available, decipherment would likely be possible.’

When she spoke so decisively, it really meant it couldn’t be done.
Best to let it go gracefully.
Unless I was willing to hunt down more of these strange tablets, there was no point pressing the matter.
“All right, thanks anyway.”
I’d hoped Neia, as the City’s administrator and possibly connected to the Tower, might know something…

‘Seonwoo, I have a question regarding the City expansion operation from before.’

“Ah, right.”
Unlike back then, I could answer with confidence now.
“Start up the Small Factory. And at the same time, can you calculate what operational rate boost would be appropriate for the City?”
In response to my question, Neia ran through the calculations and delivered her answer.

『I recommend activating 0.5% of the facilities surrounding the Core Center, including the following. This alone would raise the operational rate to approximately twenty-five times the current level.』

[Primary Additional Operational Facilities]
– Mineral Refining Facility.
– Function Research Facility.
– Parts Processing Facility.
…

“What’s your reasoning behind this assessment?”

『I’ve prioritized the essential facilities required to operate a Small Factory. I’ve included the mineral refining facility necessary to produce new units, the processing facility for more sophisticated parts manufacturing, and the research facility to test output levels. Beyond that…』

“That’s enough. Let’s do it this way.”

『An excellent decision. Disengaging Power-Saving Mode completely. Attempting to raise the City’s operational rate from 0.02% to 0.5%….』

It happened right after Neia spoke those words with evident delight.
Along with a sound that pierced the ears.
Light began to flood into the ashen city.
Whirrrr—
Flicker—flicker—
I watched silently as the buildings around the Core Center transformed.
Neia spoke.

『Would you like to review the units the Small Factory can produce?』

“Of course.”
The expansion of the city was precisely for this reason—there was no reason to decline.
A list of units the Small Factory could produce appeared.

– Longhail Turtle
– Swift Mesa
– Storm Hammer

I reviewed the appearance and concept of each one.
First, the Longhail Turtle.
An ultra-long-range bombardment weapon.
It boasted high-level defensive power and firepower, though it was slow.
Next came the Swift Mesa.
A small avian-form flying unit that corrected the accuracy of long-range bombardment strikes.
Finally, the Storm Hammer.
A bipedal unit featuring a rounded upper body and short, sturdy legs—a mobile fortress-type weapon.
“Tell me what resources are needed to produce one of each.”

『Calculating….』

Whatever resources were required, I’d have to steadily supply them to the city through Baekjinseong.

『Calculation complete. The resources currently required for production are as follows.』

– Inertial Stone: 50 kg
– Resonance Crystal: 10 kg
– Heat-Resistant Obsidian: 1 kg
– Mana Metal: 400 kg

“So all I need to do is bring these?”

『That is correct.』

“Understood.”
A new weapon always sets the heart racing.
It’s strange to say such a thing when I haven’t even laid eyes on the Shiz Runner yet, but I find myself eager to meet it sooner rather than later.
I pulled up the resources Neia had requested right away.
“Why is everything so expensive….”
I’d forgotten.
Crafting a new weapon always came with a considerable price tag.

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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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