Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 59

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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 59

“Sigh… It’s been a while. Home, sweet home.”
I returned after spending just over a week at my parents’ place.
At first, it felt warm and comforting — the embrace of family.
Now I understood why I’d moved out.
There’s just too much nagging. From both of them.
Whoosh—
I passed through the Gate and arrived at the mountainside overlooking the City.
Then I crossed through the second Gate beside it.
The broad, pleasant Command Center came into view.
Neia’s voice greeted me.

“Was your vacation enjoyable, sir?”

“Not particularly.”
Come to think of it, “vacation” was a generous term.
I’d handled all sorts of things in the meantime.
Though I did manage to rest properly for the last four days or so.
“Anyway, how bad is the City’s damage?”
It had been over four days since that Gate incident.
I asked, figuring the damage assessment would be complete by now, and Neia reported in detail.

“Damage accounting for approximately five percent of the City has been confirmed, centered on the northwestern outer wall where the Monster Wave struck.”

“Five percent doesn’t give me much sense of scale. Compared to the last incident, how significant is it?”

“It appears we’ll require roughly sixty times the material supplies of the previous restoration efforts.”

Sixty times over…
Hearing it put that way, I realized it was indeed substantial, even if I’d anticipated something along these lines.
By simple math, it meant capital requirements in the trillions or beyond.
And yet…
This was still manageable.
Well within my capacity to handle.
Even with the spending I did on Hero Grade equipment, it only came to around one trillion won.
Even accounting for the capital continuously consumed as we raised the City’s Operating Rate,
I hadn’t spent half of what I earned from the last auction.

“As for the required materials…”

“Put it in a report and send it to me separately. I’ll review it later.”

“Understood.”

I wrapped up the damage assessment for now and moved on to checking the income side.
“What about the other matter I asked you to handle?”
“The monster byproducts have been processed. The quantity is quite substantial compared to last time.”
The Seizure Runner’s final barrage had vaporized numerous monster corpses without a trace.
But even setting that aside, I had roughly two thousand monsters’ worth of byproducts intact—an overwhelming haul.
More than five times what we got from the Lava Hound incident.
There would be no difficulty covering the costs of City restoration and filling the gap in lost combat capability.

“Sir, there is one more pressing matter beyond supplies.”

Just as I was thinking the same thing, Neia broached the subject carefully.
“What is it?”

“The issue is the city’s energy supply, which is critical for the restoration work ahead. At the current rate of Mana Stone supply, we won’t have enough power to cover the consumption required by our recovery plans.”

It didn’t help that we’d been increasing consumption recently to boost the city’s operating rate.
The words rose to my throat—that there was no real need to complete the restoration so quickly—but I swallowed them back.
I’m responsible for this city; such reckless remarks wouldn’t befit a leader’s judgment.
At least when Neia spoke like this, she had her own reasoning behind it.
“So what are you proposing?”

“I recommend we extract the advanced resources buried beneath the city. Previously, circumstances made it unfeasible, but given the city’s current state, it would be possible—though it will require some tedious preparation work. Not only would this alleviate our chronic power shortage, but if we use this opportunity to establish the foundations of mining technology and begin proper management, it will contribute significantly to the city’s long-term development.”

“Understood. Let’s do that. Can we start right away?”

“That would not be possible. Substantial preparation is required. I estimate approximately two weeks of setup time.”

“Fine, I’ll leave that to you. If you need anything, just tell me.”
I delegated the matter of advanced minerals to Neia and turned my attention to troop production.
“This recent battle taught me something. We need to significantly expand our defensive forces.”
This time it had fortunately been only a C-Rank Gate, but there was no guarantee that higher-ranked Gates wouldn’t appear in the future.
Neia’s eyes took on a reddish hue at my words.

“Standing by for orders. Please advise.”

“First, pause the city operating rate expansion for now. We’ll activate about three additional Small Factories and three additional Micro Factories. The newly activated Small Factories will focus on producing new-model units. The Micro Factories will produce Seizure Runners. And the existing Micro Factories will continue producing Drones indefinitely until we have about double the Drone force we had before this battle.”

“Orders confirmed. Reordering existing processes. Troop production will be prioritized as the primary objective.”

As I spoke, I watched from the window as carts laden with special materials moved busily below.
“Also, set aside about ten percent of those byproducts. I have another use for them.”

“Understood.”

* * *

My city—provisionally named Nemesis.
We call it that because it was built based on a certain model, apparently.
In any case, the city was a quiet place.
Even with the command center’s window open, there wasn’t a sound—a clean, peaceful space.
Until yesterday.
“I suppose you could say it’s finally starting to feel like a real city…”
The city, which had begun full-scale troop production at my order yesterday, was now far noisier than before.
Yet it wasn’t unpleasant.
The sound of advancement toward greatness.
Thinking of it that way, the noise I heard while sipping coffee after waking this morning felt like rough, industrial music.
How could it be unpleasant?
Listening to that noise, I lifted the supply request list by the window.
The documentation of materials I’d requested the day before.
My expression stiffened the moment I saw the report Neia had prepared and delivered.
The scale of damage and the cost of damage are entirely different matters, it seemed.
Last time, destruction had been concentrated on the residential district.
This time, important facilities had been caught in the damage as well, and the recovery costs were far higher than anticipated.
Special materials alone wouldn’t begin to cover this.
I took a sip of coffee, and suddenly it tasted bitter.
‘This is dangerous.’
City restoration costs combined with additional Seizure Runner production and the massive material expenditure for troop manufacturing.
A rough calculation put it at over seventy trillion Won.
There was no immediate reason I couldn’t pay it…
The old saying went: a clever rabbit has three burrows.
Even without being a clever rabbit, a prudent one would need at least two burrows dug—preferably more.
But exhausting nearly all capital was clearly not the same as preparing alternative reserves.
It was a reckless move that would leave us devastatingly vulnerable to unexpected circumstances.
‘So after everything’s paid out, I’m looking at roughly two trillion won left over?’
I was trying to chase away the bitter aftertaste with the aroma of coffee beans.
“Is something wrong with the coffee?”
It was Duldul who’d spoken up.
Seeing my expression sour after I’d taken a sip, she seemed concerned.
“No, it’s just that there are so many places money needs to go. It has nothing to do with the coffee, so don’t worry about it.”
Here she was, considerate and attentive toward me.
Even now, the way she relaxed at my reassurance was rather endearing.
Had I, as the head of an AI, acquired something resembling aesthetic sensibility?
I sent Duldul away, appeased.
Then I let out a sigh.
‘I need money.’
I couldn’t rely solely on the funds I’d receive from transferring byproducts to the Gangseong Guild.
City operating costs would continue to flow out steadily for maintenance alone.
I had no luxury of simply sitting idle.
“Neia.”

‘Yes.’

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

‘I was acting as a wife who just caught her husband at an infidelity scene.’

“Stop joking around.”

‘What is it that you need, sir?’

“I’m thinking of starting to attempt the Tower climb.”
As I spoke, I gauged Neia’s reaction carefully.
Currently, my inventory contained a total of five Hero Grade or higher items.
The Crown and Leather Armor I’d had from before.
And the Hero Ring I’d received from Kang Se-hyeon.
The remaining two were both things Baek Jin-seong had obtained for me.
First, the boots.

【Guardian Steel Boots】
《Grade: Hero》
「Additional Stats」
—Strength: +20
—Magic Power: +10
—Defense: +100
「Auxiliary Skills」
+ [Unwavering Footsteps]
– After taking the first damage, if you do not move for 5 seconds, you take no damage.
+ [Swift Retreat]
– After taking the first damage, if you remain still for 5 seconds, your movement speed temporarily doubles.

Next, the gloves.

【Sorrowful Spirit Chain Gloves】
《Grade: Hero》
「Additional Stats」
—Mana: +10
—Magic Power: +15
—Defense: +30
「Auxiliary Skills」
+ [Soul Binding Chain]
– Restricts the movement of a designated target for 3 seconds. (Cooldown: 2 hours)
+ [Soul Curse]
– Slows the movement of a designated target for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 1 hour)

As you can see, these are all pieces of equipment with survival-related skills built in.
But even so, it falls short of what I initially planned.
At first, I’d intended to fill all the slots if possible.
In any case, I watched Neia’s expression carefully, and to my surprise, she reacted with remarkable composure.

‘I merely help with decisions and offer counsel. I wholly respect your choice.’

“You sure about that?”
It was a completely different reaction from when I’d asked her to refrain from entering the Tower for a while. If anything, it made me worry.

‘Yes. I’ve eliminated all immediate hazards.’

“Did you… do something?”

‘Yes.’

Well, if that were the case, it made a certain kind of sense.
The situation had changed, after all.
Wait—but what exactly did she mean by “eliminate”?
I recalled what Baek Jin-seong had mentioned about the Hunters who’d been active in Grace suddenly vanishing.
No way. That couldn’t be it.
Surely Neia didn’t know where those people were?
I let out a short laugh and brushed the thought away.

‘Won’t you praise me?’

“You did great, Neia. I’m not sure what you did, but I appreciate the effort!”
‘Thank you.’

A faint smile spreads across Neia’s lips.
It’s so subtle that only someone like me would notice it.
“Well then, since we’re on the subject—shall we start? Tower climbing.”
After all this time off, I’m bored to the point of restlessness, my skin prickling with the urge to move.

* * *

“How do I look, Neia?”
I asked after equipping all the new items.

‘You’re always impressive, Kang Seon-woo.’

“Never change—you’re the master of flattery!”

‘You’re too kind.’

I activated Cognitive Disruption again as I prepared to enter the Tower.
“See you later, Neia.”

‘Yes. I’ll await your summons.’

[Entering the Tower]
[Entering the Neutral Zone Grace.]

It had been about three weeks since I first set foot in Grace.
Back then, at Neia’s request, I’d entered only briefly before leaving, but today was different.
All this time, I’d been holding back—building momentum.
My primary goal was to clear up to the thirtieth floor as quickly as possible.
I also had a deal waiting with Kang Se-hyeon on the thirtieth floor.
“I’m here, brother.”
“Come on then.”
Baek Jin-seong and I formed a party and entered immediately.

[Entering Floor 21.]

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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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