Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 72

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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 72

After settling the commotion.
Anyway, back to the main subject—I take another look at the Longhale Turtle.
“This thing is absolutely monstrous, isn’t it?”
Its accuracy rate had already transcended common sense, reaching a level of destructive prowess that defied expectation.
Truly, the performance befitted a high-tech weapon produced by a small-scale factory.
One could say it lived up to being the Final Battle Weapon of a city claiming itself a transcendent civilization.
“But the destructive power—that’s the real question.”
The Longhale Turtle’s accuracy rate had been verified as flawless.
But that applied strictly to accuracy.
Destructive power was an entirely different matter.
Pulverizing buildings was something even standard drones could manage.
And the ballista itself didn’t have particularly high durability anyway.

『To test the destructive power, I’d recommend doing so in the tower.』

“Maybe I should…”
I’d never attempted a Repeat Conquest, not even once.
During my rest periods, I’d had plenty of opportunity to do so if I’d wanted.
But for the most part, I’d simply chosen to rest properly instead.
Before meeting Baek Jin-seong, I’d been constantly strapped maintaining the city’s power, so I harbored resistance to Repeat Conquests with diminishing returns. After meeting him, I’d avoided them for reasons of safety, expense, and inconvenience.
But the reality was that I had more slack in every regard now than I did then…
Still, my choice remained the same.
“No, let’s just skip it. Expenses have been too heavy lately as it is.”
Especially—I still hadn’t recovered from the aftermath of the Sermin battle.
That ordeal gave much, but it took much as well.
Besides, I doubted testing destructive power on mere twentieth-floor difficulty would yield much insight anyway.
“I can always learn about the destructive power gradually.”
This little cutie isn’t going anywhere.

The Longhale Turtle retracts its targeting scope and raises its support struts.
It drives back toward the Supply Base at the same slow pace as when it arrived.
I stand watching its departure.

“Hey, why are you—get over here!”
An agitated voice called out from somewhere, unclear in its intent.
What now?

* * *

Argel Lier had been in a good mood lately.
Two medals received a few days ago.
While Crail had one, dimwitted Pluto had one, and even her sister Sermin had one—she alone had two.
This was proof—or so she believed—that the Successor’s trust still turned toward her, which made her even happier.
‘That’s right, this unit doesn’t run without me.’
Honestly, she’d been thinking that all along.
Recently, as formidable rivals had multiplied, she’d worried about slipping from her position of singular favor.
But the medals on her chest spoke clearly—that trust remained unchanged—and smiles kept blooming on her face.
“Hehehehe…”
A beautiful thing, shining as bright as the name of the Silver Rebellion itself.
“Hey, quit dawdling. How much longer are you going to loaf around?”
Weekdays meant training with Sermin as always.
The familiar bark of her older sister.
Normally, that thunderous tone would have felt frightening, but not today.
She smiled at Sermin with unhurried ease as the other woman stared daggers at her.
‘I have to keep it together, or this unit falls apart.’
Meanwhile, Sermin shuddered at that infuriating smile.
Flick.
She reflexively flicked a knuckle strike to her head.
But Ar was worse off than expected.
The blow did nothing.
Sermin felt concern rising and spoke up.
“You’re… really okay, right?”
In truth, Ar had been acting this way for several days now.
At first, Sermin had dismissed it as a temporary phase.
She’d even wondered if Ar was malingering to avoid training, cooking up some new excuse.
But hadn’t she already crossed the threshold into something abnormal?
Sermin fell into self-reflection.
Could the training have been too intense?
The one who was supposed to lead the Lier Family someday, reduced to a simpleton?
She couldn’t face her father like this.
She shouldn’t have hit her head so often.
She should have been more careful.
‘Maybe it’s not too late yet…’
Sermin gazed at Ar.
Her hand moved to rub her head, then Argel answered with that casual air again.
“What, I’m fine? My head hurts a little, that’s all.”
Sermin’s eye twitched.
That sluggish expression really got under her skin.
She barely managed to unclench her fists before speaking.
“Fine? That doesn’t sound fine at all.”
“I said I’m fine? You’re the one acting strange today, unnie.”
Strange? That’s not strange—you are!
Sermin barely held back the surge of emotion.
“Hold on… Administrator!”
Sermin called out for Neia.
The City didn’t have voice-call systems everywhere.
But around the Core Center, things were different.
Still, something was odd.
Neia, who normally would have answered her voice, was silent.
A communication terminal assigned to key personnel.
She tried calling through that as well, but to no avail.
Neia must have had something urgent to attend to.
“We’ll… we’ll stop training here for today.”
She couldn’t just wait for Neia indefinitely.
Sermin was a medical officer.
Though she’d never been particularly talented at nursing work back at the military academy,
she had the basic knowledge.
This might be a matter of life and death.
“Huh? Really? I could do more training?”
“No, not today.”
Look at that. Ar would never say such a thing.
The logic circuit had definitely gone haywire.
Otherwise, this made no sense.
That playful, mischievous Ar asking to stop training instead of wanting more?
“Really…”
“Stop asking questions and get back to your quarters.”
“Fine… understood.”
As Sermin hurried out of the indoor training ground, Ar set down the training rifle she’d been holding and followed.
Hehehe.
As Ar headed back to her quarters, another smile leaked from the corners of her mouth.
She tried to suppress it, worried someone might see, but that proved far easier said than done.
“Who am I?”
She asked herself, then answered her own question.
“Owner of the Silver Rebellion Medal.”
Argel was making her way back to quarters with a cheerful stride.
Her movements came to an abrupt halt as she passed near the Core Center.
‘Did I see that wrong?’
She turned her head and magnified her optical sensors to maximum.
Then she spotted it—a uniform in that unmistakable color she knew all too well, the sight of which made her stomach turn.
“Could it be… the new recruit who just transferred in…?”
Truth was, there’d been something nagging at her during training earlier.
A new arrival sensor had pinged.
But she hadn’t had a chance to look into it because of her session with Sermin.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
Argel’s expression, which had been slack just moments before, turned serious.
And for good reason—that red uniform belonged to the Southern Military.
“Seriously, what rotten luck. That bastard too.”
Argel was astounded to discover there existed another being whose military career was as thoroughly cursed as her own.
And yet, at the same time, she was delighted.
The Northern and Southern militaries were competitors, rivals.
And she herself was the symbol of the North and the proud bloodline of the Lier Family.
As if that weren’t enough.
For a Southern dog to walk into this place, where even her own cruel sister was stationed—this newcomer’s military career was thoroughly derailed.
Argel drew closer with the intention of finally setting things straight.
She was frustrated by how slowly the other moved, too slow to simply wait.
Thump, thump.
Then she stopped short in surprise.
“You… you’re Tia Stillwell!”
Argel knew Tia.
If the Lier Family held sway in the North, then the Stillwell Family was the dominant house of the South.
Tia, who had been dozing off, heard the voice from that distance and lifted her head, snapping awake.
Reflexively saluting with drowsy eyes, Tia recognized Argel.
“At your service! Oh… it’s you, Senior Argel. That’s strange, isn’t it? Do the Northern and Southern militaries ever get assigned to the same posting?”
Argel ground her teeth even as she found herself agreeing with the girl’s sentiment.
Ordinarily, the Northern and Southern militaries were such bitter enemies that they were never grouped together during unit organization.
It was an unwritten rule proven by long-standing data.
But for reasons unclear, it had happened anyway.
In truth, such things occurred frequently in this place.
Her own sister, who had been active on the frontlines protecting the North, had joined this city as well.
Pluto, who belonged to Silent—an assassination unit that moved only by imperial decree.
Crail, too, she’d later learned after talking with him.
He turned out to be a veteran who had survived combat in the subjugation war.
And come to think of it, there was one more strange thing.
Her memory of the Successor.
She understood, somehow, that she was meant to follow him.
But the reason for it eluded her.
What could it be?
And what was it she was supposed to have inherited?
Just this city, perhaps?
Argel Lier cut off the seedling of doubt she habitually carried, right there.
No need to suspect needlessly.
She’d tried to recall the reason before, but it had been useless.
There must be a reason for all of it.
“But Senior, would it be okay if I lowered my hand?”
Argel pulled herself from her thoughts and looked at the drowsy-faced Tia.
It had always been like this back at the academy too.
The Stillwells and the Liers were supposed to be at odds.
Yet this girl never reacted the way a Stillwell should.
Like a flat soda.
So back at the academy, after trying to needle her a few times and getting no reaction, she’d given up.
It felt like she was the only one being foolish, so she’d left her alone.
“But that medal’s impressive, Senior. Did you get promoted to lieutenant already?”
The corner of Argel’s mouth lifted slightly.
“Of course it is—who do you think I am? You can’t compare to me, half-wit….”
Ar was proudly running his mouth to Tia, who was already dozing off.
Sermin’s voice carried over from a distance.
“Ar, I told you to stay in your quarters….”
Sermin’s reaction upon spotting Tia was much the same.
She’d come to report, then bristled as if encountering an enemy, before catching sight of that golden hair and growling.
“You—why are you here, Stillwell?! Answer me before I blow this place to bits with artillery.”

* * *

Hearing the commotion, I joined them and listened to a detailed explanation of the situation.
At the same time, a thought occurred to me.
‘What is this? Just some simple setting?’
If so, why include such intricate, unnecessary antagonism?
A setup that only got in the way, offering nothing to our operation.
Of course, if it was done to grant them a strong sense of self for the sake of more human-like completion as a perfect humanoid, that made some sense…
At any rate, when I asked Neia about it, this was what she came back with.

‘That section has been restricted from access.’

“A security level?”

‘Yes.’

Still, that was a fairly positive answer.

[Lv.36 Kang Seon-woo]

It’d been a while since security levels crossed my mind, so I checked my level.
I’d already filled all stat gains through equipment up to security level 4, leaving me nine levels short.
Not that levels were hard to raise anyway—that was a minor concern.
Still, it would be nice….
What kind of information might unlock at security level 4?
I turned my attention back to the matter at hand, alternately checking on Tia and Sermin as they drowsed, then spoke.
“Look, I understand the situation, but there’s no real solution here. For now, set aside those old grudges and work together.”
I couldn’t exactly exile one of them or sabotage anyone, could I?
I hadn’t handpicked any of them.
The system had made this arrangement on its own.
And besides, I wasn’t in a position to play favorites anyway.
And if there were even a way to swap them out, I’d consider it—but there isn’t.
Of course, as we climb the tower, such a skill might eventually appear.
But I can’t count on that either, not right now.
“Ugh….”
Sermin, usually so docile, was slow to answer, her look unmistakably displeased.
Surely she wasn’t about to refuse?
“…If that is your word, Successor, I shall obey.”
“Right, thanks.”
As for Tia…
Nod, nod.
Looked like she was fine.
Just contentedly napping away.
In a way, she really did have nerves of steel.
Sleeping soundly right in front of Sermin, who was glaring at her as if ready to devour her whole.
I placed my hand on Tia’s shoulder.
She flinched awake and immediately recited her designation.
“S-Second Lieutenant Tia Stillwell!”
I also activated Tia’s Learning Mode.
Originally, I’d thought I might wait and decide later, since she was my last slot.
But after confirming the base unit’s performance, all those doubts vanished—and that became the deciding factor.
Honestly, when the next specialized unit would activate remained a complete unknown anyway.
“Looks like things have settled down. Maybe I should head back.”
My stomach growled—evening was setting in, and hunger was catching up with me.
I was about to turn toward Neia and start walking back to the command center.
That’s when Sermin spoke up.
“Successor.”
“What?”
She glanced sideways at Ar, then whispered to me.
“I think Ar’s malfunctioning.”
“What?”
I turned sharply to check on Ar, and Sermin finished her thought in a low voice.
She said Ar was grinning vacantly, her smile a little too loose and easy.
When I looked for myself, it was… hard to say.
Sure, she seemed cheerful enough—more than usual, even—but…
“Isn’t that just how she normally is?”
Of course, I’d taken a closer look to be thorough.
I couldn’t just dismiss it outright when a nursing officer like Sermin raised a concern.
But even after Neia ran a detailed diagnostic, the results came back normal.
“This is strange…”
Sermin looked genuinely alarmed.
I went through everything one by one, just to be safe.
If there really was something wrong with her—especially given her special combat capability—that could be a problem.
And more than that, I had a hunch about what might be causing any recent changes in her.
The Medal, perhaps. Or the Learning Mode.
I wondered if either of those might be connected.
So I examined them, one at a time.
‘The Medal doesn’t seem to be the cause…’
I moved on to check her Learning Mode status, and I paused.
“Wait… it went up? Her Experience Points?”

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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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