Chapter 143
It could be seen as a decisive victory for the Balhut Cult.
They were able to firmly reclaim control over Northern Ulsan,
Which had previously been taken by the Immortal Cult, and now the Grand Coalition had secured firm control over Ulsan Bridge, Myeongchon Bridge—considered the most important routes—and numerous other roads that could be used as detours.
With this victory, the probability of the Immortal Cult attacking the Coalition’s rear lines was greatly reduced,
And the Coalition could now secure stable supply lines and reinforcements through Gyeongju.
Most importantly, since surprise attacks via detours were no longer a concern, troops stationed in the rear for defense could now be repositioned to the front lines.
In effect, it was as if their usable military strength had doubled.
“Normally this would be impossible… but Korea’s winter isn’t ordinary. We can move the troops guarding Gyeongju to join the Battle of Ulsan.”
Under normal circumstances, the idea of deploying rear-line defense troops would have been unthinkable due to the monsters in the mountains.
However, the monsters, unable to withstand the unexpected severity of the Korean winter, had been decimated by the cold,
And the interior of the mountains had entered a survival mode to endure this cursed cold wave.
In other words, far from attacking humans, the monsters were struggling just to survive, so there was no need to station soldiers to defend against them.
“The fortification of the bridge has been completed. Once the remnants in Northern Ulsan are completely cleared, it will be under our full control.”
“Well done. Now the rear won’t be under threat.”
Moreover, with no threat to the rear, the dispatched Coalition troops could be used to guard the bridge.
Now, Ulsan Airport became the rear base, and the bridge that split Southern and Northern Ulsan had become both the border and the frontline.
“You’ve achieved results we can proudly report before winter ends. Though Lord Bahamut continues to trust me, there are still eyes in the Cabinet that harbor doubts.”
After wrapping up post-battle procedures, Jung Dong-gun sighed in relief, feeling as if he could finally report a proper achievement.
No matter how much trust God Bahamut had in him, the working officials who made up the Cabinet and even the members of the National Assembly could still question his competence.
With the ongoing war stretching longer and longer, consumption of resources continued to rise.
But while they kept using up resources, there had been no real results—so sudden criticism of the war’s necessity could erupt at any time.
“At least I still have the trust of the Bahamut Association and the Constitutional Democratic Party… so we probably won’t face extreme circumstances.”
Thankfully, he still had the trust of Prime Minister Han Geun-chul, who had become the head of the Cabinet after the general election, and National Assembly Speaker Park Cheol-gon, who was now the head of the National Assembly.
These two men knew better than anyone that future war strategies could not be discussed without Jung Dong-gun,
And that it would be difficult to find anyone else who achieved results and faithfully executed commands like he did.
Even if God Bahamut were away on an international diplomatic mission, as long as Jung Dong-gun had the trust of these two, he could endure for several more months.
“We’ve been using a lot of resources without realizing it. It’s hard not to feel self-conscious.”
Still, he couldn’t help feeling conscious of the situation.
Originally, he had planned to lie low for about three months and do nothing.
But mounting suspicion due to rising resource consumption and increasing threats from the Immortal Cult near Gyeongju forced him to launch a large-scale offensive—he needed results to dispel the doubts.
“We are trading with the U.S., but still… the amount of resources we use is a heavy burden. There are no complaints for now, but if this drags on too long, we don’t know how internal affairs will shift.”
“Come to think of it, has the general election been completed?”
“Yes. That’s already in the past. The Cabinet has already been formed. After the election, we had to deliver at least one piece of good news.”
Now that the general election had ended and the Balhut Cult had returned to being a legitimate democracy, it could no longer rely solely on God Bahamut’s trust.
If things went south, the Cabinet would demand new good news to lift public morale—so this victory was a valuable one not just for Jung Dong-gun personally, but for the Balhut Cult as a whole.
“We’ve reclaimed Northern Ulsan and secured the most crucial point—the bridge. And we’ve also discovered that the Ghost Fleet is connected to the Immortal Cult.
That means there’s no reason to face embarrassment before the Main Temple.
The rest of the plan is to remain on the defensive until winter passes.”
Thinking this level of success would be enough for both the Cabinet and the public to recognize the Coalition’s worth, he was content to shift back to a defensive strategy.
“We’ve captured prisoners. They’re being interrogated and held in isolation cells for now. But they could break the magic seals and self-destruct at any time. It’s unsettling.”
“Lord Bahamut’s artifacts won’t be broken so easily.”
Han Seong-geun warned about the danger of the captured prisoners possibly self-destructing, but Jung Dong-gun replied with confidence, trusting in the items created by God Bahamut.
And since God Bahamut was mentioned, Jung Dong-gun spoke with a tinge of regret.
“I’d like to show this to Lord Bahamut in person… but unfortunately, he is currently out of the country on a diplomatic mission with Yuna. It’s a bit of a shame.”
“If he’s not in the country, then where has he gone? Japan? America?”
He would have visited the Shrine to report the joyous news right away, but God Bahamut had gone abroad with Choi Yuna for diplomatic activities at the worst possible timing.
In short, God Bahamut was currently absent from the country, and all Bahamut-related activities had been halted.
Thankfully, the most important resources—Bahamut Coins and energy supply—were now remotely controlled by Bahamut himself, so they continued to function.
And real-time communication was possible via Seol-hwa, who had returned to Pohang.
“Apparently, he went to attend an international organization meeting being held in London.”
“An international organization!? Has it been re-established?”
If that diplomatic activity was a participation in the reconstruction meeting of an international organization, then it was understandable why they had to divert attention from the ongoing war.
Han Seong-geun was shocked by the news and held onto hope that the international organization had finally been rebuilt.
“According to reports, representatives from interim governments have gathered to hold a reconstruction meeting for a new international organization. Since it was being held in London, the Balhut Cult participated as well.”
“That means… the international community has officially recognized the Balhut Cult as the legitimate government of Korea.”
At the same time, it meant that the Balhut Cult had been acknowledged as a proper nation by the international community.
“That’s good news for us.”
“That works for us too.”
And with that, Han Seong-geun was able to steady the bit of hesitation in his heart.
“After this alliance ends, are you planning to stay?”
“Yes. Even if we were to become independent, I don’t think things would get any better. Besides, rebuilding the city of Ulsan, which was destroyed in the war, without any help would be too difficult.”
As is often the case with apocalyptic realities, even if one demands independence out of pride, there’s no guarantee that such independence will lead to survival.
Rather, if they were to become independent, they would have to take full responsibility for every aspect of civilized life that had been guaranteed up to now, and Han Seong-geun wasn’t confident in taking on that burden.
More than anything, what could they possibly gain by opposing the victorious Balhut Cult, other than some measly power?
“Rather, it’s more beneficial for both me personally and those currently receiving help from the Cult to align with the side that treats us well.”
“Still, isn’t it a shame to give up the position of ruler over one region?”
Not only Han Seong-geun but all the Awakeners from Ulsan Airport who accompanied the Coalition had fought as war heroes in this war.
Once the war ended, they would be rewarded based on their contributions, and if they wanted to remain in the military, they could receive proper treatment.
Because of this, many soldiers from Ulsan Airport hoped to remain with the Balhut Cult.
There was no way Han Seong-geun was unaware of this public sentiment, and he raised his voice to say that this path was in their best interest.
However, when Jung Dong-gun asked whether the position of a regional ruler wasn’t appealing, thinking of Do Josoon’s example…
“Mr. Jung Dong-gun. It’s always better to be a poor citizen in a rich country than a rich man in a poor country.”
In the end, he could only speak the truth—that ruling over a region wouldn’t grant a life equal to that of a rich nation.
“If this alliance ends and things split again, all we’ll have left is a destroyed city and a dark situation with civilization in retreat. We’ll need to reclaim abandoned farmlands to secure food. We’ll have to inspect and repair the city’s infrastructure. Just thinking about it is daunting and bleak.”
“…I sincerely thank you for deciding to remain with the Balhut Cult.”
“Sure.”
Thus, Han Seong-geun officially joined the Balhut Cult.
Jung Dong-gun was delighted by Han Seong-geun’s decision.
With him joining, recruiting Jina Ahn—who could be considered his companion—would become much easier, which made him even happier.
Although he had yet to ask Jina Ahn directly, there was a high possibility she would remain if persuaded by Han Seong-geun.
“By the way, a problem arose due to this counteroffensive operation.”
“I figured as much… sigh. Let’s hear it.”
But where there is good news, bad news often follows.
Now that the long-awaited time for cleanup had come, Jung Dong-gun didn’t want to hear the report, but as the commander, he had no choice but to listen.
“The soldiers are very exhausted. Because we pushed the operation too hard in this cold snap, many soldiers are suffering from frostbite or exhaustion.”
“As expected. I knew it… but still.”
“There are also quite a few injured. We’ve transported them to hospitals in the rear, but it won’t be possible for them to return to the front lines quickly.”
That was only natural.
They had deployed troops virtually all day long in this harsh cold snap.
It was inevitable that soldiers would become exhausted, and due to the cold, frostbite and extreme fatigue had caused countless soldiers to collapse.
Most importantly, they couldn’t possibly send soldiers injured in combat back to the front lines.
Even though this operation could certainly be seen as a decisive victory, one of the reasons Jung Dong-gun was still considering negotiations with the Immortal Cult was the realistic issue that his soldiers couldn’t endure any further operations.
“Even Awakeners can’t withstand this brutal cold.”
It was a fierce cold snap that had even killed off monsters.
Even for Koreans, it was impossible to get used to Korea’s insane winter weather.
“In addition, we used far more supplies than expected. Until we receive new supplies, it will be difficult to deploy more troops. And since we’ve reclaimed Northern Ulsan, there’s a possibility of new, unknown fronts emerging. We’ll also need to send out search parties to clean up any remnants. Maintaining a wartime stance continuously will be quite the burden.”
“There’s a lot to be done. We’ll have to postpone delivering the good news to Lord Bahamut.”
It was an unavoidable reality.
Though victory had been overwhelming, and deploying search parties wasn’t difficult, there was nothing Jung Dong-gun could do about the health of his soldiers.
If only Yuna were here, they could have been healed quickly—but Choi Yuna had now arrived in the United States and would likely be meeting with President Arthur.
So the only option left for Jung Dong-gun was…
“…By the way, any news?”
“News?”
“I mean regarding negotiations. Has there been any word from the Immortal Cult?”
As expected, negotiation seemed like the only answer.
Until now, all negotiation attempts had been flatly ignored, but for once, Jung Dong-gun seemed confident that a response from the Immortal Cult would come.
“For now, we’ve expressed our intent to negotiate through the Ulsan community site. The good news is that, unlike usual, they haven’t immediately deleted the post.”
“Well, that’s only natural. Not only did they lose, but we captured four high-level Awakeners as prisoners. That must be quite a bitter pill for them.”
The presence of prisoners who could be used as negotiation material gave Jung Dong-gun hope for meaningful talks.
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