Chapter 80
“Ah-hem. I apologize for my embarrassing display.”
“No, I understand.”
It seemed Steven was unexpectedly weak to horror, as he barely managed to calm his trembling body before opening his mouth.
“If, as you say, a ghost ship has appeared in the ocean, it poses a significant problem for those of us conducting trade by sea. If there is a ghost ship in the East Sea, then there could also be ghost ships in other waters we manage. Our logistics and transport across other regions will face significant disruptions.”
The first issue he raised was maritime transport, which heavily relied on the sea.
While the initial contact between the Balhut Cult and the White House had been made via air routes, the subsequent flow of logistics was bound to rely on the sea.
However, the notion of the seas being blocked implied the loss of the efficient transportation made possible by container ships, often heralded as humanity’s greatest invention.
This meant they would be forced to rely solely on air routes for logistics, which the White House was eager to avoid.
While air routes guaranteed safety, they entailed enormous costs per shipment and could not accommodate the massive volumes achievable by sea transport.
In short, from the perspective of the White House, the cost-benefit ratio of air transport was simply not viable.
“The fact that a ghost ship appeared in the East Sea suggests it could appear in the Pacific Ocean—and, by extension, the Atlantic Ocean as well.”
“Come to think of it, the White House has established contact with the UK and France in Western Europe, correct?”
“Yes. While the Pacific is critical, the Atlantic is equally important as a key export route for us. If the path to the Atlantic is blocked by ghost ships, the White House cannot simply sit idly by.”
The appearance of ghost ships in the Pacific Ocean naturally implied the potential for their emergence in the Atlantic Ocean as well.
Given the anticipated rise in maritime insurance costs and the resulting economic losses, the United States could not afford to take this matter lightly.
Furthermore, the situation interfered with the United States’ plan to strengthen state-level control through this incident.
“What does the Balhut Cult think of this situation?”
“May I take a moment to report this to God Bahamut?”
Steven concealed the United States’ deeper intentions and asked for the Balhut Cult’s opinion on the matter.
Yuna’s response was that she would seek the advice of God Bahamut.
Even in such a serious situation, her answer seemed surprisingly carefree.
“Of course. In fact, we, too, would like to hear the advice of God Bahamut.”
However, Steven welcomed this suggestion, expressing his own desire for guidance from Bahamut.
The ghost ship was an unknown entity, one humanity had never encountered before.
Thus, advice from another unknown being—the Dragon God—was deemed absolutely necessary.
‘Of course, the concept of ghosts has existed since ancient times. But I thought the concept of ghosts had been dispelled under the reign of reason and logic.’
While the concept of ghosts had long existed, most people believed it had been dismissed by rational and logical thought.
This belief made Steven even more eager to consult Bahamut directly about this mysterious phenomenon.
After contacting Bahamut and informing Him of the situation, Yuna received a response:
[It’s not a zombie this time. Isn’t it an undead?]
“An undead, huh? I suppose zombies and undead are really just two sides of the same coin.”
Steven agreed with Bahamut’s assessment, casually remarking that the difference between zombies and undead was negligible.
Considering that zombies are often classified as a type of undead in fantasy settings, it was reasonable to hypothesize that ghost ships might be operated by some kind of undead entity.
[So, the problem is these ghost ships appearing at sea.]
“That’s correct. The ocean has always been indispensable for logistics, from ancient times to today. Controlling the sea means controlling the world.”
Indeed, the sudden appearance of ghost ships in the ocean was a major problem.
Steven emphasized the importance of the sea, arguing that to control the sea was to control the world.
Given the critical role trade plays in the modern era, Steven’s argument was not incorrect.
The Balhut Cult, too, had benefited from the advantages of trade, with Pohang rapidly being rebuilt and numerous positive developments occurring.
“While air transport remains an option, it offers little profitability. We sincerely hope the Dragon God will make a wise decision.”
Although air routes remained accessible, their lack of profitability made them an unfavorable choice. Steven called for a decision from Bahamut.
The United States acknowledged the urgency of the situation.
[In that case, to ensure mutual cooperation between the United States and the Balhut Cult, we must eliminate the enemy appearing at sea.]
“It is an urgent matter.”
[Sigh. Very well. I will send forth Seol-hwa to subdue the ghost ships in our waters.]
To preserve the trade and cooperation between the United States and the Balhut Cult, Bahamut decided to dispatch the Priestess of the Dragon to take direct action.
Even Yuna, who rarely ventured to the frontlines, was called upon to lead, signaling Bahamut’s recognition of the gravity of the situation.
“As you command.”
Yuna bowed her head in agreement with Bahamut’s decision.
With Bahamut issuing such a decisive command, the administrative processes necessary to implement the decision proceeded swiftly.
Bahamut’s decree was neither misguided nor something the Balhut Cult could ignore, given the value of their cooperation with the White House.
The ghost ships obstructing this cooperation needed to be eliminated with the full might of the cult’s forces. Following Bahamut’s command, Baek Seol-hwa, the mayor of Pohang and Priestess of the Dragon, was appointed commander of the expedition.
“Heh. I’ll prove that choosing me was the right decision.”
Seol-hwa, in accordance with Bahamut’s directive, promptly assembled the marine forces stationed in Pohang. She prepared a fleet, including several high-speed patrol boats and a single frigate for coastal patrol.
The commander of this operation was none other than Kim Tae-sik, a former commander of the 1st Marine Division of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps and one of the three camp leaders.
Summoned to Seol-hwa’s office before deployment, Kim Tae-sik entered and bowed deeply to the Priestess of the Dragon with a firm voice.
Despite the seemingly humiliating sight of a middle-aged man in a military uniform bowing to a young lady, Kim Tae-sik felt no shame.
‘This is my chance. This is my opportunity to prove my worth to the Priestess of the Dragon!’
To Kim Tae-sik, who had been politically sidelined due to his reckless ambition, Seol-hwa’s summons felt like a lifeline in the darkness.
After his fall from grace, Kim Tae-sik had struggled to regain footing within the military, only to be ostracized and treated as an outcast by his peers.
Receiving a summons from the Priestess of the Dragon under such circumstances was nothing short of salvation. Successfully completing this mission could guarantee him a stable path to reinstatement.
“I look forward to working with you, Mr. Kim Tae-sik.”
“Of course. This time, I will prove my loyalty to the Balhut Cult.”
Kim Tae-sik answered with a determined voice, as if to prove his devotion to Baek Seol-hwa.
‘If I don’t prove myself this time, I’ll truly be ostracized from the military…!’
It was clear that if Kim Tae-sik failed to prove his worth now, he would lose everything he had built up to this point.
This was his chance to achieve something that would gain him recognition and secure a position of stability within Pohang.
Yes, in a way, it was a matter of survival.
‘As an Awakened, I can’t defeat Jung Dong-gun…!’
Objectively speaking, Kim Tae-sik’s abilities as an Awakened were inferior to Jung Dong-gun’s.
Though he had risen to the rank of division commander before the Apocalypse, his tactical and strategic capabilities could easily be replaced by the advisors who had once served under him.
From the advisors’ perspective, abandoning the already fallen Kim Tae-sik to support Jung Dong-gun, who was directly backed by the Balhut Cult, was the obvious choice.
Thus, Kim Tae-sik’s current standing within the military was precarious.
This only fueled his desperate desire for advancement.
‘This time, I’m not the same as I was in the past!’
More importantly, he had been chosen by the Priestess of the Dragon, someone who had made a contract with God Bahamut.
Initially, he had underestimated Baek Seol-hwa, but now he had personally visited the Shrine of Bahamut to confess his sins.
To prove his sincerity, he was determined to risk his life to demonstrate his loyalty and show that Pohang needed Kim Tae-sik.
“Today, I heard you summoned us for a specific reason.”
One regretful aspect was that Kim Tae-sik wasn’t the only one summoned by Seol-hwa.
Ha Jin-woo, who had secured a proper position as a leader in Pohang, was also present at Seol-hwa’s request.
“Is this gathering because of the recent reports about ghost ships in Pohang?”
Also present in the office was Seo Un-jae, who served as Seol-hwa’s advisor and secretary while managing Pohang’s administration. Seo Un-jae, seeming to anticipate the purpose of the meeting, brought up the recent reports.
“Yes. As Seo Un-jae mentioned, ghost ships have been appearing in the East Sea.”
“Haha. Then, do we really need to intervene? Ghost ships appearing at sea isn’t common, but it’s the Apocalypse, isn’t it?”
Kim Tae-sik questioned whether it was necessary for the military to intervene over ghost ships appearing at sea.
While ghost ships were not a common sight, there had been incidents of ghost ship appearances even before the Apocalypse.
Considering that ghost ships had existed pre-Apocalypse, wasn’t it inevitable for such occurrences to become more frequent post-Apocalypse?
Contrary to Kim Tae-sik’s remarks, however:
“No. Not that kind of ghost ship. I mean an actual ghost ship.”
“…What?”
The ghost ships currently appearing were literal ghost ships.
“So… you’re saying these are ships being operated by actual ghosts?”
“No. Not ghosts. Zombies. But according to Bahamut, it’s hard to even call them zombies at this point.”
“What? That’s terrifying.”
The idea of actual ghosts operating ships sent shivers down Ha Jin-woo’s spine as he expressed his fear.
It wasn’t unusual for people to fear entities they couldn’t perceive with their eyes, and now there were reports of such entities actually appearing.
“Are you saying that these ghost ships are real?”
“…I understand the desire to deny it, but numerous fishermen have already filed complaints about these ghost ships.”
When Ha Jin-woo asked again, Seo Un-jae admitted that he too had initially found it hard to believe, but the evidence was undeniable, with multiple testimonies and witnesses.
As someone responsible for Pohang’s administrative affairs, Seo Un-jae had collected these complaints, securing testimonies and photographic evidence of ghost ships appearing in the East Sea.
Prepared in advance, Seo Un-jae handed over the materials to Kim Tae-sik and Ha Jin-woo following Seol-hwa’s summons.
“Hah, so this is the kind of thing we’re dealing with in the Apocalypse.”
Reviewing the materials, Kim Tae-sik sighed, lamenting the reality of the situation.
“What about Bahamut’s protection? Doesn’t He protect Pohang?”
Frightened by the ghost ships, Ha Jin-woo brought up Bahamut’s promise to protect Pohang, expressing his desire for divine intervention.
“This order to subjugate the ghost ships comes directly from God Bahamut. The response must come from Pohang, not Gyeongju.”
“From God Bahamut Himself?”
“Yes.”
The fact that the directive came directly from Bahamut made the three leaders’ eyes shine with determination.
In other words…
“Does that mean God Bahamut will personally oversee this battle?”
This suggested a high likelihood that Bahamut might intervene directly in the fight.
Unlike previous summonings, where damage to cities was a concern, a battle at sea posed no such restrictions, allowing Bahamut to be summoned freely.
As for any nearby ships, they could simply move away before the summoning occurred.
“Yes. Permission for summoning has already been granted. If we encounter a ghost ship too powerful for us to handle, God Bahamut will intervene directly.”
“Permission to summon Bahamut has been granted? Haha, that’s a relief!”
Hearing this, Ha Jin-woo let out a sigh of relief, genuinely glad.
He still hadn’t forgotten the overwhelming display of power—how Bahamut had incinerated countless zombies and melted the ground with a single devastating blow.
That very strike had liberated Pohang and brought the city under the Balhut Cult’s governance.
“Haha, that’s reassuring! So, our job is to create a battlefield suited for Bahamut, just like in Gyeongju?”
Yes, with Bahamut on their side, there could be no defeat.
Buoyed by this thought, Kim Tae-sik confidently responded to Baek Seol-hwa.
“No. First, we must fight ourselves. We must launch our fleet and engage the ghost ships directly.”
“What?”
“God Bahamut is extremely busy. If this is something we can handle on our own, we shouldn’t unnecessarily burden Him.”
“Ah, I see.”
His enthusiasm dampened just as quickly as it had risen.
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