Chapter 9
Gyeongju City.
One of the oldest cities in South Korea, and the capital of the Silla Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period.
The city lies on the plains along the Hyeongsan River, and geographically, it’s close to the East Sea.
‘To me, as someone from Seoul, it’s just known as a tourist spot famous for cultural heritage.’
For Yuna, Gyeongju was her hometown and the city she lived in, but for Bahamut, who had been an ordinary young man from Seoul, Gyeongju was just known as a city famous for its cultural heritage.
So, his impression was no more than that it was a city rich in cultural assets and…
‘Wait a moment. Does that mean I committed a crime by looting cultural assets in Gyeongju? I heard that if you dig anywhere here, you’ll find cultural artifacts.’
The only thing that came to mind was the internet meme that said, “In Gyeongju, if you dig, you’ll find cultural assets right there!”
Bahamut, recalling that commonly known meme from the internet, wondered if he might have found cultural assets even at the place where he had been staying.
In reality, Gyeongju was a city where digging could often unearth actual cultural relics, causing many construction projects to be delayed or cancelled.
‘No, that’s not the important part right now. Let’s just move past that small mistake!’
In fact, when Bahamut was constructing the shrine inside the mountain, he had discovered objects that appeared to be relics.
Yet, he brushed it off as a small mistake—do you not have a conscience, Bahamut?
[What are you planning to do from now on?]
Instead of worrying about his potential criminal history of damaging cultural assets, this conscience-free dragon was more focused on learning about Yuna’s plans. Using the magic called “Mirror of Perspective,” he conveyed his thoughts to Yuna.
In reality, Yuna had descended from Namsan and arrived in Gyeongju City, but Bahamut had not heard anything from her about what she planned to do next.
So before entering the city, it was only natural for him to ask about what his contractor, Yuna, was thinking and how she intended to proceed.
“This voice…?”
[Using the magic called ‘Mirror of Perspective,’ I am speaking with you in real time.]
Yuna was startled by the voice in her head, but realizing it was Bahamut, she…
“Ah, my god!”
She unhesitatingly referred to Bahamut as her god.
[Go-god? No, that’s not the point… Anyway, it’s good that you’ve found the courage to return to the city, but the inside of the city is very dangerous. Rather than entering recklessly, I think it’s wise to make a thorough plan first.]
“Indeed. You’re right.”
Bahamut, feeling burdened by the faith directed at him, appeared uneasy about Yuna calling him a god. But Yuna only perceived the dignified voice of her god.
Faced with Yuna’s eager gaze, Bahamut could not refute her and swiftly moved to the main topic. Yuna, in turn, carefully nodded in agreement.
As Bahamut said, the city was not safe, and many zombies resided there.
Entering carelessly could lead to a great danger.
“First, I plan to make contact with any survivor camps or communities inside the city.”
Of course, Yuna had not come to the city without any plans.
She had a rough strategy in mind, and she shared it with Bahamut.
Her plan was to make contact with survivor communities inside the city.
[Wasn’t Gyeongju supposed to be wiped out?]
“That’s not true. Only our survivor camp was destroyed. Other camps were still functioning fine until I left for Namsan. Plus, there were groups with even better-equipped Awakened than us.”
Contrary to Bahamut’s assumption that Gyeongju had been wiped out along with Yuna’s camp, it turned out that only Yuna’s camp had fallen, while others remained intact.
Moreover, before the camp fell, many groups consisting of Awakened individuals had left, so the chances were high that there were still groups of Awakened surviving inside the city.
“And if those Awakened groups have already perished despite being well-equipped, it would just prove how useless Mr. Josoon Do is. Heh heh.”
This was, of course, a hopeful expectation, and it was also possible that they had been wiped out by zombies within a few days.
Yuna wore a cold smile, imagining that if those who abandoned the camp perished, she would mock them as incompetent fools.
It was a bitter laugh, acknowledging that while she didn’t really believe they would be wiped out so quickly, it would be amusing if they were.
‘Scary! This girl… She’s way scarier than I thought!’
Bahamut, watching Yuna’s sinister(?) smile from the other side of the Mirror of Perspective, genuinely began to reconsider whether this contract had been a good idea.
Despite his massive size, this dragon was surprisingly timid and foolish.
[So, does that mean there are no other survivors outside of the camps?]
However, while Bahamut might have been a fool obsessed with romantic ideals, he wasn’t entirely oblivious.
He didn’t bother asking about the group of Awakened that Yuna mentioned and instead inquired about any other survivors.
“No, when the zombie apocalypse began, there were also those who chose to barricade themselves inside their homes. It’s likely they’re running out of food by now, but I believe there could still be quite a few individual survivors.”
[Indeed. So, gathering the scattered survivors is the first priority, then.]
Yuna explained the situation inside the city, mentioning that there were survivors who chose to operate independently rather than join a camp.
Like her, some joined camps, but others, either confident in their own strength or distrustful of the survivor camps, chose to barricade themselves in their homes.
Bahamut responded to Yuna’s assessment that there were more survivors than expected by suggesting that gathering those scattered individuals should be their initial focus.
“What’s the reason for that, my god?”
With a cautious expression, Yuna asked Bahamut why it was necessary to bring those independent survivors together.
‘Well, even if you ask me why… I don’t have much of an answer.’
Of course, from Bahamut’s perspective, he had simply suggested starting with the easier task.
There wasn’t some profound reason behind it.
‘But those expectant eyes! What if I fail to meet those expectations…?’
She would surely respond with an icy and disappointed look.
Not wanting to let down Yuna’s hopeful expectations, Bahamut strained his limited intellect.
He needed to maintain his dignity in Yuna’s eyes and somehow persuade her in a way that she could accept…!
[If they have no one to follow individually, I believe that if we present the right conditions, they will soon follow us. In Gyeongju, the survivor camps will likely have established leaders or officials. Even if we approached them, it would be hard to gain a position of power quickly. To achieve the dream you desire, it may be a bit difficult, but I believe that uniting the scattered wandering survivors to create a new force is the best course.]
“Oh…! And then? After gathering the scattered survivors?”
[Ahem…]
It seemed his quick thinking had paid off, as he succeeded in offering an explanation that Yuna could accept.
The idea that survivors without a leader could be persuaded to follow her, and that joining an existing survivor camp would leave no room for Yuna, was a plausible suggestion.
To rebuild the order that Yuna wished for, power and influence over people were necessary, and thus, it made sense to gather scattered survivors rather than join existing camps to build her own faction.
Yuna, convinced by his explanation, immediately asked about the next plan. Bahamut, flustered but trying to keep up, continued.
[…Create a new force representing Gyeongju, and based on Gyeongju, build the world you wish for. Although they may be powerless now, once order is restored, the many skills they hold will have a chance to shine again, won’t they?]
“You are absolutely right! I will follow your words, my god.”
Once again, he managed to come up with a believable excuse.
But it was such a convincing rationale that Yuna accepted it without any suspicion, and it aligned perfectly with her current goal of rebuilding the shattered order.
To restore the broken order, Yuna needed many followers who shared her vision and a form of power.
Thus, uniting the scattered survivors and forming a new faction in Gyeongju made perfect sense from her perspective.
“My god, there are zombies.”
[I see them. They look rather weak… even weaker than goblins.]
With the plan in place, Yuna entered the city of Gyeongju without hesitation and discovered a group of zombies.
Spotting them, she instinctively hid and informed Bahamut of the zombies through the Mirror of Perspective.
Through the mirror, Bahamut observed the zombie group and commented that they appeared weaker than expected.
“Yes, they’re weak. Even non-Awakened individuals could defeat them with caution.”
[Then, why did the survivor camp fall? Despite conflicts between the Awakened and the ordinary people, wouldn’t they have cooperated when facing an external threat?]
Yuna confirmed that the zombies were indeed weak. She said that even non-Awakened survivors could handle them if they were careful. Bahamut, puzzled, then asked why the survivor camp had fallen.
Yuna, though recalling a nightmare she wished to forget, tried to explain the truth to Bahamut.
“There was a mutant that was stronger than these zombies.”
[A mutant? Should I understand it as a leader directing these creatures?]
“Yes, as you said, my god. The mutant zombies led the ordinary zombies to attack the survivor camps. At first, we could defend against them, but as time went on, the mutant zombies’ attacks became more intense, and some Awakened were captured and turned into zombie Awakened.”
The appearance of the mutants—zombies stronger than the regular ones.
The mutant zombies could even turn Awakened individuals into zombies, and those infected Awakened became weapons against the survivor camps.
It was somewhat understandable that some chose to abandon the ordinary people and flee, forming a group of Awakened survivors.
The emergence of such powerful mutants was akin to a disaster for the survivor camps.
[Indeed. Surviving that could be considered a stroke of luck.]
“Yes. Meeting you, my god, is also a fate blessed by the heavens.”
[……….]
Bahamut commented that escaping to Namsan from Gyeongju was a stroke of luck, but Yuna considered her meeting with Bahamut to be a destined event.
Feeling the intensity of Yuna’s faith, Bahamut wanted to turn away, but he focused instead on what needed to be done and addressed her once more.
[Ahem. In any case, our course of action is clear. Gather the scattered survivors, eliminate the zombies within the city, and then use the gathered survivors to rebuild the broken order.]
“Yes, that sounds perfect. All according to Bahamut’s will.”
As Bahamut laid out the direction for their actions, Yuna readily agreed, showing no objections.
‘Is this really going to be okay?’
They were an anxious dragon and his priestess.
—
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