Unchosen Champion-Chapter 294: Turmoil in Gangcheon

Cho Sang-hoon was having trouble tamping down on his concerns as time went on. The turmoil in Gangcheon had been escalating for a long time, and to make matters worse, the Underlayer Event was a total disaster.

They barely made any progress beyond their initial probes on the Primal Constructs. After their failed assault on the Siege Boss, they had been unable to properly regroup. Different factions within the settlement, organized into companies, challenged their strategy and demanded accountability while avoiding any commitments themselves. Something had to give.

Despite being the global leader, the many internal organizations within the city had been slowly degrading the overall position of the settlement through their own selfish pursuits. Inter-company competition was an addiction that they hadn’t been able to escape, even after the shuffle caused by the apocalypse. Their superficial inclinations for wealth and rank had resulted in all of the old corporate style underhanded tactics that would have been better left behind.

If asked to help save the settlement, the question was always ‘What’s in it for us?’ They only wanted to know about how they would profit, as if survival was a secondary consideration. Obsessive selfishness, driven by greed and vanity, threatened to drag them all into oblivion.

The rankers thwarted each other instead of cooperating, unnecessarily ceding ground to the Primal Constructs while seeking accolades for their own companies rather than considering the settlement as a whole. It had become impossible to rely on anyone for important tasks such that delegation became completely impractical. Thus, even with a massive settlement, they could not pursue opportunities that couldn’t be handled in-house. If not for their enormous initial population, they would have been just another settlement that had fallen by the wayside.

To make matters worse, as their Champion sought to continue upgrading the civilization shard, she had welcomed a subordinate settlement into Gangcheon’s greater territory, but that subordinate was under the complete control of an alien faction. They had no loyalty to the human race, seeing themselves as a step above. They proudly represented an external force that existed among the stars. Despite joining with the larger settlement, they never saw themselves as inferior, maintaining a facade of power that baffled until it became a real threat.

The Knights of Time sought world domination and had been gradually expanding their influence over Gangcheon as whole, riling up various companies of residents into a vaguely nationalistic frenzy to suit their needs. They suggested that the future global capital had to be in Korea and it would become a hub for not just the world, but the galaxy as a whole.

The subordinate shard was weak, but their convictions were not, and it had been a festering problem that the Champion’s company recognized would have to be addressed sooner rather than later. In the days before the Settlement Event, it was increasingly common to see groups with the belt and sash combination representing the Knights among the residents while walking through the glowing streets of their city, as if they were converting citizens to their cause.

For the most part, the companies that had formed around shared alien factions had behaved the same as any other group. They competed for position, as if seeking to maximize profits in a future integrated Earth. Somehow, it didn’t occur to them that they had to do more in order to survive first. Cho Sang-hoon’s temper boiled over at the thought.

“Greedy idiots! Money-hungry fools! Agh!” Sang-hoon shouted into the Underlayer, letting the stifling dirt absorb his frustration.

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Sang-hoon was a close confidant of the Champion as her senior secretary, and these days, he was the face of the centralized power within Gangcheon. Pressure on Champion Na Ho-jung had become so great, she wasn’t able to move openly for fear of assassination. Instead, he acted on her behalf.

Sang-hoon was of the opinion that they had to quell the growing insurgency definitively. It was time they made an example of someone, but he wasn’t so brash as to try anything in the weeks before a settlement event. Still, he looked forward to punishing them with his own hand.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem as if their internal adversaries had the same qualms as the good Champion. In fact, they waited until the event was actually active to make a dramatic move. Rather than aid in the effort to destroy the Primal Construct armies that sought to conquer their territory from underground, the Knights of Time coalition had sabotaged the most powerful top ranker of the settlement.

If not for the recovery abilities of mana, Che Min-jun would have died to the Prime Construct Siege Boss, but even with rest, he wouldn’t be the same. His left arm was gone.

Sang-hoon clenched his fingers into a fist hard enough to feel his bones creak. The actions of the other companies had gone beyond the pale. They had to retaliate. The actions of the Knights of Time couldn’t go unanswered.

Weeks of recovery hadn’t made Min-jun whole, and according to the man himself, he had a debuff that would last at least another month. He still held hope that afterwards he would recover, but when it came to mana, none of them knew for sure. Meanwhile, the Siege Boss survived their assault, leaving the Primal Constructs in an optimal position in the Underlayer. The invaders had control of all four of the objectives, and Gangcheon lacked the will to properly regroup and try again.

One way or another, the Underlayer Event felt like it would be a turning point. Sang-hoon hated that it seemed like the tables were turned against them.

Frustratingly, the Champion’s company couldn’t retaliate on the Knights of Time without risking the entire settlement. Such an overt action would turn the entire settlement against them. The Knights had made enough connections to be able to avoid a decisive surgical strike, and a dozen other neutral companies were waiting for an opportune moment to slide onto the throne. It would trigger a battle royale with control of Korea up in the air if Sang-hoon responded the way he wished.

He growled at the thought, deciding that he was willing to risk the settlement if it meant getting his hands on the neck of the people responsible for their failed Underlayer expedition.

However, Champion Ho-jung had directed Sang-hoon to find a way to defeat the Primal Constructs above all else. She didn’t want to allow the settlement to fall into civil war and was biding her time to give an appropriate response. Against his best judgment, Sang-hoon continued to follow her orders. If nothing else, he was a loyal man. A very angry loyal man.

Sang-hoon had ventured to the nearest settlement, Shinjuku Gardens of Japan, so close that the edge of their territories were pressing against each other, seeking cooperation. When he arrived he only found rabid opposition to his presence. Whatever disease had infected their minds wasn’t the same as the one that existed in Korea, but it was equally destructive. The groups of roaming guards that spat at him just didn’t know it yet.

Japan had managed to unite itself in solidarity, shielding them from the conflicts that had arisen in Gangcheon, but it was only a matter of time before they recognized the global threat would require expanding that solidarity beyond their own shores. For now, they were obviously too myopic to see.

“Not that I am in any position to judge.” Sang-hoon grumbled, expecting his own settlement to collapse at any second, even if he was the cause.

Shinjuku Gardens wanted nothing to do with anyone else, and in fact, didn’t seem to want some of their own residents. A stream of people were carrying luggage through the tunnels, heading south as if they had been banished. Sang-hoon had no interest in learning more, wishing the super settlement nothing but the worst as he left.

He was on his way back to Gangcheon without the reinforcements they had wished for. There was one more spark of hope left, but it was a longshot, in his opinion. Only Champion Ho-jung had ever met the Grand Horde that conquered Asia, using her gift of flight while they sought potential subordinate shards. Sang-hoon could only hope that the Horde was both inside the Underlayer and had been met by the messengers he sent toward their network. Uniting with the Grand Horde was less likely than any other option, but it was worth a shot.

More than anything, the two civilizations were simply neutral toward each other. The Grand Horde relied on cavalry, and the Korean Peninsula lacked a land bridge to mainland Asia after the activation of mana, so they were conveniently separated. Gangcheon also lacked the internal harmony that would enable them to remain consistent in their relationships with outside forces, so both groups had mostly kept to themselves.

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Gangcheon would forever be in debt to the Great Khan if he was willing to aid them in the Underlayer, but it would be worth it to survive this trial and shift their focus back to internal matters. Sang-hoon wasn’t sure how Ho-jung would repay the outsiders for help, but even if it meant passing Gangcheon’s shard over to the Grand Horde, he wouldn’t mind.

Sang-hoon made peace with the situation, choosing to ignore the possibility that they were on their own in the underground, and happily imagined denying every other company the chance to lead the settlement in favor of letting the Khan take over.

If they failed to defeat the Primal Constructs in the Underlayer, the Knights of Time would use the disappointment to elevate themselves even further. They advocated for remaining on the surface and meeting the monsters in combat there, and many had politically agreed, hedging their bets more than actually ratifying the plans. The failed expedition into the underground would be used as a cudgel to force Ho-jung to step down even by those who were indifferent to either strategy. Too many believed that chaos was an opportunity to profit.

To be honest, Sang-hoon thought that if they couldn’t reach the Great Khan and petition him for aid, he and the others might as well not return to the surface at all. Between himself, Ho-jung, and even the one-armed Min-jun, they were all still rankers that would bring value to any settlement. Perhaps they could peddle their skills, turning mercenary for the rest of the assimilation.

He shouted in frustration, trying to expel the idea of accepting failure from his mind. Making a backup plan was a step too far and it actually disgusted him. He’d rather make those Knights eat their tongues if they spoke out against Champion Ho-jung.

Sang-hoon watched the horizon as he approached his settlement’s underground staging area, stewing with barely controlled anger. However, his expression changed when he noticed something in the distance. White smoke wafted beyond the shimmering horizon, rousing his suspicion.

To his surprise, it seemed as though a battle had taken place, and his immediate reaction was abject fear. Had the Knights of Time taken their sabotage a step further? Without himself, their Champion, and Min-jun, the rest of the company was in serious danger of being overrun. The combined strength of rankers from other companies could easily overcome them. He ran the rest of the way, feeling disbelief that open conflict could have been a possibility.

“Those bastards!” He snarled through grinding teeth, terrified of the worst.

As he drew closer, his fear gradually diminished because he realized the battle had been within the more distant control points and not in the camp at the edge of alien territory. Someone had come from the outside, rather than from Gangcheon itself. Perhaps the Great Khan was more benevolent than he ever imagined and had responded immediately.

The Primal Constructs were missing from half the objectives, but so was whatever army had engaged with them. That was strange, to say the least.

“What is going on?” He wondered as he finally rejoined the company of trusted allies.

“Someone must have brought reinforcements back.” Little Kwon-yoo answered, obviously taking a guess as if the situation was a completely new development. No matter what, the fact that she was safe was an enormous relief to Sang-hoon.

“Reinforcements came already?” Sang-hoon asked after taking a moment to silently confirm that everyone was accounted for.

“It’s only been about an hour.” Ji Young-woo added, referring to the battle. “But none of our people came back yet. They must have sent the reinforcements ahead.”

“They don’t want us to help?” Sang-hoon continued, feeling disbelief that anyone would be so altruistic. Even the people living in Gangcheon, who would directly benefit from defeating the alien invaders, wouldn’t enter battle without assurances.

“Never asked.” Kwon-yoo stated. “They just started fighting without introducing themselves.”

“Wait. You said it’s only been an hour? And two of the objectives are already clear?” Sang-hoon was finally catching up to speed, having been distracted as he arrived by his concerns for their lives. “Is that really possible?”

Before anyone answered, the third control point experienced a shift in color as it was cleared as well. An instant later, they all flinched as the nearest Siege Boss suddenly exploded into shards of metal, utterly decimated by an unseen force. A sonic boom reached them as the much closer fourth control point was suddenly embroiled in combat.

“Haah? What in the world?” Sang-hoon managed to stutter as others cowered behind him. They were close enough to see and hear the battle between Primal Constructs and a single individual, but it went so far against expectations, it had to be an illusion.

Twin red lasers swept across the Primal Construct army, slicing the Elite monsters in half with pure focused energy, searing them as they were split. Thousands upon thousands were cut down until the mana smoke thickened into a bank of fog. In the center, a man used his eyes to blast raw energy into the invaders for a few seconds, carving burning stains into the Underlayer walls in the distance.

Sang-hoon’s vision was clouded by the wafting smoke, but the explosions of light and energy that followed were distinct, lighting up the region, and provided substantial evidence of extreme violence. The camp was close enough to feel the power rippling through the thick Underlayer atmosphere and if they looked up into the sky, patterns formed in the vaporous clouds all the way at the ceiling, directly above the smoke, steam, and mists that swallowed up the Constructs.

“Uncle Sang-hoon? What do we do?” Kwon-yoo asked, desperation obvious. They were doing a good job simply by not running for their lives.

His throat was dry, but the explosion of violence made him hopeful, rather than scared. This was a miracle, a gift, and he wouldn’t look away.

“Just wait.” He responded, voice only slightly shaken. “I think we are saved.”

After the battlefield quieted, a mere quarter of an hour after the red eye beams appeared, they held their breath, but it didn’t take long before the savior of Gangcheon personally greeted them after appearing from the smoke.

“Yo.” He waved at them. “Would y'all mind capturing those control points?” He asked, using his thumb to point.

The silence of the Underlayer thickened.

“You just gotta stand in them for a while until they turn blue.” He explained when no one moved for a moment.

Sang-hoon coughed, then cleared his throat as he tried to speak and almost choked on his words. “Agh- Ahem! Of course, Master Hero! We will have it done at once!” Sang-hoon took the lead, shaking off his awe and sending the undersecretaries into action while gesturing for the man to stay a moment. It was clear he was ready to leave, but this was an opportunity for Gangcheon’s Champion Company and he wouldn’t dare miss it.

“I am Cho Sang-hoon, Senior Secretary to Champion Na Ho-jung and I would be happy to host your visit.” He continued, barely suppressing the excitement of guiding such a powerhouse through the settlement while declaring the Underlayer Event complete. As it was, he had a huge smile on his face. The other companies would be forced to know their place.

“That’s alright.” The man casually declined. “I’m just passing by.”

Sang-hoon quickly read the situation and changed his approach. “We would love to provide you with a reward for your aid. We at least owe you that much. Surely you can stay long enough to receive something? Mr…?” The possibilities of who he was were actually limited to a single person, but Sang-hoon had to confirm to be sure.

The man shook his head dismissively. “You don’t owe anything, dude. But I’m Coop, Champion of Ghost Reef. Feel free to come visit, especially if you’re seeking safety, but I’m gonna be honest, I have no idea which direction would be fastest.”

Sang-hoon’s eyes widened as he confirmed the networking opportunity that had landed in their laps. He wanted to grab a hold of the legendary Coop and never let him go, but he remained as professional as possible, leveraging all of his training in hospitality and management. “Are you sure you don’t want to rest a bit? I can have a suite prepared for you and Champion Na Ho-jung would love to meet you.” Sang-hoon pressed as coolly as possible.

“It’s fine. I’m almost done.” Coop calmly declined, but Sang-hoon could tell the man before him was completely determined to see whatever goal he had all the way to the end. He gave off the impression that he was a man on a mission. “I’ll send someone to meet you all properly, just, when they tell you about the Eradication Protocol, take it seriously.” Coop added as he threw his spear into the distance.

“Of course.” Sang-hoon accepted, though internally he was weeping.

“‘Til next time.” Coop half-waved before vanishing into a cloud of mists.