Chapter 29 (1/2)

There were no graves like before, and the terrain was rough. The weeds growing everywhere came up to my waist. Unnamed thorn bushes and trees blocked my path wherever I went. Blood seeped out of the light scratches they made as I made my way through them. Also, the ground was slippery as the snow had melted and frozen again, and another snowfall covered the treacherous patches of ice. I could not discern the dangers with my eyes.

Unlike my past life the military, under the government’s orders, had not dragged Awakened to the dungeon entrance. This place, decades ago from that time, was a drastically different place.

***

The government had been harsh the first time I had come to this hill in my past life. Martial laws had been enforced, and I had been the only one of the reserve forces who had been summoned. Because I had survived the trial tests, I had been managed under a stricter regimen than ordinary soldiers under the Ministry of National Defence. (EN: Sun is one of some 3 million men in South Korea’s reserve forces. Every man who finishes his mandatory service is classified as a member of the reserve forces and required to serve as a reservist for another eight years.)

It had been when the Awakened had been treated like the Ministry’s strategic resources. There had been insufficient research, and no one knew how much we could do. No one knew how much potential we had, and if they had known earlier, they would have treated us in a completely different manner. They would have begged on their knees instead of ordering us at gunpoint.

Anyway, this hill and dungeon had been under government management, and at first, we thought we had been transferred to a government research facility. We believed that we would become experimental rats and looked for a chance to escape.

I still remember when we had decided we would kill to get away, and I had marked my targets with my eyes, letting my fellow Awakened know who I would take out.   I was planning to kill the three young soldiers who were leading me. One of them had become a non-commissioned officer recently, and the other two were corporals.

They held me at gunpoint, and I saw that they were scared at every movement I made, perhaps because of a prior incident. I waited for a chance. While I would most likely be shot and killed, I thought it would be better than being an experimental rat for the rest of my life.

It had been natural that we had misunderstood this place as a secret government research lab, as there had been military facilities instead of this wild hill at the time. Even the dungeon entrance had been camouflaged as a temporary building with outer walls. While anyone would be suspicious of these facilities, the Korean government owned them.

Due to their fear and alertness, there had been no chance until we moved into the structure hiding the dungeon entrance.

Our plans to break out had been delayed, and so we were all alive when we stood in front of the dungeon entrance and we realized we had come not as rats but as soldiers.

***

“So where is the eagle’s beak…”

No matter how much I tried to remember, it was useless when the hill was so different from my memories. There was no path, and I could not cut down every tree on this big hill. I therefore called Ilju Constructions, a local firm located at the bottom of the hill and near a rural village.

“It must have been a difficult trip. Hello, I am Cheolmin Choi.”

Since there were no navigation devices, he arrived at sunset after getting directions. He looked at my reddened face from the cold and waved me over into the cab of his truck. I warmed my body with the heater and I pointed him to the hill, and we drove through a narrow path after passing the village.

It had been quite a dangerous ride until the middle of the hill.

“Cars cannot pass from here.”

We tried to drive as far as we could and after the car almost slid a few times from the steep incline Mr. Choi finally parked. While his face was rigid, his voice was still bright since I revealed that I managed the hill for the new owner.

“We will start the construction here and carve a new entry path.”

I pointed at the construction area, and the size was larger than the man’s expectations. It was work that had come in this IMF era, where no one had anything to do. He gulped so hugely that I could see his Adam’s apple wobble.

“Can you do it? You have to start now, even though it is winter, because the scale is quite large.”

I called Ilju Constructions after looking over the regional information. While I should collect bids and spend time selecting the best bid, I wanted to do things quietly and quickly without any noise. From the man’s surprise, he never led a project this big before.

His surprise was inevitable since they were a small company. Therefore, he had to win this project at all costs. His voice was urgent in his answer.

“Of course!”

The size of the company did not matter, as many companies were suffering because they could not win bids.  If a company managed to secure a contract, they would be able to temporarily expand their size, by calling on a team they had gone drinking with a while back, a team they had worked with before, and call up another team that someone knew.  Everyone was hungry for work.

We went back to the car again, and I handed him the Jeonil Investments business card. I was not wearing a suit, and my face was young, even if I was big. I did not look trustworthy, and the man’s attitude became even more careful at the business card.

I had no need to show him the documents that said I owned the hill, but since I had to show it anyway, I took out the document file from my bag. Logging and cultivation need a permit from the regional government and an approved program.

The man looked at the file and then carefully stared at me desperately, and I did not need to explain that I held all authority over the decisions for the construction project.

“I’m looking for a firm that will also apply for the permit, and that’s why I asked you whether you can handle this and give me an estimate.”

“I can!”

The man’s fingers were shaking, and while his voice was loud, it also shook.

“I cannot give you much time since this was a sudden change for us. That’s why we’re using regional firms without collecting bids, but it does not mean we will use any firm we see. Do you understand?”

“Yes, of course.”