NOVEL WEB Chapter 210
Off the coast of the West Sea.
Thanks to Edu’s ability, the Invader underwater fleet, now capable of moving again, enters the harbor carrying the remains of their fallen comrades.
“Whoa…!”
A middle-aged man with a hearty appearance stands on the pier, exclaiming in awe.
Unable to hide his anticipation at the unexpected situation, his eyes are filled with fervor as he looks at the ships.
After staring for a while, the middle-aged man pulls out a bulky military radio from his waist and shouts loudly.
“You have endured a long journey! Welcome to the Incheon Port! I am Jang Sang-ho, the manager of this port!”
“Thank you, my name is Edu Birthday. Mr. Sang-ho, what should we do with the ships we’ve towed?”
The man named Sang-ho is momentarily startled at the young girl’s voice coming through the receiver.
Just as he thinks an actual child is in command, Edu’s voice comes through again.
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
‘Ah, I need to pull myself together.’
Shaking his head, Sang-ho clears his thoughts and refocuses on the current situation.
“Yes, yes! I can hear you clearly! If you could move the ships you’ve towed to the area near the election office further inland, that would be greatly appreciated.”
“Yes, understood.”
Following Sang-ho’s request, the fleet begins to move.
Destroyers and cruisers maneuver to gather the sunken warships of the underwater fleet in one place.
The ships heading this way.
Their short hulls topped by tall bridges, the broad structures on the front and the cranes at the rear indicate these ships are more than just ordinary vessels.
“Ah, can you hear me?”
A communication link established over here.
From the other side of the screen, an elderly man with a gentle appearance appears.
“Yes, I can hear you well.”
“Ehh? A young girl…?”
A brief silence ensues.
After waiting quietly, the other party regains composure and starts speaking again.
“I apologize. I was not informed who was in command… Anyway, we would like to help you anchor. Is that alright?”
Their tone grows more courteous, perhaps realizing they had been too abrupt given the apparent age difference.
Even with a significant age gap, Sang-ho reflects that there isn’t any need to be overly polite since they haven’t interacted with these people before.
“Yes, please help us. I’ll pass your message to the crew. Let us know if you need anything.”
“Did you say… the crew?”
The Invader fleet quickly moves their sensors to observe the tugboat fleet heading towards them.
“Commander, confirm orders… Please relay any needed requests.”
“…Ahahah.”
The elderly man’s voice returns, filled with surprise at the unexpected reaction from the Invaders’ ships.
Truthfully, it would have been much easier if I could repair the whole collection of warships, but alas, with the current collection space, storing warship-grade equipment is impossible.
“ID, Stat window, can you show it to me?”
The stat window appears before my eyes, and I review the Collection Effects section again.
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Applied Effects – 5.
Iron Legion(1) – Enhances the protective capabilities and rugged terrain traversal of all weaponry stored in the collection.
Eternal War(1) – Greatly increases the protective capabilities of all weaponry stored in the collection and repairs damaged weapons (7-day limit).
Mechanized Battalion(1) – Equips all weapons with override circuits and enhances their mobility.
Rains of Doom(1) – Increases firepower of all weaponry stored in the collection and replenishes ammo for stored weapons (24-hour limit).
Hunters of the Wasteland(1) – Improves fuel efficiency and top speed of all weaponry stored in the collection.
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‘Indeed, it has changed.’
I had already checked this once before, but the section that mentioned vehicles has been updated to refer to weaponry, and it also includes numbers now.
The title seems to have changed after the first warship-grade equipment was stored in the collection, but what do these numbers mean? Seeing ‘1’ makes me feel there might be higher stages above this…
As this thought crosses my mind, a positive trait comes to mind.
‘Oh right, the Eye of Truth?’
I open the positive traits section and activate the Eye of Truth before returning to the Collection Effects and selecting one of the effects.
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Eternal War (1) – Greatly enhances the protective capabilities of all weaponries collected and repairs damaged ones (7-day limit).
Eye of Truth – Provides the effect of repairing and enhancing the protective capabilities of collected weaponry. Mainly targets ground units. Current enhancement stage: 1.
* Effects are reduced by 30% for non-main targets.
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“Whoa.”
Just as I expected, the Eye of Truth reveals detailed information.
Among the various pieces of information, the critical points were the enhancement stage, the main application targets, and the fact that it applies to non-main targets as well at a reduced rate.
‘So this is why the warships didn’t repair perfectly, and their speech sounded a bit incoherent.’
Recalling the initial application of the collection to the warships, I remember the term “limited” was used.
But does this mean that as the stage increases, the target scope widens and the effects become stronger?
Excitedly imagining the possibilities, a thought strikes me that the Collection power seems particularly specialized for dealing with the Invaders.
The way it compensates for the shortcomings in combat against the Invaders and provides strategic advantages to level the playing field—or even surpass it—against the enemy feels significant.
While contemplating this, another thought arises. Besides the Collection, there are other abilities to explore.
‘Right, the Database.’
If the Collection is a specialized power for countering the Invaders, then the Database may be a specialized ability for dealing with Cryptids or Ustansha.
With this in mind, I immediately tap the Database.
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Database under investigation ▽
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Cryptid ▼
Invader ▼
Ustansha ▼
Fallen ▼
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Database complete ▽
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Cryptid ▼
Invader ▽
Ustansha ▽
Fallen ▽
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Applied effects – None.
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The window stretches out before me.
‘Ustansha has been added.’
Both the Collection update and the addition of contents when conditions are fulfilled seem to align.
The ‘Investigating’ tab at the top showed little difference when checked, but the ‘Investigated’ tab below, glowing with new content, drew my attention.
‘Let’s see.’
With a light tap.
The next screen was quite concise.
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Cryptid ▽
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Biter (Investigation 100%) ▼
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‘Simple… There’s more hidden content, though?’
Tapping the ▼.
To my surprise, the screen expands with a lot more information than I anticipated.
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Cryptid ▽
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Biter (Investigation 100%) – The most basic melee entity.
The most fundamental combat entity in the Cryptid swarm, they move in large numbers. Utilizing their numbers, they excel in human-wave tactics and attack with sharp teeth.
[Investigation Rate 100% Achieved / You can choose the evolution direction of the species and share it with the Queen.]
Armor Variant: Focuses on exoskeletal evolution, a sturdy entity with thick armor and a large body.
Striker Variant: Focuses on lower body evolution, a mobile entity with swift acceleration and leaping ability.
Stealth Variant: A special mutation, capable of blending into the environment to ambush enemies, focused on attacking.
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“Whoa?!”
It feels like looking at the promotion screen of old-school SRPG games.
But if we could share the selection of evolution in the Database tab with Seol or Ryong, could that mean we would gain access to new entities?
‘I’ll have to explore the Database thoroughly later.’
As this thought arises, the ships have approached and are gently pushing the warships toward the pier.
Another incoming communication.
“Is there anything we need to pay special attention to?”
Even after doing this job for a long time, handling an unexpected thing like an Invader warship must be why the old man cautiously questions.
“No, you can treat them the same as other ships. Please take good care of them.”
“Understood, leave it to us.”
Handing over the underwater fleet to the tugboats and harbor pilots, we move toward the ArgoNot inside the pier.
Just then, a round and noisy presence is heard from outside.
“Hey! Someone could die from your attitude, isn’t it too much?”
Bogeoni’s shout from outside the cockpit.
But my response is already decided.
“That’s enough. No one is allowed within a five-meter radius.”
“That’s too much!”
Bogeoni protests loudly.
Ignoring the foul-smelling voice, I enter the Arsenal of the ArgoNot.
Summoning the marionette to attach to my back.
“Commander, my friend. You’ve both worked hard.”
“Mr. Balder, you’ve worked hard too… Could you prepare a new pair of pants for me?”
“Pants…you mean?”
Balder tilts his head in confusion.
It was an embarrassing matter to answer, so I pointed subtly toward Bogeoni with my finger.
Following my finger, Balder let out a small sigh and nodded.
“I understand. I will instruct them to find clothing that fits your friend.”
“Thank you. Are the Northern Fleets safe?”
“Yes, though a few ships took damage during the battle, fortunately, none were sunk. The ArgoNot leading the charge effectively drew the enemy’s attention.”
“That’s fortunate. Then, could you prepare a place for us to talk?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
A familiar voice from behind.
Though short in stature and dressed in ratty, old clothes, the old man’s eyes still gleam with sharpness.
Dimitri and the Russian Navy Generals.
“Ahh, Mr. Dimitri. You’re safe.”
“Thanks to Miss Edu.”
After answering this, Dimitri and the naval generals suddenly salute me in unison.
The atmosphere is so refined, as though they are saluting a high-ranking person.
“Eh? Wh-why are you all doing that?”
“Our Northern Fleet—no, the Russian Navy pledges to serve under Commander Edu from this moment on and work as part of the Liberation Army. Please accept this.”
Dimitri hands over a sword adorned with elaborate decorations.
At a glance, it looked well-used, with Dimitri’s name clearly engraved on the hilt.
“Eh, this…”
“With our homeland burned to ashes, an old man can offer nothing more than his tarnished sword. Please understand.”
“…Bungbungi! Hands!”
[Beep. / (｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )]
Bungbungi, towing Hands, comes dashing in.
Sensitively understanding the situation, Hands attaches to my body, receiving the sword on my behalf without a word.
He raises the sword high.
Clap clap clap.
Mr. Balder applauds.
The colonels also applaud at this sight, and soldiers patrolling the Arsenal join in the applause when they see us.
“Whoa!!”
“Commander! You look adorable!”
…Of course, there are some jests mixed in here and there, but in any case.
When the applause starts to quiet down, I bow my head and greet Mr. Dimitri.
“Thank you.”
“No, I am grateful.”
A warm exchange.
“Then, let’s head to the conference room to discuss what’s ahead, shall we?”
“That would be good.”