Chapter 25: Challenges of Rebuilding
Translated by Vine | Proofread by Lust
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It had been a week since the Balhut Church’s coins began to be distributed as daily wages.
Bahamut, the god of the Balhut Church, was observing the reconstruction of Gyeongju through the Mirror of Foresight.
“Wow, this is progressing faster than I expected,” he mused.
The results were indeed beyond what he had anticipated. Bahamut had thought that even without the threat of zombies, rebuilding the city would be a daunting task. But under Choi Yuna’s leadership, the survivor camps had united and pushed toward the goal of reconstruction at a remarkable pace. Within just a month, buildings were starting to rise again, and the coins he had minted were circulating as legitimate currency, fueling economic activity. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
“It feels like I’m playing a city management simulation. Hmm…”
Yes, it was like running a city simulation game—except this was real life. There were no restarts, no saved progress to fall back on. Bahamut was acutely aware that the lives of many church members were at stake under his guidance. A single misstep could lead to catastrophe, and that weight hung over him constantly.
“Enough sightseeing. Time to get to work.”
He tore his gaze away from the Mirror of Foresight and began his daily routine. Each morning, his first task was to smelt the old coins brought in by the Balhut Church and transform them into new currency. The minting process had been automated through magic, allowing Bahamut to use telekinesis to bring the collected coins into the temple and, with a single motion, convert them into newly minted coins.
By evening, these freshly minted coins would be securely transported back to the church under the watchful eyes of the senior members.
“Here is today’s purified water and charged electric batteries.”
“Thank you, Bahamut.”
After minting the coins, the next task was to replenish the church’s water and electricity supplies. Using Creator Water magic, he filled the water tanks on the supply trucks with clean drinking water, while the collected batteries were carefully recharged with magic. Handling the batteries required extra caution, as a single mistake could lead to a disaster.
However, electricity and water were essential for city life, and Bahamut provided these resources free of charge to the church every day without fail.
“Another productive day, I suppose.”
In the evenings, he would greet the senior members who came to collect the day’s minted coins, drink a glass of cool water, and then use the Mirror of Foresight to check on the church’s progress in rebuilding the new Gyeongju. It was these moments that kept him going… or so he thought.
“Wait a minute.”
It was then that Bahamut realized something felt off.
…Yes, something was indeed strange.
Why was he living the life of a diligent and fulfilled office worker?
He thought back to his past.
Wasn’t I just a basement dweller who spent all my time gaming? What happened to that?
He had once been a shut-in, a gamer who had rejected the outside world. So why was he now working so hard, day in and day out?
Where had the version of him gone that spent his days gaming and stirring up drama on online forums?
The glory days were when I was a basement tyrant, making my parents worry.
“Ah, that’s it. The sense of managing this city as if it were a simulation must have numbed me to the reality,” he convinced himself, resorting to his usual excuse for escaping the harshness of his situation. In truth, seeing a new city rise from the ruins had caused him to develop an attachment he hadn’t expected.
Well, Yuna is working hard, and I’ve made some new acquaintances…
In his heart, Bahamut hoped that the city’s prosperity would continue endlessly. But as with any place where people gather, conflicts and problems were inevitable.
“There has been a recent increase in raider activity.”
During one of the weekly reports from the church, Jung Dong-geon, who was in charge of the military forces, brought troubling news.
“Are they targeting the members of the Balhut Church?”
“Yes.”
It seemed that the success and growth of the church had begun to attract envy. According to Jung Dong-geon, raiders had become bolder, trying to prey on citizens while avoiding detection by the church’s patrols.
“We’ve captured one of the raiders. During the interrogation, we found out he was part of a survivor camp located north of Gyeongju Bridge.”
“North Gyeongju… That’s where the camps that refused to join us are.”
The city was divided by the bridge; the Balhut Church controlled the southern part, while the northern part was occupied by survivor camps that had chosen not to align with the church. The northern region, with its militia training center, possessed weaponry, which provided them with a certain level of military power. However, the downside was that food supplies in the city were running low, forcing them to venture far to find provisions.
In contrast, the southern part of Gyeongju, while lacking military weapons, was surrounded by farmland. If the zombie threat could be neutralized, the church could establish a self-sufficient food supply from these agricultural areas.
“Have we received any response from them?”
“Their so-called leader, Jo Soon-do, completely denied any association with the raiders.”
Jung Dong-geon shook his head in disappointment. It was unclear whether his sympathy was directed towards the abandoned raiders or the survivor camps that had resorted to such desperate measures.
“Since they’ve disavowed any connection, deal with the captured raiders according to our methods. Apologize to Hwang Seung-man for the inconvenience, but have him establish a temporary law allowing us to punish raiders. With this many of them, we have no choice.”
“Understood.”
Bahamut instructed Jung Dong-geon to create a temporary legal framework for dealing with raiders, as there were currently no clear guidelines for punishing them. The laws that the church had set up thus far only applied to ordinary crimes, and there had been no provisions for dealing with outside threats like raiders.
Well, I knew this would happen eventually.
It was only a matter of time before survivor camps turned into raider camps, but the speed at which it happened had taken Bahamut by surprise. He sighed as he listened to the next report.
“How is the economic situation with the new currency?”
“It’s progressing well! However… there is one issue.”
The next report came from Lee Hyuna, the church’s economic advisor. Her policies seemed to be effective, as she appeared pleased with the progress so far.
“If there’s a problem, it’s that regular people have a hard time distinguishing the anti-counterfeiting measures on the coins.”
“I suspected as much.”
While Bahamut’s anti-counterfeiting enchantments on the coins were sophisticated, they had a major flaw. It was something that Mr. Choi had noticed during his evaluation of the coins.
“Awakeners can sense the magic in the coins and identify fakes almost instantly. But regular people who can’t sense magic are unable to tell the difference.”
The anti-counterfeiting enchantments were indeed formidable, but they were of little use to those who lacked magical abilities. While Awakeners could easily detect the magical signature embedded in the coins and spot counterfeits, regular people had no way of knowing if the coins were genuine or fake. As a result, some had already started using discarded 3D printers to produce counterfeit coins that looked deceptively authentic.
“If we don’t solve this issue, counterfeit coins targeting regular citizens will continue to appear. Even now, people are using old 3D printers to replicate the appearance of the coins.”
“It’s a new endeavor. We can’t start celebrating just yet.”
Regular citizens couldn’t sense magic, so they had no way of verifying the coins they received. As more counterfeit coins entered circulation, the value of the currency could plummet, leading to inflation.
“So, the root of the problem is counterfeit coins that regular people can’t distinguish.”
“Yes. We’re trying to mitigate the problem by stationing counterfeit inspectors in market areas, but regular people can’t always rely on calling an Awakener whenever they need to verify a coin.”
“That’s true. Awakeners are valuable assets.”
Lee Hyuna wasn’t just standing by; she had already stationed inspectors throughout the markets to detect counterfeits. However, Awakeners were too valuable to be used solely for this purpose. The Balhut Church had a high proportion of regular people, making every Awakener an essential resource.
“I’ll work on a solution.”
“Thank you, Bahamut.”
After reassuring Lee Hyuna, Bahamut moved on to the next matter. It was Yoo Soosung, who was in charge of the reconstruction efforts, bringing both good and bad news.
“We’re nearing the completion of the Gyeongju reconstruction.”
The rebuilding of Gyeongju was almost finished. It was the realization of Yuna’s dream, even if it wasn’t perfect. Though the city wasn’t fully restored, the infrastructure was being repaired and new buildings were erected, making it livable once more.
“That’s excellent news.”
“The problem, however, is that once reconstruction is complete, many of the workers involved will be out of a job. While Awakeners can join the military or serve in the security forces, there aren’t many suitable jobs for regular people.”
Bahamut’s head throbbed at the thought. No sooner had he dealt with the currency issue than the prospect of mass unemployment loomed on the horizon.
“We can’t just start new construction projects. With our limited resources, taking on additional public works would bankrupt the church.”
Though there were still ongoing projects, such as expanding the church’s headquarters and developing the Gyeongju marketplace, these initiatives didn’t require the large workforce that the reconstruction had demanded.
“Have you discussed this with Lee Hyuna?”
“She’s struggling with the same issue. Not everyone can be pushed into self-employment, and she’s still dealing with the counterfeit coin problem.”
“What other options do we have?”
Lee Hyuna had also recognized the difficulties, and with her attention focused on the currency issue, she was unable to address the impending unemployment crisis. Bahamut asked if there were any other ideas, and Yoo Soosung suggested one possibility.
“There are abandoned farmlands around Gyeongju. We could allocate workers to agriculture and produce our own food supply. However, this is only a temporary solution.”
“Why’s that?”
“Farming is hard work, and just like Awakeners, regular people prefer easier jobs.”
He’s not wrong…
The reality was undeniable. While there’s no inherent value in one job over another, people still have individual preferences and aptitudes. Most would choose work that was less strenuous and more suited to their skills rather than taking on laborious tasks.
“Unlike regular people, Awakeners have a wide range of job opportunities. While a regular person may only have one or two options, an Awakener can choose from three or four different fields. Naturally, this disparity creates a sense of inequality.”
The difference in available opportunities between Awakeners and regular people was vast. Awakeners could do everything a regular person could, but not the other way around. It was a recipe for resentment and potential conflict.
“So, once again, we’re faced with the gap between regular people and Awakeners.”
The disparity between Awakeners and regular people was an issue that needed to be addressed if the Balhut Church was to move forward.
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