In a situation like this, the fact that they deliberately brought out the in-ear devices used by the cleaners meant one thing.
"There must be something special if you're showing us this, right?"
"They're in-ears with the kkakdugi system applied."
It was a friend-or-foe recognition technology developed independently by the Korean military that utilized mana. All military equipment used by the Korean armed forces would never cause harm to someone wearing kkakdugi.
It was not some outdated method where the weapon simply failed to fire.
Bullets would curve their trajectory to avoid the wearer, and explosives would, before detonation, adjust the direction and intensity of the blast and the trajectories of fragments so that the wearer would not be injured.
Even shockwaves generated by explosions were no exception.
I had no idea how this was possible, and I was not particularly curious either. I did not know the principles behind smartphones either, but I used them just fine.
"This is nice."
Once support was involved, firepower inevitably increased, and the enhancement of modern weaponry meant powerful explosions.
Cleaners inevitably operated together, and in the middle of that, it was difficult for me to reduce allied casualties while calculating blast radii on my own.
On top of that, not just anyone could use equipment with the kkakdugi system applied.
"I've seen it on the news and such, but how effective is it?"
"You'd be fine even if a grenade went off at your feet."
Omin said in a voice full of pride. Since the in-ears were used by cleaners themselves, they were also made extremely durable on their own.
"Good. Let's keep it clean and go with 1t."
If I wanted to extract more, I would need to show some results on my end as well.
"These soldiers will handle the training, including how to use the equipment."
There was nothing more to say with these two. After confirming that they had left, I began receiving training from the soldiers on how to use the equipment.
Training on the medium machine gun and grenade launcher followed. Since they were weapons the soldiers themselves used regularly, the operation was not difficult.
"Now, this is how to use the Sentry."
This was equipment I was seeing for the first time as well.
The soldier explained the buttons attached to the case, manipulated several of them, and then tossed it lightly onto the floor.
Immediately, the briefcase rattled as it changed shape.
It transformed into a fixed automatic turret.
"It can be attached to walls, floors, or ceilings. It uses 9mm dedicated ammunition, and after firing 800 rounds, the magazine needs to be replaced."
He then demonstrated how to replace the magazine.
"Is there a risk of accidentally shooting civilians?"
"It will fire at anything that moves within the designated area. That must be taken into account during initial installation."
That meant the moment civilians absentmindedly stepped into the area I had set, this turret would open fire.
"Alternatively, you can use suppression rounds."
Would suppression rounds even work on those horrific things in the contaminated zones? They were bullets designed not to injure people. It would be better to simply adjust the firing angles so people could avoid them.
"And with the kkakdugi system…"
"It recognizes and does not fire."
At least that was a relief. After that, the explanation moved on to grenades.
I had thought grenades were simply a matter of pulling the pin and throwing them, but there were grenades that were not that simple.
"These are foam grenades. When thrown, they explode and create a wall out of foam similar to urethane."
The foam created that way hardened in an instant, and once fully hardened, it had durability comparable to reinforced concrete.
"In an emergency, if you quickly throw a foam grenade to create a barrier and set up a Sentry…"
You could complete a makeshift defensive line.
"Of course, it also has lethal capability."
If a person was within the range where the foam was expelled, after the explosion it would harden while completely covering that person.
If they were lucky and their head was not buried, maybe they would survive, but otherwise, they would be buried alive in an instant.
"As for Claymores, these are upgraded models, so there are no separate detonation wires."
Once installed, they emit detection lasers, and if something touches them, they explode. You can also turn a dial to adjust the delay between laser detection and detonation.
"This concludes the training."
At last, the training was over. I could not remember everything, but it was enough that looking at the provided manuals would bring the training content back to mind.
All that remained was for me to get used to it. And to rack up results and secure even more equipment.
"Thank you for your hard work."
I exchanged farewells with them and sent them on their way.
Left alone in the room, I began organizing the items I had received.
For the Sentries, I completed all the settings in advance and stored them in a state where I could just throw them and have them immediately deploy and start firing.
After all, a Sentry could not just activate on its own inside the inventory. Nothing could happen inside a space where time was completely frozen.
"…Wait."
As that thought occurred to me, I immediately pulled out a grenade. Should I pull the pin on this too?
A grenade must have its pin pulled before being thrown.
But I could pull all the pins and store the grenades in my inventory.
When the moment came?
I could just reach into the inventory, take one out, and throw it. No annoying intermediate steps required.
Having reached that conclusion, I repeatedly pulled the pins on grenades and stored them in the inventory.
"…."
Stroking my chin, I decided to go one step further.
I set up a Claymore and adjusted the timer. Explosion in ten seconds. Immediately, the remaining seconds appeared on the Claymore's LCD panel.
Then I waved my hand in front of the laser a few times. The countdown immediately began decreasing.
With about two or three seconds left.
I put the Claymore into my inventory.
Now, this was a Claymore that would explode immediately when taken out and thrown. As long as I was protected by the kkakdugi system, there was no risk of me being caught in that explosion and getting injured.
If something happened, I would need to take out the in-ears first and distribute them to others.
I quickly took out my pistol and rifle from the inventory, aimed, then put them back in, repeating the process. To practice this properly, did I need to get help from a military shooting range one more time?
I turned on the computer and looked into various things. Even if I did not need it, other cleaners would be training somewhere too.
"A training center."
Facilities set up for cleaners. All cleaners had bodies that far surpassed the limits of ordinary humans. Even if they tried to do strength training, they could not get proper exercise at gyms used by normal people.
The medium machine gun I had secured this time weighed over 40 kg, but lifting it with one hand felt like holding a pink dumbbell. Rifles or pistols… more like lighters.
So, to train properly, specialized facilities were inevitably necessary, and to meet these demands, training centers had been established in various locations.
There was one not far from this residence, so tomorrow I would go there.
After setting my schedule for tomorrow and cleaning my firearms, my phone vibrated.
If you don't have anything going on tomorrow evening, how about we all have a meal together.
It was a message from Yoo Sangcheol. I immediately replied that it was fine.
Then I prepared a meal. I could have ordered food through the menu system, but…
"It's lacking in calories."
That alone made it difficult to meet the daily caloric requirements of a cleaner's body. A cleaner needed so many calories that each meal required the equivalent of two fried chickens.
As I forced the prepared food down, I turned on the TV. The news had just started.
Today, His Excellency President Lee Samjun visited the site of a newly constructed smart farm complex in Goesan to offer encouragement. The smart farm, which has adopted mana growth acceleration technology, is expected to produce 250 kg of grain per pyeong annually…
As always, the news began by talking about President Lee Samjun's daily activities. Even in the home where you and I once lived together, a portrait of President Lee Samjun hung on the wall. It was in restaurants, in cafes, and in department stores. Even in this residence where I was now, there was a portrait on the wall.
Various other news followed. Sports news, celebrity news, and segments praising Korea's economic situation continued.
Lastly came news about the aftermath of the contaminated zones. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that this was the most valuable content in Korean news. Even in the heavily censored Korean media, this was broadcast without filtering.
Near Suyu Station, an incident occurred in which fifteen people collapsed. They were urgently transported to hospitals, and investigation revealed that dog hearts had been transplanted into them. As similar incidents continue, the Ministry of Environment has pointed to the recently emerged contaminated zone in Busan as being behind these cases.
Just the kind of story you want to hear over dinner. It killed my appetite completely.
After that, there were continued segments about how to act if you felt a gaze on you at night, or what to do if an unfamiliar doll appeared in your home. Some had countermeasures, and some did not.
"It really is a hellish world."
I had been taught that the Turbine Era was also a unique form of hell, but that did not make the hell I lived in now seem any better. No matter how our ancestors lived, it did not ease my pain or suffering.
Director Omin was speaking with someone, his face twisted in displeasure.
"That son of a bitch needs to be taught some manners."
In nearly twenty years, there had been no one who dared to stare at Omin wide-eyed and talk back so bluntly. No one could dare do that in front of a major general of the Republic of Korea Army.
There should not be.
"What would happen to the dignity of the Republic of Korea Army."
By framing his wounded pride as an affront to the Republic of Korea Army, Omin justified his anger. He convinced himself that this was not anger at Kim Sangseon for scraping his nerves raw, but anger at a cleaner who had disrespected the Republic of Korea Army.
Ah, what seems to be the matter?
As a result of that anger, Director Omin decided to contact a cleaner with whom he had personal ties. A level 7 cleaner who was covering for him in various ways. He would be more than capable of correcting the habits of some trainee punk who did not even have an assigned rank yet.
"There's something I'd like to ask of you. Would that be alright?"
Oh, come on, why ask something like that? Just say the word.
Perhaps because Omin had helped with a redevelopment project just two weeks earlier, the response from the person on the line was refreshingly straightforward.
"Recently, while handling some government business, I met a trainee cleaner. His name is Kim Sangseon. Do you know him?"
Why would I bother remembering the name of a trainee cleaner? Most of them die before long.
That was not wrong. Most of them would soon die in contaminated zones.
"I figured as much."
Anyway, what did the kid do?
At the cleaner's question, Director Omin recounted what he had experienced.
That's one rude bastard.
"Right? You can't just leave kids like that alone. How dare he speak that way to a major general of the Republic of Korea Army."
Thus, the two continued their conversation. The cleaner speaking with Omin did not seem particularly burdened by it either. After all, it was just about straightening out the manners of a single trainee.
"Just in case I should say this, don't kill him or anything."
A cleaner killing another cleaner would be an unmanageable situation. Omin, who had instigated it, would not come out unscathed either.
Come on, who do you take me for? I'll just rough him up a bit and fix his attitude.
"Good. I'll send you that kid's address."
With that, the conversation between the two came to an end.