It was far more than he had expected.
Choi Kangjoong had thought he would barely accumulate about 50,000 points.
“There were more Orcs and Goblins than what the Scout Class had observed.”
On top of that, piles of Orc corpses were stacked like mountains near the Soil Pit. If all of those got digested, it seemed like he’d gain another 30,000 points.
At this rate from the start, it was not just a windfall, but a super jackpot.
Even among his long Dimension War playthroughs, this was a result he could count on one hand.
“Evolution points, 150,000… I could actually go for that build.”
In Dimension War, Apocalid was a quantity-based race.
Their individual intelligence was low, so they couldn’t carry out complicated strategies—a setting enforced by the game system.
Because of that, there weren’t many strategies for Apocalid.
The best thing to do was to increase their numbers and somehow latch onto the enemy.
If they got into close combat, regardless of the battle’s outcome, they could gain evolution points and nutrients to become stronger.
If not, they’d just consume nutrients and dry up.
That’s why races with high mobility or powerful firepower were hard for Apocalid to deal with.
But that was due to stat adjustments for balance between races.
In truth, Apocalid’s ranged weapons were fairly decent.
With their numbers, their firepower could be overwhelming, and especially the Mana Cannon and Bio Torpedo were powerful.
In Dimension War, the game was set up so that producing and firing ranged weapons consumed a lot of resources, lowering their efficiency.
If the opponent was lacking, overwhelming them with firepower was possible.
Choi Kangjoong preferred this to the close-quarters quantity build.
The firepower build was stronger and more flexible.
“Dimension War is a game, so you can only pick one build—but that’s not the case in reality.”
Reality was vast, and the Sea of Dimensions limitless.
The more evolution points, the better—he could draw out all of Apocalid’s potential.
“Should I go with firepower first?”
Choi Kangjoong hesitated.
He had set his course on a firepower build, but what if it was even less efficient than in Dimension War?
“No. This is reality.”
Go.
He didn’t think he’d have to consume absurd resources like in Dimension War.
Firing a single Bio Torpedo used enough nutrients to produce five Giant Class units—how was that reasonable?
In terms of evolution points, it was roughly 500,000.
“Lutal is here, so even if the investment efficiency isn’t great, I can endure it. This is an investment for the future.”
Close combat with sheer numbers had too many limits.
Especially if he lost air superiority and the enemy’s Dimension Ship bombarded indiscriminately, he was helpless.
Even if he twisted his whole body to churn out more units while shells rained from the sky, it was hard to win.
“I’ll raise firepower and use that as the base to churn out numbers too.”
Having decided, Choi Kangjoong unlocked the Giant Class and upgraded Psionic to level 2.
Now, evolution of Bioweapons was unlocked, and he could mount a Mana Cannon on the Giant Class.
[You have unlocked the Giant Class.]
[Evolving Psionic.]
[Evolving Psionic.]
[Bioweapons have been added to Apocalid’s evolution.]
[Scout Class can now equip Bioweapons.]
[Warrior Class can now equip Bioweapons.]
[Giant Class can now equip Bioweapons.]
Choi Kangjoong went to the Evolution Chamber.
When he summoned the Giant Class, its basic form appeared.
From head to tail, it was 15 meters long, bulkier and more imposing than the Warrior.
He thought about mounting a Mana Cannon on its back, and a new form appeared.
A sturdy body with a thick, long chitinous barrel atop it.
It was, quite literally, a living cannon.
Its physical abilities remained, so it could still engage in close combat.
[A new Giant Class has been created.]
[Would you like to name it?]
“Apocalid Cannon Giant.”
[Apocalid Cannon Giant will be saved.]
[Apocalid Cannon Giant will be produced.]
From the Soil Pit, now much larger than before he slept, the Apocalid Cannon Giant emerged.
In reality, it was even grander and more satisfying than its virtual appearance.
“Fire the Mana Cannon that way.”
The Cannon Giant turned its body away from the direction where there were no Walkers and lowered itself.
Boom!
The barrel jolted, and the Cannon Giant slid back.
The mana shell arched through the air and landed.
When the Scout Class checked the impact point, there was a crater the size of a swimming pool.
“The power is the same, but the resources used are much less. This is reality.”
Compared to Dimension War, it used less than a tenth.
His worries vanished, and Choi Kangjoong, tasting the potential of the firepower build, felt his heart swell.
What kind of people are Koreans?
A people of firepower.
The pursuit of firepower and even more firepower was a tradition passed down since Joseon.
With Korean blood in his veins, Choi Kangjoong was thrilled by overwhelming firepower.
[A new race evolution path has been discovered.]
“What is this…?”
Even as a Dimension War veteran and Apocalid master, this was a message Choi Kangjoong had never seen.
[1. Firepower Specialization: Strengthens Apocalid’s firepower. The countless Apocalid’s bioweapons will crush the enemy before they can even approach.]
[Improved shooting abilities, acquisition of shooting skills, increased efficiency of ranged weapon resources, increased shooting accuracy of the Central Unit.]
[2. Giant Specialization: Strengthens Apocalid above the Giant Class. The giant Apocalids will smash, trample, and devour every enemy.]
[Enhanced physical abilities for Apocalid above the Giant Class, strengthened chitin armor, improved production efficiency for Apocalid above Giant Class, enhanced command ability for Central Unit above Giant Class.]
[3. Psionic Specialization: Strengthens Apocalid’s Psionic ability. The powerful Psionics unleashed by Apocalid will even absorb the enemy’s mind.]
[Enhanced Psionics, can digest Psionic energy, increased magic resistance, Central Unit learns Psionic skills by default.]
“Firepower Specialization is tempting…”
Choi Kangjoong reviewed the options one by one.
If this were a game, he wouldn’t even look back—he’d pick Firepower Specialization without hesitation. But this was reality.
“Giant Specialization is good, too. Dimension Ships are truly important.”
Dimension Ships were vessels capable of sailing through dimensions.
Apocalid could use ships starting from Giant Class and above.
They played a role combining navy and air force in the Sea of Dimensions, used for transport, supply, and battle—they were so essential, their importance couldn’t be overstated.
No wonder Earth’s nations, who had focused on spaceship development before the Great Cataclysm, became obsessed with building Dimension Ships afterward.
“If I go with Giant Specialization, sailing through dimensions will be easier. Destroying enemy Dimension Ships, too.”
If he could overwhelm the enemy’s Dimension Ship forces, devouring that dimension became much easier.
“And the last is Psionic Specialization…”
The Psionic Specialization, which strengthened Apocalid overall, was also attractive.
One of Apocalid’s weaknesses was poor Psionic ability.
They couldn’t handle mana well, and had weak magic resistance.
If he picked Psionic Specialization, Lutal would become even stronger.
But there was one phrase that caught Choi Kangjoong’s attention powerfully.
Can digest Psionic energy.
“If I pick Psionic Specialization, can I absorb spiritual entities too?”
Races without a physical body—for example, beings like spirits—were the biggest headache for Apocalid.
Even if they fought them, they’d just disappear and yield neither nutrients nor evolution points.
Because of that, dimensions ruled by spirits or those with many Elves who commanded spirits were very tough for Apocalid to consume.
“Hmm…”
Choi Kangjoong pondered for a long time.
He could only choose one, so he had to be careful.
“The bonuses from Firepower and Giant Specialization can be gained with evolution points. But digesting Psionics—that’s not possible with evolution points.”
The evolution path for Apocalid was set.
[Apocalid will evolve along the Psionic Specialization.]
[Psionic is strengthened.]
[You can now absorb Psionic energy.]
[Magic resistance is strengthened.]
[Brutal Lord has acquired .]
“Aura Blade!”
Aura Blade was both a requirement and a symbol of an S-rank Hunter.
The only things that could block it were another Aura Blade or defensive magic of an even higher level.
“Lutal, congratulations. You could steamroll several S-rank Hunters now.”
Lutal shook its fore and middle legs in opposite directions, expressing its joy.
“Good choice.”
Any lingering regrets vanished, thanks to Lutal’s growth.
Lutal was both Choi Kangjoong’s hand and his weapon.
Such a being becoming stronger was tantamount to his own growth.
Lutal pushed the Orc corpses into the Soil Pit.
The Soil Pit bubbled, and his evolution points increased.
The fleeing Orcs had reached the Dimension Boundary.
A dimension could be called an island drifting in the Sea of Dimensions.
It was flat, and its end—the Dimension Boundary—was a cliff.
Even when the dimension grew, aside from developing curvature, nothing else changed.
So, if you jumped off, you didn’t die—instead, you drifted through the Sea of Dimensions.
The Sea of Dimensions was a universe-like place where dimensions floated instead of planets, and there was mana, so even if you drifted bare-bodied, you didn’t suffocate.
However, the distance between dimensions was considerable, so you’d freeze or starve.
The Orcs chose to jump into the Sea of Dimensions rather than die.
They fell en masse off the cliff, flailing their limbs to get as far from the land as possible.
Scout Class units chased the Orcs to the end.
Most Orcs were dragged back by the Abyssal Claw, but a lucky few escaped alive and drifted far into the Sea of Dimensions.
He checked with the Scout Class to see if there were any Orcs left in the Orc settlements.
Most places were empty, but in the largest settlement, there were creatures other than Orcs.
“Humans and Elves?”
Looking closer, people of all races and species were mixed together.
There were even Koreans.
It was puzzling how they had ended up here, since Earth and Marsala—the dimension of the Elves—were far away.
But with the phenomenon known as Gates, it wasn’t impossible.
“Krrrk.”
Lutal asked if he should put them in the Soil Pit, but Choi Kangjoong shook his head.
He’d become Outer Mind, but that didn’t mean he’d lost all humanity.
Seeing the shivering people reminded him of himself five years ago.
“I want to send them home.”
The problem was, there was no Dimension Ship to ride.
Even if there was, there would be shortages of food and water, and there was the risk of encountering pirates or monsters.
Choi Kangjoong recalled the power of the Outer Mind.
In the setting, the Outer Mind could open a Gate with the massive mental power of its hive mind.
“Can I do it too? If it doesn’t work, I’ll look for another way.”
Choi Kangjoong focused his mind.
He imagined linking the place they were to where he was.
“Open. Open. Open.”
How much time passed?
A ‘snap’ sounded in his head.
He couldn’t even wipe his nosebleed.
It felt like a Gate was about to open.
He soon felt something drain out.
The Gate opened.
“Send them through, quickly.”
“Krrrk!”
Lutal threatened them with its Abyssal Claw.
Even if what was beyond the Gate was a demon’s lair, people still chose to cross rather than face the Brutal Lord before them.
“It worked!”
Everyone crossed, and the Gate closed.
It was close.
Maintaining it was harder than opening it, and if he’d been a moment late, someone would’ve been left behind.
Drip, drip, drip.
He got a double nosebleed as the price, but he felt a sense of accomplishment.
It was the first emotion he’d felt since sitting in that dark room.
Choi Kangjoong looked out the window.
People he’d rescued were standing on the apartment road.
He watched contentedly as police cars and ambulances arrived to take them away.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.