The first light of the 70th day dawned, painting the sky in hues of orange and violet. I stood alone in the center of Gwangju's empty main street, watching the taillights of Gapryong Kim's car vanish like a dying ember, swallowed by the growing dawn.
Silence. Not the tense silence before a storm, but the profound, earned quiet after one. The air itself felt different—lighter, as if the region could finally breathe.
I was no longer just a conqueror; I was the undisputed king of Jeollanam-do. The title felt less like a crown and more like a weight. Standing idle was a luxury I couldn't afford.
My phone buzzed, a stark intrusion on the stillness. "Jung Hwan," I said, my voice cutting through the morning chill. "Mobilize the new recruits. I want Gwangju and Suncheon cleaned—every street, every alley. Not a trace of last night should remain by sunset. Send all injured men, ours and theirs, to hospitals. Lee Han will handle all compensations for the families and businesses affected. Full market value, plus damages. No exceptions."
After relaying the finer details of the reconstruction fund, I slid into the driver's seat of the black Spirra. The engine purred to life, a sound of raw power that mirrored the energy coursing through me. The drive to Suncheon was a blur, the world outside the windows softening as the new day fully broke.
Soon, I stood before the safe bunker. My safe bunker. The sight of the colossal, one-foot-thick steel door should have filled me with pride. I had designed it to be a fortress: a Grade-1 deadbolt, multi-point locking, reinforced hinges, an anti-kick plate—a masterpiece of security that could withstand a siege from any ordinary king.
But now, looking at the cold, impenetrable metal, a strange feeling curdled in my stomach. First, relief—it had held, the people inside were safe. Then, a hot, sharp frustration.
Why should they have to live like this? Hiding in a concrete tomb, trapped in a cage without windows, all for the crime of being connected to me?
The bunker was a necessary evil, a costly but vital shield for the innocent. But it was still a cage. A stronger opponent, a true monster from the previous generation, would see it not as a fortress, but as a convenient container to be smashed with everyone inside.
In that moment, a new conviction burned through me, hotter than any UI activation. My body grew warm, muscles twitching with a newfound understanding. Almost instinctively, my feet shifted, my body coiling into the same stance Gapryong Kim had taken.
"I won't protect my people by caging them," I vowed, my voice low but ringing with absolute certainty. "I will stand in front of them. And I will not fall."
I didn't even realize I had thrown the punch until the sound—a deafening CRUMP-BOOM—shattered the morning calm. My fist connected not with a bang, but with a final, decisive crunch of obliterated metal. The magnificent door was now a twisted, useless sculpture of scrap, wrenched from its frame.
A wave of panic surged from inside, followed by a stunned silence as dozens of wide eyes landed on me, silhouetted against the dawn.
"EVERYONE!" My voice echoed, powerful and clear. "THE WAR IS OVER! FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, THERE WILL BE NO MORE HIDING!"
The silence broke into a torrent of cheers, tears, and relieved embraces. Through the celebrating crowd, Mia stepped forward, her face a canvas of worry and awe.
"I'm glad you're okay," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I knew you were an unusual kid, but to think you won against three kin—"
"They weren't three," I interrupted, a proud smirk touching my lips. "It was eight kings. And three more bent the knee without a fight. I'm not just the king of a few cities anymore, Mia. I am the king of Jeollanam-do."
I paused, letting the title hang in the air. "Actually, 'king' feels too small now. The King of Boseong gave me a new one. It has a better ring to it."
Mia simply smiled, a knowing look in her eyes as she watched me bask in the moment. "What was the title?" she asked, playing along.
"'The Young Emperor'," I said, puffing out my chest slightly before giggling. "'The Young Emperor of Jeollanam-do.' Quite grand, isn't it?"
"Yeah," she chuckled, playfully ruffling my hair. "Though it might be a little too big for a kid your age. Alright then, Mr. Emperor, care to explain why you just destroyed our safest bunker?"
"We won't need it anymore," I said with a casual shrug, as if I'd just decided to repaint a room. Before she could protest, I grabbed her hand. "C'mon!"
"Wait—we won't need i—?" Her question was cut short as I pulled her, laughing, out of the dark bunker and into the dawn's light, the rest of the people streaming out behind us.
The scene that greeted them was not the apocalyptic wasteland they had feared. They expected burning buildings, shattered homes, and streets torn asunder. Instead, they saw streets washed with water, already being scrubbed clean of blood. A few broken street lamps and some damaged shop fronts were the only real testaments to the night's brutality. The air smelled of soap and damp concrete, not smoke and ruin.
The men from Boseong, Gwangyang and Goheung were working to clean the not so damaged streets.
I too felt a surge of pride. I had drilled the Gwangju and Suncheon troops relentlessly on controlling their power and minimizing collateral damage during urban fights, but I never imagined they would execute it so flawlessly under such chaotic conditions.
that certainly made the men from the 3 regions who submitted sigh in relief.
I low-key might be a nurturing prodigy like gun, I thought, a genuine smile gracing my lips. I've built an arm of monsters with discipline.
Mia stood beside me, her shock giving way to quiet amazement. "What's the next step?" she whispered.
"Now," I said, my smile fading into a look of grim determination, "we prepare."
"Prepare?" she asked, confused by my sudden seriousness. "For what? You just unified the entire region."
"This was just the immediate danger, Mia. The local predators have been dealt with," I explained, my gaze drifting toward the northern horizon, towards Seoul. "But that just means the real threats lurking in the dark have finally taken notice. The tigers and dragons are now watching."
I know you are out there, Charles Choi. James Lee. All of you. Don't keep me waiting too long.
I shook off the heavy thoughts and looked back at Mia, my playful smirk returning. "But first, we focus on our studies. I'm planning to take the college entrance exams."
Her face was painted with confusion. "How? You're still a kid!"
"Well," I said, tapping my temple, "this kid is a genius. While you're still suffering through high school textbooks, I'll be an even younger kid, standing at the front of a classroom teaching others. Talk about irony."
As the sun climbed higher, banishing the last shadows of the night, it didn't feel like an end. It felt like a beginning. The dawn of peace was here, but I knew better than anyone that the most dangerous battles often begin long after the war is supposedly over.