Ch.3434. Liberation

With the fall of the king of Gyeongju to Yuna, North Gyeongju was liberated.

“Form 50 teams of 4 people each and arrest Jo Sun-do’s group who fled to downtown North Gyeongju. Move according to your training!”

“Yes, sir!”

Having captured the fallen Jo Sun-do and his gang, they only needed to finish dealing with the remaining followers who had abandoned Jo Sun-do and fled—then they could declare a perfect victory for the Balhut Cult.

Jeong Dong-geon organized 50 pursuit teams of 4 people each and deployed them to track down the scattered remnants throughout North Gyeongju. Of the remaining 300 soldiers, some were assigned as guards to protect Yuna and…

“One hundred will remain here to clean up the headquarters with Lady Yuna, while the rest will arrest Jo Sun-do’s fallen gang members on the battlefield and handle the aftermath.”

“Understood.”

“And bring our fallen comrades before the High Priestess.”

“Yes, sir!”

They were left behind to clean up Jo Sun-do’s headquarters while also handling the aftermath of the battle.

This included not only collecting weapons from and arresting Jo Sun-do’s subordinates scattered across the battlefield, but also rescuing their comrades who had fallen during the attack by Jo Sun-do’s gang.

Despite their overwhelming victory that had shaken the battlefield, the Balhut Cult had certainly suffered casualties.

“Jo Sun-do’s gang can wait! Save our comrades first!”

The soldiers tasked with battlefield cleanup prioritized rescuing their fallen comrades over dealing with Jo Sun-do’s gang members who had collapsed foaming at the mouth after being hit by Bahamut Bullets.

Fortunately, since they wore identical uniforms, fallen comrades were easily identified and brought to Yuna for emergency treatment before they could die.

As long as they weren’t dead, they could be fully restored through Yuna’s healing.

“Th-thank you, Lady Yuna.”

“Please be more careful next time.”

“Haha. I will.”

The soldier who had narrowly escaped death sincerely thanked Yuna, and she responded with words of caution.

Perhaps because he had just faced death, the soldier’s face was deathly pale, but he still tried to put on a brave front in response to Yuna’s concern.

However, his bravado didn’t last long.

“We’re free!”

“The tyrant has fallen!”

“We’re saved! Liberated from oppression! Long live the Balhut Cult!”

Joyful cries loud enough to drown out the soldier’s bravado spread throughout North Gyeongju.

With Jo Sun-do’s defeat, the slaves who had been exploited at his headquarters finally seemed to grasp the situation. They shouted loudly about liberation from oppression, and some even wept, praying to the gods that this wasn’t just a dream.

However, seeing the condition of these people who had suffered as slaves, Yuna could only force an awkward laugh.

“Ahahahaha. They’re in terrible shape too.”

“Yes. It’s pitiful.”

It was truly a mess.

While female slaves had been kept in relatively better physical condition for sexual exploitation, the male slaves who had been used for labor were so malnourished that their bones and tendons showed through their skin.

Their hair was falling out as if they had alopecia, their eyes bulged out like those of a witch, and their cheekbones were clearly visible—at first glance, they could be mistaken for zombies.

Moreover, they appeared unwashed, with faces blackened with grime, causing even Jeong Dong-geon, who had witnessed many sights during external expeditions, to involuntarily grimace.

Jeong Dong-geon felt sympathy imagining the horrible experiences these people must have endured under Jo Sun-do.

“First, we’ll arrest Jo Sun-do and his gang and transport them to headquarters. The remaining soldiers will deal with any possible remnants inside the headquarters.”

“Please do.”

Jeong Dong-geon’s work intensified.

He quickly disarmed the unconscious Jo Sun-do and his demoralized gang, arrested them, and transported them to the cult’s headquarters. Some of the subjugation forces re-entered Jo Sun-do’s headquarters to eliminate any remaining followers.

As for Yuna, with her guards…

“Please gather all the injured people inside the headquarters. I will heal them.”

“Understood, Lady Yuna.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! Sister, we’re saved now!”

She personally set out to treat the citizens who had suffered under Jo Sun-do’s oppression.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m barely alive.”

Seeing the male slaves up close was even more appalling.

Their fingers were covered in wounds and their skin was completely raw from harsh labor exploitation.

“That suffering is over now. The tyrant has fallen.”

“Thank you. Really, thank you.”

Their bodies were still covered in bruises and bloodstains, evidence of exposure to whips and violence.

Seeing their condition—people who were barely clinging to life—Yuna felt compassion and began using large amounts of magical power to heal them one by one, these people who were no longer slaves but now citizens of Gyeongju.

“It’s no different over there.”

“P-please save my sister first! She was beaten by Jo Sun-do and still hasn’t woken up!”

“Don’t worry. I will definitely heal her.”

While the female slaves were spared from malnutrition and harsh labor to maintain their appearance, they similarly suffered from sexual exploitation and violence by Jo Sun-do and his subordinates.

In particular, certain women who seemed to have been frequently subjected to Jo Sun-do’s personal violence might have looked fine on the outside, but inside they were as broken as the male slaves.

“About 200 people, perhaps? If the headquarters is like this, how cruel must Jo Sun-do’s other bases be?”

“There are reports of exploitation in other locations as well.”

Yuna had treated just over 200 slaves here.

This meant that over 200 slaves had been used as tools for Jo Sun-do and his gang’s lifestyle.

Of course, considering other slaves who might be at different bases, it was possible to estimate that the number of slaves exploited by Jo Sun-do was even greater.

“Are you saying that all 200 people here were exploited as slaves for just one person, Jo Sun-do?”

“This isn’t the end of it. Wasn’t this kind of thing common in villages and towns around Gyeongju?”

Kim Tae-hyun and Kang Jae-wan, who had joined the subjugation force as soon as they confirmed the war was over, couldn’t help but grimace at the harsh reality of North Gyeongju.

It was like witnessing the serious human rights violations that YouTubers would discuss in their videos.

“And yet he called himself a king!”

“Sadly, this is the reality of South Korea now.”

“Damn it!”

Witnessing this scene of horrific human rights violations, Kang Jae-wan expressed intense anger toward Jo Sun-do who had created this situation. Meanwhile, Kim Tae-hyun, who had been following the expedition force for business purposes, could only feel bitter, noting that this was the current reality of South Korea and that there were many worse cases outside.

Jae-wan couldn’t refute Tae-hyun’s statement that such things were continuously happening outside South Korea.

As a war correspondent, Jae-wan was well aware that such incidents were common outside of Gyeongju.

“Tae-hyun! Reporter! Come over here!”

“Right away.”

“Of course!”

Seeing the two of them, Yuna called out loudly.

At her voice, they quickly snapped out of their thoughts and rushed toward her faster than anyone else.

“Tae-hyun! Please distribute rice porridge to the patients with the rice we prepared.”

Despite Yuna’s excellent healing skills, she couldn’t completely cure patients suffering from malnutrition.

While she could use magical power to replenish patients’ energy, the reality was that compromises had to be made to treat over 200 slaves.

Moreover, this wasn’t the Balhut Cult’s headquarters or a hospital, but the middle of enemy territory.

Yuna knew she couldn’t recklessly use all her magical power and leave herself defenseless in enemy territory.

“I’ve been waiting for those words!”

Without hesitation at Yuna’s order, Tae-hyun entered the food truck and took out two large pots that could easily make portions for 100 people, then lit the stove.

He put well-prepared rice in the pots and started adding water—ten times the amount of rice.

Kim Tae-hyun prepared the porridge skillfully, as if he had done this many times before.

And…

“You called for me, Lady Yuna?”

War correspondent Kang Jae-wan also quickly approached her at her command.

He thought there must be something important since the cult’s High Priestess had personally called him.

“Yes. Did you complete the North Gyeongju interviews safely?”

“Yes. I believe it was a meaningful activity.”

“Then, could you interview those liberated people and collect testimonies about Jo Sun-do’s evil deeds?”

This was an even more compelling assignment than he had expected.

Having just witnessed and been angered by the horrific human rights violations, Kang Jae-wan had already been planning to interview the victims about Jo Sun-do’s atrocities.

However, with Yuna’s permission, he could now legally receive support from the Balhut Cult.

The young war correspondent, angered by the evil deeds of the self-proclaimed king of Gyeongju, bowed with a bright expression.

“Leave it to me!”

“As you know, these people suffered harsh labor exploitation and sexual exploitation in the headquarters of the self-proclaimed king of Gyeongju, Jo Sun-do. I’ve used healing arts to treat their wounds and replenish their energy, but they’re still suffering from malnutrition, so please don’t give them food.”

“Ah, I understand. North Gyeongju was worse than I thought.”

“Ahahahaha…”

As Kang Jae-wan commented on how terrible North Gyeongju was, Yuna could only laugh.

While North Gyeongju had suffered under Jo Sun-do’s exploitation, frankly speaking, Jo Sun-do’s level of exploitation was relatively average at this point in time.

As the High Priestess of the cult, Yuna was aware of many more horrific realities occurring in regions outside of Gyeongju, so she could only laugh at Jae-wan’s lament rather than agree with it.

“Well, it’s a zombie apocalypse. I’ve heard that all of South Korea—no, all of East Asia except South Gyeongju—is in chaos due to the zombie apocalypse.”

“I’ve come to realize that once again.”

All she could say to the justice-driven reporter was that regions outside of Gyeongju were suffering from the apocalyptic disaster.

Kim Jae-wan nodded heavily, affirming that he deeply felt the truth of Yuna’s words.

“Well then, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Yes. I will record everything without fail.”

Would Kang Jae-wan’s records actually help the Balhut Cult?

Even Yuna wasn’t sure, but she thought that collecting testimonies from Jo Sun-do’s victims would surely be meaningful.

And just as she was finishing treating the civilians captured by Jo Sun-do…

“Lady Yuna.”

“What is it?”

“We’ve discovered Jo Sun-do’s warehouse. I think you should see it.”

Jeong Dong-geon, who had gone to eliminate Jo Sun-do’s hidden followers in the headquarters, returned.

With a troubled expression, he told Yuna about discovering Jo Sun-do’s warehouse.

“I understand.”

Having just finished treating the civilians, Yuna followed Jeong Dong-geon’s guidance to Jo Sun-do’s warehouse without hesitation.

“Wow. I think Jo Sun-do would be more upset about us raiding his warehouse than about being defeated by us.”

Seeing the mountain of supplies, even Yuna was left speechless.

There were ramen and canned tuna that had been used for bartering before the cult’s currency was issued, as well as rice sacks that weren’t properly packaged, likely looted from farms near North Gyeongju.

If that was all, she wouldn’t have been surprised, but there were also mountains of medical supplies as if all the medicines in Gyeongju had been collected, followed by countless electronic devices that had no practical use anymore.

And as they explored further into the warehouse, they began to find rows of luxury goods that had lost their value.

Starting with watches, then bags, clothes, and precious metals.

He even seemed to have looted all the gold in North Gyeongju, as hundreds of cases containing gold were piled up.

“Truly the end times.”

Witnessing this endless human greed, Jeong Dong-geon briefly commented that it was the end times.

“Indeed.”

Faced with this overwhelming sight, Yuna was caught in a confusing mix of emotions, unsure whether to laugh or cry.