The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 59: Foundations of a Stronghold

Jin stood in the fading aftermath of the fight, his heartbeat steadying, the rush of combat cooling in his veins.

The recruits were still talking, their voices overlapping in a mixture of excitement and disbelief. Some were still on edge, eyes darting to the broken remains of the battlefield. Others, like Jisoo and Doyun, had already started reenacting the fight, throwing exaggerated punches and kicks at the air.

Jin ignored them.

His focus was elsewhere.

The school's front entrance was a mess. The gate was flattened, its once-sturdy frame twisted and broken across the pavement. The ground was cracked from the fight, with dents marking where bodies had landed. Shattered glass, torn wires, blood smeared across the concrete.

It looked like a warzone.

And worse—it had only taken one group of nobodies to do this.

If something stronger came next, if someone with an actual plan attacked, if they had been outnumbered—

They would've lost.

Jin exhaled, rolling his shoulders. They needed to prepare. Now.

Joon clapped a hand on his shoulder, grinning. "That was sick. We should celebrate, maybe see if the vending machines have something worth stealing."

Seul shook her head, already reading Jin's expression. "We don't have time for that."

Jin said nothing. He already had the system menu open.

[Territory Points Available: 22,814]

His gaze flickered across the options. They couldn't afford to be caught off guard again.

No hesitation.

He started upgrading.

The changes began immediately.

Jin selected the first upgrade—Gate Reinforcement.

A pulse of invisible energy rippled through the air. The wreckage of the broken entrance shifted, twisting and rebuilding itself. Metal reformed, stretching and fusing together into a stronger, thicker structure. The new gate wasn't just rebuilt—it was fortified.

It looked solid. Durable.

Not something that could be knocked over with brute force anymore.

[Gate Reinforcement Complete.]

Jin barely had time to register it before the next upgrade kicked in.

[Perimeter Warning System Activated.]

Somewhere beyond the school's borders, an unseen barrier pulsed to life.

Jin couldn't see it, but he felt it.

A subtle shift in the air, a faint hum vibrating at the edges of the property. The system had set up a detection field—a silent alarm that would trigger if anyone crossed into their territory.

No more sneak attacks.

He continued.

[Resource Storage Expansion Initiated.]

The cafeteria behind him shifted.

Jin turned, watching as the back walls of the room stretched and expanded. The storage doors widened, revealing new shelves, reinforced cabinets, and larger refrigeration units.

They could stockpile more food. More supplies. Survive longer without scavenging.

Jin's jaw tightened. This was progress.

[Training Grounds Expansion Applied.]

In the courtyard, the ground trembled. The cracked pavement smoothed over, reinforced by the system. The empty lot transformed into a structured training area, complete with reinforced flooring, makeshift sparring zones, and training dummies.

Jin exhaled. Finally.

They wouldn't have to hold back in training anymore.

[Watchtowers Constructed.]

A low rumbling echoed through the air as two metal towers rose on opposite sides of the school's perimeter.

Nothing extravagant—just enough height to see past the walls. Enough to spot anyone approaching before they reached the front gate.

[Emergency Bunkers Established.]

Jin felt the shift beneath his feet. Something moved underground.

Hidden spaces. Fallback shelters.

If things went to hell, they'd have a place to retreat.

[Territory Upgrades Complete.]

[Territory Points Remaining: 814.]

Jin finally let out a slow breath.

It wasn't much. But it was a start.

He turned back toward the recruits.

They had gone completely silent.

The ones who had been joking before—Jisoo, Doyun, even Joon—had fallen still, their eyes locked onto the school.

Jin followed their gaze.

The cafeteria was bigger now. The courtyard was structured, intentional. The entrance, once battered and broken, now stood strong.

For the first time, this place looked like a real stronghold.

"Did you just…" Haneul trailed off, staring at the watchtowers.

"Yeah," Jin said simply. "The system lets us use points to reinforce our territory. If we don't take advantage of it, we're just waiting to die."

The recruits exchanged glances. Some looked impressed. Others looked nervous.

It made sense.

Before this, they had just been surviving. Reacting to whatever the world threw at them.

But this—this was different.

This wasn't scavenging. This was building.

Jin turned back toward the entrance. "Come on."

Without another word, he walked toward the school.

Seul, Joon, and Echo followed without hesitation.

The recruits hesitated for only a second before stepping in after them.

Walking back into the cafeteria felt different this time.

The space had changed. It wasn't just bigger—it felt more structured. More intentional.

The recruits didn't scatter immediately.

Before, when they had first arrived, they had claimed seats like strangers in an empty room. No pattern. No structure.

But now—they instinctively grouped together.

Jin noticed it.

It was subtle, but it was there.

They weren't just survivors thrown together by chance anymore.

They were something more.

Jin exhaled. It was time for the next step.

He turned, facing them fully.

"If we want to keep this place, we have to defend it."

The recruits straightened.

"That means no one sleeps without someone on watch," Jin continued. "From now on, we set up shifts. We keep an eye on the perimeter at all times."

He scanned the group, already making decisions.

They weren't just random survivors anymore.

They were going to be soldiers.

The cafeteria was silent.

The recruits sat around the room, the weight of Jin's words settling over them. They weren't just scavengers anymore, fighting for scraps and hoping to survive another day. They had a territory now. A real stronghold. And with that came responsibility.

Jin stood at the front of the room, his expression calm but firm. "From now on, we set up shifts," he said. "We need eyes on the perimeter at all times."

No one spoke.

"That means no one sleeps without knowing someone is watching their back," Jin continued. His gaze swept over them, reading their faces. Some of them were still riding the high of the earlier fight. Others looked unsure, shifting in their seats, realizing what this really meant.

But none of them argued.

Because they all knew he was right.

Jin exhaled, glancing at the system menu still hovering in his vision.

[Territory Status: Upgraded]

[New System Feature Unlocked: Watch Shift Assignments]

The system was evolving. Adapting to their decisions. The stronger they became, the more structured it expected them to be.

He tapped the interface, and a list of names flickered in front of him. He scanned the recruits, then started assigning shifts.

First Watch: Echo, Haneul, Mina.

— Echo's sound-based awareness makes him perfect for tracking movement.

— Haneul's Shadow Step allows him to scout the dark.

— Mina's Ignite Touch can provide emergency visibility.

Second Watch: Joon, Kyung Min, Yujin.

— Joon's Magnetron Spheres are good for ranged attacks.

— Kyung Min's Granite Armor ensures she can take a hit if ambushed.

— Yujin's Predator Shift enhances her senses, making her a natural hunter.

Third Watch: Seul, Doyun, Sujin.

— Seul's gravity control can hold enemies at bay. freёnovelkiss.com

— Doyun's Shockwave Pulse can send out warning attacks from a distance.

— Sujin's Verdant Snare can reinforce barricades and slow intruders.

Final Watch: Jin.

— Because he needed to see everything for himself before morning.

Jin nodded, locking in the assignments. "This is the rotation. Get used to it."

A few recruits exchanged glances.

Jisoo leaned over, nudging Haneul with a grin. "Guess we're getting the full experience now, huh?"

Haneul didn't respond immediately. He just nodded, gripping his staff a little tighter.

Just as Jin was about to dismiss them, a new notification pulsed in his vision.

[New System Feature Unlocked: Territory Commanders]

Jin's breath slowed.

[You may now assign up to three trusted individuals to oversee key aspects of your stronghold.]

His gaze flickered toward Seul, Joon, and Echo.

This wasn't just a meaningless title. This was the system recognizing them not as survivors, but as leaders.

It made sense. If this was going to work, he couldn't handle everything alone.

Jin opened the menu.

[Select Commanders]

He made his choices.

[First Commander: Seul]

[Second Commander: Joon]

[Third Commander: Echo]

[Commanders Assigned.]

The cafeteria went still as the notification flashed into their vision, visible to everyone in the room.

Seul raised an eyebrow. "So, I'm in charge of training?"

Jin nodded. "You're the best at it."

Joon let out a low whistle. "Damn. Official titles now? Guess I really do get to make battle strategies."

Jin looked at him. "You get to make sure no one dies."

Joon grinned. "Same thing."

Echo exhaled, crossing his arms. "So I get to be the one spying on people. Feels fitting."

Jin didn't respond, closing the menu.

The recruits murmured amongst themselves.

They weren't just a group anymore. They were an army in the making.

[Territory Status: Upgraded]

[Rank: Unstable]

[Warning: Local territories adjusting. You are now a recognized stronghold.]

Jin frowned.

Unstable?

This was new.

Echo glanced at him. "What's wrong?"

Jin hesitated. Then, he showed them the message.

Seul's lips pressed into a thin line. "Recognized stronghold. What do you think that means?"

Joon scratched the back of his head. "Probably that people are gonna start noticing us. And not in a good way."

Jin closed the interface. He already knew the answer.

The more they built, the stronger they became—the more enemies they'd attract.

"Yeah," he muttered. "This definitely isn't over."

The evening stretched on into night.

People settled into their roles, the first watch shift taking their positions near the gate. Some recruits lingered, still trying to wrap their heads around the sudden structure. Others finally let exhaustion take over, retreating to the upper floors to get some rest.

Jin stayed behind.

He leaned against the wall, arms resting on his knees, watching the room settle.

For the first time in weeks, they weren't scrambling for survival. They weren't just reacting to threats. They were preparing for them.

It wasn't much.

But it was something.

His body ached. His mind was tired.

But for the first time since this all started, he let his eyes close.

And finally—

Jin let himself sleep.