Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

153 – The Preference of the Nebula

‘To receive a call exactly at the timing of discussing that particular agenda… Is it just a coincidence?’

As Myung-jun, with a serious expression, pondered while flying to the United States aboard the Shadow Hawk piloted by Byung-tae, Keeper, reading Myung-jun’s thoughts, spoke.

‘Probably not.’

Keeper mentioned the means used by the Oath Keeper, Myung-jun’s guardian Nebula before his regression, to send him back in time. He explained that Nebulas often manipulate the flow of fate to create specific events at precise timings to achieve the scenes they desire.

‘Just like how the Oath Keeper shattered and sealed me ten thousand years ago to ensure our meeting, it’s likely that events were set in motion in advance to bring about the rescue request at that timing.’

‘Why go through such trouble?’

‘Because while all these events might be matters of survival from humanity’s perspective, to the Nebulas who govern fate, it’s merely a pastime.’

‘Cain didn’t challenge the Pantheon for no reason. That’s why your guardian Nebula, the Goddess of Liberty, is trying to prevent Nebulas from interfering with the fate of intelligent beings with free will.’

‘Cain failed, didn’t he?’

‘Yes. That’s why I initially advised you against accepting Cain’s legacy. While it’s true that Cain’s legacy is an incredibly powerful cheat ability, even Cain met a tragic end in the war against the Nebulas.’

‘So, even if I unlock all seven seals, defeating a Nebula is impossible?’

‘The original Cain could use the full power of the legacy but still met a tragic end in the war against the Nebulas. However, looking at you now, I feel you might face a different fate than Cain. Perhaps the Goddess of Liberty saw this potential in you and decided to pass on Cain’s legacy.’

‘Why do you think that?’

Keeper explained that unlike Cain, who tried to solve everything alone, Myung-jun had companions around him.

Keeper thought that perhaps those companions might be the key to overcoming the tragic fate destined for Myung-jun.

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The airspace above the White House was originally a no-fly zone, where even domestic aircraft or drones couldn’t be flown.

However, to accommodate Myung-jun, who found it bothersome to travel by car from the airport, the White House deactivated all anti-air surveillance systems and awaited his arrival, as he had notified them that he would land the Shadow Hawk on the front lawn.

As the Shadow Hawk deactivated its stealth mode and landed vertically on the White House lawn, President Joe Biden of the United States ran towards Myung-jun, brushing off his security detail, and greeted him warmly.

“I was worried you might not come, but having you here feels like gaining a thousand troops.”

“I came because there were some suspicious points. Please explain the situation.”

At Myung-jun’s words, EDF Commander Daniel Carter, who was standing next to Biden, stepped forward.

“I am Daniel Carter, Commander of the EDF. The problem occurred at a Grade 7 gate near the Grand Canyon in Arizona. As soon as we received reports of a gate of an unusual color appearing at that location, EDF personnel cordoned off the area.”

“What is the EDF’s gate raid process?”

“First, we deploy troops to block civilian access within a radius of several kilometers as a precaution. Then, we send an EDF Seeker to scout the inside of the gate before officially dispatching the raid team.”

“The Seeker and the raid team don’t enter together?”

“That was the issue.”

It was common knowledge that Awakeners who entered a gate could not return until they successfully completed the raid.

However, the EDF had a Seeker with an Awakening ability that allowed them to exit the gate once, which enabled them to gather information in advance and operate a raid team composed solely of combat personnel.

“A Seeker who can exit the gate? That’s incredible.”

“Actually, that’s the problem. This time, for some reason, the Seeker who entered the gate couldn’t come back out.”

Myung-jun understood the situation.

If he were the commander, he would have done everything possible to rescue such a valuable Seeker.

“So, you sent all three Strikers provided by the Liberal Clan and EDF’s elite Team 5?”

Myung-jun thought to himself as he watched Carter nod in response to his question.

‘With three Strikers, they should have been able to clear a Grade 7 gate easily. The fact that they didn’t return means the difficulty level must have risen to at least Grade 9. The fact that a rescue team was sent in means the Seeker inside is still alive.’

By observing a gate with the naked eye, one could understand its characteristics, much like a status screen in a game.

While the specific dangers inside could only be known by entering, it was possible to determine the amount of crystals needed to stabilize the gate, the time remaining until an overflow, and the number of people who could enter. This also allowed for the determination of whether those inside were still alive.

For example, if a gate allowed five people to enter and one person entered, it would display (1/5). If the person inside died, it would update to (0/5).

After hearing Carter’s rough explanation, Myung-jun spoke to him.

“From what I’ve heard, it seems like the gate allowed between five to seven people to enter. And now there’s probably one slot left.”

“How, how did you know…?”

“In terms of gate raiding experience, I probably have the most in all of humanity. Considering that the EDF sent in three Strikers, each worth over a trillion won, and requested my help specifically, understanding the gate’s situation isn’t that difficult. The remaining time is probably tight as well.”

“…Embarrassingly, everything Mr. Cha Myung-jun said is correct.”

Carter’s description of the current gate situation matched Myung-jun’s conjecture precisely.

The total number of people allowed to enter was five.

The rescue targets were the initial Seeker who entered and the four members of Team 5 who were subsequently sent in.

With one of them having died, the current number of people who could enter was just one, as Carter explained.

“How much time is left until the overflow?”

“Perhaps the members of Team 5 who were sent in might clear the gate in time… but judging by your expression, Mr. Carter, it seems unlikely. Did you send in another team before deploying the Strikers?”

Carter couldn’t answer, but his expression revealed more than his words.

Before deploying Team 5, EDF had already sent in other Awakeners, including Strikers.

Despite the deployment of Strikers, those Awakeners had perished quickly.

Initially, EDF hadn’t deployed all three Strikers simultaneously.

They first sent in a team with a Universal-type Striker and three Awakeners to handle various situations. When those four died, they sent in a team with an Assault Striker, specialized in defense, and three stronger Awakeners.

When that team also perished, the final team sent in consisted of four elite members of EDF’s Team 5 and one Support Striker with the strongest firepower.

Those four, trained by Ho-chang, were holding out inside the gate with only one casualty, living up to their reputation as EDF’s elite.

Myung-jun, who had deduced the entire situation from the given information, spoke to Carter.

“This is just my conjecture, but one of the members of Team 5 likely took their own life to create an empty slot.”

“What?! What do you mean…?”

“EDF’s Gate Raid Team 5 received special training from Mr. Ho-chang, our Liberal Clan’s tank. Part of that training included this, if the raid team inside the gate cannot clear it, they create an empty slot intentionally to relay information to the outside.”

“Th-that can’t be…”

“The ones trapped inside the gate right now are saying this by sacrificing their comrade, ‘Please send in someone who can resolve this situation.'”

Myung-jun’s voice, as he said this, was chillingly calm.

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***

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A bizarre space where enormous mushrooms, tens of meters tall, stood like trees.

Inside the ‘gate,’ which had an environment and vegetation completely different from Earth, a group of injured people were tending to each other.

“How is Lena’s condition?”

A man tending to the wounds of a severely injured woman beside him asked.

“She has passed the critical stage. But it’s still dangerous. If she doesn’t receive proper treatment soon, there will be one more empty slot in the rescue team.”

His words were not an exaggeration.

The woman’s condition was so severe that the word “horrific” came to mind at a glance.

Her left arm was completely crushed, barely attached.

The deep wounds visible through the tears in her special suit were so severe that, if she weren’t an Awakener with far superior vitality than an ordinary person, she would have been a corpse already.

“Ugh… Maybe… I should have died instead of Earl…”

Hearing the dying woman’s voice, James Garner, the leader of Team 5, shouted in an angry voice.

“Don’t say that! At that moment, it was the best choice. Earl knew that, which is why he chose to sacrifice himself!”

In a situation where the entire team was surrounded and nearly wiped out, Earl Brown, a member of Team 5, volunteered to be the sacrificial lamb for the sake of everyone.

Following the gate raiding manual he had learned from Ho-chang, Brown decided to sacrifice himself to signal the need for rescue to the outside.

Naturally, the members opposed it, but Brown insisted that it was better for him to sacrifice himself alone than for everyone to be annihilated and the gate to overflow.

“I’m the best at handling the Support Striker here. So, the best way to draw aggro is for me to be the bait. That’s why I’m in the Support Striker right now. If you want to stop me, you’ll have to forcibly open the hatch and drag me out of the cockpit.”

Despite knowing that it was a path leading to his death, Brown ignored the opposition of his teammates and even the orders of his team leader, charging alone towards the overwhelming number of monsters.

Using his sacrifice as a stepping stone, the remaining three members of Team 5 managed to break through the encirclement of monsters with the Seeker they were supposed to rescue.

And to create a slot for the rescue team, Earl Brown, who volunteered as the sacrificial lamb, used all his abilities to buy as much time as possible in front of the horrifyingly strong monsters that were tearing apart the Striker’s exterior armor with their teeth.

[Warning. Left back weapon ammunition depleted.]

[Warning. Chest gatling ammunition depleted.]

[Unable to execute command. No missiles remaining.]

[Warning. Left arm lost.]

[Power transmission system damaged. Switching to auxiliary power.]

[Critical damage. 5% damage remaining until complete system shutdown.]

“Shut up.”

Amidst the barrage of warning sounds hitting his eardrums, Brown spoke.

Then he gripped the controls tightly.

“Execute Sacrifice Protocol.”

[Warning. The current cockpit ejection system is damaged. Executing this protocol in the current situation cannot guarantee the safety of the occupant.]

“Just do it.”

[Command denied. The Striker cannot execute commands that may threaten the operator’s safety.]

For the first time, Brown felt a hint of sadness in the system voice, which he had always thought was emotionless.

But there was no time to dwell on such feelings now.

The mission he had taken upon himself was not just to draw the attention of numerous enemies but to create a slot for the rescuer who would save everyone.

In the shaking cockpit, Brown gave a clear order to the Striker.

“Execute forced command code. Code number HZ5522377.”

[Code number confirmed. Forced command code executed. As of now, the support AI’s command rejection rights are nullified.]

“Execute Sacrifice Protocol.”

[Command confirmed. Executing ‘Sacrifice’ Protocol. The cockpit ejection system is non-functional, so the occupant must manually open the hatch and escape.]

“Just do it!”

As if hearing Brown’s desperate cry, the system voice responded.

[Executing Sacrifice Protocol. Main power system overdrive initiated. Auxiliary power system bypass connection complete. Reaching critical meltdown point in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…]

Brown felt the cockpit, which should have remained perfectly comfortable, heat up as if it were an oven.

At the same time, the main screen, which had been showing the outside view despite the numerous cracks, shut off.

In the pitch-black cockpit, Brown quietly closed his eyes.

And in that moment, he heard the Striker AI’s final message.

[Pilot Earl Brown. It was an honor to fight alongside you.]

At that moment, an enormous explosion, akin to a small tactical nuke, engulfed the monsters surrounding Earl Brown.

A powerful explosion that could melt even the monsters that withstood the immense firepower of the Support Striker.

In the moment of his death, only one thought occupied Earl Brown’s mind.

The single empty slot created by his sacrifice.

He hoped that seeing the 4/5 entry capacity of the gate would lead the U.S. government to make the right decision.

‘Please find an Awakener who can save my comrades…’

He didn’t know who it would be, but only one person came to Earl Brown’s mind.

The strongest Awakener, unanimously chosen by a million people if asked.

A monstrous human who could annihilate the monsters tearing apart the Striker with a single breath.

He hoped Cha Myung-jun would come.

Thus, Earl Brown sacrificed his life to create an empty slot for the ‘savior’ who would rescue his precious comrades.

And as Earl Brown wished, the U.S. government invited the strongest Awakener to America to resolve the entire situation.

Finally, after arriving in the U.S. and understanding the situation, Myung-jun spoke to Biden, who looked at him with a desperate expression.

“I’ll do it.”

And with a voice filled with resolute determination, he added,

“After all, there’s no one else who can.”

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