025 – Awakened
On a pitch-black night, even the faint moonlight was hidden within the clouds, creating an obscenely dark night. In the midst of a cabbage field meticulously cared for by a farmer, four SUVs raced recklessly, tearing through the land.
– Vroom, vroom, vroom! –
Cabbages were sent flying mercilessly as the leading vehicle crashed through them, prompting the driver of the first car to let out a frustrated sigh.
“Hey! This year’s cabbage harvest is ruined!”
“Who cares about the cabbages now? Once we get this lady to her destination, we can compensate for not just cabbages, but even golden ones. So shut up and step on it!”
“Alright, alright. But why did that boyfriend of hers come all the way into this deep countryside? Did he bury money here or something?”
“I am not obligated to answer that, Do I?”
“Of course not.”
“Then I’ll exercise my right to remain silent. How about it? Can you shake them off?”“Just a few years ago, I used to drive a bullet taxi in Gangnam. Even if I lose to the CEO in a fight, when it comes to driving skills, I’m the best in the company! Just leave it to me!”
It seemed that his boasting wasn’t a lie. In fact, Byung-tae was demonstrating top-tier driving skills. In the deep darkness, where it was difficult to see even an inch ahead, he was skillfully navigating, showing off a performance that resembled acrobatics with only a lowbeam light.
Moreover, he was selecting paths that were so daringly chosen that they would lead the pursuers to ditches if they strayed even slightly off track. As a result, the distance between their car and the pursuers’ vehicles was gradually increasing.
Watching the vehicles of the pursuers getting smaller through the rearview mirror, Soo-jeong breathed a sigh of relief and gave a thumbs-up.
“You’re really good at driving! By any chance, would you consider becoming my personal driver after this is over? I could offer you a higher salary than now!”
“I’m sorry, but seeing you being chased like this, I think even with ten lives, it wouldn’t be enough to become your driver. Did you really steal nuclear bomb blueprints or something? Why are they pursuing you so relentlessly?”
“They’re not chasing me. They’re trying to catch the boyfriend who will be in the direction we’re heading.”
“Huh? Then shouldn’t we avoid the direction where her boyfriend is?”
“Myung-jun doesn’t know that he’s being pursued right now. If we leave him as he is, he’ll eventually be brought to a hotel completely surrounded by the net they’ve set up. It’s better for me to join him now that they’re moving. It’s more prudent for all of us to escape together.”
“But judging by the size of the chasing vehicles, there could be four times more people on their side. It could be fewer, but judging from how the cars bounce around in the ditch, there’s at least four people in each car.”
“And they’re probably armed.”
As Ho Chang interjected, Byung-tae shook his head.
“Just so you know, if I think we’re going to lose, I’ll surrender immediately. Let the CEO handle the fight.”
“Hey, after I saved your sorry ass from getting into an accident and becoming a penniless loser, is this how you repay me?”
“No, even if they’re like local thugs, I’ll try my best to deal with them somehow. But they’re not just gangsters, they’re government agents or something. And they’re armed. How can we beat that? Do you think the CEO can defeat a guy with a gun using his bare hands?”
At that point, Ho Chang, who had been pondering for a moment, spoke in a voice filled with hesitation.
“If it’s one-on-one, somehow…”
“No, honestly, the CEO himself doesn’t seem confident, that’s why you’re saying it so hesitantly. Even if an amateur has a gun, it’s difficult to rush recklessly, but we’ll definitely lose against trained personnel armed with guns.”
“Hey, didn’t I tell you I fought and won against a guy with a gun when I was deployed before?”
“But back then, the CEO had a gun too!”
At that moment, Soo-jeong interjected into their conversation.
“Both of you, don’t worry. Once we meet my boyfriend, everything will be resolved.”
Upon hearing this, Ho Chang gave her an incredulous look and spoke.
“Huh? What is this? Didn’t you hear the explanation earlier? They’re fully armed government agents, right? And they outnumber us by far. I understand that you might see your boyfriend as Superman, but unless he’s Iron Man or something, there’s no way he can defeat them.”
“No? He can win.”
“Huh? How?”
“If our plan goes as intended, by the time we meet my boyfriend, he will be in a state stronger than a fourth-generation tank. CEO, tell me. Even if they’re fully armed, do you think we can defeat a tank?”
Ho Chang, taken aback by the absurd question, replied with a stunned expression.
“…Impossible… We can’t… win, right? Humans can’t defeat a tank.”
“Exactly. So, there’s no issue, right? However, if we don’t reach where Myung-jun is, it will be a problem. So, please step on it with all your might, Byung-tae. The only way out for us right now is through him.”
“Ugh, am I even understanding what I’m hearing…? Fine, I get it! Hold on tight, it might get rough!”
With the sound of the engine’s RPM revving up, the already fast car’s speed increased even more. Simultaneously, the pursuing vehicles behind them also accelerated. It was a chaotic chase on a rural night road, like something out of a low-budget film that had moved its setting to the countryside for difficulty reasons.
*********
<We should hurry a bit. I have a bad feeling.>
Having hunted down all creatures except the Grade 5 entity that was the target, Myung-jun was in the process of modifying the newly acquired slingshot for sniper use. He was attaching a pipe with a groove and swapping out the scope for a higher magnification one. As he gazed at the slingshot that had transformed into a much more gun-like shape than its original form, Myung-jun paused upon hearing the ominous words spoken by Keeper. Then, he directed his words towards the palm of his hand.
As he gazed at the newly transformed slingshot that now looked even more gun-like than before, Myung-jun paused his actions upon hearing Time Keeper’s ominous words. Then he spoke, facing his palm.
“What are you talking about?”
<I sense an artificial change in the flow of fate, like throwing a massive boulder into a flowing stream. It’s like something that shouldn’t have happened is about to happen.>
“Can you explain it a bit more simply?”
<It seems like Great Will Guardian manipulated something. Remember when I mentioned before that the Guardian governing human destinies can have some influence on human free will?>
“I heard about that.”
<Although you’ve regressed and returned to the past, your original destiny was to be trapped in the Ministry of National Defense, endlessly creating weapons for the world. But you managed to forcibly change that fate and discharged as planned. It’s like throwing a boulder off its path in a torrential stream.>
“The movement to put the boulder that had moved from its place back into its original flow?”
<Yes. Originally, after your discharge, Captain Moon Hee-cheol should have completely forgotten about your existence and felt an unfathomable feeling deep in his heart. However, people don’t usually act based on that kind of vague feeling. If they do move because of it, it implies that the will of the Guardians, which transcends human thought, has interfered with human free will.>
“Are you saying that Moon Hee-chul to deploy personnel to capture me because of an unfathomable feeling suddenly arose in his heart?”
<They might have dispatched personnel, or they could have approached your family, or they could have had an intuition that they needed to go to a place where there’s concrete evidence to catch you. The ways in which the will of the Guardians is manifested are diverse, but the outcomes all lead in the same direction. They want to get hold of you.>
Myung-jun stood up suddenly and faced the direction of the place he had first entered.
“Wait a second! The only person who knows where I am right now is Senior Soo-jeong! So, isn’t that saying that Senior Soo-jeong is in danger?”
<Calm down. Even if there’s a problem, their objective is probably your safety. Senior Soo-jeong has her own fate and role. So, they won’t let her flame extinguish easily. Moreover…>
As Time Keeper was speaking, he looked into the distance.
There, a massive mud giant, roughly around 40 meters in size, was walking, emitting eerie sounds.
<If we can’t capture that thing, then leaving this space will become impossible.>
Myung-jun hurried his work.
After completing the final task, he pulled the rubber band and loaded the modified slingshot. The newly transformed slingshot looked completely different from before, resembling more of a crossbow with a barrel attached.
The elongated barrel, through which the rubber band could pass, was engraved with a guide wire to impart rotation to the passing projectile. A massive 40x magnification scope, often referred to as a ‘cannon lens’, was fixed to it. Furthermore, there was a bipod attached to the front, firmly securing the barrel to the ground.
Having created this slingshot that didn’t look like a slingshot at all, Myung-jun lay down on a hill 3 kilometers away and aimed at the distant Rank 5 monster.
Toward the most powerful creature that humanity had never encountered before in this world. Myung-jun had hunted down all the Rank 3 to Rank 4 monsters within this space, collecting their crystal stones, which he had used to modify this slingshot.
Just a little bit more.
He left enough points for attribute transformation only on a small pin that supported the entire fixing mechanism. This pin, which was enduring pressures of thousands of tons per millimeter, was on the verge of withstanding pressures at a critical level due to Myung-jun’s ability.
Myung-jun intended to break that pin to unlock the locking mechanism.
“We have only one chance. The moment we miss, we’re done for.”
<What about reloading?>
“First, we lack the points. Even if they get replenished after capturing that thing, we haven’t left any room for reloading in a missed shot scenario. Second, the internal locking pin will break upon firing. Even if I’m lightning fast, it’s almost impossible to change the pin while that thing is running up to this point.”
<Can’t you pull the trigger?>
“The pressure on the modified slingshot right now is beyond the level of pressure a human can pull a trigger against. Even if you insert it into a hydraulic cylinder and press it, the trigger won’t budge. So, breaking the internal locking pin is the only way.”
<What if you miss?>
“The refraction index of the scope lens, the friction coefficient on the guide wire, the optimal elasticity of the rubber band, the shape and weight of the bullet, the heat and wear resistance of the barrel’s material. I’ve transformed every single part’s values according to what Senior Soo-Jeong calculated. Although I’ve never actually fired it, if Senior’s calculations are correct, the special ammunition crafted from a Rank 2 monster’s exterior will carry 64 megajoules of energy and travel at speeds eight times the speed of sound. Furthermore, considering its size, when it enters the body, the warhead will split into eight pieces, tearing the insides apart. Even for a Rank 2 monster, enduring that level of force is impossible.”
Myung-jun took earplugs from his pocket and inserted them into his ears. He then took noise-canceling headphones from his backpack and put them on top. Afterward, he removed the safety pin from the specially prepared high-decibel explosive and threw it down the hill. Soon, an immense explosion and blinding light erupted, visible even from a few kilometers away. The massive mud monster that had been desperately searching for Myung-jun’s location was taken aback by the sudden burst of noise and light and looked in Myung-jun’s direction. Then, with a roar, it began rushing towards Myung-jun.
Observing the giant swiftly closing in on him in a straight line, Myung-jun assumed a shooting stance without saying a word. At that moment, Time Keeper’s voice echoed in Myung-jun’s mind,
<What if Senior’s calculations were wrong?!>
Although Time Keeper’s urgent voice was urging Myung-jun not to die since Time Keeper would also vanish if Myung-jun did, he responded with a calm smile, “It’s okay.”
<How can you be so confident, trusting blindly like that?!>
“The things Senior creates are impossible to adjust for operation conditions. As long as the conditions are met, they work perfectly as designed.”
In an instant, a sound like something breaking came from the new slingshot Myung-jun was holding. Simultaneously, a streak of red light, faster than sound, left a long trail between Myung-jun and the giant. Perhaps due to excessive concentration, within the sensation of time slowing down, Myung-jun watched as the enormous giant’s body devoured the small projectile he had fired, leaving no trace, just like throwing a tiny pebble into a massive lake. However, Myung-jun didn’t miss the moment the giant’s movement halted as it swallowed the small projectile that had been precisely divided into eight pieces, exactly as Soo-jeong had calculated.
– Boom!!! –
Could the inside of a massive creature explode with such a sound if a firework was put inside it? As if numerous explosions were cutting through flesh and stomach, eight jets of blood sprayed from the giant’s body. Just as Soo-jeong had calculated. Along with the fragments of the projectile precisely divided into eight pieces.
Watching the 40-meter tall, brown giant collapse, Myung-jun lowered his scope silently. He then gazed at the message window that floated before him like a game screen.
[Confirmation of initial clear for Rank 3 Gate. As the initial clear reward, you have obtained the Awakening Stone, which guarantees the acquisition of a unique Class. The reward is located in the heart area of the stage boss. Time remaining until the Gate’s annihilation: 59 minutes and 12 seconds.]
Seeing the message, Myung-jun stood up energetically. He then moved down the hill as if sliding and shouted,
“I’ll destroy the Gate as soon as I get the Class! Since Senior might be in danger, we need to move right away!”
As Myung-jun descended, his expression carried a mixture of concern for the unknown danger Soo-jeong might be facing and the anticipation of finally obtaining a ‘Unique Class’ that he hadn’t achieved in the regression phase.
Note: Suprise release for you guys, there will be another surprise on Sunday.
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