NOVEL NEXT chapter 36
Chapter 36
A massive, hulking body, resembling a knight, writhed amidst the tangled and filthy wreckage.
– Grrk, grrrk…
It seemed as if it were still alive, bursting with a dim light as it attempted to rise, but due to its severed limbs, it could do nothing but squirm.
“Phew, quite the resilient one, aren’t you?”
Looking down upon the creature, Kim Cheol regarded it with a mix of satisfaction and a hint of disappointment.
At first, he thought it merely a common beast, but upon making direct contact, he found it surprisingly ample and its hide quite tough, offering a satisfying resistance.
Of course, in the end, he grew weary of it, concluding the battle by tearing off its limbs, yet it was clear that this creature would be recognized anywhere as an excellent biological punching bag.
“By the way, it makes sense now why an entire planet was lost. This one would certainly give quite the trouble.”
In other words, even Brigadier General Kim Cheol, a Pentagier, had taken a considerable amount of time to deal with it.
Though he wore his usual amiable smile, his eyes were sharpened with cold precision.
Just as he was gazing down at the writhing knight, a beep echoed through the air.
*Beep*
〔Brigadier, it seems we have a problem.〕
“What is it?”
〔The external shielding of the colony is about to be breached. It seems we should start making our way back.〕
“Already?”
How poorly constructed must the colony have been if it could barely withstand the onslaught of monsters for less than thirty minutes?
If the engineers heard this, they would surely be driven mad with indignation, but Brigadier General Kim Cheol genuinely pondered this aloud.
“And the cadets?”
〔Whether they were smuggled away or fled on their own, there are some losses, but we have secured the intended number. Moreover, with the capture of some defense forces and about ten ships, I believe we can consider our objective achieved, Brigadier.〕
That was not bad news to hear.
Of course, the cadets, troops, and ships were merely supplementary elements; the true target was the colony itself…
“If we can’t have it, then destroying it isn’t such a bad option, heh heh.”
After all, delivering a blow to the wretched traitors of the United Human Synthesis was a source of joy in itself.
Kim Cheol murmured this to himself, signaling to his aide that he understood before attempting to cut the communication.
No, he meant to.
Before the voice of the adjutant followed.
〔…And Captain Satra could not be captured. I apologize.〕
“Hmm. Did he die?”
Though it had gone awry, there was a hint of admiration in his voice for that spirit.
Yet the response that returned was unexpected.
〔He broke through the encirclement and escaped. We attempted to pursue, but suddenly the roof of the hangar collapsed, and we lost him…〕
“Ha, what a delightful child to the end.”
It would be a lie to say there was no disappointment, but such variables were part of the thrill of battle, were they not?
‘Still, to give up the chase just because the hangar roof fell. It seems it’s time for some guerrilla training after a long while.’
He mulled over the thought that would surely send his special officers into a frenzy, moving on while leaving behind the knight whose eyes had long since dimmed.
‘Captain Satra and Jin Crow. This time, the connections have become quite interesting.’
He etched the names he must not forget into his mind.
For in the long roll of battle, there are inevitably names that slip away, lost to time.
‘Someday, when we meet again, I shall bring it to an end.’
And Kim Cheol was…
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
A war fanatic living for the thrill of erasing their names one by one.
*
‘…Where is this?’
When he opened his eyes, mistaking it for hell was not so strange.
Squish—.
As he stepped forward in his military boots, something wet soaked his foot.
Looking down, he saw dark red blood pooling, enough to soak his ankles.
But that was not all.
Beneath the sea of blood lay countless corpses, each in their own grotesque pose, sprawled in every direction.
‘…!’
He nearly let out a scream, but no sound came forth. It was as if something was forcibly sealing his mouth shut.
How long had it been like this?
As he barely regained his senses, a sudden thought struck him: the height of the corpses was steadily rising.
‘…There are many indeed.’
Instinctively, was it because he sensed that this was not reality?
Or perhaps it was the personality of Jin Crow, which had begun to overlay him at some point, that helped him grow indifferent to such matters.
With a gaze that had grown somewhat cold, he stared at the pile of corpses, and only then did he realize something strange.
‘They’re all mixed together?’
At his feet lay the bodies of those who, at a glance, seemed to belong to the lower class.
Dressed in tattered rags, the emaciated hand of a wretched soul lay lifeless.
Yet, as the bodies continued to accumulate, uniforms of navy blue, brown, and black became entangled. Above them, military garb and knightly armor, bearing what appeared to be the insignia of an empire, were hopelessly intertwined.
‘……Where on earth is this?’
For a brief moment, he felt relief in knowing this was at least not reality, but then he felt as if he had opened a Pandora’s box that should never have been touched, slowly lifting his gaze along the mountain of corpses.
The bodies were piled higher than a small hill.
And atop it all, a man knelt quietly, eyes closed in silence.
‘Wait.’
The hazy silhouette seemed familiar.
Jin Crow took a step closer, and soon his expression turned to one of blank astonishment.
Clank—.
As he took a step, hundreds, thousands of chains that had been invisible until now came into view, connecting to the nape of the man’s neck who knelt atop the mound of corpses.
At that bizarre sight, he was left speechless.
Finally, the man slowly opened his eyes, looking down at him, and began to speak.
“-. –.”
The sound did not reach him, and consciousness began to fade.
Jin Crow tried to remember the shape of his words beyond the overwhelming pressure and the retreating clarity, but it was impossible.
Yet one thing was etched into his mind.
‘Jin Crow?’
The one atop the mountain of corpses was none other than Jin Crow himself.
*
“Gah—!”
When he opened his eyes again, a strange ceiling came into view.
Instinctively, he narrowed his brow and turned his head to survey his surroundings.
“…….”
“You…?”
Soon, he found himself staring into the vacant eyes of Judith.
Her characteristic, dreamlike blue gaze followed him with every slight movement of his head, and thanks to that, he could be certain of one thing.
‘At least I’m not caught in red hands.’
If he had truly been captured by them, he wouldn’t be in a treatment facility but rather stuffed into a body bag, tossed into a freezing storage room.
Or worse, being roasted alive in a damp basement with needles embedded in his fingertips.
Yet, did that mean he fully understood the situation he was in?
Not at all.
‘What the hell happened?’
He remembered Kim Cheol, that ignorant warmonger, being dealt with by the knight, but after that, his memory was a blur.
Asking Judith wouldn’t yield any meaningful answers, either.
Though she appeared to be of elementary school age, she was older, yet her communication skills were dismally poor.
Thus, Jin Crow turned to the gendarmerie captain, Dido, standing beside him instead.
“Why is Instructor Judith here?”
“I’m not sure, as she hasn’t shared the reason. But it seems she has some interest in the matter.”
Dido replied in a soft, flowery manner reminiscent of a butler, but the conclusion was clear: ‘I don’t know either.’
There seemed to be no sane instructors or gendarmes around.
Jin Crow momentarily suppressed a rising irritation, instinctively reaching into his pocket for a cigarette.
Swish—
But wearing a patient’s gown, there was nothing to grasp.
As the strange atmosphere lingered, suddenly—
“Ah? Instructor, you’re already awake?”
With a whirring sound, the door swung open, and familiar faces entered the ward.
Obia Timist and the gendarmes from the Central Special Operations Academy. And Lieutenant Lee Hana.
“…”
“Well then, we’ll take our leave.”
As they entered, Judith tugged at Dido’s sleeve, and he nodded lightly before stepping out of the ward with her.
‘What’s going on?’
For a moment, he furrowed his brow at their incomprehensible antics, then turned to Obia, who was staring at him with a wide grin.
He considered pressing her for answers first but quickly shook his head.
What mattered now wasn’t right or wrong, but understanding the situation.
He was about to pose a question to Obia and the military police, but soon shifted his gaze to Lieutenant Lee Hana, who stood there, resigned and blank.
“Lieutenant.”
“Yes? Ah! Yes!”
Perhaps it was the week spent alongside Jin Crow that made her quick to grasp his intent, for Lee Hana opened her mouth without hesitation.
“Well….”
Her explanation was rather lengthy, yet it was all necessary, so it was not tedious.
“Gasp. That’s how it happened, Instructor.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lieutenant Lee Hana accepted the water offered by the military police, as if to soothe the struggles they had endured.
In contrast, Jin Crow absorbed the current situation she had laid out, his mind continuing to churn in silence.
‘The Atla Colony has effectively been self-inflicted, the federal forces, under the leadership of the 73rd Regiment Commander and senior special duty academy instructors, managed to escape the colony through an unoccupied hangar.’
The command structure had been shaken by the unexpected assault, but with only about 30,000 troops involved in the coup, that was the extent of their capabilities.
Thus, once the situation stabilized to some degree, the federal forces promptly evacuated both residents and soldiers, as Lieutenant Lee Hana had explained.
Considering they had even looked after themselves in the chaos, one could say they had done their best.
Of course, it was true they had been foolishly oblivious to the coup, but what could be done when the aide next to Major Legchaf was a spy?
‘About half of the cadets were taken by the Red Hand, and a considerable number of the defense forces were involved. Yet Captain Satra is missing?’
In truth, the term “missing” was almost a euphemism; the likelihood of surviving an attack by creatures and losing control in the colony was nearly nonexistent.
“The Red Hand?”
“Oh, they say they’re tracking from the adjacent 15th Fleet…”
The way she trailed off made it clear that the outcome was not promising.
Tap, tap—.
He lightly drummed his fingers on the armrest of the bed.
“Well then.”
“Loyalty!”
Realizing it was the salute of the summoned, the military police and Lieutenant Lee Hana promptly exited the ward, while Jin Crow looked at Obia, who was rolling her eyes like a puppy caught in wrongdoing, and asked.
“Where have you been?”
“Oh, um, you see… suddenly a creature fell from the sky with a bang! I was so flustered!”
It sounded like a pre-prepared excuse.
So flimsy was it that Jin Crow couldn’t help but chuckle as he replied.
“Will you say the same in a military tribunal?”
“Ugh…”
The situation being what it is, there would be no severe punishment, but if one were to cling stubbornly, it could certainly become a nuisance.
After all, they had failed to fulfill the duty of escorting the dignitary.
Obia was well aware of this, pouting her lips slightly, then rolling her crimson eyes as she spoke softly.
“The liquor that was confiscated back then… it’s still in the storeroom…”
“For now, that serves as adequate interest.”
“Characterless wretch.”
“Should you testify to that in a military tribunal as well.”
“…I was wrong.”
In the end, the conversation concluded with Obia, rare as it was, conceding a point.
She cast a glance that seemed to express her disappointment, then rose from her seat and headed toward the ward’s exit.
Of course, for Jin Crow, who knew that even that display was all an act, it stirred no emotion within him.
“Still, it’s not as if I gained nothing.”
He mulled over this in the empty ward, devoid of anyone but himself, feeling the creaking of the Triple Gear.
“Recognition data.”
–
■User_Jin Crow
□Rank: Major
□Service Number (S.N): SMCO55-1113027
□Gear: Triple (Error)
□Health Status: PTSD, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Headaches, Substance Abuse, Paranoia, Anger Management Issues
–
As expected, the Gear had indeed risen to Triple.
However, the word “Error” that accompanied it had not fallen away.
Typically, a superhuman’s Gear reaches a certain limit, after which its growth plummets to nearly zero.
Yet, the level of the Gear had increased in a short span.
Given the hardships endured, it was not an insignificant reward.
‘…It’s a pity, though.’
He had felt it thoroughly when facing Brigadier General Kim Cheol.
If he continued to rely solely on substance abuse and recklessly threw himself into the fray, he would meet an untimely end from natural causes before he could even prevent the destruction wrought by the Creatures.
It was true that a lingering attachment to the OOPArts remained because of this.
……Moreover, it is not just that which troubles me.
‘That dream.’
I had sensed it for some time now, but there were too many points to dismiss it as a mere nightmare.
Because of this, I chewed on the fragmented memories of the dream while feeling the vibrations of the ship entering hyperspace, closing my eyes.
‘I suppose I’ll have to visit the Free Planet Alliance next.’
It was a pity, but that was all there was to it.
Unlike the artifacts of the Holy Galactic Empire, whose general location I at least knew, the artifacts of the Free Planet Alliance were considered half-mythical even within the story.
The gear had lengthened, so even the inefficient awakening zero would have some effect, and if all else failed, I still had an extra tentacle left.
‘No, perhaps an extra life.’
I had gambled my vigilance and life away for a week’s schedule.
In the end, I had lost nothing.
Yes, just as I was trying to suppress my lingering thoughts with that notion.
Knock, knock—.
A soft knock echoed from outside the door, and Lieutenant Lee Hana, who had just stepped out, quietly entered and saluted.
As I turned my gaze, about to ask what was the matter.
“Um, um! There’s something I forgot to mention.”
“What is it?”
“It has been confirmed that the cadets survived thanks to the instructor, and the testimony that Major Kim Cheol, a pentagear and a level one wanted criminal, was defeated is all true. It seems this will be added to the upcoming commendation. Also, the reward for the Liberato case has already been processed…”
At her words, Jin Crow blinked for a moment, trying to comprehend, then slowly lowered his gaze to open the watch account.
And soon, the numbers that met his eyes were strikingly simple.
[500,000,000. USD/CREDIT]
“……You may leave.”
“Ah, yes! Please rest easy!”
Indeed, the instructor of the Central Special Operations Academy was different.
Lieutenant Lee Hana left, filled with admiration at the sight of Jin Crow, who, having secured the equivalent of a house on a decent inland planet in a single operation, showed not a hint of agitation.
Once she departed, he slowly read the numbers again and closed his eyes.
……Why was it?
The corners of my mouth kept rising.
It was surely a remnant of the aftereffects of my injuries.
‘Calm down.’
Even if it’s five hundred million synthetic national dollars, at best, I could procure fine liquor and good tobacco…
〔We are about to enter hyperspace. All crew members, please take your positions.〕
For some reason, I felt I shouldn’t think any further, so I halted my thoughts.
Then, as the announcement echoed in my ears, I closed my eyes once more and shifted my focus to something else.
Fortunately, when I thought of the cadets who would be comfortably waiting, my emotions settled in an instant.
‘A week has passed beyond the expected time.’
The discipline among the cadets must have loosened considerably.
From experience, I knew that Instructor Ginatio would not be able to rein them in.
The words of Baek Hwi-young from before came to mind.
The cadets of the Central Special Operations Academy are all elites.
Thus, having not conducted proper lectures for a whole week, there should be some fitting ‘makeup classes,’ shouldn’t there?
‘I need to pay a bit more attention.’
This is definitely not a venting of frustration.
…Perhaps.