Turkam was excluded from this operation.
He can't even be said to have good combat skills, because he's not a spellcaster in the first place. His resistance to contamination is no different from that of a civilian.
Even as Kim Yi-hyeon, it was impossible for him to take risks just to drive. Turkam had to take breaks every so often, whether he wanted to or not.
Instead, I was treated like a spare part.
- I'm taking care of the trainees while I'm there and back.
- Yes? Me?
- You look okay?
I took Leone into my care for a while.
I didn't feel like it, but it was also an ambiguous situation where I couldn't refuse. I just added a few words because she seemed desperate, but I didn't expect it to come back to me like this.
"Ah. How long do I have to be treated as the youngest?"
Among the party, Turkam's ranking was still at the bottom. Regardless of affiliation, it was simply a matter of ability. Even if he was better than Noctane, who was on parole, he was nothing more than acorns.
'There's no sign of my rank rising in the future…'
Each and every one of them is like a monster, so it is sad for an ordinary person.
While I was sighing, my eyes went to Leone. He was sitting stiffly in the chair in the break room with his back stretched out. He had been like that ever since he left Echidna's office.
"That, uh, trainee?"
"You can call me Leonera at your convenience!"
"Oh, oh, oh. Okay. That's a good answer. Feel free to call me senior too."
"Thank you, senior."
I couldn't help but laugh at the quick answer.
"Why is the military so tense? Did the director say something?"
"No, of course not. The director did a great job."
"In what way?"
"Since I don't have any social experience, I don't know much about things like employment contracts, but he explained everything to me in a way that I could understand. He seems like a nice person."
Legal issues immediately came to mind. Can a high school student write a contract on his own? Can the process for disaster victims to get hired by a foreign company be this easy?
I was about to ask but stopped.
'It'll be annoying if you touch it.'
Since being sent to Dustborn, Turkam has kept quiet about many questions. There are often things that a single agent does not need to know. This is usually the case with Echidna's work.
This time I decided to keep my mouth shut.
"That's right. He's a good person."
There was a brief pause in the conversation. An awkward atmosphere ensued.
"Senior, is it okay if I ask you a question?"
"Okay. Tell me."
"If you start out as a trainee, it'll be difficult to participate in the same operation as the boss, right?"
"I'm not sure because I've never had a trainee under me. But I guess so?"
"I see…."
The gloomy expression caught my eye for no reason.
'Do you admire the team leader?'
I could empathize with him completely. Moreover, even the insignificant rank of trainee was similar to Turkam's situation in the past. Although we were not in the same affiliation, he was a junior with whom I felt a sense of kinship in many ways.
'It's like a joke, ha.'
"Turkam said, scratching his head nervously.
"Follow me for a moment."
"Yes? Where to?"
"That. Never do that twice like 'Huh?' I don't really care, but there's a senior of yours named Chelsea. She's a typical old fart. She'll always find fault with you."
It was advice that came from the heart.
"I may seem like an old fart to you, but that's because I've been through it all."
"Oh, yes. I will keep that in mind…."
"And by the way, just like anywhere, this company has a food chain-like relationship…."
When I accepted him as a junior to cherish, he spoke freely. Even while walking down the hallway or riding the elevator, he generously shared meaningful advice based on his life experience.
Fortunately, Leone was used to hearing stories from adults as a current student. Moreover, Turkam's past was not boring. The colorful story of his hardships was quite interesting.
After moving, we arrived at the records reading room.
Turkam then took out one of the many discs he had piled up and played it. The projector emitted light and an image appeared on the screen.
- January 5, 2047, 14:12.
- The objective of the operation is to rescue the survivors of Terithia Mall.
- Now, we are entering the first floor.
It was an operational record recorded using a body cam. It seemed like an operation that Kim Lee-hyun had carried out alone. Leone, who was looking at the shaking screen, asked in surprise.
"Hey, can I look at something like this?"
"I took a picture of it for you to see. I asked him about it, but he said the records on this side don't matter. I think the team leader would rather use it as a teaching aid than let it just gather dust."
If there was permission, there was no reason to refuse.
Leone was absorbed in the images as if he was being sucked into the screen. When one was finished, Turkam immediately replaced it with another disc. The reading room was also a place Turkam often visited.
The background and characters were diverse. Sometimes Kim Yi-hyun appeared alone, sometimes team members were added, and there were also operations carried out only with other people without Kim Yi-hyun.
In the middle of watching, Leone suddenly opened his mouth.
"Senior. Who is the strongest in Dustborn?"
"What, what? Why are you asking such childish questions?"
"Yes, that's me."
Being able to pay for nights when necessary was also a privilege of being a teenager. Leone's eyes sparkled with an iron plate on his face. The look in his eyes was too much for Turkam to bear.
"...If you look at them, you can see that they are all monsters."
He hurried on as if he had no other choice.
"What can Mr. Asterike say? When it comes to annihilation, no one can keep up with him. You'd be hard pressed to find him even if you searched the entire continent. Mr. Edwin is the kind of guy who, even if he falls from the 50th floor, gets up in 5 seconds and runs at full speed."
It was not a metaphor, but a real case.
It was such a shocking scene that it sometimes appeared in my dreams.
"Chelsea, ha. She gained shooting skills by sacrificing her humanity. She's incredibly good at shooting a gun. I was dumbfounded when I saw her hit every shot she took while riding a motorcycle."
Arya is one of the more ordinary ones.
However, she often uses her unique animalistic senses. Her only flaw is that she still can't do basic arithmetic correctly.
"As I said, they're all monsters, but let's say we insist on determining who's better. Let's say we fight each other with the intention of killing each other without touching each other. Then it's obvious."
I came to a conclusion without any hesitation.
"Won't we all die with our heads pierced by the team leader?"
* * *
- Edwin. Can we begin?
"Yes, you can leave anytime."
Edwin answered from inside the alley. While waiting for the signal, he felt a weight pressing down on his whole body. It was not a mental burden, but a physical heaviness.
He carries a shield on his back like a turtle. He holds a minigun that he received from Kim I-Hyun in both hands. When dealing with Egg without Asterike, it was a combination that was almost fixed like a manual.
It was awkward at first, but I'm getting used to it now.
Edwin poked his head out of the alley.
His gaze went beyond the egg to the roof of a nearby building.
There was a shadow of a person there.
Inyoung, with her back to the sun, took a stance of full-out fighting. Just as Edwin had become accustomed to the minigun, Kim Ihyeon's form had also become noticeably cleaner than before.
- Let's go. Be careful with your ears.
The bright red cylinder flew at a furious speed. Egg's umbilical cords twitched as if they recognized the approaching threat, but they were too late to react. Edwin lowered his posture to brace himself for the impact.
Immediately afterwards,
-Kwaaaaang!
The dynamite exploded, sending a bang and sparks flying. The surrounding buildings were hit by the explosion, causing cascading damage. After a loud thud, Edwin stepped out onto the street.
A large silhouette was captured beyond the acrid smoke.
Drrrrrr!
The barrel of the minigun spun around and spat out bullets fiercely. A sharp scream that seemed to rip through the world echoed through the range. It was the first cry of an imperfectly born parasite.
― … Mr. Tan. How did he get here… and shoot with his foot… … !!
Chelsea's strike was drowned out by the sound of gunfire.
The cartridges rolled across the floor. He continued to fire with minimal aim. Even though he was holding a heavy weapon, Edwin's role was not to kill.
Phew!
The parasite's body protruded through the smoke.
It had a curved body and sharp legs like blades running along the sides. The number of legs easily exceeded a hundred. It was an entity similar to a civet, with the characteristics of an arthropod.
Blue fluid flowed out from the body where the bullet had landed. The burned area was visible, but there were no restrictions on movement. It was larger than a house and crawled through the rubble.
"It is medium in size. The front shell is soft and the body moves nimbly."
- It's similar to the 'snake' I caught last time.
"I will stop firing and guide you to the point."
Edwin dropped the minigun and grabbed the shield.
Boom!
The body, swung like a whip, struck the shield. The force of the blow was quite strong. Not only that, but the leg scratched the surface of the shield as it struck, leaving a scratch.
'It would have been a disaster if we had fought them with infantry.'
In an instant, the formation collapses and the unit is annihilated. This was the problem. Sometimes, an agile but weak entity appears, and sometimes, on the contrary, a slow but strong entity appears.
You won't know until you crack the egg open.
It is no wonder that many countries respond with bombing.
But Dustborn has never failed in a 'hunt' so far.
He ran down the street and reached his destination. A cafe with the blinds drawn. Edwin stopped running and stood in front of the door. The gap between him and the pursuing parasite was rapidly closing.
He came rushing in as if he was going to hit me right in front of my nose.
Taang!
A large-caliber bullet fired from somewhere pierced the Parasite's head. Blue blood spurted out, but one bullet was not enough to subdue him. His body shook, and he lost some of his momentum.
That would have been enough.
Choaaaak!
Edwin slid out of the way quickly. The parasite, having lost its target, crashed into the cafe. The glass windows were all shattered and its heavy body was slammed inside.
A store with a hole in the wall that was broken down.
The interior was painted green.
The parasite stopped under the influence of [Sticky Paint]. One second, two seconds. Before I knew it, Kim I-Hyun had grabbed the wire and descended into the cafe. He approached the fallen enemy straight away.
A new piece of equipment appeared in my hand.
[Signature]. Basically, it is in the form of a lance. It is compatible with the auxiliary equipment equipped by the agent, and has attachments attached to the main body. It is a weapon whose special abilities change depending on the auxiliary equipment employed during the operation.
In the game, you can only equip one auxiliary equipment per agent, but that's not the case in reality. Just now, Kim Eui-Hyeon used [Dynamite] and [Tactical Hook] together.
This time, the compatible one is [Dynamite].
The cartridge was attached to the bottom of the [Signature] I had created. I pressed the button as soon as I inserted the spear tip into the Parasite's back.
- Puberbub!
The explosive exploded inside the parasite's body. Meat chunks and bodily fluids splattered out in a mess. Kim Yi-hyun frowned at the foul smell that made his nose twist.
[Sticky Paint]'s duration has expired.
― … … Kyaaaah!
The ceiling collapsed as the bastard staggered to his feet. It was his last desperate attempt. Since he was still a threat, Kim Hyun-i stepped back without fighting back.
Calmly, he threw the grenade into the cafe.
The ground shook again with another loud noise. The building completely collapsed, and parts of the parasite were protruding outward. Thin, sturdy legs twitched and then stopped moving.
"It's the end. You've worked hard."
Kim Yi-hyeon announced the end of the operation and took out an empty vial from his bosom. He cut the fragmented corpse of the parasite into thin pieces with his dagger and put them into the vial.
'We also collected samples.'
After a while, the corpse began to disintegrate into particles. Just like Marcus. The dead 'complete' parasites disappeared from the world without leaving their bodies behind.
Even the 'failures' that cannot adapt to mutations and crystallize do not leave any crystals on their bodies. They only return to their original bodies and find peace when they die.
However, the flesh inside the bottle was still intact. A special item made exclusively by Cellbrox Lab. After the catastrophe, Kim Yi-hyun would collect samples and deliver them to the lab as he does now.
"It's really annoying when you see things like this."
Chelsea, who came down from the sniping point, looked around the ruins.
"It's possible to catch them by blowing up like this because the city is ruined."
"That's true. If you fight in a safe place, how much does it cost to recover each kill?"
"Ugh, the more we fight, the more we fall into debt…."
Ironically, they were becoming more free as the world was going to ruin. Kim Yi-Hyeon looked at the particles seeping into the air for a moment before turning around.
"Let's go back."
The final days at Harrenhal are over.
* * *
The bustling city of Cilicia.
There was a woman standing blankly on a street full of neon lights. She tilted her head up and looked up at the building in front of her. She couldn't move from the spot for more than ten minutes.
After staring at the signboard installed on the outer wall for a long time, I muttered to myself.
"Dustborne Corporation…?"
A familiar name that I have known for a long time, even if it has been slightly modified.