SSG 239

Yuseong entered the laboratory. Monsters and beasts had not yet reached this place, so there was no significant damage.

However, it still wasn’t a pleasant place to be.

“How bleak.”

[It is my private laboratory. Compared to places used by humans, you may feel that way.]

“Are there no humans here?”

[There are not. I hired humans to lay the foundation, but once I was able to produce robots, I handled all further construction myself.]

“That’s for the best.”

If there were humans at the lab, it would have caused even more trouble.

“Is the lab underground?”

[You are correct.]

“The aboveground building is too small for both research and production. Since I always lived underground in my world, I’m familiar with underground structures.”

Guided by the strategy guide, Yuseong moved on.

[I’ll open the door for you.]

As they reached the end of the hallway, the strategy guide spoke.

Ggeugeugeung!

With the sound of heavy machinery, the wall at the end of the corridor opened. Beyond the wall was a staircase.

Even here, isolated in the South Pacific, security seemed rigorous.

Yuseong went down the stairs.

He saw no sign of monsters or beasts.

“Just as I heard, they haven’t gotten here yet.”

[They are hesitating in the deeper levels. Likely, they are remaining where the ether is most concentrated.]

The inside of the lab was filled with traces of experimentation.

Items Yuseong had previously brought were laid out on various experiment tables. Yet all the equipment had stopped running.

Yuseong continued heading down.

Eventually, he came upon a room filled with robots.

These were robots controlled by the strategy guide, each armed and standing guard.

“Isn’t this all pointless?”

It might sound like nitpicking, but the strategy guide didn’t have any weapons made from Ark material. They might be able to handle beasts, but if a monster showed up, they’d get wiped out.

[It’s enough to kill beasts. The monsters are just wandering the lower parts of the lab.]

“Wouldn’t it be nice if that stayed true forever.”

Yuseong said, half-mocking, turning on his heel.

There was nothing more to see here.

“I’m going to the other world.”

He didn’t have any gear right now. He needed to bring items from the other world to deal with monsters and beasts.

“Where will I stay?”

He needed a base so that he could return here right away next time he shifted worlds.

[There’s a house near the lab.]

‘That must be it.’

He recalled a building not far from the lab.

Yuseong headed there.

Unlike the bleak laboratory, the place was well equipped for comfortable living—furniture, appliances, entertainment, and food.

But Yuseong ignored them.

‘Didn’t think I’d have to go back before using up all my time.’

He’d always tried to remain in the other world right up to the last second—a most frustrating turn of events.

But nothing could be done now.

Yuseong’s form disappeared from the other world.

---

There was still no contact with the strategy guide in Yuseong’s world.

‘Maybe I should have asked why I couldn’t get through from here.’

But that was just a fleeting thought driven by frustration; those questions could wait until after the monsters and beasts in the other world were dealt with.

As soon as the world shift cooldown finished, Yuseong changed worlds again.

In the new base on the island, Yuseong opened his eyes in the room, surrounded by gear he’d brought this time.

First, he put on the communicator prepared nearby.

“Strategy guide.”

[Yes.]

“Send the robots.”

Robots sent by the strategy guide soon entered. They began packing up the weapons Yuseong had brought.

[There’s a railgun.]

“Is that a problem?”

[I wish to avoid damaging the lab as much as possible.]

“I’ll use it only if I have to. No matter how important the lab is, wiping out those damned monsters and beasts comes first. Didn’t you say you’d blow up the lab if there was no other way?”

[I’m ready for that.]

“Then it’s better to use the railgun first.”

Yuseong checked his own weapons: the familiar reinforced exoskeleton and his gun.

‘Might be the first real battle I’ve had in a while.’

Ever since operating large numbers of robots, Yuseong hadn’t fought directly in reality. Why expose himself to risk when robots could handle enemies safely and reliably?

Even when he fought the last giant monster, he’d deployed robots and waged war, but never held a gun himself.

Still, since he’d continued fighting in Ark, he hadn’t lost his combat edge.

‘But nothing’s certain yet.’

It could all end with almost laughable ease, without him ever needing to join the fight.

Though the odds seemed slim.

Yuseong led the robots toward the lab.

“Has the situation changed at all?”

[The number of monsters and beasts has increased.]

“Yeah?”

He hadn’t expected their numbers to remain stable.

[Some beasts have approached the robots holding the perimeter. They haven’t made further moves, but it’s a matter of time. More surveillance cameras have lost functionality. The ether’s affected area has grown.]

“So the area robots can’t enter has expanded, too?”

[That’s likely.]

“Great, only good news today.”

[Your sarcasm makes it seem you’ve adapted well to this world. It suits you.]

“Shut up.”

Yuseong entered the lab.

It was unchanged from several days before.

When he reached the robot perimeter, it happened.

[There are beasts.]

Past the robots, the figures of beasts were visible.

“Damn.”

Actually seeing those filthy things in this beautiful world made him curse without thinking.

-Kiiiiik!

-Kiiiiik!

They seemed to have spotted Yuseong. While previously uninterested in the robots, they shrieked the moment they saw him and charged.

Thud! Thud!

The robots holding the line pulled their triggers all at once. Lasers struck the beasts. Not nearly enough for monsters, but more than sufficient to deal with the beasts.

Two beasts went down with holes all through them.

“Open up.”

At Yuseong’s order, the robots guarding the front all moved aside.

He went up to the beast corpses, kicking and turning them to check.

“Hey, strategy guide.”

[Yes.]

“Aren’t these bugs?”

They resembled large, mutated insects he’d seen in this world—much bigger, more ferocious, but retaining their native look.

[That’s correct.]

“What do you think?”

[I judge that the monsters and beasts did not come here directly from the other world.]

“So they changed here—monsters and beasts born here?”

[Strictly speaking, it’s more accurate to say they mutated.]

Yuseong looked down at the beast again.

Mutation.

It meant creatures of this world had turned into beasts.

‘So monsters and beasts were originally native creatures?’

Then why did they mutate? A thought flashed across his mind.

“Ether….”

[I agree with your opinion.]

“Now that I think about it, I’ve seen beasts similar to local creatures here. But there are a lot of monsters and beasts that are completely different, too.”

[There’s a chance of continued mutation with time. Or maybe there were completely different life forms even on this version of Earth. There are many possibilities.]

“Come to think of it, these seem weaker than the beasts in my world.”

Yuseong kicked the beast again.

‘It makes sense if these are just in the early stages of mutation.’

He felt like he could glimpse the origin of the apocalypse threatening humanity.

He started heading down further into the lab, with robots ringed around him as a shield against surprise attacks.

‘A radar would be nice.’

But there was no radar in this world. He had no choice but to use the robots as shields as best he could.

-Kiiiiik!

Occasionally, he encountered more beasts. They all rushed at Yuseong, but he was no longer a man to be flustered by a handful of beasts. He and the robot squad slaughtered every beast they met as they advanced.

The deeper he went underground, the more frequently he encountered them.

And finally, he faced a monster.

-Krrrrrr!

Bright blue monster eyes. Yuseong clicked his tongue.

‘To see monsters even in this world. It really sours my mood.’

The robots changed weapons—the ones crafted from Ark materials Yuseong had brought along. But even though the weapons worked, monsters were not easy to bring down. By nature, monsters had greater physical power than beasts.

‘The first time I fought a monster was really tough.’

Their durability was insane. Back before he had the railgun, he’d barely managed to kill one with Ark weapons.

‘A railgun would be best…’

But for the sake of the lab, he had to avoid using it unless absolutely necessary.

Some robots went ahead, holding machine guns.

-Kyaaaa!

The moment the monster saw Yuseong, it charged. The robots opened fire on it.

Dududududu!

Muzzles flashed as bullets hammered the monster’s body.

-Kyaaaaak!

The monster writhed in pain.

The machine guns used by the robots had been specially modified to fire Ark ammunition—another of Yuseong’s emergency preparations.

The rounds were enhanced. Even upgraded enhanced rounds. With all those bullets pouring in from so many guns, even a sturdy monster was soon spurting blood.

And that was not all.

Jeojeojeojeok!

The monster’s body froze over.

Two of the machine guns didn’t shoot enhanced rounds, but freezing rounds instead. The monster, immobilized by the ice, could barely move.

-Keuk!

The monster, pierced all over while frozen, collapsed to the ground. Still, the robots didn’t stop firing. Without a radar to instantly confirm its death, he had to finish it off—possibly going a bit overboard.

“Enough.”

At Yuseong’s order, the gunfire stopped.

The monster’s body was a mess. Nothing, not even a monster, could live through that.

Stepping over the corpse, Yuseong pressed forward once again.

His advance was smooth. Any monster or beast that blocked his path was riddled with bullets and died. He was well-prepared, but monsters and beasts here were also weaker than those in his own world.

After a while—

Chzzzt! Chzzzt!

Static began coming through the comm device linked to the strategy guide.

“Looks like this is where communication cuts off.”

[Correct.]

The strategy guide’s voice began to fade.

Yuseong glanced at the robots. Their movements turned awkward—the strategy guide was no longer able to control them properly.

“I’ll take over from here.”

[Good luck.]

With those final words, the strategy guide’s voice vanished completely, leaving only static. Yuseong took off the now-useless communicator and issued new orders to the stationary robots.

“Follow me.”

The robots started moving again.

Leading the robots, Yuseong headed deeper into the laboratory.