SSG 242

Episode 242

Thud!

“Ugh!”

The tentacle, which was aiming for Yuseong’s side, bent in a strange way and struck him with its shaft instead of its tip. He let out a groan.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the tentacle’s tip—which was lethally penetrating—so a disaster where his side was pierced didn’t happen.

But his armor caved in deeply. Judging by the pain, at the very least, his bone had cracked.

However, Yuseong endured it. This level of pain was something he’d experienced plenty of times before.

‘In a way, I kind of miss it.’

With that damned sentiment from those days revived, Yuseong opened his eyes even wider.

It was already too late to run to the stairs. With tentacles closing in from every direction, Yuseong blocked and dodged as best he could.

But the tentacles’ attacks far exceeded his physical abilities.

Thud! Crack!

Injuries sprouted all over his body. Bones broke, flesh was cut open. He used his shield and armor as much as possible to reduce the damage, but it was only better than having nothing.

However, Yuseong had nanomachines. Minor wounds were healed instantly, and even major wounds were fixed in place to keep them from worsening with his intense movements, healing as much as possible, and helping to cover up the physical losses due to injury.

On top of that, he had potions.

Not the attack or stat-boosting potions he’d used so far, but the healing potion that Yuseong had used since the early days of playing Ark.

After blocking, dodging, and being wounded, he held on with nanomachines and healed with potions for a while.

Crunch!

Something broke at the hole.

Crack!

A tentacle fell off. It was the one that had been tattered by Yuseong’s potion attacks. Even though one tentacle was lost, it didn’t reduce the attacks against Yuseong, but it was still meaningful.

Crunch!

Another tearing sound. Another tentacle came off. Then another, and another disappeared, until finally the last tentacle was severed.

“Alright!”

Yuseong cheered.

His condition was terrible. Flesh fallen off, bones broken, even fragments of his organs scattered on the ground.

The armor he wore was more than half destroyed, and the shield shattered and was rolling around the floor.

Even so, he survived.

The hole had already shrunk to the size of a dot.

‘Just disappear, please!’

Almost pleading, Yuseong staggered and picked up a gun lying nearby.

Crackle!

“Damn it!”

There’s a saying in this world: “ukgga,” meaning undeserved misfortune. No matter how he thought about it, there could be no other situation as fitting for that word as now.

A single tentacle squeezed out of the hole. It didn’t show any sign of attacking Yuseong. It just flailed, seemingly trying to force the hole back open.

Through the space it forced open, several more tentacles stuck out, pushing at the edge of the hole and writhing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He couldn’t just stand by and opened fire. The tentacles flinched, but still kept trying to force the hole wider.

Fzzz! Crackle crackle!

Sparks flew from the hole. The opening grew much wider than before, up to the size of two fists combined. But the force shrinking the hole seemed stronger as well.

“Close, damn it!”

Yuseong kept firing at the tentacle, focusing fire to sever just one. But at this rate, it wasn’t enough to stop the tentacles. It was too slow, and his ammo was limited.

However, Yuseong was after something else.

The hole started shrinking again. During this tense tug-of-war, a tentacle disappeared and the balance of power shifted.

‘It’s useless if more tentacles come out, though.’

Even so, he had to do everything he could now.

Fortunately, no more tentacles emerged, and the hole shrank faster and faster.

Praying inside for it to close quickly, Yuseong squeezed the trigger over and over.

Flash!

For a moment, something flashed inside the hole. Of course Yuseong saw it as well. The hole, which had until now stayed black, suddenly turned green.

A chill ran down his back. Cold sweat poured down. His arms lost strength, and he couldn’t even shoot, managing only to barely keep from dropping the gun.

But he didn’t take his eyes away.

Maybe he wasn’t holding back from looking, but actually couldn’t look away. That was how shocking that scene was.

Crack!

The hole suddenly snapped shut, severing the tentacles. The green light vanished too.

The cut-off tentacles fell to the ground.

“Huff!”

Only then did Yuseong gasp for air.

He’d been so shocked, he’d even forgotten to breathe. Breathing raggedly, he glanced again at where the hole had been.

He’d clearly witnessed it closing, but still felt anxious.

Yet the spot where the black hole had been was completely empty.

Only then did the feeling of it finally being over sink in.

Thud!

He slumped down. He’d already dropped the gun earlier. He had no strength left in his body. He was drenched in sweat, his clothes heavy as if he’d been fished out of water.

‘Ah, it hurts.’

As his senses returned, so did all the pain he’d forgotten. He was still seriously wounded, after all.

He drank a few more potions. Then lay down spread-eagle.

‘It hurts, I’m exhausted, and I’m tired.’

Still, thanks to the potions, the pain subsided quickly. As he waited for full recovery, Yuseong recalled what he’d seen earlier.

The green light he’d seen through the hole.

‘It was an eye.’

It was just a brief glimmer, but Yuseong was certain.

‘They said there’s a high chance this connects to my world.’

If so, the owner of that green eye must also be from his world.

‘What kind of creature is it?’

A green eye? He’d never seen or heard of such a thing. Considering that beast eyes are red and monster eyes are blue, it was truly an unknown existence.

It didn’t seem friendly at all.

‘After defeating the gigantic monster, I’d gotten a bit cocky—but there was still something like that left.’

What a wretched world, he thought.

The pain faded away. The healing was complete. But Yuseong didn’t get up. He just wanted to lie there for now.

How long did he lay there?

Clank! Clank!

He heard a noise from the stairs. Yuseong turned only his head toward the stairs.

A robot was coming in. It came right to Yuseong’s side.

[Did you succeed?]

“You can’t tell, seeing as the robot made it in here?”

[I was just checking. You really did well.]

The robot bowed its head. It looked nothing like a humanoid, but was obviously robotic, so the gesture was awkward to say the least.

[I’m sorry, but could you explain what happened here?]

“Sure.”

Yuseong began to explain obediently, without resistance.

Even if the guide’s credibility had plummeted, with the outbreak of a major incident involving monsters and beasts in this world, he couldn’t afford to pick and choose allies. He had to listen, even to the dubious guide’s opinions.

Besides, the guide was at least incredibly capable.

The guide, listening to Yuseong’s account, unsurprisingly showed the most interest in the green eye Yuseong had seen at the end.

[A green eye?]

“Yeah. It was just a glimpse through a hole about the size of two fists, but I’m sure.”

[Do you have any basis for it being an eye? From what you’re saying, it sounds like you just saw a green light, not an actual shape.]

“No. Even if you don’t believe me, I have nothing to say. But it was definitely an eye.”

[Given all your experience with monsters and beasts, it’s possible you sensed it instinctively.]

“Any idea what it could be?”

[If it really was an eye, I think the highest probability is Hades.]

He hadn’t expected much, but he still got an answer.

“Hades?”

[I don’t know for sure either. But it’s known as the strongest and most dangerous of the monsters. It’s suspected to be the king of monsters, which is why it has the name of the king of the underworld.]

The strongest and most dangerous of all monsters. The king of monsters. Named after the lord of the underworld.

Each description sounded more terrifying than the last, but hearing the explanation, Yuseong understood.

If it was that kind of creature, he could see why just meeting its eye was enough to make even him, who’d been through endless ordeals, feel overwhelming fear and pressure.

“I got cocky after taking down the giant monster, and now an even bigger shot popped out, huh.”

[That’s life for you.]

“And you’re an A.I., talking like that?”

His condition was poor and his trust in the guide had dropped, but even so, the line made him smile a bit.

But only for a moment. He became serious.

“Now explain things.”

[Where do you want me to start?]

At least, it didn’t seem like the guide was going to clam up now that it was done with its own business.

“First, tell me how that Hades bastard was able to affect things here.”

[There’s still a lot we don’t know about connections between dimensions. So most of what I say is only speculation—are you okay with that?]

“Go ahead.”

[Currently, we suspect that Hades has taken over Savior.]

“Savior?”

In Yuseong’s mind, the traits ‘Blessing of Savior’ and ‘Utopia’s A.I.’ briefly flashed past. He was shocked; it didn’t fit with his vague assumptions.

“I thought you were Savior?”

[No. My name is Messiah. I’m a separate existence from Savior.]

Messiah. That word also meant savior, so the rumors lined up.

“I see. I thought you were both Savior and the guide.”

[It’s true I’m not Savior, but Savior is the guide.]

“…But didn’t you just say you and Savior are different? Then you’re not the guide?”

[Both yes and no.]

“Fine, I get it.”

Taking a breath in and out, Yuseong spoke.

“If I keep asking one by one, it’ll only get more complicated. You roughly know what I want to know, right? Explain everything, however you see fit, so I can understand.”

[Understood. I’ll explain by timeline, then. Everything began when monsters and beasts appeared in that world.]

“Feels like you’re telling an old story.”

[It’s not that different, really.]

If you went back to when monsters and beasts first appeared, it certainly felt like ancient history.

[As you know, humanity was hopelessly losing the fight against monsters and beasts. Still, research continued in hopes of winning the war, and it was discovered that aether was the cause of monsters and beasts.]

Up to here, Yuseong knew already.

[To combat that, humanity pooled its remaining strength to create a single entity: an A.I. named Savior.]

Finally, the name he was curious about—Savior—was mentioned.

[Savior’s mission was simple: the survival of humanity.]

“Simple, huh….”

[It’s not complicated, is it? Of course, the simplicity of the order and the difficulty of the task are two different things.]

“Didn’t he fail anyway?”

[Not yet. Because you’re still alive.]

Even if it said so, he found it hard to agree.

[But I completely understand why you think that. Civilization was destroyed, and the survivors were hunted down and slaughtered. But, as you know, monsters and beasts aren’t that interested in machines. So Savior survived, and continued its research to fulfill its mission. That’s when it discovered this world.]

“How was that possible?”

[Savior was studying aether in depth. Whether to exterminate monsters and beasts or to find another breakthrough, Savior believed aether was the key.]

“You’re saying it discovered this world thanks to aether?”

[That’s right.]