Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: The Monster's Assault
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‘Monster!’
No doubt about it. There was no way he could mistake that distinctive blue glow. The robots must have confirmed the monster’s blue eyes as well.
Warning! Hostile entity Monster detected!
Escape immediately!
As if ready to shield him with their bodies, the robots raised their gun barrels toward the monster and stepped forward. But Yuseong blocked their path.
The monster began charging madly toward Yuseong. It wasn’t far off—no, it was closing in at such tremendous speed that he could see it even more clearly from afar. Yuseong gritted his teeth.
He ordered the robots to stand by around him and immediately purchased Otherworld Transfer. He and the robots vanished from the world.
A short while later, the monster arrived at where Yuseong had been. It looked around in all directions, searching for him. But there was no way it could find Yuseong, who had moved to another world.
-Roaaarrr!
Boom!
It slammed its front paw down on the spot where Yuseong had stood. The ground caved in, sending debris flying everywhere. It was a terrifying mark, far too destructive to be mere venting of frustration.
-Grrr...
The monster’s eyes stared down at the crater it had made. It brought its face close to the hole.
Sniff! Sniff!
Its nostrils flared. It suddenly jerked its head up and scanned the surroundings once. Then it vanished into the distance.
* * *
Having moved to another world, Yuseong let out a deep sigh.
‘It’s that same one from before, isn’t it?’
Honestly, it was a problem either way. If it wasn’t, that meant two monsters were prowling nearby. If it was, then there was a chance it had tracked him here.
‘It must’ve just run into me by coincidence, right?’
It was probably just wandering around searching for him and happened to stumble upon the exact right direction by chance.
That’s what he wanted to believe.
‘But what if it wasn’t?’
What should he do then?
‘Should I change bases?’
But to where? He’d gotten lucky finding this one. Someone had built it as a hideout, and he’d just moved in after discovering it.
Naturally, he’d never met the original owner.
They were probably long dead by now.
Yuseong activated the portable computer at his waist and pulled up a map to search.
‘For now, I need to find somewhere plausible, anywhere.’
The best outcome would be the monster leaving the area near his hideout, but he had to prepare for the worst.
* * *
Even after logging into Arc, Yuseong couldn’t focus at all. The fact that a monstrous disaster was lurking nearby gnawed at him. Because of that, he’d even canceled his stream.
‘It doesn’t even feel like I’m alive.’
Even delicious food tasted bland. He was someone whose cravings for meals usually overflowed. But extreme stress had robbed him of even that simple pleasure.
‘I’ll have to hole up in the hideout for a while, tech development be damned.’
But he wasn’t sure if that alone would improve the situation.
And unfortunately, ominous premonitions like this always had an uncanny way of coming true.
* * *
The incident happened not long after Yuseong had holed up in his hideout. He had just woken up, eaten a meal brought from that other world, and was munching on a piece of black bread to wash it down.
Thud!
Yuseong froze mid-bite. Like a robot himself, his neck turned unnaturally toward the entrance.
Thud!
The ominous sound echoed again. Something was knocking on the door. The door was made of solid steel, impervious to ordinary attacks. But right now, it felt as flimsy as paper.
Click! Click!
He activated the standby robots first. They grabbed their weapons and guarded the entrance. Yuseong suited up in his powered exoskeleton and aimed his gun.
Cold sweat trickled down his face unbidden.
In this godforsaken world, aside from Yuseong, only monsters and wild beasts roamed outside. There was zero chance—less than 1%—that whatever was at the door was harmless.
The knocking stopped. An eerie silence followed.
‘Go away. Just go.’
He repeated it to himself over and over.
Boom!
But his wish crumpled as pathetically as the steel door that flew off its hinges.
The outside scenery came into view through the blasted-open entrance.
And blocking that view stood the creature.
‘Blue eyes!’
It was a sight that crushed his last sliver of hope.
Warning! Hostile entity Monster confirmed!
Flee!
“Fuck, flee where?! Just shoot the damn thing, you pieces of shit!”
Yuseong bellowed at the robots—who always spouted the same lines every time they encountered a monster—and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
Boom!
The rifle and railgun fired in unison. The deafening roar in the confined space made his ears ring. But whether it was just pain or ruptured eardrums, right now he had to keep shooting no matter what.
Yet it was a futile resistance. Against a monster with resistance to all weapons, such attacks stood no chance.
-Kieeeek!
It charged. Two robots stepped in front of Yuseong. But neither their sturdy metal frames, nor their superhuman strength, nor the weapons in their hands could stop it.
Crunch!
One robot was sent flying by a casual swipe of the monster’s front paw.
Thud!
It crashed into the wall and slid down. A single blow had torn away most of its midsection, leaving upper and lower halves barely connected. Thanks to the robot’s durable build, it was still moving, but it wouldn’t be much help in combat.
His firepower had dwindled in an instant. For survival, he should flee immediately.
But Otherworld Transfer was still on cooldown, and the only exit was blocked by the monster.
Moreover, Yuseong—who always bolted without a second thought upon spotting a monster—was hesitating now.
‘The Virtual Reality Device?’
It was the treasure that had given him a chance at survival and improved his quality of life—something irreplaceable.
Even if he survived, what meaning would life without Arc have? Could he really go back to a life without it?
‘Then isn’t dying here better?’
The thought crossed his mind. His trigger finger slackened.
‘Survive, no matter what.’
A voice echoed in his head. A faint memory from beyond the haze—the reason he’d clawed his way through this hellish world.
Faded and dim, the emotions long dulled and the memory hazy, yet it was etched deep in his heart, fueling his will to survive.
“Robots! Block the monster!”
He issued the command and immediately raised his railgun toward the back wall of the hideout.
Boom!
The wall crumbled, exposing the outside. Yuseong dashed toward the hole.
Virtual Reality Device or whatever—survival came first. As long as he lived, possibilities remained endless.
Yuseong burst out of the hideout and tried to flee.
Crunch!
“Guh!”
Impact slammed into his back. The powered exoskeleton protecting him let out an ominous screech.
Thud!
Yuseong hit the ground.
“Guh! Ack!”
He couldn’t tell what was broken where—breathing was agony. Blood welled up from his throat. Not a single part of his body was free of pain.
“Huff! Huff!”
Fortunately, the Nano Machine activated, and the pain began to fade bit by bit. But recovery wasn’t instantaneous. He still couldn’t move properly.
Creak! Squeak!
The powered exoskeleton was just as impaired, groaning coarsely. In this state, it would only hinder him rather than help in combat.
Yuseong shed the exoskeleton. At least he could remove it without issue.
Thud!
A robot flew to his side. No—it was wreckage. Limbs torn off, it lay in ruins, shut down.
He glanced back. The monster was emerging from the hole Yuseong had made.
Yuseong grabbed his rifle. With the exoskeleton wrecked, he couldn’t use the railgun.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets flew. But it was pointless thrashing.
Splat!
“Keuk!”
The monster closed in instantly and smashed his abdomen. Flesh caved in, organs spilling out.
It was a fatal wound, instant death not out of the question. Yet the Nano Machine was remarkable. Low-quality compared to pre-apocalypse top-tier ones, it still kept Yuseong alive.
But only for the moment. It could preserve his life but not heal such deep wounds. And the monster wouldn’t let him rest anyway.
Bang! Bang!
Yuseong kept firing relentlessly. But even at this range, the monster didn’t flinch.
Splat!
“Argh!”
A swing of its front paw snapped Yuseong’s left arm grotesquely, sending the rifle flying far away.
Crunch!
“Kuuh!”
This time, the monster slowly crushed his legs. They shattered completely under the pressure.
Most of his limbs were mangled. Only his right arm remained. But what could he do with just that, unarmed against a monster that shrugged off rifle and railgun fire alike?
Yet Yuseong didn’t give up. He intended to struggle until the very last breath.
“P-Purchase Window!”
Even speaking was hard with his ragged breaths. He reached out his right arm toward the Purchase Window before his eyes. The monster extended its paw toward his head. Thinking victory assured, it moved leisurely.
But that leisure time wouldn’t last. No time to scroll. Yuseong selected the top options: Arc Beginner Rifle and Arc Basic Ammunition.
A break-action single-shot rifle appeared in his hand—the same one he’d used when first logging into Arc. The feel was familiar, yet somehow novel.
Mobilizing even his grotesquely broken left arm, he barely managed to open the barrel and load one bullet.
Click!
The barrel locked, chambering the round. The monster’s paw was already upon him.
Yuseong aimed the Arc Beginner Rifle at it with trembling hands.
A pointless struggle. Among all his weapons, this—the weakest—couldn’t possibly damage the monster. Yet Yuseong didn’t give up.
He had sworn to use every means to survive until his last breath.
Bang!
A gunshot feebler than even the NK-4, let alone a railgun.
But both Yuseong, who fired, and the monster, who took the hit, widened their eyes in shock.
Blood trickled from the monster’s cheek. A trivial scratch, but astonishing considering no weapon had ever harmed it before.
-Cr, creeeek!
The monster wailed loudly. It was a scream. Its first taste of injury and pain—laced with terror.
The monster backed away from Yuseong in a panic. Then it bolted in the opposite direction.
Fleeing. A word utterly alien to a monster. But that’s exactly what it was doing.
Yuseong stared dumbly at the Arc Beginner Rifle in his hand.
He had no idea how or why this happened.
But one thing was certain.
‘I survived.’