Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Eliminating the Transparent Beast
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The combat capabilities of the robot he'd so desperately wanted were exactly to Yuseong's liking.
It handled close-quarters combat with beasts—inevitably dangerous encounters—to his advantage with its sturdy, agile frame.
Moreover, upon closer inspection, the robot's movements were focused more on protecting Yuseong than outright killing the beasts. That made it all the more reliable.
But he couldn't just keep using it like this indefinitely. What if it got damaged?
After ABR-025's operation ended, Yuseong checked the Purchase Window, but disappointingly, ABR-025 wasn't listed as an item for sale.
'It's just a matter of not enough attention yet.'
Still, the fact remained that he couldn't buy another ABR-025 right now. At least for the time being, he had to use it sparingly.
Besides, the thing wasn't limited to close combat anyway.
As far as Yuseong knew, humanoid combat robots were most efficient when fighting in human-like ways.
'And the human way is, of course, using tools.'
"Hey, robot!"
Yuseong purchased an NK-4 from the Purchase Window, loaded a full magazine, and tossed it over. ABR-025 met his expectations perfectly.
Clack!
Piercing through the beasts' attacks, ABR-025 caught the gun and expertly aimed the NK-4 before pulling the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The gunfire rang out refreshingly in his chest.
'That's why I went through all that trouble to find the combat OS!'
While wary of the transparent beast, he'd searched for the server room, installed the generator to secure power, copied the OS onto a personal computer, and transmitted it to the robot even as beasts charged at him.
Looking back, it had been no small ordeal.
But now, all that hardship was melting away sweetly.
Without the combat OS, it wouldn't have even pulled the trigger, let alone achieved such precise marksmanship.
'The OS must be pretty good quality, huh?'
Like Yuseong, ABR-025 relentlessly targeted the beasts' weak points with pinpoint accuracy. It excluded any spots where bullets ricocheted or failed to penetrate properly.
Since beasts were the primary enemies of robots right before civilization collapsed, the OS must have been programmed with anti-beast protocols from the start.
The beasts kept charging. But with ABR-025 blocking and attacking from the front while Yuseong provided support fire from behind, their numbers dwindled rapidly.
Yuseong had handled multiple beasts on his own before, but adding the combat robot made their firepower overwhelming.
The red dots that had painted the radar red vanished quickly. The end of the battle was in sight.
But Yuseong didn't let his guard down.
'I figured it'd show up around now!'
A new red dot appeared on the radar. But when he looked at the spot, nothing was there.
It was the transparent beast.
Just as Yuseong reached to draw his Railgun, determined to finish it this time—
ABR-025 swung its gun barrel and started firing into empty air. No, it wasn't empty air.
Warning! Beast not detected by visible light sensors!
The bullets from ABR-025 pummeled the transparent beast that had been creeping closer stealthily.
-Kieeeek?-
Startled that its approach had been detected again, perhaps? The transparent beast didn't even attempt a counterattack this time—it just fled.
Yuseong clicked his tongue.
'I was going to end it for good this time.'
The thing would never give up on him. For safety's sake, he had to deal with it somehow.
'But the robot detected it just now, right?'
It had mentioned visible light, so it probably had sensors beyond standard cameras.
The first thing that came to mind was infrared. But even if not, it didn't matter.
'It means it has ways to detect things I can't see.'
The more he saw, the more he liked it.
Honestly, when he'd had it copy the OS, he'd agonized over whether to endure those 15 seconds of risk.
But now, he could proudly say it had been worth the danger and hassle.
'For now, let's focus on taking out the rest of the beasts.'
Moments later, only Yuseong and ABR-025 stood on the rooftop. The remaining beasts lay collapsed in pools of blood.
'We won.'
The radar showed no more red dots.
ABR-025 had lowered its gun barrel, sensing no further threats.
But Yuseong still had work to do.
"Hey, robot."
Yes, Master?
ABR-025 replied.
"How did you spot that transparent beast earlier?"
If you're referring to the beast not detected by visible light sensors, I captured it using infrared sensors.
Yuseong's guess had been correct.
"Then scan the surroundings with those infrared sensors. Is that thing still around by any chance?"
Yes.
It had already locked onto it. Welcome news.
"Where is it?"
In that direction.
ABR-025 pointed a finger toward the robot production building.
Approximately 367 meters in a straight line. It's observing us from the rooftop.
So it hadn't fled after all—it was still watching him.
"What's its condition?"
The right front leg and surrounding area are torn off. I assess its physical capabilities are significantly impaired.
Probably from the Railgun wound.
'With an injury like that, it should've just run away nicely. But it's still trying to kill me?'
He knew it already, but the beasts' obsession with humans was chillingly creepy all over again.
'Anyway, it's lucky it's still nearby.'
And on the rooftop of the production building, which was lower than this one. He'd worried it might hide inside where ABR-025's sensors couldn't reach, but that was needless concern.
'Is it that confident in its transparency?'
Fair enough—he'd already let it approach twice undetected, and he hadn't been able to target its vitals because of its ability.
As long as it didn't get close, the enemy wouldn't notice it. It had good reason to think that.
'And it would've been true.'
But now, Yuseong had new eyes and hands.
"Robot."
Yes.
"Blast it."
With that, Yuseong handed the robot his Railgun.
I must inform you that the current unit's power reserves cannot sustain the Railgun's energy consumption.
"I'll handle the power with the reinforced exoskeleton."
Then it's possible.
ABR-025 took the Railgun from Yuseong and aimed at the transparent beast.
The cable connecting the reinforced exoskeleton to the Railgun wasn't long, forcing Yuseong into an awkward position, but he didn't complain.
He just stared at the spot where the transparent beast lurked.
Firing.
As ABR-025 spoke, the reinforced exoskeleton's power drained sharply.
Boom!
The explosion was growing familiar now. The electromagnetically accelerated projectile hurtled toward its target.
Sensing the ominous Railgun barrel—the same one that had threatened its life multiple times—aimed at it, the transparent beast hurriedly tried to move.
But the beast's reaction was slower than ABR-025 pulling the trigger, and the accelerated slug was far faster still.
KABOOM!
The projectile shredded the flailing beast and demolished part of the production building. A brutal gash appeared on the structure that had endured even after the world's collapse.
And around it, what had once been the beast scattered in pieces.
Target hit. Beast death confirmed.
"Yeah. I see it too."
'So it was some kind of reptile, huh.'
He inferred from the few intact body parts remaining. But it wasn't precise—he'd never seen its true form.
None of that mattered, though. All that counted was that it was dead.
'It's over.'
Both the search and the battle. Yuseong finally felt this expedition was truly complete.
A refreshing sense of relief washed over him.
* * *
'There sure are a ton of them.'
Yuseong surveyed the beast corpses blanketing the rooftop. Roughly 30 or 40, at least. Even for him, facing this many was a first.
'If I hadn't found the Railgun and the robot, it would've been dangerous.'
And their performance had been beyond satisfying—recalling their exploits alone made his heart race.
'But where the hell did these guys come from?'
Yuseong had swept through both the production and administration buildings, wiping out any normal beasts. Even if some had slipped by, there shouldn't have been this many.
'They hate leaving buildings in the first place, but they come rushing at the slightest commotion inside.'
That was why fights clustered early after entering a building.
In other words, if this many had been inside already, they'd have come charging gleefully at the sounds of Yuseong battling other beasts.
'Or maybe new ones that wandered in from outside?'
But that didn't hold up either.
It had only been a day since Yuseong cleared the entire factory. For this many beasts to sneak into the buildings in just one day?
'There aren't that many beasts outside.'
If there were, Yuseong would've ended up as some beast's meal before even finding the Ark.
'No clues at all.'
He even asked the strategy guide on a whim, but it had no info. Lately it'd been helping with all sorts of requests, so he'd hoped a bit, but nope—the strategy guide was still the strategy guide.
'One thing's for sure: that transparent beast called them here.'
They'd swarmed in response to its howling, no doubt.
'A beast that summons other beasts...'
A new type for him. Come to think of it, he recalled something his parents had said long ago.
'They said humanity's greatest predator was definitely monsters, but beasts were no pushovers either.'
These ones had been mercilessly slaughtered by a single human armed with a battered reinforced exoskeleton's main frame, a rifle, and a single Railgun—plus one robot.
Sure, Yuseong had the Ark's Purchase Window ability, and ABR-025 was presumably a fresh, state-of-the-art model completed right before civilization fell. But they were still just one human and one robot.
Yet pre-collapse humanity could've fielded millions, tens of millions—maybe hundreds of millions or billions—of such units.
With that kind of force, beasts would've been a headache but not a real threat—just that.
But it wasn't so. His parents had said beasts were every bit the existential threat to human civilization as monsters.
For one reason.
'They said once they came, the ground would be blotted out as far as the eye could see.'
Overwhelming numbers. That was it.