Age of Adaptation
The equipment modification bench.
Everything inside its cylindrical frame was as transparent as glass.
Jeyca was quiet, apparently deep in conversation with her supporter.
Thump!
An oil drum and a handful of bullets landed beside her.
Apparently she was doing a bit of shopping, too.
Then let’s get started.
Yoo Sung-jun stepped up to the bench.
As soon as he placed his hand on the cylinder, the front opened with a soft hiss.
Do you know how to use this?
Did you already forget my nickname?
Meteor. The man who, all on his own and without even a clan, became the first to bring down a level 10 Infector.
I wasn’t asking you so you could flatter me.
He snorted and slid the Jet Sword inside.
Once it entered the chamber, it began to float on its own.
The bench recognized the weapon and brought up a detailed breakdown of the Jet Sword.
Weight, cutting power, operating method, and more.
None of that mattered.
Set the upgrade direction.
Once chosen, that was it. That was the innate nature of equipment modification.
Yoo Sung-jun studied the list of directions displayed for the Jet Sword.
There were three.
High Acceleration
Increases fuel consumption from the air cartridge. Sword speed increases by 50 percent.
Heat Wire
Adds a high-temperature wire blade. Increases firepower through the release of high-pressure air.
Spinner
Adds a rotating component. Increases the blade’s rotational force and piercing power.
He chose Heat Wire without hesitation.
If he was going to use a temporary weapon, it had better be good at cutting Ghosts apart.
The points cost was 1,500.
Cheaper than he’d expected.
The moment he paid, the modification began.
The Jet Sword came apart, then started fusing with the materials that had been summoned for the process.
This’ll take a while.
He checked his brother’s user information.
The kid was still alive and kicking.
As he looked at that, something else caught his eye.
User grade, huh...
The last time he’d looked, his brother’s had still been marked as None.
But Alexei’s had been different.
It said 10.
Are you curious?
Yeah. Can you tell me?
Of course. This is a system that didn’t exist in 1.0, so an explanation is necessary. Think of it as a kind of contribution rank.
Contribution rank?
Yes. How much you’ve contributed to purifying the ruined Earth. It’s a rough measure of that level.
So rank 10 is basically the level of a baby taking its first steps.
In a way, yes. Ah, and if you raise your rank, rewards will come down from the Higher Being.
Like what, better gear?
Not that sort of reward.
Then what is it?
I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. My apologies.
They’ve blocked it off, huh.
After all his long conversations with Loki, he’d learned that things like this weren’t the sort of thing you could uncover by pressing for an answer.
I’ll know once I reach rank 9, I guess.
For the sake of growing stronger. For the sake of securing a safe place.
If he kept moving forward, the chance would come eventually.
Beep!
Just then, the modification finished.
Yoo Sung-jun retrieved the Jet Sword from the open bench.
"Hmm."
The only visible change was a strip of metal running through the center of the blade.
At least on the surface, that was all.
Underneath, there were probably all sorts of complicated mechanisms added in.
It also felt quite a bit heavier.
Still, it’s not heavier than a greatsword.
He’d have to replace it after this mission.
From D-rank onward, the Infector types would get much larger, and there was no close-combat weapon better suited to cutting those monsters down than a greatsword.
What should I modify the NG-88 into?
It would be nice if he could turn it toward some sort of fire-related direction.
The firearm had four possible directions.
Penetration, rotational force, quick reload, and explosion.
As expected, he chose explosion.
So it’s the kind where gunpowder is forced into the nail-round at the moment of firing.
The impact created the instant it struck something. Sparks born from that impact triggered the powder and made the nail detonate.
He liked it. It would still come in handy after this mission.
"Are you done with the modifications?"
At Jeyca’s question from beside him, he shook his head.
"I’m finished once I do the armor."
"Then I guess we’ll need to wait a little longer. By the way, what do you think, Sung?""
"About what?"
"The underground second floor of the research facility. Alexei said there’s a high-level Infector there."
"Ah..."
There were a lot of Infector types, sure.
Still, Yoo Sung-jun had a few possibilities in mind.
The Infector that had taken over the first underground floor, Ghost.
If it was something connected to that one, then it was simple.
"A Dullahan. Or maybe an Undying."
Maybe even an Undomination.
He shook his head and dismissed the thought.
If it really had been one of those, they would’ve escaped long ago.
Alexei went back and forth three times and came out fine. Then it definitely isn’t one of them.
He checked the bench.
The firearm modification was done.
Now it was the armor’s turn.
***
He unified every piece of armor around one thing: increased absorption.
That reduced the shock from impacts even further.
Back in the woods near the research facility, Yoo Sung-jun got ready once more.
Jeyca also slotted cartridges filled with oil into her utility belt.
With that, there’d be no shortage of firepower in rear support.
"Loki. How many participants are there?"
Just in case, he asked whether any other users had been sent here.
There are 9 participants.
...Nine. Wait, nine?
Yoo Sung-jun’s eyes widened.
Alexei’s party had six members.
That made eight when the two of them were added.
"Jeyca, wait a second."
He stopped her as she was about to take the lead using her Appraisal Eye.
"Yes?"
"I think one more user was transferred into this mission."
"Then..."
"Please use the Appraisal Eye more often than usual. Around the forest, the research facility, once in each corridor and each room. Is that possible?"
"I’ll do my best, within what I can handle."
There was someone crazy enough to challenge a cooperative mission alone.
Yoo Sung-jun shook his head.
He just prayed it had been a reckless button press.
If the person had come here on purpose with some malicious intent...
I’ll kill him.
Since this was reality, it would count as murder.
Still, it was something he’d already prepared himself for.
If he could survive, what couldn’t he do?
"Let’s move."
"Are we entering through the north gate again this time?"
"No."
He shook his head.
At times like this, it would be good to make contact with Alexei one more time and confirm whether he was alive or dead.
"Let’s go through the south gate."
He unfolded the floor plan and headed that way.
He wanted to check for any facilities they needed to watch out for.
After confirming the route, he entered the corridor.
He couldn’t let his guard down.
There was no telling when or where a Ghost might leap out.
"Stay behind me."
"Yes, I’ll let you know the moment I see any change."
Fortunately, there had been no threats in the woods.
They changed positions at the south gate entrance.
He spoke quietly into the radio.
"Alexei. If you can hear me, answer."
No response. There was nothing wrong with the radio.
He moved on. There were no threats picked up by the Appraisal Eye in the corridor.
Traces of battle were everywhere.
Burn marks. Bloodstains. Bits of flesh and organs. The farther they went, the deeper those traces became. The frequency of them increased.
But there was no signal from Jeyca.
That meant it was safe.
Looks like Alexei’s party cleaned this place out nicely.
The research facility had doors on every side, with a central point where they all met.
The route downward was there in the center too.
Even if they kept going like this, nothing unexpected came up. The traces kept leading toward the middle.
Which meant they must have been clearing a path while heading straight for the center.
In other words...
They went downstairs?
No, they might have reached the center and turned into a different wing.
He had heard it clearly from their own mouths.
That a high-level Infector was trapped below this place.
So it was too early to decide anything.
Of course, Yoo Sung-jun didn’t fully trust Alexei.
One favor? Return it with another favor, and that was the end of it. It all disappeared as if it had never happened.
So what if he’d lied to avoid pointless conflict that would only cost the party?
Maybe the second floor is just an unfinished antibody storage warehouse.
That was possible, too.
Distrust of Alexei, concern over the new user, and the oppressive silence of the surroundings.
Those three things pressed down on Yoo Sung-jun all at once.
Breathe. His innate talent would ease the pressure.
"Better."
"What is?"
"Nothing. Any change?"
"Still green."
Keeping his breathing steady, he looked around.
The circular hall marked on the floor plan. This was the center.
At the same time...
The traces... stopped.
They didn’t continue into any of the wings.
The answer was clear. They had gone below.
Down that huge spiral staircase, toward the place they had emphasized was dangerous.
"Jeyca. I think Alexei went below."
"That’s what I’m starting to think too, but... what about the one person we still haven’t found?"
At her concern, he toyed with the radio.
He tried the communication again.
"Alexei. Is that the underground second floor? If you can hear me, answer."
This time, there wasn’t complete silence.
The problem was that only a signal for input came through, not a response.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle. Krrt—krrt—krrt—crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
He tilted his head at the sound that kept coming through.
Even with full signal, this was what he got.
Was he in a situation where he couldn’t press the power button?
While he waited in silence, Jeyca placed a hand on his shoulder.
Tap! Her touch was urgent.
He turned, and her eyes were the size of saucers.
"...Sung-jun. You know this signal?"
"What?"
"Short three times. Long three times. Then short three times again. That one."
She stared hard at the path leading downward as she spoke.
"SOS. It’s Morse code. A distress signal."
At her words, his mind snapped sharp.
Had they been beaten so badly they couldn’t answer? Was that why they had to press a button and send the signal instead?
It was time to choose.
If Alexei’s party was truly in danger, should they help? Or should he act with true cold-blooded pragmatism?
He met Jeyca’s eyes.
She looked back at him and smiled faintly.
"They’re going to end up fully here before long anyway. But that doesn’t mean they have to become monsters like the Infectors, does it? I think we should protect them, just like Alexei said."
The line human beings were supposed to protect. That was what people called it: humanity.
Yoo Sung-jun nodded.
They had promised, so they had to help. That was the least they could do to preserve their humanity.
"Then let’s go down. But if it turns out we can’t help them, I’ll abandon them without hesitation."
"Even with a promise, our own safety comes first."
He stepped onto the stairs leading to the underground second floor.
Following the dirt footprints, he descended, and descended, and descended.
The surroundings grew darker, with only the emergency lights barely still lit.
He lowered his detection goggles and kept walking, taking in a world split into black and white.
How far had they gone?
Jeyca tapped his shoulder. Twice.
A signal. It meant the color had changed.
From green to yellow.
If she tapped three times, it would be red, so they were still safe for now.
Does the radio not have GPS?
It would be nice to know where they were, too.
At last, they reached the underground second floor.
Jeyca, wearing her own detection goggles, swept the area with her eyes.
Quiet. Cleaner than the upper floor. The research facility was intact here.
"Th-there!"
Then she pointed urgently to one side.
Yoo Sung-jun saw it.
At the far end of the southern corridor, a humanoid heat source was moving.
Alexei.
It was him. With that massive frame, there was no mistaking it.
"Move quickly."
He murmured the words and kicked off the ground.
The indicator was still yellow. Threats lurked all around, but nothing that looked immediately lethal.
There was still room to help him.
So he advanced and turned the corner where Alexei had run, chasing the trail.
The room on the right?
He gave a small nod and looked toward the room, following the signal.
Jeyca immediately sent one back.
Two taps on the shoulder. Still yellow.
He swallowed dryly and focused on breathing.
More oxygen than the limit raised not only the mind, but overall ability as well.
He was ready. He entered the room.
Click—!
What the hell?
The instant he stepped inside, the goggles shut off.
Complete darkness. The radio signal was still coming through.
Crackle. Hiss, hiss.
He couldn’t wait for his eyes to adjust.
The goggles refused to respond when he tapped them.
Yoo Sung-jun raised the Jet Sword.
Heat wire. He planned to use it to ignite the blade.
The sword would become a torch.
He was just about to press the button when Jeyca sent him a signal.
The hand resting on his shoulder moved.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
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