The Age of Adaptation
"Here. Take it."
"Hyung, this is..."
Yoo Sung-jun handed his brother the gun he had bought, the BK-108.
The dazed look on Yoo Sung-hwan's face was almost comical.
"Your gun might leave a few variables in play. Depoil's armor is harder than steel plate, so use this to make absolutely sure you put it down."
"Then isn't my gun useless, even if I fire it?"
"It's fine at close range."
They swapped weapons.
Yoo Sung-hwan staggered slightly under the weight of the gun, which was several times heavier than his own.
The BK-108 was the kind of weapon people called a shredder of death, a gun that could fire .50 caliber rounds in merciless bursts. To handle it like an assault rifle, you needed at least Body Strengthening Level 2.
But Sung-hwan's mission is to snipe from a fixed position.
That was why Yoo Sung-jun could hand it over without worry.
No matter how monstrous the weapon was, if it was properly braced on the ground, even a Level 1 Body Strengthening user could fire it in full automatic.
And this was sniping.
He would be firing single shots, which would make the stability even better.
"I trust you."
"Leave it to me. You're going with Jeyca noona, right?"
"That's how it turned out. Once you see the signal, get ready to shoot."
"Got it. Don't get hurt for nothing. Healing costs a ton of points, you know."
"So you're not saying I shouldn't die?"
"There's no way hyung dies."
The only blood relative here who knew Yoo Sung-jun's true identity.
Yoo Sung-hwan grinned and patted his shoulder with calm assurance.
Then he went to Jeyca, who was waiting ahead.
Just as expected, Sung-hwan was the Trajectory Eye...
He was a naturally perfect fit for this mission.
The other snipers were specialized more for long-range and mid-range engagements than for extreme distance.
So Yoo Sung-hwan's main role was not breaching the nest, but killing the general-class Depoil.
That was the heart of the operation.
"You were late because you were talking about me with your brother, weren't you? What'd he say? That he likes me?"
"He said he doesn't want to talk about personal matters during the operation."
"Sung-hwan said that? Or Sung-jun?"
"Me."
"What the heck..."
When they moved ahead a little, she hurried after him in small, quick steps.
The fact that she was tossing out silly little jokes like that meant her Appraisal Eye was probably marking the surroundings in green.
"So we wait at our assigned points and go in when the signal comes?"
"Soon it'll be the Queen Depoil's hunting time. That's when we need to stockpile as much food as possible for the Death Spoil's sustenance. Once it leaves, we only have to bring down the generals. After that, leave the rest to my brother."
"Edgar, was it? That bald guy sure loved hearing himself talk. You're a lot more concise, Sung-jun."
"It's not that complicated an operation."
They neared the sloped edge of the pit.
The stench was starting to rise.
He shrugged and pulled his purification mask up over his face.
"Take my hand. If you slip and get filth into your gear, it'll be a disaster."
"Is that not because you don't like having a comrade trailing after you, reeking like a sewage pipe?"
"....... "
"Ahaha, I'm kidding. You have to loosen up. Relax."
He already had enough emotional control from Body Strengthening to handle tension, but...
Well, he couldn't exactly say he didn't understand her feelings.
Even a brief moment of stiffness could be fatal in battle.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah. Thanks to you."
He gave a faint smile and led her onward.
The position Yoo Sung-jun and Jeyca had been assigned was to the northeast.
It was at least one of the spots with fewer holes.
Apparently the other parties had been considerate, since the two of them had to carry out the operation alone.
"Let's wait here."
A rock that was good for concealment.
He leaned against the back of it and inspected the gun he had taken from his brother.
OP-4, huh.
An assault rifle capable of both sniping and close-quarters combat.
It was the kind of weapon you'd use in the E+ range before replacing it, because it lacked any high-tech features.
With this, I should at least be able to damage Depoil at close range.
He rested the equipment at his side and thought of Depoil.
They were fast.
They possessed carapaces several times harder than the Doug Spider they had fought before.
They spat acid, and their sharp legs and claws could smash most entry-level gear in one blow.
And over them all ruled the queen of the legion that commanded those Level 3 infectors, Depoil.
"...It's here."
Jeyca muttered as she stared at the especially massive hole at the center of the pit.
She was right.
Thud. Thrum.
A heavy sound boomed up from the pit.
Then an existence several dozen meters long revealed itself.
The queen among all maggots. A Level 6 infector, Queen Depoil. It roared.
Grrrrrreeeek!
Its eyes looked as though they were riddled with holes, black as obsidian and set in hundreds across its head.
The jaw beneath them split left and right, dripping acid in thick strands.
The spines covering its body looked sharper than any blade.
If you enlarged a grasshopper to monstrous size, maybe it would look like that.
Queen Depoil climbed up from the pit on eight pairs of legs.
It spread its wings, flaunting its presence.
They were grotesque wings made of membrane, with huge veins writhing beneath the surface.
Kwa-hung!
With rapid wingbeats, the hulking body lifted into the air.
Then it flew toward the gray city, searching for prey worthy of its size.
When it finally vanished from sight far, far away,
— Let's begin.
Hinawa signaled through the radio Edgar had given them.
Jeyca met his eyes. No conversation was necessary.
All they had to do was throw the bait they had prepared in advance.
Shwik!
The strength of a transcendent remade by Body Strengthening shoved the bait forward.
It sailed over a hundred meters with ease and clattered down across the surrounding ground.
The response came immediately.
Soldiers and generals.
Even though the infector called Depoil seemed to follow a structure similar to ants, its behavior was very different.
While the queen went out to feed, the soldiers and generals came out of the hole to guard the pit.
The workers, meanwhile, expanded and maintained the burrow.
And the soldiers supported the generals.
They served them and prioritized providing them with the highest-quality food.
Chiik. Chigigik.
Those soldiers caught the scent.
The scent of very high-quality, nutrient-rich meat.
Food the coalition had scattered generously.
The soldier-class, miniature versions of Queen Depoil scaled down to the size of an adult man, moved busily.
So their intelligence really is game-like.
They were infectors mutated from humans, but their intelligence was low.
They acted purely on instinct.
They were handing meat over to the generals, who stood as tall as five meters.
The general-class that received it showed a peculiar habit.
As if drawing a line of rank between themselves, they avoided eating with the soldiers at all costs and instead dined alone, apart from the others.
That was the opening. Yoo Sung-hwan would snipe them then.
And for the infiltration team, this was the most suitable moment to go in.
"We should head in too."
"Yes."
Yoo Sung-jun adjusted his mask and broke into a run.
Jeyca moved in behind him.
Toward the yellow-glowing hole.
***
...They're in.
They had all gone into the hole.
From here on, his own capability would matter entirely.
He had watched Queen Depoil leave in search of food.
The weight of its presence had overwhelmed him for a moment, and that had helped him lock onto his target all the more firmly.
They could not let that monster above monsters sense anything amiss and come back.
He had to increase his brother's survival rate.
Whether this operation would end up needing sacrifices in a time attack or not depended entirely on him.
He put his finger on the trigger.
...Hoo.
He drew in a steadying breath.
The tension quickly receded.
He thought of what his brother always said.
Let's do our best where each of us is. That's all that matters.
In order to let him study in peace, his brother had always done everything he could.
In order for his brother to rest comfortably in the future, Yoo Sung-hwan had done his best.
Even now, it was much the same as before.
For each other.
All right.
The brightly shining eyes of Yoo Sung-hwan sank into stillness.
His gaze, dry to the point of stopping even his breath, tracked the target through the scope.
General-class Depoil. They had dispersed for their meal.
Calmly...
The Trajectory Eye showed their paths.
His eyes and head were growing increasingly sore from the strain of his awakened trait.
Ignore it. The only thing that mattered was the target.
He closed off his hearing. The sound vanished.
He closed off his sense of touch. The cold vanished.
All he could feel was sight, and the touch of the finger resting on the trigger.
It felt as though time had stopped. As though his body were suspended in zero gravity.
That feeling was over now.
The general-class, who had been jittering around even while stuffing themselves, had exposed the perfect opening.
He was certain he could hit their vital points.
Taang!
Despite the suppressor, the gunshot rang out like a huge thunderclap.
The head of the target he had chosen burst apart with a wet pop.
Direct hit. The slain one toppled sideways.
They panicked.
At the sudden gunfire, they tried to fan out and search the area.
That meant he still had room to work.
For the liquid sprayed by the general-class to contain Yoo Sung-hwan's information, they would have to come within point-blank range.
I'll finish it before that happens.
He stopped breathing again and shifted targets.
It was always like this.
Absolute certainty that he would hit the target. And instinct.
Especially when he locked onto that instinct, he had never once missed.
I can predict every movement.
Of course, this snipe was no different.
Taang! Tang! Taaang!
From close range to far.
He fired. Saw the hit, lifted the barrel slightly. Fired again. Saw the next creature collapse, then fired again. And again.
A row of generals kept falling one after another.
By the time only soldiers remained moving toward Yoo Sung-hwan,
"Hoo... I did it."
He rose with the glow back in his eyes and looked down into the pit.
Now it was time to run.
Clack!
Yoo Sung-hwan sprinted toward the swamp hut without once looking back.
A thick smile of accomplishment curved his lips.
***
"It's yellow. I think it'd be better if you stayed careful."
At Jeyca's report, he nodded.
Because Queen Depoil had to pass through, the entrance might be narrow, but the passages themselves had to be wide.
They moved deeper into those winding corridors.
The first place they needed to find was the egg storage.
They could probably find it by following the workers.
Taang...
As they advanced, gunfire sounded faintly in the distance.
It seemed his brother's sniping had begun.
Above them, he could feel Depoil moving violently.
"Sung-hwan will have done well, right?"
"He'll succeed, no question. We've seen his shooting firsthand while working together."
"I guess so... Ah, a fork in the road."
Yoo Sung-jun looked at her as she stopped at the crossroads that had just appeared.
She pointed to the right, perhaps because her Appraisal Eye had marked the safe route.
"That one is green. Maybe there are almost no workers there, or none at all."
"What about the left path?"
"That's red. You're going right, then?"
"No. We'll take the left."
"What?"
Jeyca was startled by Yoo Sung-jun's sudden move, so unlike his usual commitment to safety.
"Wait a second. Why? Wouldn't it be better to find the route safely?"
"At that rate, we'll spend forever circling this giant burrow. It's time to take a risk. And it's not even that dangerous."
She looked as though she had no idea what he meant.
Then Yoo Sung-jun stood there with a greatsword in one hand and an assault rifle in the other.
"Take another look. Is it still red now?"
"Uh..."
At his question, Jeyca faltered.
The red was fading.
"See? So just stay close behind me and provide support. Then you won't get badly hurt."
Jeyca nodded.
And so the two of them entered the long, downhill passage inside the giant burrow, thick with filth and stench.
It was still red, but somehow it no longer felt dangerous.
Jeyca followed the broad back that was the reason for that feeling.