Absolute One, First-Time Father Episode 152

Abandoned city.

This was the term used to describe several cities on the outskirts of the metropolitan area—places that had ultimately been left to ruin after failing to fully recover from the damage caused by Gates.

Among them, Daegu.

While some still clung to life in the city center, the outer regions had all been classified as abandoned.

Crunch, crunch.

Half-collapsed buildings lined the streets...

Rust-covered cars were strewn across the roads.

A man walked through such a city.

"This should be the area..."

Jung Yoon-chan.

The top-ranked S-class hunter in the country.

He suddenly stopped walking.

Click, click—

He repeatedly pressed the buttons on the GPS transceiver in his hand, but it seemed completely dead.

"Tch, the signal's cut off."

Just to be sure, he checked his phone, but it too had lost all signal, rendering it useless.

'Thorough...'

He guessed they must have installed perfect countermeasures to disrupt all electronic devices in the area for security.

"Hmm."

Yoon-chan glanced around.

This was the location...

The address Doctor Alpha Boom had given him.

'Guess he plans to greet me personally.'

As expected.

Whiiiiir—

A large drone approached from the distance, circling above Yoon-chan's head for a moment.

Whiiiiir—

Then, as if guiding him, it began flying slowly forward...

Crunch, crunch—

Yoon-chan followed without hesitation.

After turning several corners, he arrived at—

"Desolate."

The entrance to a staircase leading underground beneath a half-collapsed church, now little more than ruins.

"A church..."

Wasn't Doctor Alpha Boom a renowned scientist before he became a hunter?

Scientists and religious figures were supposed to be mortal enemies...

It was odd that he'd chosen a ruined church as his lab.

Crunch, crunch.

As he descended the stairs, Yoon-chan noticed a symbol painted on the wall and muttered under his breath.

"A pentagram?"

Thickly painted in red on the stairway wall was a pentagram.

"Not just that—it's inverted..."

The pentagram was completely upside-down—the so-called Goat of Mendes symbol...

A mark of those who worshiped supernatural phenomena.

Specifically, those who revered demons...

The emblem of Satanists.

A religious symbol that clashed violently with the secret lab of a genius scientist known as the unparalleled prodigy.

"Ironic..."

After descending the long staircase, he reached a sturdy-looking iron door.

Creeeak—

As Yoon-chan pushed the tightly shut door open, the scenery beyond came into view.

"So this is it..."

The lab was shrouded in thick darkness...

Zzt, zzt—

In the distance, a cyborg unit the size of a young boy was completely absorbed in welding something.

"Hey."

Yoon-chan spoke up as he scanned the surroundings.

One wall was covered in monitors of various sizes.

Displaying a bird's-eye view of the area's roads.

'He's been surveilling the entire vicinity...'

Not only that, but turning his head revealed several motionless cyborg units, as if powered off.

'Were all those cyborgs...'

Once... hunters?

Then.

A bizarre mechanical sound echoed.

Screeeech—

The small cyborg unit welding something turned its head and spoke in a low voice to Yoon-chan at the entrance.

"You've come a long way."

Doctor Alpha Boom remained hidden behind the small cyborg, not showing himself.

"Made your decision?"

Yoon-chan answered immediately.

"Obviously. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

After a brief "Good choice," Alpha Boom's cyborg began gathering thick documents while continuing.

"The data I showed you last time was merely a sample."

"A sample?"

"If I were to modify a hunter of your caliber personally..."

The cyborg scratched its head in a human-like gesture.

"I'm confident you'd become at least three to four times stronger."

"Tempting offer."

"There's much to explain. Would you take a seat?"

Yoon-chan sat in a chair at the central table and remarked.

"Though for the lab of the genius Doctor Alpha Boom, it's more cramped than I expected."

Since he'd come to arrest him and gather evidence, he aimed to extract as much information as possible while his guard was down.

"Well, it's a temporary lab."

"Temporary lab?"

"The twenty-second one."

So the main base was elsewhere?

As Yoon-chan processed this, the cyborg spoke again.

"Incidentally, this is the first time I've formally invited anyone to my secret lab."

"Is that so?"

"All previous guests were either kidnapped or dragged here dead."

Yoon-chan's brow furrowed slightly at that, and the cyborg added with a bizarre, stuttering laugh.

"Now that we're in the same boat, I trust you'll keep our secrets. It was all for humanity's sake, so I hope you understand."

Yoon-chan countered.

"By the way, this building seems like it was originally a church."

Alpha Boom's cyborg rummaged through a drawer, pulling out stacks of documents, and answered in its mechanical voice.

"Apparently so."

Then, with that eerie, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stuttering laugh, it continued.

"In my youth, I despised faith intensely. Back then, I'd never have dreamed of using a church as a lab."

"And now?"

"Foolishly, I've come to embrace faith in my later years. There are things in this world ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠science can never explain."

It added.

"Just look at the Gates that suddenly appeared worldwide."

"Well..."

"Science can't explain the world that changed completely after their arrival."

The cyborg continued.

"I never expected to personally understand the saying the end of science is religion, yet here I am..."

Yoon-chan pressed.

"So your change of heart..."

A brief silence.

"...is closely tied to the pentagram at the entrance? I'm very curious."

An emoticon of a smiling face appeared on the cyborg's eye display...

"There is."

It added.

"If you desire greater power even after becoming a cyborg, I might recommend apotheosis."

With a creak—, the cyborg's head tilted slightly.

"By the way, about your current tone..."

"Hm?"

"You sound like an interrogator."

Yoon-chan answered plainly.

"Correct."

Drawing the sword at his waist and channeling mana, he continued calmly.

"I may not be able to arrest you, but I can gather meaningful evidence to take back."

"Oh-ho—"

"Hunters from the Management Bureau will be here shortly. Don't resist—surrender quietly."

Alpha Boom retorted.

"A world without faith, is it?"

"What does that—"

"Truthfully, I deceived you too."

Silence fell briefly.

"I planned to kill you from the start—before cyborg conversion."

"What?"

"What power in this world comes free?"

Picking up a small remote, he manipulated it deftly while finishing his thought.

"I know well of your humanitarian ideals. Sacrifice yourself for humanity."

"You madman—"

"Don't resent it too much—you'll make an excellent test subject. You'll become a fine cyborg."

As he finished, the cyborgs stationed around the lab began moving with creaks and clanks...

"And the leftovers will serve as offerings for the resurrection of the god I serve."

"Nonsense—!"

"You'll surely enjoy eternal bliss in heaven. He will watch over you..."

Six or seven cyborg units surged toward Yoon-chan simultaneously.

Clang, clang, clang—!

Limbs and blades clashed chaotically, sparks flying as deafening crashes echoed.

'They're fast...'

Though only a few exchanges had occurred, it was enough to drown Yoon-chan in unease—victory wouldn't come easily.

The cyborgs moved as if reading his thoughts, countering his movements a beat faster...

Crash—!

In the back-and-forth, he inevitably took several solid hits.

"Unlike you, tiring gradually, they feel no fatigue."

Yoon-chan gasped for breath as he surveyed the scene.

He hadn't even scratched the cyborgs.

"Forged from materials beyond the Gates, their hardness is unparalleled..."

With creaks—, they closed in again.

"I've input all your data—stored by those incompetent bureau doctors—into each unit."

"What?"

"I guarantee: even if you rewind time with your ability and fight again, the outcome will repeat."

From a distance, Alpha Boom's cyborg tapped its head.

"They know you better than you do."

"What?"

"Your patterns, habits, even your breathing."

The battle dragged on...

Guh—

As time passed, shallow and deep wounds accumulated on Yoon-chan's body.

"Some units are equipped with weapons carrying atomic cannons powerful enough to erase a country from the map."

One cyborg extended its hand, dense mana coalescing in its palm...

"Though I can't reduce precious test subjects to dust—a shame I can't show you their full power."

Leaning against a wall, Yoon-chan stared at the dead GPS and laughed bitterly.

"They're late."

His last transmitted location was the city center where he'd met the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠drone.

If they'd moved quickly, they should've started searching by now.

But by the time they found this lab, he'd be a cold corpse.

Creak, clank—

Creak, clank—

Eight cyborg units cornered him...

One gathered mana in its palm, preparing a lethal strike.

'Dangerous...'

Was this the price for deceiving the public?

'Calling yourself a hero...'

If this was retribution for briefly tolerating his comrades' deaths in pursuit of power...

'So be it.'

As Yoon-chan lowered his sword, resigned—

"I knew this would happen."

Kang-jun appeared through the entrance.

"H-how did Immortal get here...?"

Kang-jun shook his head and added quietly.

"You're dead now."

"Huh?"

"Teacher is angry."

Alpha Boom's cyborg muttered upon seeing Kang-jun.

"Hmm, a new face—another bureau grunt..."

Then added.

"Let's burn him too."

One cyborg fired the mana cannon it had charged...

Kwaaaaah—!

A beam of bluish light surged toward the two.

"Look out!"

Yoon-chan shouted, squeezing his eyes shut—

"Amateurish."

A low voice spoke by his ear.

"Huh?"

Yoon-chan opened his eyes...

"I heard you trained under Lord Nazgul and Lord Iriel."

"W-who...?"

"Don't tell me you were struggling against these crude toys even children wouldn't play with?"

A handsome young man with pale skin and faintly purple-tinged lips stood guard beside him.

With just one hand...

He blocked the mana cannon with a defensive spell woven from over ten combined magical formulas...

"H-how—!"

The distant cyborg stumbled back, its words vanishing into the air.

"Hey, your homeroom teacher's here."

Kang-jun said quietly...

Then, a voice so cold it jolted Yoon-chan's mind rang in his ears.

"Student No. 1, grip your sword."

The next moment.

Kwaaaaah—!

With a deafening crash, one cyborg's head disintegrated perfectly, flying far away...

Thud—

Iriel, having executed a flawless flying kick, landed smoothly and glared at him.

"Student No. 1, this solo mission..."

"Instructor Seo Gyu-ri!"

"...is a clear violation."

She added.

"Ten penalty points."

Ten points meant a month of extended special training.

"My apologies!"

Yoon-chan answered rigidly. Iriel scanned the remaining cyborgs and asked softly.

"Are these..."

Silence fell...

"...the ones who troubled my student?"

She stepped toward them.

"You all receive a rating of 9,999."

The cyborgs charged at her...

"Thus, all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sentences are death."

Iriel loosened her tied hair briefly.

Boom—!

Leaving a crater where she stood, she advanced.