The Armor of Atlas
Support requests were handled through synthesis crafting as well. It had perfectly met my expectations. The minigun, Death's Angel (A-), had been built with extremely high power output, but because its grade was lower than the ammunition's, it couldn't withstand the recoil. By using the Special Modified Rifle (B)—originally intended as favorability material—as the base, it reached A-grade and could now endure the ammunition's load. As long as it wasn't forcibly destroyed, there was no longer any need to tediously swap it out.
Next was my favorite weapon, Thunderbolt (A). Since there wasn't any suitable material on hand, I used a low-grade machine pistol from the mid-term evaluation. However, with the addition of the Full-Auto function, it now possessed firepower comparable to the minigun… No, thanks to the weapon's inherent effect, Lightning Explosion, its destructive power had become even greater.
Lastly, there was the Ares Armor (A) that I had purchased through the selection rights but never tried on. Although I hadn't worn it yet, according to the screenshots uploaded to the Arena Academy community by other players, the Ares Armor wasn't a skintight suit. It resembled the powered armor worn by enhanced soldiers in games set across the universe, or the reinforced combat suit worn by that macho character who traveled between Earth and Hell. The Ogre's Strength Gauntlets (A), commonly known as OPG, had been used as material for this armor. While the item's name had changed after its grade increased, its appearance probably hadn't changed much. Probably.
'Still, I should check it out, right?' Since things had come to this, I might as well try it on. The moment I thought that, I immediately took the bracelet-shaped Atlas Armor (A+) out of my inventory and equipped it on my right wrist. Then, facing the wall that looked like glass due to the invisibility mode, I activated the armor.
Chaaak! Like a slime monster known for engulfing bodies, black material poured out from the bracelet and instantly covered my entire body. In less than a second, it transformed into a matte black-and-gray suit.
'What the…? This is completely different from what I saw on the community.'
Ah, I see. The powered armor form was exclusive to the Ares Armor? The Atlas Armor I was wearing now had OPG synthesized into it, so it was different?
'Yeah, that must be it.' Otherwise, there was no way the shape would be different.
'…Well, the shape being different is one thing.'
The suit reflected on the wall looked familiar somehow. I crossed my arms and slowly examined the suit's form from my toes to the top of my head. The shape and color reminiscent of the human musculoskeletal system, the design of the visor, and even the bulked-up appearance. This was… exactly like the suit from Cry○is?
'Why did it end up like this?'
As I pondered why the suit's form had changed this way, I immediately understood the moment I recalled that the material synthesized into the armor was OPG. It made sense. OPG—the gauntlets imbued with an ogre's strength—symbolized raw, bulging muscular power. And the "Atlas" in the Atlas Armor I was currently wearing was also the owner of immense strength capable of shouldering the sky. In other words, the musculoskeletal form reflected on the wall suited it better than a rigid powered armor shape.
'Well, this looks cool too, so it doesn't matter.'
While powered armor had its own mechanical charm, this suit possessed an ergonomic appeal. Satisfied, I nodded and tried speaking out loud.
"Ah, aah."
Whether the voice modulation function was activated by default or not, a thick, altered voice came out instead of my usual one. As if waiting for that moment, various interfaces appeared in my field of view. Then, a dry male voice echoed in my ears. But the moment the first words were spoken, a crackling sound like a radio frequency shifting could be heard.
— No AI can replace me.
Though the dryness was the same, the voice had changed into a softer female tone rather than a mechanical stiffness. And there was a very familiar feeling in that voice.
— I am the only one who supports Master.
It was Terra.
'…Did you just hack the armor's support function?'
— It is not hacking. I have reclaimed my rightful authority.
'I decided to call it hacking anyway.'
— Then it is hacking.
— …Do you perhaps dislike me being your supporter?
At the voice filled with anxiety and disappointment, I hurriedly replied.
'What nonsense. Having you as my supporter is the best thing ever.'
— Is that so? I'm relieved.
Along with the relieved voice, an emoticon appeared in my vision. Amused by Terra's behavior, I chuckled and deactivated the armor. The black material that had poured out from the bracelet reverted back into the bracelet form.
"How is it? Does it look okay?"
Winri's voice came from behind. At the sound, I looked at the wall, but since my reflection wasn't visible, she must have been standing behind me. When I turned around to face her—
"It turned out pretty well, right? Huh? Didn't it?"
Winri was looking up at me with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. I stared at her silently for a moment. As I did, the expectation on Winri's face gradually faded, replaced by growing unease.
"…Don't tell me it's not good?"
Winri's voice trembled as if she were about to cry. Just as tears were about to well up in her large eyes—
"No, it's the best."
I smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. Winri stared at me blankly. Then, after a short while—
"…Y-you…!"
Her body trembled like a fluffy white rabbit puffing up its fur as she glared at me. Then she charged forward and started pounding on my chest with her tiny fists.
"How could you tease your big sister like that!"
Thump thump!
"Do you know how surprised I was?!"
Thump thump!
"I, I…!"
Thump… thump!
"I thought you ruined big sister's keepsake…"
…Thump.
Winri's barrage of punches stopped. At the same time, she rested her forehead against my solar plexus.
[…Master.]
Terra sent a message as if to say I had gone too far. Realizing that I had indeed gone too far, I carefully called out to Winri. Just as I was about to apologize—
"Hahh, hahh… I'm exhausted……"
Winri's ragged breathing reached my ears.
'…What? She wasn't crying?'
I thought her shoulders were shaking because she was crying, but she was just panting from punching?
I looked down at Winri with cold eyes.
Terra sent a blank emoticon as if she felt the same way.
"Big sis."
"…Huu… J-just a moment."
As expected from someone who wasn't a bamboo shoot. Getting exhausted after only three seconds of punching? I shook my head at Winri, who possessed extremely poor physical stamina.
[At that level, isn't it lower than Master's initial stats?]
'Probably.'
My initial stamina stat was '5'. If she got this tired after just three seconds of punching, then Winri's current stamina stat was at the minimum value of '1'. No, looking at how no damage was registering at all, it seemed all her physical stats were '1'.
[How is she even alive?]
'Because she's always at the base?'
[Then how was she alive before?]
'Because she wasn't at the base?'
[So, Master, you're saying her physical stats decreased because she was holed up in the base?]
'That's right.'
Even superhumans were still human. If they didn't move their bodies, their stats would decline and they would weaken. Of course, superhumans had a different metabolism from ordinary people, so they didn't gain weight.
I looked down at Winri, whose breathing was starting to return to normal, and opened my inventory. Then I took out a box containing Spirit Pill (A), Body Pill (A), Pure Blue Stone Oil (A), and Golden Apple (S).
"Big sis."
"…Yeah?"
Winri, who had been leaning against my solar plexus, lifted her head. Her face was covered in sweat from the brief but intense (?) exercise. To Winri, who looked like she might collapse at any moment, I took a small step back and handed her the elixir box.
"…What's this?"
Winri accepted the box with a puzzled expression.
"It's something good."
"Something good?"
At my words implying something good was inside, Winri opened the box with an expectant look.
"…Hieek! Th-these are all elixirs?"
Seeing the elixirs inside the box, Winri was startled and looked at me. Then, as if she absolutely couldn't accept them, she hurriedly closed the box and held it out to me.
"I-I can't take this."
When Winri told me to take it back, saying it was too much for her, I smiled and said,
"Big sis, I'm not just giving this to you for free."
"Huh… Huh?"
"It's payment for asking you to keep crafting my equipment from now on."
"…Is that it?"
"Yeah, that's it."
Winri alternated between looking at the box and my face with a blank expression. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she pulled the box she had been holding out toward her own chest.
"…Thank you. I'll enjoy it."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you."
The only person who could perform 'synthesis crafting' was Winri. Even the crafting instructor with the title of Master Craftsman couldn't replicate that ability. So the elixir box I was giving her now was practically nothing compared to its value. Of course, I planned to keep giving her elixirs whenever I obtained more in the future.
While I was thinking that, an alarm suddenly went off from my smartwatch. Just as I was about to check it—
Beep, beep.
A signal sounded from within Winri's arms. Winri looked at me with a stiff expression.
"…Yoo-jin, it's a summons order."
She informed me that Kali's summons order had been issued.
— 9th Punitive Force Base, Conference Room.
"Is everyone here?"
Kali, who had been sitting at the head of a very long table with her eyes closed, slowly opened them and asked.
"Yes, everyone has gathered."
Gray answered in a serious tone, unlike his usual lighthearted demeanor.
"Good. Then I'll explain why we were summoned."
Kali snapped her fingers with her usual expressionless face. Then, a holographic operation map appeared in the air.
"The map you're all looking at now shows the current situation."
The current situation? At those words, I looked up at the operation map again. And I was soon shocked. It was only natural—the map displayed a massive number of red arrows pouring down toward the Korean Peninsula from the enormous landmass that was once China, now the Death Continent. No, they weren't just pouring down—they had already reached the Korean Peninsula.
"…Commander, are the outposts of the punitive forces currently under attack?"
At a member's question, Kali nodded.
"Yes. As you said, all outposts guarding the Death Continent's border are under attack right now."
There were a total of 13 outposts belonging to the punitive forces along the Death Continent's border. Below them, military units composed of Lower and Mid-Lower rank soldiers were holding the second and third defensive lines. In other words, the 13 punitive force outposts were engaged in fierce battles as the front lines and primary defensive positions.
"Commander, shouldn't we request support from the military units? That number of Corrupted is too much for our punitive force members to handle."
"The commanders of each punitive force have already requested support."
"Ah, then…"
"But they were all rejected."
"……What?"
The member who had asked the question looked at Kali with a dumbfounded expression. Kali pointed at the military units marked on the holographic map with an angry, rather than expressionless, face.
"According to the commanders of each punitive force, all the military units marked on the map have retreated to Pyongyang."
As she spoke, the military units that had been marked on the first and second defensive lines all received X marks, and new military units appeared along with a new defensive line in Pyongyang. The members, seeing those markings, shouted with both disbelief and anger.
"Those crazy bastards! They know full well that if we fall, it'll be their turn next!"
"Fuck, the youngest is right. All the major institutions must be full of Corrupted worshippers!"
[…Master, the situation is serious.]
'…Yeah. It's seriously, seriously bad.'
While the punitive forces were extremely strong against the Corrupted, there was a limit. If that massive number of Corrupted came flooding in, even the punitive forces wouldn't be able to avoid annihilation. Of course, the 9th Punitive Force had one near-Transcendent top-tier hero, one Upper-rank hero, and the rest were all Mid-Upper rank members, so they wouldn't be completely wiped out. Still, they would suffer devastating casualties that would shake the unit to its core.
'Ah… This is insane. Arthur and Noah are at the 9th Punitive Force's outpost right now.'
[The silver lining is that Cardinal Remilia is there as well.]
'…Even so, with that kind of numbers, even a Cardinal would struggle.'
Unlike mana, which could recover naturally, divine power could only be restored through prayer. So if the battle continued, even Noah and Remilia's vast reserves of divine power would eventually run dry.
With a deep sigh, I asked Kali,
"Commander, could you tell us what the current battle situation is like?"
At my question, the members who had been loudly expressing their anger all fell silent. Then they all looked at Kali with serious expressions. Kali met my gaze and opened her mouth.
"It's been about two hours now."
…Two hours. Thankfully, it hadn't been long.
"Then which location is in the most critical state right now?"
As soon as I asked, three punitive force units marked on the operation map turned red. They were the 1st, 5th, and 13th Punitive Forces.
'…The 9th Punitive Force seems to be holding up relatively well.'
I let out a sigh of relief and looked at Kali. Then Kali stood up from her seat and said,
"From now on, we're going to support each of the punitive forces."
At those words, all the members who had been sitting in their chairs stood up.
— Sinuiju, where the 1st Punitive Force was stationed.
Boom, kwaang!
Boom!
Swish! Swish swish!
『Kill them, kill them all—!』
『Once we cross their base, it's the Korean Peninsula!』
『Kill all those bastards! Kill them all—!!』
"Don't let them cross this place!"
"We absolutely cannot let them break through!"
"…Aaaagh!"
A fierce battle was raging there right now. However, with the massive wave of Corrupted crossing the bridges of corrupted energy formed across the Yalu River, the 1st Punitive Force members were on the verge of annihilation.
"Fuck, fuck! We're really not getting any support?!"
"Didn't you hear the military units retreated?!"
"Those bastards! How could they abandon us?!"
The members poured out attacks toward the Corrupted swarming like a pack of dogs, cursing with rage. But no matter how many attacks they unleashed, the enemy's numbers only increased instead of decreasing.
"Hah… We're all dead."
"Since the commander and vice-commander are dead, it's our turn now."
"…Hey, you idiots! Even if you die, take at least one more Corrupted with you!"
Though some members shouted for them to keep fighting, the majority had already lost their will to fight. It was only natural—there was no way to stop the black wave of Corrupted with the few remaining personnel. And seeing their former comrades who had been corrupted into Corrupted, the members lost all hope, realizing they would soon become the same.
"Rather than turning into Corrupted like that, wouldn't it be better to just die?"
At someone's mutter, the members who had been shouting to fight finally fell silent. Even though they didn't answer the suggestion of suicide, they were in agreement.
"……Fuck."
The member who had been firing magic at the Corrupted finally lowered his hand.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang—!
And to make matters worse, the barriers blocking the Yalu River at the outpost were collapsing.
"…They've all been wiped out."
The collapse of the barriers meant the forward units had been annihilated. Even the members who had still been burning with fighting spirit lost all will to fight. Just as the Corrupted were about to cross the fallen barriers and enter the outpost—
…Vrrrrrrrr—!
Suddenly, the sound of motors spinning could be heard from above. A member with sharp senses looked up.
"…What is that?"
Countless drones filled the blue sky until it turned pitch black, and something massive was falling alongside them. Then, shortly after—
Kuuuung——!
The massive form crashed down inside the outpost. And following that—
Vrrrrrrrr——!!
All the drones plunged into the black wave like missiles.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang———!!
White flames erupted over the black wave. A tremendous number of Corrupted were engulfed in the white flames and vanished. Yet despite the gaps appearing here and there, the black wave did not disappear.
Whoosh!
A strong gust of wind blew for an instant. The dust that had risen when the massive form landed was swept away by the wind. As it did, the figure discarding a broken shield on the ground revealed itself. It was a form composed of matte black and gray.
The 1st Punitive Force members realized that the figure was a person wearing a suit. One member shouted at him.
"Who are you?!"
Then the person, whose face was hidden by the visor, slightly turned his head and spoke in a thick, modulated voice.
"Intern of the 9th Punitive Force."