The Giant Sword at the Threshold
“Suho, why are you just standing there without saying anything? If you can hear me, answer… Suho?”
I was weighing two possibilities. The first was that the Hwanjong in front of me was mimicking Kang Naram’s voice after using some kind of ability to skewer me. The second was that it really was Kang Naram speaking to me.
“Is it really you, noona?”
In the former case, I could simply run or deal with it right here. The question was whether I could even tell the difference.
“If the person speaking right now is really noona, authenticate through Veritas. There’s something in front of me that I can’t possibly accept as real.”
“When’s your birthday?”
“October 5th.”
“When’s mine?”
“September 16th!”
“What’s the most fun anime you’ve ever watched?”
“Chainsaw Man!”
We went back and forth with questions for a long time. Unless the severed head was somehow reading my mind, every answer was something only Kang Naram could give.
“Are you really okay? How’s your condition? Are you inside the shelter zone right now?”
“Mm-hmm. I’m inside the shelter zone and can’t get out, but other than that I’m doing fine-tv!”
“Send me a photo of the inside.”
I asked for a verification photo.
Behind Kang Naram, who was making a cute V-sign, I could see countless stacks of food, water, and even shower facilities. It looked like the basics for living were covered.
“Looks like some kind of bunker.”
“Seems like it was designed for multiple people.”
I demanded all sorts of photos and actions that would normally make anyone angry, just to confirm the person on the other side was really Kang Naram. She complied without a single complaint. As H-I-01 showed, Hwanjong were fundamentally nasty by nature. Taking that into account, my suspicions eased considerably.
“Are we done now, Suho?”
She must have realized I was doubting her.
“Sorry. I’m just really shaken up right now…”
“It’s fine. Anyone would be. I understand completely!”
Her warm voice healed something inside me. The doubt vanished, and I could finally organize the situation. The door in front of me was some kind of safety mechanism meant to protect staff during disasters (even if it was a Hwanjong), and Kang Naram was on the other side of it.
“But being alone in such a big place… it’s a little scary. Anyway, what’s it like outside? What happened to everyone else?”
Kang Naram was soft-hearted. Unlike me, she had a warm heart. Hearing the truth would shock her badly.
“They’re dead. At least every researcher I saw on the way here was a corpse.”
But I had no talent for spinning plausible lies. I told her the truth. The conversation paused for a moment. I gave her time to collect herself.
“I see.”
After that, I told her about the open containment doors and the missing Hwanjong.
“Things are taking a very bad turn. You should stay inside until the situation is resolved.”
“……”
“Do you have any guesses?”
If anyone knew the institute better than me, it was Kang Naram. She might have an idea.
“Yeah. There’s only one Hwanjong in the Supernatural Research Institute capable of causing something like this.”
I recalled the sole Hwanjong in the institute whose danger level had been rated as Doom.
“Only the director has access to F-X-01’s data… I only know the name, but the reasoning is simple. Process of elimination.”
F-X-01, codename Wormhole. No one except Director Jeong Yongjin, who founded the institute, had ever seen it directly. Even after a year working as a cleaner, I had never once visited its containment cell.
“None of the Hwanjong I’ve absorbed could cause something this bizarre.”
It had always been shrouded in secrecy. But the only entity that could force H-I-01 to break the rules, release every contained Hwanjong, and expand something resembling the universe was that one.
“I’ll stay right here until the agents arrive.”
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
A severed head speaking with Kang Naram’s voice wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight. Still, if my presence here could reassure her, I was willing to endure it.
“If it lets my light, my sun, my savior, the Forbes-selected best stir-fried pork woman in the world, Kang Naram, feel at ease, I’d gladly offer up everything I have.”
“S-stop with the airplane compliments already!”
I showered her with words of comfort. Kang Naram’s weakness was praise; she always started stuttering whenever her face turned red. Worried she might sink into depression after the shocking news, I kept the energy high.
“Honestly, it feels less like the world’s beauty is at fault and more like my life has a bug in it. Because you, Kang Naram, are my idol—witty, knowledgeable, overflowing with charm, great at relationships, and living life to the fullest. Just being able to call myself your little brother is an honor.”
“……”
Suddenly she went quiet. Had I said something wrong?
“Noona.”
“What.”
Her voice had turned strangely sulky, so I launched Voyager 32153215.
“The true talent of the Supernatural Research Institute, the owner of insane leadership that could slap Director Jeong Yongjin three times across the face, the kind of expert opinion that says the institute would have collapsed within a month without you—light, sun, Jesus, Buddha, King God General Emperor……”
“Uuuuugh……”
When I upgraded from airplane to space shuttle, Kang Naram went into a groggy state. I checked the time. Two hours had already passed, and no one else had shown up. I needed to prepare for the worst.
After Code D-End, the institute’s systems had collapsed, so I no longer had any official duties. Yet I moved more diligently than ever. First, I cleared away the piled-up corpses. They were an eyesore, and if they started rotting it would only cause more headaches. But the biggest reason was curiosity.
There were three people in the Supernatural Research Institute I had any real connection with, all researchers: Kang Naram, who made me doenjang-guk every morning; Shibal, who served me a hearty helping of curses every morning; and Director Jeong Yongjin, founder of the institute. I had already confirmed Kang Naram was alive. Now I wanted to know whether Shibal and the director were still breathing. I used the cleanup as an excuse to search for them.
The results only deepened the mystery.
“Nowhere to be found.”
I couldn’t confirm whether Director Jeong Yongjin or Shibal were alive or dead. Their bodies were never found. They had vanished from the institute along with the Hwanjong. Even the lowest-ranking 4th-class staff had disappeared like ghosts.
“……”
Even passing the incinerator, I never heard the cold automated voice. Since I could still message Kang Naram, the internal network was apparently still functioning.
I gathered the corpses into a corner. I also collected weapons just in case. Contrary to expectations, the 2nd-class agents never arrived. Neither did soldiers or police. No matter how remote the institute was in Paju, it was strange that the government had taken no action after a facility containing monsters ended up in this state.
Having spent the past year around Hwanjong, I could almost believe the world had already become post-apocalyptic.
From the armory the 2nd-class agents used to frequent, I picked up an automatic shotgun with an impressively large drum magazine and two automatic pistols. Ammunition was stacked everywhere. As long as I used the institute as my base, I wouldn’t run out.
I had theoretical knowledge of firearms. Part of a cleaner’s job included maintaining the armory, and I had personally serviced the equipment of 2nd-class agents who liked ordering people around. The guns I took were very similar to theirs. I knew the parts and mechanisms inside out, so a little practice would make them familiar.
I also grabbed a drone at Kang Naram’s request.
“Just give me the identification number and I can control it through Veritas as much as I want. It’ll take some time though—the drones are used by the 2nd-class agents.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I just need to tweak the permissions a bit. There’s also an antenna on the roof that acts as a relay tower, so the range should be pretty wide. It’ll be perfect for scouting outside.”
“Got it.”
She asked for the cutest one I could find, so I chose a camouflaged drone shaped like a sparrow.
Once I finished my tasks, I headed to the incinerator. While carrying the researchers’ bodies, I had already noticed the air felt different. When oxygen filled my lungs, it brought a refreshing clarity. Maybe the shackles that had bound me were finally gone.
Bang!! Bang!!
The guns worked without issue.
“Oh……”
The accuracy was terrible, but that was the only problem. The shotgun was a close-range weapon; once I controlled the recoil, rapid fire wasn’t difficult. The pistols were another story. I shrugged at the wildly scattered bullet holes. I decided to seal the pistols away until I got used to them.
***
I had thought the world had ended. Fifteen days had passed since the incident, and still no word from outside. The surroundings remained deathly quiet. For a cleaner at the Supernatural Research Institute who greeted supernatural monsters every single day, imagining that “the world had finally been destroyed by Hwanjong” wasn’t much of a stretch.
After searching and organizing the institute once, I felt the need to explore the surrounding area. It was about time to scout outside with Kang Naram’s drone. The permission issues seemed to have been resolved as well.
“S-Suho!!”
At 3 p.m., while practicing pistol shots at the incinerator, Kang Naram’s voice came through Veritas.
“W-we’re screwed!!”
“!?”
A vulgar word had slipped from the mouth of Kang Naram, whose personality was as beautiful as her appearance. That could only mean the situation had taken a turn for the worst. I swallowed hard. The last time I heard her ultimate insult—“Y-you jerk!”—was when a 4th-class staff member had gone berserk and tried to stab her. And now she was saying “screwed”…?
“Did a nuclear bomb drop from the sky? Did an extinct T-rex appear in the city and start slaughtering people? Or is it some kind of global disaster……”
“No, it’s an intruder! Someone just entered the institute’s main entrance! They’re holding a ridiculously huge sword and walking straight toward you!”
“A huge sword?”
“Yeah, it’s like the massive greatsword Guts uses in Berserk—absurdly big!”
What kind of nonsense was this? Had she gone crazy after being locked inside for half a month? If so, this Woo Suho, trained to the limit by Kang Naram, would—
A video arrived from Kang Naram. When I pressed play, I saw exactly what she described: a man gripping an enormous greatsword, steadily walking toward the institute entrance. After Code D-End, most of the security systems had shut down. Even the chokers that had bound the 4th-class staff were useless. The only thing still working was the entrance surveillance camera—and this was the footage it had captured.
“Hmm.”
A strange feeling crept over me. The man’s eyes on the camera didn’t look sane. Of course, that didn’t mean he was some weirdo cosplaying a famous manga protagonist while wandering around.
“Doesn’t seem like a Hwanjong.”
Unlike when I stood before the containment door, no saliva pooled in my mouth.
“I’m going to meet him.”
“S-Suho!? I-I was going to tell you to hide……”
Curiosity killed the cat. I didn’t die. There was no reason not to meet an unidentified intruder.