Chapter 24: If Only I Had a Little More Time and Budget... (2)
Chapter 24: If Only I Had a Little More Time and Budget... (2)
“Is this the place?”
The map app glowing on my phone screen indicated that the Future Science Life Manufacturing Society was located at my current position.
“There’s nothing here, though.”
True, there really was nothing.
Following Baek Si-hyun’s words, I looked around, but only the desolate fields of North Korea filled my vision.
Then again, the fact that there was nothing made it the perfect spot for these weirdos to set up shop.
“Unless there’s some GPS spoofing going on, this should be it.”
Thanks to legs that moved faster than a car, we managed to arrive several hours earlier than originally expected.
There was the minor issue of A-bin collapsing from exhaustion, but that was resolved through a certain encounter.
“Seni-oooor! Si-hyun-aaaa! Wait for meeee!”
A voice, distorted by the Doppler effect, drew closer. It was A-bin, perched atop a Wild Boar’s back, screaming at the top of her lungs.
However, as soon as the voice got close, it faded away into the distance again.
I guess that’s the thing about boars—emergency stops are probably difficult for them. She’ll come back eventually if we leave her be.
“Master. That’s not a boar, is it?”
Well, it was hard to call a monstrous creature larger than a car with horns sprouting all the way down its back a 'boar.'
But what could I do? It was a boar. I knew because I’d eaten that specific species before.
“It’s a boar. It’s just been slightly monsterized due to contamination from Otherworldly Power.”
Since its essence was still close to an animal, it meant it would listen if you beat it into submission, just like I did.
Even if I said so myself, putting Han A-bin on that thing was a good move.
“So, monsters actually listen to people. That’s amazing.”
“It’s not just monsters; Mutants and creatures listen too. Though, since they have personalities and intelligence, it varies wildly.”
There was a Mutant who had a child with his own adversary, and a monster who blocked an Otherworldly Army to protect the Young Girl who was its master.
“I told you recently, didn't I? There are Mutants who adapt and live in society. There are even a few in the Management Bureau.”
Suppressing that inherent violence is the hard part, but once they adapt, there’s not much difference.
“I’ve never heard that there are Mutants working for the Management Bureau!”
“What are you talking about? The ones who taught you your basic training were probably muta—”
Wait, is this classified information?
We interacted so naturally that I didn't even think about it.
“…Don’t tell anyone I said that. There are only humans in the Management Bureau.”
There are monsters, creatures, and Mutants, but anyway, there are only humans.
“Yes, sir!”
She won't tell, right? I have to believe she won't. It’s not like I can just whack my disciple’s head with a Magical★Memory Erasure.
…Should I try it?
“Master?”
Perhaps she felt uneasy with me staring intently at her head.
Baek Si-hyun looked at me with a smile tinged with doubt.
Let’s stop. What was I even thinking?
“Just to add, those Type S usually have a device attached somewhere on their body to suppress their Otherworldly Power, so they’re easy to spot.”
Is it the neck these days? It’s developed a lot compared to the early models where you had to rip the body open and shove it into the heart or brain.
While I was chatting with Si-hyun, I saw the boar returning from the distant horizon.
However, at that charging speed, it didn't look like it was going to stop no matter how I looked at it, so I raised my hammer to block its path.
“Stop.”
Krrrk.
Perhaps because The Hammer that had thrashed it appeared before its eyes, the boar dug its legs into the ground and forced itself to a halt.
“Kyaaaaaaaak!”
Thanks to the sudden stop, Han A-bin went flying through the air with a scream, but I didn't pay much attention.
If she’s got her name etched as a Hero, she should be able to land on her own.
“Thanks for the help. Now, go back.”
I helped pull the boar’s legs out of the ground and patted its massive rump.
“Oink.”
The boar bowed its head to me and then sprinted off toward the jungle it called home, disappearing from our sight.
I wondered if I’d have to euthanize it if its legs were broken, but fortunately, being a monster meant it wouldn't break from just that.
Good, good.
“It’s gone… I thought we’d become friends in our own way.”
Han A-bin, who had suddenly appeared behind me, was bent over, stroking her butt with one hand and waving goodbye to the boar with the other.
Did she fail the landing…?
That question swirled in my mind, but.
“Friends? Did you give it food or something?”
For the sake of Han A-bin’s honor, I swallowed that question and asked something else.
“Ah, I treated its wounds, and it rubbed its horns against me as a thank you.”
“Those wounds would have bothered it for months if left alone. Even a beast knows how to be grateful.”
Actually, if left alone, they probably would have festered and killed it, but that fact wasn't very important. No one’s going to mourn the death of a single monster.
The important thing was that in just a few hours of riding, Han A-bin had healed the injuries caused by my hammer.
“Has your healing magic become more efficient?”
“Yes. A bruised contusion took about an hour.”
…An hour for a wound like that?
“How long did it take before?”
“Three hours.”
Because the world had become so terrible, I looked up at the bright sky to purify my mind and body. The sky is clear, and the sun is warm.
Slow. Too slow.
Her mana has increased that much, and it still takes an hour?
By my standards, her mana capacity has jumped to the level of a C or D-Rank Awakened, yet her speed is only at that level?
“Try emitting some healing magic for a second.”
“Huh? Yes!”
At my command, pink mana erupted from Han A-bin’s hands, but I couldn't tell what the problem was just by looking.
It’s not like I know anything about healing.
“Keep striving with that momentum…”
“Yes!”
Having no choice, I just threw out a compliment and ended the conversation.
It would be great if Lisa could tell me, but there’s no guarantee she’ll show up in my dreams again.
While I’m looking for the Thunder God, should I look for a healing specialist too? Who was there…
Oxymoron? Not her. Why would the Management Bureau want to increase the number of psychopaths?
But then again, there’s no one else besides her. My head hurts…
“Master, where is the monster? Surely you’re not going to start looking for it now, are you?”
Amidst my headache and worries, Baek Si-hyun, who was bored and playing golf with a hammer and pebbles, spoke up.
“It’s probably underground.”
“Underground?”
“Strangely enough, those Otherworld bastards all have a habit of building bases either high in the sky or deep in the ground. When I asked once, they said it was only natural.”
Roughly nine out of ten followed that behavioral pattern.
Since I heard this while wringing the truth out of the parties involved, it was bound to be accurate.
Seeing as even human-made organizations are picking up that habit, Otherworldly Power must definitely rot the brain.
Anyway, it’s all the Otherworld’s fault.
“Then should we dig?”
Hearing my words, Baek Si-hyun summoned a glowing silver entrenching tool, as if she’d seen it somewhere before.
Is she planning to dig with that?
“There’s a simpler way.”
If they’re stuck in the ground and won't come out, I just have to make them come out.
Normally, one would use large-scale bombardment, biochemical weapons, or send in a small unit, but…
“Baek Si-hyun, take A-bin and get far away. So you don't get caught in it.”
“Can’t we watch what you’re doing?”
“You’d probably just end up with a serious injury even if you took a direct hit, but A-bin would die.”
Si-hyun might get knocked out by a flying rock fragment too. Getting hit in the head is always dangerous.
“Si-hyun, let’s go, quick!”
Terrified by my words, Han A-bin let out a shriek and clung to Si-hyun, and Baek Si-hyun began to move away from me with her comrade on her back.
Though she did look back regretfully.
“You’ll be able to see it just fine from a distance anyway. What’s there to see up close?”
How long has it been since I used this much power? It feels like it’s been years.
I summoned my hammer, hoisted it onto my shoulder, and enlarged the handle so I could grip it with both hands.
Clank, clank.
The Hammer, having absorbed mana, grew in size, and its head transformed into a wide, flat shape according to my will.
“Oof.”
Because The Hammer had grown so massive, I stumbled back for a moment.
I almost fell. How embarrassing.
I corrected my posture and lowered the giant hammer onto the ground behind me.
Now, shall I draw out the ants?
Hmm.
Taking a deep breath, I poured mana into The Hammer. Toward my weapon, the only thing I, who cannot emit mana outward, can fully communicate with.
Thump. Thump.
The Hammer resting on the ground rapidly increased its weight, and I could hear the screams of the earth enduring that mass.
The weight pressing on my shoulders was steadily increasing, but it didn't feel like a burden. My body had also released its limiters to swing The Hammer.
The weight of The Hammer caused the ground to sink.
Stone fragments crushed by the impact flew toward me but were pulverized by the shockwave emitting from my body.
Pshhh.
As if the designated amount of mana had gathered in The Hammer, a cylinder at the back of The Hammer slid out, venting steam.
Clank.
Chains restrained the trembling cylinder that looked ready to burst at any moment.
This should be enough, right?
“Haaaaaa!”
Stepping forward with my left leg as an axis, I gripped the handle of The Hammer that had been resting on my shoulder and swung it down like a pickaxe.
The giant hammer slammed into the earth—
And my vision was dyed black.
Beeeeeeeeeeee—
A sharp ringing, which I hadn't managed to block, echoed in my ears despite the mana protection.
However, an overwhelming roar, far worse than a mere ringing, must be spreading through the surroundings.
My disciples are probably observing a mushroom cloud right about now. I, standing at the point of impact with my vision obscured by black smoke and debris, couldn't see it.
“It’s not over yet.”
At this rate, those bastards will just be startled; they won't come scurrying out.
“Fire.”
Ting. Ting. Ting. Ting.
The chains connected to the cylinder shattered and scattered into the air. The chain links left their presence behind as they reflected a bit of light.
Thump.
The suppressed cylinder delivered the massive mana contained within it to The Hammer.
A shockwave cleared away the smoke and debris, and light returned once more.
I saw the giant hammer before my eyes.
Embedded in the earth, pushing out a colossal force. The giant hammer.
The massive energy liberated through the cylinder did not scatter into the surroundings but raced through The Hammer, the conductor, toward the earth.
Boom.
The ground shook.
I could also feel the vibration of something collapsing deep inside.
Now. Come on out.
An organization that produces B and C-Rank monsters won't crumble from just this.
I went through the trouble of controlling my strength, so don't tell me you’re finished already.
You wouldn't want to be buried alive deep underground either.
As if answering that wish.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
Whaaaaaaaa—
Along with warning sirens, numerous buildings revealed themselves.
Though they were cracked and crumbling here and there, they were buildings that maintained their original form.
Perhaps they weren't stupid enough to let their main base be exposed; most were elevators or cargo containers, but at least a means of entry had been secured.
“You can come over now!”
I raised my voice loudly so it would reach my disciples.
The Enemy could probably hear it too, but what did it matter?
Do they have an O-Rank Monster? Do they have backup?
Even if an O-Rank Monster shows up, unless it’s exceptionally strong, I can just blow it up.
By the time the dust that had soared high into the sky settled, making the surroundings a bit dark, and the ringing in my ears had subsided.
“Senior!”
“Master! Are you okay?”
“What about it?”
My disciples ran toward me frantically, worried.
“Didn't something just explode? Like a nuke, or an enemy secret weapon…”
“Nukes have heat and light, so they’re a bit more convenient for killing people than this.”
Not that it was weaker than a nuke. There are pros and cons. Like quantity, or range. I have my limitations.
“A bit? Then you endured something similar to a nuke?”
“It was my own hammer swing; what is there to 'endure'?”
If I swung it with a force I couldn't endure, this whole area would have been gone long ago.
Do you think the nuclear engineering departments went bust for no reason? It’s because crazy bastards who can withstand a nuclear shower were running amok. Not that a nuclear shower can't stop O-Rank guys, though.
The disciples looked at my now-shrunken hammer with expressions that said 'is this even possible,' and I ignored their gazes, pointing toward a random elevator.
“Go on. There will be monsters.”
“Uh… won't it be dangerous?”
Whether it was Han A-bin or Baek Si-hyun, they were so flustered they didn't even look at the elevator I pointed to and just kept staring blankly at The Hammer.
Well, I guess I’ll have to force them in.
“Quiet. Just go.”
I grabbed my dazed disciples and tossed them toward the elevator.
They’ll snap out of it if they don't want to die.
Whirrr. Clank.
“Master?!” “Senior?!”
The elevator doors closed, and the steel box was launched toward the basement.
Ah. Was there something I hadn't told them yet?
I trudged over, ripped the elevator doors off, and shouted toward the already-disappeared steel box.
“Scream if it’s dangerous! I’ll come save you!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!”
A piercing sound echoed from the dark hole, but I ignored it and headed toward another elevator.
That wasn't a 'scream for help,' just a regular scream, so it didn't really matter.
I have to do my own work. Now, which elevator leads to the laboratory?
Pacing around the cratered wasteland, I looked around to see if anything was written on the elevators.
1, 2, 3, 4, α, β, γ
Characters were attached to each elevator. As if only those who used them were meant to know, the markings showed no consideration for guests.
“Doesn't look like any of these.”
As I walked along, checking them one by one, a conspicuous elevator caught my eye.
A suspicious thing with no characters, only a locking mechanism. Its appearance was similar, but seeing as it had more minor equipment attached, it seemed likely to lead to an important facility.
Is it this one?
I pressed the button to open the elevator, but all that came out was a warning sound and an electric shock traveling up my finger.
The hospitality here is garbage. I have a technique I learned for situations like this.
I slammed The Hammer into the elevator door.
It’s a technique where if there is no path, you make one.
Thump.
“It held?”
Contrary to my expectations, the elevator door only got a deep dent and warped; it withstood The Hammer I’d swung lightly.
Quite a sturdy metal.
Swinging The Hammer lightly, I pounded the door several times.
“If it’s a door-opening spell, was it 'Open Sesame'? Or 'Ex Machina Showtime'?”
For some reason, I felt a surge of excitement, thinking it had been a while since I’d done something Hero-like.
As expected, the best exercise is breaking into a base using the enemies' screams as a side dish.
Personally, it reminds me of a comrade who used to shout 'Magical★Lockpicking' while planting explosives, but saying something like that would be embarrassing.
After about five more swings, the door, unable to withstand the hammering, was torn open, revealing the interior of the elevator.
“There’s nothing here.”
Whether it was to prevent intruders or because it was broken, the open door before me showed only pitch-black darkness without an elevator car.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
An abyss where nothing could be seen, only the sound of the torn-off door hitting things as it fell.
What does it matter? I can just jump.
To think they set this up as a safety measure. I can clearly see the Lord of Infinite Castles tearing up the blueprints and asking who designed this if he saw it.
A safety measure should have laser scalpels, plasma generators, or Otherworld transport devices all over it.
“Heave-ho.”
I calmly jumped down toward the bottom.
I thought there wouldn't be any danger, but.
“No. Dammit.”
The wind created as gravity pulled my body down crawled inside my clothes and puffed them up, ruining my mood.
How annoying.
As I channeled mana into the clothes themselves, the now-stiffened fabric became quiet.
It was an action I would have taken naturally in the past, but since the black clothes of the Pry Bar I’d been wearing lately didn't flutter much even without such measures, I’d forgotten to do it.
Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve run around like this in these clothes.
While I was thinking that, pipes and closed doors flashed past my vision.
I’d been falling for about 20 seconds, but the end of the fall was not yet in sight.
It’s taking quite a while.
If it were a stealth mission, I’d just grab any door and go in, but what I wanted was the Monster Seed in the laboratory.
Such an important facility would likely be in the deepest location.
Thinking they’d dug the base quite deep, I finally saw the elevator car and delivered a kick toward it.
K-boom!
In the void where the ceiling of the elevator car was torn away and the car itself was split in half and sent flying—
I saw a solid floor.
Naturally, I took a breakfall and landed.
Is this the bottom floor?
It seemed the elevator had been stopped at The Lowest level.
Then that door must be the door to the bottom floor.
A faint light leaked through the narrow gap in the elevator doors. A tiny light announcing that someone was beyond it.
I leaped from the solid floor and shoved my fingers into the glowing crack of the door.
Creeeak. Grrrrk.
I heard the sound of the elevator’s safety mechanisms struggling to keep the intruder out.
But there is nothing that cannot be done before overwhelming strength.
Crash!
Tearing away the iron door that had been crushed and forced into the space it was supposed to occupy, I stepped inside.
“An intruder?!”
“What happened to the monsters! How is there a Hero here…”
A stark white room, bright lights.
Scientists in lab coats scurrying in all directions.
The pungent scent of blood and chemicals.
Found you.