School Starts #3
School Starts #3
A brilliant light wrapped around me.
"Hnng!"
I've gotten used to this by now, so I won't embarrass myself like last time. I steadied myself so I wouldn't fall, and the moment the light vanished, I opened my eyes.
"Huh?"
A jarringly alien scene filled my vision... What is this?
"Where the hell am I now?"
Seriously, what the hell is this?
Everything was purple. A completely gloomy, purple world. On top of that, it felt like I'd landed in some kind of canyon zone—the ground was all rugged, and weird pillars jutted up everywhere.
A world that depresses you just by looking at it.
The sort of landscape a mad artist would paint.
"This is nuts. What's this place even for?"
I almost panicked, but I pulled myself together. I can handle this much of a variable. With all the crap I've been through, you think this would surprise me?
Anyway, this didn't seem like Planet Zora. That place was a total jungle, and this looked like somewhere on an alien planet.
Or maybe it's just a different region.
"Kitty. Any idea where we are?"
I looked down and asked Kitty, who was standing next to me examining our surroundings with her hands clasped behind her back.
"Umm, I wonder. What could it be?"
Kitty tilted her head as if she knew something, smiling faintly. You dare play hard-to-get with me? Acting like you know, pretending to hide it—you're already completely transparent.
Kitty is basically like my little sister.
"Spit it out, properly! Or you'll get it from me!"
"Hyaat!"
I immediately shoved my hands into Kitty's armpits, lifted her up, and started tickling mercilessly. Kitty flailed her legs and cried out.
"Hyaaat, it tickles! Geun-cheol! I don't know! I don't know where this is! I really don't know, that's why! Hiyeeat! Let me gooo!"
A very intense reaction.
Note: weak to tickling.
"Yeah?"
I put her down right away.
"Hoo... Geun-cheol. I think you've been doing nothing but cruel things to me lately."
"Kitty, you do way crueler things to me. Anyway, time to look around."
Let's start searching.
With Kitty here, I basically have an escape route secured. Plus, she has a reason to help me collect the Fragment, so she'll probably cooperate.
We can move together.
"Should we walk for now? Kitty, you want a chocolate bar?"
"Chocolate bar?"
"Say, 'Give me chocolate.'"
"Give me chocolate?"
Unbelievably goddamn cute.
"Heh heh heh. Here. Eat this."
I immediately pulled a chocolate bar from my bag and handed it over. Kitty took it quietly. The sight was incredibly cute. So this is why American soldiers used to hand out chocolate to kids.
"Unwrap it and eat."
"Okay."
—Rip.
She seemed to know how to unwrap it, and she peeled it open neatly and bit off a piece. Kitty nommed on the chocolate bar.
"It's delicious!"
Kitty's eyes went wide.
"Is it good?"
"Yeah! Geun-cheol. This is so delicious."
"Heh heh heh, that's good. Let's walk."
And so, Kitty and I walked across the surface of this desolate alien planet.
"It really feels like we're on a picnic."
"Kind of a gloomy atmosphere for a picnic, though."
The place was roughly composed of purple rock, and since it was a canyon zone, rocky mountains were everywhere. Something like ominous weeds grew on the rock mountains... But the critical thing was these pillars.
I walked up to one of the bizarre pillars scattered everywhere and touched it.
"What? Is this organic?"
These purple pillars were all organic. From ones as small as trees to ones of truly overwhelming size. It was like mushroom pillars were littered all over the place.
"It is organic, Geun-cheol."
"You know what they are?"
"No, I don't know. But I can tell they're organic."
If Kitty says so, it's probably accurate.
I checked the distance to the Fragment.
[Fragment Location - 4,758 m]
Only about 5 kilometers to go. For a superhuman, this distance is nothing—like getting up in the morning and walking to the kitchen for a glass of water. The terrain here is pretty rugged, but a canyon like this is nothing.
My physical ability already far surpasses a specialized professional athlete. And not in just one field—overall.
A steep cliff can be overcome with climbing or wall-running skills.
"But... there's a bunch of stuff on those walls."
Those holes bored into the high cliff faces bother me a lot. Could they be burrows for indigenous monsters? It'd be a pain if something popped out while we were climbing, so let's stick to the overland route for now.
We can set our route after considering the engagement ratio.
"Yeah. There are a lot of holes. Could it be a monster nest?"
"I was thinking that too. Kitty, shall we warp one more time?"
"I can't. I have to save energy for the return trip."
"Can't you use it an unlimited number of times?"
"It depends on the situation. Geun-cheol. You shouldn't keep relying on Kitty, okay?"
"Fine, jeez. Let's go."
So I walked the overland route with Kitty.
—Trudge, trudge.
Canyons and masses of bizarre organic matter.
For some reason, I felt suffocated. I don't know for sure, but this must be a deeply unpleasant planet.
"But Geun-cheol. How did you know this Fragment would appear?"
"I told you, you'll get hurt if you know. No, I'm more curious about you, Kitty. How do you know? What about you and your sister?"
"Kitty doesn't really know either. That kind of thing is what my sister handles. Kitty just follows her sister's words."
"So you're just a mere minion?"
"Not a minion. I'm her little sister, Geun-cheol."
Kitty, as if sulking, lightly thumped my side with her head. An excessively cute attack.
Should I ask Kitty about the laboratory?
But if she snitches to her sister for no reason, I feel like I'll get an earful... VP doesn't try to tell me anything. She just says to figure it out myself if I want to know.
But that statement might actually mean she won't interfere with my information-gathering activities. Anyway, VP's attack on the laboratory was an incident significant enough to leave a record. It wouldn't be strange for me to know about it.
Let's probe a little.
"Kitty. That thing where your sister attacked a lab a long time ago. What was that about?"
"Uung? A lab?"
"You don't know?"
"Hmm? I'm not really sure."
I wonder if that's the truth or not.
So I reached out my hand.
"I really don't know! You can't tickle me!"
Kitty shrieked, startled like a cat.
"Okay, okay. I'll believe you. Kitty, you're really weak to tickling, huh."
"I don't know."
While we were chatting and keeping an eye on our surroundings—
"Hoh."
From over there, more and more pillars started coming into view. Nah, is that a pillar-dense zone? It's a bit far, but I can clearly see them clustered together. The pillars are packed as if I'm looking at an apartment complex.
But they look like they're in bad shape.
Like they're about to collapse any second.
"Geun-cheol. Something strange came out."
"Yeah, I see."
—Click-click-click.
—Click-click-click.
—Click-click-click.
Something walking, click-click-click, was caught in my vision.
Its identity was—
"Antillery?"
A familiar form. The low-rank monsterkin species with ant heads. The Antillery.
"Was this an Antillery world?"
The Antillery numbered five in total. They were moving toward the dense pillar zone, zzt-zzt-zzt, their antennae waving. I immediately hid with Kitty and observed them, but—
"Pchzzzt!"
"Zzzt!"
Shit. We got spotted.
—Fwip-fwip!
Their antennae moved way too fast.
"Pchzt!"
They screeched loudly and came charging at us. But what exactly are these guys? Workers? Scouts? They look like Workers, but I'm curious why five of them are grouped together.
Anyway—
"Ha, little shits. You're not even worth a single punch."
—Shing.
I drew my sword.
Even if five of those Antillery Workers gang up, they're no match for me. They were each holding primitive weapons, just like me.
Time to show them the difference in skill.
"Pchzt!"
The moment I revealed myself, they charged with even wilder momentum. Five of them running like that kicked up a cloud of dust.
Seeing that, I kicked off the ground.
—Fwaat!
"Hup!"
I lightly leaped up and smashed a kick into the face of the one leading the charge.
—Crunch!
The bastard's neck snapped easily as he was hurled backwards.
[Coin acquired: 52]
Earned some coin!
"Pchzzzt!"
"Pchzt!"
The remaining four slammed to a halt and turned toward me. Of course, I was a step faster.
"Die!"
I swung my blade, clad in sword aura, in a wide horizontal arc, slicing the waists of the Antillery who were just turning around.
—Deng-gung!
Two of their waists flew into the air. I swiftly pulled the horizontally swung sword back to my right flank, then—
"Thrust!"
I shot out a stab with all my strength, piercing through another one's forehead.
—Puh-wook!
"Pchzt!"
A truly cheerful kill accumulation.
"Pchzzzzt!"
The last remaining one spat out its fury and raised its weapon, but it was a hopelessly clumsy, purely instinctive motion. A stance that would never work on me, who's been properly trained.
"You can go on your way too."
I lightly reached out, grabbed its wrist and twisted it.
—Kuh-wung!
"Chuzzt!"
The thing toppled over face-first. I finished it by plunging my sword into its neck. All five Antillery were annihilated in an instant.
"Easy."
Guys like this are no match for me now.
—Clap, clap, clap.
As I finished my post-meal exercise, Kitty walked over, clapping.
"Congratulations on your victory, Geun-cheol. You've gotten really good at fighting."
"Even you think so?"
"Yeah. Watching Geun-cheol grow is fun."
Growth, huh.
"It feels like a game. Like Geun-cheol leveled up a lot and increased his stats."
"A game, huh. Yeah, maybe."
Status window.
I'll check it in a bit. That thing is incredibly fascinating.
"Let's keep going."
"Okay."
We started moving again.
The Fragment is getting closer.
* * *
If I acquire the Fragment here, I'll be able to recall a bit more of my memories. This, at least, is certain. My memories have awakened every time I've gotten my hands on one.
I hope it's a usable memory... Hmm?
"Kitty. Stop. Take cover."
"Got it."
As we walked, a sound reached us—something approaching. I immediately hid behind a nearby pillar and looked toward the source.
—Pchzzzzt!
—Pchzzzt!
A horde of Antillery.
No.
What could only be called an Antillery army came into sight, marching. They were coming in a steady stream from over there.
"What's with those bastards? Kitty, hide somewhere safe."
I immediately inched my way up one of the pillars. The top of the pillar had a bunch of stuff on it, so I could conceal myself reasonably well. I'd be able to see something if I looked down from above.
Once I climbed to the top and checked the scene—
"Oh."
Just as I thought. An Antillery army. A swarm numbering in the hundreds. But there isn't just one swarm.
"There's one over there too."
Another swarm is approaching from the opposite direction. It looks like two armies are about to clash... Could it be? Two different hostile groups coming to wage war?
This is interesting.
—Flash.
But that's not all. In the distance, there was something that looked like a Fragment. Seeing the force field around it, it was definitely one.
"Which means?"
Two Antillery armies are advancing right toward it.
"..."
I observed the bastards.