Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Because of the [Supercooled Grenades] and the army’s concentrated bombardment, the creature had lost 40% of its body.
For an ordinary mutant, such damage would have meant death or retreat.
But this was an aberration.
Krrrrrr…
With a disturbing vibration, the massive body that had shrunk to the height of a five-story building began compressing rapidly.
It looked as if a giant balloon were being forcibly squeezed.
Its mass remained the same, yet only its volume decreased.
That meant its density was increasing explosively.
Damn it. Phase two.
Sensing danger instinctively, I pulled the pin on the last [Supercooled Grenade] in my hand.
I had to finish it before the transformation completed.
“Eat this!”
Whoosh—
The grenade left my hand and traced a perfect arc toward the core of the condensing red sphere.
The distance was impossible to miss. The timing was flawless.
But—
Gloop.
A hole suddenly opened in the center of the red sphere, now compressed to the size of a van.
Like a donut.
Whooo—
The cooling grenade passed uselessly through the hole in its body and exploded behind it in empty air.
Boom!
Blue frost mist spread out, but the creature was already gone.
“You’ve got to be kidding. It dodged like that?”
It had read the trajectory of the projectile and reshaped its body to evade.
High intelligence.
And ultra-fast reaction speed.
Kiiieeek—!
The donut-shaped mass reformed into a sphere again, and this time it fired a portion of its body toward me.
Compressed slime projectile.
Its speed rivaled a rifle bullet.
KWAANG!
The rooftop railing where I had been standing shattered like paper.
Concrete fragments grazed my face.
If I had been even slightly slower, my head would have exploded.
I immediately turned my body.
The hydraulic valves of the [Mechanical Reinforced Exoskeleton] were opened to their maximum.
Hiss—BANG!
I kicked off the ground and leapt to the neighboring building.
But the moment I landed, the joints of the exoskeleton screamed with metallic strain.
Kiiik!
Damn it.
If I pushed the mobility like that a few more times, the machine would break before my legs did.
But stopping was not an option.
I didn’t even need to look back.
I could hear it.
Crack—crack!
Concrete melting and breaking apart.
The creature was crawling up the building.
Its body had grown smaller, but its speed was three times faster than before.
At that speed, hitting it with the [Sling] would be impossible.
I need a weapon that can hit with certainty.
I kept running while thinking.
I was a production-type.
With my dynamic vision and throwing ability, I couldn’t catch that fly-like thing.
Then there was only one answer.
A weapon that would tear it apart even if I didn’t aim.
An automatic turret.
The structure of the [12.7mm Gatling] I had seen in front of the Union Market Exchange flashed through my mind.
If I combined the [K-3 Machine Gun] parts I had farmed until now, I could imitate it.
If I linked Picker’s computing ability with the sensors of the [Honeybee] units, I could implement an even better auto-targeting system.
But there was a reason I hadn’t built it until now.
The Frost-Bound Orb.
Without imbuing that artifact, producing ammunition for continuous fire would be difficult.
That was why I had tried to handle things using [Cooling Grenades].
But now there was no choice.
The problem was time.
Because it required a new design, I needed at least five minutes.
But if I stopped now, I would be eaten within ten seconds.
[Boss! I will assist!]
A deep voice echoed in my ear.
It was [Porter], who had been farming near the hotel.
[I can provide immediate support. My armor can withstand several of its attacks.]
“No! You’re too slow!”
I rejected the idea immediately.
Porter was sturdy, but the slime’s attack wasn’t physical impact.
It was acidic dissolution.
The moment it grabbed him, even steel would melt.
And Porter wasn’t Picker.
There was no way he could move faster than a flying slime.
[Boss! If that bear just listens to me, it will work!]
“What?”
[Observe how it moves! Slimes have no muscles!]
Picker displayed an analysis window at the edge of my vision.
The slime’s movement method.
It propelled itself using high-pressure jets of internal fluid in the opposite direction of movement.
Action–reaction.
[Right before firing, its core contracts slightly! My high-speed camera can read that signal 0.5 seconds earlier!]
“So?”
[If I warn him 0.5 seconds in advance, even that slow bear can dodge!]
Picker’s voice was full of confidence.
Prediction analysis almost like precognition.
Combined with Porter’s tanking ability?
[If it is for you, Boss, I do not mind even if I melt away. Just give the order.]
Porter’s solemn voice.
I hesitated briefly and then gritted my teeth.
There was no other way.
“Fine. Let’s do it. But don’t die.”
[Roger!]
I changed direction.
To build the [Cooling Turret], I needed somewhere out of the sight of soldiers or raiders.
My ability couldn’t be exposed.
“Let’s buy some time.”
I deliberately lured the slime deeper into the buildings.
And then—
[Mobile Bunker]
[Mobile Bunker]
[Mobile Bunker]
[Mobile Bunker]
Boom!
Four layers of steel bunkers dropped down and covered the slime.
They wouldn’t restrain it completely, but they would buy some time.
“Picker, measure the time. The time it takes for that thing to break through should match how long Porter’s armor can last.”
[Roger, Boss!]
Taking advantage of the delay, I descended toward the army’s defensive line where Lieutenant Colonel Kang was stationed.
“Colonel!”
“You! You’re alive!”
Kang Cheol-min approached with visible relief.
But when he saw my condition, he froze.
The damaged exoskeleton. My heavy breathing.
“It… evolved. Ordinary weapons won’t work anymore.”
“What do you mean evolved?”
“No time to explain. I’ll lure it away.”
My plan was simply to fight freely where there were no witnesses.
But Kang misunderstood.
His eyes trembled.
“…Are you saying you’ll sacrifice yourself for us?”
No, that wasn’t it.
But there was no time to correct the misunderstanding.
The sound of the slime breaking through the bunkers echoed.
“When the temperature drops, its activity decreases! I’ll lure it north!”
“North? Toward the DMZ?”
“That’s why! There won’t be civilian casualties there!”
Kang grabbed my shoulder firmly, deeply moved.
The unknown Awakened he thought was a murderer was volunteering as bait for the sake of soldiers and civilians.
“I understand… I won’t forget your resolve. But don’t throw your life away. If it becomes impossible, head to Uijeongbu.”
“Uijeongbu?”
“The Commander-in-Chief is there. An S-Rank Awakened—the [Gravity Ruler] Shin Gyu-hwan. If it’s him, he can suppress that monster instantly.”
That was an unexpected gain.
The military leader was an S-Rank Awakened with gravity powers.
Information I had never anticipated.
At the same time, I sensed that the survivor forums and the military had some kind of relationship.
Because information about S-Ranks or the military had never appeared there.
Even when I searched S-Rank before, nothing showed up.
“Understood. Then I’m going!”
I saluted and dashed into the darkness of a ruined alley.
Behind me, I could feel the soldiers saluting.
Sorry, but I have no intention of dying.
As I ran north, Picker, Porter, and the [Honeybee] squadron followed me.
After a brief hesitation, the slime began chasing me.
After weaving through ruins for a while, I entered the underground parking garage of a large apartment complex.
Mutants welcomed me, but most of them could be dealt with using the sling.
This place would be a suitable battlefield.
“Picker. Scan for survivors.”
In the early days of the collapse, underground parking lots like this were often used as makeshift shelters.
But I knew something.
If you got trapped underground, there was no escape.
[No survivors detected, Boss!]
“Good. Porter. Five minutes from now.”
[Leave it to me.]
The moment the slime entered the underground parking lot—
The building’s outer wall tore apart like paper.
What burst through the dust cloud was a massive block of concrete.
No—
A steel beast disguised as concrete.
[Move aside, lightweight.]
With a heavy mechanical roar, Porter maxed the power of his tracks and rammed into the slime’s side.
It wasn’t just a body slam.
Attached to the front armor was the tusk of the E-Rank Named creature [Iron-Tusk Boar].¹
That brutal ram pierced into the red jelly.
BOOOOM!
The slime—supposedly immune to physical attacks—was dented and flung sideways.
Like a rubber ball struck by a dump truck.
“Kiiieeek!”
The creature rolled across the ground, screaming.
Bullets and explosions passed through it harmlessly.
But attacks imbued with the power of named materials and artifacts worked.
[Impact confirmed. Recoil relative to mass… light.]
Porter spoke calmly.
But Picker, watching from above, reacted differently.
[It worked, Boss! Physical immunity isn’t perfect!]
It was good news.
But the situation was still desperate.
The slime recovered its posture and stared at Porter’s front armor where the tusk had struck.
Sssss—
The thick alloy armor and the tip of the boar tusk began melting, emitting white vapor.
Just one contact.
That alone bent steel like candy.
A prolonged fight is impossible.
I had to hurry.
I had to create a weapon capable of finishing that thing for good.
[Bear! What are you doing? Draw its aggro!]
Porter opened the quad launcher mounted on his back.
One [Supercooled Grenade] I had given him shot into the air.
Boom!
Blue frost mist exploded above the slime’s head.
It wasn’t enough damage, but it was enough to draw its attention.
[Over here, weightless jelly bastard.]
The provocation worked perfectly.
The slime’s core flashed red, and its body compressed like a spring.
[It’s coming!]
At the same moment Picker screamed, the slime launched itself forward.
Like a cannonball.
A red comet flying straight toward Porter.
At that speed, Porter’s mobility could never dodge it.
But Picker’s lens spun violently.
[Analysis complete! Friction coefficient altered due to surface cooling! It cannot change direction now!]
Picker’s shout wasn’t just a warning.
It was a prophecy.
As the slime passed through the cooling gas, its surface partially froze.
The creature that had ignored fluid dynamics and changed trajectory freely was temporarily locked into its path.
Now it was just a fast rock.
[Bear! Thirty degrees left! Reverse two meters! Now!]
The moment Picker gave the command, Porter reacted.
Boom—skreee!
The tracks reversed, grinding the asphalt.
Porter’s massive body slid aside miraculously.
BOOOOM!
The slime shot past the spot where Porter had been and smashed into the ground.
The asphalt melted instantly into a puddle.
The difference of a single leaf’s width.
If Porter had been even slightly slower, he would have turned into molten scrap.
[Phew… Did you see that, fly? My step. Wasn’t it feather-light?]
[Shut up! I controlled that! Without my calculations you’d be Terminator scrap in a furnace!]
Porter drew aggro.
Picker read the core’s contraction 0.5 seconds early and marked the escape route.
The two AIs bickered constantly—but their coordination was flawless.
In a corner of the underground parking lot—
I was working like a madman.
I ripped open the hoods of abandoned cars and extracted usable parts from their engine bays.
[High-Speed Motor]
[Optical Sensor]
[ECU Module]
Parts obtained through [Disassembly] piled beside me.
In my mind I was drawing the blueprint for an [Auto-Tracking Turret].²
But progress stalled.
Damn it, it’s too complicated.
Without a [Central Control System], designing the targeting algorithm and drive mechanism on the spot was too time-consuming.
At this rate it would take at least five more minutes.
But outside, we didn’t have five minutes.
CRASH! BANG!
A warning alarm from Porter echoed from the parking entrance.
[Warning! Armor damage exceeding 15%! Right track response speed decreasing!]
The slime had changed tactics.
It wasn’t just body-slamming anymore.
It was tearing off parts of its body and firing them like a shotgun.
Rat-tat-tat!
Red slime bullets restricted Porter’s movement.
And the more mass it expelled, the faster it became.
Its smaller body was agile.
Its attacks relentless.
[Its core contraction pattern is becoming irregular! Prediction error increasing! Dodge on your own!]
[Useless fly…]
Porter’s armor plates were melting like candle wax under the acid.
At this rate he wouldn’t last a minute.
Then—
Picker suddenly dropped altitude and flew directly toward the slime.
[Hey! You stupid jelly! A superior Picker is right here! Catch me instead of that rusty bear!]
Picker performed flashy aerial maneuvers between the slime’s tentacles.
Suicidal aggro.
[Picker… you…]
[Shut up! If you die, who’s going to carry me around?!]
Thanks to Picker’s desperate interference, Porter finally gained some breathing room.
But only for a moment.
The slime extended tentacles into the air, beginning to trap Picker.
I stopped working and looked up.
Picker flying wildly.
The slime moving so fast it left no afterimage.
In my hand was the unfinished targeting module of the turret.
Even if I finished it, could it hit something that fast?
Impossible.
The calculation was clear.
A point-target attack had no chance.
I had to change my thinking.
If the speed couldn’t be avoided, then use an attack that couldn’t be avoided.
Not a point.
A surface.
My eyes landed on a container of car washer fluid lying on the ground.
Right. Not a gun—a sprayer.
If I sprayed cold at high pressure across a wide area…
No matter how fast it was, it couldn’t dodge cold already filling the air.
And the one who would carry it—
Was neither Porter nor me.
It had to be someone faster and more agile than the slime.
“Picker! Come here!”
At my shout, Picker responded instantly.
Barely avoiding the tentacles, he shot toward the parking lot.
—Boss! Why did you call me?!
“Stay still. I’m modifying you.”
—What?!
There was no time.
Without explanation, I activated [Disassembly] and [Manufacture] repeatedly.
Woooo—
The [High-Pressure Pump] and [Washer Nozzle] I had taken from wrecked cars broke into particles of light and fused beneath Picker’s camera.
It now resembled a massive syringe or flamethrower nozzle.
Then I took out the most important material.
[Frost-Bound Orb]
The moment the artifact approached, Picker screamed.
—Aaaah! Boss! It’s cold! My circuits are freezing! CPU clock dropping!
If I attached it directly, Picker would freeze first.
“Endure it.”
From my backpack I pulled out the [Corrupted Wild Dog Hide].
It was the best insulation material I had.
I wrapped the orb in several layers of hide and designed a conduit so the cold would flow only toward the nozzle.
Then I [Imbued] the mechanical device with the Frost-Bound Orb.
—Ugh… something’s entering! It’s cold… but hot!
Picker’s body trembled.
Blue frost spread across the drone’s black surface and then seeped inward.
The power source and artifact began resonating.
Ding!
A bright notification appeared before my eyes.
[Entity ’s rank is increasing.]
[Rank: E+ → D+]
[Special ability unlocked.]
And another message followed.
[Work Protocol has increased to Lv.3.]
“Go, Picker.”
Whiiii—
Picker rose into the air again.
His lens now glowed with an icy glacier-blue light.
Tiny ice crystals scattered around his body.
—Boss…
Picker’s voice sounded calmer.
No—
Overflowing with confidence.
—My body feels incredibly cool. My mind is clear.
“Ready?”
—Of course. I’ll turn that jelly into ice cream.
A loud crash echoed from the parking entrance.
Porter had finally hit his limit and slammed into the wall.
Before I could even give the order, Picker became a blue comet and shot into the darkness.
It was time for the counterattack.