The Tightening Noose Forces Taejeong's Hand
As the encirclement drew ever closer, Taejeong had no choice but to make a decision. If the woman was telling the truth, not only was he in danger, but so were the others.
"Can't you at least tell me your name?"
"I don't know what kind of guy you are."
The moment he heard the reply, Taejeong turned to Gerard.
"Hey, have you ever heard of Saint Priscilla?"
Her voice echoed again at his question.
As the woman said, Gerard responded that it was outside his authority.
Time was running critically short now; he couldn't delay any longer. After a moment's deliberation, he asked one final question.
"What will you do if I let you out?"
"Just wondering if you might try to kill me. You're no ordinary monster, stuck in a place like this."
"I'd have to believe you first."
"Exactly."
Priscilla was reaching the end of her patience with his excessive caution. But she was the one in a hurry. She'd encountered a human who could break her chains in this inescapable prison—a human bearing Sirius's power. This was impossible within the system, a miracle beyond miracles. She had to seize this chance.
"Hmm. Fair enough—nothing's certain on this end either. What do I need to do?"
"That's it? What's Heaven-Defying Priscilla supposed to mean?"
With no time left to waste, he recited her incantation verbatim.
"In Sirius's name, I command: Forgive the sins of the Heaven-Defying Priscilla... There, happy? Felt kinda cringy saying that."
He scratched his head sheepishly, and Priscilla's voice came back, brimming with excitement.
Right after her response, the people closing in on him collapsed like squid on a plate. The effect spread rapidly, the entire space warping and spinning wildly. Then, in an instant, the speed surged insanely, sucking everything into a vortex—like him.
Shriiik!
A sharp wind howled, and when Taejeong came to, he was inside some rundown building.
"I'm back."
The people and high-tech gear had vanished as if they'd never been there. He asked Gerard,
"What do you see in front of me right now?"
> A green, half-shattered gate door is visible.
"Same here. Looks like we got out, at least..."
Taejeong glanced around, searching for Priscilla, but she was nowhere in sight.
"What the hell was that woman? Another illusion?"
With so many bizarre events piling up, he now doubted what was real and what wasn't.
"Whatever. We're out, so that's what matters."
He eyed the file in his hand. He'd worried it might vanish, but it was still there. He opened his inventory and stowed it away, triggering a welcome chime.
You have acquired knowledge of the special close-combat weapon system.
Prototype Plasma Blade skill has been opened.
"Knew it."
Having completed the quest, he immediately pulled up his skill window.
[Prototype]
Damage: 1,500-10,000 (Sealed)
Length: 1.7m from hilt
Cooldown: 30 min on damage
Duration: Semi-permanent
Mana Cost: 10,000
*The world's first laser lightsaber
"What? A sword?"
The description confirmed it was a sword skill—unlike anything in his arsenal so far. Curiosity piqued, he summoned it right away. A hefty rod about 20cm long materialized in his hand, made of what looked like stainless steel or titanium. It had some weight but felt lighter than solid steel.
"Hmm. Not quite what I pictured."
He'd imagined a classic katana or longsword. He asked Gerard,
"This thing sticking out in the middle—some kind of switch?"
> Affirmative. Press and release to activate. Hold for 10 seconds to deactivate as now.
"So pushing that makes the blade pop out."
Nodding in understanding, Taejeong aimed the hilt forward and thumbed the protrusion.
ZZZing!
A resonant hum filled the air as a pillar of deep blue light shot up.
"Whoa!"
He yelped involuntarily, staring at the meter-plus blade of pure light extending from the hilt—not a metal edge, but a rigid column of intense azure glow, flickering faintly between brighter and dimmer shades. It was mesmerizing, almost ethereal.
"Hah, a laser sword? This is badass!"
Thrilled, he swung it around experimentally.
ZZZing! Zing! Whoosh!
The light pillar held its form perfectly, no waver no matter how he slashed. How had anyone even conceived of this?
"If this is just the prototype... can't even imagine the rest. Gerard, this being the first means it's the lowest tier, right?"
> Second test version. Notice the flicker? Early plasma containment tech was poor, so it used output to maintain shape. Damage varies as a result.
"Explains the damage fluctuation. Still, max 10k ain't bad."
A close-range weapon was his now, enabling both ranged and melee. Sure, prototype meant subpar performance, but that hardly mattered. This was just the first unlock—and compared to his starting pistol, it was a jackpot. He was already hyped for the next one.
"Alright, that's sorted. Time to find the others. Priscilla—or whatever her name was—said we gotta hurry."
Summoning Taeguk 1, Taejeong fired up the boosters. That's when it hit—a chilling, eerie screech from behind.
Kiiiiiieek!
Whirling around, he spotted a bipedal bull monster with three horns, its upper body massively muscled, wielding a halberd-like axe. A new breed entirely.
"Info."
> No data.
"Figured."
No need for chit-chat. He drew the blade, activated it, and maxed the boosters. A streak of light, rocketing at 60km/h straight at the beast. It lumbered forward on stubby legs, halberd swinging for his skull at the clash point.
But it hadn't accounted for his speed.
Shluck!
The lightsaber cleaved the monster midsection clean. Taejeong skidded to a halt ten meters on, then turned to check.
Thud.
The idiot's upper half separated neatly from its legs and hit the floor.
20 million EXP acquired.
"See? Awesome."
With that, he set off.
* * *
Research Lab Basement Level 3, C-7 Containment Room.
A ragged group of men and women slumped against the walls, gasping and groaning. Stragglers from the expedition team, Jenix hunters trapped here by some inexplicable phenomenon.
"Ugh... it hurts so much."
"Feels like my arm's gone."
"Me too. Totally exposed."
"Anyone got spare healing potions?"
Not one was unscathed. Small mercy: the pain was bad, but no fatal wounds.
"Hang in there just a bit longer, everyone. The boss'll come for us soon."
The woman clutching her blood-soaked arm, checking the injured, was Seo Ju-ah—the expedition's youngest low-level participant.
'I wonder how the others are... hope they're okay.'
She encouraged them, but hope felt distant. No clue where they were, no guarantee the chased teams survived. Given the attackers' levels back at the ambush site, rescue seemed impossible even if they had. At best, the HQ rescue team—but could they last that long?
"Ugh... Ju-ah, we're done for, right? It's all over?"
A woman lay there, face smeared with tears and grime, looking like a beggar despite her striking beauty. Ha Seoyeonn, the strategy head's daughter.
Curiosity had drawn her along, only for disaster to strike. She regretted her choice bitterly.
"Dad was right. Should've listened. Sniff. Threw a tantrum like an idiot. He'll be devastated. No daughter as worthless as me."
Tears welled up again in the despair. Seo Ju-ah soothed her.
"Don't think like that. We'll all make it back. HQ's sent a rescue team by now. The boss is looking for us too. Toughen up till then. You're not usually like this, Seoyeonn."
"Sorry, everyone's suffering and I'm..."
"I get it."
Calming her, Seo Ju-ah approached the room's entrance. Peering through the narrow gap, she saw dozens of monsters swarming the opposite corridor—too many to count visually. She'd considered breaking out earlier, but they made it impossible.
'Staying put means we all die.'
Several hunters were already dehydrating. With their water rationed, survival time was anyone's guess. They needed a way out.
'There has to be something...'