Into the Hotel's Depths
The short passage leading deep into the hotel was filled with utter darkness, without a single trace of light. At the same time, a horrific stench emanated from every corner of the passage, and the floor was sticky with some unknown bodily fluids. An ordinary person would have been terrified by the pitch-black darkness and the nose-numbing smell, unable to walk straight, but the two men traversing it strode forward unfazed into the gloom.
Of the two, Aiman sniffed around and spoke up. "What a truly revolting smell. How the hell does something end up stinking like this?"
"The smell's bad enough, but now that we're in here, I'm more curious about what the fuck these mutants have been eating to multiply like that."
Jin-cheol said this as he trudged along. Aiman, who had been pinching his nose, tilted his head as the same question dawned on him. Even in the darkness, Jin-cheol could sense the movement.
"Yeah... We didn't see any lifeforms on the way down here. But those mutants looked like there were hundreds, maybe thousands of them. They couldn't have bred that much just by eating each other. So what the hell have they been devouring to grow like that?"
Curious?
Jin-cheol pulled the chip from his pocket. Only now, in the complete absence of light, did he notice it was emitting a faint glow. This quantum chip or whatever the fuck it was—seriously weird. Like yo-sul silver blood sorcerer level. Where the hell was it getting power from?
"The computer stuck in the hotel knows the reason?"
Of course! I'm a high-end AI worth two hundred thousand dollars! Don't compare me to those tin-can office assistants! Hehehe.
"..."
Jin-cheol pondered briefly before quietly slipping the chip back into his pocket. He was curious, but now wasn't the time to play around with this lunatic. In the distance down the passage, the mutants' agonized howls and explosions continued unabated.
Aiman, who had been watching quietly from the side, hid his curiosity and fixed his gaze ahead. As the two men showed such indifference, the AI in the pocket buzzed thinly like it couldn't hold back, then suddenly revved up.
...Actually, a long time ago, before anyone came down this far and got massacred in BR003's rebellion, there was a massive geological shift around here. After that, it connected to an external natural cave, letting in other biota. The mutants changed along with that biota, but they couldn't break through the overflowing natural cave full of it, so they got isolated here. Over a long time, this place became their territory, and no other biota came anymore...
"Hey, hey! I'll ask later. Cut it out, you punk."
...Don't ignore this chip from now on! I could vibrate your thigh and send you to ecstasy! Fear the human nirvana waves!
Crazy bastard. Jin-cheol's head throbbed slightly at the hotel chip's buzzing declaration from his pocket. Looked like he'd picked up a genuine lunatic. Should he just bite down and smash this fucker right now?
Fortunately, before Jin-cheol could destroy the hotel chip, the passage ended. It looked like a plaza, similar to what they'd seen in the previous hotel—a vast indoor space. There were no lights there either. The high ceiling was simply open, allowing faint subterranean glow to seep in dimly.
But with that dim light alone, Jin-cheol had no trouble surveying the plaza's scene. The first thing that caught his eye was the corpses. The mutant Lavitos that had charged in ahead of Jin-cheol's group—easily hundreds of the beasts—were all dead, their black blood and white flesh chunks spread across the floor like a massive rug.
And the special agent, William Lambert of Opesis, who had shredded all those countless mutants, stood alone in the center of the indoor plaza, emitting his own light.
"That guy's..."
Hohohihi! The beasts' mother is bleeding! Her long life is finally ending. When will this chip's tenacious train of thought end...
Following the hotel chip's crooning lament, the special agent stood trampling a massive beast. This creature was dozens of times larger than ordinary mutants—nearly elephant-sized. Without its disproportionately small ears and head shape, no one would have guessed it was the same species as the Lavitos, let alone the mutants.
Special Agent William Lambert had the giant beast pinned underfoot and was in the midst of ripping open its chest with his remaining arm. The beast was still alive, but its resistance seemed over—limbs torn off, only its torso and head left, its massive eyes blinking feebly.
Confirming the plaza's scene, Jin-cheol felt the mutants' blood soaking into his shoes, making them squelch. Hundreds of lives had ended, their blood flowing like rivers. It was like a scene from hell.
After briefly scanning the surroundings, Jin-cheol strode forward through the blood, shouting.
"Hey— Wil-liam—!"
"...!"
The special agent whipped his head around. He didn't look good either. His right arm had been torn off by Jin-cheol, but the fight hadn't been easy—his suit was torn in places, exposing internal mechanical parts. His head was gashed open, face bloodied. Yet there he was, crouched and ripping into the giant mutant's chest like some cannibalistic cyborg monster from a horror flick.
The next instant, Jin-cheol charged. He leaped over the wide plaza's carpet of mutant corpses, racing toward the special agent. Then, at some point, he kicked off the floor and launched into the air.
Spotting him, the special agent hurriedly grabbed something and thrust his left arm out. Blue light rippled from it. But before it could explode, Jin-cheol's missile-like flying kick slammed into the special agent's chest first.
"Guhk!"
The special agent choked out a strangled gasp and flew backward as if yanked by a string. Unable to steady himself, he tumbled across the corpses he'd slain, covering himself in black blood, flesh chunks, and oozing filth.
Serves you right, fucker.
Jin-cheol landed cleanly on the massive beast the agent had been standing on. He could see the beast's exposed flesh where it had been torn open—black blood and innards writhing inside the gaping wound.
Then the beast underfoot rolled its huge eyes toward Jin-cheol.
Eyes. Now that he noticed, the other mutants had degenerated eyes like mere pinholes, but this one's were not just intact—they were enormous and clear. Jin-cheol's reflection and his shoes, blackened by the mutants' blood, shone in those big, clear eyes.
As Jin-cheol unconsciously met that gaze, the beast's massive mouth twitched slightly. His sharp hearing caught a faint squeaking from the moving lips, but he couldn't understand it.
At that moment, a low voice like reciting scripture emanated from his pocket.
...O black-footed superhuman, have you finally set foot upon this land after leaping across such ages? Has your return come too late, with none now remembering the past? Thus the superhumans are forgotten, and only the star-burning giants remain, now exhaling their wicked breath upon the earth—the hour of the end draws near...
"..."
Jin-cheol realized it was the hotel chip translating. It could understand the squeaks Jin-cheol couldn't. Black-footed superhuman? Wasn't that from Kampoeni legends?
As Jin-cheol stared down with a stiff expression, the beast's mouth continued to move.
...Forgive us. We could not keep the ancient promise you entrusted. Forgive this frail body that could not halt the giants' slaves. Forgive us, and lead my dead children—who followed your footsteps—to the green hills under clear skies. Let those innocent children, foolish ones who grew without seeing light, remember the old promise after death, shed their sins, and be reborn in their primal form, to frolic upon the pure meadows... Please... help us...
Tears streamed from the beast's massive eyes. Seeing those teardrops trickle down, Jin-cheol was at a loss for words. Soon after, the tear-filled eyes clouded over and slipped behind its eyelids.
Like the other mutants, the beast had died.
"...What the fuck?"
With death, the beast went limp, its elephantine body deflating like a punctured balloon. Jin-cheol was baffled. What the hell was that out of nowhere? Just spout your piece and done?
"...Hahahahaha!"
A sudden burst of laughter. Jin-cheol, frowning at the beast's corpse, turned his head. The special agent was writhing amid the blood, struggling to rise.
What's so goddamn funny with you?
Staggering to his feet, the special agent raised his remaining left hand. Jin-cheol tensed, expecting another blast, but soon realized otherwise. In his left hand was a card.
Card. Jin-cheol recalled it resembled the card Jindallae had used in Siol to extract the barcode tattoo from his left arm.
Then blue flames erupted from his left arm, incinerating the suit sleeve and melting the card. His pale left arm and the circular barcode-like tattoos on his forearm became visible.
As Jin-cheol unconsciously gripped his own left arm, the melted card remnants slithered like sludge toward the special agent's left arm. They burrowed into the pale flesh, drawing a new tattoo beneath the existing one.
As a result, two distinct barcode lines were now tattooed on the special agent's left arm. Once complete, the tattoos blazed blue and flowed through his veins across his body.
Enveloped in the flames, the special agent arched his back as if in orgasm, trembling rigidly toward the ceiling. Astonishingly, the flames gathered at his severed right arm stump, forming a new one.
After shuddering like that for a moment, he lowered his head, flexed the flame-composed right arm, grinned wickedly, and glared at Jin-cheol.
"...Fucking ominous. Ever seen anything like that?"
Aiman, who had approached, asked without taking his eyes off the special agent. Jin-cheol stepped down from the dead beast and replied.
"Ominous my ass. That fucker's dead."
"Well... yeah, it seems it'll end that way, but look at that new arm. Doesn't look ordinarily dangerous. What's the plan?"
"Plan? Rip him apart."
"...Heh heh. I should never cross you."
Aiman chuckled heartily and drew his sword. Jin-cheol pulled his fish sword, swung it through the air, and advanced toward the special agent.
Seeing Jin-cheol and Aiman approach, the agent's smile deepened, and the ominous blue glow of his new right arm intensified.
He shouted.
"Craving a barbaric brawl like primitives? If that's what you want, so be it!"
Before his shout ended, the special agent's form blurred. The moment Jin-cheol sensed a blue flash, the agent was right in his face. Simultaneously, the burning fist smashed into Jin-cheol's chest.
Blue flames exploded outward—boom—and Jin-cheol's body flew backward.
Startled, Aiman gripped his sword tightly and assumed a stance, eyes on the flying Jin-cheol while bracing for the follow-up.
But the special agent's attack didn't continue.
"...Wha—what... I was... faster..."
The agent who had closed in like a will-o'-the-wisp and struck with his proud new arm staggered back, reeling.
Aiman saw the hilt embedded in the center of his chest. Half ivory-white, half black, it was engraved with intricate, mystical patterns for grip. The blade wasn't visible. Or rather, it was—protruding from his back like a horn.
As the agent stumbled, the flung-back Jin-cheol rose slowly on one knee, spat a bloody glob—ptui.
His chest, soot-marked from the lobby fight, now bore a fist-shaped dent in the center, but it was already cracking and regenerating.
He stood and said.
"Stupid fuck. Isn't it common sense that primitives beat futurists in bare-handed fights?"
Is that a thing? Aiman tilted his head, sword ready, unable to grasp why that was common sense.
"You... Kang... Jin-cheol...! His Imperial Majesty, the 'Chosen One,' will not... forgive... a race traitor..."
"Betrayal's between people who know each other. I don't even know the fucker."
Enraged by the words, the special agent roared and raised his burning right arm. The light and heat surged, fingertips merging into a blazing blade. Flames rose from his left arm too.
"Raaah—!"
With burning blades in both hands, he charged Jin-cheol, vomiting blood.
Blades of burning flame rose from Jin-cheol's left hand too. Unlike the agent's ominous blue, his blazed like the sun—radiant and scorching.
The agent crossed his arms like scissors, aiming for Jin-cheol's neck. Jin-cheol's response was simple: slam his left blade down into the scissors' center.
Solar blade clashed with blue will-o'-the-wisp. Dazzling light erupted; the crossed flames canceled each other out and vanished. Jin-cheol's blade, and the one from the agent's left arm, both dissipated.
But the agent's right arm didn't fully scatter—it remained as a mangled lump. He thrust it again at Jin-cheol's chest, this time to impale.
Then Aiman hurled his sword.
"Jin-cheol!"
The longsword whistled through the air and slapped into Jin-cheol's right hand. Dropping to one knee, Jin-cheol swung the caught blade.
The special agent's body froze.
"..."
Jin-cheol knelt on one knee, calmly lowering his blade. Before him stood Special Agent William Lambert, frozen mid-thrust.
Deathly silence flowed between them.
The next instant, the agent's upper body split diagonally with a crack, his blazing blue light extinguishing.