Chapter 1
Chapter 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 001
Chapter Title: End of Childhood, Start of the Hunt (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It's a common story.
Aliens come and turn Earth into a flaming hellscape.
Gates or dimensional portals open, connecting Earth to other dimensions.
Really, a dime a dozen.
At least in third-rate SF movies or novels, that is.
That's what I thought...
Until that day.
My reality became that clichéd tale, and I turned into the sword-wielder in that mad story.
1.
“Sergeant, Kim Baek-jun.”
Whenever I introduce myself, people go from baffled to outright shocked.
“Sergeant? You, a young guy like this? Wait, what's a sergeant rank like in the police?”
“Think of it like an Army Sergeant First Class. Easier that way.”
“Wow, Kim Baek-jun! This guy's going places!”
But every time, I feel more embarrassed than proud.
I didn't become a cop for fame or fortune. Never chased promotion either.
I just ran around helping people however I could... and somehow shot up the ranks at warp speed.
“Kim Baek-jun. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Sergeant. Age 28! Whoa, young sergeant? Your record's as impressive as the rumors say.”
It was noon in a coffee shop.
I set down my coffee cup. Across the table, a cute-faced woman tapped away at her laptop.
“Impressive?”
Three days ago, she'd requested an interview. Park Ji-yeon, reporter for J Magazine.
“Come on, playing modest?”
“I still don't get why I got promoted to sergeant so fast.”
“Let's see if you can dodge this.”
...2042, 2043: Seoul's top arrest king two years running. 2044: Honored Seoul Police selection. This year, 2045 Q1: 195 field arrests. Police shooting competition triple crown...
Park Ji-yeon finished reading, looked up from her screen, and flashed a victorious smile.
“Before seeing this, I wondered if you were a parachute drop. Now? Total respect.”
...
Is it okay to brag about that stuff?
Every arrest left me with regrets.
If I'd been more competent, those eighteen wouldn't have died during captures, and those eighty-three wouldn't have gotten hurt.
“Any secret to your arrests?”
“Two and a half years in the police special forces. Helped a ton. Before that, I trained in martial arts.”
“To use as a patrol officer?”
“Yeah. Been dreaming of being a cop since I was a kid.”
Park Ji-yeon whistled and hammered the keys enthusiastically.
“What sparked the dream? Gotta be something. Not fame or money, right?”
“There is... but...”
I shut my mouth.
I didn't want to boast about 'those people''s noble lives.
“If it's uncomfortable, no need to answer. But it'd inspire a lot of rookies.”
“What rookies?”
“Our magazine's doing a police special this season, remember? Knowing why you're so passionate could move people, teach a lesson.”
I hesitated.
Only after she promised no twisting or exaggerating did I speak.
“Fire at home when I was twelve. So bad, my parents didn't make it.”
I'd have gone too.
If 'those people' hadn't charged through the raging flames and crumbling walls at the moment death seemed certain.
- You're safe now.
'Those people' carried me out and said that.
Words that became my life's compass. They kept telling me not to lose consciousness.
- We came to save you.
Found out later.
The fire was so ferocious, entering our house was suicide.
And yet.
After saving me, 'those people' plunged back in and retrieved my birth parents' bodies.
“They even apologized. Said they were sorry for not saving my parents.”
It really happened.
They visited my hospital room later, in tears...
As I finished, Park Ji-yeon froze a moment, then spoke carefully.
“Were they... the legendary firefighter couple who died in the line of duty a decade ago?”
“Yeah. They're also my adoptive parents.”
'Those people' lived helping others to the very end, and died doing just that.
“I truly admired them.”
I smiled fondly.
“Their willingness to give their lives for others. Someday, I wanted to live like that too.”
We came to save you.
I want to live and die a life worthy of those words.
“That's why I became a cop.”
“Not a firefighter?”
“Firefighting's noble too, but patrol lets you help in more ways.”
A brief silence fell.
Park Ji-yeon gazed thoughtfully, then burst out laughing.
“You're quite the idealist.”
“Hear that a lot.”
“That's why you're cool.”
Cool? Their lives?
I tilted my head, and she glanced back at her screen.
“If you were in a novel, you'd be the protagonist, no doubt.”
“Huh?”
“Tall, too.”
“...?”
“Hmm, and looks like this? Pretty decent—”
──KYAAAAAAAAH!
A piercing scream shattered the room right then.
What...?
Park Ji-yeon flinched in shock. As I opened my mouth, the world went dark.
What the hell? Instinct screamed danger.
I jammed on my police cap and stood—just as chaos exploded.
“God almighty.”
“F-fuck, what the hell is that?”
People inside and out buzzed like mad. Indoor lights flickered wildly.
Finally, my vision flashed red. Brainphone emergency alert.
“B-Baek-jun. Look there.”
Park Ji-yeon panted, pointing where eyes converged.
I turned—and forgot how to breathe.
...An angel?
Pure white body.
Seven pairs of wings.
A halo floating above its head.
Towering unrealistically huge, casting shadows over the whole city.
At a glance, it looked like a mythical angel.
But something was off.
Not the missing facial features, or the four arms, or the rainbow swirls from the halo.
That form had something that shattered human reason.
[Control... broadcast... chaos... guide... repeat... repeat. Emergency level A2.]
I snapped back thanks to the calm voice in my head from the Brainphone.
[Central Control AI 'Seondeok' broadcasting to all police personnel. Area stress level 98. Guide citizens to control points and safe zones before stress explodes.]
...Stress level 98.
Now I felt how dire it was.
I hauled up trembling Park Ji-yeon and shouted to the coffee shop crowd.
“Citizens! This is Sergeant Kim Baek-jun, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Emergency situation. For your safety, follow my instructions!”
Good thing I'm in uniform.
People staring blankly at the angel blinked, then focused on me, breathing again.
“If anyone's passed out nearby, help them up! Follow my control, and I'll get you to safety.”
Four of twenty were out cold. Two guys rushed over, grabbing and shaking my shoulders.
“P-Police? What the fuck is that thing?”
“No idea.”
“Command say nothing? Fuck, what is it?!”
“No word yet. Just emergency and evacuate to safe zones.”
Everything was fog.
The sudden entity's identity, purpose. Why it just watched the city silently.
“News! It's appearing in cities worldwide!”
“Alien invasion?”
“Dunno.”
“Fuck! Then why'd it come? That's key. Nothing on that?”
Pointless.
Only the invader knows. No point asking anyone.
“Calmly, this way!”
As I led citizens into the chaotic street, the invader itself answered humanity.
「Humanity is no longer alone.」
For an instant, I couldn't grasp what happened.
That profound voice echoed across heaven and earth, freezing me in place. Everyone else too.
...What did it just say?
Had to doubt my ears. Straight out of an SF comedy where aliens buddy up.
Korean.
The massive invader dwarfing the metropolis spoke in Korean.
「We are servants of the supremely great Star Existences, chosen as humanity's Guiders.」
Flawless Korean, even veteran announcers would weep. Deep tone, yet kind.
「Humanity, we awaited this meeting with joy. Rejoice with us.」
Then the unbelievable happened.
Fainted people started waking one by one.
“Oof, my head.”
“Huh... what was that?”
Maybe the Guider's friendly vibe. Relief spread through the crowd.
It had everything.
Saintly appearance. Familiar native tongue. Benevolent attitude.
So why?
Why did unknown terror writhe ever fiercer in my heart?
「For the Stars' gracious will, we shall guide humanity to true victory in the struggle, down the righteous path.」
The 'righteous path' boiled down to this.
Useless conflicts controlled ahead of true struggle. Tech and science 'adjusted' appropriately.
「Worry not. In this grave duty, humanity is not alone.」
“Did it... say 'adjust' just now?”
Park Ji-yeon muttered breathlessly beside me.
“Yeah.”
“Adjusting tech and science levels... means deciding civilization's level themselves...?”
No way.
That'd shatter human history. My head spun, but the Guider kept talking.
「The time of struggle nears. Nuclear and power plants lack safety. Over-reliance on electricity is precarious. Civilization shall regress to the steam engine era.」
Not advice or request.
Unilateral control.
“Steam engine era?”
Murmurs rose. Most faces darkened, but some seemed amused.
“Isn't that 200 years back?”
“The whole era? Must be a joke.”
Desperate, I pressed my right temple. Brainphone manual port.
“AI Seondeok, you there?”
Static, high-pitched screech.
Seoul's central AI down?
Unprecedented... If Seondeok falls, all subordinate AIs... My heart pounded.
“Seondeok! You seeing this madness? Seondeok! Seondeok! HQ, HQ!”
Dead silence now.
As I lowered my sweat-slick right hand, Park Ji-yeon eyed me anxiously.
“...Control's... collapsed... right?”
Then my temple felt empty.
Rubbed it—no Brainphone.
Nothing.
Brainphone... gone...?
“Wh-what?”
“Mom? Mom? Hello?”
People fiddled with temples in confusion. Everyone's gone?
“Ji-yeon, Brainphone working?”
“Huh? Of course... wait, what?”
I inhaled sharply.
Chilling hypothesis hit. Civilization really being adjusted? Brainphone concept erased?
But why are other things still here?
In the absurdity, some shouted questions at the Guider.
“What's the Stars' will?”
“What struggle era? Fighting what?!”
Doubt it'd hear from afar, but it did.
「The Stars' will is...」
Weird.
Somehow, a sad voice. That was the requiem's prelude.
「For chosen humanity to break free from life's shackles.」
In that instant, the sky tore long.
From one horizon to the other. Thick darkness descended on the city simultaneously.
「And be reborn in the Stars' truth.」
The rift.
Black something bubbled up from it. Faint sickly stench wafted.
Danger... dangerous.
Instinct screamed as I shoved through the crowd, yelling desperately.
“Citizens, don't just stand there!”
「Yet present humanity is so frail, only through struggle with otherworldly foes」
But people gazed skyward, entranced.
While instinct-driven pigeons fled like mad.
“We need to evacuate to safe zones now!”
Breath growing ragged.
Why are they frozen like idiots?
Shaking people, screaming in ears—useless.
「Can they prove worthy of the Stars' selection.」
Then, black something dropped from the rift. Writhing like massive slime.
Then incomprehensible disasters chained.
One.
The huge slime split into countless forms in the city sky, slowly scattering over Seoul.
Two.
Against the slime meteor shower backdrop, starlit text loomed huge.
=====
[Holy Apostles Selection]
- The Star Existences have always yearned for promising apostles.
- Only those who prove their flesh's worth shall receive transcendence's baptism.
=====
Holy Apostles?
Flesh's worth? Baptism?
「Humanity! Struggle, prove, evolve!」
With that, citizens snapped awake.
Eyes, mouths, shoulders trembling violently.
Won't take long.
Doubt to anxiety.
Anxiety to fear.
Fear's explosion starts mass panic.
Can't let it happen.
As someone nearly screamed first.
“Ji-yeon, cover your ears.”
I drew my special-duty multi-revolver and fired a flashbang into the air.
──BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.
The metallic screech of the flashbang.
Tremendous effect.
It halted the crowd's crumbling psyche from fear. As echoes faded, street eyes locked on me.
“Everyone, calm down!”
My police mini-megaphone blasted my voice everywhere. Anxious voices erupted from all sides.
“P-Police, you got a plan, right? Blue House or Control Command sent orders?”
“You fucker! Can't you see that black shit?”
“People on that street are all running!”
I raised both hands calmly.
“I know it's a huge ask! I'm just human like you.”
I don't fully get the crisis, but my head sorts it.
Transcendent Guider appears, declares.
Struggle era coming.
Remaking civilization level. Prove worth to Star Existences.
So those slimes must be what humanity fights.
“But in emergencies like this, staying calm and orderly is how we all survive. Think evacuation drills.”
I'm scared too, body shaking.
But I shout to wake myself.
“I'm Sergeant Kim Baek-jun, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.”
As a cop, you have a duty to protect citizens no matter what,
“Now follow my control.”
And an ideal to save the pitiful in disasters.
We came to save you.
That's the path my adoptive parents showed me.
“Do that, and I'll definitely save every one of you from this.”