Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Camping
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A world that had developed fusion energy long ago and enjoyed a far more prosperous life than Earth.
That world had been destroyed by a plague and monsters that suddenly appeared.
And right before its destruction, the last 'Assault Bot' guarding the city, CM-29.
It held out until the very end but shut down due to overload from nonstop combat.
That was the story of the robot lying lonely between the barricades.
Its functions were intact, but it needed a reboot command from an authorized user to awaken again.
In the original story, a skill for manipulating machines could revive it.
Isia was one of the few in this world who possessed that skill.
"Let's use that robot!"
She scribbled on the tablet.
[It's broken, though... We should form up ranks even now.]
Isia's point was valid.
If they delayed any longer, they might not even form ranks and end up in a chaotic melee.
But there was no need to worry.
Once that thing activated, they could just stand by.
"Hurry!"
The more they delayed, the closer the zombies got.
Isia touched the robot with a worried expression.
Suddenly, a red light appeared in the robot's front camera.
"Wh-what?"
It emitted a 'whirring' sound and stood up from its spot.
"■■■ ■ ■■ ■■. ■■, ■■■."
An unknown alien language.
But since it wasn't attacking them, it seemed to have worked.
'I have no idea what it's saying.'
["Assault Bot activation complete. Awaiting orders." That's what it said.]
'Huh? How do you know this language, Lady Laura?'
[Actually, these guys invaded our world once.]
A question mark popped up in his head.
It felt like he'd just heard some massive lore bombshell.
For now, he decided to focus on the fight.
He said to Isia.
"Sia-sunbae. Let's sweep them away with that thing!"
"Meow!"
She replied in an unusually energetic tone.
At the same time, CM-29's spider legs began to move.
Whirr.
Its machine gun barrel spun.
Rat-tat-tat-tat.
A hail of bullets engulfed the zombies.
As the 'Assault Bot' twisted its upper body and unleashed the machine gun, the zombies fell like leaves in an autumn wind.
It wasn't just falling from bullets—they were being pulverized.
Their bodies tore apart into fragments that scattered everywhere.
They all just stood there, dumbfounded, watching.
"Amazing."
"It won't attack us too, right?"
Lee Sang-hyeon's worried remark.
He reassured him.
"Don't worry. Sia-sunbae activated it with her ability."
"Huh? A skill...? It can do this much?"
He could understand the surprise.
'God of Mechanisms' could control machines, but Isia, whose skill level was still low, could barely handle something like a car.
That 'Assault Bot' was clearly top-tier just by looking at it.
Normally, it should be impossible for her to control.
But what if there was no need to control it?
The last order given to CM-29 was 'Actively protect citizens.'
All Isia did was turn it on and register them as citizens.
The built-in AI handled the control.
Of course, this was only possible because of her skill.
Soon, the Assault Bot's machine gun fell silent.
The battle was over.
They were the only ones left standing on this street.
"■■■■ ■, ■. ■■■■."
They searched the zombies' bodies and collected the 'Orbs of Growth.'
Nothing else useful turned up.
"Ugh. Stats. More stats~"
Lee Sang-hyeon ate the orbs with an ecstatic expression.
"Meow."
"Noda's judgment was spot on. Good call coming in here!"
At Park Ha-yeon's praise, he credited Isia.
"It's thanks to Sia-sunbae that things went so smoothly."
"Meow? Meow meow. Meow."
"Um... sorry, but I have no idea what you're saying."
Isia pulled out the tablet from her bag and wrote.
[No way. I panicked and didn't even think of the robot. I thought it was totally broken. It succeeded thanks to your quick thinking!]
"Hahaha. It was only possible because of your skill, Sia-sunbae."
He and Isia kept passing the credit back and forth like that.
"You two are totally gonna start dating. Yeah? Right?"
Lee Sang-hyeon teased them in a playful tone.
Park Ha-yeon pouted.
She cut in with a cold tone to get their attention.
"Noda. What now?"
The sun had already dipped low, turning early evening.
Darkness would only disadvantage them.
No need to move at night—they should wait until tomorrow.
"For now, let's move the barricades to fortify properly and camp here overnight."
He'd considered going inside a building.
But he didn't know how many zombies might be lurking where.
He'd be fine, but the others could get hurt in a surprise attack.
Better to stay outdoors where they had CM-29's support and barricades.
They pitched tents and prepared for camping.
Isia volunteered to stand watch with the robot.
She was the only one who could communicate with it.
Sizzle.
He placed meat on the barbecue grill.
Laura did nothing until the meat was done, then snatched some.
"Mmm~ This is the taste."
'Oh no...'
He couldn't say anything and just watched.
Lee Sang-hyeon watched Laura fondly and asked.
"My cousin must have a summoning skill or something, huh?"
Laura nodded while tearing into the meat.
"Judging by the tail, some kind of lizard monster? Lizardman maybe?"
"Wh-what?!"
Laura's face turned beet red.
She huffed and rammed her horn into Lee Sang-hyeon's stomach.
"Ugh."
"You naked ape! I'm no mere lizard!"
He picked up the rampaging Laura and set her down in front of the meat.
"Whoa, calm down and eat some meat."
He explained for her.
"Laura has a skill that transforms her into a dragonewt, a sub-species of dragon."
"Ugh. Y-yeah. Sorry..."
"Sorry about that. She's got bad manners..."
Laura glared at him with axe eyes.
Lee Sang-hyeon shrank even more at the sight.
"Whew."
He sighed and picked at his food.
He craved a cigarette.
Lee Sang-hyeon had brought some booze, which would hit the spot, but drinking in a dungeon felt off.
He wasn't some Russian hunter.
Isia savored her meat, tail straight up.
She must have left external watch to the robot for a bit.
He advised her.
"Sia-sunbae. It might be tough, but you should keep controlling that robot. Perfect for raising your skill proficiency, right?"
CM-29 was programmed to obey citizens, making it easy to handle.
Strictly speaking, the robot's AI did the controlling.
But the system counted it as control under orders, granting proficiency.
'Assault Bot' was high-rank, so it gave a lot of proficiency.
Back in the game days, he'd camped here a week straight to grind the skill.
Now that it was real, he couldn't go that far.
"Meow? Meow."
Isia suddenly stared into space.
She soon smiled.
Looked like she was checking her status window.
[It's true! Proficiency shot up insanely! How did you know about this?]
"Just a hunch. It looks like an amazing robot."
[Thanks. You've helped me out a bunch today. I'll control this thing all night.]
Her decision was right.
Even if she skimped on sleep, chances like this were rare.
Park Ha-yeon suddenly snatched the tongs from him.
"Give me those. I'll grill."
"Uh, uh. Yeah. Thanks."
As Park Ha-yeon grilled, she asked.
"You seem totally used to this. Like you've been in and out of dungeons forever. Even though we're the same age."
He'd been hunting villains longer than dungeons, sure.
Over a year already.
"What? I was panicking plenty, just didn't show it."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Park Ha-yeon said nothing more until the meal ended.
They laid out sleeping bags and lay down.
The night sky gazing up from lying down was clear.
It was a fusion energy world, so maybe less atmospheric pollution.
Isia was still out by the barricades, playing with the robot and picking off occasional zombies, while Lee Sang-hyeon snored away already.
Park Ha-yeon suddenly spoke.
"Noda. You seem just like a novel protagonist. You show up right when I'm in trouble like you've been waiting... You're D-rank but climb to B-rank in no time... Our combat experience should be similar, yet you handle it like a veteran."
"I'm pretty great, huh."
He replied in an exaggerated tone on purpose.
"By any chance... are you hiding something from me?"
"......No."
For a brief moment, he considered revealing he was the 'Dark Knight.'
But the answer was no.
Her personality wouldn't accept it.
He changed the subject.
"Look at those stars. Sky's so clear, you can see them great."
"Yeah. Totally. Not a single constellation matches Earth's..."
They chatted about this and that until they fell asleep.
And so the day ended.
Tomorrow, they'll clear the dungeon.