The Android's Secret
The androids emerged alongside the natural advancement of technology. From what I understand, their origins began with prosthetic bodies created for soldiers who had become completely paralyzed. I still remember the media coverage claiming that even soldiers too injured to fight could return to the battlefield. Androids were a byproduct of that process. Once they moved beyond prosthetic limbs to full-body prosthetics, completing the body itself became relatively simple. The AI also developed rapidly by mimicking the structure of the Oracle, so both the brain and body were perfected and quickly released to the market. At the time, I was rather indifferent about it, but later it became a full-blown social issue. Considering that even AI chatbots could evoke romantic feelings in humans, it was only natural.
“We plan to pass through Yeongdeungpo District and head all the way to Gangseo District. Is that alright?”
“Yeah. Actually, I don’t know the Gangseo area very well. Just do what you normally would. I’ll follow your lead.”
“This unit will quietly obey if that is Master’s wish.”
“If you have any questions, please feel free to ask anytime…”
Alice smiled. She was unmistakably an android. If this had been before my brain was fully healed, I might not have noticed, but now that my recovery was complete, I could tell. When I scanned her with micro-current, her appearance was perfectly human, yet her body was fundamentally different. Her limbs were intricately constructed from metal, plastic, and countless mechanical components. She had been called a doll race, but this was far beyond the level of a mere doll. Her body structure was identical to the androids that had fought beside me on the battlefield. Perhaps androids were also referred to as dolls. But there was one reaction from Alice that made it impossible to simply brush it off—her expression the very first moment she saw me. It was the kind of reaction someone who recognized me would have. Shock, surprise, scrutinizing my face to confirm her suspicions. What came after that, she had hidden well.
I walked while remaining conscious of the shotgun hidden in my coat. I couldn’t kill her suddenly. At the very least, I needed to uncover the truth. Especially since androids reacted differently from humans, extracting the truth wouldn’t be easy…
“Mister.”
“…Ah, yes.”
“Why do you look like that? Are you nervous?”
The girl grinned as she spoke. Only after seeing her bloodstained face did I realize how absurd my earlier thoughts had been. Kill her? What was I thinking about killing for? At times like this, I resented my brain modification. The violent impulses that surged without warning, the soldier’s brain that always sought the simplest path—they still held me back. Calm down. Stay composed. Still, I needed to find out how she knew me.
“A little. This is only my second time adventuring.”
“Oh, really? That’s surprising. Just by your appearance, you look more like a veteran than Mister Remy.”
Do I? My face might look like I’m in my twenties, but perhaps the aura I give off can’t be helped. I gazed at the fox beastkin called Mister Remy. A man with slitted eyes carrying a bow on his back. He gave off a rather ascetic impression.
“He used to be a soldier. Mister Remy, I mean.”
Listening to Kiyara, I felt a strong sense of kinship. A calculated attitude, ascetic demeanor, composure. They were all qualities commonly demanded of soldiers. Ones I had once possessed myself.
“I was one too.”
“That’s right! That’s what I heard from Jenia!”
“…I was just a regular soldier. You seem to have been in the command structure.”
“Ah, I was a soldier too. A special kind, though… Was that friend also a soldier?”
As I spoke with Remy, I pointed at the deaf boy who had introduced himself as Pon. Remy shook his head.
“I should let him tell you the details himself, but no, he wasn’t a soldier.”
“Really? He carries himself pretty well.”
“Alice gave him the opportunity to learn. I heard he trained under a retired imperial knight. From the House of Storm Forging.”
An imperial knight, huh. That was interesting. The boy looked about the same age I had been when I first stepped onto the battlefield, yet he carried an atmosphere that didn’t match his age. Seeing how calmly he followed behind Alice, it seemed he regarded her as his mentor. Considering the scar on his neck and the fact that he was deaf, there must have been some incident between them. It was a good thing I hadn’t let my violent urges take over earlier. It would have caused a huge problem. But simply standing by also felt wrong. As I pondered this while walking along the main road, the number of people began to dwindle. By the time not a single person was in sight, I realized we had properly entered another district. Past Dongjak District and into Yeongdeungpo District. We were crossing the path through Yeouido Park.
Alice approached me.
“First of all, have you ever been to the Queen’s Green Grove before? Or do you at least know about it…?”
“No, I haven’t. Could you explain it to me?”
Alice smiled with her eyes and began to speak.
“The Queen’s Green Grove was once called the Witch’s Nest. Various monsters appear there… but they aren’t native species of the Labyrinth. They’re monsters commonly found in Karnevarin.”
“Oh?”
“Because of that, mercenaries who worked outside used to prefer this place… but that changed recently.”
“Why?”
“The owner changed.”
The owner changed? I blinked, unable to understand. When I didn’t respond, Alice glanced back at me for a moment.
“Ah, it seems you don’t know much about the Labyrinth. I’m sorry.”
She smiled awkwardly and continued.
“Each sector of the Labyrinth… has a ruler. Their location is usually unknown, and even if known, they are powerful beings not easily challenged. Are you aware that the Labyrinth possesses homeostasis?”
“That much I know.”
“According to that homeostasis, when the Labyrinth regenerates a sector, it uses the most powerful being within that area as its standard. The memories and anecdotes that formed that being… those things change the Labyrinth.”
This was new information to me. My eyes widened in surprise, and Alice added,
“There are even theories that this very Labyrinth is the same. That an incredibly powerful entity at the heart of the Labyrinth is shaping it into the form of this unfamiliar city.”
“How do you know something like that?”
“Because I am of the doll race. I am older than I appear.”
That made sense. She was an android, after all. Even as I met her gaze that seemed to be testing me, I maintained as indifferent an expression as possible.
“So what kind of being is this Queen that made even the mercenaries change their preference?”
“Ah, right. That’s what we were talking about. So… the Queen is called an Alraune.”
An Alraune. From what I recalled hearing once, it was some kind of female plant monster. At least according to my memory… but considering the death of the God of Language, it probably had a different name in reality.
“The Alraune has completely covered the area that was once the Witch’s Nest. Currently, Gangseo District is called the Queen’s Green Grove because of the vast amounts of grass, trees, and endlessly growing plants.”
“So that’s what’s blocking the terrain.”
“Ah, yes! Exactly. That’s why it’s become a place preferred more by exploration-focused parties than by former mercenaries.”
It was a fascinating story. The environment changed when the ruler of a sector changed. Then what would happen if an adventurer claimed that sector? I was curious, but now wasn’t the time to ask.
“Alice, we’re almost there. Let’s prepare.”
“Ah, yes.”
When Remy called out and Alice moved forward, Vertea, who had approached at some point, walked beside me.
“Master.”
“Yes.”
“Shall this unit burn them?”
“…No, it’s not to that extent. It might just be my imagination.”
“…In this unit’s assessment, they believe Master’s murderous intent is triggering combat impulses due to the ogre hybrid.”
So they had already noticed. Well, that made sense. Adventurers were people whose profession involved crossing lines of death. It was only natural they would pick up on it.
“If it drags on, it may raise suspicion. Please restrain yourself.”
When I nodded, we continued walking after the party. As we walked, I gleaned a lot from listening to their conversations. That Kiyara’s race was demonkind. That Remy was a married man. I listened quietly, responding when appropriate and occasionally asking questions. Before long, we had reached Gangseo District. And indeed, Gangseo District lived up to the name of the Queen’s Green Grove. Trees lined both sides of the road. Vines burst through the asphalt and blocked the middle of the street. Mushrooms had grown so large they could topple buildings and claimed entire spaces. Everywhere I looked was dyed green, yet some modern structures still stood intact. Buildings that weren’t too tall. Skyscrapers that had been pierced by massive plants but still retained their original shapes. Each one felt unfamiliar yet filled me with anticipation. All the places I had visited until now had preserved Seoul’s appearance. This was completely unknown territory.
In front of the main road blocked by vines, I gripped my scabbard tightly, carrying that excitement within me.
“It’s getting dark. We should find a place to camp.”
Alice brushed her hair back as she spoke. I looked up at the sky. It wasn’t dark enough to call it night yet, but the sun had tilted significantly. Was this place more dangerous at night too?
“Hotels… well, sleeping in Yeongdeungpo District would be dangerous, so how about heading to the apartment complex up ahead? Would that be alright?”
She was asking me. “I’m fine with it. You have more experience than I do, so you don’t need to worry too much about my opinion.”
“We’re a party, after all. I thought it best to hear everyone’s thoughts. Then, let’s do that…”
It was right in the middle of her sentence. Through my micro-current, I sensed a group of small entities approaching from a distance. Clear hostility. Their movements were stealthy yet cunning. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Alice stiffened at the hand that touched her shoulder.
“Alice.”
“Are they enemies?”
“About twenty of them. Their footsteps are light. Goblins, I’d say.”
Goblins! A fantasy name suddenly rang in my ears. Without realizing it, strength flowed into the hand gripping my scabbard. Unlike the Labyrinth hounds that had been somewhat welcome at first but would only become annoying upon repeated encounters, these were different monsters. And they were proper fantasy monsters. Although I didn’t particularly enjoy fighting, perhaps because I had suppressed it earlier, a desire for violence boiled within me.
“What should we do?”
“Hmm… I’d prefer to avoid fighting if possible, but if we run away and stay in Yeongdeungpo District, that would be bad. Let’s fight.”
“Understood. Ha Jinwoo, move to the front. It’s that direction.”
“Alright. Let’s see how good Uncle is.”
I silently drew my longsword from its scabbard, slung the sheath across my back, and gripped the blade with both hands. The new handle, replacing the one that had broken during the fight with the Holy Knight, fit my hand perfectly. I had no armor, but I possessed micro-current that had grown even stronger after receiving the blessing. I took a breath, conscious of the deaf boy named Pon standing beside me and the girl behind me. The micro-current I extended recognized the group approaching beyond the vines. Behind me, Remy adjusted his bow, Vertea summoned an even stronger flame in her hand, and Alice cleared her throat.
“They’re coming.”
The moment Remy released his bowstring, a group of small figures burst out from beyond the vines. At the same time—
An arrow sprouted from the goblin’s head. It was shot down mid-leap and slammed into the ground.
The swarming goblins looked exactly as one would expect from the name. White eyes with no visible pupils. Pot-bellied, hunchbacked bodies that made their already small frames look even smaller. Yet they carried primitive weapons in their hands and wore rags over their bodies. It was stereotypical. Which made it all the more strange. Monsters strolling through the plant-overgrown streets of Seoul. The irony almost made me laugh. Before I knew it, they were right in front of me.
I looked at the goblin charging straight at me. Holding back the corners of my mouth that wanted to rise, I read its leaping trajectory, the movement of its muscles, even the electrical signals fired from its nerve clusters, and moved first. A front kick. A single strike to test the physical abilities strengthened by the blessing.
The goblin’s head caved in with a thunderous roar and flew backward.
Yet the goblins approached without fear. I stepped on the fallen goblin and advanced. Using my planted foot as a pivot, I twisted my body and swung my sword at the approaching goblin. Power that began at the ankle changed direction at the waist and was unleashed. The white blade shattered the goblin’s clumsy attempt to block. Clang. Slice! The sound of breaking metal shards and the sound of flesh being cut. Blood flowed along the blade, forming a new edge. A longer, sharper blade of blood. It was not the power of the Blood Clan, but a power inherent to the sword itself. I withdrew the elongated blade so it wouldn’t hinder my allies, then immediately struck down the wide-eyed, panicked goblin and bisected it.
At the same time, a harmony rang out.
"―♪♩♪"
⟨ Song of Calm ⟩
A calm melody that settled my boiling heart. Immediately after, it shifted into a dissonance that shook the mind. The moment my mind calmed, I saw a goblin that had approached me clutch its head and stagger. Was this magic? Thanks to it, I could calmly survey my surroundings. I calmly grabbed the neck of a goblin that had closed in, snapped it, and threw it aside. Right beside me, the boy skillfully blocked an attack and counterattacked. He deflected the attack with his shield and pierced the neck in the same motion. He had already sealed the attack path with his shield, then deflected it with his sword and slashed the neck. His strength seemed quite good too—when two goblins charged at him simultaneously, he used his shield to violently knock one away, then kicked the other down. Before the fallen goblin could get up, the sound of a whistling arrow pierced its head. The goblin that had been knocked down by the shield never rose again.
“Goblin mystic! I’ll handle it!”
Kiyara quickly stepped forward, crushed a goblin’s windpipe under her foot, and reached out her hand. The moment her lips moved, a purple fireball bloomed above her palm. The fireball flew toward a distant goblin as if it had a will of its own.
Purple flames struck the goblin mystic.
It didn’t have tremendous power, but it was effective. The goblin holding a staff and chanting something collapsed. Naturally, the fireball it had been creating in front of it vanished. Now it was our turn.
A sudden hot wind blew past. I saw a sphere of fire pass by my side. It was Vertea. A massive flame created by my servant’s hand crossed the space between me and Pon and flew toward the goblins.
Calamity Flame
After the sound of air being sucked in, all that remained was a flash.
The gathered goblins and the one casting magic were reduced to ashes.
She had gotten stronger. Definitely.
“…Whoa, that power is insane?”
Kiyara whistled in admiration. Vertea gave a slightly smug, expressionless bow by slightly lifting her skirt.
“Uncle fights really well too. You seem better than Pon. You’ll really reach mid-class in no time.”
While the party bickered through sign language and chatter, I rested my blood-formed blade on my shoulder and glanced at Alice. She was looking at me with a puzzled expression. As if what she had just witnessed was completely unexpected.