[Raccoon Man Beginning]
[Raccoon Man Beginning]
The Dimensional Rift in Myeong-dong had been wrapped up. Since there were fewer Dimensional Rifts opened compared to other countries, and it was a relatively small country, the number of Enemy Species appearing was also low.
There was still a Dimensional Rift left in Yongsan-dong, but the Master-class Force User Lee Gyeong-jin was there. At least that place was more reassuring than here.
Baek-ri, who had been trying to return after saving Myeong-dong where his shop was located, was caught by the reporters filming and was being interviewed... no, he was being assaulted by questions.
"Raccoon Man! What is that hero suit? Do you have the facilities to make such a suit besides the mask?"
"Are you the same Raccoon Man who was active with a tuna during the department store fire incident and in Busan? Or are you a different person?"
"It appears that the suit is equipped with weapons that work even on Enemy Species; do you have any intention of making that technology public?"
"What is your relationship with the Raccoon Man who appeared in the US?"
"Uh, uh..."
"Raccoon Man! Raccoon Man!!"
In terms of raw power, Baek-ri was superior by any measure, but the momentum of the reporters swarming for a scoop was terrifying. It was at a level where if he tried to fly away, they would probably grab onto him and get dragged along.
[Can't you just run away?]
"I'd love to do that...!"
When you're actually the one in that situation, it's awkward to just run away. If it were Sion or Choi Ak, who are used to these situations, they would just ignore them and leave, but because Baek-ri has an ordinary citizen's mindset, he's too nice of a person to ignore them.
"Uh, uh... please ask one by one. I'll answer a few."
"Raccoon Man! Unlike usual, you came wearing a full-body suit instead of just a mask. Is the Raccoon Man whose location was confirmed in the US the Raccoon Man who has been active until now, and are you a different Raccoon Man?"
"Ah, yes. That's right, I'm No. 2."
"Please tell us the functions of the suit! It appeared that despite being small, it used weapons effective against Enemy Species as well as flight; is that true?"
"Ah, that's also true."
[Actually, other than the flight function and the Void System, there aren't many features. To add more functions, the size of the suit would have to be bigger as well.]
If you really wanted to make a superhero suit, the most important thing is the power source. A small power source that can be carried by a human while producing enough output to enable flight and weapon usage cannot be created with current Earth technology.
Sion also finds that part quite annoying. Since it's tough to make with pure scientific technology, she created a Soul Driver, a semi-permanent infinite power source using Spirit Particles, and equipped it to the suit.
The belt Baek-ri wore before transforming is that power source.
However, even if the power source is secured, there are very few weapons that can be mounted on a human-sized frame. If one were to install a Subspace Equipment, the story would change, but... then it wouldn't look cool.
"Then does that mean you created a weapon effective against Enemy Species that normal firearms don't work on?"
"......That's also true."
"What about your intention to make that technology public? Don't you think you should make that technology public to reduce victims, if only for the sake of people sacrificed because of Enemy Species like in this incident?"
"Uh......."
Baek-ri was at a loss for words. Certainly, if Void Blaster or blade technology were commercialized, it would be effective for exterminating Enemy Species. Without needing to go far, it might even be possible for the military alone to catch Enemy Species.
Rather than anger at the reporter who asked a somewhat rude question, he thought about the victims caused by Enemy Species. But it was Sion who brought Baek-ri back to his senses.
[This is why people are idiots. Even if this country has developed rapidly and improved economically, don't they know that mental maturity is lacking? Spreading technology might be easy, but if you think about the aftermath, it's no joke. For starters, if I just spread a few semiconductor technologies, half of the computer companies would go bankrupt; what are you going to do about the unemployment problem?]
"........"
[There's no need to deal with a reporter like that. If you ask them if they can take responsibility for the unemployment problem by spreading the technology, what are they going to do about it?]
Sion affirms the development of human civilization. Even if they create nuclear bombs and perish in a nuclear war, she affirms human development.
Humans learn and grow through development.
Just a few hundred years ago, people debated whether the Earth revolved around the Sun or the Sun around the Earth, but now everyone knows that planets revolve around the Sun.
Knowledge is only meaningful when you realize it yourself. Knowledge obtained by being told without a price has no weight.
Thanks to that, Sion, who had once been disappointed by humans, knew it painfully well.
"Mr. Raccoon Man! Do you have any intention of making the technology public!"
"If you can take responsibility for the unemployed people from companies that go bankrupt because of that."
"......."
People are selfish. They say they are for the public good, but they actually avoid responsibility. If you push that, it's easy to make them shut up.
Just as the reporters were starting to see Baek-ri as an easy target and swarming more because of his compliant behavior, Force Users approached and mediated. Since it was a Dimensional Rift site including Enemy Species corpses nearby, they drove the reporters away under the pretext of civilian safety.
"Raccoon Man! Over here!"
"Uh... who are you?"
Baek-ri's position was ambiguous. Since he was wearing the suit, it wasn't revealed that he was a Force User, but even though he was Raccoon Man, news had already come that No. 1, Choi Ak, was active in the US. Therefore, it was clear that the Raccoon Man here was a different person from him.
The Raccoon Man Task Force also found it ambiguous to catch Baek-ri. Raccoon Man was, after all, an unregistered Force User, so the reason to catch him was half-hearted; catching a superhero wearing a suit wasn't their job.
And the Force Users and soldiers at the scene weren't thinking of catching him either. Since he had helped in a situation that could have turned into a catastrophe, they intended to pretend not to see him, at least for this scene.
"My name is Team Leader Jo In-hyung... looking at you, you seem to be the student Baek-ri, right?"
"Huh? Huh?!"
"It's okay. I know you're acquainted with Mr. Choi Ak."
Team Leader Jo deliberately stepped forward to act as the mediator. Having already investigated Choi Ak's surroundings and with his Trait manifested in that line, he recognized Baek-ri at a glance.
It was because he had seen him on TV during the department store fire incident and had seen him working at the chicken shop a few times.
"Thank you for your help. Since Mr. Choi Ak wasn't here, we were thinking of how to manage on our own, and you were a big help."
"No, I didn't help without a reason either."
Half of it was fighting to protect the chicken shop where he worked and the shops of nearby acquaintances. The other half was thanks to his conscience.
Baek-ri waved his hand while receiving his thanks. It was mostly thanks to the suit Sion gave him. If he didn't have this, there was a high possibility that Baek-ri would have struggled and died against even one medium-sized Enemy Species, let alone a super-large one.
"But that suit..."
"My sister-in-law gave it to me."
"......I see."
A chilling feeling passed through Team Leader Jo's mind. After visiting Choi Ak's house for the first time, he had suspected something after seeing the Raccoon Man investigation data that had been deleted without a trace.
And even though they kept it quiet, he was half-in-doubt after seeing the latest Dimensional Rift Detector and the name Raccoon Girl contained in an email that arrived out of the blue.
Finally, he was convinced only now. That Raccoon Girl is Sion, and the technology she possesses transcends imagination.
"It will become the center of controversy. The reason Enemy Species have been an object of fear until now is because the basic military power and weapons that current society has built up didn't work. But if weapons effective against Enemy Species appear..."
"The structure of society might change. I know that much too."
Baek-ri also knows well how amazing what Sion gave him is. Even he, a rookie Force User, defeated a super-large Enemy Species that only a Master-class Force User could barely kill on their own. Furthermore, the mounted weapons also transcended common sense. A spatial quake? Doesn't that mean dealing with the concept of space?
It's not for nothing that governments in movies try to steal superhero suits. It's because it's a crystallization of that much technology.
"Are you going to go back just like that? Or..."
"I'm planning to go for now. Since what I did here will also become a problem, it's better to cause as little trouble as possible."
"The Dimensional Rift in Yongsan-dong hasn't closed yet."
".......Still?"
Baek-ri expressed doubt. Although he received the benefit of the suit, he also handled one Dimensional Rift. The Dimensional Rift in Yongsan-dong has the Master-class Force User Lee Gyeong-jin there.
A person who is so skilled that they are called Thousand Swords by using their manipulation Trait in one-on-many battles is still fighting?
"I have a bad feeling. If it were the same as other Dimensional Rifts, Elisa Near wouldn't have foreseen it. Just in case, could you take a look at the Yongsan-dong side? If it ends normally, you can just ignore it and go back."
"Hmm... okay."
The advantage of a kind person is that they cannot easily refuse others' requests. The disadvantage is also the same, that they cannot easily refuse others' requests.
People like Baek-ri are the type to grant a request if it's reasonable, even if they suffer a loss themselves.
"I'll go for now, but I don't think anything will happen..."
[Ah, that's a flag. We're screwed. It's a blatant flag like "Did I get him?!", so we're screwed. Why on earth are you saying that line at this timing?]
"Huh?!"
Kuaaaaang!!!
The vibration of the explosion heard from far away reaches the place where they are standing under their feet.
The sight of the red inferno rising looked just like hell had erupted.
[Pattern Blue! It's an Apostle!]
"What?! Really?! Ah, shit, we're screwed! I think I need a giant robot more than a suit!"
[Just kidding. I just wanted to try saying that line once.]
"Is this the time for jokes?!"
Baek-ri hurriedly took flight and flew quickly toward the place where the inferno had erupted.
The Dimensional Rift that occurred in Yongsan-dong proceeded relatively safely. The place where the Dimensional Rift occurred was a flat land with few houses, and thanks to that, they could drag out time with concentrated fire without worrying about civilian or property damage. Furthermore, because Master-class Force User Lee Gyeong-jin was there, even though one super-large Enemy Species appeared, they could drag out time, end the Force Fusion Phenomenon, and defeat it together with a joint attack without major sacrifices.
"Good work, Mr. Lee Gyeong-jin! It's entering a lull, so please rest a little now! We'll handle the rest."
"No, not yet. Something is still left."
"Huh? But we've handled the super-large Enemy Species, and there are no signs of a bigger one appearing."
Even though the battle was reaching its end, Lee Gyeong-jin did not put away his sword. Rather, he was adding spirit to the sword he was holding and preparing.
He had honed his intuition since the days when he rolled around on the battlefield holding just a sword. It wasn't as good as Choi Ak's intuition, which would be enough to get a 1st grade on the CSAT even if he guessed on the subjective questions, but his sixth sense was still ringing alarm bells.
When the remaining Enemy Species were a couple of small ones. The guy slowly revealed its appearance.
Kiiing!
"Huh? One more small one came over?"
"We can catch one at our level even without the Force Fusion Phenomenon. Let's just finish it up."
Seeing a team of Force Users approaching the guy with a light heart, Lee Gyeong-jin hurriedly tried to block them by throwing a sword, but he was one step too late.
"No! Stop!!"
"Huh? What's the big deal with just one small one..."
The guy had an appearance similar to a human. It had arms and legs and a head. Because it looked like a human wearing strange armor, it looked like a somewhat unusual small Enemy Species.
However, the guy only had one eye on its head. One dull green pupil rolled around in its helmet-like head and glared at the approaching Force User team.
Jiiiing!!!
A beam emitted from the guy's eye struck them. Lee Gyeong-jin's sword grazed the guy's shoulder by a hair's breadth, but it was too late.
With a single attack, everything in the straight line of the beam was annihilated. Including the Force User team, several tanks behind them, and over a dozen soldiers, even the operation headquarters were all wiped out.
The range appears to be at least several hundred meters to 1 kilometer. The monster, which could scorch a street, rolled its green eye again and looked around.
Following that, an explosion occurred as if some gas pipe had burst. Flames spread in all directions, and a hellscape unfolded.
"You bastard!!!"
Lee Gyeong-jin rushed forward, holding his sword in anger. Beams, less powerful than before but still lethal enough, were fired in succession. He overlapped about three swords imbued with his Force and pushed them forward, advancing while blocking like a shield.
Even though the power of the guy's beam had weakened, it contained terrifying destructive power. Before he could advance far, the swords he used as shields were caught in the beam and crumbled into dust.
"Ugh!!"
Taking advantage of his hesitation, the humanoid Enemy Species widened the distance. As if ignoring gravity, it floated into the air and flew quickly up into the sky. And from there, it unleashed indiscriminate bombardment toward the ground.
Jiiiing!!
"You bastard! Do you think I can't fly! Not a chance!"
Lee Gyeong-jin stepped on one sword and flew into the sky. It was Sword Flight that could only be seen in martial arts novels. And he quickly closed the distance with the guy and swung his sword.
[Kik!!]
As if mocking him, the humanoid Enemy Species quickly dodged and widened the distance again. The guy was superior in both flight speed and technique. In the first place, Lee Gyeong-jin's specialty is close-quarters combat, not this kind of aerial battle.
Even if he throws his sword, that's only effective against small or medium-sized Enemy Species weaker than him, and at best, it's only a distraction against that guy. That's only if he's in close-quarters combat, and if it keeps its distance and toys with him like this, it's difficult for Lee Gyeong-jin to catch it alone without air force troops.
"No wonder I had a bad feeling......!"
The destructive power of the beam the guy fires from its eye annihilates everything in a straight line as if denying the existence of this world. Just one shot takes away the lives of over a dozen people.
Lee Gyeong-jin decided to drag out time to minimize the damage as much as possible. If there was one piece of good news, it was that the guy had come up to the sky where he didn't have to worry about anything.
The reason they can't bomb Enemy Species is that they appear in densely populated areas, causing civilian and property damage.
Even in the current era, Enemy Species that happen to appear in places like rural rice paddies are sometimes bombed depending on their size. Honestly, that's more convenient.
The sky is a field where the guy can move freely, but conversely, if he just blocks attacks falling to the ground, it's a space where concentrated fire is possible with air force bombing.
"This is Mir! Requesting air force support! As fast as possible!"
[Report received! They have been dispatched, so please hold on for a moment!]
"No time! Attack as soon as you arrive!"
Lee Gyeong-jin's nickname is Thousand Swords, but in reality, the number of swords he carries is around 50, not a thousand. If it's just moving them simply, a thousand is possible, but when entering battle, that's the number of swords he can manipulate while maintaining combat power.
He used the swords imbued with Force to block the guy's beam. At most, they break after blocking once or twice, so he can't use them anymore, but he had to drag out time as much as possible right now.
Not long after, the sound of breaking the sound barrier was heard from afar, and 5 fighter jets flew in.
[Chiiik, Mir. This is......]
"Forget the small talk, just shoot!!!"
He only had two swords left, including the one he was holding. Being a Master-class Force User, he had blown away most of the swords made of special alloys with high Gaia Force conductivity. It was all to prevent the guy's beam from causing damage.
Kiiing!!!
Seeing the fighter jets flying from afar, the guy's eye shone. The pupil of the dull green eye contracted, and Raf Energy visible to the eye condensed.
The standard for the power of the guy's beam that Lee Gyeong-jin thought of was when it first appeared.
But what if that wasn't its full power?
What if it's a monster-like level where the range also approaches several kilometers?
"Damn it.....!!!"
He raised his sword. At most 2 seconds until the beam is fired. It was too late to do anything.
But Lee Gyeong-jin thought of one way to minimize the damage. And he gripped his sword.
'Gray means competitive spirit. The Trait you have is 'Amplification'. Keep that in mind.'
After the bout with Raccoon Man, there was something he had taught him. The Gray Resonance Sword he used as a finishing move. He draws that out.
If it were before meeting him, he wouldn't have thought of drawing it out in an instant like this. The words he taught him became a hint. That gray means competitive spirit.
Even at this moment, he draws up the desire to beat that guy. He raised his mind while thinking only of that thought.
Uung!
A gray light rippled over his sword and covered it. If he had a little more time, he could have cast it perfectly enough to completely counter the guy's attack, but time was tight.
He swings such an incomplete and lacking Gray Resonance Sword!!
Kwagaaaaa!!!!
A screaming sound is heard as if space is being torn. The beam emitted by the humanoid Enemy Species collided with the Gray Resonance Sword, split in half, and was fired in both directions like a fan shape.
Thanks to that, the fighter jets were not annihilated in one blow, but they were caught in the aftermath of the beam and could not carry out their original purpose.
The aircraft that grazed the beam crashed to the ground, but the pilot escaped, and the other fighter jets had electronic errors and attempted emergency landings. It seems it will be impossible to rely on air force troops anymore.
"Damn it.....!"
To face the guy alone without other support, the odds are fifty-fifty. Of all things, it's a long-range combat type...
If it were a close-quarters combat type, the story would have been different. No matter how strong it was, if he was given time to unfold the Gray Resonance Sword, he was confident he would definitely kill it.
But the guy who always keeps its distance and fires beams had bad compatibility with him.
For Lee Gyeong-jin, the means of long-range attack is just throwing swords, but now he only has one left, excluding the one he's holding. To deal a fatal wound, he has to use the Gray Resonance Sword, but there's no way he can use a technique that he can barely use by holding it with both hands and concentrating while doing long-range manipulation.
Just as he was thinking that he had to risk his life to approach and somehow compete...
"Riderrrr! Void Blaster Kiiiiiik!!!"
A weirdo wearing a raccoon mask appeared, kicking the guy's back with speed and posture that ignored gravity.