Drifting Through Mogdog Hell
After Doctor Space discovered gate technology and the space age began, not everything went smoothly right away.
On the contrary, problems arose after traveling vast distances through gates and discovering new planets.
Everyone racked their brains over the question: How do we mine resources there?
That's when the element known as steam came into play. Batteries made with steam had storage capacity and safety ratings several times better than the best all-solid-state batteries of the time.
From then on, humanity could embark on rapid space development using steam batteries.
And the one who developed the method to turn steam into batteries was none other than Doctor Space. For this achievement, he won his 11th Nobel Prize, in Chemistry.
For those reasons, most modern space travel vehicles—especially ground-based ones—relied on steam batteries. Military trucks were no exception.
Moreover, military truck wheels were powered by motors, allowing them to switch effortlessly between front-wheel, rear-wheel, or all-wheel drive.
"Drift, you say?"
"Can you do it?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes. Of course I can."
In summary, drifting was no problem at all.
Of course, pulling off a drift required more driving skill than one might think.
"No difficulty whatsoever."
But for Private Park Bo-seop, who was practically a pro racer already—not just a hobbyist—it was child's play.
Even so, Private Park Bo-seop had his doubts.
He couldn't help it.
"But I don't get why we need to drift."
On space planets, the skills a driver needed weren't drifting—they were dodging obstacles at maximum speed.
That's all they trained for at boot camp.
Try drifting there, and the instructor would come running: "Recruit, you think this is a game? Get your head straight!"
Kim Seo-jun had an answer for that.
"Now we have to clear out the Mogdogs that occupied the destroyed headquarters. Normally, we'd just floor it—they'd chase us like dogs."
About then, Kim Seo-jun pointed up at the sky with his finger.
"But right now, there's a Cyclops up there."
"Sir?"
Kim Seo-jun explained to the startled Private Park Bo-seop, who looked up at the sky.
"With a Cyclops issuing commands, the Mogdogs won't chase us no matter what. To take them out in that situation, we'll have to circle the base over and over. That's why I asked if you can drift."
Private Park Bo-seop understood immediately.
And the moment he did, he screamed inwardly.
'This is insane.'
Private Park Bo-seop's mind, gripping the wheel, was still filled with thoughts that even a steam-packed lunatic wouldn't attempt this madness.
'It's like tap-dancing in front of a rabid dog. What's the difference?'
And rightly so—Mogdogs weren't just rabid dogs. They were terrifying monsters that treated battle-suited Space Marines like slightly tough dog chews.
Drifting around the base with a pack of those beasts was something no sane person would do.
Even Kim Seo-jun, preparing in the cargo bed, thought the same.
'Total madness.'
Even Kim Seo-jun, who'd faced all sorts of hell, could count on one hand the times he'd pulled something this crazy.
"Hoo."
That sigh escaping Kim Seo-jun's lips was because of it.
'Came here to make money, and on my first day, what the hell is this shit?'
He'd never hoped for things to go down like this.
In other words, that was why.
'Whatever. I have to get back alive. With my account filled.'
Kim Seo-jun needed money to cure his brother, and he needed to return in one piece.
And to do that, he had to rescue the VIP right now.
Obviously, it didn't matter if a few hundred or thousand Space Marines died—higher-ups wouldn't budge.
To get rescue, they had to save their superior's life.
'Even the body.'
If dead, they'd need the corpse for location tracking to bring in the rescue team.
Anyway, the task was clear, and Kim Seo-jun didn't waste time on needless worries in that situation.
"Status Window."
He'd earned points from killing the Thorn Snake earlier, and naturally, Kim Seo-jun had used them right there to buy a Bronze Ticket.
In a situation where crisis could strike anytime, he wasn't about to hoard points for some big purchase later.
And that Bronze Ticket gave him 1 stamina point.
Of course, he wasn't checking the status window now for that.
This was resolve. Self-hypnosis.
'I've got the Status Window.'
With that, Kim Seo-jun gave himself faith and said,
"Go!"
Vroooom!
The moment the word dropped, Private Park Bo-seop floored the accelerator and shot forward.
They quickly reached the ruined headquarters space, and the scene upon entry was even more horrific up close than from afar.
Buildings were demolished everywhere, debris scattered all around.
Driving through that alone was no easy feat.
But for the man at the wheel now, Private Park Bo-seop, it was nothing.
It couldn't be.
Screeeeech!
The real problem had just arrived.
"Mogdogs!"
Private Park Bo-seop shouted at their appearance.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
And Kim Seo-jun responded not with words, but by pulling the trigger.
Mogdog defeated! Acquired 1 point!
The six Mogdogs that appeared were wiped out in an instant by Kim Seo-jun's shooting.
Astonishing.
But he couldn't let his guard down.
This was just the start.
Screeeeech!
Mogdogs poured in from all sides at the sound of gunfire.
Kim Seo-jun said,
"If it looks bad, run like hell."
Private Park Bo-seop didn't reply.
Kim Seo-jun wasn't offended.
If anything, he was grateful.
'Lucky to have a driver like this.'
Finding a driver who could focus entirely on driving was rare.
But Private Park Bo-seop was more than that.
He didn't just focus—he excelled.
Right now too.
Dodging debris while evading the incoming Mogdogs from every direction flawlessly.
That was when it happened.
Screeeeech!
With about 30 Mogdogs on their tail, suddenly 13 more appeared dead ahead.
Blocked front and back.
In that moment, Private Park Bo-seop's hands and feet moved like lightning.
He wrenched the wheel, deliberately sliding the truck, then nailed a perfect throttle blip to start the drift.
The drift whipped them around 180 degrees, and he accelerated again.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Kim Seo-jun, regaining balance, opened fire immediately.
His eyes were wide as saucers.
'Worth staking his life on racing.'
The driving skill Private Park Bo-seop displayed was the best Kim Seo-jun had ever seen.
'We can do this.'
For Kim Seo-jun, it was the perfect setup.
No more worry about the Mogdogs catching up.
Now he could focus on one thing.
Rat-tat-tat!
Kim Seo-jun's gun spat fire.
Screeeeech!
Mogdog screams mixed with the gunfire.
Skreeeech!
The truck's tires scraped the ground amid the chaos.
Finally, the clamor ended.
No more Mogdog noises.
Then Kim Seo-jun said to Private Park Bo-seop,
"Head for the rescue signal!"
When the space age began, humanity was confident.
They believed no alien would stand against their overwhelming scientific civilization.
But the Mogs shattered that illusion.
Human weapons, once boasted, barely worked against Mogs.
It wasn't just because Mogs were strong.
What made Mogs terrifying was that they weren't mere monsters—they used strategy and tactics.
At the center was the Cyclops.
It looked like a balloon floating in the sky.
The massive single eye dangling below was eerie, but not intimidating.
Yet this Cyclops was one reason Mogs became humanity's natural predator.
Cyclops could communicate with others of its kind and summon more Mogs with its unique cry.
So Space Marines said:
The moment a Cyclops cries, hell begins.
Woooooooom!
And now, the Cyclops cried.
Well, not exactly a cry.
Cyclops had no mouth.
It was the vibration from its body humming.
More vibration than sound, spreading incredibly fast in all directions.
That powerful.
Naturally, humanity developed detectors for these powerful vibrations, built into Space Marines' Battle Suits.
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!
CYCLops DETECTED!
Kim Seo-jun and Private Park Bo-seop's Battle Suits blared warnings.
The meaning: Get out of here within 10 minutes.
Normally, you'd run.
But Kim Seo-jun and Private Park Bo-seop didn't.
Vroooom!
Private Park Bo-seop hammered the accelerator toward the rescue signal.
"Here it is!"
The moment they arrived, Kim Seo-jun in the passenger seat flung open the door and jumped out.
Thud!
The heavy Battle Suit hit the ground.
Thud, thud, thud!
Kim Seo-jun sprinted full tilt toward the signal.
This was insanely reckless, actually.
The rescue target was surely a VIP.
Regular Space Marine Battle Suits didn't have rescue request functions.
The issue was extraction difficulty.
Amotia Korean branch HQ was obliterated.
Debris everywhere.
If the signal was under rubble? Impossible without heavy equipment, and fast.
Normally, you wouldn't even know the precise location—eyes alone couldn't tell.
That was why Kim Seo-jun responded to the rescue.
He had the means.
"X-Ray Vision."
The ability to assess the rescuee's situation.
Activating X-Ray Vision, Kim Seo-jun's eyes pierced the collapsed building debris.
Not crystal clear.
Fuzzy, but enough.
To spot if someone needed rescue amid the wreckage.
Luckily, the target wasn't buried under debris or earth.
It was in something like a tumbled shipping container.
'Shelter.'
An emergency evacuation shelter that hadn't been crushed.
That was the moment.
"Ugh!"
Sudden throbbing headache—the translucent world snapped back to normal.
No surprise.
He'd spammed X-Ray Vision through combat; running out now was expected.
But it was enough.
He'd found the shelter with the rescuee—no more X-Ray needed.
Ignoring the brief headache, Kim Seo-jun approached the shelter and said,
"Sergeant Kim Seo-jun here. Responding to your rescue signal. Please open the door."
He transmitted the message.
No reply.
Kim Seo-jun didn't hesitate.
'Medical suit inside.'
He'd glimpsed a white, pupa-like suit before X-Ray ended.
Not weird to be injured amid such devastation.
One thing to do.
Kim Seo-jun quickly pulled the emergency lever beside the door and said,
"Rescuee not responding. Requesting door override."
That instant.
Hiss!
Steam hissed as the shelter door slid open.
A medical suit sat in the 3-pyeong space.
Kim Seo-jun unlocked the wheels below it, dragged it out.
To the waiting military truck, where Private Park Bo-seop, ready to bolt, hopped out of the driver's seat at the sight.
"Sergeant Kim!"
"Load it in the back."
"Yes, sir!"
Private Park Bo-seop activated the truck's ramp swiftly.
Kim Seo-jun slid the medical suit up into the cargo bed using it.
They jumped into driver and passenger seats.
Vroooom!
Private Park Bo-seop, unwilling to stay a second longer, floored it immediately, then asked,
"Sergeant Kim Seo-jun, sir—who is it?"
He harbored a hope.
Please be a big shot.
Shallow, but unavoidable.
He'd come to this hell for money too.
To the hopeful Private Park Bo-seop, Kim Seo-jun replied,
"Not certain yet, but probably a major."
"Major?"
Private Park Bo-seop was shocked.
"No way—Major Lee Soon-hyuk?"
The only major at Amotia Korean branch was branch chief Major Lee Soon-hyuk.
Rescuing the top brass here!
As Private Park Bo-seop rejoiced, Kim Seo-jun said,
"No, not Major Lee Soon-hyuk."
"Pardon? What do you mean? Isn't there only one major here?"
"Basic info on the medical suit showed major rank. But inside... a woman. Younger than me."
Confusion deepened.
Kim Seo-jun was different.
No confusion for him.
"Is that possible?"
"It is."
He knew.
"Psyker agents get major treatment by default."