The Natural Enemy of Machine-Elves
It goes without saying that people meeting for the first time are bound to feel awkward — unless they're meeting on business terms, or share some connection like being seniors and juniors. There ought to be at least some thread of conversation to help things along... but one of them had come back from a recon mission without doing what he was told, crash-landed, picked a fight, and shown up to carry out a decapitation operation. The other had been dragged out of his own neighborhood against his will, raided an armory, and was now armed — making him a group of serious criminals at first glance. Anyone could see these two had absolutely nothing in common, so becoming friendly seemed like a lost cause.
Unfortunately, the world doesn't run on such sensible mechanisms.
For one thing, as long as the dialect isn't too extreme, they could still communicate — Korean being the base language and all.
"Puhaha! So you got dragged back here again? That must've felt like total shit."
"Yeah, it's not like I was gone for ten years, but getting pulled back right after dismissal? Felt like shit for sure."
There exists, thanks to the particularity of this peninsula, a consumer group so utterly useless that they deserve their own acronym — the "GOAT," or most pointless consumer collective in the world.
"Kid! You don't have any, but eat plenty! At least those bastards didn't touch the warehouse, so it's not a total loss..."
"Hmph. Using some pathetic farming technique that can't even grow proper food... Aack!! Why are you poking me again!!"
As a price for attempted kidnapping, there exists a totem that draws hatred just for breathing.
"What? I was just standing there, and you kept shoving corn and potatoes into my mouth?"
Kim Chomok, trading the aliens' human rights for rapid trust-building with North Korean residents, had succeeded. He'd also preemptively prevented a civilian casualty by ensuring that in the worst case, missiles could be fired at the gate to block more bastards from coming through.
"Huh? You said there were people near the checkpoint? Why Candia?"
"In the worst case, we launch missiles here to stop those fuckers from coming through."
He'd even succeeded at that. And far away, Kim Chomok felt as though the field commander's triumphant roar was echoing in his direction.
"Goddammit, Kim Chomok! What the hell is this military merit?! My four-star future is coming into focus, you hear me? — Hahaha!!"
Kim Chomok flicked his ear. If things kept going like this, he'd surely secure a foothold into Pyongyang — and even if people hated it, they'd have to raise a victory banner to the heavens. It was unquestionably a meritorious deed. But...
"What did you say? Infiltrate through that gate? How is that any different from going to die?"
"Well, you gotta do things early while you can still move. Efficiency, you know? Efficiency?"
Since the wick of the fire inside his body hadn't burned all the way down yet, it wasn't too early to head back. Was he tired? Of course he was — exhausted, drained, nerves frayed. But if he didn't move now, tomorrow he wouldn't be rolling around here but in a hospital bed. He'd drained the commanding entity all the way down to the lowest-ranking ones, and on top of that, whenever he was bored he'd poke them with his finger and snack on their energy.
"...At least a month like last time, probably... Haha, I'm fucked."
[One month is what you say. Always keep in mind it could take even longer, you.]
With the "Machine-Elf Raid Incident," he was once again forced to keep watch over his own body from the inside. He'd planned to sweep through the gate for reconnaissance and then return to rest. Kim Chomok glanced at the door leading to another world.
***
Obviously, no one in their right mind walks straight through for recon. Stupid... so stupid. Does he have any idea what kind of world is inside there? At the very least, minimal disguise — or like those bastards who came out, wearing armor that looked identical. The basic, basic basics of recon is to blend in naturally and slip into a group.
"Heng! If it weren't for me, it'd just be a heavy lump of iron! What a show-off!"
When Kim Chomok picked up El-Dragon's armor — riddled with a hole in the chest — piece by piece and put it on, the alien commander, dressed only in seasonal underwear, sneered at the foolhardiness of his opponent.
But then — Brrrrmmm —
"Welcome back, El-Dragon. Connection confirmed in 3 hours and 11 minutes."
Before long, the smirk frozen on his lips crumbled downward, replaced by shock.
"How — how did you break through my energy wavelength recognition system?! That armor won't activate unless it matches my wavelength!"
The pathetic armor-former, who'd been poked, hurt his finger to the bone, and now lost his armor too, screamed in anguish. His misconduct — offensive even by alien standards — echoed through the plaza.
"This bastard poked me with his finger, and now he's got a taste for more. He's gone and gotten himself addicted."
Khk —!
"Aaaaagh...!!"
The pale, black-haired brat said nothing in response, only pressing down harder on the finger, delivering more pain.
Truth be told, Kim Chomok himself had no idea why this was working. Strictly speaking, it wasn't something he had done — so he couldn't have known.
[After poking them so many times and draining their energy, you've seen everything worth seeing. Mimicking it isn't even a big deal.]
"Wow, seriously everything works. Soon he'll be doing energy juggling with balls."
Since Kim Chomok was still just a baby whose applied skills hadn't advanced beyond the sprouting stage, the parasitic organism that slipped into his body wearing the armor took care of matching the energy wavelength for him.
"No...!! What the hell are you trying to do?! We have no grudge against you — why?!"
El-Dragon, desperate to prevent this future, clung to the leg with all his might.
"Grudges are built from now on. And you won't know what I'm gonna do until you go in."
"Aaagh!! No — someone, anyone, stop this crazy bastard...!!"
What came back was a perfect roundhouse kick. The alien, sent flying far away, screamed. The young man in steel armor, who clearly wasn't giving him time to argue, vanished through the gate. Watching his figure disappear into the rippling doorway, El-Dragon squeezed his eyes shut and began to weep.
"Please... please notice I'm not the one doing this...!! I'm begging you...!!"
If even one person got fooled, this wouldn't end at a large-scale disaster. The moment a civilization that prided itself on perfect security — one that used energy emission patterns as most of its keys — had to pay the price.
***
Normally a young man who operates on the "if you need it done, do it yourself" mindset. It was a bit awkward for him to be rushing this desperately. But...
[But you, our mission was reconnaissance, wasn't it? Why so eager?]
"Eh, these guys are a bit different. Even without me, they could fire a few missiles and blow things up..."
He had no idea how many people were inside. The situation was beyond his grasp.
"Since we can use captured aliens as shields, the reverse is equally possible."
For a reunification government that needs to win over the people, those kinds of casualties are a heavy burden. It wasn't that he hated society for making him do unfair things — he just didn't like it. The young man who disliked society itself would've been a different story.
"Either way, if they're not going to just grab land and drive out all the residents, it's easier to get through this situation together."
It was better to avoid pointless conflicts that would throw society into chaos — his body just happened to be a bit rough. Of course, the premise was that he wouldn't move until his body was on the verge of breaking...
GRK —!!
Kim Chomok knocked out the two guards stationed at the dimensional gate in under ten seconds — both thrown through the door as evidence was destroyed. If they wanted to hurt him, they'd need considerably more effort.
With the gatekeepers dealt with, he needed to assess the situation.
"Hmm, not a major city... but it's still a decent-sized city."
From the high ground where the gate was located, one city was visible below. The aliens who'd invaded North Korea were probably guarding that area. Even a cursory glance showed skyscrapers everywhere and long-eared people wandering about.
"...The contrast of how bone-dry they look in the middle of all this is striking. Just how starved were they?"
The city was a medium-sized one, staffed entirely by laborers from some plain-eared race dragged in from elsewhere.
"Where to start? Let's have some real fun."
Kim Chomok descended the mountain quickly and began blending into the crowd. Since his outfit was obviously strange, he stuck to building alleyways and avoided main roads.
"No, seriously — 'a soldier with a hole in his chest keeps appearing' — what kind of report is that?"
"I don't know either. But citizens filed the report, so we have to respond."
The uneasy citizen report reached the authorities, and the net was closing in — perfect.
"Found them — police...!!"
""...Aaagh —!!"
Kim Chomok, waiting mid-air with his arms braced against a building wall, ambushed the two from a blind spot. In an instant, the lightly armored officers were knocked out, stripped bare, and properly re-dressed. GET: legitimate uniform.
The moment the symbol of public authority fell into the hands of this chaos-seed, the city was as good as finished.
People, more often than not, value what someone is wearing over their face or actions. And when that uniform contradicts their behavior, the shock and sense of betrayal are greater. A "police officer" just going crazy, wandering the streets causing every kind of incident — that only happens in games. In reality, who runs around acting like that without a care for the fallout? And they don't even get caught? Of course the citizens, traumatized by the incident, would lose faith in public authority. The very public authority they believe in doesn't protect them — it just destroys everything. Who would submit to the violence collective known as the state? They'd either run or protect themselves.
"Using human labor to live better than me? I can't stand for that."
Admittedly the target of his venting was a bit off, but it wasn't bad as a mindset for buying time for the North Korean residents and military to advance. Beyond corrupt police, "Rogue Police" Kim Chomok — more violent than anyone — began poisoning the Machine-Elves' happy paradise.
"From this moment, this city becomes a warzone! You little shits, scram!!"
"Aaagh, you insane bastard!! The building's tilting — evacuate, evacuate now!!"
On a hover bike — the high-tech perk of being a cop — Kim Chomok, his entire body lined with energy blades, rammed his body into building pillars. Starting with making a convenience store tilt sideways by smashing its load-bearing wall...
"You don't sell hot dogs, and you put pickles in bread and charge for it?! Your business is closed!!"
WAAANG —!!
"Aaagh, my food stall!! You insane fucker, you calling yourself a cop?! Aigoo...!!"
"Your food fails the palate inspection — you rotten brat!! Shut it down right now!!"
He forcibly shut down street stalls that were utterly intolerable, and flipped over the food carts too. Kim Chomok's next destination was a more serious place.
***
Stealthily infiltrating the military unit next to the detention camp where prisoners were held in groups —
Shhhhk, shhhhk...
"Oh, they're barely guarding the fuel depot too? No matter where you go, militaries are all the same."
FWOOOOOOSH —!!
"W-What?! F-Fire!! The fuel depot is on fire!!"
"Send firefighters immediately! Load drones with sand and launch them —!!"
He filled both barrels with oil, struck a match on the ground, and sent the fuel depot up in flames. With the military unit next to the prisoner camp now in chaos — all eyes drawn to the fire.
"Fire inspection team arriving. This is not a surprise inspection~"
"Aaagh, what the hell is this crazy bastard doing right now!! That slave lit the fire on the watchtower!!"
Instead of shooting, he made the guards frantically grab drone controllers to fight the fire.
"Rise, workers! Take up arms! How much longer will you labor for these fucking parasites?!"
The chains are what you lose — everything is what you gain!! Now or never — grab it and stand up!!
The young man with black hair, who'd slipped naturally into the slave ranks, began agitating the evacuees.
"Yeah, he's right! We're gonna die anyway from exhaustion — might as well fight once!"
"Seize the armory! The guards are busy putting out the fire!"
Their proclamation of a returning "heaven" combined with the Eastern doctrine of "when the sky goes to hell, flip the table" merged together. The labor slaves, who had been exploited to the breaking point, finally began their uprising for their rights.
In an instant, by Machine-Elf standards, one medium-sized city that had been nothing but bliss...
"Uuueeee... Kyaaaah —!! BOOM!!"
"Yeah. This is what a multicultural city in the modern era looks like."
Within five hours, public order collapsed, slaves revolted, and military and police fell into chaos. It had become a true Sodom and Gomorrah — a miracle of chaos.
[Since the Black Knight began overseeing the economy, there haven't been many cases of fear spreading this far...]
The black-haired girl inside, her expression stunned, trembled slightly.
"This is the viciousness of modern-era forced purchase. It's gonna take some time to get used to."
[In the Old West, no one tore through an entire city like this either, you crazy bastard!!]
Feeling a slight unease at the dwindling energy reserves inside him, the girl with a calm expression watched as Kim Chomok burst through the door. He glanced back at the crumbling alien pillars of salt and smiled.
***