Third-Person Death
Not long after, the monsters that appeared blocked the exit of the passage and mercilessly swarmed the humans ahead of them.
Han Yujin gave it everything he had. He emptied the Arcether Pistol in full auto, hurled it aside, then gripped the Lumina Sword and swung with ferocious strength.
Having already resolved himself to die, he held nothing back. The result was two monsters slain by his hand. Yet right after that, tentacles and bone projectiles screamed in from every direction, piercing his vital points and ending his life.
It wasn’t cinematic or cool, but it was a sufficiently heroic death.
So this is how it ends…?
Even though he had clearly died, his perspective shifted as if he were now a third-person observer. He could continue watching the situation unfold.
The desperate struggle for survival was already over. The light-blonde woman who had seized an emergency escape shuttle pod for herself activated the launch sequence at the last moment.
WHOOSH—!!
The shuttle pod spewed ether flames along the launch rails and rocketed into space. Several more emergency pods launched right behind it.
“No!!”
Those left behind screamed as the monsters descended on them, slaughtering them in miserable, helpless fashion.
One man turned the Arcether Pistol on himself before the creatures could reach him, blowing his own head off. It seemed he preferred a painless end.
The people hiding inside the wrecked shuttle pods were discovered almost instantly by the keen-sensed monsters and died even more horribly. Watching it made one’s face twist in disgust.
Once every last person abandoned on the emergency deck had been killed, the viewpoint shifted toward those who had escaped into space.
They were rejoicing in their survival, but that joy quickly curdled into despair as the colossal form of the Divulgoth filled the void ahead of them.
A few of the swirling monsters broke off, slammed into the tiny pods, and shattered them like glass. One strike was all it took.
With everyone dead, the test finally concluded.
The third-person observer perspective faded into darkness. Moments later the illusion dissolved, and his real body awakened.
Looks like I fooled them perfectly.
Han Yujin sat up with the same demeanor as everyone else around him, glancing about. They were inside the starport training facility he had visited several times within the illusion. All the applicants lay on drone-style stretchers called Mediwings.
“Wh-what…?”
The last one to die still seemed unable to process the situation, but those who had died earlier were quicker to grasp the truth. Some slumped in despair, others clutched their heads.
“Fuck… Are they allowed to mess with people like this?”
The man who had behaved most shamefully muttered curses and tore at his hair. Having done nothing but scream before dying pathetically, the embarrassment only grew the more he thought about it.
A few minutes later, everyone seemed to have pieced things together. Only the light-blonde woman still looked like she refused to believe it.
More accurately, she looked like she didn’t want to believe it. Several applicants were already glaring at her with open contempt. The man she had stabbed in the back wore an expression that suggested he was debating whether to charge her right then and there.
The reason no fight broke out was simple: the soldiers stationed around the room.
“If you’ve all regained your senses, stand up.”
One of the soldiers issued the order and began directing the applicants. Though the shock still lingered, after a couple more sharp commands, everyone rose to their feet.
The Mediwings, their duty complete, floated upward in neat formation and left the chamber. Soon after, Captain Eclard from the illusion entered alongside a young woman with reddish-gold hair.
The restless atmosphere settled instantly at their arrival.
“Attention.”
The young-looking woman stepped forward before Eclard could speak, drawing every eye.
“I am Major Brenar, captain of the Demensys cruiser. You all worked hard on the test. The results were considerably better than I anticipated.”
After sweeping her gaze across the applicants, she continued.
In short, the message was this: it was natural to panic and make mistakes the first time; the test contents would remain confidential to participants and necessary personnel only, so there was no need to worry; they were still bound by the nondisclosure agreement they had signed earlier; they would return to the planetary surface after one day of rest; and pass-or-fail notifications would arrive around the same time.
“Of course, some of you will no longer be permitted to apply to the space forces in the future.”
Brenar didn’t single anyone out, but every applicant’s eyes immediately locked onto the woman who had committed murder.
Her face had gone as pale as it had been during her death in the illusion.
“And now… it is time to grant the promised rewards. By my standards, only one person qualifies.”
This time, every gaze turned toward Han Yujin standing near the center of the group.
Most wore expressions of acknowledgment. A few even looked favorably upon him. The gap between his performance and theirs was simply too vast for jealousy to take root.
“Applicant Yujin, step forward.”
Still under everyone’s eyes, Han Yujin moved forward while carefully masking his slight tension.
Nascent Soul stage…
His counterpart was a spiritualist above level 10. Despite her youthful appearance, she was obviously far older than she looked.
Now that he knew the capabilities of a cruiser captain and major-rank officer, he could roughly estimate the overall strength of the entire space force.
“Truly excellent. The Empire is fortunate to have a talent like you.”
“Th-the honor is mine.”
“It is equally fortunate that we can accept you into our exploration team. We are always short on people of your caliber.”
She had essentially given him his acceptance notice on the spot. No one found it strange.
Han Yujin kept perfect control over every bodily reaction—including his heartbeat—while displaying an appropriate mix of tension and restrained joy. Brenar simply gave a satisfied nod.
He had fooled her completely. Not the slightest suspicion had arisen toward the power he had disguised with Monghwan Yusim.
“Take this.”
“Thank you…”
Major Brenar handed him a sleek silver ring.
“It is the Quantum Bolt Company’s 115 Spacer Ring.”
A brief, concise explanation followed.
It was essentially a subspace ring—a ring-type version of the storage belt he already used. According to the description, it was even superior to his current model.
Inside were the level 3 Ether Elixir he had seen in the illusion, along with various expensive pieces of equipment the exploration team did not normally supply but which were deemed essential for missions.
An emergency medical kit containing recovery potions, a high-grade portable multi-tool with a laser cutter, a compact smart tent called an Obscura Dome with built-in concealment functions, and more.
Items that would have required significant expense had Han Yujin tried to purchase them himself.
What pleased him most was the level 4 Ether Training Room access ticket he could use after unit assignment. Paired with the level 3 Ether Elixir, it would produce a powerful synergistic effect.
Especially useful for rapidly advancing the strength he was disguising.
The reward ceremony concluded, and he was about to return to his place when—
Like an auditory hallucination, Brenar’s voice echoed inside his head. Han Yujin showed a trace of surprise, met her eyes, then quickly bowed and returned to his position.
There was no other reason. She had simply taken a genuine liking to him.
This is going to make rising through the ranks much easier.
It looked like he might reap even greater benefits from the space force exploration team than he had originally planned.
The acceptance notice arrived exactly as expected.
Over the next three months, many things happened in quick succession. It was the training required to be reborn as a proper exploration team soldier before receiving a permanent unit assignment.
They first took a transport ship from planet G-164 to a space force training facility on another world. After more detailed physical and psychological examinations, they were issued basic space force equipment.
They were also supplied with several types of exclusive Ether training methods used by the space forces. Upon confirming that these techniques were not significantly inferior even when compared to Hoe-won Gong, Han Yujin’s expectations for this world rose another notch.
The training methods could be broadly divided into three categories: Body-type, which primarily utilized physical abilities; Mind-type, which primarily utilized ether energy; and Equipment-type, which amplified the power of various tools.
Each broad category contained many subdivisions, but the obvious choice was Mind-type. What interested him most, however, was Equipment-type.
The reason he was drawn to Equipment-type was simple: the possibility of creating an even more outstanding main cultivation method had increased.
If a training philosophy in which humans adapted to objects—rather than objects being made to suit humans—could occupy an entire major category, it meant production techniques in this world had developed to a remarkable degree.
In any case, training continued according to the chosen methods.
Space environment adaptation training, essential exploration team training, exploration equipment usage training, combat and crisis response training, simulation team mission training, psychological adaptation training, and more.
Even with learning ability boosted by implants like Intellitrons, the fact that everyone—each at least a level 2 spiritualist—still had to train for three full months spoke volumes. This was on an entirely different scale from the military training he had experienced back in Korea on modern Earth.
In terms of intensity, it felt like they were demanding officer-level competence from ordinary soldiers.
Nevertheless, Han Yujin naturally produced outstanding results and completed the training in first place.
Having already left a strong impression on a major-rank officer, and having maintained his disguise even in front of a Nascent Soul stage opponent, he had decided to pursue the elite track without compromise.
Promotion within the space forces meant an increase in citizen level, which in turn granted access to the Galactic Empire’s vast stores of knowledge and treasures.
After graduation, unit assignment finally arrived—the beginning of a substantial period of military service.
As expected, he was assigned to the Demensys cruiser, renowned even among exploration teams for its high success rate.
Before transferring to his new unit, he was granted a week of leave. He spent it on planet C-15, making his own preparations.
Those preparations included officially revealing Mu-yong’s existence.
Fortunately, the space force exploration teams placed few restrictions on keeping pets. Given the long periods spent aboard starships, such companions were practically encouraged. There was no difficulty at all.
To think I would willingly go through military life again…
After leave ended, he boarded another transport and headed toward the planet where the Demensys was docked. A small chuckle escaped him.
He recalled the information he had subtly gathered while building acquaintances with the training center’s instructors and officers—thanks entirely to graduating at the top of his class.
They said I might be thrown straight into an important exploration mission the moment I arrive.
That might have made others nervous, but to him it was only welcome news.
He was also mildly curious what kind of planet and what sort of scenery he would encounter on that mission.