Chapter 75
12.
In the Military, orders were absolute.
The moment one harbored doubts and refused an order, the outcome of a war could be decided.
And the dangers of Space were far more severe than those of the Military.
In the Space Age, the reason China was able to grow exponentially lay precisely in that aspect.
The Chinese complied with the Command System more than anyone else.
To be exact, the Nation of China had, over a long period, molded its citizens into beings who dared not refuse orders handed down from above.
It was the same this time.
All the Space Marines and Residents at the Planet Kingclench Chinese First Headquarters left the Headquarters without hesitation the moment the order came down from above.
They moved to the designated location.
In particular, the Chinese Space Force moving toward the Resistance moved extremely quickly to carry out their orders.
Of course, it wasn't simply because they were excellent Soldiers.
Their eyes said it all.
"Let's hurry up, wipe out those Resistance bastards, and have some fun."
Right now, the Chinese Space Force had the eyes of jackals, not Soldiers.
In other words, their minds were filled with thoughts of committing all sorts of damn War Crimes against the Resistance after crushing them.
They were full of thoughts of exploding their primal desires, and that became the fuel that drove them.
"Move as fast as possible!"
"Yes, sir!"
At that moment, the Chinese Space Force was certain.
That nothing could stop them.
Thud!
"Wh-what?"
And soon, they faced it.
"Wh-what's going on? Why is there an earthquake?"
"I-it's not an earthquake!"
"Then what?"
RUMBLE!
"B-Behemoth has appeared."
13.
Behemoth, the Mog whose size could only be described as a mountain, the first thing it did the moment it woke up was charge.
RUMBLE!
The phenomenon created by the Behemoth's charge was far beyond human common sense.
It went beyond the ground shaking; the earth was literally flipped upside down.
What used to be a forest turned into a Wasteland.
What was even more surprising was that amidst that charge, the Behemoth's massive mouth sucked in everything.
CRUNCH!
And the things it sucked in were sliced, crushed, and shattered by the countless things existing inside the Behemoth's mouth.
There were no exceptions.
Boulders were a given, and even those incredibly powerful Battle Tanks ceased to exist the moment they entered the Behemoth's mouth.
Because of this, the Behemoth became the worst of all the objects of fear that Humanity held.
Everyone who left for Space desperately wished for one thing.
To please never encounter a Behemoth.
VROOOOM!
But right now, a single Hoverbike was charging toward that Behemoth.
Fast.
Very fast.
VROOOOM!
Riding on that speeding Hoverbike was Kim Seojun, wearing an Agent Suit.
‘I end up doing this kind of Crazy Act too.’
At that moment, it went without saying, but Kim Seojun was more aware than anyone else that he was committing a Crazy Act right now.
Even up until he reenlisted and boarded the spaceship, he had never dreamed of days like this.
‘Still, I have to do it.’
Even so, the reason he was doing such a Crazy Act was nothing special.
- Staff Sergeant Kim, are you really going to be okay?
"Yes, I'm fine."
The fact that his Comrades were behind him.
It was always like that.
What drove Kim Seojun wasn't some grand reason.
He honestly had no interest in the Balance of the Universe like Kasaknat, or the Future of Humanity like Doctor Space.
The fact that if he didn't step up, the Comrades behind him would die.
And that in order to live, he had to do whatever it took anyway.
Such extremely personal reasons were what moved him.
His Comrades also knew Kim Seojun's feelings.
- Staff Sergeant Kim, you're probably sick of hearing the same thing all the time, but I'll buy you something delicious once this mission is over.
"Yes."
That was why they were saying these things right now.
- Staff Sergeant Kim! You can do it!
Everyone sent supportive radio messages to Kim Seojun.
- Staff Sergeant Kim, come back whenever you feel it's not going to work. There's no need to risk your life on a reckless endeavor.
- Mr. Kim Seojun! I-I'll definitely buy you a meal too!
With all their hearts.
- Hey, don't all say things like that. Anyone can see those are the lines that come right before a Dead Flag in the movies, right? At times like this, you have to use something with a guaranteed effect. Alright, Seojun! If you come back alive, we're getting married!
At his Comrades' words, Kim Seojun let out a chuckle.
"You're really planting a proper Dead Flag."
- How is it? Did that relieve some tension?
"Yes, it really did."
And that was what Kim Seojun needed the most.
Extreme tension tends to narrow one's vision.
A certain amount of composure was necessary, and the moment he gained that composure, Kim Seojun's narrow field of vision began to widen.
Then, he saw it.
ROOOAR!
The merciless mouth of the Behemoth.
Kim Seojun did not stop heading toward the monster that was madly sucking in and devouring everything.
"Distance to the Behemoth, now 5 kilometers."
And at that moment, he began the Countdown.
"4 kilometers."
The Countdown to the entrance of hell.
"3 kilometers."
Step by step.
"2 kilometers."
As the numbers decreased, now only the Behemoth's mouth began to be visible.
"1 kilometer."
And soon, the moment only one number remained, at that moment, Kim Seojun spoke.
"Stimpack Injection."
At the same time, everything Kim Seojun was looking at began to freeze.
In that slowly moving world, Kim Seojun spoke.
"Haste."
The operation had begun.
15.
The moment Kim Seojun dashed toward the Behemoth, his Comrades could only watch.
It couldn't be helped.
"Isn't there anything we can do?"
"Anything we do from here would probably just be a factor that increases the stress in Seojun's head, right? Drinking a can of cola from far behind would be more helpful from Seojun's perspective."
Against the disaster known as the Behemoth, there was nothing the remaining members could do.
That didn't mean they were going to completely let go and literally just eat popcorn and drink cola in the back.
"It shouldn't come to that, but if by any chance Seojun dies, then we'll have to quickly complete the Core Cube Acquisition and leave this place."
Noah Winston was keeping the Next Page in mind at this moment.
"If we can leave."
Of course, even that prepared method couldn't be considered entirely good.
Jo I-Hyeon had said it.
That if they secured the Core Cube, they could activate the Gate, but that didn't mean they could go wherever they wanted.
That the place they wanted to go to had to open the door and respond for them to be able to go there.
And currently, Doctor Space, who could handle that door, was dead.
In many ways, it couldn't be called a good situation.
"So let's just enjoy the moment for now. What's the worst that could happen besides dying? And isn't it better to drink one more can of cola before we die? Ah."
Noah Winston, who had been speaking like that, suddenly made an 'Oops!' expression.
"All my cola was inside Seojun's Inventory."
And then she let out a sigh and said.
"It can't be helped. We have no choice but to desperately pray that Seojun comes back alive."
At those words, everyone wore a faint smile.
Of course, he was different.
The moment Kim Seojun charged toward the Behemoth, Kasaknat did not take his eyes off that spot.
It was the same even now.
He was still looking at it.
The reason was simple.
Kasaknat was preparing to carry out the mission himself in case Kim Seojun failed.
Kasaknat believed Kim Seojun's words.
And that he had gone through an amazing experience.
However, no matter how incredible that experience was, the difficulty of the mission Kim Seojun had to do right now was something that far exceeded the common sense of Space.
Furthermore, the Kikakos he had given Kim Seojun, that is, the Collapser, wasn't something Kim Seojun could activate.
The Xeno did not leave such a dangerous item for an unauthorized species or being to use as they pleased.
For the Collapser to take effect, it had to reach not the Behemoth's mouth, not its throat, but the very end.
The Collapser had to be thrown into that pit of chaos where everything it devoured gathered and digested, and only after the protective gear surrounding the Collapser melted would it finally take effect.
If Kim Seojun couldn't reach that point, it meant Kasaknat had to reach it next!
And Kasaknat saw a high probability that his turn would come.
"Kasaknat."
The time had come.
"The signal came!"
The moment he heard Noah Winston's words, Kasaknat began to put strength into his legs.
To dash forward.
As he did, he spoke.
[May you become stardust!]
With that, he spat out the final words a Xeno Warrior would say.
He spat out his last will.
"Uh."
To that Kasaknat, Noah Winston said.
"Whoa, calm down, calm down. It looks like you're about to dash out right now, but it's not like that."
She calmed Kasaknat down, and at those words, Kasaknat turned his head to look at Noah Winston.
[Human, what are you trying to say?]
It was at that moment.
RIIIIIP!
A sound of something massive tearing reached the ears of everyone conversing.
At that sound, everyone turned their heads, and they could see it.
The Behemoth, right in the middle of that incredibly massive being, the space was beginning to tear apart.
And the Behemoth's existence was beginning to be sucked into that torn space.
That was all.
There was no sound during the process.
There was only the sight, and even that sight was truly nothing more than a fleeting moment.
3 seconds!
For 3 seconds, the Behemoth's body began to be rapidly sucked through that torn space, and when the 3 seconds passed, the torn space sealed shut just like that.
BOOOOOOM!
At the same time, the parts of the Behemoth's body that hadn't been sucked in exploded as they were, scattering in all directions.
The world began to be covered in the Behemoth's flesh and scales.
After that, silence fell.
Kim Seojun's Group couldn't say a word.
Kasaknat, too, couldn't express any will.
In that silence, only one person spoke.
- Operation Complete.
16.
"Operation Complete."
Kim Seojun, who spat out those words, looked ahead.
He saw the landscape littered with pieces of the Behemoth's corpse.
It was a gruesome sight, but looking at that gruesomeness, Kim Seojun felt more peaceful than ever.
It was natural.
‘I got it.’
Because it was proof that the fear, the disaster known as the Behemoth, had disappeared.
If he had his way, he would have wanted to let out a cheer.
However, the reason he couldn't do so was because his strength was drained.
‘That was the hardest 4-kilometer round-trip run of my life.’
Because the one-minute run it took to throw the Black Hole Bomb into the center of the Behemoth and get out was harder than anything Kim Seojun had ever done.
A task that required pouring in everything he had.
Furthermore, it wasn't over even after he got out.
Kim Seojun had to run away with all his might, and when he widened the distance from the Behemoth to about 20 kilometers as Kasaknat had instructed, Kim Seojun ended up in the same state as a marathoner who had just finished a marathon.
He was in a position where he couldn't do anything.
Of course, he had no worries.
Because right now, with the Behemoth annihilated, this place was the safest spot on Planet Kingclench.
In addition, his Comrades would soon come running to help him.
So Kim Seojun lay down on the ground.
Comfortably.
An alert rang in Kim Seojun's ears.
[The battle has ended. Commencing settlement.]
[You have Defeated the Behemoth. 500,000 points are awarded.]
[You have achieved the First Kill of a Behemoth. 500,000 points are awarded.]
[You have Defeated a Fly-class Behemoth. A Precognition Skill One-time Use Ticket is awarded.]
[Mission Conditions have been met. You have acquired the Warp Skill.]
Hearing those alerts, Kim Seojun closed his eyes.
In truth, at this moment, Kim Seojun felt like he could fall asleep right away.
Even so, Kim Seojun held onto his consciousness.
Because he had to check.
"Use Warp Skill."
What kind of skill the Warp Skill he just obtained was.
Honestly, his expectations for it weren't high.
Certainly, what the status window had given him so far was nothing short of marvelous, but he didn't think that just because he got the Warp Skill, he would be able to go wherever he wanted right away.
Even the Precognition Skill had its limits in the end, didn't it?
He thought there would definitely be restrictions.
[The current Number of Usages Available for the Warp Skill is 1.]
As expected, there was a restriction.
[A Usage Ticket is required to use the Warp Skill.]
An overwhelming restriction that couldn't even be resolved with points.
Of course, Kim Seojun wasn't disappointed by that fact.
Even if he could only move about 10 kilometers, the value of the Warp Skill would be indescribable just from that.
If he had used the Warp Skill inside the Behemoth's stomach right away, Kim Seojun would have Defeated the Behemoth even more easily.
"Where are the possible Warp locations?"
So he asked that question, and at that moment, Kim Seojun knew this was his last question.
His eyes closed.
His consciousness began to fade, and in that haziness, Kim Seojun could hear it.
[Movement is only possible to visited Planets.]
[There are currently 11 Planets available for movement.]
The moment he heard that, Kim Seojun asked in surprise.
"Is Earth there too?"
Then the status window answered.
[Would you like to move to Earth?]
That was the last memory Kim Seojun recalled.