Chapter 84
7.
When humanity first encountered the mog, the ones that inflicted the greatest damage were the Mogdogs.
It was nothing strange.
Mogdogs were numerous enough to make up over 90 percent of the mog population.
Furthermore, in the early battles against the Mogdogs, the Space Marines had suffered heavy casualties.
And amidst the damage, defeats, and corpses, humanity found a way.
They created more efficient weapons against the Mogdogs, built infrastructure, and developed tactics and strategies.
They evolved.
As a result, Mogdogs were now terrifying to the Space Marines, but they had become opponents they could handle.
Humanity raised a toast to that dazzling achievement.
And they said.
“Evolution is humanity’s greatest weapon!”
That humanity would evolve, and through that, eventually achieve victory in the war against the mog.
However, one person was different.
There was someone who didn’t offer a single opinion to such talk.
Dr. Space was like that.
He didn’t bother to say it.
That evolution was not something exclusive to humans.
Rather, Dr. Space thought.
Looking at it from the perspective of evolution, the mog had a much more advantageous structure.
It made sense, as it took twenty years from birth for a human to become a Space Marine, but in the case of the mog, as long as they had Beta Gas and a hatchery, they could be produced at an absurd speed.
Their very process of birth and principle were different from humans.
If evolution occurred, that evolution could spread throughout the entire Mog Species at a ridiculous speed.
So it wouldn’t be strange if all Mog Species evolved to a completely different level overnight.
And naturally, the moment the mog evolved, the evolution humanity had developed against the mog until then would become meaningless.
To survive, they would have to undergo yet another evolution, and to achieve that, they would ultimately have to pile up gruesome casualties and corpses once again.
Now was that moment.
“The Mogdogs are flying in!”
Mogdogs, creatures that originally should have used charge with their legs, were now flapping their wings and crossing the sea.
From the Japanese archipelago, meaning they were crossing the Korea Strait.
The moment they realized that fact, everyone at Busan Port, including General Gu Byeong-seop, was horrified.
That was all.
All they could do was be horrified.
No one could even think about how to catch them.
They couldn’t.
Because until then, no one had any experience fighting winged Mogdogs.
There was only one thing they could imagine.
‘'It’s over.'’
That it was impossible to stop these flying Mogdogs with the current forces at Busan Port.
Their flying was one thing, but the number of Mogdogs currently blackening the sky was at least in the millions.
A number that would be hard to stop even if they came pounding across the ground was now flying through the sky.
At that point, General Gu Byeong-seop opened his mouth.
“…How much anti-air power do we have?”
“Well, we practically have none.”
And to that question, the subordinate soldier could not answer.
It was natural.
In the war against the mog, the development of humanity’s weapons had shifted to focus on ground and space warfare.
Anti-air weapons, meant to engage airborne targets from the ground, had become obsolete.
There was no need to bother making them.
Although there were terrifying Mogs like the Ghost Bat, rather than spending limited resources and technology to counter that special individual, it was wiser to focus even more on ground warfare.
The forces at Busan Port were the same.
They were specialized for ground warfare.
Of course, it wasn’t that guns couldn’t be pointed at the sky, but to produce effective results with ordinary guns, an overwhelming number of troops was needed.
And in this world right now, receiving that overwhelming troop reinforcement was the most impossible, nonsensical thing.
General Gu Byeong-seop thought the same.
“…So, are you preparing?”
“Sir?”
“I mean the preparations to support the 10,000 reinforcements.”
“W-we are doing it. But is it r-real?”
A division-sized reinforcements suddenly arriving? No matter how you thought about it, it was common-sensically impossible.
General Gu Byeong-seop thought so too.
Even so, there were two reasons he was preparing.
‘'Kim Seojun, he is different.'’
The fact that the one who said this was none other than Kim Seojun.
General Gu Byeong-seop’s trust in him was absolute, and that was natural.
Wasn’t he the person who had saved him from almost being eaten by a behemoth with just a single military truck?
‘'A staff sergeant, did he reenlist as a non-commissioned officer? No way. He saw all that and still joined the military again? I didn’t offer him reenlistment because I thought he naturally wouldn’t even look at the military.'’
It was clear he had done something nonsensical again this time.
Anyway, he was a person who embodied the word 'miracle' more than anyone else.
“Ten minutes! The Mogs will arrive in ten minutes!”
At that point, the countdown began, and General Gu Byeong-seop slapped his face hard with his palms.
Dying while sitting on his hands and doing nothing - there was no such thing in General Gu Byeong-seop’s dictionary.
“Everyone to your positions!”
At those words, all the troops in the shelter began aiming their muzzles toward the sea.
By then, everyone could see it with their naked eyes.
The black clouds swarming over the blue sea of Busan.
General Gu Byeong-seop also lost his mind for a moment at the sight visible to the naked eye.
It was at that moment.
“General!”
A communication came in.
“The reinforcements have arrived!”
8.
At the word that the reinforcements had arrived, General Gu Byeong-seop immediately moved to the location.
And he could see them.
Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun and Brigadier General Lee Yeong-jun, who saluted as soon as they saw him.
The moment he saw the two of them, General Gu Byeong-seop quickly returned the salute and said.
“You see that?”
As he did, he pointed his finger across the sea.
“From now on, throw away any useless formalities. If it’s urgent, just grab me by the collar and speak informally.”
Meaning this was no time to waste on things like salutes.
“Yes, sir.”
Kim Seojun also knew the severity of the situation, and he didn’t share any nostalgic stories with General Gu Byeong-seop about the time they went on a killer drive with a behemoth behind them.
He immediately took action.
“I will begin the support.”
The moment he finished those brief words, Kim Seojun opened his inventory.
And at that moment, as if they had been on standby, his comrades began to emerge from the inventory.
“Huh?”
At that sight, General Gu Byeong-seop froze in place.
Because from his perspective, it was no different from people suddenly appearing out of thin air.
Meanwhile, those who came out of the inventory immediately set up what they had brought out - a massive structure large enough for a tank to easily pass through - and the moment the structure was set up, Jo I-hyeon shouted.
“Activating the gate!”
At that moment, that giant circular structure, the empty circle inside it, began to fill with a translucent light.
Soon, the light turned blue, and at some point, it changed from light to a form like the surface of a lake.
“Entering stabilization!”
After that, along with his shout, Jo I-hyeon immediately pressed a new button.
“Gateway Fixation!”
Then, the rippling surface immediately turned flat like a mirror.
“Passage permitted!”
And the moment Jo I-hyeon spat out those words, an entity emerged from beyond that mirror-flat world.
The person who appeared wearing an agent suit immediately spotted Kim Seojun upon emerging and saluted.
And then shouted.
“Lieutenant Colonel Hikari of the resistance on Planet Kingclench!”
At those words, Kim Seojun returned the salute.
That was the beginning.
Step, step.
Starting with Lieutenant Colonel Hikari, the resistance psychers of Planet Kingclench wearing agent suits appeared.
Step-step-step!
The footsteps quickened, and at some point, Space Marines wearing battle suits appeared.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
From then on, it was no longer the sound of footsteps, but the sound of feet stomping the ground.
Surpassing hundreds, Space Marines numbering in the thousands appeared wearing battle suits.
And they quickly began to form their ranks on the prepared stage, the vast stage.
Everyone knew.
That winged Mogdogs were coming from far away right now.
Even so, none of those who came here showed any wavering, nervousness, or shrinking in the face of fear.
In a situation where Mogdogs could fall on their heads at any moment, they formed their ranks exactly as ordered.
By doing so, they showed it.
The proof that they weren’t just some ragtag group, but veterans among veterans who had crossed all sorts of dangers, including the mog, on the stage called space.
Like that, the resistance that had survived on Planet Kingclench had now become reinforcements and gathered at Busan Port.
And Kim Seojun stood before them.
“This is earth.”
Kim Seojun didn’t speak at length.
“From now on, we begin the battle to protect earth.”
The moment he finished those words, Lieutenant Colonel Hikari immediately barked an order to everyone.
“Everyone to your positions!”
As soon as those words ended, everyone began to move quickly and swiftly.
There was no need to give detailed orders.
Orders would flow from the regiment to the battalion, the battalion to the company, the company to the platoon, and the platoon would divide into squads - each assigned their respective roles.
Furthermore, this situation was not one that required complex tactical or strategic discussions.
It wasn’t like there was an operation either.
Everyone just had to figure it out, take a suitable position, and aim their weapons at the swarming Mogdogs.
Like that, everyone quickly organized the situation, and at that point, Kim Seojun spoke to General Gu Byeong-seop.
“General, please give the order for combat start.”
The moment he heard those words, General Gu Byeong-seop’s eyes also changed.
Hope dwelled in his eyes.
It couldn’t be helped.
A whopping 10,000 troops had arrived, and not just simple Space Marines, but forces that had prepared for death on the front lines.
There were even a large number of Psycher agents.
Therefore, General Gu Byeong-seop spoke without hesitation.
“Commence firing!”
9.
Commence firing!
The moment that order came out, everyone on standby in various places pulled the triggers of their weapons.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Indescribable roars began to fill Busan Port.
Kieeeek!
And the moment that volley of fire began, the Mogdogs shrieked and began falling onto the sea.
The number falling was immense.
However, that didn’t mean it was effective enough to say they had immediately seized the chance of victory.
Kieeeek!
First of all, the number of flying Mogdogs was so massive that even if a few thousand crashed into the ground, it wouldn’t even make a dent.
At the same time, no matter how skilled a Space Marine was, hitting a flying target was harder than one might think.
Normally, just firing a gun in the first place was something that required immense courage.
Tremble, tremble!
“Private first class Kim, what’s wrong?”
“I-it’s just, m-my hands are sh-shaking t-too much.”
In reality, the soldiers who had originally been staying in the Busan Port shelter were trembling so much they were stuttering, let alone pulling their triggers in this situation.
Even they, who had been holding out in this situation in their own way, were terrified in front of the distant Mogdog Group.
Far from being strange, it was a natural occurrence.
And that was the reason Kim Seojun had brought the resistance of Planet Kingclench here.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
“Fire!”
Because the resistance of Planet Kingclench, far from trembling in this situation, was actually demonstrating even more concentration.
Because they had enough experience to do so.
“Protect earth!”
Crucially, the emotions held by those who had just come to earth from Planet Kingclench were on a different level from those who had only ever been on earth.
A situation where they had returned to the home they thought they would never be able to return to, but that home was in danger?
Naturally, the resolve they harbored here could not be compared to any other time.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
“Fire, keep firing!”
Of course, just because they were active didn’t mean an overwhelming result would be achieved immediately.
If a happy ending could be achieved with just resolve and willpower, the word 'pain' wouldn’t exist in this world.
Rather, the situation was bad.
“Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun.”
“Yes, I know. Today won’t be easy.”
And Kim Seojun knew that fact better than anyone.
“There isn’t much we can do either.”
Kim Seojun’s Group would make no small contribution, but in this kind of situation, there was a limit to what they could do.
Unless they had a weapon on the level of a nuclear bomb, completely reversing this situation was impossible.
“Eventually, the Mogdogs will land on the shelter.”
Meaning ground warfare was unavoidable.
“Still, we will win.”
However, Kim Seojun didn’t abandon hope because of that.
Once ground warfare commenced, the Psycher agents currently on standby on the ground would step to the front.
Their power was definitely overwhelming.
Just looking at Major Lee Hyena right now, wearing the Dokkaebi suit, she could easily handle a few thousand Mogs all by herself.
“Since Kasaknat also said he would provide support.”
Even Kasaknat had told him to ask for help whenever needed.
There was no reason to lose.
Only one thing remained: the extent of the damage.
Here, Kim Seojun didn’t try to calculate the extent of the damage with his limited capacity or anything like that.
Because calculating it wouldn’t reduce the damage.
If he wanted to reduce the damage even a little, then what he needed to do right now was not calculation, but battle.
Brrrrrrt!
“Staff Sergeant Kim, then let’s get started!”
Like that, Kim Seojun aimed a minigun at the Mogdogs while riding in the helicopter piloted by Brigadier General Lee Yeong-jun.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The muzzle of that minigun, capable of firing up to 6,000 rounds per minute - meaning up to 100 rounds per second - spun and spewed out gunfire.
But it wasn’t indiscriminate firing.
Pow-pow-pow!
Surprisingly, the heads of the Mogdogs were smashed in numbers equal to the gunshots.
And the Mogdogs with smashed heads began to fall powerlessly onto the sea.
Splash!
The pillars of water shooting up almost simultaneously - the sight they created was nothing short of marvelous.
It was a sight hard to believe was created by just a single minigun.
“Aren’t you demoralizing us too much?”
To the point that Noah Winston, who was diligently pulling the trigger next to him, unconsciously let out a complaint.
“It’s not enough.”
However, from Kim Seojun’s perspective, it was an unsatisfactory number.
It was definitely immense.
Right now, Kim Seojun’s minigun firing speed wasn’t at maximum speed, but at minimum speed, meaning about 2,000 rounds per minute.
Hitting every single shot was a ridiculous feat, but the problem was that even if he hit 2,000 a minute, that was 120,000 in an hour, meaning it would take several more hours to catch all the swarming Mogdogs.
Even doing this ridiculous feat, it was impossible to reduce the damage.
Above all, Kim Seojun knew.
“This is just the beginning.”
That what they were facing right now was far from the final battle, but rather the prologue to the battles against the mog that would begin from then on.
That the Mogs they would face from then on would appear with a completely different kind of strength.
And an answer soon confirmed Kim Seojun’s expectation.
Kim Seojun’s eyes narrowed, and then his eyes soon widened as if they would burst.
At the same time, a notification was heard in Kim Seojun’s ears.
[An event mission has occurred.]
[Rewards will be provided upon Eliminating the Sky Whale within the time limit.]
[Mission reward for Eliminating within 8 hours is a diamond ticket.]
[Mission reward for Eliminating within 4 hours is a random Blessing Ticket (Diamond).]
[Mission reward for Eliminating within 1 hour is a Blessing Duration Extension Ticket (Unlimited).]
However, such notifications didn’t reach Kim Seojun’s ears.
He merely shouted.
“A Sky Whale has appeared!”