Chapter 50
When Kim Seojun returned, Major Jan Zabłocki let out a sigh rather than showing surprise.
He was alone.
"Did you say you were going to do a cleanup?"
And when the words Mog Cleanup Kim Seojun mentioned, Major Jan Zabłocki was not surprised by this either.
He knew immediately.
"Give it up!"
Kim Seojun, driven into a corner, was about to do something reckless.
"A Base is just a Base!"
Out of guilt toward Poland, he was intending to charge meaninglessly just to defend the Headquarters Base.
"You saved all the people! There is no need to charge in here recklessly!"
As a descendant of the Cavalry Unit, which had been more reckless than anyone else, Major Jan Zabłocki knew that was a choice not to be made.
At the same time, he was certain.
‘Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun, at the very least, must be saved.’
Putting everything else aside, saving someone as self-sacrificing and noble as Kim Seojun was the only way to leave hope for those remaining on Planet Amotia.
Faced with Major Jan Zabłocki's fierce opposition, Kim Seojun tried to say something but soon realized it.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?"
Instead of offering a pointless explanation, Kim Seojun showed Major Jan Zabłocki.
He opened his Inventory.
After that, Kim Seojun went inside the Inventory.
Up to this point, Major Jan Zabłocki had already seen it a few times, so he didn't feel anything strange.
"Huh?"
However, the moment he saw Kim Seojun coming out holding hands with his four comrades, Major Jan Zabłocki could tell.
"Th-this?"
To the astonished Major Jan Zabłocki, Kim Seojun said.
"The Queen has been eliminated. Now we just need to clean up the rest. Do you happen to have any opinions on my operation?"
To that question, Major Jan Zabłocki answered.
"N-no!"
The moment that answer came out, Kim Seojun turned his head.
And someone said.
"Commencing the cleanup."
The moment Kim Seojun obtained the Transcendental Inventory, he conducted a few experiments.
As a result, he was able to figure out three things.
\[The number of lifeforms currently entered is five.\]
\[Entry of more than 5 people is impossible.\]
First, lifeforms could enter, but there was a limit to the number.
"Entering is up to us, but leaving isn't."
Second, only Kim Seojun could let the lifeforms that went inside back out.
"Well, it's a comfortable base camp that automatically takes us to our destination, so that much isn't even a problem."
Third, Kim Seojun could move if he closed the Inventory, while lifeforms were inside the Inventory.
It went without saying, but this was an absurd thing.
For one, this was a near-perfect air-raid shelter.
If Kim Seojun closed the Inventory, those inside were safe from any threat.
"But about this ability, can't you use it when you come inside?"
The reason he used the expression 'near-perfect' despite that was that Kim Seojun could not receive the benefits of that Air-raid Shelter.
While Kim Seojun was inside the Inventory, it could not be closed, and during that time, external factors could affect the Inventory.
So, simply put, it was like the door was left open even though it couldn't be seen.
Of course, it could be used for evacuation in emergency situations, so its utility value was limitless.
That wasn't all.
"So, how much is it?"
"Pardon?"
"The rent per square foot, I mean. I'll pay you more than the most expensive place in Manhattan, so just lease me about one pyeong. Just enough to fit one large refrigerator. I'll put some cola in there. No, wait, since we're at it, putting a vending machine in wouldn't be bad either, considering the interior. Wow, come to think of it, that's awesome. Getting a cola from a vending machine in space? This is crazy."
Now, it was possible to be active inside the Inventory.
"Ah! You're right! If we put something like a bunker system inside the Inventory, we could even make a resting area!"
And currently, humanity has achieved enough science and technology to live comfortably even in space.
Building a single hotel inside an empty inventory was a laughable matter.
It was also possible to create a workshop.
"If you just put the equipment in, I can do repairs and such in real time!"
Furthermore, they even had an excellent mechanic.
Of course, the biggest merit was this.
"It's a relief, now that we can fight together."
Just as Major Lee Hyena said, Kim Seojun's comrades no longer needed to just watch from behind as he charged in.
The scope and possibilities of the tactics they could use had also reached a different dimension.
What if Kim Seojun moved using stealth and teleport, dropped Major Lee Hyena off, and then retrieved her later?
What if Hawk Eye moved through the Inventory, finished enough shooting, and then hid back in the Inventory?
What if, in a critical moment, Private First Class Park Boseop, who was on standby, came out riding the Uryong and escaped with Kim Seojun?
‘Something ridiculous has been created.’
It did not fail to attach the tremendous expression of transcendence to it.
That was why.
‘With this much.’
At this moment, Kim Seojun began to change all the pictures in his head, the operations he had prepared.
To suit his newly acquired ability.
Then he soon came up with an answer.
"Private First Class Park Boseop."
"Yes."
"If we ride the Uryong and move to Poland Headquarters with all our might, do you think we can arrive faster than the Mogs?"
"Pardon?"
At that question, everyone wore blank expressions before soon realizing.
What is Kim Seojun thinking right now?
"Are you seriously trying to defend the Headquarters Base?"
That was an option that had not existed in anyone's mind until now.
In a situation where even the success of the queen hunt couldn't be guaranteed, how could anyone think of finishing it and returning to the Poland Headquarters to save the headquarters?
Kim Seojun was the same.
He hadn't even kept it in mind.
"If I move alone riding the Uryong, it might be possible to reach the Mog Legion before the Poland Headquarters Base falls."
But the situation was different now.
"And the breadth of our tactics has widened significantly. Putting everything else aside, there is no worst-case scenario."
As long as Seojun was there, the rest of his comrades could avoid facing the worst-case scenario of death in any situation.
At that point, there were no more objections.
"Therefore."
They just had to think.
"Please devise a way to utilize this ability to the fullest from inside there."
The moment those words ended, Kim Seojun put everyone back into the Inventory.
Vwoooom!
And after getting on the Uryong alone, he headed toward the Poland Headquarters Base at full speed.
Afterward, having finished his conversation with Major Jan Zabłocki, Kim Seojun immediately prepared for battle.
There was nothing difficult about it.
Kim Seojun headed alone on the Uryong toward the Poland Headquarters Base, to which the Mog Group was rushing.
Dudududu!
"Inventory."
Eventually, the moment the Mogs came into view, Kim Seojun immediately opened the Inventory and brought out his comrades, who were on standby inside.
There was nothing difficult about it.
Vroooom!
All Kim Seojun had to do was grab the steering wheel of the military truck that was already on standby and come out.
Like that, everyone who came out of the Inventory could see it.
"Wow, there really are a lot."
The Mog Legion, estimated to be 300,000 strong, is moving toward the Poland Headquarters at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour.
It was a moving disaster.
Even though the distance was 10 kilometers away, its sheer immensity was visible to the eye.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
And through the vibration of the ground, the overwhelming scale could be sufficiently felt.
"It feels like a Behemoth."
In other words, that Mog Legion felt less like a legion and more like a single colossal entity.
At that point, Private First Class Park Boseop asked a question.
"Does a Behemoth feel like this too?"
At that question, Noah Winston smiled and spoke.
"No, I was just saying that. It's not to that extent."
At those words, Private First Class Park Boseop looked as if he thought that no matter how terrifying a Behemoth was, it wasn't as much as that.
Of course, that wasn't it.
"No matter how many ants gather in a swarm, it's a bit much to compare them to a tiger, right?"
What Noah Winston meant by 'can't be compared' had a different meaning, and at those words, Private First Class Park Boseop shut his mouth.
Noah Winston smiled and said to Private First Class Park Boseop.
"I didn't say that to scare you. It's actually the opposite. I've even hunted that Behemoth. Compared to that, this is child's play."
I was telling him to relax.
"Besides, we have a moving Sweet Home, don't we?"
With those words, Noah Winston looked at Kim Seojun and said.
"Let's go according to the operation. You eliminate the tank beetles and thorn snakes with the battle tank; Lee Hyena and I will deal with the swarming Mogdogs; and if things look bad in the meantime, you put us in the Inventory and we make a quick getaway."
A smile full of enjoyment hung on the corners of Noah Winston's mouth as she spoke.
It wasn't an act.
"Just talking about it is already making my heart flutter. To think a day would come when hunting Mogs would be this fun."
If they moved according to the method Noah Winston mentioned, even if they couldn't handle all the Mogs, the possibility of experiencing a crisis was low.
"To even be able to drink cola in the middle of hunting Mogs shows how the world has truly gotten so much better."
Crucially, the fact that they could safely rest and resupply in the middle of a battle provided absolute stability.
Above all, they had him.
‘If it's Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun, he'll pull it off somehow.’
The incredibly formidable fighting power known as Kim Seojun had produced results in even more dismal situations than this!
So everyone turned their gaze toward Kim Seojun, and they could see it.
‘Huh?’
Kim Seojun's expression beyond the helmet visor was stiff.
"Why are you making that expression?"
Given this, Noah Winston also grew tense and said.
"Is there a problem?"
Whenever Kim Seojun made this kind of expression, something strange always ended up happening.
"There is no problem."
Fortunately, it wasn't something bad like everyone thought.
"It's just that it's strange."
"Strange?"
"Yes. The Mog Legion is well gathered right now."
"Why does that matter?"
"The distance from the queen's nest to here is quite far."
"Well, yeah."
It was at that moment.
While the other three harbored doubts, Noah Winston raised her head and looked at the sky.
She knew.
"There's no way that's possible when there are no Cyclopes."
The terrifying thing about the Cyclops was that it observed the situation in real time through its eyes and issued commands.
In particular, making them gather was the most terrifying thing among those.
Just as a conductor is needed for various instruments to play an ensemble, the reason Mogs with different speeds could move like a legion was that the Cyclops were there.
And since there were quite a lot of Cyclops, the Mog Legions would gather and move together well.
However, the movement of this Mog Legion right now was not that of a group receiving commands from Cyclops.
And yet they are well gathered?
"It means there are pilots."
That meant there was something currently acting as a commander in place of the Cyclops!
It was understandable that Kim Seojun's expression stiffened.
"You want to catch them, right?"
If they caught them here, they would be able to eliminate a very important variable in the war against the Chinese Headquarters.
"No."
"Huh?"
"It would be good to catch them, but I'm not agonizing over something like that right now."
However, at this moment, the part that made Kim Seojun's facial expression stiffen was not that.
"Then why is your expression like that?"
"They are well gathered."
"Yeah, I can tell by looking."
"Doesn't it seem like it would be good to fire a nuclear weapon?"
And the moment they heard the words that followed, everyone's expressions changed.
The moment Kim Seojun brought out the nuclear weapon, the concept of opposition did not exist in anyone's mind.
"We absolutely have to shoot it!"
Rather, they actively cheered him on.
Even so, Kim Seojun's expression remained stiff.
"There is no way China doesn't know that."
"What?"
"So there is a high possibility that the Chinese Headquarters side is hoping for the nuclear weapons our side possesses to be depleted."
In other words, from Kim Seojun's perspective, this Mog Legion was bait.
"From the Chinese Headquarters' standpoint, whether the Poland Headquarters collapses or even if it is defended by depleting a nuclear weapon, it's a profitable trade for it, whatever happens."
At those words, everyone's expressions stiffened.
To think he had read their moves that far ahead?
Of course, Kim Seojun had no intention of choosing an option like 'not firing the nuclear weapon here'.
His dilemma was singular.
"We must leave one behind. So the only thing we can fire is one."
He had to draw out the maximum damage with just a single shot.
"And nuclear weapons have the best lethality during an airburst."
Furthermore, a nuclear weapon was much more effective when exploding in the air beforehand rather than exploding the moment it touched the ground.
It wasn't impossible with the Ugwang either.
The Ugwang had a remote detonation function and a timer function.
Unlike in the movies, it wasn't as if only manual detonation was possible, requiring someone to blow up along with the nuclear weapon.
"What about the remote function?"
"It's not certain due to radio interference."
But the nuclear weapon was too precious right now to use the Remote Detonation Function.
"Then it has to be the timer, but from what I roughly know, to be safe from a nuclear weapon of that size, the distance would need to be roughly 20 kilometers, right?"
"Yes, I think so too."
"So you're saying we drop a nuclear weapon from 20 kilometers away onto that Mog Legion moving at roughly 70 kilometers per hour over there?"
Then there was only one thing left: using the Timer Function.
It was to set it as a time bomb.
"The time it can explode in the air before touching the ground needs to be calculated. If there's anyone here who can calculate this, could you raise your hand?"
And calculating how many seconds to set that timer for was a mind-boggling task.
Above all, depending on how Kim Seojun set the barrel angle, a very large time deviation would occur.
To look at that angle and produce a result?
Usually, such beings were called geniuses.
"Huh? Was it an atmosphere where I shouldn't raise my hand?"
"…No, you can raise it."
Fortunately, that genius was here.
"Jo I-Hyeon, is it possible for you?"
"The Barrel Angle is fixed anyway, and the speed of the Thunder Railgun has already been calculated. And the error range is in meters, right? Does the error happen to need to be in centimeters?"
"…A range of tens of meters is fine."
"Then there's nothing difficult about it. I don't even need a calculator."
And a very special genius at that.
Now there was only one thing left.
"But is it possible to hit it accurately from 20 kilometers away?"
And to that remaining problem, Kim Seojun answered.
"Operation commencement."
Ten minutes later, Kim Seojun could hear it.
\[133,311 Mogdogs were eliminated.\]