Chapter 199 - 18th Floor Hidden (4)

I finished looking around the base.

Then I was given a device that looked like a laptop.

“I’ll lend you this. I’ll show you how to use it, so give it a try while you’re here.”

Patriot showed me how it worked.

It let me connect to a network called the Stardust Net and search for information. It was essentially the same as the internet on Earth.

“What do you think? Pretty amazing, right? You can find out what’s happening all over the world without leaving your seat.”

Naturally, I picked it up in no time.

“...Huh? You’re pretty good at this.”

“We have something similar in my world.”

Maybe she’d expected me to react like a caveman seeing an electronic device for the first time, because Patriot looked a little deflated.

I took the laptop back to my room and started using it.

I’d been planning to read up on this world, including anything I could find about the Ancient God Ram, but...

“Why is everything locked?”

Almost every time I tried to access anything, a window popped up telling me it was locked.

Apparently, I either had to pay or was blocked outright because I didn’t have the necessary permissions.

It was like watching videos on YouXube and getting an ad almost every ten seconds.

I stuck to the information available on the free public network.

That alone was enough to keep me occupied and teach me a little more about this world.

Patriot stopped by my room the next morning.

“Let’s go eat, Kim Seo-hyeon.”

As we ate a meal much like the one we’d had yesterday, Patriot asked,

“Did you find anything on the Stardust Net? Was it any help?”

“Yeah. It helped a lot.”

We kept talking, and I asked her about a few other things I’d been wondering about.

Patriot seemed curious about my world too and asked a few questions of her own.

“What’s your world called, Kim Seo-hyeon?”

“Earth.”

“Earth... Is the one trying to destroy Earth someone like the Emperor? Does your world look anything like ours?”

I looked at her for a moment before answering.

“There’s something called the Tower.”

I told her about the Tower.

It had appeared in our world without warning, bringing disaster and tragedy, setting a Time Limit on humanity’s survival, and trying to devour the entire world.

Of course, I didn’t tell her that this world had already been swallowed by the Tower.

“I never imagined a monster like that existed.”

Patriot listened with the detached expression of someone hearing about events in a far-off world.

“So your world’s already come close to being destroyed by the Tower several times, and it’s only still around because of you.”

“Yeah.”

“...You’re even more impressive than I thought. Then again, you really are absurdly strong.”

Once we’d finished eating, Patriot stood up and said,

“So, Kim Seo-hyeon, have you trained your body too, or do you just use magic?”

“A little?”

“I’m heading over to train now. How about coming along for a sparring match?”

“No, I’m good...”

When I tried to turn her down, Patriot grabbed my arm and pulled me along.

“Come on, stop trying to get out of it and humor me for a bit. You haven’t even seen the training room yet!”

I followed Patriot to the training room, though I hardly had a choice.

I was handed a weapon. It was a Laser Sword.

Holding an identical Laser Sword, Patriot took her position some distance away.

“They’re set to minimum output, so they’re much less dangerous. You can give it your all without holding back.”

I gave her fair warning.

“There’s probably a pretty big gap between us.”

“Ha! You’d better not underestimate me. I can hold my own in close combat, you know.”

Patriot grinned as she twirled her Laser Sword.

I decided to humor her.

Crackle!

We began to spar, and sparks flew as our Laser Swords clashed.

Patriot was quite strong.

Her physical abilities alone seemed to put her at around Level 100. She had impressive combat instincts too.

Instead of going all out, I held back to match her as we sparred.

Patriot’s brow furrowed as she swung her Laser Sword with everything she had.

As the match wore on, the circuits etched into her body began glowing as though they were overheating, and her strength and speed steadily increased.

I brought the match to an end with a hard strike that knocked her Laser Sword away.

Patriot stared at the fallen Laser Sword before asking,

“...There really is a big gap between us. What percentage of your full strength were you using just now?”

“About ten percent.”

Patriot caught her breath, picked the sword back up, and said with a serious expression,

“Let’s go again.”

The sparring continued.

Patriot sparred with me again and again until she was exhausted, then sank to the floor. Steam was even rising from her body.

“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”

“I’m fine. I can handle this much... Hold on.”

Patriot suddenly pulled off a section of her side.

The inside of her body was exposed.

Her internal organs were mechanical, with glowing Cores embedded between them.

Patriot removed one of them, took out a fresh Core, and fitted it into place.

It was a coldly mechanical sight, like a machine replacing one of its own parts.

I watched her in silence.

Once she finished the replacement, the light from her circuits dimmed as though they had stabilized.

“You really are incredible in close combat too, aren’t you? How do you even fight like that with a sword? I can’t counter anything you do.”

Patriot looked at me and asked,

“Could you keep sparring with me while you’re here?”

She studied my reaction, then added,

“...Am I being a nuisance? You can just say no if you don’t feel like it.”

I shook my head.

“Sure, why not.”

It wasn’t much trouble, so I agreed to spar with her while I was there.

After that, I served as Patriot’s training partner from time to time.

I pointed out the weaknesses I noticed and offered her advice.

It was nothing elaborate, just some basic feedback.

With such advanced weaponry, this wasn’t a world where people mainly fought with swords and other traditional weapons, so I focused less on technique and more on helping her read a fight.

Even that seemed to help Patriot figure a few things out for herself.

“Um... Would you mind helping us as well?”

After watching me help Patriot train, other members of the Revolutionary Army cautiously approached me and asked if I would spar with them too.

I helped everyone who asked.

Jason, Ginta, Heledeus, Paul, Ethan, Katarina, Rangdapa...

I gradually got to know the other members too, exchanging names, talking, and spending time with them.

Nearly a week passed that way.

I’d been told the information would take a few days to find, but there was still no word.

I didn’t know whether the Deputy Commander was deliberately stalling, but...

In the meantime, I’d grown much closer to the other members. They were all good people.

“Haaaa...”

After yet another training session that left her exhausted, Patriot sank to the floor and replaced some of her internal components.

“Thanks to you, I feel like I’ve gotten much better at reading a fight. Thank you, Kim Seo-hyeon.”

Patriot looked at me and smiled as she spoke.

I abruptly changed the subject.

“Are you planning to keep fighting the Empire until the day you die?”

“...What?”

“You said you didn’t have much time left. I just thought you could spend the time you have left in peace... doing what you want to do.”

Would defeating the Emperor really bring this world the peace they wanted?

No, it wouldn’t.

Sooner or later, the Tower would appear. The ending was already decided.

Everyone was doomed in the end, the Empire and the Emperor included, so the Revolutionary Army’s cause meant nothing.

Of course, suggesting she spend the rest of her life in peace was just as pointless.

But I’d wanted to say it, so I had.

Patriot’s expression hardened.

Anger seemed to flare across her face, but then she bit down hard on her lip and lowered her head.

She raised her head again and asked calmly,

“Why would you suddenly say that?”

“Because I feel bad for you.”

“...Still, don’t you think that’s a pretty insensitive thing to say? You don’t even know anything about me.”

“You’re right. Sorry.”

Patriot was silent for a moment.

Then she began to tell me her story.

“When I was little, my whole family was taken to a Plant. We all had high Astral Affinity.

The way they process people at the Plants is simple. They just grind them up whole. Apparently, a body with high affinity is valuable material from head to toe. Nothing goes to waste.”

Patriot stared into space, as though remembering that day.

“Did you know? The stronger someone’s desire to survive, the more active the Astral Energy in their body becomes. So you know what those bastards did...? They put our parents in a huge vat, right in front of my brother and me. It was like a blender with countless little blades inside.”

“...”

“Then they told our parents that if they stayed alive in there for just thirty seconds, they’d spare my brother and me. Mom and Dad scrambled around inside that blender, doing everything they could to save us, but they were slowly ground to death. I can still see the researchers’ faces as they stood there in front of all that blood, delighted because they’d never seen activation levels so high.”

I remembered the red liquid I’d seen at the Plant.

Hatred flickered in Patriot’s eyes.

“So how could I possibly stop? Fighting to destroy the Empire until the day I die is the only way I’ll ever find peace.”

I had nothing more to say.

Patriot gave a bitter smile.

“Honestly, I don’t have some grand cause like saving the world, the way you do, Kim Seo-hyeon. All I have is hatred for the Empire and the Emperor. A lot of the others are like me.

Some of the people we rescued this time will probably choose to join us too. That’s how people become members of the Revolutionary Army. In fact, that’s part of the reason we rescue them. They were all captured for use as raw material because they were so gifted, which means they can strengthen the Revolutionary Army.”

“I see...”

“...Are you disappointed? You were probably being so kind to us because you thought we were good people, weren’t you? We’re not as good as you think.”

I shook my head.

“I think you’re good people.”

“I’m telling you, we’re not.”

“That’s not how it looked to me when you were caring for the people you rescued. You all seemed genuinely angry and heartbroken for them. Just because you also have practical reasons doesn’t mean those feelings aren’t real.”

Patriot’s gaze wavered.

She looked at me and smiled.

“You really are a good person, Kim Seo-hyeon.”

That caught me off guard.

Her words had suddenly reminded me of Kanyuk.

Kanyuk had called me a good guy too.

“I’m not good through and through either.”

“What are you talking about? You’re fighting so hard to save your world. If you’re not a good person, then who is?”

“That’s just it. To save my world, I’m willing to use any means necessary.”

I had, after all, intended to destroy Kanyuk’s world.

Kanyuk had chosen to take his own life instead.

Only someone as noble as Kanyuk truly deserved to be called a good person.

Patriot stared at me for a moment, then shook her head.

“No, I’m sure of it. You are a good person.”

She smiled and said,

“In this hopeless world, I doubt there’s a better person than you. I hope you accomplish what you came here to do and make it safely back to your own world, Kim Seo-hyeon.”

*

Another day passed.

Deputy Commander Kagan finally brought me the news I’d been waiting for.

“Records show that a relic used in rituals honoring the Ancient God Ram was sold at Doug City’s main Black Market five years ago. They only sell goods that have been thoroughly authenticated, so it is very likely genuine. The buyer was a well-known real estate magnate in Doug City named Christine.”

They had found evidence that a relic of the Ancient God had been sold at a Black Market in a place called Doug City.

It was the only lead, but at least it was worth following.

It was time to leave.

“Kim Seo-hyeon, would you be willing to lend your strength to the Revolutionary Army?”

And just as I’d expected, Kagan made his request.

“This world is becoming a living hell under the Emperor’s tyranny. Even now, the Plants across the world are killing thousands, even tens of thousands of people in horrific ways every day, and the number of innocent victims is rising rapidly.

The Revolutionary Army is far too weak to stand against an evil as powerful as the Emperor. Please help us. If you lend us your aid, Kim Seo-hyeon-ssi, we will do everything in our power to help you achieve your own objective.”

I firmly refused.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do that.”

A week here had made one thing clear.

I couldn’t afford to grow any more attached to the people in this Hidden world.

I was starting to mistake this place for a real world. Nothing good could come of that.

From then on, I planned to focus solely on my objective and do as much as possible on my own.

Kagan kept trying to persuade me, his desperation plain to see, but I stood firm.

Patriot intervened.

“That’s enough, brother. It was too much to ask in the first place. Kim Seo-hyeon has his own mission, and it matters more to him than anything else.”

With that, I prepared to leave the Revolutionary Army’s hideout.

I wasn’t leaving empty-handed.

They gave me a Terminal, other essentials for getting by in this world, and some money to cover my expenses.

“When you go through the Portal, you’ll end up in a forest, but you’ll see a city right nearby. It’s called Randerton City, and you can take another Portal from there to Doug City. Portals are expensive, though, so you could also use some other kind of transportation.”

I listened to Patriot’s directions as I stood in front of the Portal.

Kagan still seemed reluctant to give up, and he asked,

“If you should change your mind later... Once you have achieved your objective, could you help the Revolutionary Army then?”

“...I will.”

But I would be leaving this world once I achieved my objective.

He looked so desperate that I’d told him I would anyway.

Kagan’s face brightened a little.

“There is a shop called Isabella General Store in an alley off 32nd Street in Cheonghong City. When the time comes, please go there and let the manager know. I’ll be waiting.”

The other members all came to see me off and say goodbye.

“Thank you for everything! Safe travels!”

Last of all, Patriot smiled and gave me a simple farewell.

“Goodbye, Kim Seo-hyeon. Take care of yourself.”

I nodded.

“Thank you, everyone.”

As I stepped through the Portal, the scene before me changed in an instant.

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