Episode 173: Crack (3)
“Everyone stand by! “You never know when that guy might pop out!”
At the entrance to the dungeon, the defense forces guarding the place as well as the urgently gathered personnel were waiting in a tense state with their weapons directed towards the dungeon.
It’s literally the calm before the storm. After a monster entered there, there was silence, but no one could let go of the tension.
“How long has it been since you went in?”
“About 3 hours.”
“Hmm, of course that guy’s base was a dungeon?”
The commander of the local army that came to support after receiving an urgent call fell silent after receiving the report from those defending him. A black-shaped monster clearly captured on camera. The monster whose identity and purpose were much talked about has appeared here.
People argued that the monster was another invasive species or that it was an awakened person with special abilities, but no one was able to make a correct guess due to its actions whose purpose was unknown.
In such a situation, since it appeared here today and boldly entered the dungeon, they thought that this monster, called Code x among the allies, was also a monster that came out of the dungeon.
“Oh, look over there!”
From Noble mtl dot com
At that time, the soldiers noticed something strange in the dungeon. The dungeon, which had not reacted in any way since the monster entered, suddenly began to react.
“no way… … .”
They panicked and took up their weapons and prepared to fight.
Changes did not occur simply by entering and exiting. The cracks that had been fluttering in a certain pattern gradually disappeared and the shimmering disappeared.
This means only one thing. The inner core was destroyed and the dungeon was conquered. That’s why everyone’s thoughts stopped. Who on earth would attack an otherwise intact dungeon?
“It’s out! above!”
At that time, an awakened person with detection abilities who was looking at the dungeon with a nervous face opened his eyes wide and shouted.
“Shoot!”
The army immediately concentrated its firepower and poured fire like crazy at the dungeon entrance. It was to strike an invisible enemy first.
[They are wasting resources on useless things. Inefficiently.]
“It would be best for them. Now let’s go back home. “Vacation is almost over.”
However, the figure wearing a reddish shield immediately broke through the bombardment and flew into the sky.
There was almost no damage. In the first place, it would be difficult to make a dent in that defense shield unless it was an attack from an awakened person who is currently famous in this world.
“What are the analysis results? Does it work?”
[Currently 77% analysis completed. The probability appears to be over 89%.]
Speeding across the sky as high as possible to elude pursuit, he asked Lucy about the Death Wizard, which was being sent to base for disassembly and analysis.
In fact, Lucy was on the verge of analyzing the monster’s corpse and coming up with meaningful results.
[Producing strong hearts using nutrients may be possible. Quality and efficiency, of course, require improvement.]
“It means that we can mass-produce higher-end species. “This is pretty amazing.”
Their goal is to find a way to balance the regular troops and advanced troops that collapsed in the process of occupying the Demon World, collapsing the alliance, and eroding the continent.
As has been done several times so far, the strategy of using data on invasive species to fill in the gaps was once again successful.
“I don’t know if I’m lucky or what. “The things we want come out clearly.”
[…] … That’s right. Invasive species and friendly species are clearly evolving in similar directions, so they share each other’s problems and strengths.]
His reaction was that it was amazing that it would come out if he looked for it, but Lucy’s reaction was strange. I had conducted some research on invasive species, but each time I conducted that research, I detected something.
“It’s similar. But you said it. Manryu Ghost Species, if there is a being with a similar origin as you, it is inevitable that they will evolve into similar forms in the end.”
[That’s right. However, it is a correct assumption that the resemblance must be in form, and it is simply difficult to think if the path is also similar.]
“What does that mean?”
[If the data on invasive species collected so far is sorted and organized into categories, there is a 71% probability that their shape and direction will match that of our allies.]
The point at which we crossed the continent and entered the Pacific Ocean. Lucy told him the results of her analysis to the questionable man.
Direction and length are the type, function, and form of soldiers.
A normal species produced by Lucy by balancing strong physical abilities with cheap production costs for efficiency, a higher species created by investing resources called strength to deal with enemies with special powers, a super-giant species that carries out strategies with a huge weight class, etc.
They were all things that Lucy had developed and evolved herself based on her experiences and battles so far.
Even Changhyeon’s contribution was significant. Because I designed my troops based on the hints he gave me.
“So, it is okay to simply resemble the shape or appearance of a soldier who plays the role of an assault soldier. But the role of the assault trooper itself shouldn’t be similar, right?”
[That’s right.]
After thinking calmly, he understood Lucy’s answer. And I frowned.
If we were to interpret Lucy’s words, it was clear that there was something suspicious about it. Everything else aside, what Lucy designed, following her own advice, was a kind of variation that deviated from the laws of nature. But even that doesn’t make sense if the other person has the same thing.
“But I don’t think we can do anything right now. “The probability of 71% may seem high, but it is actually not that high.”
[you’re right. There is still insufficient data.]
In fact, it was just one possibility. till now.
However, that possibility was something that worried me a little too much.
‘If it’s 100%, then what happens?’
He too was lost in thought with a stern face. If the invasive species is 100% the same as Lucy’s demon army, then who are they?
What about the systems and constellations that appeared with them?
* * *
“Let’s think of something else. “Not a topic that has no answer even if you think about it now.”
[Then let me change the subject. We have just succeeded in completely analyzing the Death Wizard data analyzed this time.]
Lucy changed the subject in her correspondence with him and reported on what was going on.
As he said, the enemy was completely decomposed in the nest’s digestive system and now vomited all of its genetic data onto Lucy.
[You can use the animal’s heart as a base to create an organ that creates a strong heart that produces magical power based on nutrients.]
Lucy injected nanos into one side of the nest and instantly divided it. As a result, what takes shape is a gigantic organ.
Similar to a giant photosynthetic mushroom or an organ that produces food using geothermal heat, it is a replica of the Death Wizard’s heart and maximized it. It started spewing out red gems made into crystals using nutrients.
[Although it is of low quality, it seems to be sufficient for making weapons using steel core.]
Lucy assessed it. If you use this low-quality product to make a soldier, it will be weaker than the Gamma type, which has 5 external steel cores with the weakest output.
However, it was able to produce enough output to make weapons.
Light cannons, defense towers, ship-type soldiers’ secondary guns, etc.
Since it is possible to fold and produce in large quantities, if you can handle it, it is also possible to create stronger output by weaving several pieces together.
“Contrary to expectations, we cannot mass produce higher-end species, but is that enough?”
[That’s enough.]
Lucy gave up on mass producing higher species due to efficiency issues, but decided to push ahead with arming them with magic weapons.
Tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of troops armed with weapons that can attempt magical attacks.
The power of the continent, which is now collapsing, cannot be used to stop it. Literally, if she puts her mind to it, Lucy can annihilate the remaining survivors and sweep the entire continent in one fell swoop.
[But it will not attack. So that they can come together and resist, we will start cornering them.]
Despite this, Lucy did not stop the survivors. Lucy, who remembered the face of Evelia, who had overwhelmed her with considerable power, moved her soldiers and herded the people who were taking refuge in the southwestern part of the continent where the church was located, as if hunting them down.
As Changhyun suggested, Lucy planned to use them as a stimulant for herself.
They will resist with only a glimmer of hope, and Lucy feeds on that resistance and accumulates data. If there is a new type of weapon, we will test it on them, and if we create a new type of soldier, we will send it to them and test it.
‘What a mess.’
Changhyun sighed for no reason when he saw that. For her own growth, Lucy naturally wanted to devour the Demon World and even that continent.
Whoever lived there was of no concern to Lucy. There was no recognition for Lucy, and eating food to grow was a natural right of a predator.
It was he who persuaded Lucy of her choice and made it into its current form. Even though he was an enemy against Lucy, deep down, a part of his conscience was hoping that the people there would not be completely exterminated.
* * *
“driving me crazy. “You wasted all your vacation just going back and forth.”
Late at night. He landed lightly on the roof of the villa. Soon, the Nano/Omega covering his entire body returned to his clothes and he returned to his home.
“Have you ever been to America?”
“okay. I have something to do there. Has the news spread as expected?”
It was then that he received a call from Jiyeon Lee. Jiyeon Lee asked his whereabouts in a somewhat surprised voice.
“I heard that Code X appeared in Canada and conquered a dungeon… … “That’s you.”
“Even though I did something nice for them, they attacked me like crazy.”
“I heard it from the president of the association. It looks like they urgently contacted their allies. “I was just surprised to hear it.”
He just returned home with the mindset of eating well and leaving, but the situation had long since turned upside down. Especially those who have been tracking him since the beginning.
“Alone… … “Is this enough to conquer one medium to large dungeon?”
“It’s not entirely my strength. Something that cannot be overused. “You know what I mean?”
Jiyeon Lee asked a little nervously, but he chuckled. It wasn’t a lie. In fact, the format of summoning Lucy and her legions to fight had a time limit and could not be used arbitrarily.
“If I had gone there during my vacation, I would have barely been able to rest.”
“yes. “I took vacation to go there in the first place.”
“oh my god? “We have to start working again tomorrow.”
“huh?”
Then Jiyeon Lee smiled bitterly and opened her mouth. Changhyun was taken aback by the unexpected sound that came out of his mouth and asked back without realizing it.