[New target [Survivor Wilson] discovered.]
[Initiating communication with new target [Survivor Wilson].]
Suho felt a strange sensation upon seeing the message.
‘Survivor Wilson?’
Red Hammer Dwarves. Ondal Bear Tribe.
There was a clear difference from the other communication targets, who all gave off a feeling of ‘impossibility’ at first glance.
‘There was a similar case before.’
Suho glanced at Balryong, who was flapping beside him.
Balryong was registered in the dimension panel under the unique name ‘Mad Dragon Balangka’.
‘Seems like even someone like Balryong is a Guardian, huh.’
The label ‘Survivor’ also carried weight.
Suho put aside his doubts and began observing.
It was better to examine first for smooth communication.
‘No matter how you look at it, this seems like a scientifically advanced civilization.’
A space resembling the interior of a spaceship in a movie.
Screens and electronic devices packed tightly.
A scene impossible to explain without “science.”
“That’s not an insect, not human, but a strangely shaped creature.”
Balryong, who was inspecting beside him, commented.
Balryong seemed more interested in ‘Survivor Wilson’ than the spaceship-like environment.
Suho’s gaze also shifted toward Wilson.
“Rank three maybe? Small in stature, but limbs are thinner than a Dwarf’s, and the face looks quite distinctive.”
Since the system message did not reveal his race, observation was the only option.
But Wilson did something unusual.
“What? Seriously?”
He shouted in surprise while looking at the screen, then quickly started pressing buttons.
“What is he doing?”
When Balryong muttered, Wilson abruptly turned his head.
Suho felt as if their eyes had met.
‘Did he find the Dimension Gate?’
There had never been a race to discover one before Suho acted.
Before he could fully process the shock, Wilson’s voice rang out.
“How is there a Dimension Gate inside the shelter? Could it be a monster? Did a monster make the Dimension Gate?”
Wilson yelled in alarm.
Suho couldn’t keep watching passively.
“No, it’s not a monster!”
Wilson’s body flinched, frozen.
The voice leaking from the Dimension Gate startled Wilson, who stared blankly into the void.
“I’m a human from another dimension. By chance, your world got connected through this gate. I have no intention of harming you.”
When Suho defended him, Wilson cautiously spoke.
“Another dimension? So, you’re not a monster?”
“Of course not. I’m actually on the side fighting monsters. But are there monsters here too?”
“Are there? There’s nothing in this world but monsters.”
That was Wilson’s quick reply.
Weeeem—
An alarm blared.
Wilson hurriedly checked the screen.
“Damned bastards! They’re attacking again!”
He yelled and frantically pushed buttons.
At the same time, a message appeared before Suho’s eyes.
[Dimension Mission [Help the Survivor!] acquired.]
Suho quickly checked the mission.
「Help the Survivor!』
- Wilson, the survivor of the destroyed world, is under attack by monsters in his shelter. Help him repel the monsters.
- Reward: Survivor Wilson’s Satisfaction.
From the title ‘Survivor,’ Suho guessed that Wilson’s location was a shelter—a kind of refuge.
Now that shelter was under monster invasion.
‘So monsters have broken in? This is an opportunity.’
A chance to make the communication smoother.
“What’s going on? Move the view a bit.”
Suho shifted his viewpoint.
The TV screen moved away from the interior and began to reveal the outside.
Soon, the scene of the shelter’s exterior appeared.
“Snowfield.”
A vast white snowy plain.
On it stood a tall, thick concrete fortress wall.
Inside the wall was a metal cuboid structure — the shelter.
“One side of the wall has collapsed. Monsters are pushing through that gap.”
Balryong pointed to the spot, where indeed the wall was broken.
Monster hordes passed through one after another.
Ziiing—
The metal shelter wall cracked.
Something peeked through the gap.
“No way… is that a gun?”
Typical of a scientific civilization.
Dozens of gun barrels appeared from the shelter’s wall.
Tat tat tat tat tat—
Bullets fired.
The monsters in front died off.
But it wasn’t all in Walter’s favor.
“Too many. If this continues, monsters will reach the building.”
New monsters pushed forward as others fell.
Moreover, the monsters’ tenacious vitality meant multiple attacks were required.
“My turn to step in.”
Suho drew the Flame Thorn Magic Sword.
Shuk—
His hand passed through the screen by 1 inch.
The sword, charged with intense flames, dropped into the middle of the monster horde.
Kaaang—!
The ground trembled from the impact.
Along with it, shattered monsters scattered in all directions.
‘One more time!’
Kaaaang—!
Several sword strikes followed.
The monster horde was crushed.
Tat tat tat tat tat—
Bullets finished off the remaining monsters.
[Dimension Mission [Help the Survivor!] completed.]
[Survivor Wilson’s Satisfaction increased by 20.]
The first mission in the new dimension was completed smoothly.
***
“Awesome! A gigantic, blazing sword! But why is it so huge?”
As soon as Suho moved the view inside the shelter, Wilson’s voice came through.
He had seen Suho’s battle through the screen.
“All the people in your world are about your size.”
“Did something go wrong when the dimensions connected? Anyway, that aside, is your world originally a civilization that uses swords and Magic?”
“No, it’s a scientifically advanced civilization, but about 20 years ago, Dungeons appeared and monsters started showing up.”
“Not long ago, then. For such a short time, you seem to handle Magic very well. Ah, I’m Wilson. I’m a Gnome. Thanks for helping me.”
“Gnome? Is that a race name?”
“It’s the general term for people in our world. We call ourselves Gnomes. Now I’m the only one left, so it doesn’t really mean much.”
Only one left?
“Mr. Wilson, are there any others…?”
“They’re probably all dead? I don’t know exactly. I’ve been trapped here for over 10 years. The world fell apart, and all the other shelters with communication links collapsed too, so maybe I’m truly the last one.”
Wilson answered bitterly.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, I don’t feel anything anymore. And stop using honorifics all the time. I’ve lived alone for over 10 years! I finally met someone I can talk to, so don’t be so stiff.”
Wilson raised both hands and teased.
“Alright, then I’ll speak casually. You can call me Suho too.”
“Alright, that works. Suho! So are we friends now?”
“Friends? Sounds good.”
Much better than being a communication subject.
“Haha, I finally got a second friend. Silver, greet Suho!”
Wilson shouted.
The silver metallic dog ran over and jumped onto Wilson’s knee.
Woof woof—
Wagging its tail.
No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t an ordinary lifeform.
“Silver, hello! By the way, Wilson, is Silver a black clockwork?”
“Um, a fusion of scientific technology and Magic. We call it Magic Engineering. Wilson was created using Magic Engineering. Cute, right?”
“Cute. Magic Engineering, huh? Impressive.”
Silver’s form was just like a dog except it was made of metal.
Its movements were completely natural.
“Magic appeared in our world 100 years ago. It’s technology that developed through many trials and errors. Well, now what use is it?”
There was something Suho couldn’t ignore.
“100 years? So before that, there was no Magic?”
“Of course. If Magic had existed from the start, scientific technology wouldn’t have advanced. Your world also had no Magic until 20 years ago.”
Suho felt a chill down his spine.
‘Maybe Earth is about 80 years behind then…’
Quickly brushing away the thought of destruction, Suho hurriedly asked.
“But how did your world get overrun by monsters?”
“Damn demon bastards!”
“Demon Tribe!”
Magic Power is the energy spread throughout the Demon Realm, and the Demon Tribe are the residents of that realm.
“Yeah, demons! About 100 years ago, Dungeons appeared in our world. After that…”
Wilson told Suho the history of his world.
After listening for a while, Suho asked again.
“So the Demon Tribe started appearing in your world around 30 years ago?”
“That’s right. Since then, the damned Magic Power started to consume the world. Before that, there were crazy people influenced by Magic Power, but we could handle them somehow. Once the demons showed up, we were helpless.”
A sense of crisis enveloped Suho’s body.
“What exactly are the demons?”
“It depends on the individual, so it’s hard to define. They have enormous power, use bizarre techniques, and are really, really hard to kill — that’s all I can say. Damn it.”
If only those bastards hadn’t appeared, the world wouldn’t have fallen.
Hearing Wilson’s muttering, Suho bit his lip.
‘We definitely need to hurry.’
There was no guarantee Wilson’s world and Earth moved in parallel.
Even his own situation might change if demons struck Earth soon.
Suho’s mind raced.
“How did you fight against the demons?”
“We used Magic Engineering to fight them. But we lost. Magic Engineering alone — at least at our level — wasn’t enough.”
“Then the demons still remain in your world?”
“No. After ruining the world like this, they suddenly disappeared. But who knows when they might show up and bite my neck off.”
Wilson laughed bitterly.
A deep loneliness and madness pierced Suho’s heart.
He decided not to probe Wilson’s feelings any further.
‘I’ll ask more details once our relationship deepens.’
Instead, Suho stared at Wilson’s face.
‘I think we’ve talked enough. So what does he need? I have to know, or else no more dimension missions will appear.’
After a moment’s thought, Suho realized it wasn’t necessary.
“Wilson, is there anything you need? Anything you want from me? Since we’re friends now, if it’s something I can get in this world, I’ll give it to you as a gift.”
“Oh—friend indeed! The best thing for me is to talk with a friend. But…”
Talk?
He understood since Wilson had lived with the dog for over 10 years.
But could conversation even be a mission?
Before he could wonder further, Wilson continued.
“You have your own work to do, right? I can’t keep bothering you. Yeah! When you travel, they say you have to try the food first. I want to taste your world’s food. But can you send goods here?”
“Of course. Wait a moment!”
Suho replied readily.
Messages decorated the air before his eyes.
[Dimension Mission [Wilson’s Loneliness (Ongoing)] acquired.]
[Wilson’s Loneliness]
- Wilson, the only Gnome from a ruined world, has lived alone in a shelter for 10 years, consumed by loneliness to his very core. Relieve his loneliness.
- This is a recurring mission. You can perform it repeatedly until the situation improves completely.
- Reward: Survivor Wilson’s Satisfaction.
After confirming the mission, Suho quickly looked around.
What he was looking for soon caught his eye.
“No! That’s mine!”
Balryong’s chicken remained on the desk.
“I know, I’ll bring it later. Just lend it for now!”
“That chicken was left on purpose for me to eat at night! Even if it’s soggy, it’s still seasoned well.”
“I know. As soon as I finish talking with Wilson, I’ll order again.”
“This time! This is exactly when I deserve to get it!”
“All right, I’ll bring you two chickens, so back off a bit.”
Balryong stepped back.
Only then could Suho grab the chicken.
“Wilson, try this. Chicken is a type of poultry raised for food. This dish is called chicken.”
“Oh, chicken! Thanks, friend!”
Wilson accepted the chicken.
Soon he opened the box and put the chicken in his mouth.
But his expression was a little awkward.
“Doesn’t suit your taste?”
“No, it tastes fine.”
“If it’s not good, just say so. We have plenty of food here, so I’ll get you something else.”
“It’s the first gift from a friend. It’s okay, so don’t worry, Suho.”
Suho couldn’t help feeling nervous.
The dimension mission was not yet complete.
“Don’t force yourself. I hurried to get it, so I couldn’t be careful. I’ll get something tastier. I’m serious. I hope you don’t have to eat it.”
“Since you say that, I’ll stop eating it. Actually, it’s not bad. I’m just a bit tired of this flavor.”
“This flavor? Do you have similar food in your world?”
“More than that… is this artificial seasoning?”
“Probably.”
“All the food in the shelter is made from artificial ingredients. From meat to seasoning. Even this chicken you gave me has a somewhat similar feeling.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Honestly, it wasn’t bad. So you can just eat it.”
As Wilson spoke, a solution popped into Suho’s mind.
“No, wait a moment.”
Suho stepped away from the screen and headed into the room.
He shouted in front of a suitcase.
“Bobby, Bobby, come out here for a moment!”
If Wilson doesn’t like artificial seasoning, we’ll go natural!