Alien Research Facility.
We walked briskly, inspecting the corpse of the monster confined in Containment Room No. 1.
“Even after exploring for several days, it won’t be enough.”
I recorded the scene with my camera, and Pineapple shined the flashlight from above.
“What kind of monster do you think it was?”
“It’s a Griffin. See the wings, beak, even the lion’s tail.”
Its size was considerable.
The specimen I saw before the regression was only a little bigger than a human—about the size of a large dog. But the one here was bigger than a car.
A few mummified feathers were scattered on the floor.
For some unknown reason, the beings that once used this Research Facility seemed to have abandoned it and fled.
Or maybe, they were all killed.
“Either way, let’s make good use of this.”
I collected several Magic Stones from the Griffin’s corpse and picked up some feathers from the floor to use as Samples.
“Ming.”
“…It’s enormous.”
“Yes, quite big.”
Ming Ming appeared, dragging a huge feather in its mouth from somewhere.
It looked roughly as long as I was tall.
I picked up the feather and put it into Pineapple’s cargo compartment.
“Whew, let’s move on for now.”
“Yes, let’s.”
The deeper we went, the more Goblin footprints and traces we found—far too many to count.
Ming Ming prowled around like a cat tracking a mouse.
Ahead, there was a structure that the Goblins had used as a hut.
There was a Goblin horde nearby.
I had a strong feeling a fight was coming.
“Ming Ming, come here.”
I tapped my finger bones, summoning my Tentacle Dragon, Mangkomi.
Ming Ming climbed onto my shoulder.
Mangkomi took the lead, pushing through the surroundings.
Mangkomi was sturdier and had greater regenerative power than Ming Ming.
“Not long ago, the area was swept with artillery shells. The Goblins must’ve been scared by the noise and went underground.”
“Ah, I see.”
Dr. Wi nodded as if she understood.
“The question is, how many managed to hide down here?”
“Will it be okay?”
“Who knows.”
Since the artillery shells were fired thoroughly around the Gate’s 20107 radius, if every Goblin in the area hid underground…
It was possible there could be thousands, even tens of thousands.
I sensed Dr. Wi’s sharp gaze from beside me, but I paid it no mind and kept walking.
The Containment Rooms of the Research Facility were lined up neatly along the square corridors.
Even after countless eons, some Containment Rooms still pulsed with Mana.
Some rooms had their seals broken, as if prisoners had broken out from inside, or someone had opened them from outside.
If things had continued as before the regression, maybe even my Research Lab would have become ruins centuries later.
Hundreds of Hunters and monster corpses would have been left to become another Ruins.
Mangkomi made a strange noise.
I snapped out of my thoughts and began to be alert to my surroundings.
The Tentacle Dragon raised its head, looking around with its six eyes. It seemed Mangkomi had spotted something just now.
Pineapple dimmed the flashlight’s brightness.
Dr. Wi and I crouched behind Pineapple and held our breaths.
Rounding a corridor corner, we saw a Barrier.
Broken wood, building debris, and scraps from the Research Lab were piled haphazardly, forming a makeshift wall.
“They’re over there.”
Monsters must be hiding behind it.
My guess was right.
Suddenly, a fireball came flying at Pineapple, and we hurriedly ducked for cover.
“Mangkomi. Go kill them all.”
No sooner had I spoken than Mangkomi charged toward the Barrier.
Several crossbow bolts flew by, but Mangkomi ignored them and rammed the Barrier.
Shards of wood scattered in every direction.
Ah, since my Enlightenment Stage and Level went up recently, Mangkomi should be able to transform into its mature form this time.
“Kyeeeeh!”
Mana surged, and the Tentacle Dragon, buried under debris, unfurled grotesque, wing-like shapes.
At last, Mangkomi succeeded in transforming into its adult form.
“Good.”
Black mist spread out around us.
Realizing the situation, the Goblins tried to flee in panic, but it was far too late.
Mangkomi lunged forward, snatched up small Goblins with its wings, and swallowed them whole.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The Barrier soon collapsed.
Pineapple pressed ahead, and we followed Mangkomi into the Goblin’s underground village.
The Goblins could not respond effectively to the rampaging Tentacle Dragon in their midst.
Their formation collapsed, and the magical devastation spread everywhere.
In truth, we had already witnessed situations like this many times.
When a high-grade monster breaks into a city, there’s not much that can be done.
It was the same in North Korea, Japan, China, and every other country.
Only in our country had we managed to prevent such disasters.
I hid behind Pineapple and observed the situation.
As I quietly raised my gun and loaded it, Dr. Wi also started to move into action.
The elite Goblins—the Goblin Knights and Shamans—joined the battle.
Elite Goblins, unlike the regular ones, could grow to the size of a human.
Even so, it wasn’t enough.
Mangkomi bit off the head of a Goblin Knight and crushed a Goblin Shaman to death with its wings.
Dark red blood splattered everywhere.
Bang—!
To keep the stragglers from approaching me, I fired several rounds at the dense group of Goblins, taking down a few.
After Mangkomi killed the last Goblin Knight with its claws, it roared in triumph.
The area was littered with monster corpses, but no living Goblins remained.
That was the end of it.
“It’s over.”
Mangkomi was pierced with arrows and spears, but it shook its body like a dog shaking off water.
Arrows and spears clattered to the ground next to Mangkomi, who then transformed back into a small hatchling form.
“Good job.”
This time, Mangkomi nodded as if it understood what I said.
It seemed it could now understand speech.
About thirty Goblins lay dead.
It seemed that Goblins had spread throughout this entire area, and the rest must have fled in the opposite direction.
“Looks like they went behind the Barrier?”
“Yes. That’s how it seems.”
Being small, the Goblins could easily build nests and live in storerooms or corridors around the Containment Rooms.
They were living in the Containment Rooms like apartment units.
The Goblin’s huts were made of wooden sticks, Research Lab debris, and bones.
“Ah, I already hit Level 8.”
“You’re leveling up quickly, huh?”
“We did hunt a lot of Goblins, after all.”
Mangkomi was licking its lips next to me.
“Let’s keep moving.”
“Yes.”
If luck was on our side, I might reach Level 10 before the day was out.
“If they don’t all run away, it should go smoothly.”
We began to search the area thoroughly.
The only meaningful resistance was at the first Barrier.
After that, the only Goblins left were those either attacking chaotically or running away.
Sometimes an elite or an Orc would appear, but even then, it wasn’t too hard to deal with.
Time passed like that.
I leaned against the wall and checked my rifle.
I must have killed hundreds of Goblins today.
“Dr. Wi. What Level are you?”
“Oh, I reached Level 10.”
“That’s good. Let’s keep moving. We should start looking for an exit, too.”
The original goal of helping Dr. Wi raise her Level was achieved, and we had discovered a new Ruins.
Now—
“Wait.”
I squinted at the flow of Mana before my eyes.
In the space beneath the Containment Zone, I saw something I shouldn’t have.
I narrowed my eyes and cautiously stepped forward.
“What’s wrong?”
“Come take a look at this.”
One of the Containment Rooms in this Facility.
At first glance, it looked like a sealed fake Gate, but that wasn’t all.
Surrounding the fake Gate was a precise, spherical brass apparatus, like an ancient observatory.
“What is this…”
“Step back for a moment.”
Clang—!
With telekinesis, I tore the Containment Room’s iron door off.
A tool meant to harness the power of the Gate.
Were they trying to borrow the power of a fake Gate, or use it to summon and control monsters? Or maybe—
“Were they trying to artificially open a Gate?”
I used the Seeker’s Trait on the fake Gate.
[Intricate Fake Gate]
[Grade: S]
[One of the most precise and powerful artifacts. By borrowing the power of the Gate, you can summon monsters from another world.]
[Can grant Mana to the user.]
The primitive fake Gate we saw in Mujin City was just an early version, and this must be the real thing.
A creation born from the Ruins.
There wasn’t a speck of dust on this fake Gate.
As I examined around the fake Gate, I found a Staff lying on the floor.
A brass shaft embedded with a black obsidian sphere used as a Magic Core.
Dr. Wi carefully picked up the Staff.
“So that’s what it meant to borrow the power of the Gate.”
Even before my regression, research on the fake Gate hadn’t made much progress.
However, I had seen Magic Cores modeled after the Gate’s form before.
“Of course, normal people didn’t use them.”
It was a weapon used by the Gate Worshippers among the mages.
“A type of magic that works based on similarity to the target.”
“You know a lot. If I practice with the Staff, do you think I could really use magic? What do you think, Dr. Lee?”
Magic is something you can nurture and learn.
It’s also a power supported by the Saintess, but after my regression, since my Level rose so quickly, I started using more offensive skills.
Dr. Wi is a 5th Grade Ability User, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for her to pick up combat-type abilities if she puts her mind to it.
After swinging the Staff a few times, Dr. Wi looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“You’re really going to use that?”
“Yes, I think it’ll be fine.”
“Well… I don’t recommend using that Staff. But with your Trait, Dr. Wi, you’ll pick up offensive magic quickly.”
Dr. Wi nodded, looking a bit disappointed.
In my previous life, the Astrologer rarely took to the front lines. Her combat ability was nothing special.
But if we could add another 5th Grade mage Hunter to the Hunter Combat Force, it would be a huge help.
“Then, from the next battle, you’ll be up front, Dr. Wi. I’ll support you with all the resources of the Research Lab.”
“Will I be able to fight well?”
“You survived today, didn’t you? That’s all that matters.”
Dr. Wi nodded with a resolute look.
We had accomplished much more than planned.
On this expedition, not only did I help Dr. Wi, a 5th Grade Ability User, increase her Level dramatically, but I also managed to persuade her to step forward and fight—a big change from before my regression.
“By the way, Dr. Wi.”
“Yes?”
“Do you have anything a bit more reliable than tarot? Something real?”
I’d heard the Astrologer could predict the future before regression, but she hadn’t shown that side yet.
I hadn’t heard a real Prophecy from her yet.
“If your Trait Level goes up, maybe you’ll be able to deliver meaningful predictions.”
Dr. Wi thought for a moment, then spoke.
“I’ll give it a try when we return to the Research Lab. But…”
“But?”
“I have a strong feeling that a big event is going to happen to you soon, Dr. Lee. Something big—and at the same time, an extraordinary opportunity.”
Exactly as the Trait description said.
She really talks like a Diviner.