Chapter 59: An Out-of-Specs Necromancer (1)

The United States Hunter Ally Association and the Defense Army were quickly reclaiming the Ancient City.

The ants were fleeing outside the Ancient City after losing their command, and the slimes had also significantly decreased in number.

The problem was the Fallen Angel.

Explosions were echoing continuously as if the Ancient City would collapse, and the sound of Helicopters passing by continued without end.

It was questionable if even a single window in the downtown area would remain intact.

Anyway, the plan was this.

While the California Hunter Ally Association cleared the outskirts of the Ancient City, the Helicopters would keep the Fallen Angel pinned down.

I had to find an opportunity to drive the Mistletoe Spear into the black angel.

“Easier said than done…”

The Fallen Angel. They were hovering in the air like an ancient Deity, bringing disaster to their surroundings.

Under the four pairs of black wings, beneath the Fire Magic-ominous shadow of the Fallen Angel.

Countless lightning strikes fell upon the Ancient City, and purple beams sliced through the sky along with the thunder.

“It wasn’t that intense earlier.”

A small typhoon was blowing around the black angel.

Strange-colored lightning flashed within the typhoon, and the Fallen Angel occasionally threw purple beams toward the nearby Helicopters.

Kwang-!

With a loud roar, I could see a Helicopter hit by a beam staggering heavily. One had even exploded a moment ago.

I readjusted my protective cloak out of anxiety.

——-!

The fight was unexpectedly balanced. It wasn’t as if the Fallen Angel was in a comfortable situation either.

Missiles and machine guns were pouring onto the Fallen Angel’s head without rest. Rather, it seemed they were being pushed into a defensive position.

However, looking closely, that wasn’t the case.

Purple Mana was flickering incessantly around the Fallen Angel.

The rockets and machine guns only seemed to irritate the black angel, and it didn’t look like any effective hits were actually landing.

The compass that tracks monsters was pointing at the Fallen Angel.

The goal of the Helicopters was to keep the Fallen Angel pinned to the west side of the Ancient City so the Hunter Ally Association and the Army could enter from the east.

Now it was my turn.

“Let’s do this.”

The side door of the Helicopter opened, and I lifted the magic-engineering rifle, aiming at the center of the storm, the Fallen Angel.

The Fallen Angel had raised their altitude to fight the Helicopters, but they weren’t particularly fast.

Bang!

A hit.

Hitting the Fallen Angel was easier than I thought.

The enhanced senses of an Awakened who was now over Level 7Space 0 played a part.

The Fallen Angel’s storm shrunk slightly.

“It’s working.”

The Helicopter I was riding turned its side toward the Fallen Angel so I could shoot properly.

Bang!

The magic-engineering railgun hit the Fallen Angel again.

Several effective hits accumulated, and with a roar that sounded like the sky was breaking again, rockets exploded in succession.

Taking advantage of that momentum, machine gun fire lit up the inside of the typhoon.

——!

Soon, the lightning raging inside the typhoon subsided, and the dark clouds covering the sky grew a bit faint.

“Did it work?”

I squinted my eyes, trying to grasp the situation in front of me, but I couldn’t see anything because of the continuous explosions and smoke.

“Let’s get off the Helicopter!”

The window of opportunity might not be long.

I grabbed the Mistletoe Spear and ran as fast as possible.

“I think it fell into the plaza.”

If I didn’t catch it before it flew back into the sky, there might not be another chance. It might even destroy another Ancient City.

——!

Stepping out of the alley and into the plaza, I was almost blown away.

“Ugh, what’s with this wind.”

A fierce wind was whipping through the plaza.

I ignored the typhoon blowing around me and ran forward.

The Fallen Angel slowly but surely spread its wings again. As if it were about to fly up once more.

As soon as I spotted it, I raised the Spear.

“Stay calm.”

Then, I corrected my posture and threw the Spear toward them.

The Mistletoe Spear left my hand, and along with the Awakened’s motor reflexes—

“Psychokinesis.”

The Spear accelerated.

The Mistletoe Spear pierced one of the Fallen Angel’s eyeballs, and the Fallen Angel thrashed about, flapping its wings.

?!#$%@#!?!

It let out a horrific scream that didn’t belong to this world.

Purple Mana surged in all directions.

“It’s done.”

The victory was mine.

I picked up the magic-engineering railgun and aimed it at the Fallen Angel fallen on the ground.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The gunfire continued.

The Fallen Angel’s blood was dark red, but it sparkled with rainbow colors as if Mana had liquefied.

I walked up to the front of the Fallen Angel and pulled the Mistletoe Spear from its eyeball. Let’s end its life for sure.

The Mistletoe Spear pierced the Fallen Angel’s heart, and the angel’s blood splattered everywhere.

“Haa…”

Catching my breath, I used the Seeker trait on the Fallen Angel’s corpse.

[Fallen Angel]

[Grade: Out-of-Specs]

[It is the Gate Manager.]

[You have discovered the Gate Manager.]

[Exploration points +1Space 0Space 0.]

[24Space 0/4Space 0Space 0 until reaching Enlightenment Step 4.]

[You have killed the Gate Manager.]

[Exploration points +2Space 0Space 0.]

[4Space 0Space 0/4Space 0Space 0 until reaching Enlightenment Step 4.]

[4Space 0/5Space 0Space 0 until reaching Enlightenment Step 5.]

I didn’t know exploration points could increase this much at once.

I slumped onto the ground as my strength left me, but the system window didn’t stop bothering my vision.

[You have reached Enlightenment Step 4.]

[Level increases by 1Space 0.]

[All stats slightly increase.]

[Skill ‘Wide-area Search’ can be used.]

[Skill ‘Crafting’ can be used.]

[The number of Summonings that can be summoned simultaneously increases by 1.]

I lowered my gaze and checked my wristwatch.

“Still, I succeeded.”

The 48 hours had not yet passed.

I sat blankly on the ground as fatigue washed over me, and Ming-ming stared at me with anxious eyes.

“Ming.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry.”

After waiting like that for a few minutes, I began to hear the voices of the people who came to reclaim the Ancient City. Now it was truly over.

We would be able to take the Fallen Angel’s corpse to the laboratory.

***

I wanted to return to the laboratory as soon as possible, but the Americans seemed to have no intention of letting me go just yet.

First, I rejected all Media Company interviews.

However, not all meetings could be refused.

“I am George Newman. The Hunter Association President of the California Hunter Ally Association.”

“Hello.”

“I’m a fan. When I heard the mention of 48 hours at the Cheongmunhoe, honestly, my team members scoffed.”

I nodded.

I expected that reaction, but I had played this game before.

The Sacramento Siege was the most studied and famous case among studies related to Gate isolation.

A case where people always said, “If we did it that way, we would have won.”

“You did what thousands of California Defense Army soldiers and dozens of American Hunter Allys couldn’t do alone. You accomplished it, Doctor.”

“You flatter me.”

Upon entering Sacramento, I had achieved the three goals I initially set.

Kill the queen of the ant monsters, destroy the central nest of the slimes, and catch the Fallen Angel.

However, some curiosity remained.

“What happened to the Ancient City?”

“The center of the Ancient City was successfully reclaimed, and barricades and towers have been erected around where the Gate was.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Only a few Marley from the ant swarm managed to escape. It doesn’t seem like a problem that will be solved in the short term.”

North Korea almost disappeared because of those things.

They were by no means an easy opponent.

The slimes were also dangerous, but they weren’t the kind of monsters to destroy a nation.

No, I shouldn’t say that. Who knows, a Grade 5 slime might come out tomorrow and smash the Ancient City again.

The Hunter Association President pondered a bit more.

“As you have shown, Doctor. The future will not be a world led by nations, corporations, or institutions. It will be a world that relies on individual power and individual genius.”

“Perhaps…”

It wasn’t a very pleasant thing to hear.

Gate worshippers often said similar things.

Of course, as time passed, such a world becoming reality was unavoidable, but that’s just how it felt to hear it.

“Ah, I don’t mean it in that sense.”

“Eh.”

“I hope we can maintain a friendly relationship. Didn’t today prove that nations, institutions, and even the Army cannot protect us? What is actually helpful is—”

George Newman agonized over the choice of words.

“I’ll call it something like personal connections. I’m not just talking about your military power or traits. I’m talking about your knowledge, your ability to lead an organization, your eloquence—all of it.”

It was true.

Power or influence doesn’t arise simply from being strong, nor does strong power solve problems on its own. That was just a characteristic.

I stared straight into the Hunter Association President’s eyes and asked.

“What did you do before this?”

It was a question I had since a while ago.

It hasn’t even been a few weeks since the Gate opened, yet I didn’t understand why he spoke like someone who had worked as a Hunter Ally his whole life.

“I was a politician. A state representative.”

“I see.”

Thinking of it that way, it made sense.

“I might go to a higher place in the next election.”

“I wish you luck.”

“It’s like this. Didn’t you see when Dr. Lee mentioned selling weapons at the Cheongmunhoe recently? You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

I nodded calmly.

“I did it on purpose.”

I deliberately took a question from a person shouting without the right to speak, and I deliberately mentioned that I didn’t know what the production capacity would be.

The goal was to induce competition among the states.

“My team watched that Cheongmunhoe video more than ten times. Deliberately inducing auction-style competition and taking a question from someone shouting to make the Cheongmunhoe proceedings difficult.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s a heavy story. The core of what I’m saying is this. All we can trust is ourselves and our friends. Everything else is unreliable. Since we received help this time, I will also help you, Doctor.”

What I wanted now was simple.

“I don’t want much. The withdrawal of the plan to reduce and pull out the Navy. Support for research funds. The purchase of Korean-made weapons. I’ve left them all as matters that will be mutually beneficial.”

“Let’s push for it.”

What I want is actually neither power, wealth, nor fame.

Using my experience from before the Return, shouldn’t I prevent the country from disappearing and civilization from being destroyed?

At least for the next 15Space 0Space 0 days, that was the goal.

“Survival.”

Me surviving is a given, and maintaining the country until then. If possible, without being eaten by monsters.

“It seems the conversation has flowed a bit too much like one between politicians, but to return to the main point. I am grateful beyond words, Dr. Lee. You have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands.”

At the moment the Fallen Angel died, about 1Space 0Space 0,Space 0Space 0Space 0 people remained in the Ancient City without fleeing or dying.

With this, I had gained one more card to use.

Not only had a direct communication line to the United States been established, but the laboratory’s influence would also reach overseas.

If the situation allowed, I might even go to help.

“I’ll be going now. See you next time.”

Let’s head back for now.

Since the Fallen Angel’s corpse has been sent to the laboratory…

Even ten years of research won’t be enough.