Dr. Yeon, with a grave expression, stared at the blank computer screen and fiddled with his pen.
“There’s a lot to report to the higher-ups.”
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Reporting to the higher-ups was never an enjoyable experience. Though, at least today, there was some good news.
“Dr. Yeon, please report the results of the operation.”
When the previously empty screen suddenly connected to a call, Dr. Yeon flinched and dropped the pen he’d been toying with.
“This is the 7th Fleet, Naval Anomaly Research Team 1. Dr. Yeon speaking.”
“I know who you are. Report the results of the operation.”
Dr. Yeon hesitated for a moment, then continued.
“The report has been submitted. My research team, in cooperation with a government institute called the Paranormal Science Research Institute, has successfully contained Korea’s third Gate with no casualties and secured numerous samples for research.”
“No casualties, you say?”
“Yes.”
“There are growing concerns among the higher-ups. There are increasing calls to have all available military and research assets recalled to the mainland. The Pentagon holds a similar view.”
Dr. Yeon paused, as if considering, before speaking up.
“I’ll speak frankly, Captain… A ship that never leaves port is just a big rocking chair.”
In the end, it was a matter of conviction. Everyone had their own stance and thoughts, but Dr. Yeon was ultimately a man of unwavering conviction.
He believed it was unthinkable for the Anomaly Research Team to return to the United States.
“I agree. However, I’m telling you this because it must be proven that your activities abroad are beneficial to the United States. Show the Pentagon some tangible results.”
“Yes.”
In the worst case, you may have to appear before a National Assembly hearing. The issue is how much budget the navy will get, how much activity you’ll conduct overseas… a fundamental issue.
“Oh, there’s one thing.”
A fundamental issue.
The U.S. mainland is under attack right now.
There’s a growing opinion in the United States that overseas military activity, including naval operations, should be reduced in favor of focusing on domestic operations.
That’s something Dr. Yeon’s superiors in the navy would want to avoid.
Dr. Yeon lifted his head.
They had only received the samples yesterday, so it wasn’t as if any great research results had come out yet, but in terms of concrete outcomes from this operation, there was at least one thing.
Something the men in black suits from the Pentagon would appreciate.
“It’s a bit far-fetched, but…”
“There’s no time for pleasantries in wartime.”
“How about if I say we found someone? There’s a young researcher in Korea who directed the overall response to the third Gate and the entire Gate crisis.”
“I’ve heard much about them.”
“Yes… I’ll report it to the Pentagon in those terms. That after successfully responding to this crisis, we’ve secured the people conducting research, and will establish an international research organization.”
“Well. Try it your way, Dr. Yeon.”
Dr. Yeon nodded, and the video call ended.
There was no shortage of problems to solve. The Gates hadn’t opened in Korea alone.
They had opened in every major city around the world…
***
The Holy Knight opened the gas tank valve, spraying white gas as he approached the monster’s corpse.
The monster’s body twitched, but it certainly seemed dead to the naked eye.
“Must be rigor mortis, right?”
The front of the monster was blown to pieces, but the rear was unexpectedly intact.
There were more pieces left than expected.
“I thought it’d be completely gone.”
“It’s strange.”
I’d thought nothing would remain after being hit by an anti-tank missile, but the back half of the monster still retained its form.
I used Mana Vision to check the ambient mana.
As expected, Magic Stones left by the Black Flower were scattered all around.
Looking through Mana Vision, I saw glittering objects here and there.
I bent down and picked up a Magic Stone.
It was much larger than the ones the Tentacle Dragon created inside its body.
And, what I was looking for.
Among the remains of the massive slug-shaped monster, the Black Flower, a sphere revealed itself.
So much mana was moving around it that it was visible to the naked eye.
It was the egg of the Squid Monster.
“It’s got to be raised.”
Last time, I’d left it in the isolation room, but this time, I could probably turn it into a Summoned Beast and bring it with me.
I picked up the Squid Monster’s egg and placed it in the Ice Box I’d brought inside the Pineapple.
“With this, the situation is wrapped up.”
I leaned against a pillar in the Ruins and scanned the surroundings.
It seemed the Holy Knight and the Puppeteer were more shaken mentally than anything else.
Growl—
Despite everything, my stomach growled right on cue, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Can’t be helped, huh.”
I couldn’t eat anything while wearing a gas mask.
All I could do was sit and catch my breath for a moment. Even breathing quietly in a gas mask wasn’t easy.
“How about you all, did your levels go up?”
“Already reached Level 7.”
The Hunter Association President nodded.
I tried using the Seeker’s Trait Activation on the Association President and the Holy Knight.
Now that my Seeker’s Trait Activation level had increased, I should be able to see more.
It wasn’t easy to see another’s Status Window, but there were always some Awakened with that ability.
“I’m one of them.”
[Hunter Baek Hyewon]
[Trait: Master of Puppetry]
[Grade: S-Rank]
[Level: 7]
Come to think of it, with Insight, I could now learn people’s names.
“It’s surprisingly convenient.”
[Hunter Baek Ji-soo]
[Trait: Holy Knight’s Resolve]
[Grade: S-Rank]
[Level: 3]
They hadn’t been through many battles yet, so it wasn’t strange their levels were still low.
“In fact, it’s actually pretty high.”
Thanks to their S-Rank abilities, these people had joined only one or two fights and were already at this level.
Well… I’d passed Level 20 thanks to the Seeker’s Trait Activation, but that’s the advantage of Return.
I tied the Signal Device at the spot the Black Flower had been guarding.
“Let’s get going. I think we’ve explored enough.”
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
There would surely be useful resources in the Tentacle Dragon’s world.
It was coal in the Goblins’ world, and iron and metals in the Machine Beast World, so it was highly likely we’d find something useful here, too.
Or maybe… it would be a world with only Magic Stones.
“That can’t be helped either.”
We headed out of the Ruins once more.
Clank, clank, clank.
The sound of the Pineapple’s steps. The Holy Knight wore a thoughtful expression as he trudged back along the way we’d come.
“Pineapple, what do you think?”
“The air composition nearby is a bit harsh. Maybe because it’s late, the concentration of toxic gases like methane seems high.”
“Yeah?”
The instruments I brought weren’t precise enough to pick that up, but honestly, it did look dangerous at a glance.
***
Holy Knight Baek Ji-soo walked toward the exit of the Gate.
Behind him, the robot, the Puppeteer, and the scientist were talking. It sounded like they were discussing ways to deal with monsters.
– By the way, are monsters really that easy to kill with guns?
– Does this look like a gun to you?
– Isn’t it a gun?
– An anti-tank missile can erase a building with a single shot. Shooting the Tentacle Dragon with a gun won’t do anything.
That sort of conversation.
The Holy Knight needed some time to contemplate the situation.
He’d heard about this on the news recently.
The Gates had opened, and cities around the world were starting to fall. Of course, Korea hadn’t changed much.
Such were the rumors.
Until just before the Gate incident, it was a secret that a handful of young researchers at a small government institute were at the center of the Gate response. It was hard to believe… but—
He’d seen it himself, so there was nothing to say.
Clank, clank, clank.
Only that strange mechanical footstep echoed on.
It had all turned out to be true.
The scientist riding that robot back there was the source of everything, and the only reason monsters weren’t running rampant here.
Even when they’d come looking for him at his apartment, it was unbelievable.
He still didn’t know how that scientist had found him.
There were rumors that government officials came looking for those who Awakened, so he’d kept quiet, but what a strange turn of events.
“Holy Knight’s Resolve…”
He thought he’d lived an ordinary life, but how did he end up with the trait Holy Knight’s Resolve? Was it really a randomly assigned power, or did the Status Window know something?
It was impossible to tell.
Because of that trait, the scientist had come looking for him, and because of that trait, he had crossed the Gate and fought monsters.
Though, in truth, most of the monsters were taken care of by the scientists.
***
Today, the four principal researchers of the Paranormal Science Research Institute gathered. Ah, Ming Ming was sitting beside them, helping as an assistant.
Ming Ming was holding up a tablet and showing something in the conference room, a cat collar with a necktie around his neck.
Dr. Ryoo crossed his legs and flipped through papers on his tablet. Dr. Kang, as always, waited with a serious expression, and Dr. Min fidgeted between the two.
Let the meeting begin.
“All right. First Gate.”
Ming Ming nodded.
The first Gate was the one where Goblins emerged.
The very first Gate to open. The monsters coming out weren’t especially strong, and DDT could be used as a countermeasure.
The authorities were currently building military facilities around the Gate. Reinforced concrete walls and doors, and even watchtowers.
They wanted to strictly control entry into the Gate and support activities inside the Gate itself.
“We’re currently mining coal here, but we don’t yet know if it’s profitable. Is there anything else that could be utilized in this Gate, or any additional countermeasures?”
Dr. Ryoo raised his hand.
Whoosh. Ming Ming immediately turned his head toward Dr. Ryoo.
“Go ahead.”
“Doctor Lee mentioned it, didn’t he? The ultimate purpose of the Gate is to heal our world. Terraforming, that is.”
“Yes.”
Dr. Ryoo nodded. Then he showed us the screen of the tablet he was holding.
Pictures of a few ordinary Earth species, along with short explanations.
“I’ve put together a list of the worst invasive species from Earth, the ones that could most effectively devastate that world’s ecosystem. In other words, the Insect Invaders Dream Team.”
“Is that so?”
Dr. Ryoo certainly had a twisted personality.
A research direction I’d never heard of before Return.
Well, there wasn’t time for that before Return. Back then, it was their creatures coming to our side, after all.
“Yes.”
Dr. Ryoo began to explain the contents of his list.
“There are plans for each stage. First, Kudzu grows quickly and smothers other trees and plants, so it’s key to establishing an Earth-like ecosystem on the other side of the Gate.”
“Yes.”
So, they intended to conquer the ecosystem from the ground up.
“What’s the next stage?”
“Insects. I thought about what would be the most destructive invasive insect, and picked the Flower Lanternfly and the Locust.”
The most terrible invasive species.
The Flower Lanternfly had spread like a plague in the United States, despite all-out efforts to stop it.
Dr. Ryoo was a rather frightening person.
Still, he seemed to understand that we were at war. His response matched the situation.
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