Episode 125 [ Promise (4) ]
The portal turned into black smoke and disappeared.
This was the first time something like this had happened.
Kyung-hoon froze with his arms outstretched.
“Nonsense…”
While Kyung-hoon was half-fazed, Eve’s voice came from the cell phone.
She too sounded very surprised.
[Is there a device in this building that prevents space or dimensional movement?]
“Was he a dimensional shifter? Has a new dimension shifter appeared? Or someone from another world?”
The robot that was looking at Kyung-hoon immediately shook its head.
“No such thing was installed in this building. “There was nothing the developers said about making such a product.”
[Then there are monsters around with that kind of skill…]
“If that guy doesn’t have that kind of skill, then no one in Daegu has that kind of skill.”
The robot pointed to a strange bird hovering above the Nakdong River.
[But why?]
The robot supported the bottom of the camera with its arm.
“Hmm, if it’s a movement trait, does this guy have a cooldown?”
[yes. There is a time limit. The travel time changes depending on the amount of mana in the air.]
At Eve’s words, the robot pointed its finger at Kyung-hoon.
“Then, have you used any overcharged items recently? “I’ve heard that if you draw all your mana without realizing it, time will be reset because all of your mana will be lost.”
His words reminded Kyung-hoon of what happened at the Nakdong River.
He had his mana stolen from there all the way to the bottom.
“No way…”
Kyung-hoon took out the Samjeonggeom from his backpack.
A technique that killed Big Salurus in one blow. A skill loosely named Mana Storm had drained his mana to the bottom.
“But it wasn’t once or twice that I ran out of mana.”
At Gyeonghoon’s words, the robot tapped the mana stone on the sword.
“That’s because it’s not taken out by force. That’s just what I heard, but they say that’s why it generates excessively strong power.”
The robot shook his head while looking at the sword.
“They say that overcharge technology is difficult to control, so they use it as a self-destructor. There was someone who used it on a daily basis. ”
I didn’t say it was something the doppelganger would use to commit suicide for no reason.
This sword’s special move, Mana Storm, was a much more dangerous technique than expected.
If this technique had indeed reset his characteristics, this technique would have been sealed for the time being unless it was really dangerous in the future.
Even in the midst of his surprise, Kyung-hoon was a little relieved.
He calmed down and checked his characteristics.
A new organ created after awakening. A new sense. A door connected to another dimension and space.
The characteristic was safe. And he was able to open the door. The energy was now being refilled.
Shane was right.
Fortunately, the characteristics had just been reset.
But the problem started now. Kyung-hoon’s special move was blocked.
The west and north were blocked by the river, and the south and east were Daegu City. We were surrounded.
When we went to the river, those monsters were guarding us, and monsters were running from Daegu city. There was
nowhere to escape.
That was when
Shane opened his mouth, pointing behind him.
“There is one escape route. Underground of the lab. Under the parking lot. “There is a tunnel in the ground. It connects to the outskirts of Daegu. I dug it whenever I could. I thought it might be useful someday.”
Or
maybe the day would come when he would have to leave.
As the days of agony passed, he buried the conflict in his heart by digging a tunnel. As
time went by and the tunnel was completed, he couldn’t leave. No, he didn’t leave.
There was a way to survive, too. Gyeong-hoon’s A blush appeared on his face.
“Let’s go quickly. We just need to buy enough time. There isn’t much time left until the trait activates.”
Shane lifted the machine gun he was holding and slung it over his shoulder. He looked at the old laboratory surrounded by trees.
The robot opened its mouth.
“I’m not going.”
Kyung-hoon looked puzzled by the unexpected words.
-Ah…
And Eve let out a small moan.
“It can’t be because of that promise, right? “You said it happened on its own.”
Kyung-hoon, who came to his senses, refuted his words.
“Because there isn’t just one promise.”
Kyung-hoon was almost dumbfounded by what he said while scratching his arm.
For the first time in a while, I fell in love with a human, or rather a robot, and this robot was much more stubborn than I thought.
Kyunghoon looked up and down the robot.
Old camera and rusty body. And a tattered cloak.
At first glance, it was an antique that was about to be discarded.
But Kyung-Hoon, who had fought, knew.
The robot in front of me was a force that even A-class awakened Kyung-Hoon could not easily defeat. It wasn’t easy to force it along.
“Orders won’t work, right?”
“You’re not even my master. Besides, I don’t know if that will work after I get smarter.”
The appearance of the robot shaking its body looked like it was giggling.
“Hwii hwii, get the hell out of here. “I have to protect the house.”
The robot roughly informed the location of the tunnel and waved its hand at Kyung-hoon.
Kyunghoon glared at the robot. However, the robot only checked the machine gun.
Kyung-hoon, who had been glaring for a while, turned around.
Jump and jump.
Kyunghoon disappeared into the lobby.
The robot stared at the disappearing human.
It was a person I saw after many years. And he was a person who accepted his informal language as a respectful language.
He had an AI that could think for itself as a colleague.
The person he met over time was the person he wanted to meet.
That’s why he had to keep his promise.
A promise you made to yourself while watching a cowboy movie.
Crash.
A magazine was attached to the machine gun.
He tightened his grip on the machine gun handle. The mana stone with the machine gun handle touched the robot’s palm.
Ugh.
The robot’s mana began to flow into the mana stone.
The robot looked down the mountain.
Monsters were coming for the first time in a long time.
The monster that rules Daegu knew he was here.
The monster sent its minions a few times in the beginning, but after a while it stopped paying attention.
Because he was a robot, not a human.
Now that humans were gone, there was no way the monster ruling the city would care if it wasn’t even a living creature.
But this time he seemed to be paying attention.
The number of monsters coming was no joke.
As expected, it was because of the person who came this time.
The explosion of the Nakdong River, the monster birds flying over the Nakdong River, and even the current incident were all due to the human who visited him.
There were no complaints about it. I just wish we could have talked a little more.
He stood at the front door of the lab and waited.
No one will be able to pass through this place unless he gives permission.
*
“Damn it! [email protected]!#!”
A swear word burst out of Kyung-hoon’s mouth as he went down the stairs.
It was a swear word that was not heard these days.
“I feel dirty.”
“Why did I meet such a stubborn person?”
“They say I’ll be staying, so what can I do?”
He kept swearing while passing through the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors of the basement.
While he was swearing, he arrived at the parking lot.
A corner of the parking lot where the entrance was blocked by tree roots. There was a small hole where the robot said.
Human . It was a cave that one person could pass through.
The cave was so long that it was impossible to tell the end.
Kyung-hoon stopped in front of the cave.
It was not a cave he could make alone.
It might have been possible because he was a robot, but Kyung-hoon could not ignore the effort. There was none.
Kyung-hoon, who was sweeping the cave wall, opened his mouth.
“Eve, do you know why the robot was left behind?”
Eve had been silent all the way down here.
Eve answered with an uncharacteristic pause.
-That… I know.
“Isn’t that the reason for protecting the laboratory?”
Kyung-hoon wasn’t that clueless.
Moreover, he had spent time with Eve. There was no way he wouldn’t have known what the AI was saying back to him.
-…Yes. It’s a different reason.
Eve kept hesitating.
“Tell me.”
Eve didn’t answer for a moment.
She seemed to be thinking continuously.
Just like a human being.
And she concluded:
-Education, learning patterns, and embodied personality. Lastly, if you look at the name she refers to herself, ‘Shane’. He identifies himself with the cowboys in the movies.
Kyung-hoon’s expression was strangely distorted. He expected what would come next.
-He is a cowboy. And the cowboy he knows is one who sacrifices himself to protect the weak.
” “A scrap metal can robot! Even if it ignores people, it’s oily!”
Kyung-hoon growled with a distorted face.
It was the first time. He had never been this angry since he was with Eve.
But Kyung-hoon couldn’t hold back his anger. He was angry at everyone.
At the old robot who thought he was a weakling who needed to be protected. .
To Eve, who knew that but kept her mouth shut to protect Kyung-hoon.
And to himself, who had never asked questions out of fear that if he heard the reason, he would not be able to leave.
Kyung-hoon, who had been glaring at the cave, turned around.
“Let’s go back.”
-Yes!
Eve’s cheerful reply came to Kyung-hoon’s words.
*
Ready to face the enemy.
Shane straightened the tilted sign of the laboratory.
It was a sign that was about to be shattered, but he did not give up his habit until the end.
It was a lot of regret . It was a long time, but it was a satisfying time.
“Do you think this was a good life?”
While he was leaning against a pillar and muttering, a strange sound came to his ears:
“[email protected]##[email protected]$$#”
It was a thick human curse.
He turned his head and looked at the lab.
The person who should have left was approaching, muttering.
“I feel like a bitch so I can’t go alone. “It feels like leaving the old chief sergeant behind enemy lines.”
The tone of his military days was coming out of Kyung-hoon’s mouth.
Kyung-hoon, standing next to the robot, carefully took out a weapon from his backpack.
He took out a mana explosive and put it on the loading stand, then took out a sniper rifle and put it on his back.
Next, large swords and long swords were placed on the floor, and rifles and grenade launchers were lined up.
Lastly, I took out a bunch of drones and prepared to fly them.
“Why didn’t you leave?”
The robot, which was quietly watching the scene, opened its mouth.
Kyunghoon looked at him.
“Do any cowboys abandon their comrades?”
At Gyeonghoon’s answer, the robot also looked at Gyeonghoon.
Then Eve opened her mouth.
[Later Western films featured many scenes of betrayal. Especially in macaroni western movies like Django….]
“Stop!”
“Is there something like that?”
Although different answers were given, Eve followed her master’s orders.
The robot shook the camera. If humans were to return, the plan would have to change.
He looked at the stick explosives on Kyung-hoon’s body armor.
“That’s a mana explosive, right? “Let’s use some too.”
“This must be able to change mana…”
“I can use it too.”
[Huh?]
Eve let out a surprised voice at the robot’s words.
But he continued talking.
“There are two of us, so there is no reason to be the last line of defense. “Tell me what other weapons you have.”
As Kyung-hoon laid out the weapons in his backpack, the robot became quiet for a moment.
“…Why are you carrying all the war supplies by yourself?”
“Well, because we have supporters.”
Kyung-hoon pointed to his chest, where his cell phone was placed.
“So, then it’s really worth trying. I know this place well, so follow me, I don’t have time.”
The robot ran ahead after receiving a lot of mana explosives from Gyeong-hoon.
Gyeong-hoon followed behind him and felt amazing. Following
someone else’s back. It was something I had experienced for the first time in a long time.
*
A moment later.
In front of monsters climbing up the hill. A robot appeared. He
was holding a machine gun in one hand and a long mana charge in the other.
He held the charge with two fingers and held it under the camera.
The robot connected the charge to the terminal under the camera.
The tip of the mana charge glowed red.
He picked up the hot mana charge with two fingers and looked forward.
He looked like a cowboy smoking his last cigar in front of the crowd of enemies.
But what the robot was holding was not a cigarette.
The mana explosive flew through the sky and landed among the monsters running in.
Bang!
The battle had begun.
