Machine God with EX-rank talent (Deus ex machina)

A mysterious man suddenly appeared.

Soon after, the group followed him to an underground hideout that he was using to escape from the monsters.

Despite being underground, it was spacious enough to accommodate the group of ten, but there was barely any furniture.

In the empty space, there were only a bed and a bookshelf with a few books.

"Is there no bathroom here?"

Na Yeon-sil sighed in resignation at Eun Hui-gwang's tactless remark.

Luckily, the man didn’t seem to care, and with his arms crossed, he asked in a sharp voice, "So, you people are from a parallel world that crossed over through a dimensional gate?"

It was originally a taboo to reveal one’s identity to people inside the dimensional gate.

Most people within these dimensions were unaware of the existence of other dimensions or even that other intelligent life forms existed in the universe.

In Hyun Suho’s world, this fact was only known after the cataclysm and the beginning of the Hunter era.

Since you couldn’t predict how someone might react to such overwhelming information, it was considered dangerous to reveal it.

However, this mysterious man easily figured out the truth with just a few probing questions.

In other words, the group had been completely fooled by his leading questions.

Despite hearing such shocking information, the man simply nodded as if he understood.

Hyun Suho knew the reason why.

"You’re a wizard, aren’t you?"

"That’s right."

This was the same man who had flown through the sky when they first met.

Of course, a Hunter’s flight skill could replicate that easily, but this man was different.

He used the mana within his body to perform the feat without the system’s help.

This meant that he was a real wizard who used the original method of creating a circle in the heart to cast magic.

And a tremendously powerful one at that.

[Be careful. That man has at least the strength of a level 10.]

Even without Nova’s warning, Hyun Suho could feel it in his body.

The seemingly calm man had an intense energy, like a blazing sun, swirling inside him.

If he were an enemy, there was no way they could win.

Fortunately, the man didn’t show any hostility toward them.

Instead, after listening to their explanation, he said with a hint of admiration, "The era of Hunters... That’s a very interesting concept. You merged reality with a game and turned the whole world into a kind of training ground?"

He had grasped the essence of the era with just a few pieces of information.

As he was lost in thought, Na Yeon-sil, representing the group, asked the question everyone was most curious about.

"What happened to this world?"

A ruined world and terrifyingly strong purple monsters.

It was an environment that could never be mistaken for Earth.

No matter how different the dimension was, this was beyond extreme.

The man then gave a very brief explanation.

"The Earth was destroyed. I’m the only living being left in this world."

"...What?"

It was such unbelievable information that everyone’s jaws dropped.

They could tell that Greenland was a wreck, but they thought that perhaps the other continents might have been spared.

Especially after seeing this man alive.

Hyun Suho, shocked, asked, "How is that possible? What happened?"

The man again spoke in a calm tone, revealing yet another shocking fact.

"A vile god of destruction from the far reaches of the universe is trying to consume the Earth."

"..."

The group exchanged bewildered glances at the man’s words.

A god of destruction?

Trying to consume the Earth?

The scale was so immense that they didn’t even know where to start asking questions.

But then, a scene flashed through Hyun Suho’s mind.

The fog monsters that appeared in Phantom Hyun Suho’s world.

They, too, attempted to destroy the Earth on a mere whim, didn’t they?

‘Perhaps the Death Star is similar.’

Hyun Suho cautiously asked, "So, everyone died?"

"It would have been a mercy if they had died."

"...Then?"

"Didn’t you see them earlier? Those monsters you fought."

"Are you saying... that those were humans?"

"Yes. Humans who were exposed to the god of destruction’s influence turned into those abominations."

Monsters that couldn’t even be distinguished as living creatures or golems.

Shockingly, they were once human.

"Humans exposed to the god of destruction’s power become monsters that can neither live nor die, becoming its puppets. Some humans did try to resist, but it was no use. The god was too powerful, and there were too many of them."

At the man’s words, Eun Hui-gwang cried out in shock.

"Wait, are you saying all humans turned into monsters?"

"Almost all."

"Then the number of monsters on this Earth is..."

"About 10 billion."

"..."

An astronomical number was mentioned.

These monsters were so powerful that even a level 7 Hunter couldn’t handle them.

And there were around 10 billion of them.

The group was too shocked to speak, and the man, noticing their reaction, asked with confusion, "Don’t you have World Storms in your world?"

"World Storms? What’s that?"

"It’s..."

The man began to explain.

World Storm.

It’s a sort of compound term that refers to a colossal disaster that could potentially destroy the entire Earth.

Asteroid impacts, droughts, floods, abnormal climates, pandemics, even alien invasions...

It manifested in various forms, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction multiple times.

"It’s a periodic cataclysm that occurs on Earth. The great flood and plagues mentioned in the Old and New Testaments are examples."

The man spoke as if it were common knowledge, and Eun Hui-gwang, in a reluctant voice, responded, "That... That doesn’t make sense. Periodic disasters? And each time it’s something different? How could such coincidences occur?" 

Then the man spoke firmly.

"Of course, it’s not a coincidence. It’s simply because this world is destined for destruction."

"Destined for destruction...?"

"Everything has a mortal fate. Even stars and the universe cannot escape it. That’s why destruction comes periodically, in different forms and ways."

"But didn’t you say that you’ve survived several World Storms before? If that’s the case, then there’s no need to use such grand terms like ‘fate of destruction.’"

The very fact that they had overcome the threat of multiple World Storms contradicted the idea of a "fate of destruction."

However, the man remained resolute.

"That’s only because, at each moment of crisis, there were strong and courageous heroes who twisted fate. Thanks to their efforts, we were able to overcome those crises."

The man spoke with a slightly melancholy expression.

"But this time, there was no such hero."

At those words, Eun Hui-gwang, who had been glancing around, noticed the title of a book on the bookshelf.

Written clearly in Hangul were the words “Heroic Tales.”

It was the most worn-out book on the shelf.

"Could this book be about those heroes?"

As Eun Hui-gwang reached out to it without thinking, the man shouted loudly.

"Don’t touch it!"

His voice was filled with mana and anger.

Even Eun Hui-gwang, with his EX-rank job and level 7, was pushed back by the force he couldn’t resist.

The man growled in displeasure.

"Putting your hands on someone else’s precious belongings. You’ve got bad habits."

Not only the man, but everyone else glared at Eun Hui-gwang, and he hung his head like a scolded puppy.

"I-I’m sorry."

Fortunately, the man’s anger subsided quickly.

"So, what’s the reason you came here through that grand dimensional gate?"

Just as the man finished his question, a long-awaited quest window appeared before everyone.

《Dimensional Quest Activated》

◆ Quest:

Salvation from Destruction

(Difficulty ★★★★★★★★★)

▷ Objective: Help Ma Ju-won.

Come to think of it, the quest window hadn’t appeared until now.

Everything had happened so fast that there was no time to think about it.

The quest window finally appeared, and its difficulty level was a staggering nine stars.

Even though they had Na Yeon-sil, a top-ranking hunter, and Eun Hui-gwang and Hyun Suho, who were EX-rank and strong, the quest was classified as Hell difficulty.

While everyone was stunned by the absurd difficulty level, Hyun Suho asked,

"Is your name Ma Ju-won?"

"Hmm? How did you know that?"

"The quest window just told us to help you."

"That’s... interesting."

Shortly after the quest window appeared, a portal opened beside them.

It was a return portal to go back if they gave up on the quest.

This was their last chance to retreat.

One of the agents then spoke up.

"We need to get out of here quickly. Nine stars. They said there are 10 billion monsters! This is impossible. We need to gather high-rank hunters like we did during the last Rift Break. No, this time we’ll need top-rank hunters!"

The previous Rift Break was a similar situation.

They had acknowledged that the difficulty was unbeatable and decided it was better to cause a Rift Break and gather hunters to face it together.

It was a significant gamble at the national level.

Fortunately, they cleared it by combining their efforts, but if they had failed, the outcome would have been disastrous.

There were many cases where entire countries were completely destroyed because of Rift Breaks.

Everyone began to lean toward fleeing. Even Na Yeon-sil, who was in charge, thought the same.

"We should retreat for now and reassess the situation."

But Hyun Suho had a different opinion.

He asked Ma Ju-won,

"What do we need to help with?"

At that, Ma Ju-won looked at Hyun Suho with a meaningful gaze.

"Your name is... Hyun Suho?"

"Yes, it is."

"There is one plan I’ve devised."

"What is it?"

"It’s to give that damn god of destruction a taste of his own medicine."

"A taste of his own medicine?"

"This Earth is already finished. There’s nothing left in this world but me, not even bacteria or viruses. What else can I do here?"

"...What else can you do?"

"I won’t let that god have this Earth."

Not let him have the Earth.

Hyun Suho spoke with a sense of foreboding.

"Are you planning to blow up the entire Earth?"

Ma Ju-won was a powerful wizard, equivalent to a level 10 Hunter.

If he really intended to, destroying the Earth wouldn’t be difficult with his magical power.

But Ma Ju-won shook his head.

"It’s easier than that. There’s a creature here that’s like a straw stuck into the Earth by that god of destruction to suck it dry."

"A creature? Is it different from the monsters we saw earlier?"

"It looks and behaves similarly. After all, people were transformed to resemble that monster."

"But it’s stronger, right?"

"Much stronger. Otherwise, would I be hiding in a place like this?"

Ma Ju-won was as strong as a top-rank hunter.

Even he couldn’t find a way to defeat the creature and had been hiding in his refuge.

But now it seemed he had discovered a solution.

"If we kill that creature, we can deliver a blow to the god of destruction."

"Then... can we save the Earth?"

At Hyun Suho’s question, Ma Ju-won responded with a slightly weary voice.

"Heh! You already know it’s impossible, don’t you? The Earth is finished. Who knows, maybe after billions of years, single-celled organisms will start to emerge again."

Hyun Suho looked puzzled at Ma Ju-won’s words.

All dimensional gates are created to save the connected world.

This can involve solving incidents on a scale ranging from a village to a nation or even a continent.

But as the man said, this place has already been destroyed.

All that remains is a powerful wizard filled with vengeful rage.

So, it’s only natural to wonder:

'Why was a dimensional quest created in this place in the first place?'

Just then, Eun Hui-gwang approached and shouted.

"Why are you even asking? Are you thinking of staying here?"

"And if I am?"

"Are you insane? Didn't you see the difficulty level? It's nine stars! There are hundreds of billions of those bizarre monsters! If we stay here, we’ll all die. We need to run away!"

Hyun Suho’s goal is to fight and defeat the Death Star.

Compared to that, a nine-star difficulty level was nothing.

But since he couldn’t explain all of this, he just responded as if he was annoyed.

"I didn’t ask you to stay. If you want to leave, then go."

The difficulty of the dimensional quest is determined based on the party that entered.

So, if Na Yeon-sil, Eun Hui-gwang, and the others all left, the difficulty would undoubtedly increase.

Even taking that into account, Hyun Suho had no intention of leaving.

'This quest is related to future foresight.'

The mysterious book obtained from the Jinryong family reacted in this world.

This meant that what he sought, even at the cost of fighting Butcher, was related to this dimensional quest.

So, no matter the danger, he couldn’t afford to run away.

At those words, Eun Hui-gwang, his mouth agape in disbelief, flushed red.

Then, as if making a sudden decision, he shouted loudly.

"Th-Then I’ll stay too!"

The one who reacted to that was Na Yeon-sil, who had already decided to retreat.

"Hui-gwang, what are you talking about? This place is too dangerous. We must retreat immediately."

But Eun Hui-gwang shouted stubbornly with his characteristic expression.

"I’m an EX-rank talent! It doesn’t make sense for me to run away from a quest like this!"

"Hui-gwang!"

"Ah! I don’t care! I’m staying here!"

Na Yeon-sil pressed her forehead as if she had a headache at Eun Hui-gwang's childish behavior.

Though he had said it confidently, everyone knew that Eun Hui-gwang’s change of heart was because of Hyun Suho.

"He probably became this strong because he cleared quests like this. If he can do it, so can I! Right?!"

He was half right and half wrong.

But Hyun Suho didn’t bother to correct him.

'He might be useful.'

The portal wouldn’t wait long.

If they delayed any further, it would disappear soon.

Na Yeon-sil, knowing from experience that Eun Hui-gwang wouldn’t back down, finally gave in.

"…Alright. Then I’ll stay too."

The agents were shocked to the point of fainting.

"Captain Na Yeon-sil!"

"I don’t have a choice. I’m Hui-gwang’s mentor and guardian."

Hyun Suho looked at her with curiosity.

If he were Na Yeon-sil, he would have subdued him by force and taken him away, but she accepted Eun Hui-gwang’s stubbornness.

'Because she’s his mentor…?'

Even mentors sometimes need to use tough love, don’t they?

He shook his head and spoke.

"Since that’s the case, everyone else should leave, except the three of us. I’m sorry, but you’ll only be in the way."

They had seen the terrifying strength of the monsters.

They had also witnessed level 7 hunters being helplessly defeated.

Unless they used light energy, only Eun Hui-gwang’s skills or Na Yeon-sil’s swordsmanship would work against them.

So the others would only be a burden.

He conveyed this to Na Yeon-sil, who sighed deeply but eventually agreed and sent the others out.

Whirring!

Not long after they left, the portal disappeared.

Now, the only way to return was to clear the quest.

The only ones left were Hyun Suho, Eun Hui-gwang, Na Yeon-sil, and Ma Ju-won, the resident of this world.

Just when it seemed everything had settled, a book in Hyun Suho’s possession suddenly began to glow.

"What the heck is this?"

The last time this happened, the purple monsters had swarmed them.

As Hyun Suho pulled out the book with a frown, Ma Ju-won was visibly shaken.

"Hmm?"

He asked in shock and bewilderment,

"Why do you have that book?"

"Do you know this book?"

It was a mysterious book that hadn’t even opened its cover.

No matter what methods he tried, it remained sealed.

Then, Ma Ju-won suddenly rummaged through his belongings and pulled out a book.

It looked exactly like the one Hyun Suho was holding.

Ma Ju-won spoke.

"That’s my grimoire."

With a gesture from Ma Ju-won, the book in Hyun Suho’s hand floated over to him.

And as he opened the book…

Flutter.

The book opened as if it had been waiting for that moment.

"What the…?!"

Like peeling an onion, as one secret was revealed, another emerged.