The World Does Not Exist for ■■

Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: ford53
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< Chapter 37: The World After the Prologue (2) >

As they neared northern Manchuria, the scenery visible from outside the truck transformed.

The plains that seemed to stretch into eternity ended, revealing mountains and rivers.

On the mountains, slightly higher than hills, coniferous trees sparsely formed forests. The winding river flowing alongside the mountains carried floating patches of thin ice, and the chilled air stung the nose.

Only then did the proximity to Siberia become palpably real.

“We’ll arrive soon. Everyone, wake up! Check your weapons before the mission!”

While absorbing the landscape, the voice of Tian Lin reached Cheon Yeomyeong’s ears. Turning his head, he saw that Tian Lin had already completed arming himself.

Like the other mercenaries who were just waking up, Cheon Yeomyeong quietly pulled out his weapon bag.

The Remington MH750 and grenades given by Elder Jangman, along with three supply swords from the mercenary corps.

Though the armaments were primarily melee, no mercenary bothered to comment on that fact.

Where would a rookie need to shoot during a support mission? The seasoned mercenaries carrying guns were sufficient.

As the mercenaries completed arming themselves, the military truck slowly began to reduce its speed.

…?

Cheon Yeomyeong’s senses receded, rather, his reality stretched out lengthily.

The sound of the truck’s engine and the retching noise from Deputy Leader Kim Mansoo seemed to diminish, coming from a faraway place.

‘What is this…’

Attempting to harness mana, his body had long since left his mind behind.

Shaaaa—

Between the stretched reality, a shadow rose.

It was the primordial shadow that even swallowed starlight within the night sky, yet it was simultaneously… a familiar shadow.

‘…Mignium?’

Cheon Yeomyeong unwittingly called out its name. However, no response came back.

The shadow simply silently coiled around his mind, lifting it higher.

His detached mind, the elongated world, began to ascend. Everything below started to recede.

The military truck receded first. The mountains of Manchuria faded, followed by the Korean Peninsula.

Eventually, rising to a height that faced the stars, a voice flowed from between the shadows.

“My chosen one.”

It was a viscous voice, disconnected from reality. Cheon Yeomyeong then realized this was a dream.

A dream of none other than Mignium.

“Look over there.”

Following the shadow, Cheon Yeomyeong looked to the west. The first thing he saw was the United States.

The country of Supermen, the victor of the Cold War, the mightiest nation of mankind.

Yet, it was covered in darkness. The only light was a small, twinkling bead deep within Washington.

“Do you feel it?”

Though he could not identify what the bead of light was, Cheon Yeomyeong nodded.

In the expanded world, even from that distant land, the beads of light felt vivid enough to be grasped in hand.

“Then now, seek the next bead.”

His gaze next fell upon Australia.

More precisely, the western part of the Australian continent, a place called Rhodes Howe Island.

Yeomyeong knew the place well. It was where the famous Rhodes Howe Academy was built atop that beautiful island.

However, the moment he focused his gaze on the academy, his eyes narrowed.

Unlike in America, there were six beads sparkling at the academy.

Some beads shone more brilliantly than others, some were broken, and some were hidden, but…

The light emitted by the six beads simultaneously could not be concealed. The entanglement of various colors of light was almost blinding.

‘…What exactly were these beads?’

Questions followed one after the other, but no answers returned. The shadow of Mignium led his gaze to the next location.

“Look below once again.”

Right beneath him, between the dark red-stained Korean Peninsula and the shadow-enshrouded Siberia, lay Manchuria.

There, two beads sparkled. One was hastily heading north from the Manchurian base, and the other was…

Right in front of the Manchurian rift.

The moment he realized this, Yeomyeong’s mind plummeted.

Not in the military truck he was riding in reality, but to the hilltop overlooking the rift.

It was the spot where the Northern Manchurian base, as mentioned by Tian Lin, should have been. It was supposed to be filled with armed mercenaries and superhumans, but…

All that remained was burning ruins.

Monsters swarmed the surrounding mountainsides and forests, and the sounds of the mercenaries desperately fighting echoed through the air.

A dreamlike delusion? Or a prophetic dream?

It was neither. The scene unfolding before his eyes was the harsh reality of the present moment.

Yeomyeong turned his head toward his real self.

Not far from the burning base, he saw the military truck of the Seonjook Mercenary Corps. The mercenaries were approaching the base unprotected, unaware of the danger…

“Korean government sheepdogs?”

Creatures wearing pig and cow heads were rushing towards them.

‘Could it be that the Korean government was behind the destruction of the Northern Manchurian base? But why?’

Amidst rising questions, Mignium spoke.

“Fate has awakened.”

“The masters of all fates have also awakened.”

“It is proper for you to seize their fates.”

Words that were incomprehensible, a dream that was incomprehensible.

Yeomyeong glared at Mignium, demanding an explanation.

However, the dream’s master, Mignium, resolved none of his questions. Instead, she merely smiled silently and dismissed him.

“Strive harder, my chosen one.”

‘Wait…!’

The dream turned upside down. The expanded world contracted, and his spirit flew back toward his body.

As Mignium’s shadow faded away and the smell of blood and death stung his nose, Yeomyeong awoke from the dream.

* * *

‘…What’s this?’

Tian Lin, catching a whiff of something burning, stuck his head out of the military truck.

The smell was wafting over from beyond the coniferous forests of Northern Manchuria. It wasn’t just the simple scent of gunpowder; intertwined with it was the odor of burning wood and flesh.

Frowning, Tian Lin looked up to see faint black smoke rising into the sky.

Needless to say, it was an ominous sign.

He picked up the radio to contact the base in Northern Manchuria, but not even a simple beep returned.

Tian Lin, a seasoned mercenary, did not ignore his instincts. Something had gone terribly wrong.

“Stop! Everyone stop!”

He pounded on the driver’s seat to halt the vehicle and gathered the attention of the other mercenaries.

The prepared mercenaries looked at him with confusion, then their expressions soured as they saw the smoke filling the sky.

“Could it be…?”

“Captain, what’s happened in Northern Manchuria?”

“There’s no communication; we don’t know anything yet. For now… all mercenaries disembark here. Wake everyone up! Start guarding the surroundings!”

The moment Tian Lin gave the order, Cheon Yeomyeong, who had been dozing, slowly opened his eyes.

“…The rookie?”

As the rookie opened his eyes, the air around him seemed to become oppressively heavy.

‘Was he finally feeling the tension of the crisis?’

No, that didn’t seem to be it.

With a rigid expression, Cheon Yeomyeong drew his sword and shotgun, then approached Tian Lin and said.

“Senior Tian Lin. We need to retreat immediately.”

“Retreat? You’re not scared, are you?”

“There’s no time. We must retreat with at least part of the unit to inform the rear. Northern Manchuria has already fallen.”

“Fallen? What do you mean by that…?”

Tian Lin’s question was cut short.

The next moment, something flew toward the military truck carrying the other mercenaries.

‘…An anti-tank rocket?’

As Tian Lin identified the object, the rocket struck the truck.

Boom!

It was a powerful explosion. Even the thick military truck couldn’t withstand the blast and was lifted into the air.

Flames and screams, shock and fear mixed in the blast wave that struck the mercenary group.

Tian Lin, who had been next to the truck, was thrown into the air and then crashed to the ground.

“Ugh, damn it…”

Fortunately, he fell onto soft soil. While he was shaken, he sustained no serious injuries.

“Aaagh!”

“My arm! My arm!”

But unlike the fortunate Tian Lin, those who did not die instantly were either missing limbs or screaming in agony with shrapnel in vital areas. The on-site medical kits were insufficient for the severity of their injuries.

“200 meters ahead! In the western forest! The enemy… more than ten!”

“Damn it, fire back!”

Those who still retained their sanity began firing in retaliation towards the direction from which the rockets came.

The loud gunfire swallowed the air, but it was just suppressive fire, after all. Against enemies hidden among the coniferous forests, the firepower that could be projected by rifles was limited.

It might have been a different story if they had brought grenades or mortars, but the mercenaries were only issued automatic rifles and shotguns.

It was an unavoidable situation. They had come to hunt monsters, not to wage war against armed humans.

“There’s a disadvantage in both terrain and firepower. There’s no way to turn this around.”

The situation for the mercenary corps was desperate. At this rate, annihilation was only a matter of time.

“Damn it, everyone retreat! Disperse into the forest!!”

Tian Lin, having assessed the situation, called for a retreat. Several mercenaries began running behind cover.

However, behind them, the enemies launched another rocket.

‘Were they using magic?’

The rocket fired by the opponent fell precisely over the heads of the mercenaries.

Boom!

Amidst the bursting explosions, blood and flesh flew. Numerous mercenaries were swept away without even a chance to scream.

“Retreat! Retreat!”

The odds were already tipping. It was unclear how the newbie knew this, but Manchuria was probably not faring well either.

“Don’t die a dog’s death, retreat!”

While saying this, Tian Lin stepped forward, firing his gun. He intended to buy just a little more time for the others to escape.

‘…Where are the newbie and the vice-captain?’

Ratatat!

Even as the gunfire deafened him, Tian Lin scanned the surroundings.

No matter what, those two had to survive and escape.

“Damn, only a superhuman could send a message to the Manchuria base before the monsters move south…!”

Tian Lin pulled a grenade from his belt and threw it, then took cover behind the rear of the nearest truck.

As if by divine intervention, the two he was looking for were also taking cover not far from him.

The two were talking to each other, weapons drawn. Both seemed to be in relatively good condition.

Unlike the only slightly injured newbie, Kim Mansoo had burns all over his body, but such injuries were nothing for a superhuman.

Tian Lin breathed a sigh of relief, then shouted to the two.

“Newbie! Vice-captain! If it stays like this, the monsters will move south! Both of you retreat to the Manchuria base and report!”

Even if it meant the rest of the mercenaries died, the southward movement of the monsters had to be stopped at all costs. Tian Lin, with a ruthless heart, issued orders to the other mercenaries.

“Everyone alive, cover these two! Buy time!”

The moment after Tian Lin gave the order, the two moved.

Not towards an escape route, but towards the enemy.