The World Does Not Exist for ■■

Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: ford53
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< Chapter 38: The World After the Prologue (3) >

The moment Kim Mansoo saw the incoming rocket, he sensed defeat.

Boom!!

Caught in the explosion, Kim Mansoo thought of death.

Superhumans are not invincible. Being shot hurts, excessive bleeding can kill, and a direct hit from a rocket means certain death.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Superhumans who have surpassed a certain threshold—monsters like Byungchangbaek and Seonggeom—could even withstand tank cannons using their highly enhanced mana.

However, Kim Mansoo had not reached such a level. He had never even dared to aspire to it.

He was a man who looked at the harsh realities in front of him rather than unattainable dreams.

So, at this moment, it was inevitable that he gritted his teeth and thought of retreating.

Was it simply because he was afraid to die? No, it was not. If he had been afraid to die, he would never have become a mercenary.

The problem was—

“Northern Manchuria has fallen.”

The first line of defense that should have halted the monsters’ southern advance had gone silent.

To prevent civilian casualties, he needed to relay this news to the Manchuria base as quickly as possible.

If it had been possible to turn the truck around and flee, he would have gladly sacrificed his life, but the moment the truck moved, it was obvious that another rocket would come flying.

In the end, a superhuman with faster feet had to go personally, and here, he was the only superhuman.

“…Damn.”

Having made his decision, Kim Mansoo turned towards the direction of the Manchuria base. Just then, he caught the eye of Cheon Yeomyeong going in the opposite direction.

His golden eyes glanced at him, but that was all. Yeomyeong said nothing and simply passed him.

Even though it wasn’t a situation to be ashamed of, Kim Mansoo could not lift his head.

Yeomyeong brushed past his shoulder, and the next moment, Kim Mansoo’s eyes widened as he looked at the new recruit.

“Wait, newbie, how can you—how do you have mana?”

Mana.

Even he, who was usually insensitive, could feel the intense mana flowing out of the newbie.

Had the recruit just awakened as a superhuman, or had he hidden the fact that he was a superhuman from the start?

…Either way, it didn’t matter.

The crucial fact was that there were now two superhumans present. Alone, there might have been doubts, but with two, there was still a possibility.

‘Even one would be enough to escape with the truck.’

The truck could reach a location where communication with the Manchuria base was possible within an hour. It was twice as fast as him running on foot.

“Newbie! Are you planning to fight?”

Kim Mansoo caught up with the newcomer and asked. Instead of answering, the newcomer showed his sword and shotgun.

Seeing this gesture, Kim Mansoo let out a scoff.

“If you’re thinking of fighting, good. I have a plan, and I need your help.”

“…Is there any point in a plan in this situation?”

As soon as Yeomyeong finished speaking, another anti-tank rocket blasted the mercenaries.

A long explosion followed by mixed screams.

Seeing this, Kim Mansoo’s expression hardened. There wasn’t much time; he quickly spoke.

“It’s a simple plan. We’ll draw their attention to allow the truck to escape.”

“…Is that all?”

“If possible… distract them by yourself. In the meantime, I’ll take care of the ones with the rockets.”

“…”

“If even one truck gets out, it can prevent the deaths of tens of thousands. Please, just hold out until then.”

It was an overt request to become a human shield, but Yeomyeong nodded readily.

He had intended to lead the charge anyway. There was no reason to refuse the help offered.

Of course, the words that came out weren’t pleasant.

“Really a simple plan.”

“…Sorry.”

It was essentially a plea to die together, so Kim Mansoo bowed his head.

Then, the next moment, the voice of Tian Lin reached their ears.

“Newbie! Vice-captain!”

Tian Lin was urging them to retreat to the Manchuria base. It was the same choice Kim Mansoo, who did not know Yeomyeong was a superhuman, would have made.

“…What will you do?”

As soon as Tian Lin finished speaking, Yeomyeong asked.

“We’ll stick to our plan. No need to explain. Tian Lin will move without being told.”

His answer was resolute. Yeomyeong nodded and gathered mana in his feet. Kim Mansoo took his rifle and drew his cherished hand axe.

That was enough preparation. No more words were needed.

“All who are alive! Cover those two…”

With Tian Lin’s voice as the signal, the two simultaneously stomped the ground.

* * *

Yeomyeong almost flew as he sprinted forward.

Above the basic steps of Shadow Skipping, he layered the mana of Pyangyeol. The burst of mana kicked off the ground, pushing his body through the air.

His target was the coniferous forest where they hid. The not-so-distant gap closed in an instant.

Ratatatatata!!

Bullets belatedly poured towards him. Most missed even his coat, but one lucky shot pierced his left shoulder.

Blood splattered. His body momentarily faltered due to the recoil, but Yeomyeong had already entered the coniferous forest.

Among the towering trees, Yeomyeong deliberately emitted an enormous amount of mana.

It was an overt provocation. The eyes of the red glowing pigs and bulls turned towards him.

As if on cue, they simultaneously raised their weapons.

Gun muzzles blazed. Yeomyeong darted between the trees, and the immobile conifers became honeycombed, spewing out wood chips and sap.

‘First, the pig heads.’

Yeomyeong tightened his grip on the sword in his hand and dashed through the conifers.

Unlike the shepherds who could only follow him with their eyes, he could distinctly sense their presence.

‘First, one.’

Yeomyeong swung the iron sword he had been supplied with horizontally. A brief silver trail flashed.

The sword sliced through, separating a pig head from its body as blood poured out.

Before the sticky blood even touched the ground, Yeomyeong was already rushing towards his next opponent.

Two, three, four…

Like a butcher in a slaughterhouse, his blade cleaved and split the pig heads again and again.

“Superhuman! Allow the curse!”

It was only after more than half of the pig heads were dead that a bull head shouted. Immediately, the disgusting mana they harbored began to seep out.

‘…Are the bull heads a higher species than the pig heads?’

‘Next, will a chicken head appear?’

Yeomyeong coldly collected his breath and shook off his sword.

Dozens of curses were flung towards him simultaneously; however, he felt no fear.

Yeomyeong, whose left shoulder had already regenerated, reached down to his waist and drew the handle of Uragan.

[Perhaps you meet these vile things too often?]

Taking the unicorn’s voice in his head as a signal, Yeomyeong raised his sword to shoulder height.

It was a preparatory stance to sweep them away in one strike. There were too many enemies to kill one by one.

“Kill!”

The most courageous of the bull heads lunged forward, opening its mouth wide.

“Kyaaaa!”

Mana twisted and a red beam poured from the gaping mouth.

Yeomyeong did not dodge. He simply raised his left hand and braced his legs.

[Compassion! I shall protect thee!]

Just as the beam was about to strike him, a brilliant multicolored light burst forth from the handle of the Uragan, pushing back the curse.

“Kill him! Kill him!”

But that was not the end. Various other curses prepared by the enemies targeted Yeomyeong, pouring down on him.

Green and red beams, yellow acid, a transparent curse emitting a foul stench…

Facing all these, Yeomyeong infused mana into his iron sword.

The very technique he had demonstrated with chopsticks in front of Seti.

He borrowed the form of the Comet Blade’s shell, filling its interior with waves surging through his body.

It flickered. Mana, heart, anger.

Yeomyeong swung the sword technique, which he had yet to name. He sliced horizontally, cutting through everything in sight.

Wooong—

The mana that originated from the sword gently swept through the air. The split air remained silent, and the blowing wind held its breath.

For a brief moment, there was silence, and then, the next moment, a bull-headed creature spoke.

“You know us too well. How can you… as if you are our natural enemy…”

“…”

“Ah, is that so? The one rampaging in Incheon… that was you…”

With those final words, a long line appeared across the chest of the bull-headed creature.

The other creatures with heads of pigs and bulls, and the conifers standing next to them, suffered the same fate.

‘I still need to adjust the power.’

After this brief reflection, the lower halves without torsos and intestines spilled onto the ground.

Soon, the conifers fell one after another. The cursed corpses created a graveyard beneath the dead trees.

Yeomyeong watched this scene for a moment and then let out a long sigh as he turned his head.

He was suddenly reminded of Kim Mansoo and the mercenary corps.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, no more gunfire was heard from the direction of the mercenary corps.

And Kim Mansoo was…

Just across from him, his mouth slightly open.

“…Did you handle the ones with rockets well?”

Yeomyeong met his eyes. Kim’s rugged face was sweaty.

If it had been the usual Kim Mansoo, he might have laughed heartily or made a crude joke to lighten the mood at this moment.

However, having seen Yeomyeong’s swordsmanship, Kim Mansoo dared not do so.

He had struggled to deal with just three pig-headed shepards, not to mention the stronger-looking bull-headed ones that Yeomyeong killed with a single strike that split the air.

He simply couldn’t open his mouth, so he nodded earnestly.

“Did the mercenary corps members retreat safely?”

As Yeomyeong asked his question, silence briefly settled.

It was only after Kim Mansoo noticed Yeomyeong slightly furrowing his brows that he opened his mouth to speak.

“…If it’s Tian Lin, he must have retreated. Since earlier, the sound of gunfire has, well, stopped.”

Yeomyeong tilted his head in confusion at the sudden formal tone but didn’t mind the manner of speech.

“Should we retreat now as well?”

“Well, that… First, we need to check the condition of the Manchurian base and search for any survivors.”

“Is that so? Then, we shall proceed northward.”

Yeomyeong sheathed his sword lightly and turned to walk north.

He already knew that the Manchurian base had collapsed, but he intended to verify something else.

‘…the orb of light that was before the Manchurian rift.’

‘What could that orb of light have been?’

Considering the words “master of fate” and that the Academy had six orbs of light, it likely indicated a ‘person.’

The fact that the orb of light was in front of the Manchurian rift means it could belong to someone affiliated with the Korean government or a mercenary.

Of course, nothing was certain yet. The theory that the orb of light was a person was merely a hypothesis.

‘Perhaps, it could simply be a fortunate item or artifact…’

As these thoughts crossed his mind while he moved north, something alerted his senses.

“Duck!”

By the time Yeomyeong shouted, ‘something’ had already come too close.

Kim Mansoo looked up in confusion, and at that moment, Yeomyeong drew his sword and slashed through the air.

Clang!

Metal clashed against metal, and sparks flew. Yeomyeong’s steel sword rang out as it deflected the object.

Yeomyeong wondered what had flown towards him as he inspected the deflected item. His brows narrowed immediately.

‘…a bullet?’

It wasn’t a bullet fired from a gun. No bullet in this world would be fired complete with its casing.

Clap, clap, clap!

As Yeomyeong looked in the direction from where the bullet had come, the sound of short applause reached him.

“Excellent. To react in such a short time. Sharp instincts.”

The voice, chilling like the scrape of metal, belonged to an old man.

“This voice, could it be…”

Hearing the voice, Kim Mansoo’s body stiffened. As Yeomyeong followed the sound, he understood why Mansoo had reacted that way.

“But it is all the more regrettable. You should not have come here.”

A gigantic skeleton stood there, too large to be hidden by conifers.

Not composed of human bones, it had horns that grew like a crown at the back of the skull, a protruding snout with sharp teeth, and a tail that elegantly extended into a reptilian body, complete with broad bone wings behind its shoulders.

Undoubtedly…

‘A dragon?’

Between the empty eye sockets of the dragon, which had retained its appearance even in death, blue flames flickered.

“It is unfortunate that things have turned out this way.”