〈Terror (4)〉
Loud sparks flew out along with a bloody sound.
Absolutely! Pajik!
At the same time, countless remains of reinforced concrete slowly floated into the air.
The sight of massive masses that seemed incapable of moving even with individual effort, all moving against gravity, was enough to give a feeling of breathtaking intimidation to those watching from the side.
Coo! thud!
As people at the scene watched blankly, large and heavy debris began to pile up in one corner.
The spectacular scene ended with the last piece of reinforced concrete gently landing on top of the pile of rubble, clearing it up neatly.
“Whoa, where next?”
Ji-yoon Yoon, the head of the branch of the Returnees Association, who displayed such overwhelming majesty, opened her mouth indifferently, trying to ignore the admiring gazes of those around her.
The current situation is a national crisis of unprecedented scale.
There was no time to distract one’s attention elsewhere.
-That was just the last time there. Thank you for your hard work, branch manager.
“…okay? “Is there anything else urgent?”
-Yes, everything has not been sorted out yet, but there is nothing urgent enough to require the branch manager’s help right now.
However, her nervousness slowly melted away as she heard the secretary’s communication delivered through bone conduction headphones.
As soon as I heard the news about the terrorist attack, I literally spent several hours moving frantically across all directions like lightning.
In the midst of such a large-scale disaster, we can finally take a breather.
“Whoa.”
A sigh escaped her mouth as she relaxed her body with light stretching.
There was no foreshadowing, so what kind of fuss is this all of a sudden?
‘Terrorism on this scale. ‘This isn’t something that can be done with one or two years of preparation.’
And when I had some free time, various thoughts that I had not been able to think about in depth until now passed through my mind one after another.
The identity and intent of those who did this, the aftermath of this incident, and measures to resolve it.
These were all problems that were obviously going to be a headache.
“Ah, my head feels like it’s already hurting.”
Jiyoon Yoon tried to turn her thoughts in a different direction.
You’re going to have no choice but to continue to deal with that problem for a while anyway.
Suffering alone like this was just ineffective.
‘The vampires of the clan were also of great help in this matter. Without their assistance, the damage would have been greater due to the villains running amok, taking advantage of the momentary vacuum in security.’
Also, the performance of their leader Heinz was outstanding.
Not only helping with relief efforts, but also controlling other underground organizations.
As expected, building a cooperative relationship with them without being harsh was a good decision.
‘Come to think of it, there were quite a few others that seemed quite useful.’
What came to her mind next were several awakened people who showed their presence by performing various activities amidst the chaos.
Among them, there were people she already knew, but there were quite a few people she was seeing for the first time.
‘Are these guys from the Ability Management Bureau really investigating the transmitter properly?’
There are so many talented people in the outside world that I didn’t even know existed!
Although she didn’t make any special contact because she was busy moving around in the chaos, she couldn’t fool her sense that the subtle electric current was covering several kilometers in all directions.
‘Where on earth have such talented people been hiding all this time? It would be easier if everyone joined the association at this point. Especially…’
And among them, there were those that particularly bothered me.
It was a spiritist who was famously rare among people on Earth, and an unidentified monster who roamed the sky in a strange metal suit.
‘Besides, the Spiritualist was someone I couldn’t easily meet. By the way, how many times is this?’
An unidentified, unregistered transcendental person has emerged from Korea again.
I was confused as to whether I should like this or be worried.
“…Then I will tell the media so.”
“Then let’s move on. First of all, the approximate damage total that has been revealed so far is….”
However, regardless of her concerns, the government had already decided on a course toward them.
There was a need to quickly lift the gloomy atmosphere that had enveloped the entire country due to the sudden disaster and briefly divert citizens’ attention from the uncomfortable reality.
Korean heroes who rose up from crisis—.
That was the frame they put forward.
Creating heroes was the best way to inspire patriotism and cheer the public in difficult situations.
-Wow, is that really the same person?
-thank you! ㅠㅠ Thanks to you, my father is safe!
-I want that suit..! Want! Where do you sell that? It looks like a magic tool, but doesn’t Howard Industries sell it?
And the method worked much more effectively than expected.
***
The sudden terrorist attack in Seoul left a huge scar on Korean society.
Not only astronomical property damage, but also enormous human casualties and resulting trauma.
Despite the quick action of the government and various organizations such as the Pantheon Association, the number of victims has not yet been calculated and the work of related organizations has almost come to a standstill.
Thanks to everyone’s efforts, the situation was brought under control within a few hours, so we should consider ourselves fortunate that it did not go into martial law.
Naturally, all the attention from all over the country as well as from abroad turned to Seoul, which had experienced hardships.
To get more detailed information about this terrorist incident.
And according to the government’s will, a certain tone began to be incorporated little by little into media reports about him.
A warrior wearing a flag all over his body entered a burning building and rescued children.
A wizard who put out a fire in a building with a waterfall of water.
A superpower who quickly transported citizens to safety using telekinetic powers.
A priest who protected the survivors with a shield just before being swept away by a series of explosions.
The report focused more on the actions of heroes who responded to terrorism rather than the damage caused by it.
Naturally, the public’s attention was focused on those who were mentioned in the media, and among them, greater attention was inevitably paid to those who showed particularly notable performances.
-But that’s really interesting. The burning fire disappeared in an instant and the black smoke disappeared.
-I find it more fascinating that the ground moves randomly and the people trapped under the rubble come up. I see them trying to rescue them and then freaking out when the situation suddenly ends
. It was more frustrating to struggle to save it. A trickle of mucus came out without me even realizing it.
-No, more than that, does anyone really know what that power suit is? Light cannons come out of your hands! That’s enough to evaporate a wall in one blow without any delay! What is that really?
Many heroes were born in the chaos.
Not only did the photos and videos spread on the Internet, but quick-witted reporters somehow managed to secure an interview with a survivor at the scene of the incident and broadcast it on the news.
-How did you feel at that time?
-I was scared. There was a constant sound of something collapsing below, and it was hard to see out the window because of the black smoke. Unfortunately, the door to the rooftop was locked, so I thought I was going to die like this…
-Then the person in the suit appeared and saved me.
-yes that’s right! Suddenly, he appeared with a bang and broke the wall, and when he stretched out his hand in this direction, a black thread-like thing wrapped around the people who were trapped with me.
In that sense, the unidentified hero armed with a full-body metal suit as if he had stepped out of a movie was a very good subject.
The appearance that stimulates that romance was bound to attract people’s attention naturally, and the performance he showed was outstanding enough to be counted on one hand, so wouldn’t it be natural for the public to respond enthusiastically?
-A compilation of the estimated specifications of an unknown man who appeared in Seoul has been published.
– In addition to supersonic flight, zero hundred is less than two decimal places, an energy force field surrounding the entire body, no-delay light cannon firing, a laser sword on the back of the hand that cuts steel like paper, and an energy wire that can be stretched to no limit in the right hand haha
– You can even tilt a building with one hand while flying. It supported me. And if you look at the movement, there is no wasted movement. As if where to go and what to do had been entered into the computer in advance.
-But the reason this came about and the timing of its appearance are also the same. Did you make anything there?
And all that enthusiasm was directed to Howard Industries, a recently established and mysterious company.
A new company boasting overwhelming technological prowess in producing top-quality magic tools to order, and a superhero with similar tendencies that appeared after their opening.
Isn’t it a combination that seems somewhat related at first glance?
-Then, can I request you to make that?
-They say the request fee is paid in lieu of an elixir. It’s probably not even close to being an ordinary elixir, right?
-If you think about it, aren’t those arms, legs, and heads all made up of separate top-level magic tools? Wow, if it’s real, how much does it cost?
As a result, there were some who came close to the truth.
Of course, it is not possible to sell a product with the same specifications as it contains a whole dragon heart of an ancient dragon as the central power source of the titan heart, and in order to operate it properly, the help of “Machine Eye: Callicas” equipped with artificial intelligence is essential.
In fact, the full set of Titans, which were no different from miniature space battleships in human form, was no exaggeration to say that it was a special magic tool.
‘Anyway, it’s a good thing that we’ve had a global publicity effect once again.’
At this point, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to officially make Titan the mascot of Howard Industries.
It will be of great help in alleviating the hesitation of those who looked at Mjolnir with suspicious eyes even after it was introduced at the showcase.
‘Of course, since something like this has happened, we should refrain from expanding our business for the time being. Since I have accumulated goods, it would be a good idea to take care of my image with a large donation… and donate a certain percentage of the potions to disaster relief.’
In fact, money didn’t mean much to me now.
The value of the goods he has collected from the two different worlds is already difficult to measure.
In particular, the gold and silver treasures held by Hans, the immortal king, and Horus, who inherited the “Treasury of Gold,” were literally a heap of gold.
‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea to give something separately in the name of the clan. This is also an opportunity to change the bad image.’
It was also well known that vampires who had been operating in the shadows had provided considerable help in resolving this situation.
There is no better opportunity than this to change the perception of those who have been stigmatized as demons.
Of course, even if they did that, most people would still be distant and reluctant to do so, but the fact that they were one step closer than before was worth it.
‘Okay then, that’s all you need to do… the only thing left is to deal with this?’ A space where
loud
mechanical sounds can be heard
.
In the middle of it all, Hesperon, dressed in full titan gear, stood alone.
The ends of the wire bundles ejected from the shoulder area were connected to the terminals of the mechanical devices.
‘It doesn’t seem like they are ordinary items. ‘It’s taking longer than I thought?’
This was the hideout of Beoncheonhoe, located underground in the Demilitarized Zone.
A place where there are many traces of those who were unable to withdraw.
He had entered inside at once using “Hero’s Footsteps” to find additional clues from the devices they were using.
Of course, the main body that used “Object Projection” as Hans had already wiped out their memories and returned home.
Based on that information, a blood alliance with Heinz II, who tightly controlled Korea’s back alleys, was enough to organize the remaining remnants.
Tieeee—
how long has it been since I spent so much time feeling helpless?
The phrase I had been waiting for finally appeared in my right eye, where complex symbols were constantly passing by.
〈System analysis completed.〉
〈Hacking successful. Download the data.
Originally, it would not have been possible to hack any device like this, no matter how high-end artificial intelligence it was equipped with.
This is especially true for items like these that have been influenced by other mechanical civilizations.
The basic purpose of the creation of “Mechanical Eye: Callicas” was not to do complex tasks such as hacking, but simply to provide a ‘prosthetic eye’ to replace the eye.
〈I came into contact with a new system.〉
However, the modification through Howard’s “Technological Revolution” and the reinforcement using the “Craftsman’s Soul” broke down the existing limitations.
Hesperon’s “Chain of Covenant” made it so that it could clearly function as a part of his own body, rather than as a simple mechanical device.
〈Check compatibility. Security protocol in operation…〉
〈A useful system algorithm was discovered. The software is automatically updated.
In other words, “Inside the Machine: Callicas” was not a separate object from Hesperon—it was a part of the body and one of the skills that developed along with it.
It also applies the avatar’s growth correction and the effect of 『Elixir of Growth』.
‘On top of that, space battleship-level hardware called Titan is added, so something like this is possible.’
Perhaps these devices were specially issued for a secret mission.
Of course, the information recorded by these lowly people would be nothing, but…
since the memory extraction was not 100% perfect, there was no harm in referring to it.
“…Oh? This is….”
You might be able to discover unexpected income like now.
Hesperon’s eyes sparkled as he examined the information that appeared in his right eye.
What I found in their database.
That was a clue about the Southeast Asia branch, another key base of the Buncheonhoe.