Etranger - Chapter 128

The warriors of the Ki-Jang Clan learn all types of communication signs and expressions from the 1st Stage of Acceleration. This was how the Awakened warriors of the Ki-Jang Clan evolved their communication skills to an extreme.

Thus, Gibin, who was naturally gifted with acute senses, could measure an opponent’s ability and even interfere with the flow of their mental processing. Once he reached a certain level, he would rule over spirits and advance to the stage of being able to manipulate the will of the entire Ki-Jang Clan. His approach had many similarities to the methods gods used.

Due to his heightened senses and personal abilities, Gi-bin was extremely shocked as he watched San and Biyeon battle the gods.

‘The way the God of War, Kamije, used the bandits’ bodies to create a ‘synthetic organism’… that’s something that my Ki-Jang Clan would specialize in. Is this resemblance between divine power and human Awakening a coincidence? What the hell is ‘divinity’? Is it similar to what Awakeners possess?’

However, Gibin’s initial shock was incomparable to the shock he received when he saw San and Biyeon play around with this ‘synthetic organism’. Awakening himself from his shock and stupor, Gibin felt goosebumps form on his back.

The ‘synthetic organism’ looked really strong. By operating four parts of the ‘synthetic organism’, one would be able to showcase 3 Awakened-level skills. However, being able to grasp the organism’s weakness and counter it on the spot, much less destroying it…

Gibin started to consider what would happen if San and Biyeon became enemies of the clan.

Gibin’s spear split the air, scattering the setting sun’s brilliant light. The first machine was collapsing sideways.

Dust kicked up as the machine crumbled onto the ground and became a hunk of debris. The dust momentarily obscured the sunset’s rays. All of a sudden, the Essen crew members, who had been dutifully following Biyeon’s command, were finishing up the rest of the smaller machines with their sodium bomb tipped arrows.

With his spear resting upon his shoulders, Gibin looked around the battlefields as the various machines succumbed to their fate.

***

On the right corner of the battlefield, a different destruction process was being conducted by the warriors of the Dong-Myung Clan. As far as weapons were concerned, the Dong-Myung Clan warriors had reached the pinnacle within this world.

Through the preliminary briefing given by Biyeon, they had already prepared for a battle with the machines in mind.

No one got more excited than Dongyoung and Dongha when they heard that there was a high chance machines would appear from the ruins. Dongyoung and Dongha, the two special-level warriors, engaged in battle with their best military equipment. Their appearance was like an incarnation of battle.

Unlike the Ki-Jang clansmen’s lightweight clothing, the Dong-Myung clansmen’s outfits looked very complicated and heavy. They were equipped like soldiers in modern guerrilla warfare. It would be a big mistake to think that their individual combat power would be weak just because they valued weapons.

The art of the Dong-Myung Clan’s power originated from their beginnings as workshop apprentices. Based on their deep understanding of weapon materials and mechanisms, they were better able to become one with their weapons, maximizing the usage of any given weapon. Furthermore, the increased agility, stamina, and concentration in utilizing weaponry was an enormous advantage.

They were also people who could synthesize and create explosives and chemicals from a variety of materials. For many Dong-Myung clansmen, this knowledge base allowed them to incorporate weapons within their own bodies. This incorporation of weaponry within one’s body would allow Dong-Myung Awakened warriors to control electricity and chemical reactions at will, allowing them to inflict damage over a wide range even without a weapon in hand.

In summary, the Dong-Myung clansmen were people whose whole bodies could be used as a weapon.

Currently, Dongyoung and Dongha were moving slowly away from the machine’s physical attack range and firing elaborate bombs.

Dongyoung’s weapon was a small flamethrower that used combustible powder. It was a short-range specialized weapon designed that fired small cannonballs from a short distance, usually within 10 meters. Dongha was shooting with a weapon like a large-caliber pistol. The chemical bullets exploded upon impact, inflicting a strong chemical corrosion to the metal elements of the machine.

Much like the machines taken on by the Ki-Jang clansmen, the machines that the Dong-Myung clansmen were in charge of were collapsing sideways as well.

The visual sensors of the machine were vulnerable to short-circuiting, so Dongha’s cleverly focused shots made the machines slowly lose their function and exposed the bare structures, allowing Dongyoung to initiate his flame attacks and melt the inner workings of the machines.

Once the strongly acidic bullets corroded the moving parts of the machine, the structure was unable to put up much of a fight. Soon, the machines would be fully exposed to attacks as the corrosion either ate away at the machine’s joints or made them immovable as if glue was applied. One by one, the machines collapsed like heaps of metal.

Lastly, there were the Han-Sung clansmen. They were fighting in the center area of the battlefield.

The Awakened warriors, Segyum and Seyum, were already handling two machines. Their movements, which were already at the peak of the first level of awakening, were too quick for the machines to catch up to.

Their sword movements looked blurry and were difficult to follow with the naked eye. The destructive power of their sword strikes was also stronger than that of the other Absolute Clan warriors.

Their combat power alone seemed comparable with the level that San had shown before.

Much like what one would expect of the Han-Sung clansmen, the two’s fighting ability was strong. The Han-Sung Clan lived and died by the sword.

Although a sword may look simple, it was the most optimized weapon for personal combat among all weapons invented by humans in history. It was also the most versatile and beautiful weapon. It may be easy to handle a sword, but it was really hard to handle it ‘well’. Expert handling of a sword required hard training and endless devotion to one’s cognizant movement. Also, unless one possessed an artistic level of aesthetics and a sense of balance, one could never reach Awakening through the sword. Therefore, the warriors of the Han-Sung Clan were often evaluated as having the strongest combat force on an individual level.

In addition, these sword-wielding warriors were in great demand as talents in the Empire because they were generally fair-minded and straightforward. In particular, they stood out as official bureaucrats in charge of the Empire’s military and public security, and their pride as warriors was strong.

The battle was coming to an end.

It was around dusk, about the time then the huge sun hung over the horizon. A long black twilight spread throughout the land, advancing to every corner.

On the battlefield, the broken machines were piling up one by one. Biyeon, who was leading the crew members, watched the final battles of the Absolute Clansmen along with San.

[The word ‘Absolute Clan’ is befitting. They possess great fighting power. It’s beyond what we expected, no?] San stated.

[Ki-Jang Clan, the organization of formations, Dong-Myung Clan, the masters of weaponry, and the individual combat warriors of the Han-Sung Clan are apt expressions. It is meaningful in many ways.] Biyeon replied.

[What is?]

[The three aspects that define ‘humanity’ also appear in warriors. The three developments of humans that allowed breakthroughs in human history are present: the human who finds oneself through social organization and communication, the human who integrates with tools and thus expands one’s capabilities, and the individual who realizes self-actualization and consciousness. We’ve come to a world where these three ‘histories’ are competing…]

[Is that so? After listening to your explanation, it does seem meaningful.]

San scratched his head and pondered for a moment. He then continued, [Do you feel the same way about me?]

[Their specialization overlaps a lot with the joint combat techniques we’ve developed. We’ve watched and realized our similarities with the Han-Sung Clan, but this is the first time observing the Ki-Jang and Dong-Myung Clan specializations up close. The degree of similarity is astonishing.]

[Hmm… How do you think they see us?]

[Huh?]

[We possess the specialized skills developed by the three Absolute Clans in one body. I don’t have a very good feeling about how they’ll interpret this. I wonder what our position will be when we publicly enter this world…]

[…]

Biyeon shook her head without saying a word. Far from being welcome, she thought that it would be nice if people didn’t pull out their swords when greeting them. What clan would leave alone someone who knew the key secrets that sustain their clans?

[It’s our shitty luck and fate… we somehow managed to crawl out into this human world, but we’ll soon be entangled in a mess again.] San said as he smiled at Biyeon. His smile didn’t possess any sense of disappointment or concern, just a knowing glance that there was work in front of them.

[Actually, don’t you think we have a greater range of choices? We can use them or avoid them when needed based on our predicament and situation.]

San nodded in agreement.

The last machine collapsed. The huge fire columns and holograms that created a grotesque atmosphere had completely disappeared.

The original scenery of the ruins was revealed, and it felt like the ruins became brighter. As San moved forward, he said bitterly, “If you look at it that way, our very existence here may be a cheat. Or, our existence could be an illusion rather than a reality, like the hologram we just saw… Are we meaningful beings in this world? We might just be figments of someone’s imagination.”

“Of course we exist!” Biyeon firmly said as she opened her eyes wide. She continued, “I don’t think ‘what we have’ determines whether a person exists or not.”

“…”

“As long as we don’t give up on ourselves, the fact that we’re human doesn’t change. Even if we think we’re not real, what difference does that make regarding our humanity? Should we use that as a reason to take our lives lightly?”

San turned his head toward Biyeon slowly. He saw a graceful woman slightly flush in the face with a bandana around her head and wide, imploring eyes.

San hunched over slightly to meet Biyeon’s eye level as he stared straight into her eyes.

“Who said I was taking our lives lightly?” San spoke quietly.

“…”

“It seems you’re excited about coming here? Right, Biyeon? What clues are you expecting to obtain in this place? Any hopes of going back?”

Biyeon made eye contact with San and nodded her head slightly.

“Even if it’s possible to return, they won’t just send us back, right? Would anyone work that hard for us? Why? For nothing?” Biyeon said as she shook her head slowly, still making eye contact with San. Her slightly emotional expression was slowly returning to normal.

San took out a coin.

“When we return, who will greet us? And… what if we can never go back, what do we do?”

“…”

“And if… really if… I know it’s something that you’ve probably been thinking about as well without putting it into words… What if our Earth was designed by the Original Being, the Creator? Also, what if the Creator in our world’s religion is the same as the Original Being?”

“…”

San continued, “And what about this American coin we found in this ‘forgotten nation’? What does it mean that this site was built in AD 2000? Is this Earth? maybe? Are we playing a big part in the Plant of the Apes?”

Biyeon closed her eyes tightly. Her tears glistened between the folds of her eyes. San slowly surveyed the traces of destruction in the battlefield.

“Hey… about that fantasy novel… are we going to be able to see the ending of that novel? Are we still together in the end?” San rhetorically asked.

“…”

“Wait… I think I need to change my mind.”

“…?”

“I don’t even need to watch the end. That’s something that those who summoned us want to see. Why do we have to solve their questions? I don’t remember agreeing to take on this role.”

“Then…?”

“When this novel is over, we are done. Don’t you think so?”

San smiled and then continued, “From now on, let’s design our own destiny and our own ending. We’ll decide whether this will be an action, suspense, thriller, adventure, sci-fi, or fantasy finale. Hell, we may choose to not even be the main characters. We could be playing supporting roles for the main character who will appear later, or it could be a villain who has to die in the middle. However, what we need to make sure of is that we can live the life we want, even if we beat them to death. Even if we grab the original screenwriter and beat the shit out of him. Therefore…”

Gulp-

Biyeon audibly gulped as she awaited his next words.