Level Up Machine

Chapter 128 The Guardian (1)

– Sizzle.

[Attempting to recover memory data.]

[Warning.]

[Data cannot be fully recovered with the current security level.]

– Sizzle.

[Proceeding with the recovery of data that is currently recoverable.]

“Ugh, ah…”

A terrible pain coursed through his entire body. His vision blurred, and he couldn’t muster any strength. His head felt like it was burning.

The scorched black land. Countless corpses were strewn across the endlessly spread wasteland.

Yeong-sik stood there, blankly looking down at the being in his arms.

Covered in a hazy mist, the exact appearance was not visible, but it was a being similar in size to a human.

Yeong-sik slowly laid the hazy being he was holding down on the ground.

“Are you not going to dispose of it?”

At that moment, a low voice was heard from behind him. Without turning his head, Yeong-sik slowly opened his mouth.

“Yes.”

“…What is the reason? That is a tool that has outlived its usefulness.”

At his question, Yeong-sik firmly shut his mouth. A heavy silence followed.

“Danterion.”

“Yes.”

Yeong-sik slowly turned his head towards the source of the voice. His eyes, looking somehow empty and lonely, were directed at the being called ‘Danterion.’

“Have you ever… felt it?”

Danterion’s figure, which seemed to be covered in a hazy mist, gradually became clearer.

Danterion’s mouth opened. And then, the image that had floated in front of Yeong-sik’s eyes was cut off.

“Ah, ah…”

Transparent tears flowed down Yeong-sik’s cheeks. The name Danterion brought forth overwhelming emotions.

It was sad and pitiful.

With a sensation as if his chest was being crushed, Yeong-sik clutched his chest.

“Danterion…”

It was a name he had never heard before.

Even after experiencing the 9th level of security clearance, interpreting tens, hundreds of Black Cubes, and learning about this world’s knowledge from Han-seong, it was a name that had never been mentioned.

Yet, for some reason, that name, which should have been unfamiliar, did not feel strange at all. It felt like he had forgotten something important, something very important.

“Ah, ah…”

He was confused.

The tears flowing down his cheeks did not stop. Kneeling, Yeong-sik kept repeating that name in his mind.

Like when he first opened his eyes, it felt like being abandoned alone in an endless, unknown ocean.

– Sizzle.

[Due to the recovered memory data, the basic computing device has malfunctioned.]

[To normalize the basic computing device, temporarily reducing physical functions.]

“What the… Ugh!”

As soon as the message about reducing physical functions appeared, his body collapsed to the ground. An overwhelming sense of powerlessness suddenly pressed down on him.

‘What is this?’

It felt as if he had returned to the state of his body before he first awakened, before he obtained Rocket Punch.

“Damn it!”

A rough curse escaped Yeong-sik’s mouth. After unlocking the 9th security level and his stats exploding, his body had become accustomed to a ‘powerful state.’

With a powerful kick, he could cover 100 meters in 2-3 seconds, and his fists could easily shatter solid rocks. This sudden change was difficult for him to adapt to.

“Yeong-sik!”

Ara, with a worried expression, approached him again. Biting her lip, she wrapped her hands in cold energy.

– Sizzle.

Her hand touched Yeong-sik’s burning body. Yeong-sik turned his head at the cold sensation touching his skin.

“Are you okay? What the hell is going on?”

“…I don’t really know.”

He couldn’t precisely understand why this was happening to him. It just occurred the moment he saw the devastated territory of the Ingrim Empire, irrespective of his will.

“Can you move?”

Tiria, who followed Ara, asked him with an anxious expression.

“…It seems difficult for now.”

He didn’t know how long the temporary reduction in physical functions would last, but since the word ‘temporary’ was used, it shouldn’t take long.

Yeong-sik decided not to force himself and just sat in place.

“Don’t worry. I’ll recover soon.”

“…That’s a relief.”

Tiria sighed in relief, placing a hand on her chest. She turned and spoke to the guild members.

“For now, let’s wait here until Yeong-sik recovers.”

“Yes.”

“Got it, sister.”

The guild members surrounded him protectively, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings. Although there were no visible monsters, Hwang-hyeon’s words had them on edge, unable to relax.

Yeong-sik showed a slightly uncomfortable expression, as it was his first time being ‘protected’ since coming to this world.

‘But I can’t complain about this.’

He looked down at his body, which wouldn’t move as he wished, frowning. Danterion. For some reason, that name continued to linger in his mind.

[Notify Master not to worry. All android legions will protect you.]

Lacteon said in a gallant voice, drawing a beam saber from its waist.

A faint smile escaped Yeong-sik’s lips.

“Tiria, what was it you wanted to talk about earlier?”

Once he had calmed down somewhat, Yeong-sik turned to Tiria and asked her.

“Ah… Grandpa Hwang-hyeon mentioned that there seems to be something underground. I wanted to ask you, Yeong-sik, since you have that… skill that allows you to see underground.”

Tiria slightly blushed, perhaps recalling the incident she had with Yeong-sik in the tunnel.

“Underground…”

Scanning was a feature that had been available from the beginning without any special security level release.

Even with his current reduced physical functions, he felt he could still use it.

‘Scan.’

Yeong-sik used the scan to look underground. The image of the underground data was drawn in his mind.

“Hmm?”

Yeong-sik’s expression twisted.

Just as Hwang-hyeon had said, there was ‘something’ different from rocks underground.

It was something that remained motionless, but suddenly, it turned its head towards Yeong-sik. It was as if it realized that Yeong-sik was observing it.

“What is this?”

Yeong-sik’s expression hardened. A shiver ran through his body. The being that turned its head towards Yeong-sik was not alone.

Hundreds of ‘somethings’ were simultaneously looking at Yeong-sik.

– Rumble!

“W-what’s happening all of a sudden?”

The ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred. Yeong-sik shouted with a pale, terrified face.

“Something is coming up from underground!”

“What?!”

“Is it a monster?!”

The guild members, hearing Yeong-sik’s shout, drew their weapons with urgent expressions.

– Boom!

Something from underground shot up to the surface.

The guild members’ gazes turned towards the being that emerged from the ground.

“What… is that?”

“A monster…?”

What came out of the ground was an Ogre, a creature that appeared so frequently within the northern boundary that they had grown tired of it. No, to be precise, it was a monster presumed to be an Ogre.

With glowing red eyes, massive metallic devices on its arms, and a gigantic exhaust on its back, it looked like a fusion of ‘machine’ and ‘monster.’

“What the hell is that…?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of such a monster in the central area.”

Han-seong spoke in a stiff voice.

Before preparing for this expedition, he had personally visited the Leviathan Guild to gather detailed information about the central area.

Of course, the information he got was not obtained for free or lacking; he had boldly invested a hefty sum of 200,000 gold to purchase the information formally.

Given that the Leviathan Guild had already successfully advanced to the area containing the ‘Hero’s Tomb,’ the information they provided had considerable reliability and value.

To prepare for the northern conquest, the Leviathan Guild, which needed significant funds, readily accepted the proposal and informed him about the monsters that only appeared in the central region.

From monsters hiding underground to those lurking in building ruins, Han-seong had memorized everything, including which monsters appeared most frequently and what to be wary of.

However, none of the information provided by the Leviathan Guild included anything about mechanical monsters.

– Clank. Clank.

Hundreds of mechanical monsters turned their heads towards the Salvator Guild.

There were not only Ogres among the mechanical monsters. Cyclops with a giant lens instead of an eye on their heads, Minotaurs with two metallic arms protruding from their sides, and Giant Turtles with dozens of cannons instead of sharp spikes on their shells.

Dozens of types of monsters all had bodies mixed with machinery.

“Like chimeras… You know, the ones that alchemists make.”

“I don’t know. Can we even call those chimeras…”

Han-seong answered with a complex expression. There were indeed beings called chimeras, created by combining two living creatures.

However, those were purely biological creations. It was hard to classify these beings, which combined machines and monsters, as chimeras.

– Clank.

“Grk, grrk.”

“Kieeee!”

The monsters, seemingly having identified the Salvator Guild as enemies, advanced menacingly, their eyes glowing red with hostility.

With every step they took, the sound of gears meshing and metal grinding echoed out.

“…Everyone, prepare for battle.”

Six wings spread out from Tiria’s back. She knew better than anyone what kind of disaster awaited if she, too, became flustered in this chaotic situation.

‘Yeong-sik.’

She turned her head to look at Yeong-sik. He was desperately trying to stand but kept collapsing back to the ground. Anyone could see that Yeong-sik was in no condition to fight.

A battle without Yeong-sik.

They had experienced this a few times while hunting boss monsters, but the situation was different now.

Back then, Yeong-sik could help if things got dangerous. Now, the guild members had to overcome this crisis solely on their own strength.

“Yeona, Cheol-tae, and I will take the vanguard. So-rim and Yoo Jin will be in the middle. The rest will take the rear. The goal of this battle is not to kill all the enemies. We will maintain our formation and retreat into the forest as much as possible.”

There was no reason to engage in a desperate battle against unknown enemies. Tiria decided to retreat without hesitation.

Yeong-sik turned his head towards the hundreds of mechanical monsters, without even having a moment to show a warm smile to Tiria, who was now evolving into an ideal guild leader.

– Sizzle.

[Five minutes remaining until the complete recovery of the basic computing device.]

The situation was approaching its worst.