༺ The Steel Tower (1) ༻
In the distance, another building collapsed.
The buildings, coming in contact with the pulsation of the Steel Tower, crumbled like dry leaves and scattered like dust.
It was my first time seeing the boundaries of the Steel Tower expanding and contracting, like a pulsating heart.
The place where I first saw the Object was back when I was still in the Seoul Forest. So even though I could be considered knowledgeable about the Steel Tower, the current phenomenon was still unfamiliar to me.
The destructive power of its ability to transform civilization appeared to have increased as well.
If in the past it felt as though civilization had been destroyed by a mortar and pestle, now it felt like it had been ground in a blender.
What on earth is happening to the Steel Tower?
I placed my hand over my chest, feeling the flame burning within.
Beneath my soft skin, a warm heat rose in a calm manner.
The frog turned out to be weaker than I had expected it to be, so I still had an ample supply of firewood for my flame.
With this amount of fuel, I should be able to wander around the Seoul Forest for a few days.
Since the Steel Tower was located in Pyongyang, I needed to move quickly.
I have to finish this quickly so that I can rest as well.
***
With every step of mine, the surroundings changed.
It was like Shukuchi,
In the phantom form, the laws of physics became a little looser.
Even with just one step, it felt as though I had walked ten.
It was difficult to control at first, and there were times when I had no choice but to crawl on all fours, while in the phantom form.
But these days, I could move smoothly as if riding a high-speed walkway.
As I finally arrived in a dense forest, I slipped out of my phantom form and landed on the ground.
No matter how many times I came here, this forest remained unpleasant.
When I first arrived in Seoul Forest, I hated it for no apparent reason. But now, I vaguely understood why I hated this place.
It felt unpleasant because there was no one around.
After all, having people around and being the center of their attention felt good.
Seoul Forest was considered as one of the most dangerous areas on Earth, not because of any active threats but due to the sheer potential of its ability to single-handedly destroy civilization itself.
In fact, there were hardly any Objects actively trying to kill humans deep within Seoul Forest.
After all, those murderous monsters desperate to kill humans had no reason to stay in a place where people were hard to encounter.
Of course, just because they didn’t want to actively kill humans doesn’t mean they weren’t harmful.
And it certainly didn’t mean that there were no murderous monsters at all.
As I walked towards the Steel Tower with such thoughts in mind, a bizarre cry echoed through Seoul Forest.
With a stifled shout of frustration, a giant mass of flesh ran through the trees, destroying everything in its path.
The ground trembled mercilessly from its heavy steps, and white flesh was littered throughout its surroundings.
Bundled within that flesh were parasites resembling small earthworms.
This particular Object was often seen near the Steel Tower, it was called ‘Ghost Hunter.’
Of course, I was the one who came up with the name ‘Ghost Hunter.’
Back when I was a human, I had never heard of such a monster with white flesh.
Despite its grotesque appearance and its massive size, the ‘Ghost Hunter’ likely wasn’t a murderous monster.
You see, the ‘Ghost Hunter’ could only perceive ghost-type Objects.
It was because of these guys that I slipped out of my phantom form as soon as I entered the Seoul Forest.
But don’t get me wrong, I didn’t avoid them because these Objects were as strong or as difficult to kill as the Hungry Ghost.
No no no, I was avoiding them because they were disgusting to look at.
If I could help it, I never wanted to see it, as it was not good for my mental health.
The ‘Ghost Hunter’ hunted by hurling pieces of its own flesh towards its prey.
I never, ever, ever, wanted to be hit by its squishy, worm-infested chunk of flesh.
After a few more minutes, the forest filled with these white fleshed monsters came to an end, revealing a vast open space beyond.
Standing proudly in the center of the clearing was what I was aiming for.
The first object to be nuked.
The ‘hard counter’ to human civilization.
The Steel Tower.
***
A quiet downtown street in Gangbuk-gu was devoid of any human presence, even though it was dinner time already.
The windows of a large electronics store, located on the main street, were shattered by strong gusts of wind.
While the items on display were scattered about due to the wind, the TV atop the showcase was still playing the last channel played on it.
On the screen, breaking news regarding the ongoing incident in Seoul Forest was played.
The contents of the segment could be briefly summarized in a few words.
It informed the public about the pulsation cycle of the Steel Tower and the projected range of the next pulsation. It urged the people residing in the affected areas to evacuate promptly.
At present, the territory of the Steel Tower had extended beyond the borders of Seoul. Speculations arose that the next pulse would likely reach Gangbuk-gu, Dobong-gu, and Nowon-gu.
An emergency evacuation notice had already been issued for the vicinity where this electronics store was located.
Given the abundance of concrete buildings in Seoul, it would be difficult to survive if one got caught in the pulsation, so most people had evacuated.
Amidst the grim news of the Steel Tower’s relentless expansion and the never ending evacuation orders, a glimmer of hope emerged,
It came in the form of a story, one about the activities of unsung heroes.
It was a story about a special operations team that had undergone a decade of arduous training for a singular purpose.
It was a story about people who had silently worked to recapture Dobong-gu.
It was a story about the valiant warriors who silently neutralized the ice soldiers, even though no one knew about their efforts due to the Steel Tower incident.
The temperature in Dobong-gu had been rising dramatically, and the Ice Throne that stood in Dobong-gu was confirmed to be half destroyed and had even started melting.
Unfortunately, the return of the special operations team sent to destroy the Ice Throne had yet to be confirmed.
If it weren’t for the pulsation of the Steel Tower, a search employing dozens of drones would have been conducted over Dobong-gu. However, no matter how many drones they launched now, they would all be reduced to dust with a single pulsation, so the search was painstakingly slow.
Furthermore, the fact that Dobong-gu still harbored many dangerous Objects, posed a significant obstacle to sending a human search party.
The TV announcer said with a smile—
[I hope our heroes return safely.]
However, that hopeful remark was swiftly drowned out by the resounding rumble of the ground.
Badump-!
The broadcast abruptly ended as the heart-beating sound shook the streets, buildings, electronics stores, and the TVs.
***
Crunch- Crunch-!
The sound of flesh being chewed rang out.
Despite our best efforts to retreat as quickly as possible, we were eventually discovered by an Object.
The Yeti.
Under normal circumstances, a personal firearm would have been enough to handle such Objects.
However, our basic weapons had long been reduced to dust.
Among the equipment we had left, the only thing that could be considered a weapon was a multi-purpose knife.
It was extremely difficult to fight against a group of Yetis with just one knife, leaving us with no choice but to flee.
The man who had just fallen prey to the Yeti was my last remaining subordinate.
In the end, I had become a team leader who had lost all of his team members.
And ultimately, I too would be eaten by the Yetis.
I ran with everything I had, my breath becoming increasingly ragged. Yet, the Yetis proved to be far more agile and faster than me.
Crash-!!
Perhaps due to my exhaustion, I tripped and fell down in the middle of a slippery snow field.
I didn’t have any strength left to stand up and run again.
Is this my end?
Taking a deep breath, I gazed up at the sky.
In the dimming sky, one could see flocks of cloud fish swimming through the air in groups.
It was a peaceful-looking sky.
“?”
Suddenly, the surroundings filled with the cacophony of the Yetis, was filled with silence.
It felt odd.
Finally catching my breath I lifted myself up, only to find that the Yetis that had been relentlessly chasing after me had vanished without a trace.
“Did I survive?”
Summoning all of my strength, I staggered to my feet.
I had to head to a place that was at least a little closer to the rendezvous point.
If any abnormal activity had been observed at the Steel Tower, there was a chance that a standby team stationed at the rendezvous point would come out to meet me.
There was still hope.
“N-no….”
But that hope was swiftly extinguished.
As I limped forward, I had no choice but to stop again and look up at the sky.
“Aaaaaaahhhhhh”
A scream of frustration escaped my lips.
Why did it come to become like this?
I had believed that this operation had a high chance of success…
The clouds dissipated, replaced by an ominous purple light.
The Moon of the Snowfield had risen.
The probability of my survival was now closer to 0%.
I was exhausted.
I couldn’t endure any longer.
Driven by desperation, I threw myself into the welcoming embrace of the shadows.
***
Within the shadows, I found myself standing upon an unfamiliar field.
It was a vast plain filled with the smell of oil.
Probably because of that, I could feel my head throb.
It was so painful that my vision even became distorted from time to time.
The plain was covered in a black, viscous mud, while unidentifiable black grass grew sparsely on the ground.
In the sky, six moons cast their radiant glow, each shimmering in a different hue of the rainbow.
Only the purple moon was absent.
Yet, the sky was dark, devoid of even a single star.
The overpowering smell of oil left me feeling lightheaded.
Will I still be dizzy if not for the smell of oil?
On the field, black piles of mud move around like living creatures.
They seemed to be looking for something or perhaps they were just moving aimlessly.
Looking at them, a sense of foreboding washed over me.
Ah… Is this my final destination?
I looked at my hands, having resigned myself to fate.
What I saw was a repulsive sight—mud dripping grotesquely.
I became more and more dizzy.
I didn’t know what this world was.
And I probably wouldn’t be alive long enough to find out.
It felt like I had already crossed the border of no return.
Hah, I had at least expected to be buried in Korea when I died…
Ah, I’m dizzy…
