Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Chapter 05

Just before the life-and-death battle with General Moon Hee-cheol was about to unfold,

Myung-jun was engaged in some sort of ‘strategic conference’ with the Time Keeper in his palm.

‘Anyway, do we have to fight a losing battle? Why?’

When Myung-jun asked Time Keeper, it answered.

<Basically, the stars that protect the flow of destiny possessed seeds which obsessed with the word ‘romance.’ I’ve read your memories and I know your fears. Yes, your younger sister probably died a long time ago.

But you’ve never directly asked about that fact because you were afraid to hear it.

And another fear you have is the fear that all of this may never come to an end.

You must confront those fears within you. Look into your opponent’s eyes, ask directly.

And declare. Declare that you will put an end to all of this.>

‘Then what changes?’

<Heroes turns into villains, and villains turns into heroes. It’s been nearly 30 years since the gates started to activate in earnest, right?>

‘Yeah.’

<30 years is enough time to change a person’s nature. Perhaps even the general who kept you might have initially intended to keep you not out of selfishness, but from a sense of duty.

He might have made the questionable decision of carrying all those sins to erase your existence and utilize your abilities to 100%, even if it means restricting your freedom, believing that it would be the right thing for all of humanity.

In his own mind, he might have had such an idea of taking on all those sins for the sake of humanity’s salvation. Like a dark hero burdening himself with irremovable sins for the sake of saving humanity, just like that.>

‘But?

<I found a great line in a movie from your memories. Either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. 30 years is enough time to change the heart of a hero into the heart of a villain. Moreover, from what I’ve seen of your abilities, you can create a powerful weapon strong enough to end this situation.>

‘Are you saying that General deliberately prolonged the gate situation? Despite having the ability to clear the Final Gate?’

<That’s right, and I’m betting an eye on it. It’s a huge gamble on my part. All I have is two eyes and a mouth.>

Looking at those two eyeballs and one mouth, Myung-jun burst into laughter.

‘Fine. Let’s assume that’s true. What does that have to do with my regression?’

<Simple. Once you create a confrontation framework, I will propose a ‘reset’ to the being overseeing the destiny of this star.>

‘Reset?’

<Think about it. Didn’t you initially assume that the General had high sacrifices and a sense of duty invested in the flow of destiny? But over the course of 30 years, you’ve come to know that the product you invested has completely rotten. All that’s left there is the responsibility of burdening one person with a tremendous burden for the sake of humanity’s survival. Instead of bearing it alone for the sake of the humanity, turned out it’s a villain who’s control the world’s safety for his own power. In such a situation, if a dazzling presence like you were to appear before him, how would that make it feel? You may never be able to defeat that villain, but at least in your heart, you’re an individual who are stay true to yourself than anyone else.>

‘And then you will reveal the way to defeat the General with regression thru me.’

<Exactly. If the Guardian of star accepts that proposal, all the power of destiny invested by him will not be a failed investment, but a new investment poured into nurturing you, a true.

And you will become the true saviour of the Earth, the star of salvation, in the world that has returned to the past.>

‘So, after regressing, that damned Guardian of star who imprisoned me for over 32 years will be the one protecting me? I don’t really like that idea.’

Then, Time Keeper, who was 100% sympathized with Myung-jun’s thoughts, spoke with a confident voice.

“No. With that kind of power, if you use it to go back in time, you’d have to tell that bastard child to go to hell. And you’d encounter a new star that supports your destiny. You may not have a heart, but your anticipation is pounding.

<No, if you borrow that power to go back to the past, make sure to tell that damn guy to go to hell. And you will meet a new star that will support your destiny.

Imagine how many stars would rush to attack when an existence that punched holes in spacetime and rewinding the universe appears without any protection of guardian.>

‘If possible, I’d like to continue alongside the current guardian.’

<That’s not possible. Your star has already lost the accumulated power and is on the brink of extinction.>

‘But we’re turning back time. Then, wouldn’t the power of the oath keeper return as well?’

<Unfortunately, beings like the star exist beyond the time and space you know. So, even if you rewind the universe back to the past, it wouldn’t affect those stars who exist beyond time and space.

It’s like watching a video and rewinding it, but the time in reality remains the same, right? You can think of it as a similar concept.>

‘Is that so…’

<I understand that you have a sense of responsibility towards your guardian. Normally, the oath keeper is protecting those with a strong sense of responsibility and will never betray them.

But you have to remember this, it knew all the consequences yet still brought about this ending to ensure that you would keep your promise. Don’t make its sacrifice be in vain.>

In his heart, Myung-jun expressed heartfelt gratitude to the guardian who had committed to his own destruction to help him.

And then, with a determined expression, he spoke to his right hand.

‘I’ve made my decision.’

<Good.>

‘One more thing. If this whole plan succeeds and after regressing, the power of destiny keeps manipulating me, what do I do then? Those star beings can manipulate not just time and space but even the will of living beings, right? When they realize they’ve been deceived, they won’t just stay quiet.’

<In other words, you’re worried that you might be forced into a destiny of becoming a hero even after going back in time. Don’t worry about that. Your star, unlike most beings whose destiny is predetermined from birth, will have a proper Administrator.>

‘The Administrator…?’

When Myung-jun spoke, a grin spread across his right palm.

<Of course. I’m staking the honour of the Time Keeper on it. This time, I’ll properly help you contract with the protector you desire.>

*********

As the close-range combat began, Myung-jun swiftly retreated more than 20 meters from the first clash with the puppet holding a sword identical to his own.

However, as if he had anticipated this, while flying backward, Myung-jun summoned something that looked like a switch and gripped it in his hand.

It was a drive switch to activate the countless weapons he had summoned just before initiating combat.

-Click-

The moment Myung-jun pressed the switch, the weapons aimed at Hee-cheol ignited with lightning speed.

At that moment, five dolls holding shields emitting blue light raised their shields to block the attack aimed at their master.

Shield that makes all impact disappear by reducing the kinetic energy of objects it touches to zero.

Although these shields could easily block the attacks of 12th rank entities, since Myung-jun’s intention wasn’t to attack the opponent through bullets, the defense mechanisms of the dolls are futile.

‘Initiate Level 12 Equipment-specific Forced Disarm Device.’

As Myung-jun whispered, grenades stuck to the shield like sticky bombs started to pull nearby equipment with great force.

Then, the dolls equipped with strong equipment began to compress to the center like a crumpled paper.

It was a secret weapon that Myung-jun had prepared to pierce Hee-cheol’s defenses, but Hee-cheol didn’t pay any attention.

There were plenty of dolls, and Myung-jun only has a few cards left in his hand.

Next, the dolls summoned by Hee-cheol were humanoid dolls holding guns resembling grenade launchers.

When those robots simultaneously fired their bullets, Myung-jun hastily summoned a mask and put it on his face.

Then, a green cloud began to appear from the bullets fired from the guns held by the dolls.

‘It’s a special bullet with both sleep and smoke effects.’

‘I wouldn’t last long.’

In the first place, the smoke emitted by these bullets was a composition designed to incapacitate entities of 12th rank or higher, that could not be brought down by any toxic substance known to humans.

Without a mask made of 13th rank material, it was nearly impossible to move around within that cloud.

Myung-jun summoned equipment that resembled a giant fan and blew the cloud in the direction of his opponent. The dolls Hee-cheol had newly summoned swallowed the gas cloud coming towards their master like whales swallowing a school of anchovies.

Watching the high-speed battle, which was unbelievable that it was a battle between two humans, the members of research institute couldn’t close their mouths.

“When I heard that you destroyed half of the Ministry of National Defense building ten years ago, I thought it was a bit of an exaggerated story. But seeing it now, that was quite an understated.”

“Do Production Class awakeners combat ability reach this level when they reach 12th rank? It’s completely different from what I knew.”

“Captain Han So-hee, is there anything you can see with your [Eye of God]?”

“Each piece of summoned equipment could easily buy a city. These weapons used in the current battle, when combined, could obliterate all the gates across the continent in one go.”

“Can you win if you fight?”

“Well, that’s easy. I also possess the ‘Alvina’s Bow,’ a 12th rank weapon made by Sergeant Cha Myung-jun. However, I’m only talking about killing, and just like General Moon Hee-cheol, I won’t be able to play with an opponent without causing any wounds. There is a difference between fighting without getting hurt and fight without hurting the opponent. The latter is much more difficult.”

“It’s fortunate that General is on our side. To be honest, until today, I thought that if five of us combined our strengths, we could stand up against the General. But now, even if we mobilize the top 100 rankers, I’m not confident we could win.”

“Normally, one person can barely handle myth-level equipment, but he can handle hundreds of them by himself. However, I think Sergeant Cha Myung-jun is even more incredible than General. He is the only person in the world that can fight against the General for this long with only the basic abilities of his weapon, without being able to use the weapon attribute.”

“But why have those two been having conversation since earlier?”

Due to the collision sounds as metal clashed and the explosions reverberating from all directions, it was hard to hear clearly. However, the two fighting continued their conversation incessantly.

And that conversation was made up of endless blame from Myung-jun and excuses from Hee-cheol.

“In the end, isn’t it because you don’t want to give up the power you hold? Even with such immense power!”

“What about after all this is over? Do you think the world will become peaceful? Your mindset hasn’t changed at all during these 30 years of being trapped. You still hold the mindset you had in your twenties! There are countless political interest and delicate issues intertwined with the Gate industry that you might find difficult to understand! And I, in the midst of it all, must mediate and present the righteous direction the world should move towards!”

“Don’t you think about those people who have to live in anxiety for their whole lives just for that self-satisfaction?”

“They believe in it too! Even if the reality is grim, they believe in the fact that there are many people striving to save the world! Isn’t a world with a chance of salvation much more valuable than a world that can’t be saved?”

“Shut up! Who asked you to save them? Did they beg you to save them? Earth is not a playground for you to play RPG!”

Continuing the battle, Myung-jun felt a boiling sense of hatred towards Hee-cheol deep within his heart. Also, he felt sympathy for people all around the world who hailed this unlucky human as the saviour of humanity.

Unbeknownst to himself, his tone had gradually shifted into informal language as Myung-jun poured out vulgar words towards Hee-cheol.

“What truly disgusts me is that you never speak honestly! You constantly rationalize your actions as if they’re for others, for humanity, and act like the benefits you gain from it are no big deal. That’s what makes you disgusting. You’re not a sincere person. You’re just a hypocrite who wants to become a Hero!”

“So, what should I do then? It is the rule of the world where the rich set up companies to make money so that numerous people can obtain jobs. I’m the one who is paying the price for the debt of hope that I gave to humanity!”

“Then admit that you’re blabbering all this crap because you enjoy it! You selfish jerk!”

Outside of sleeping or working hours, Myung-jun had always spent his time simulating battles against Hee-cheol. While considering how to approach countering an opponent armed with the equipment he had created.

However, despite his numerous analyses, Hee-cheol’s abilities were just too overpowering. Myung-jun felt the cards he had prepared were running out.

And finally, when all the equipment he had prepared for the battle had been depleted, Myung-jun extended his arms in surrender, amidst the fierce combat and amidst the overwhelming power of Hee-cheol, who hadn’t dealt a single injury to himself.

Even amidst the intense battle, cursing at Hee-cheol’s overwhelming power that hadn’t inflicted any wounds on him, Myung-jun whispered to the Time Keeper in his mind.

‘Still not time?’

<Just three more minutes.>

However, as if Hee-cheol wasn’t going to grant more time, he began walking towards Myung-jun, pushing aside the dolls on both sides.

“Have you released enough stress?”

“Asshole.”

“Fine. If you want to curse, go ahead. If there’s anyone in the world who has the right to criticize me, it’s you. But keep this in mind. Just as I can’t harm you due to your worth, you can’t harm me due to your lack of capability.”

Hee-cheol, slightly taller than Myung-jun, stood before him. With a malicious grin, he looked down at Myung-jun.

“That’s the ‘gap’ between you and me.”

In response, Myung-jun smirked at Hee-cheol and said,

“Sure, I’ll admit it. You’re strong. Even if I use all the means I have, you’re so strong that you could overpower me without inflicting a single wound. But there’s one thing you need to know.”

“What’s that?”

“Even though I currently lack the ability to harm you, I have the ability to harm myself.”

Saying this, Myung-jun summoned a large sword in his right hand. Then, gripping the sword, he struck his own left arm.

“Aaarrghhh!!”

“What the hell are you doing?!!!!!!”

“I’m cutting off my own arm, what’s it to you, you son of a bitch!”

“You crazy lunatic!!? Do you think we can’t reattach a severed arm in the world where even dying people can be healed?”

“That’s right. But what If I do it this way?”

In an instant, the sword in Myung-jun’s right hand burst into flames.

At that moment, realizing what Myung-jun was about to do, Hee-cheol urgently shouted,

“Stop that bastard!”

However, before Hee-cheol’s dolls could suppress Myung-jun, who had lost his will to fight, Myung-jun brought the blazing sword to the severed part of his wrist.

Screeeeeech

“AAAARGGHHHHHHH!!”

“Are you really crazy?!”

“You’re the crazy one! Well, now I’ve lost one hand. Even if I can wield a hammer with my right hand, I can’t handle steel with another hand now.

I won’t create weapons for you anymore. Not for you or even for those poor and foolish people who see you as a saviour.

Choose!

Will you keep clinging to that pathetic power until the weapons I’ve created deteriorate completely, or will you use your abilities now to restore this shitty world to its original state!”

“That’s…”

At the moment when General Moon Hee-cheol was about to answer Myung-jun’s question, suddenly his expression hardened and quickly stepped back.

In the place where he had been just moments ago, a massive arrow of light was now embedded.

“Captain! What are you doing now!?”

“Please step back, General!”

“I asked you what are you doing!”

As the enraged voice of Hee-cheol echoed through the corridor made of special metal, a woman holding a bow spoke.

“A few moments ago, the activation of a level 13 item was detected in that guy’s right hand.”

Upon hearing her words, Hee-cheol’s expression instantly hardened.

The level 13 item she mentioned.

It was an item from an uncharted realm that humanity had never encountered since the Gate incident occurred.

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