Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Chapter 12

“What do you mean the government and the Ministry of National Defense don’t know?”

“Exactly what I said. I didn’t let the Ministry of National Defense know about my ability.”

Myung-jun explained the whole story to his curious grandmother.

How he encountered a Rank 2 Monster, whose body bullets could not penetrate, during a battle he fought with his comrades, and how his comrades were annihilated by the Rank 1 Monster that appeared afterwards.

How he awakened his ability next to the corpse of his squad leader and took down the Rank 2 Monster with a handgun, and finally, about the obsessive attention from Captain Moon Hee-cheol, the project manager under the Ministry of National Defense’s Monster Response Headquarters.

Myung-jun’s grandmother and younger sister showed a mix of emotions as they listened to his story.

Tears at the brave death of Lieutenant Kim Hak-won and anger at the attitude of Captain Moon Hee-cheol, who tried to retrieve the Monster bodies even after the death of 20 soldiers.

Finally, after Myung-jun finished his explanation, So-eun, who had been listening to the story until the end, looked puzzled and asked Myung-jun:

“But brother.”

“Yes?”

“So, you hid your ability because you were worried that if the military found out, they might delay your discharge date?”

“That’s right.”

“But you decided to hide your ability before you met Captain Moon Hee-cheol, right? Initially wiping the fingerprints off the handgun that Lieutenant Kim Hak-won had is one instance.”

“Correct. It’s hard to explain, but as soon as I awakened my ability, I was able to instantly understand its nature and the consequences it might bring. Think about it. The appearance of these Monsters isn’t just an issue for our country. The whole world is in chaos because of the emergence of these mysterious monsters, right? Imagine, during all that, a person emerges with the ability to modify the many weapons that the military and police possess to use against these monsters. It means that even an ordinary person can fight against a monster with a weapon I’ve modified. Although I contacted the headquarters with the lieutenant’s phone, I didn’t return immediately, right? Essentially, after saying ‘Actually, Sergeant Cha Myung-jun contacted the headquarters and then was killed by another monster that appeared after,’ they could completely erase my existence. Moreover, depending on how my ability is used, it seemed like a crucial ability that could cause international conflicts.”

“But other people with superpowers might have the same ability as you, right? Or maybe all those with abilities can use them in that way?”

“If that’s the case, then I just got ahead of myself. But at least I didn’t want to be in that situation within the military. There was only a month left until my discharge, and both you, So-eun, and grandma were waiting for my return.”

“Sigh…”

“Anyway, for that reason, people’s daily lives will change rapidly in the future. And within that, we have to find a way for our family to endure. So, grandma and So-eun, please keep my ability a secret from others.”

“You’ve already been discharged from the military, hasn’t it ended?”

“No. Even after being discharged, my status remains as a reservist. And in a situation equivalent to wartime, the government can call up any civilian with the status of a reservist back to the military. For the time being, I intend to go around and solve that issue.”

“How?”

“I will use my ability as a weapon, and under the condition that I will never be conscripted to the military again, I’ll look for a country that will accept our family. As a last resort, even if it means renouncing my Korean nationality, I have no intention of being dragged into the military again.”

“Did you dislike the military that much?”

“No, it’s not that I hated the military. I hated the Korean Ministry of National Defense. Sooner or later, So-eun, you’ll also realize this. Once monsters that bullets cannot penetrate start to appear in full force, you’ll soon see how despicable the Korean Ministry of National Defense behaves.”

After convincing the two, Myung-jun purchased cell phones for his younger sister and grandmother, citing the need for a communication network in case of emergency. He then handed over a bear-shaped phone strap to Soeun, who was happily holding the latest model phone. It was a small toy with a lightning port connector, the same one used in the iPhone that Myung-jun bought for So-eun.

“Wow! A gift?! But what’s this thing?”

“It’s a kind of security device. I made it last night. Basically, if you make a call with this plugged into the bottom of the phone, it connects directly to the other device without going through the mobile network.”

The device Myung-jun handed over looked cute on the outside, but it was incredibly powerful. It allowed communication with people inside a ‘Gate’, and even if the entire communication network was shut down, it could directly call someone on the other side of the Earth. It was made by hastily repurposing parts from an unused router, but internally, it combined parts enhanced with advanced property modifications.

“It’s primarily an anti-eavesdropping measure. If you plug it in, you can communicate with the other party in any situation. And if you ever find yourself in danger, press the left ear hard.”

“The left ear?”

“Then a signal will be sent to my device.”

“Oh, so if I press it during an emergency, you’ll come to save me like a knight on white horse?”

“I’ll try my best regarding the white horse.”

“Do it, Brother!”

Seizing the moment, Myung-jun took the phone from So-eun and applied his attribute transformation to ensure that in any unforeseen situation, the phone wouldn’t break and lose contact. Once Myung-jun completed his work, So-eun’s phone became a device with specifications impossible for that era.

“Basically, it works even more than 200 meters underwater, and it’s durable enough that it won’t break even if an adult male hit it with a large hammer. Moreover, even if you try to cut it with a power saw, the blade will break because it’s so hard. I bet even if you dropped it from the school rooftop to the sports ground, it wouldn’t get a tiny dent.”

“I finally got permission and got this phone. What if it breaks because of that?”

“Then, I’ll buy you another one.”

“Yay!”

“But don’t test it on purpose in front of your friends. It’s been modified to a strength that’s impossible to achieve with current technology. If something goes wrong…”

“You’re saying your abilities could be exposed, right? I’ll keep it a secret.”

“Ah, our So-eun is so smart.”

“Hehe… I’ll do anything to prevent you from being drafted again.”

“Good. I trust you, So-eun.”

“So! Brother, what are you going to do now? You said you’re looking for a country that can protect our family?”

“Yes. But for now, it’s okay. As I said yesterday, Rank 2 Monster are appearing in small numbers that the current South Korean military can handle. In fact, governments from various countries are eager to secure the bodies of these Rank 2 Monster.”

“Bodies? For what purpose?”

“By processing the body of a Rank 1 Monster, you can make equipment that can deal with Rank 2 Monster, and from a Rank 2 Monster’s body, you can make equipment that can easily capture Rank 2 Monsters. And with that equipment, you can capture the upcoming Rank 3 Monsters.”

“There are monsters even stronger than that?!”

“Yes. Rank 1 deflects knives, Rank 2 deflects bullets, Rank 3 deflects heavy artillery, Rank 4 deflects tank shells, and Rank 5 doesn’t flinch even if hit by a missile. Once you surpass Rank 8, even tactical nukes can’t take them down.”

“How many Ranks are there?”

“As far as I know, up to Rank 12.”

So-eun, who was sipping her drink in the coffee shop they stopped by after buying the phone, spit out her drink in shock. Myung-jun, witnessing this comical sight, chuckled and wiped her face with a tissue. So-eun, avoiding Myung-jun’s hand, asked her brother in an urgent voice,

“Really?! Brother?”

“Yeah. But there’s no need to worry too much. The emergence of Rank 12 Monsters is something that will happen decades from now. The real problem is D-day.”

“D-day? What’s that?”

“In about a year, reports of Rank 1 Monster will gradually increase. Reports of monsters that can’t be harmed by the police or military weapons will spread. Though the state will deny it, they can’t fully control the information about these anomalies. Incidents like a factory getting destroyed overnight or elderly people found torn to pieces after a night of drinking will increase. After these sporadic appearances, suddenly, D-day will arrive.”

“What happens on D-day?”

“To explain that you need to know the basic principle of how these monsters are created. Want to hear?”

As So-eun nodded, Myung-jun lowered his voice and continued,

“Okay. Basically, Rank 1 Monsters just pop out of nowhere, as if they naturally occurred. They can be created anywhere, even in completely enclosed spaces. So even if you lock yourself inside your house, you’re not entirely safe. On the contrary, from Rank 2 onwards, they appear on Earth in a more systematic way.”

“A systematic way?”

“I’m talking about a ‘Gate’. It’s like a swirling black dimensional portal. Basically, in the vicinity of these gates, Rank 2 and higher Monsters are created. These gates can be tracked if found in time and can even be closed.”

“How?”

“All Monsters, regardless of their Rank, have a shining stone-like crystal inside them. If you throw this crystal where the gate is, the gate stabilizes. If you spread it in large quantities, you can close the gate. However, the required amount of crystal varies depending on the Rank and activity level of the gate, but essentially, dispersing crystals to eliminate them is the most standard way to deal with a gate.”

“Does that mean there are unconventional methods, besides the standard ones?”

“So-eun is sharp.”

“Hehe…”

“The unconventional method is for people to enter the gate and clear it. Inside the gate, there are subspaces with various environments, and all sorts of Monsters of different ranks are there. If you defeat all of them and satisfy the clear conditions, the gate disappears, and the members who entered are summoned to where the gate was originally located. On every gate, there are two numbers visible to the eyes. You can determine the gate’s rank using these numbers. It looks like ‘115/1000’. The latter number is constant, while the former increases over time. And when the first number surpasses the latter…”

“What happens when it surpasses?”

“It leads to a phenomenon called [Gate Overflow], commonly referred to as [G.O]. Instead of staying inside the gate, the Monsters spill out from the gate. And they do so with intense hatred for all living beings.”

Hearing Myung-jun’s words, So-eun paused to think. Then, as if realizing something, she said to Myung-jun,

“Given that structure, D-day would be…”

“It’s probably what you’re imagining.”

Myung-jun said,

“D-day. It’s the day when numerous gates that appeared all over the world at the exact same day and time cause an overflow all at once.”

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