◈ Episode 221

Kim Lee-hyeon immediately started taking action.

"The guy behind me is no good."

First of all, distinction.

"I might be able to catch him somehow, but it'll take too much time. I'll rule him out unless I catch up. Even if I have to use force, I'll have to stop at just briefly tying him up."

Divide enemies into those that can be dealt with immediately and those that cannot. The key is 'how much cost is involved'. Since stamina and time are limited, efficiency needs to be considered.

In a way, it's a typical gamer's way of thinking.

You have to move as a character while also being a player.

"I'll catch that spider bastard up front."

"Okay. Then I will…."

"No, you have to keep driving."

The 'spider' was a troublesome entity, strictly speaking. In the game, it was an enemy that moved from square to square at high speed, occasionally stabbing at squares, and even had a long-range attack method that spit out thread.

In short, its strengths are its nimble and unconventional movements.

Conversely, its weakness is low defense. It is vulnerable to physical attacks.

'So what should I do? I was wondering. Why did I have to solo play with Leila?'

Leila, like Asterike, is a spell-bending character. She doesn't have any proper physical attack methods. You can't force her into a physical dealer by giving her equipment.

But it is a weakness that has meaning.

Shhh!

The spider began to spit out silk and block the exit.

"The road is blocked!"

"It's okay, just run."

There is no option to stop the car. Any delay will result in the 'worm' swallowing it. Even if you clear the thread with a flamethrower, there is a risk that the fire will spread as you pass through.

A long cylinder appeared in Kim Yi-hyeon's hand. He pressed the switch and threw it out the window with all his might. As it rolled to the exit, the top and bottom of the cylinder opened.

- Chiiik!

A blast of air spewed out from the open barrel like a steam engine. The so-called 'air bomb' that pushed enemies and allies out of the corresponding space. A 5-star auxiliary equipment loved by everyone from newbies to old men.

Kim Ihyeon shouted as soon as the thread that was winding around the exit was pushed out.

"Just go through it!"

"yes!"

The car accelerated even faster and raced furiously. It tore through the tunnel like a finishing line tape. As soon as I got outside, I could see a spider sitting on the tunnel.

Kim Yi-hyeon grabbed the thread outside the window and took in the spider's entire body. Soon, a small straw doll and an awl were formed in his hand.

6-star auxiliary equipment, [Astramorph's Cursed Doll].

Inflicts 'Stop' and 'Weak' effects on a single target for 7 seconds.

Phew!

The moment he overlapped the thread and the doll and stabbed it, the spider coming down from the tunnel lost its balance and fell onto the road with a loud noise. It was completely defenseless. It could have been dealt with with a few shots, but Kim Yi-hyeon turned his head away.

There is no need to finish it yourself.

Boom!

A worm crawled out of its tunnel, writhing, crushing the spider's body.

It was a strategy that was close to the official method. Originally, you had to remove the thread with Leila's spell and electrocute the spider. However, due to the accuracy issue, you tend to retry an average of 5 times.

'I can't do that right now.'

We need to step more firmly.

The road was constantly shaking. It was natural for the worm to chase after him, destroying the railings and the ground, but Kim I-Hyeon sensed an unnatural 'vibration' coming from the front.

Leila winked as he leaned his upper body out the window.

"Mr. Hyun?"

"Keep moving forward."

Bang, taang!

Kim Yi-hyeon pulled a pistol from his waistband and fired at the ground 50 meters ahead. It was an action that seemed incomprehensible on the outside. However, the results were immediate.

The ground shook violently for a moment, and thorns rose like bars in front of her. Startled, Leila turned the steering wheel and steered the car. She swallowed dryly unconsciously.

"Oh, that's surprising. How did you know?"

"I feel like there are all kinds of weird guys out there."

Kim Yi-hyeon didn't stop his hands as he spoke. This time, he took out a semi-automatic rifle and placed it on the window frame. Ta-aang! Every time he pulled the trigger, the wing of the flying machine was pierced and shot down.

'Damn, this is so close.'

I was somehow coping, but it was a dangerous tightrope walk. Behind me, something as big as a building was chasing me, and I didn't know what else might pop out in front of me.

The remaining distance is about 3km.

If you make even one mistake, or if something unexpected happens, the balance will collapse in an instant. You have to go a little further while you can.

And 500m further on.

Kim Yi-hyeon and Leila felt the gaze of 'it'.

"What the fuck."

For a moment, a cold silence descended.

On the left side of the road, there was an object that was integrated into a high-rise apartment building that had collapsed in the bombing. It looked like paint that had been applied to the wall of the apartment.

Just then, a large eye blinked in the center of the pitch-black wall.

Ink began to pour out of his eyes like a waterfall.

Each drop of water was a waterfall made of parasites. Countless soldiers were crushed on the road. Unable to withstand the impact of the fall, their bodies were shattered, piled up, shattered again, and piled up again to form a mountain.

This guy is someone I don't know.

"-Mr. Hyun! Please change the driver!"

"Is there a way?"

"We have to try to break through it, even if it means forcing ourselves to do so."

Kim Hyun-ah and Leila quickly switched places with movements that were almost acrobatic.

Then, Leila's hair rose up and sparks flew from her body. The blue sphere compressed in her hand flew into the air.

Gurrrrrr!

A thick bolt of lightning struck the mountain of parasites.

"허."

It was a firepower that surpassed Asterike. It was a quality worthy of a final stage-limited fraudulent character. Leila's spell, which had absorbed all kinds of pollution and completed growth, could be described as 'magic' without any exaggeration.

The power was powerful, but Kim Ihyeon realized that the enemy's movements had stopped.

A wide-area shock that lasts for 10 seconds. It was the decisive reason why Leila was able to clear the final stage alone. It may not be used continuously, but its value was definitely outrageous.

"Haa, haa! Now is the time!"

As soon as Leila sat down again, Kim Hyun threw a grenade and rolled down the car window. He then stuck to the left lane, which had the fewest obstacles, and rammed the car into the monster's barrier.

Boom, boom!

The body of the car shook like crazy. Halfway through, the worm from the rear collided with the parasite army. The 'eye' continued to spit out ink and was all swept away by the worm.

The side mirrors and hood were ripped off by the impact. Smoke was pouring out of the engine and the car windows shook as if they would shatter at any moment.

Kim Lee-hyeon drove the car forward without even forgetting to breathe.

The field of vision is covered in ink, and time feels infinitely longer.

yet,

―!

A whine that was unlike anything Polaris had ever heard signaled the end of the ten seconds. After a brief pause, the car spurted out its last ink. After clearing the obstacle, the front view was clear.

The mountain of parasites came crashing down and chasing them. Even as they crushed each other and their bodies exploded, there were those who followed them unharmed.

The parasites that fell behind were swallowed by the worm. The survivors jumped up and clung to the rear window like leeches. It was a sight that seemed to bring hell to the real world.

The situation was getting worse.

"It's ahead!"

I hurriedly changed direction to avoid the flying object. Something like a lightning rod crashed into the road. As I entered the suspension bridge, I saw countless eyes leaning on the steel frame.

They were watching us closely from near and far.

"I can't do this anymore."

Kim Lee-hyun made a decision.

"Get ready to jump."

"Huh? Jump down, huh huh!"

Leila looked around and vomited out her flagship. It was because Kim Yi-hyun suddenly took out dynamite. However, the confusion was short-lived, as he quickly realized the plan and shook his head.

Chewy!

A lit fuse burns brightly.

As the car slowed down, the doors on both sides opened wide. At some point, a parasite that had climbed onto the roof of the car stretched its tentacles into the driver's seat. The sharp tip scratched Kim Yi-hyun's arm. Blood spurted out.

It wasn't a big wound. I pulled the tentacle hard and beat it. Kim I-hyeon jumped out of the car without delay and ran to the railing, holding Leila tightly with his left arm.

"Don't bite your tongue."

"Uh, uh. Okay...!"

Bam!

I hooked myself onto the railing and jumped down without hesitation.

A wire stretched out from the bridge. Even by eye, it was not long enough to reach the ground. Kim Yi-Hyeon let go of the [Tactical Hook] and began to free fall.

"Gyaaaah!"

Below is the ground. Whether you're a 6-star agent or not, if you fall like this, you'll die instantly. If you inject Helixivir, you might be able to survive, but I don't have the spirit to experiment.

And there's no plan to crash.

Chomp!

He gripped the handle that appeared in his hand tightly. The parachute canopy opened. An auxiliary device that can instantly change the agent's deployment location once during the operation.

In reality, it is an ordinary parachute, and therefore ordinary and useful.

It was the moment when we descended to an appropriate altitude.

-Whoah!

An explosion occurred in the middle of countless parasites and worms. The flames consumed every object on the suspension bridge equally. The intense shock wave pushed the parachutes away.

Kim Yi-hyun rolled on the ground while holding Leila. A dull pain rose up his back, but it wasn't enough to hinder his activities. He sat up and looked up at his legs.

"You are a minister."

Parasites were falling like hail from the broken bridge.

"I, I, I, this is the first time in my life that I've experienced something like this, phew…."

"You'll get used to it after doing it two or three times."

"Hey, this is two or three times? No, thank you for now."

Leila, who had gotten up hesitantly, trembled. Although her head seemed to be out of whack for a moment due to surprise and embarrassment, she was not hurt. She took a deep breath and calmed her startled heart.

"...I guess I'll have to walk from now on."

"Thank goodness I don't have to worry about getting lost."

The two of them turned their gaze without saying who would go first.

Just by following the flow of pollutants, I could tell where it was. In the distance, a hole in the world jutting out higher than the buildings of a high-rise apartment complex. It was incomparably larger than before, when it had been no bigger than a fist.

"Let's proceed carefully."

The destination is not far away.

* * *

Leila looked at the back of the car ahead and had a sudden thought.

'It feels a bit like a trip.'

It was a stupid idea, even to myself. If I made even the slightest mistake, my life would be at stake. It would not be an exaggeration to say that hundreds of millions of lives were at stake on the shoulders of the two.

Even though I know it deep down in my bones.

Somehow I don't feel as anxious as I thought.

"It feels strange."

"what?"

"Actually, I've been thinking about a similar situation for a long time."

He spoke under his breath as he walked down a shady alley.

"I had a strong premonition. I didn't exactly predict what the crack would be like. I just thought that someday I would be given a role. After all, my birth was not ordinary."

"It's not ordinary."

"Yes. Neither the professor nor the two directors simply decided on a research theme with a light heart, thinking, 'I can do it.' There was a clear intention behind my birth."

Leila summarized what I was saying briefly.

"So, you had something to ask of me."

I've always felt a sense of mission. That was the fundamental reason why Leila wanted to help others so much. It was the first time in her life that she had revealed her true feelings. She continued to speak, embarrassed inside.

"Even though I felt suffocated at times, I never thought of it as bad. I've enjoyed my life so far so much. What I want to say is, umm…."

An awkward laugh formed.

"It's just amazing. Even at this moment, when I've been determined to do something, there's someone by my side."

"hmm."

Kim Yi-hyeon glanced behind him and suddenly stopped walking.

"I said it wasn't ordinary, but I guess there was a bit of a misunderstanding."

"Are you misunderstanding?"

"Let me put it this way. There must have been a lot of researchers involved in your birth. They were losing sleep and going through trial and error. Whatever their ulterior motives, one thing is clear."

He added in his usual calm manner.

"The moment you came into the world, everyone must have truly blessed you."

"...."

"People like that are rare. So, live long and well. Don't be like some people who show a gloomy face every day, and don't be like some people who forget their own name and lose their screws."

Kim Hyun-i, who had said that, put on his mask. Leila remained silent for a long time, just mumbling her words. After a while, a distorted smile spread across her face.

"yes."

It's like she's holding back tears.

It was an expression I had never seen before in Polaris.

And about two hours.

Kim Hyun-ah and Leila witnessed the crack.