The Retired Max-Level Worker Wants to Rest - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Goal

TL/ED – Miso

Apgujeong, Seoul.

“Please! My son hasn’t come back! I’m telling you, he got caught up in that Gate!”

A middle-aged man shouted.

Beside him, a middle-aged woman was crying.

The two appeared to be married.

“I understand, but we can’t allow it. You’d die if you got close!”

Soldiers guarding the Gate.

The streets of Apgujeong had been reduced to ruins. Barricades had been erected around the Gate, tanks patrolled back and forth, and thousands of soldiers were stationed there permanently.

Civilian access was, of course, restricted.

“My sister too! She was definitely here and never came back! Please, sir! Please let us in!”

A girl who looked like a high schooler.

There was also a younger one who appeared to be a middle schooler.

The soldier looked at them with pity in his eyes. Then, knowing full well the answer was no, he stepped forward to explain.

“……You really can’t go in here. Do you not know what this place is? It’s one of the few highest-danger-class Gates in the entire world! You’re saying someone went inside? I’m sorry, but there’s absolutely no chance they’re coming back alive.”

The soldier gave his answer with certainty.

On top of that, two weeks had already passed.

The survival rate converged on zero.

“I saw it on TV. They said it glows red like that when there are people still inside. They’re definitely alive!”

The high school girl said.

The soldier shook his head.

“……I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do.”

The soldier meant it.

Even if he wanted to help, there was no way.

This place was called the worst among all existing Gates. The monsters pouring out of it alone were known to be the strongest and most difficult in the entire world.

Who would volunteer for that?

It would be no different from suicide.

‘I understand how they feel, but……’

But how could anyone just give up?

Their family had been swept up in there.

They couldn’t even know if they were dead or alive.

Of course they would try anything.

“I’m sorry, but go home and rest. You know all we can do is wait.”

“Aah-”

The girl collapsed, sobbing.

The couple who had been protesting beside her must have hit their limit too, because they slumped down on the spot. The people gathered there began to turn and leave, one by one. The soldiers guided them away.

Only a few remained.

“……Our son was caught up in this too, it seems.”

It was a couple.

The man and woman, who looked relatively composed compared to the others, approached them. The couple with the mother who had collapsed from exhaustion, and the high school and middle school girls.

“Let’s hold on just a little longer. They’ll come back alive. I’m sure of it.”

Kim Ho-cheon’s father, Kim Dae-woong.

And his mother, Cheon Yeong-hui.

The two had come to assess the situation, only to find people struggling even harder than they were. Because of that, they couldn’t cry or show their own pain.

All they could do was comfort the others.

‘He’ll come back alive. I know it.’

He knew.

A Gate ranked among the highest in the world.

Called S-rank in the United States.

Called a Black Gate in Korea.

A Gate with not a single survivor to date.

‘It’ll be tough.’

Everyone said they should give up. They said that compared to being swallowed by this place, being able to find a body would be a blessing.

But Kim Dae-woong did not give up.

‘Our son will come back alive.’

He believed that.

Cheon Yeong-hui beside him felt the same.

‘Honey, we can trust him and wait, can’t we?’

‘Of course. He’s not the kind of kid who’d die in a place like this.’

Instead, the two comforted others.

Telling them not to worry.

That they would come back alive, one way or another.

That was when it happened.

“Awakeners!”

“Huh? That guy’s famous, isn’t he?”

“That’s Mad Sword Choi Ho-pil’s team!”

“I heard every member is over level 15! They’re supposed to be world-class!”

“Are they going to clear this Gate?”

“A rescue, they’re here for a rescue!”

The crowd erupted with excitement.

But those Awakeners passed coldly by the families of the survivors without so much as a glance.

* * *

We talked about a lot of things.

Park Dong-cheol said his dream had been to become a competitive kendo athlete.

But he’d lacked the connections and backing, so he’d had to give it up, and the very rival who had stolen his spot was now on the national team.

“……Hic, well, whatever. I’ve got no regrets-”

If he truly had no regrets, he wouldn’t have brought it up.

Still, wasn’t he now a world-class swordsman? His level was over 20, and he said the skill he’d gotten this time was Sword Aura.

I was stunned when I saw it.

‘He cut through steel like it was tofu.’

He said the mana cost was steep, though. So he’d been muttering about needing to use Meditation every chance he got before he fell asleep.

“Yu-ra, what skill did you get?”

“I got Clairvoyance.”

She explained.

I couldn’t help but be impressed.

‘She can see through obstacles?’

She said her eyesight had improved dramatically.

She could see farther and see through obstacles.

‘With Yu-ra’s marksmanship and that kind of vision on top of it?’

That was a flat-out broken skill.

It made me wonder why I’d gotten the short end of the stick.

Still, I chose to have faith. My next skill would have to be something incredible too. Every skill I’d gotten so far had been about building fundamentals, so the roots would only grow stronger.

“……What were you doing before all this, oppa?”

Cha Yu-ra asked.

I hadn’t really been doing anything out there.

I’d just been lounging around.

But I couldn’t exactly say that to her face.

“Me? I was just, you know, prepping for job interviews?”

“I see. It didn’t go well?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

It was embarrassing.

I hadn’t even been trying that hard.

Unemployed at thirty.

And I’d enjoyed it.

‘Suddenly feeling guilty about Mom and Dad.’

If I made it back alive, I’d have to be a better son.

This time, I was the one who asked.

“What about you, Yu-ra? What were you doing out there?”

“I was a nurse. When I was little, my dad ran off with another woman, and my mom raised three daughters on her own until she got sick and was bedridden…… She passed away the year before last.”

“…….”

“That’s why I became a nurse. I wanted to take care of Mom properly, without it costing money. Stupid, right?”

I shouldn’t have asked.

But I offered what comfort I could, keeping my tone steady.

“That must’ve been hard.”

“It’s okay. Everyone lives like that.”

“…….”

She really had a way of leaving me speechless.

I’d been sitting around doing nothing.

Mooching off my parents.

“So I really have to go back. I have two younger sisters. One’s in high school and one’s in middle school. They can’t make it without me.”

“…….”

I didn’t add anything unnecessary.

I just nodded and listened.

“I need to earn money. I have to put my second and third sisters through college. I got to graduate thanks to Mom, but my sisters…… While I was going to school, they couldn’t even eat proper meals or buy decent clothes. I have to pay all of that back.”

Her eyes looked sad.

But she didn’t look tired or ready to give up. All I could see was a clear, unwavering determination to see it through no matter what.

She was a remarkably strong woman.

I spoke up.

“Think we could make some money once we get out of here?”

“We? How?”

I’d lived through it in my past life.

In a world where wars never ceased, strength was wealth and power. The strong became the nobility and claimed everything.

It was survival of the fittest.

The law of the jungle.

“We’ve gotten stronger. The system even said so, that the rewards we’ve earned here will be used to protect Earth.”

“……!”

Her eyes wavered.

I looked into those eyes and asked.

“You’re worried about your sisters?”

“……Yeah.”

“Then you’ll need to get even stronger.”

“…….”

“In a world like that, being powerless is worse than being dead.”

She stared straight at me.

Then asked.

“How do you know all this, oppa?”

“…….”

“It’s like you’ve lived in a world like that before. You don’t even blink when someone dies right in front of you, you stay calm, and when you fight monsters, it’s like it’s all second nature.”

There wasn’t really anything I could say to that.

I just looked up at the sky and sipped my whiskey.

After a moment, she turned her head away.

Whatever her reason, her look said she wouldn’t press the issue. Or perhaps, even without hearing an answer, she’d already pieced enough together.

“See?”

“Hm?”

“I told you, everyone lives like that.”

A little hard, maybe,

scrambling to stay alive.

Getting tired sometimes, maybe,

but never giving up, just enduring.

……Everyone lives like that.

‘She’s not wrong.’

That’s how I’d been living too.

And that’s how I’d keep living.

Whether retirement was even a possibility, I honestly didn’t know.

* * *

The next day.

There was plenty to do today as well.

But first.

Tap-tap-tap-tap.

I worked the control panel.

The radar range had expanded drastically.

The flood of incoming data meant I had to stack filter upon filter. The first thing I checked was information on the surrounding Brakta Nests.

“……Ha.”

I let out a sigh.

There were dozens of Alpha-scale Nests.

Several Beta-scale Nests were also visible.

The problem was the single dark blot caught at the very edge of the radar.

“Delta at minimum.”

One step above Gamma.

The Creed weren’t even worth counting.

Hundreds of medium-class monsters.

If luck was bad, large-class monsters could be present too.

In that case, there would be plenty of aerial monsters as well.

‘To subjugate a Delta-scale Nest, you’d need corps-level combat power.’

Because.

A large-class monster possessed warship-grade firepower. The real issue was that if one of those existed, it meant there was also something controlling it.

We called that entity a Dominant Species.

A being that used mana and possessed intelligence.

‘If one of those is here, there’s no telling when it could expand to Eta-scale.’

That would contaminate the planet itself. In other words, a Delta-scale Nest was like a volcano that could erupt at any moment.

‘Of course, this is still speculation.’

There was no way to know yet.

A Nest of this scale would be shrouded in Bio Gas, making it impossible for radar waves to penetrate.

On the monitor, all it showed was a large dot. The only thing to go on was the magnitude of energy being emitted from the area, giving a rough estimate at best.

“This is insane.”

I’d also found what appeared to be the exit Gate.

The problem was that it had been detected near the Delta-scale Nest. Fifteen kilometers from here, roughly three kilometers from the Delta-scale Nest.

‘I could make it if I moved fast, but.’

What if a large-class monster came bursting out?

What if it spotted us first and attacked?

‘We wouldn’t survive.’

Worse still, what if it followed us through the exit Gate?

That would be the same as unleashing a catastrophe on Earth.

‘Too many variables.’

I had to take the safest route possible.

At the very least, I’d need to build a tank division. An escort fleet of Warships to protect it would also be necessary. On top of that, I’d plant Turrets along the way one by one and set up Bunkers as contingencies-

‘There’s a lot to do.’

Or I’d need to build a Stealth Vessel.

But that wouldn’t be easy.

‘Because I need the gas.’

Electan.

When one kilogram of Electan undergoes full reaction, it produces over eighteen times the output of an equivalent mass of nuclear fuel. It was also a core material for interplanetary jump drives and medical regeneration equipment.

In short, it was absurdly rare.

‘It probably wouldn’t show up on radar either.’

Because.

There was no way the Brakta would have left the gas sitting around.

If their bio-structures had engulfed the gas deposits, radar wouldn’t pick them up. The only option was to physically search through each Nest of Beta-scale or larger, one by one.

With luck, it might be possible to find some.

‘Better to look for a Cosmic Allied Forces Medium Base first.’

That should be the priority.

A Medium Base would have the equipment or medicine to fix Park Dong-cheol’s arm. On top of that, there might even be tanks or Warships there.

‘That definitely comes first.’

And then there was the computer needed for the central control room.

Even a supercomputer would be a win.

If there was a Quantum Computer, an entire small base could be fully automated. Turks would operate without anyone manning them, and Railguns would fire on automatic.

And that wasn’t all.

Weapons used by elite soldiers. In other words, artifacts, weapons that responded to mana, could also be there.

Tap-tap-tap-tap.

I switched the filters.

Cross-referencing the database with the energy signatures picked up on radar-

“There it is.”

A Medium Base.

A site of considerable scale.

It seemed to have already been abandoned; the energy signature wasn’t strong.

But.

“……Survivors?”

Those were definitely bio-signatures.

One, two…… five in total.

The readings were stronger than expected, but-

‘Dong-cheol and Yu-ra show up big too.’

Was it because of mana?

Because of their levels?

These were definitely not ordinary signals.

“Dong-cheol! Yu-ra!”

It was time to prep for deployment.

Going alone was too dangerous, so we’d go together.

‘They might not be friendlies.’

It happened a lot on the battlefield.

Even with the Brakta as a common enemy, humans still fought each other.

The reasons varied.

Settling old grudges.

Money or power tangled up in it.

……Sometimes there was no reason at all.

‘Because that’s what humans are.’

That was why caution was necessary.

But with the three of us, I felt confident.

Especially with Cha Yu-ra’s Clairvoyance and Park Dong-cheol’s Sword Aura combined, most medium-class monsters wouldn’t even be an issue.

“There are survivors?”

“Yeah. No idea if they’re friends or foes, though.”

“……Is that even possible?”

Cha Yu-ra asked.

Park Dong-cheol seemed to share her disbelief, staring at me.

‘Is it because they’ve only ever lived in a peaceful world?’

To me, the suspicion was second nature.

But apparently not to them.

“……Best to be as careful as possible.”

Still, one thing worked in my favor.

My word was absolute to both of them.

We set out immediately.