The Retired Max-Level Worker Wants to Rest - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Maintenance

TL/ED – Miso

In my past life.

Just before death, the mad commander spoke.

“You are a true hero.”

He was talking to me.

To me, crushed after hearing that escape was never part of the plan. Should I kill this mad commander first? That would probably be for the best.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t lay a finger on him.

Tap.

Elite special agent Ellie.

She placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Without you, we would have failed.”

If I’d known it would come to this, I would have failed on purpose.

I would have built an emergency escape shuttle instead.

“You were incredible. To produce a nuclear device on this death world of all places. You will be recorded as humanity’s savior.”

What good is being recorded after I’m dead?

I wanted to retire, enjoy life, and die in peace.

I didn’t want to die like this.

“……Ha, damn it.”

A curse slipped from my mouth.

How was I supposed to hold that in?

“N-now, why are you acting like-?”

Did he really not know why?

Should I just flip the whole table?

……Of course, I didn’t have the power to do that.

“……Let’s just get started.”

Yeah, I gave up.

There was no way out anyway.

Since we’d already started, the operation had to succeed.

Among them, the elite special agent Ellie spoke.

“Commencing now.”

Blue light poured from her body.

This was an energy called [mana].

A force that humanity, conquerors of the galaxy, still could not harness. Unless one possessed an exceedingly rare talent for it, no mechanical device could control it.

Crack-

She lifted the planetary-class weapon [Longinus].

The power that erupted from such a slender woman’s frame was staggeringly intense, a dizzying surge of energy.

‘If only there had been a few more people in the world with this kind of power, maybe we wouldn’t have had to resort to this.’

That thought crossed my mind.

But I soon shook my head.

Among the countless monsters, the higher-ranked ones wielded that power as if it were nothing. As if they’d been born with it.

That was precisely why they had driven humanity, conquerors of the galaxy, to this point.

Keeeeen-

She shone like a star in the sky.

She would hold back the swarming monsters.

Until the nuke was activated.

* * *

My stamina had clearly been depleted. I had injuries too. Just when I reached my limit like that, an unknown force welled up from deep in my lower abdomen.

An unprecedented power seeping into my core.

Could that be mana?

“Huff… huff…”

Whirrrr.

The Turk tilted to one side.

I had killed every last one of the Creeds, numbering in the dozens. Just from piloting alone, my breathing was ragged, and the Turk’s power had bottomed out.

Only a handful of functions still worked properly.

“These damn monsters, seriously.”

Still, I’d raised my Level quite a bit.

Tap.

Clatter.

I climbed out of the Turk.

The first thing I checked was the Turk’s condition.

‘This Turk is done for.’

No matter how low-tier the Creeds were or how much of a veteran I was, at the end of the day it was just a construction robot, not a war machine.

Swish. Tap.

I ran a hand over my face.

My entire body was drenched in sweat and blood.

The wounds on my thigh and back stung. It was called [Super Regeneration], but apparently it didn’t heal everything all at once.

Maybe because I’d been moving so violently, blood was seeping out again, making the hemostatic agent I’d injected earlier completely pointless.

Swish, tap.

Swish… tap.

I limped forward.

There were no remaining Turks in this maintenance bay. On top of that, there was no way the Creeds had only come after me, so I needed to check whether Park Dong-cheol and Cha Yu-ra were okay.

I headed for the control room.

“……Ho-cheon-nim!”

It was Park Dong-cheol.

He seemed to have fought off a few Creeds himself, given that he was covered in blood. Cha Yu-ra beside him looked deathly pale.

“Are you alright?”

“Phew, yeah, somehow we survived. If not for the Barrier, we’d already be dead.”

“……I need to rest for a bit…”

Thud.

Cha Yu-ra collapsed.

Her face was ashen.

“……I think it’s because she pushed the Barrier too hard. She squeezed out every last bit and managed to use it maybe one more time. She hasn’t been doing well since then.”

Park Dong-cheol propped Cha Yu-ra up.

Right, this was good enough.

I jabbed a Revital into my shoulder.

“Phew…”

I could feel vitality flooding back in.

This stuff really did work well.

But then.

“……?”

My thigh itched.

Earlier, there hadn’t been any real sensation of regeneration, but now it felt like the wound was closing in real time.

‘Definitely different.’

Was the [Revital] affecting Super Regeneration?

This injection was an ATP-based, high-concentration energy supplement built on adenosine triphosphate. Physiological energy replenishment, accelerated cellular regeneration, enhanced mitochondrial activity, and so on.

‘It does have basic regeneration-boosting properties, but……’

Not to this extent.

This was on par with treatment from a Grade 1 medical specialist who used mana for healing.

Quite literally, a magical effect.

Still, I had to be careful with consecutive uses of [Revital]. There were side effects like cellular breakdown and liver strain.

‘Maybe I’m different, though.’

Nothing was certain.

I needed to figure it out slowly.

But even so, I stocked up generously on [Revital]. Dealing with side effects was better than dying, after all.

“Still.”

I said.

Park Dong-cheol looked at me.

“Looks like we’ll live through today.”

Heh.

A hollow laugh escaped me.

How long had it been since I last felt this way?

It was absurd, yet relieving.

‘Does this mean I enjoyed this life enough?’

I had been called a War Hero.

Me, not even a combat soldier, just a construction robot laborer.

I’d participated in hundreds of battles. Of those, I was the sole survivor in dozens, and dozens more would have failed without me.

Among those, the major engagements were battles critical enough to determine humanity’s very survival. Each time, I received medals and was given the title of “War Hero.”

‘I just want to rest.’

Yeah, I knew.

In my past life too, I could never bring myself to refuse a mission. The reason I never filed for discharge in thirty years was much the same.

It was just my personality, my nature.

‘Maybe since I worked for thirty years, I was given thirty years of rest.’

A hollow laugh escaped me.

Still, surviving came first.

“Let’s get to work for now.”

First, I’d secure the control room.

We needed to find power and activate the base. In the process, I’d have to find a working Turk too.

‘After that, it’s just a matter of time.’

There was no command entity on this planet.

Only wild Brakta remained. In that case, a few Turrets would be enough to hold this base.

All we needed were resources.

‘Weapons, Turk production. If things go well, maybe even tanks or ships.’

We needed to move fast.

.

.

.

The basic work was done.

We’d cleared the Creed carcasses outside, and the place had become a fairly clean shelter. And there, standing on one side, was the Turk.

That was the most reassuring sight of all.

‘Looks like Cha Yu-ra got Breathing Adaptation too.’

The Barrier had been quite useful.

Especially for someone as physically frail as Cha Yu-ra.

‘Park Dong-cheol’s gotten a lot stronger.’

Gaining a few Levels had made a huge difference.

It was almost like having an extra Turk assistant.

Thanks to that, we’d been able to move combat rations, drinking water, Core Cells, and weapons into this control room. I spent that time repairing the base.

‘Oxygen levels are fine, ventilation works, temperature control is operational…… The problem is the Core Cells.’

Power was insufficient.

At best, we’d last about three days.

What did we need to find more power?

‘We need to find resources.’

Ferrosite.

The alloy ore we commonly call “mineral.” A foundational resource with an ultra-hard crystalline structure composed of iron, titanium, nickel, and more.

That was what we needed.

‘And gas.’

Electan.

A gaseous reactive resource. A substance that produced high-energy reactions through unique molecular vibrations. It served as a combat propellant, plasma weapon fuel, and the source for electromagnetic drives.

‘Realistically, the gas will be hard to find.’

Because it was a rare resource.

But the mineral was absolutely essential.

And then.

-You may select a skill.

Three cards appeared before my eyes.

It seemed I had to pick one of them.

‘I got this when I hit Level 5.’

My current Level was 7.

The result of slaughtering every last Creed that charged at me.

-Steel Heart: The beating heart amplifies vitality.

That was the first one.

A survival skill, perhaps.

And next.

-Aura Sword: Channels mana into the blade.

This one seemed to be an offensive skill.

And then.

-Regeneration Transfer: Lends your regeneration to others.

A healer, huh.

Being told to pick one of these felt like being asked to choose a role.

“…….”

I did deliberate.

But I already knew.

“Survival, no question.”

Staying alive had to come first.

I chose [Steel Heart]. The moment I did, strength surged through my body. It felt like getting consecutive shots of [Revital].

That surge of exhilaration lasted for quite a while.

“……Time to sleep.”

Tomorrow would be even busier.

.

.

.

Morning came.

I woke up early to a pleasant smell.

“Oh, you’re up? The combat rations had some canned food, so I threw together a few things.”

It was Cha Yu-ra.

There was a stew that looked like a hotpot, along with bread and a few side dishes to pick at. The ingredients had to be completely different from what they were originally meant for, but it looked surprisingly decent.

“……I’m Cha Yu-ra, twenty-seven.”

She suddenly started introducing herself.

She said she was a nurse by profession and had been visiting a friend in Apgujeong when she got swept up in the Gate.

“I’m thirty.”

“Huh?”

“Really?”

Park Dong-cheol.

He looked clearly older than me at first glance.

Yet he was the same age.

“Why so surprised? I’ve had this face since middle school.”

“Is that even possi… Sure, it’s possible. Right.”

Was that really possible?

His job was office worker. His hobby was exercise, and he said he’d been learning swordsmanship since he was young. He added that he’d love to have a sword-type weapon.

‘I could make a sword, actually.’

It wouldn’t be hard.

What kind of sword mattered more.

In my past life too, meaning on this planet, if I searched carefully, there might be swords that elite combat soldiers once used.

“I’m also thirty.”

“Same age, then.”

“……I guess so.”

I introduced myself too.

“Job-wise, I was unemployed.”

“…….”

“I just wanted to live as a bum my whole life, but here we are.”

We chatted about this and that.

Park Dong-cheol and I decided to be friends, and Cha Yu-ra agreed to call us oppa. We had no idea how much longer we’d be stuck here, but to survive, we needed to trust each other.

Maybe that was why.

Cha Yu-ra asked.

“But Ho-cheon oppa, how are you so good with these machines? And the injections too.”

How should I explain this?

“This is my second life.”

“……Not funny.”

“Excuse me?”

“Ahem, never mind.”

Cha Yu-ra was the type to say whatever was on her mind.

“I was just a nerd. Tinkering with machines like these was my everyday life. As for the injections, well, they come with instructions.”

That was true.

The injections came with instructions attached.

So that anyone could use them in an emergency.

‘Of course, that doesn’t mean just anyone can casually stab a needle into someone’s lung.’

Anyway, that settled it.

Calling myself a nerd seemed to make enough sense to them.

“More importantly, I think leveling up is a good idea.”

I told them I’d gained a skill at Level 5.

They looked surprised and nodded.

“You both got Breathing Adaptation too, right?”

“Yes, that’s what saved us.”

“Same here.”

Everyone had obtained it.

That made things much easier.

The problem was Cha Yu-ra’s combat ability.

“Have you ever fired a gun?”

“No.”

“Let’s start with that.”

The Gauss Rifle.

A weapon that uses electromagnetic force to accelerate and fire metal projectiles. Its other name is “coil gun,” and it’s completely different from a “railgun.”

“Shooting is easy. There’s an aim-assist system too. If you look closely here, you’ll see the HUD.”

“Oh, I see it.”

“Just align with that red ring and fire.”

The Gauss Rifle wasn’t hard to use.

On the battlefield, veteran combat soldiers turned off the aim-assist system, but there was no reason for Cha Yu-ra to do that.

“Aim, and fire. Swap the magazine and fire again. The E-cell cartridge holds up to a hundred rounds, so check if there’s ammo remaining-”

I gave her the explanation.

Cha Yu-ra stared at me like she found it fascinating, but I didn’t bother elaborating. Staying alive right now was what mattered.

And after that, there wasn’t much else.

“This is a stab-resistant suit. It’s called Regiskin, and it should block Creed claws. But only once or twice. If the same spot gets hit after that, it’ll tear through.”

Next, protective gear.

“Put this on too. It’s light and shouldn’t be hard to move in. If a Creed stabs and pins you, or bites down, press this. It’ll detach immediately.”

Next, sidearms.

“A dagger, grenades, and flashbangs. Dong-cheol, take this too. It’s a single-edged sword, nothing special function-wise, but it should be sturdy.”

I had them fully armed like this.

Because we had to go out and find mineral deposits.

And then.

“……Ho-cheon.”

Dong-cheol called out to me.

“So, uh, why are we individually armed while you’re the only one riding that robot?”

Why else?

Because there was only one Turk.

‘Anyway, the first objective is BI-A.’

An alpha-scale minor cluster. A minimum-size nest with fifty or fewer Creed bio-signatures and no more than three Spawn Sacs.

‘That’s where the minerals will be.’

How much EXP would the bio-structures give, I wondered.

EXP and resources.

We’d secure both.