When we crossed the teleport, we arrived at the lobby where there weren't as many people as before. The tense atmosphere, my lungs that once breathed calmly now struggled to do so.In my mind, I wondered: Why do these kinds of rules exist? What is that rule?I looked at the palm of my hand and then closed it tightly. Famtom, who was standing there looking straight ahead, didn't care about what had happened and began his tour.
—I will continue with the tour.—Why?
He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, his gaze piercing into me with a confused feeling. I didn't look at him and kept my gaze down.
—You just woke up from your coma, and it's my duty to show you the bunker's facilities, and not put you at risk.—I know, but why didn't you help them!?
I stared at him with frustration, but after feeling his sharp eyes, I looked away.
—You could've saved him.—No, I'm just another person in the bunker, so my word wouldn't matter… enough talking, let's continue. Our first stop will be the bunker's city.
"City? Ahh, that's right, there was a city. The bunker was divided into two parts."
I looked at Famtom as he began walking toward one of the large tunnels, and I followed him.
—I really didn't remember that a city existed.—It's fine, you're just getting familiar with the place.
In the tunnel, there was a split in two parts: if you went straight, you could go somewhere else, but if you turned right, there was a small room with many buttons. Famtom pressed one, and the box began to move upward.
—This thing is moving—seriously, will it take us to the surface!?—Yes, we just have to wait a little.
After waiting a few seconds, the elevator suddenly stopped and opened its doors, and we both stepped out.
—We're here.We left the elevator, and the place was completely different from the bunker. It looked medieval, with houses that had red roofs, walls made of brick, and a bit of vegetation visible.People walked peacefully through the area, and some had stalls where they sold things.
—It's really different from the bunker. It looks like an ordinary village.—Yes, we made it like this so people wouldn't feel uncomfortable with all the inventions the Boss made… well, let's continue. I'll only show you the most important things.
"That sounded more like an excuse because he doesn't want to work." I looked at him with an expression of "Mmm, better get to work and show me the whole place."
—Is something wrong?—No, nothing, I'm just looking at the face of a slacker.—Sorry, but I have work to do later.—Ohh really? And tell me, what do you work on that's so important?
I approached Famtom, and we stared at each other with confrontational faces.
—Well…Uuuuuuh Uuuuuh!
"Huh? What's that noise? It's really annoying." I looked toward where the sound was coming from and saw a huge metal pole with something on it making that noise.
—Famtom, do you know what that sou~
I stopped suddenly because I saw a crowd of people running toward me as if they were scared or worried. I was shocked.
—What's happening!?
Famtom stared ahead with a terrifying look that cut deep into the soul.The guy in a suit who was standing there pulled out a hidden weapon from his pants—it was a gun.
"So the energy barrier was disabled. This hasn't happened in years. But that doesn't matter now, I have to go defend the front because that's my role as commander."
—Famtom, tell me what's happening! Why is everyone running over there!?
I looked at the guy who had awakened a few moments ago. He was pointing toward the people running to the gates that had opened so they could evacuate and enter the bunker.
—Neon, I need you to please go to the shelter, where the people are heading.—What!? But I don't know what's happening!
After saying that, a loud explosion was heard in the distance. I looked with annoyance, and then ran at full speed.
—Wait! Famtom!
Neon tried to follow me but couldn't because of the huge crowd that wouldn't let him pass.
***
The further I went into the disabled barrier zone, the more the houses that were previously intact were now cracked or destroyed. The streets had bullet marks and sometimes even fire.
"Looks like I'm close. The military base should be around here."
I began running, and shortly after reaching the outskirts of the city, I saw a white tent where many soldiers with weapons were stationed.
I approached a bit and saw the high-ranking officer, who was checking things on his tablet. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, then looked back at his tablet, but seconds later he jumped back in shock.
—Commander Famtom! It's an honor to see you here!—Drop the formalities. Tell me the situation.
I walked a bit to the end of the green hill and looked at the knights and soldiers fighting the monsters.
—Yes, sir. The barrier was disabled and some monsters began to enter, but we're keeping them under control thanks to the help of a rank B sword knight and soldiers.—Alright. How many monsters in total?—We detected around 100 monsters: aquatic zombies, aquatic skeletons, and slimes.
"100 monsters. That's a very small wave, but the problem isn't that—they don't coexist with each other."
Neon, who had waited until the crowd dispersed, saw the doors that had opened begin closing slowly.
"I guess there's no turning back now…"
The place that was once loud and full of conversation was now drowned in overwhelming silence. You could hear even the faintest breeze.
"Alright, time to look for Famtom."
I ran toward where the previous explosion had been. The cold air hit my face, and my footsteps echoed through the empty avenue.
Minutes passed until suddenly a familiar voice caught my attention. Instinctively, I hid behind a wall and peeked out carefully.
—Hold your positions! If you detect any strange behavior from the monsters, notify me immediately.
"Who are these people? And why are they acting so weird?"
The man speaking wore a green helmet with darker patches. He stood firm and adjusted it.
—You heard him! If you detect abnormal movements, report to Commander Famtom immediately.
"These people are weird… but I should wait a bit and see what happens."
I looked ahead, where the sounds of gunfire echoed intensely. Between bursts of bullets, I could see soldiers, and among them was a blond boy, a little injured, wielding a sword and cutting down enemies easily.
From a distance, Famtom observed the battle, unfazed. A soldier, face covered in sweat, looked at him worryingly and ran toward him.
—Commander! Commander!
Famtom looked at him from the corner of his eye, expressionless. The soldier, panting from running, caught his breath before speaking.
—Sir! We detected a mutant!
When Famtom heard those words, he was stunned—like the armor he had built within himself was shattered by a single word: "Mutant."
"Impossible. How can there be a mutant here? The knights take care of killing the bigger monsters every week."
—Decline Formation!—Yes, sir! Decline Formation, quickly! —shouted a soldier through a radio.
The monster walking slowly bent its knees and jumped with terrifying force, landing in the middle of the field where the soldiers were. The ground shook violently.
The soldiers positioned themselves around the monster, forming a triangle, each point with a squad.
They began firing titan bullets—an extremely strong and sharp material meant to pierce mutant skin.
I closed my eyes at the scene and sighed in relief. "It's over."
—Help!!—Everyone run!!
I opened my eyes, and the battlefield had turned into chaos. The first vertex had been attacked, and the soldiers there fired everything they had, but it was useless— the bullets had no effect.
"Impossible… don't tell me it evolved?"
My heart began to pound rapidly, my body trembled."No! I have to be strong! I have to be strong!"
I tried to calm down, but it was useless. I couldn't do anything in that state.
Neon, hiding between the houses, watched the scene worried."This is really bad. If I don't do something, everyone will die."
I quickly turned and ran into the destroyed houses looking for a weapon, but there was nothing.
"Damn it, nothing!"
I left the house and saw another one ahead, with different architecture. It had an anvil and furnaces embedded in the walls.
I ran inside, and on the floor there were many swords. Without thinking twice, I grabbed one—gray in color.
Meanwhile, Famtom was trying to think of something but couldn't. He looked forward, and the mutant and he locked eyes. A memory buried deep within him resurfaced.
In the same position as the mutant stood now, he saw flames behind it. Famtom knew it wasn't real, but his mind wouldn't stop imagining it. The mutant looked at him with a creepy smile, and Famtom stepped back slowly.
The monster bent its knees again and jumped toward Famtom, bringing its hammer-like hands down to crush him.
"Why… is this happening to me? I'm the strongest. I HAVE to be the strongest. But these emotions… I thought I buried them deep inside, but I guess not… What will be the price of my sins?"
Famtom watched the silhouette of the monster in the air and closed his eyes, accepting his fate…
In a collapsed area, a boy ran at full speed and leaped to reach faster, blocking the mutant's attack midair.
The impact pushed the mutant back, and both he and the boy hit the ground.
—Huff… huff… that was exhausting, but I made it just in time.
Neon looked at him with a confident grin. My body felt hot from the effort of reaching Famtom.
The mutant and I stared into each other's eyes. It was a horrifying creature—its wide, hammer-like hands, aqua-colored skin with coral and seaweed embedded into it.
The creature rushed toward me without hesitation, jumping to attack me from above. I moved to the side and swung my sword at its arm, but the blade only made a small crack.
"What the hell!? Why doesn't it cut!?"
Surprised, I tried to retreat, but my body didn't respond well due to exhaustion—I barely managed a small jump backward.
The monster took advantage and punched toward my head, but I reacted in time, tilting my head aside.
I jumped back to safety. My fingers touched my cheek, and I felt warm red liquid.
"That was close. If I had reacted any slower, I'd be dead."
Famtom watched the fight, stunned. He couldn't understand why Neon was here.
"Why is he here? Why did he save me…? I should be dead. I'm weak for feeling this."
The boy looked at his shaking palms, then closed his fist. "That doesn't matter anymore."
—Sir, what do we do now? That kid won't last long!
I glanced at the two worried soldiers and raised my hand toward the mutant.
—Bring the bazooka!—Yes, sir!
Neon, on the battlefield, swung his sword to block the mutant's attacks, but each blow was devastating. A normal person had limits.
"Damn it… if this continues, I won't win."
In one attack, I swung my sword to block the monster, but the creature punched my stomach with its other hand, sending me flying to the ground.
—Damn it…
I stood up, wiping the sweat and blood, but the monster charged toward me like a rabid dog. Behind it, something exploded.
"What was that!?"
My eyes widened. I didn't expect an explosion. The creature looked back angrily and saw two soldiers holding a bazooka.
Famtom, at the side, looked at me and threw me a blue sword. I caught it midair, but the mutant, recovering from being stunned, rushed toward me faster than ever.
I didn't expect it—I couldn't react. He tackled me, throwing me hard into a nearby house.
—Ahhhhhh!!
I was embedded into the wall. The mutant walked toward me slowly— I was weak, an easy prey. But it didn't expect another missile hitting it.
Meanwhile, my entire body felt hotter than usual. Everything hurt—legs, arms, waist. My fingers touched my head, and I felt red liquid.
Famtom watched worried. He knew Neon was in danger—not because of the hit, but because of the poison mutants spread on contact.
The commander thought the best plan was to lure the mutant toward them and fight it, as he was stronger. But when he thought that, a shiver ran through him. It didn't matter; he tried to give the order—but his body didn't move. It was frozen, as if invisible chains held him.
—Fire another missile!
Instead of saying his original plan, he ordered another missile. The soldiers hurried to load another shot and fired at the mutant again.
The creature stared at us and charged on all fours.
Neon, embedded in the wall, forced himself out, bricks falling. I grabbed the blue sword and stabbed it into the ground to stay standing.
Soldiers around us tried shooting the mutant, but it didn't stop—until another missile slammed into it.
I saw this as my chance— the mutant wasn't looking at me. I ran with the blue sword, but my muscles tightened, and a pained expression crossed my face.
"Ugh, it hurts… but it doesn't matter. Move… move… move! This is my chance!"
With my remaining strength, I moved slowly, getting closer to the stunned mutant.
"A bit more… just a bit more."
I stared determined. Famtom, from afar, fired another missile to keep it stunned. With that, I ran and stabbed the sword into its back.
—It's time!!
The mutant's skin, once hard as stone, felt like paper.
The monster screamed in pain and looked at me from the corner of its eye. I smiled playfully. With its deformed hands, it grabbed my sword. I tried to pull it out, but its strength was overwhelming.
—Come on, you can do it!—Keep going!—Cut it in two!
All the soldiers who finished killing the lesser monsters began cheering Neon on.
"This is perfect—we can't waste this opportunity." Famtom thought. He looked at his soldiers shouting encouragement.
—Fire another missile, quickly!—Huh? Ah! Yes, sir!
The soldier grabbed ammunition from the ground, loaded it, and both held the launcher.
—Ready, commander! Should we fire it now!?—No. Wait for my signal.
"I need the perfect moment. If we fire now, it'll be useless—the mutant will block it with its free hand, and Neon won't be able to cut it. We need it to use both hands to defend."
I raised my hand, staring at the mutant. Memories buried deep inside me resurfaced—memories I wanted to avoid—but if I looked away, we'd lose our only chance.
The monster, focused on Neon, turned its head slightly. That was enough.
—Fire!!
I brought my hand down. The missile launched, roaring through the air. The mutant heard the sound and turned, but it was too late—the missile hit its body, and it raised both hands to defend instinctively.
Neon, behind it, saw the sparks from the impact like a light show. Suddenly, the sword that was once heavy became incredibly light, and the cut came clean.
"We won…"
The mutant was sliced in half. Neon, the boy who had awakened moments ago, fell to the ground. The grass was soft, as if welcoming him after his hard work. He closed his eyes to rest.
On the hill, Famtom let out a relieved sigh at the victory. All the soldiers shouted in triumph, but there was no time to waste—Famtom sent a team of medics to help the fallen or injured soldiers.
—Quickly, bring the medics. There's no time to lose.