Chapter 77

In less than 10 minutes, the battle was over.
“After …….”
Kim glanced at the dangling blade. Blood, flesh, and signs of life stained the hilt. It felt heavy, even though it probably didn’t add much to its actual weight.
“It’s overwhelming.
I’ve adapted, but that doesn’t mean I’ve become a pleasure killer. I didn’t think much of it when I was swinging my sword, but by the time I was done, I felt a sticky revulsion crawl down my spine.
Carnage. When you peel back the filter of the game’s content, it was a massacre.
“It’s grim that I have to clean this myself.
I remembered Tamtam’s admonition to take good care of the equipment. I couldn’t believe how awkward it was to do something that everyone else took for granted. Until now, I’d been able to solve the spell.
I tried to keep it handy, but it just added to my workload. I liked the strength and sharpness of the weapon, so I’m sure I’ll use it often in the future.
By the way.
“You’ve really improved, Hyun.”
“…… because I’m not skipping training.”
“You’re doing great. Ghost would be pretty surprised if he saw it.”
Westcreek’s favorable opinion of him had been frosty today. He had a sharp eye for battle. He might have noticed something in Kim’s body language.
“It’s a bit of a stretch to say I’ve gotten better.
The day of the battle with Negrum.
Since being infused with the blue water, his physical specs have improved. It wasn’t a dramatic change, but it was hard to pass it off as a difference in physical condition.
In game terms, this is an increase in overall stats. If I were to quantify it, I’d say it’s close to the average of a 4-star agent, and I’d be confident of winning an arm wrestle with Pablo.
“Should I like this.
There is no change in the ‘mutation rate’. It hasn’t changed in quite some time. I’ve stopped worrying about mutating in my sleep… but I can’t get rid of the feeling of reluctance.
“Maybe I’ll talk to Kushan when I get a chance.
It was something to think about slowly. Unless there’s a serious problem, I haven’t noticed any negative effects yet. So far, nothing but positives.
“……him, the team leader.”
Navy said, hesitantly.
“Did we really need to do this?”
“This far?”
“There were a lot of noncombatants, and we could have captured them alive, even if it was a bit of a hassle, but this kind of unilateral slaughter… I don’t like it.”
The distorted expression was noticeable. Even the expression of displeasure seemed fairly mild.
It was an understandable backlash.
He’s a veteran, but he’s also a Navy SEAL. If you’ve been working toward a “humane resolution with fewer casualties,” you can’t help but feel self-conscious.
It was a conflict that was often mentioned in the game.
The player’s faction, which appears to be an absolute good, becomes increasingly “forced” to kill people. The anguish that comes from this disparity is one of the themes that runs through Polaris.
Kim wasn’t noble like Leila. He killed simply because he was an enemy. If he was going to hurt himself or his teammates in the process of capturing them, it was better to dispose of them.
What the Navy wanted, on the other hand, was legitimacy.
“You’ll have to dig around here to find out.”
He knew exactly what he was researching here. I didn’t share it with the team because it’s hard to explain the source of the information.
It’s a no-brainer. He’d rationalize it once he got around to it.
“Once organized, I look for materials. Research data, logs of supplies, lists of researchers. Anything is good, so grab it all. You can decide if it’s worth using later.”
And finally, he added
“If you find him hiding, take him out immediately. We don’t need prisoners.”
* * *
5 days later.
“Is this true?”
“Then you’re lying.”
Palang, palang.
Kim clenched his jaw and flipped through the paper with one hand. It was a dizzying feast of formulas and jargon. It was impossible for a layman to interpret.
But some things were easy to understand.
– Subject 027, tissue necrosis in the body while receiving helixivir type B.
– Subject 039, transplanted with genetic material from a speeder in the process of mutation. Confirmed blood flow dilation and acceleration and neuronal activation for 309 seconds, but subsequently rejected.
– Connect the nervous system of subject 043, who is undergoing a mutation, to subject 031, who has a nervous system…….
“I can’t write this down, at least not in my head.”
Team 1 returned after clearing three locations. As it turns out, all three were bio-labs. A facility that kidnaps residents of neighboring cities and uses them for human experimentation.
“Hey, this helixibir thing?”
“Mostly Elixir… I think it was Panax here, mixed with some other chemicals. I don’t know the specifics. They sent it to the lab, so they’ll analyze it, but I don’t know how long it will take.”
Panax. The name given to blue water in Bastitera.
“From the looks of it, they’re experimenting with Panax to create mutants. There have been attempts to mutate monsters and animals and then transplant them into humans.”
“What the hell is this….”
“Maybe you want a chimera soldier.”
Ainoa covered her mouth as she listened to the report. A sickening sensation rose in her stomach, as if she had swallowed a maggot. She was realizing more and more that the reality she had known was nothing more than a sandcastle.
“Legion…….”
I don’t understand their behavior. I don’t want to understand them. Maybe it’s because I’ve never seen anything tangible, but they seem as strange as the devil worshippers in the old stories.
I wonder how long they’ve been poisoning this bastitera.
“When I was about ……eight years old, there was an annual walk back and forth between the church and the royal castle as a sign of communion, and I hadn’t been out in a long time, so I waved goodbye.”
“That’s a lot of leaves, and a lot of people.”
It sounded like she’d been shameless since she was a child. When Ainoa rolled her eyes, Kim motioned for her to continue.
“But then my eyes were drawn to the alley, and I think that’s what was interesting, because the plaza is so crowded, and it’s so deserted.”
“Was anyone beating anyone up in there?”
“No, I don’t think so, maybe one or two people saw me and walked by, and that was it, but I had nightmares for a week about it, standing still, peeking out of that dark, quiet alleyway.”
“That’s what happens when you’re young.”
Kim had a similar experience. It’s an exaggeration to call it a nightmare, but the underground parking lot was particularly uncomfortable. I couldn’t stop thinking about the murders I saw on TV.
“That’s how I feel right now, this is happening somewhere I don’t know about.”
“You think I didn’t hear that?”
“It’s good to know that I’m not that irresponsible, because if I’d thought that way for a second, I’d have been so ashamed I couldn’t even lift my face.”
Ainoa lowered her eyes and sighed. Then she looked back at her materials and asked.
“Are you sure it’s not the Legion’s dogma?”
It was a final question for confirmation. I didn’t want to believe that the Bastiterans, or even the nobility with their faces on, were involved in these inhumane acts.
But we already knew the answer.
“Yeah. As you can probably tell from the pictures, it’s quite large. With the number of people we have, we need a lot of supplies, and it’s not something an outsider can supply on a regular basis.”
Even if you hire a pecatum hauler, it’s hard to avoid suspicion, which means someone had to be helping.
“Of course, if that was the end of it, I’d have stopped being psychotic…….”
Kim grabbed one of the stacks of papers on the table and held it out. Ainoa took it and began flipping through the papers, her eyes widening.
“It’s a transaction statement. Apparently, the mutant’s research and drugs were delivered to the nobles of the Mountain Clan, with the credentials of the courier sent by the ‘client’ sandwiched in between.”
“Why did you put this on paper?”
“He was going to cut his tail off when he needed to.”
Even the mansions of noblemen are likely to have something related to the Legion hidden in them. Evidence they’ve gathered to betray the Legion in their spare time. Maybe even mutants.
“Now that we’ve got the evidence part out of the way, it’s time for the rationale. I don’t know the laws of Bastitera, but does a powerless princess have the right to raid the mansion of a prestigious noble?”
“Well, I could try, if I had to…. It won’t be possible unless my brother or my mom is willing to do it, and even then, they’ll have to risk bleeding.”
Kim pondered. The king is not immobile. He never appeared in the game.
We don’t know if he would have cooperated even if he had been able-bodied in the first place. If we had a good ruler, the country wouldn’t be in this mess.
‘Though I’m a little nervous about the prince.
In the story, a character who kills anyone outside of his own faction when civil war breaks out. While he is portrayed as a crazed killer, the specificity of the situation should be taken into account.
War devours the unprepared, as we learned in the previous defense of Kilikia. You can’t look at a person in wartime for who they are.
It’s not like we have any other choice.
“I guess I’ll have to get your brother involved.”
“My brother.”
Ainoa thought for a moment, then said.
“I’ve heard that several nobles, including Count Bedelov, are insisting that my coming-of-age ceremony, which was canceled, be rescheduled to appease the people.”
“That’s a hundred assassins.”
“Why don’t we wait until then? If the royal family’s prestige is tarnished in front of the people, my brother will make his move. I’m sure he won’t ignore it if I share this with him, given the timing…….”
Her lips pouted as she spoke.
“Why do you look at it that way?”
Kim was looking at me in a very pathetic way. I thought it was a brilliant plan, but apparently he didn’t.
“I envy you, you must have ten lives.”
“Wee, I know it’s dangerous.”
“It’s not like it’s dangerous. What if there’s a bombing or something. We can only do so much security.”
His gaze flicked to Carmen, who stood silently.
“How have you been?”
“We’ve had 11 break-ins, eight poisoning attempts, four attempts to bring in explosives, and I’ve personally had offers.”
“You’re just getting out.”
Ainoa put down the lemon water she was about to drink. His appetite had been diminishing day by day. One day, she didn’t even notice the bomb on her bedside table.
“…if we’re getting the same results, we should do something.”
“Not really, because I’m stuck here, and I’m still breathing.”
Ainoa twiddled her thumbs as she watched Kim anguish with her arms crossed. She’d come prepared, but there wasn’t much she could do.
That’s when I remembered something.
It was a long time ago. One day, a snake appeared in Adrian’s palace. He was reading a book and was so alarmed and enraged that he punished the rulers.
Adrian was a man who reacted strongly when he felt himself in danger. Unlike Ainoa, he was a man who could only calm himself by drawing his sword.
“Hey, how about this?”
Ainoa cautiously offered her opinion. Kim Yi-hyun’s expression became more and more serious.
When he was done, he had a satisfied smile on his face.
“You’re a little out of it, too.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“That’s more of a compliment than a criticism, but it’s a pain in the ass to prepare.”
“My brother’s visit is coming up in a few days, so if you want to take advantage of it, you can…….”
“Oh, so…….”
Two men and a woman begin to conspire. They’re talking head to head. A third party would have said, “Oh my God,” but Carmen could only shudder as she watched.
‘You know, you can talk about that stuff with a smile.’
To her, they were both psychopaths.