Ubermensch – Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Twilight was seeping into the world of the gods.

The sky cities were sinking, and the invincible mechanical soldiers had turned their spears.

Everything built for beauty and wonder was crushed under the logic of power, and everything crafted for adventure and experimentation was repurposed into barbaric tools, losing their original purpose.

“Willem…”

The god crafted to conquer the abyss of the abyss had become a monster wielding tentacles.

“Nguyen U Noc…”

The sentient raincloud that yearned to turn deserts into greenery became a calamity god, raining down thunder.

“Eduardo…”

The gentle plant that dreamed of creating an atmosphere on an airless star had to become a whip of poison and acid.

But they all died.

Along with the others scattered across the field.

The 28th-century humanity, rivaling gods, was on the verge of extinction.

To protect the last remaining hope.

The research facility in Wonsan.

There, the leader of humanity was striving for the last hope.

The god-king of science and creation, Robert Park, deprived of all tools and technology, was desperately trying to accomplish something with old and outdated antiques.

To buy him time, people fought valiantly and were destroyed by unknown monsters and the creations that had turned against them.

“Uncle…”

And now, only one remained.

A humanoid bio-engineered for space exploration.

Mason Park.

Holding onto an old, broken antique armor and a decorative sword reduced to scrap, he gazed beyond the plains.

“The time we can buy… seems to be over.”

Beyond the plains, a colossal monster was roaring.

Unlike other monsters, a behemoth impossible to fight, let alone delay: the Ender Beast.

Mason glared at the enemy and looked at his comrades.

Gritting his teeth, he turned around.

Deep within the temple of science, his uncle was struggling with antiques so ancient that their purpose was unknown.

“Uncle.”

“…Mason.”

Robert Park looked at Mason for a moment and immediately understood the words his nephew couldn’t bring himself to say.

“…The end has come.”

Mason responded with silence.

Robert sighed.

“Time. Just 72 more hours… If only we had time to specify the coordinates…”

There were calculations to be made.

Calculations that would take less than a few seconds if he could use the advanced devices now infested by information lifeforms.

Calculations that could be done with antique, outdated machines if he had 72 hours.

There was one last question to solve for humanity, but time was not on his side.

“The facility will be destroyed in 10 minutes at the latest.”

Mason said with a somber expression.

“You have to escape.”

“Yes. We have to escape. Someone… has to escape.”

Robert looked at Mason.

“Go.”

“…Uncle?”

To that question filled with many unspoken words, Robert gave a gentle smile.

“You’re not good with machines. I should be the one to handle them.”

“But…”

“Go. No. Please go.”

“You have to go, Uncle. Only you can rebuild everything!”

“If science couldn’t save us, then I must be wrong too.”

Robert stood before the terminal.

“There’s no time. The Specter will break through the defense line the moment I turn on the power. So… there’s no time for arguments.”

“Uncle!”

Mason tried to stop Robert.

But before he could take any action, the space within the gate began to distort.

There was no time. Time until the last resort Robert had created would be in vain.

Mason knew this well and gritted his teeth.

“…”

He threw himself beyond the space.

As Robert turned off the terminal, sparks, creating a bizarre cacophony, spread across the surrounding conventional machines.

“Specter…”

Robert closed his eyes tightly.

What came to mind behind his closed eyelids was the image of Mason, smiling brightly.

‘Go, Mason.’

Even in a world where emotions, passion, and curiosity were suppressed by the power of science, Mason had passion and curiosity. The passion to protect his aspirations from laziness. The curiosity to seek the unknown.

‘Be the hope of someone else, not of us who failed.’

If there was something to pass on from this era to another world, it wouldn’t be advanced science or artifacts.

What humanity had from the beginning. And what the people of the 28th century had lost.

Mason’s passion and goodness.

“You want this world? Here, take it.”

That’s why Robert could face the Specter with a smile.

“If you don’t mind a world in ruins.”

Robert pressed the self-destruct button.