Ubermensch – Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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They had lost their leader and their chain of command had collapsed.

The remaining battle was nothing more than a mop-up operation.

“You damn monsters!”

People slaughtered the monsters as if to vent their anger.

The battle was short, and the casualties were few.

It was truly an ideal mop-up operation.

And now… it required a long cleanup.

The giant, Mason, threw down the Hellhound Leader, which had been split in two vertically.

“Is it over?”

“It seems so.”

The Holy Knight grinned at Mason.

Mason extended his hand and said,

“Mason, Mason Park.”

“Sung Kijun, leader of the Holy Knights.”

Sung Kijun, the leader of the Holy Knights, looked at Mason.

“But are you… alright?”

Mason’s upper body was almost completely charred.

“Just a bit of soot.”

“No, it doesn’t look like just soot…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine after a meal.”

“No…”

Sung Kijun, who was about to say something, closed his mouth.

With burns that severe, he should have been dead already. There was definitely something more to it, and he probably knew his own body better than anyone else.

He decided not to worry about Mason anymore.

He had more pressing matters to attend to.

“Anyway, thanks for protecting the newbies. It’s a rare choice these days.”

“You came to help too, didn’t you?”

“Because we are the Holy Knights.”

Sung Kijun smiled with pride.

“Let’s talk more later. For now, see a healer and get some rest.”

“Alright, I will.”

Mason headed towards the cafeteria.

“…No, I said see a healer.”

Mason chuckled and continued towards the cafeteria.

Seeing that, Sung Kijun shook his head.

“He’s got the makings of a tanker.”

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The cafeteria was empty. Most people were busy receiving treatment for their injuries.

Mason filled his tray with food and sat down.

Thump, thump.

With each bite, Barbarigen was synthesized, and Barbarigen supplied energy to his smart cells.

His charred skin peeled off, revealing new, pink skin underneath.

As soon as his tray was empty, Mason filled it again.

He was engrossed in his second helping.

Clink.

A tray with a small salad was placed across from Mason.

“Mind if I sit here?”

It was a familiar voice. The calm voice of the woman who had been leading the battle.

“It’s not my cafeteria, do as you please.”

Mason looked up. At that moment, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

The first thing he noticed was her figure.

She was wearing a black motorcycle suit that clung to her body, revealing her explosive curves.

And even that was unbuttoned halfway down her chest, revealing a deep cleavage between her ample breasts.

No, it wasn’t just her breasts that were unreal.

The curves that flowed from her waist to her hips were perfect.

She had a glamorous figure that didn’t match her quiet and calm face.

However, it wasn’t her beauty or her figure that captivated Mason.

It was her eyes.

Was this what people meant by”eyes that could draw you in?”

Her eyes captured Mason’s gaze.

‘Beautiful.’

Mason felt two contradictory emotions at the same time.

‘And… dangerous.’

No fish live in water that is too clear, and one cannot fathom the depths of water that is too transparent.

Her beauty came with danger.

No, it was a beauty that made one want to do dangerous things.

The moment he met her gaze, Mason unconsciously stopped eating and stared blankly at her.

“Thank you for your help. Thanks to you, we were able to minimize casualties.”

She smiled gently and extended her hand.

“Seo Yeonhee, freelance rogue Seo Yeonhee.”

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At those words, Mason came to his senses.

He shook Seo Yeonhee’s hand.

“Mason, Mason Park.”

Mason inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘So this is what a beauty that could topple a nation is like.’

Mason came from the 28th century, where everyone could freely change their appearance. Naturally, his sense of beauty was different from that of modern people. But Seo Yeonhee possessed a charm that transcended such aesthetics.

A magical beauty that made one want to give her whatever she wanted and make her happy.

‘Like my father.’

Mason instinctively thought of his father.

Winston Park.

A renowned explorer who had led the terraforming of Mars.

And above all, a man who dreamed dreams that could captivate people.

Mason looked at Seo Yeonhee.

Winston Park, who was her kindred spirit, had achieved the feat of reshaping a planet.

What could she do then?

‘No, no.’

What was she ‘trying’ to do?

Mason harbored curiosity and anticipation, as well as vigilance and fear, all at the same time.

Along with an attraction that surpassed all of those emotions.

“You must get told you’re beautiful a lot, right?”

“Yes.”

“…Aren’t you a little too confident about that?”

“It’s true, I hear it a lot.”

Seo Yeonhee gave a playful smile.

“Alright, then Miss Beauty… what brings you here?”

“To eat?”

“So you’re not going to chase me away if I leave?”

“No.”

“Let’s get down to business then.”

Mason put down his spoon and folded his arms.

“What do you want from me?”

“Join me.”

“If this is a one-night stand offer, I’d be happy to, but I don’t think that’s it.”

Mason chuckled.

“Your objective is to scout me, right?”

“Yes.”

“What are we going to do, and what will you give me?”

“We’re going to fight Heavenly King Yekaterina.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

Mason’s mind flashed back to Gwendolyn’s greeting.

She was the leader of the organization that the person he had beaten up and her companions belonged to.

<...Please keep our identities a secret. Our lives depend on it.>

He had a promise to keep.

Mason asked casually,

“What did she do wrong?”

“She created the ‘Inner Circle,’ a healers’ union. And she’s exploiting Korea’s player system.”

Mason just blinked.

“…You didn’t know?”

“Nope.”

“…How much do you know about the world?”

“Nothing at all.”

“Then I’ll explain from the beginning.”

The superhuman soldier training program, commonly known as the ‘Player’ system.

It was a plan to address the weaknesses identified in the fight against monsters.

Modern weaponry wasn’t weak.

It was just inefficient.

Monsters usually had barriers generated by their cores, and conventional firearms were rendered ineffective against those barriers.

Of course, they could be killed with high-powered weaponry like anti-tank weapons or missiles, but… such advanced weapons were too expensive to use against a single monster.

It would be like wasting an anti-tank shell on a single infantryman.

It was uneconomical.

But sending regular infantry armed with conventional firearms against monsters resulted in a lack of defense.

The history of weaponry was a battle between spear and shield. When the spear became sharper, the shield became sturdier, and when the shield became sturdier, the spear became sharper.

However, since the advent of guns, the development of armor had virtually stopped.

But then, monsters appeared, equipped with the armor of barriers. Against people who were practically naked.

A groundbreaking and innovative approach was needed.

A more economical and efficient weapon against monsters.

And that was the monster’s core.

“Combat soldiers implanted with monster cores. That’s what we players are.”

Core energy could be countered with core energy, and it could recharge itself.

Tankers, as they were called, were a class that specialized in the defensive capabilities of core energy, while dealers were a class that focused on using core energy to attack other cores.

And healers were a support class that recharged core energy and enhanced healing abilities.

Cutting-edge superhuman soldiers with defense, survivability, and even growth potential, those were players.

Of course, it cost a lot of money, but it was much better than using regular soldiers as expendable pawns.

“Elite soldiers who go out to the battlefield in place of ordinary humans.”

People. Even people were scarce now.

Because the casualties suffered before the Player System was established, using modern weaponry and infantry, were too great.

“So what did Heavenly King do wrong?”

“She created a labor union for healers.”

Most attack teams were made up of dealers. There were usually only one or two tankers. They didn’t need many since their job was to hold the monsters back. And there were fewer healers than dealers.

Theoretically, the most valuable role was the tanker.

The problem was that the tanker usually doubled as the leader of the attack team.

After the employer, the tanker, the next most valuable position was the healer.

And those healers had colluded.

Led by one person, the Heavenly King.

“Thanks to that, she now has control over the entire player system in South Korea. Naturally, she also exerts considerable influence over the political, economic, and military sectors.”

“Is that a crime?”

“Creating a union isn’t a crime. The problem is that she’s become a mob boss who uses the power she gained to threaten people.”

“Alright, let’s say that’s a crime.”

Mason thought for a moment and said,

“Then will that throne disappear if we get rid of her?”

“Someone better than her will take her place.”

“That’s not enough.”

“That’s because you don’t understand reality, Mason.”

“You’re right. I don’t understand the lust for power. So I have to ask a different question.”

Mason looked at Seo Yeonhee.

“How many people are willing to join you in your goal of defeating the Heavenly King?”

“…”

“I don’t know how bad she is. But if she’s truly evil, there must be people who want to stop her. A lot of them.”

“There aren’t many. It’s dangerous to even oppose her.”

“How many?”

Seo Yeonhee lowered her gaze.

“…Just me and my friend. Two of us.”

“Then I won’t get involved in something I don’t know about. I didn’t come all this way to fight humans.”

Seo Yeonhee looked at Mason.

“What about when you need help as a player?”

“If it’s fighting monsters, I have no reason to refuse.”

“Then… what about when you need help as a person?”

“That… I’ll have to think about it.”

“Alright.”

Seo Yeonhee smiled.

“Then I’ll hold you to that promise.”

She got up from her seat.

Mason tilted his head.

‘Come to think of it, did I promise her anything?’

He felt like he had been tricked somehow. Somehow.

‘Let’s just eat.’

After finishing his vigorous meal, Mason got up from his seat.

It was already getting dark outside. It seemed that treating the injured and collecting the loot hadn’t finished yet.

Mason walked around the area, casually strolling and keeping watch.

A forest of concrete. A barren wasteland where grass couldn’t grow because not enough topsoil had accumulated yet.

People had once walked these streets at night without a second thought, but now doing so would mean they wouldn’t see the next morning.

“Why are you out here instead of resting?”

It was a familiar voice.

Silver armor adorned with gold ornaments.

It was Sung Kijun, the leader of the Holy Knights.

“What about you?”

“I’m on watch. Just in case something happens.”

“I see.”

Sung Kijun lit a cigarette.

“Is that… a cigarette?”

“Yes.”

Mason looked intrigued.

“I heard ancient humans had a habit of ruining their bodies for a bit of pleasure, so it was true.”

“You really do have the makings of a tanker.”

“You said that before too, what exactly is the makings of a tanker? Being physically strong? Having strong willpower?”

“No, it’s being annoying.”

Sung Kijun chuckled and puffed out a cloud of smoke.

“You must have talked to Seo Yeonhee.”

“Hmm? Uh… yeah. How did you know?”

“Because there’s no way the current Seo Yeonhee would just let a talent like you go.”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t want to get involved in a fight between people. We already have our hands full fighting monsters.”

Sung Kijun’s voice was tinged with a bitterness deeper than the cigarette smoke.

And… Mason felt the same way.