Ubermensch – Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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Next up was equipment.

“I don’t think you need to use core equipment yet.”

Sung Kijun took him to the armory.

It was stocked with various weapons, including firearms.

Mason, of course, turned his gaze toward the large and heavy weaponry.

What he picked up was a two-handed sword the size of a person.

Originally, it was a heavy greatsword, but to Mason, it felt like an ordinary longsword.

“How about this?”

“Don’t use bladed weapons.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t know how to handle them.”

What Sung Kijun chose was a giant two-handed hammer.

“A weapon that overpowers with force would be better for you.”

“Am I that bad with weapons?”

Sung Kijun nodded.

“You use weapons like an extension of your limbs.”

“That sounds like a compliment.”

“No, it’s the opposite. You don’t use your wrists and shoulders when you use weapons. You just swing them with brute force, so it’s better to use a weapon with high durability.”

Sung Kijun pointed to a piece of heavy armor with a modern design.

“This looks like it will fit you.”

When Mason tried it on, it was comfortable to move his joints and light in weight.

“This looks better than your armor.”

“It’s better in terms of performance as armor. That’s non-core equipment, and mine is core equipment.”

Core equipment tends to focus on compatibility with the core rather than the performance of the equipment itself. It is even more difficult to manufacture than non-core equipment and inevitably has lower performance.

“Wear that for now. I’ll order you equipment when you level up.”

“Alright.”

Sung Kijun looked at his watch.

“Our Holy Knights work on a three-shift system. And even if you’re off duty, you have to respond to a call-up unless there are special circumstances.”

“Are call-ups that frequent?”

“They are.”

Sung Kijun made a tired expression.

“It’s not like other places where you only go out once a month…”

Players are also prone to battle fatigue. Especially because of injuries. Healers were limited to emergency treatment, and professional treatment had to be left to doctors.

Thanks to that, attack teams usually went on raids about once a month.

The problem was, the Holy Knights…

“…So you’re saying you only do trivial things that don’t make money?”

“That’s right.”

Most of the work that doesn’t pay is an emergency quest issued by the government. It was a job that no one but the Holy Knights would even consider.

This is because even if the government takes care of them, catching a raid boss is more profitable.

“And as overtime?”

But the Holy Knights couldn’t go on raids.

It was because they were exhausted from just emergency dispatches.

“…That’s right.”

In other words, the Holy Knights suffered hardships and struggled financially.

The government provided all possible legal support to the Holy Knights, but…

“Incidents don’t happen after considering our circumstances.”

Still, they lacked the money and manpower compared to other regular attack teams.

It was the price for honor.

“Are you disappointed?”

“Quite the opposite.”

Mason chuckled.

“I came to help people, so it makes sense to do things that help people!”

Sung Kijun nodded.

“Anyway, Level 1 is, in a way, more vulnerable than being bare-handed.”

That was the case considering core depletion.

“No matter how superhuman you are, it’s inefficient to move with us. Especially…”

“…To level up?”

“That’s right.”

Sung Kijun brought up a few items on his smartphone.

“Usually, you go to a beginner camp. A camp focused on leveling up. Are there any places you like?”

The limit of humanity’s territory was south of the Han River.

Beginner camps were located near the human limit line so that they could be easily folded and withdrawn if necessary.

Mason pointed to a spot.

“I think this place would be nice.”

It was near the old Hakdong.

“We leave tomorrow morning. Get some sleep today and leave early tomorrow morning.”

“Alright.”

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Even if it was called lodging, there was no bed that fit Mason yet.

Mason lay on the floor. He rolled up the blanket and used it as a pillow.

“Anyway… I should sleep.”

He put his brain to sleep.

Soon, drowsiness overtook him.

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It was a star.

A star whose name and location were unknown.

The place Mason was trying to find was spread out before his eyes.

Otherworldly, alien beings were living in the distance.

Near a substance that he didn’t know if it was grass, rock, or metal, they were doing something he didn’t know if it was harvesting, fighting, or mating.

Mason’s heart swelled.

I found it. I found it.

A being different from humanity.

A being that will become my friend.

Mason approached them.

At that moment.

There was a pillar of light piercing down from the sky to the ground.

A cursed star shining dark red.

Everything touched by the light it emitted began to change into completely different forms.

“…!”

Everything else was dismantled, and everyone else was harvested.

Leaving behind only one thing. Ruins.

“No…”

Mason ran to save anyone, anything.

They also ran towards Mason, their only hope.

However, before Mason’s fingers could even reach them.

The pillar of light swallowed them.

Along with their terrible death rattle.

Mason screamed.

“No!”

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The morning air tasted terrible.

“…Hm?”

For some reason, there were bloody tears in his eyes.

“Malfunction?”

It was something Mason had never experienced before.

It was probably because of the terrible dream he had last night.

“What kind of dream was that?”

Mason grumbled and packed his luggage.

The camp vehicle’s departure point was Gangnam.

Many people gathered there and were chatting with each other.

What stood out was that most of them were carrying firearms.

This is probably because the total amount of core energy is low at low levels.

‘What’s that giant?’

‘Isn’t that a monster?’

People murmured, and Mason felt like a monkey in a zoo.

Someone approached Mason, who was feeling awkward.

“It’s been a while, Mason.”

Mason unconsciously shifted his gaze. It was a familiar yet unfamiliar person.

“Seo Yeonhee.”

She was wearing a loose robe, perhaps to cover her form-fitting combat uniform. Even so, Seo Yeonhee’s charm did not diminish at all.

“You remembered my name?”

“You’re hard to forget.”

A femme fatale, the owner of a bewitching charm that ruins men. Seo Yeonhee herself was a quiet and calm person, but her charm made her a dangerous figure.

So much so that even Mason, a man of the 28th century who didn’t judge people by their looks, found her hard to forget.

“This is my colleague, Deroa Ranieri. A Level 55 mage.”

She was a small girl. Not because she was standing next to the giant Mason, but because she was a delicate girl, at least a head shorter than ordinary people. She was a beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes like a high-quality handmade doll.

However, the moment she opened her mouth…

“Is this musclehead the sucker we’re going to rip off?”

“Ah, Deroa. I told you to speak nicely…”

“If you’re not happy, fight me.”

Seo Yeonhee said apologetically.

“She learned Korean through keyboard battles…”

“Well, that can happen.”

Mason also learned Korean from ancient documents.

“I learned Korean through porn too.”

“…Huh? What did you learn it through?”

“Hey…”

“…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Unlike Seo Yeonhee, who had an embarrassed expression, Deroa grinned.

“Hey, I like you for a musclehead.”

“I like you for a kid too.”

“What, you little punk?!”

Deroa got angry and kicked Mason’s shin, then hopped around holding her foot.

“Ow, damn. Greaves…”

“Of course that would happen if you kick someone wearing armor.”

Mason chuckled.

Unlike Seo Yeonhee, who gave off a strange sense of tension despite her friendly attitude, Deroa was easy to deal with even though her words were harsh.

“Hey! How old are you?!”

“Minus 800 years old…?”

“…”

Deroa fell into thought.

‘Can a person’s age be negative?’

Deroa looked at Seo Yeonhee as if asking for help, and Seo Yeonhee said with a smile.

“You must be joking.”

“You, you must be right?”

Mason shrugged and said.

“No, I’m serious. I dimension-shifted from the 28th century.”

“…Really?”

Seo Yeonhee also had a confused expression.

Then Deroa stepped forward.

“Anyway, you’re younger than me, right?”

“Huh? I guess that’s right?”

“Then call me Noona from now on, kid.”

Seo Yeonhee had a perplexed expression.

There was a lot to think about. However…

“No.”

“You have to call me Noona if you’re younger than me!”

“I’ll think about it when you’re taller than me.”

“This bastard?!”

Seo Yeonhee sighed.

It seemed like it wouldn’t matter if she thought about it later.

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The Han River was the monster’s defensive line, and north of the Han River was the monster’s den.

In other words, the downtown area of Gangbuk, which was close to the Han River, was a relatively safe hunting ground.

Not because weak monsters appeared, but because it was easy to escape even if strong monsters appeared.

“Monsters also fight for territory among themselves, so the monsters’ territories are constantly changing.”

“What’s our destination like?”

“A goblin tribe was settled there. At least until last month.”

The camp vehicle arrived at Hakdong.

It was once a shelter for people, but now it was a place where only monsters roamed among the collapsed ruins.

The enemy was a ragtag group of dozens of goblins, and the allies were a hundred or so players.

“Shoot! Shoot!”

People hunted down the monsters as soon as they saw them, and soon a camp site was established.

The camp unfolded around the trailers of the camp vehicles.

This was the beginning of the camp.

People started forming their own parties or moving alone.

“What are you two going to do?”

“Deroa is going house hunting, and I’m going scouting.”

Deroa, who boasts the firepower unique to mages, was one thing, but Seo Yeonhee was a rogue class who excelled in stealth and unconventional warfare.

“I’m going to check the monster distribution and road conditions in the area.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Mason was Level 1, but he was superhuman.

“I’ll do that.”

Mason leisurely walked around.

‘This is small?’

Even from Mason’s point of view, the monsters around here were small in number and low in level. Most of them were goblins, and only occasionally did slightly stronger ones roam around.

Mason leisurely walked around and…

“Hup!”

Crack!

He slaughtered all the monsters he could see.

It was a time of idyllic slaughter.

The same was true for the players.

They practiced party play in their own way, and also practiced their combat skills.

It was a good healing camp.

As evening approached, people returned to the camp.

They received level-up procedures, and bartered equipment and cores.

However, the most pleasant place was, of course, the dining hall.

People sat around the campfire and boasted of their heroic tales, and listened to each other’s small adventures.

‘Let’s see.’

Deroa was sitting on top of the tallest structure in the camp, the communication tower.

She stretched her legs out in boredom and watched the surroundings.

“What? Why are you here?”

“I’ll take over. Go down and eat.”

Deroa nudged the sandwich bag at her feet.

“I’ll take care of it when it’s time, so don’t worry.”

“There’s warm food too.”

“I don’t want to mingle with them.”

Her words were mixed with bitterness rather than arrogance.

“Why?”

“I’m sure they’ll ask me questions I don’t want to answer.”

“Can I ask what that is?”

“Didn’t you hear me say I don’t want to answer?”

Mason shrugged.