<Chapter 24. Operation - Bro, why are you there? - 4>

Meanwhile, Jin was finding a route where he could travel unseen from the outskirts of the city.

Most of the undead only saw him as a skeleton horse as he roamed around, so they weren't overly concerned about him. Therefore, one could say that his task was an easy one.

'Sure, it's a lot easier than Shin Woo's job of infiltrating the inner city teeming with undead, but... that idiot's gathering information right in the middle of enemy territory, so...'

Despite Lee Shin Woo explaining his actions most of the time to Jin, Jin still didn't really understand what goes on in Lee Shin Woo's head. It was like when his math teacher had explained mathematical formulas to him; no matter how patient and kind his teacher explained the subject to him, he wouldn't understand it at all.

'Damn... I feel like we've gotten closer, but it feels like we're actually growing further apart... Even though I'm working hard not to fall behind, even if I can't surpass him...'

Jin momentarily thought about Lee Shin Woo and naturally recollected the time he'd met God for the second time. He didn't really know why, but he had asked God about Lee Shin Woo, not himself.

[You may never speak to me again, yet that's what you're asking...? You're an entertaining child as well. But sure. I'll tell you. At least, all that I know.]

According to God, heroes were individuals from different worlds that didn't live their full lives; amongst those who died, those with incredible latent potential would be brought over to this world and turned into heroes. But even God herself didn't clearly know which direction that potential would lead.

[Especially that kid. The power I granted him wasn't that strange. I thought he'd become a true hero once he used up all his revives, but he went completely astray.]

Jin recollected what God had told him about Lee Shin Woo and looked upset once more. He'd asked her about Lee Shin Woo so that he could learn more about him and understand him a bit more, yet even God didn't really know what was up with him.

[He hasn't even shown his limits yet. You don't need to try so hard to stand beside him.]

[...Please send me back. I want to try out my new skill.]

God didn't even know the limits to Lee Shin Woo's potential. Jin wasn't a little kid, so it wasn't like he was jealous or anything, but whenever he felt the gap between their abilities grow farther and farther apart, he occasionally felt anxious.

'I know that a person's personality and potential differ based on the individual...'

There was nothing worse than having an inferiority complex towards one's comrade. Of course, if he were comparing himself to a normal comrade, Jin wouldn't sigh like this, but this was Lee Shin Woo he was talking about here. Rather, he should feel reassured by his teammate, but...

[Lee Shin Woo - Jin, are you about ready?]

But in the midst of his restlessness, a private message from Lee Shin Woo appeared. Startled, Jin replied.

"I'm about done. I can fight at anytime."

[Lee Shin Woo - We're going with Plan A, like we've discussed. Apparently, almost all of our reinforcements have arrived, so get out without being seen and join up with the rest of them.]

"...So what's Plan A anyway?"

[Lee Shin Woo - I already told you!]

Of course, he did indeed listen to his explanation on Plan A. The next step of the plan was similar to what Lee Shin Woo had told him to do.

First, he would join with their reinforcements and then enter into the city without being seen with the aforementioned route.

From here, Jin's role was incredibly important. With his incredible mobility, he would lead all of the monsters (the undead, level 4 Skeleton Knights and up) outside! In other words, he had to gather the mob!

"I know that far. But it's hard enough to find them one on one. What do you plan to do by dragging them out all at once?"

[Lee Shin Woo - I already told you about that too. I'm going to Instigate the mobs and take them down.]

"Instigate..."

It was indeed an impressive skill, but was it possible to control all of the undead within the city? Jin felt like Lee Shin Woo was being overconfident and felt uneasy, but he knew that Lee Shin Woo wasn't the type to change his mind once it was made up.

[Lee Shin Woo - See you later.]

"...Alright."

Jin finished the conversation by replying in an unsatisfied tone. As if waiting for that very moment, someone else messaged him, and that person was none other than...

[Kratia Melloi - I'm here. Can we really get in undetected?]

The moment Lee Shin Woo had entered the city, he messaged his reinforcements, a.k.a. Kratia. Jin was aware that Lee Shin Woo and Kratia often talked with each other, but he hadn't expected him to call her when he realized that he needed help.

[Kratia Melloi - Are you listening?]

"...I'm listening. I'll come out to meet you."

It wasn't really a secret; Jin didn't really like Kratia very much. She was talented enough to have a discussion with Lee Shin Woo as equals... since she was human, unlike him. And she was so eye-catchingly beautiful!

Whenever he saw her, he felt like he was seething inside. Even though she didn't really feel anything for Jin, he couldn't speak to her kindly. Especially when he saw her talking to Lee Shin Woo!

"Why do you come running just cause Shin Woo asks?"

[Kratia Melloi - Because it's a fair trade. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. Plus, we share any gathered knowledge. Mm. Excellent.]

"...I won't take very long. Just wait."

Yeah, this really pissed him off. But because Jin would never in a million years tell anyone why it pissed him off, Jin just kept his mouth shut and ran along. And his form, which ran so quickly and covertly so that no one could witness it, was truly beautiful.

In just seconds, Jin was able to leave the city and arrive at their designated location. Kratia was already waiting there.

"Hey."

"...Yeah."

He'd heard about how she was doing from Lee Shin Woo, but it'd actually been a few months since they'd last met. Jin replied, equally as curt as Kratia, and observed her.

'She's way too pretty. You shouldn't even be able to take care of it here, so how?'

Kratia looked even prettier than before. Her light purple hair, which extended every which way, was the same, but even that had become more distinctive, looking more charming than before. And her contrasting sky blue eyes looked straight at Jin.

"If you've become so much stronger, then Shin Woo must've gotten way stronger."

"Don't talk to me like I'm the odd one out. He'll beat you too."

"Hoo."

Jin said petulantly, yet Kratia just laughed relaxingly at his remark. Could it be...? Jin examined Kratia, but he couldn't gauge her level at all.

"Then let's go. We have to try our hardest not to fight anything and just drag them out, right?"

"Yeah. ...Get on."

He really didn't like someone else riding him, especially when it was Kratia, but... now wasn't the time to be swayed by such trivial feelings. Kratia looked a bit apologetic and got onto his back.

"There are undead everywhere. They looked really organized."

"Are you doubting me? Just stay there and watch."

Jin replied coldly and soon began to run. Unlike Lee Shin Woo, Kratia wasn't able to adapt to his speed and cried out, holding onto Jin as tight as she could whilst shivering. Jin felt just a bit better. He was well aware of how childish it was.

"We'll be there soon."

"Keuk, guuuek."

There were definitely undead patrolling around in their immediate vicinity, but Jin had already completely figured out where they were, where they looked, and even their movements; he was in the same area, yet they didn't notice him at all.

It was possible by combining Jin's unimaginable reflexes and the route that Lee Shin Woo had mapped out.

"We have 11 seconds. We have to get in within that time."

"Gueeek... O-Ok..."

From the outside, it looked like a normal, empty space within a forest, but to Kratia, who'd been updated on the situation by Lee Shin Woo, soon realized what was being hidden over there. She barely managed to overcome her motion sickness somehow, and took out an item: the Limited Order Bone Core that Lee Shin Woo had remodeled.

[Confirming general administrative authority. Opening facility.]

An enormous door suddenly appeared on the ground of the vacant lot, and screeched open such that one could barely make their way through the door. Kratia's expression stiffened once she sensed the awful death energy from within.

"Do you think we'll be able to get out safely...?"

"I guarantee you that we'll get out safely, so long as none of our opponents use magic."

Likewise, Jin spoke stiffly.

"But the real problem's what happens after we drag all these guys out."

"Ah, you're right."

"Let's go in before the undead catch on."

There are enemies everywhere, yet they were adding more enemies to their list. If the other heroes were to hear about this... No, there's really no reason to compare themselves to other heroes for every single matter. The situation made Jin wonder whether Lee Shin Woo was really a hero or not!

"It's closed."

"Can you open it again?"

"Yeah. That's not a problem."

As soon as the two heroes entered the facility, the door closed automatically. Though they were thrown into the dark all of a sudden, Jin's blazing blue goblin fire dimly lit up their surroundings.

"Do you see anything?"

"..."

Kratia was a typical magician. While Kratia's other stats were fairly high, as she was at a high level, her magic stat was almost ten times that of her other stats. It was impossible for her to assess her surroundings with her agility.

"Keep your defensive magic up."

"Got it."

But Jin, who possessed a ridiculously high agility stat, immediately realized that this place was an abode of demons once he'd entered the facility. He'd heard an explanation from Guillotine Steelworker, but he hadn't imagined that it would be such a mess.

"Huh? I can sense a golem's magic... Weren't they failed test subjects that were buried? Then why are there golems here?"

"At the time, they might've just been failed test subjects, but..."

Kratia asked whilst activating her defensive magic, and Jin replied stiffly. He had already been thinking about how he'd have to move so that he could protect himself from 'them'.

[Mm, I sense someone.]

Then, one of them noticed them trespassing. At that moment, the pitch-black facility lit up all at once, illuminating the entire area.

[A human...]

[It's a human!]

[An administrator?]

[The Emperor?]

"..."

The testing facility was definitely a lot bigger than they'd expected it to be, and it looked like it had been buried, as it overflowed with sand, as well as messily abandoned unknown cables, machines, golems' bodies, and piles of metals. As well as...

[Are the tests... over...?]

"These crazy..."

All of them were fused together, as if their bodies were glued together, forming a singular monster. One was a human body inserted into the center of a torso, embedded with a core rather than a heart, and in another monster's body, there was a human body bizarrely affixed to it.

[Lv5 Golem Chimera] [1]

[Lv5 Flesh Golem]

[Lv6 Chimera Golem]

One thing they were sure about was that none of them looked like proper golems... no, none of them even looked like proper undead.

[If not... then did we fail...?]

[Failure...]

[Are they... alive...?]

[They're alive...?]

These 'golems' that they'd found oddly stumbled here and there whilst speaking hoarsely and gradually approaching. Kratia tightened her fists at the horrific sight, and Jin sighed deeply.

"Hold on tight!"

"Gyaaaahk!"

And just like Lee Shin Woo had told them, he began running. In order to awaken this facility's nightmare that lay dormant for dozens of years.

[1] T/N: I'm not sure if this is intentional or not, but the author writes "Golem Chimera" and then inverts it with "Chimera Golem" below.