WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby
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Chapter 199: 18th-Floor Hidden (4)
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After finishing my tour of the base, I was given something that looked like a laptop.
“I'll lend you this. I'll show you how to use it, so give it a try while you're here.”
Patriot explained how it worked.
It let me connect to a network called Stardustnet to search for information. It was pretty much the same as the internet on Earth.
“Pretty amazing, right? You can find out what's happening all over the world without even leaving your seat.”
Of course, I learned how to use it in no time.
“...What? You're pretty good at this.”
“We have something similar in my world.”
Maybe she'd expected me to react like a caveman seeing electronics for the first time. Patriot looked a little disappointed.
I took the laptop back to my room and started using it.
I'd planned to look up the ancient god Ram, along with various other things about this world, but...
“Why's everything locked?”
A window telling me access was locked kept popping up whenever I tried to open anything.
It seemed I either had to pay or was being blocked because I didn't have permission.
It felt like watching a YouTube video with an ad popping up almost every ten seconds.
I stuck to browsing the free public network.
Even that was enough to pass the time while learning more about this world.
Morning came, and Patriot stopped by my room.
“Let's go eat, Kim Seo-hyeon.”
Over a meal that was hardly any different from yesterday's, Patriot asked, “Did you find anything on Stardustnet? Was it any help?”
“Yeah. It helped a lot.”
I asked about other things I was curious about as we talked.
Patriot had questions of her own, apparently curious about my world.
“Kim Seo-hyeon, what's your world called?”
“Earth.”
“Earth... Is the one trying to destroy Earth someone like the Emperor? Does your world look much like ours?”
I looked at her, then answered.
“There's something called the Tower.”
I explained the Tower to her.
An entity that suddenly appeared in the world, bringing disaster and tragedy, setting a deadline for humanity and seeking to swallow the world whole.
Of course, I didn't tell her that this world had already been swallowed by the Tower.
“I didn't know a monster like that could exist.”
Patriot simply looked as though she were hearing a story about some distant world.
“So your world's already come close to being destroyed by the Tower several times, and you're the reason it's survived this long.”
“That's right.”
“...You're even more impressive than I thought. Then again, you really are absurdly strong.”
After we finished eating, Patriot got up.
“So, Kim Seo-hyeon, do you train your body too, or just your magic?”
“To some extent.”
“I'm heading off to train now. Want to come along and spar?”
“No, that's all ri...”
As I tried to refuse, Patriot grabbed my arm and pulled me along.
“Don't be like that. Come keep me company. You haven't seen the training room yet!”
More or less against my will, I followed Patriot to the training room.
Someone handed me a weapon. It was a lightsaber.
Patriot stood some distance away, holding an identical one.
“They're set to minimum output, so they aren't very lethal. You can go all out without worrying about holding back.”
I warned her in advance.
“There's going to be a big gap between us.”
“Hah, don't underestimate me. I'm pretty confident in my close combat skills.”
Patriot smiled as she spun her lightsaber.
I decided to humor her.
Crackle!
The fight began, and sparks flew as our lightsabers clashed.
Patriot was fairly strong.
In terms of levels, her physical abilities alone seemed to put her at around Level 100. She had excellent combat instincts, too.
Instead of going all out, I matched her level as we sparred.
Patriot furrowed her brow and swung her lightsaber with everything she had.
The circuits across her body began to glow as though they were overheating, and her strength and speed kept rising.
I knocked the lightsaber out of her hand with a powerful strike, ending the match.
Staring at her fallen weapon, Patriot asked, “...There really is a big gap. What percentage of your full strength were you using?”
“About ten percent.”
After catching her breath, Patriot picked up her sword again and spoke with a serious expression.
“Let's go again.”
We kept sparring.
Patriot went round after round until she was exhausted, then sank to the floor. Steam was even rising from her body.
“Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?”
“I'm fine. This much is... Give me a second.”
Suddenly, Patriot pulled off a section of her side.
The inside of her body was exposed.
Her internal organs were mechanical devices, with glowing cores fitted between them.
Patriot removed one of those cores, took out a new one, and installed it.
It was a cold, mechanical sight, like a machine replacing its own parts.
I watched her in silence.
Once she finished, the lights dimmed as though her circuits were settling down.
“You really are amazing at physical combat, too. How do you use a sword like that? I can't counter you at all.”
Patriot looked at me.
“Could you keep sparring with me while you're here?”
She studied my expression, then added, “...Am I being too much of a bother? You can just say no if you don't want to.”
I shook my head.
“Sure, why not?”
It wasn't difficult, so I decided to keep her company while I stayed.
After that, I sparred with Patriot from time to time.
I pointed out the weaknesses I noticed and gave her advice.
Nothing grand, just some simple feedback.
This wasn't a world where people mainly fought with melee weapons, and their weapons were highly advanced. Rather than focusing on technique, I tried to help her see the bigger picture during a fight.
Even that seemed to help Patriot figure things out for herself.
“Excuse me... Could we ask you to help us, too?”
After seeing me help Patriot train, other members of the revolutionary forces cautiously asked me to spar with them.
I helped everyone who asked.
Jason, Ginta, Helledeus, Paul, Ethan, Katarina, Rangdapa...
Before long, I was exchanging names, talking, and spending time with members other than Patriot.
Almost a week passed like that.
There was still no word about the information that was supposed to take a few days.
I wasn't sure whether the deputy commander was deliberately dragging things out...
In the meantime, the distance between me and the members had shrunk considerably. They were all good people.
“Phew...”
After another day of training until she was worn out, Patriot sat down and replaced her internal parts.
“I definitely feel like I can see more of what's happening in a fight now. Thanks, Kim Seo-hyeon.”
She looked at me with a smile.
I spoke out of the blue.
“Are you planning to keep fighting the Empire until you die?”
“...Huh?”
“You said you didn't have much time left. I just thought you could spend the rest of your life in peace... doing the things you want to do.”
Would defeating the Emperor bring the peace they wanted to this world?
No.
Whether in the near future or the distant future, the Tower would appear. The ending was already set.
The Empire, the Emperor, everyone would meet their end together. The cause of the revolutionary forces meant nothing.
Of course, saying any of this was meaningless, too.
Still, I wanted to say something, so I did.
Patriot's expression froze.
Then anger flashed across her face, but she bit her lip hard and lowered her head.
When she looked up again, she asked in a calm voice, “Why are you suddenly saying that?”
“Because I feel bad for you.”
“...Don't you think that's a little too insensitive? You don't even know anything about me.”
“You're right. Sorry.”
Patriot fell silent for a moment.
Then she began to tell her story.
“When I was little, my whole family was taken to a plant. We all had high astral affinity.
“The way plants process people is simple. They just grind them up whole. Apparently, a body with high affinity is valuable material in itself, with nothing going to waste.”
Patriot stared into the air as though remembering that time.
“You know what? The stronger your desire to survive, the more active the astral energy inside your body becomes. So what those bastards did was... put our parents in a huge tank right in front of me and my older brother. It was like a blender, with countless little blades inside.”
“...”
“Then they told our parents that if they survived in there for just thirty seconds, they'd let me and my brother live. Mom and Dad ran around inside that blender with everything they had, trying to save us. Their bodies were slowly ground away until they died. I still remember the looks on those researchers' faces as they stood in front of that bloody liquid, delighted because they'd never seen such strong activation before.”
I remembered the red liquid I'd seen at the plant.
Hatred flickered in Patriot's eyes.
“So how could I possibly stop? Fighting to destroy the Empire until the moment I die is the only peace I'll ever have.”
I had nothing more to say.
Patriot gave a bitter smile.
“Honestly, I don't have some grand cause like you do, Kim Seo-hyeon. I'm not trying to save the world. All I have is a grudge against the Empire and the Emperor. A lot of our comrades are like me.
“Some of the people we rescued this time will choose to join us, too. That's how we all become members of the revolutionary forces. In fact, that's part of why we rescue people. They're talented enough to have been taken away as materials, so they can strengthen our forces.”
“I see...”
“...Are you disappointed? You've probably been so kind to us because you thought we were good people, right? But that's not all there is to us.”
I shook my head.
“I do think you're good people.”
“I'm telling you we're not.”
“For people who aren't, you all seemed genuinely angry and heartbroken while looking after the people you rescued. Having practical reasons doesn't make those feelings any less real.”
Patriot's eyes wavered.
She looked at me and smiled.
“You really are a good person, Kim Seo-hyeon.”
I flinched.
Her words had suddenly reminded me of Kanyuk.
Kanyuk had called me a good person, too.
“I'm not all good either.”
“What are you talking about? If someone fighting to save their world isn't a good person, who is?”
“That's just it. To save my world, I could use any means necessary.”
In fact, I'd tried to destroy Kanyuk's world.
Kanyuk had chosen to die instead.
“Good person” was a description better suited to someone great like Kanyuk.
Patriot stared at me, then shook her head.
“No. I can promise you that you're a good person.”
She smiled.
“There's no one better than you in this hopeless world. I hope you achieve what you came here for and make it back to your own world safely, Kim Seo-hyeon.”
* * *
Another day passed.
Deputy Commander Kagan finally brought me the news I'd been waiting for.
“We found a record of a ritual relic of the ancient god Ram being sold at Doug City's main black market five years ago. Only properly verified goods are sold there, so it's likely to be genuine. The buyer was Christine, a well-known real estate tycoon in Doug City.”
They'd found evidence that a relic of the ancient god had been sold at a black market in a place called Doug City.
That was all, but at least I had a lead worth following.
It was time to leave.
“Mr. Kim Seo-hyeon, would you consider lending your strength to our revolutionary forces?”
And, just as I'd expected, Kagan made his request.
“This world is becoming a living hell under the Emperor's tyranny. Even now, the plants built across the world are taking thousands, tens of thousands of lives in horrific ways every day. The number of innocent victims keeps growing.
“Our revolutionary forces are far too weak to stand against an evil as great as the Emperor. Please help us. If you do, we'll do everything we can to help you achieve your goal as well.”
I firmly refused.
“I'm sorry. I can't do that.”
I'd realized something during my week here.
I shouldn't become any more personally involved with the people in this Hidden World.
It made me start to believe this world was real. Nothing good would come of that.
From now on, I intended to act on my own and focus on my goal as much as possible.
Kagan kept trying to persuade me, his desperation plain to see, but I drew a firm line.
Patriot stopped him.
“That's enough, big brother. It was too much to ask in the first place. Kim Seo-hyeon has a mission that's more important to him than anything else.”
With that, I prepared to leave the base of the revolutionary forces.
I wasn't leaving empty-handed.
They gave me a terminal and other things I would need to get by in this world, along with some money for expenses.
“The portal will take you into a forest, but you should see a city nearby. It's called Landerton City. You can take another portal from there to Doug City. Portals are expensive, though, so you could use another form of transport.”
I stood in front of the portal, listening to Patriot's explanation.
Still unable to let go, Kagan asked one last question.
“If you happen to change your mind later... Once you've achieved your goal, would you be willing to help our revolutionary forces then?”
“...I will.”
Of course, once I achieved my goal, I would leave this world.
But he looked so desperate that I agreed.
Kagan's expression brightened a little.
“There's a shop called Isabella's General Store in an alley on 32nd Street in Cheonghong City. When the time comes, please go there and leave a message with the manager. We'll be waiting.”
The other members came to see me off and say their goodbyes, too.
“Thank you for everything! Take care!”
Finally, Patriot smiled and gave me a simple farewell.
“Goodbye, Kim Seo-hyeon. Stay well.”
I nodded.
“Thank you, everyone.”
I stepped through the portal, and the view before me changed.
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